Investigative Art

"Can You Hear the Footsteps?"

detail of tags on base

detail of top

first step in making the tags- smoked edges on a candle

2nd step of making the top part-adding wax to the collage

1st step of making the top-attaching the metal stand to the tin with
Dap Quick Seal Plus
and adding alcohol inks to the metal.

It all started with a wooden clothes hanger that my husband gave me to do something with. I said "were did this come from?" He said I think it was my dad's he must have stayed there sometime in the 50's or 60's. So this hanger has been hanging (no pun intended) around my studio for about 6 months or more. I found these old wooden shoe inserts at a thrift store and hung them on the hanger in my closet. Then one day I found this wreath hanger that I thought would be perfect for hanging the hanger on. I was thinking that this was going to be called "These shoes are made for walking" and it would be about the traveling salesman of a byegone era and his pounding the pavement looking for a sale.

I created the top part of the sculpture by collaging a tin box with a photo of an old typewriter keyboard, then added wax chunks and melted them 1/2 way to look like ice cubes, cause after a day of walking in Tuscon AZ, you would need to cool off. The frame for the top part is an old art deco light switch plate. The metal wreath stand is mounted on top of a carved wooden thing I found. The piece still seemed like it needed something. So I thought I'd google the hotel and see what I could find out. Was I in for a shock. The Tuscon AZ, Pioneer Hotel was the scene of a 2.5 million $ fire in Dec. 1970, started by a 16 year old arson. 28 people died in that blaze including the 82 year old builder of the hotel who lived in the penthouse with his wife. In 1977 the building was renovated and turned into offices.

The office building is now thought to have paranormal activity. The experiences in that building have been indicative of a residual haunting, or the playback of a recording of a past traumatic event such as the sound of running footsteps when no one is around. Perhaps the Pioneer building itself is replaying the events from the night of the fire. So needless to say this completely changed the focus of my piece. Somehow I had to honor the lives lost in that fire. I found the roster of those that had died in the fire and attached their information to tags that I distressed by burning the edges. Those tags are tied around the base of the sculpture. The ice now stands for the ice needed to cool the firefighters. The new name for the piece is: "Can You Hear the Footsteps?"

Living the Artists Life

The finished project being auctioned off.

Me starting on my "quick draw" piece for the Live Auction. I had 1 hour to complete it.

Susan working on her "quick draw" printmaking project
(she even brought a press) and me with the gesso.

4 "Exquisite Corpse" collaboration pieces that I was a part of all were auctioned off this evening for a good cause.

These were all created by Zella, metal artist, Nancy, painter, Marianne, mixed Media, Susan, print-maker and me. It was such a neat experience to be asked to be a part of this.

This was the start of my "quick draw" piece. Though I was not technically drawing but creating an assemblage. I started with this birdhouse, then
gessoed it and stained it with various acrylic paints.

The next step was to add collage items, and more paint.

The final project. "Every Little Thing" I used was something that was no longer wanted for it's original purpose. The metal hummingbird was from a broken wind chime. The Book spine was from a book taken apart by my friend Aimee, who makes journals out of the covers. The bird on the twig was from my artist friend Miriam, who gave me an old assemblage of birds that I have taken apart.I talked to the lady who was the highest bidder and she bought it as a wedding gift for a woman that loves hummingbirds, so it was perfect! I love to talk to the people that buy my art, because more often than not...they say it was as if the piece was made just for them (or for whoever they are purchasing it for.) So cool.

There has been some talk among my various artist circles about what constitutes a "real" artist. Well after this week and especially after the We Art Women Fundraiser tonight, I told Marianne...well I finally feel like a real artist.

This has a been a busy week for me with museum docent training, two museum tours, Treasure Valley Artist Alliance Meeting (I'm on the board), helping out with silent auction items for WAW for three hours on Sunday and three hours today and then returning this evening for the actual event.

The cool part is that I was chosen as one of 4 "quick draw" artists for the event, and these 4 items were the only live auction items. So I got to make art all evening and talk to those that came by my table with what it is that I do.

Oh, and last but not least I had a piece chosen for the 2 month extended exhibit. The juror Sue Latta said she could only choose 32 out of 190 pieces submitted, so that was quite an honor to be chosen.

I did not make any money myself this week but my art made money for those in more need than myself and if I can do good with my art, then it is all worth while. And don't worry, I'm not "starving." :)

Post Apocolyptic Barbie (and friends)

Post Apocalyptic Barbie (and friends)

Well a special thanks goes to Marianne for lending me the Margaret Atwood Book "The Year of the Flood." I had had this barbie head sitting around for a while, I think I even blogged about it but didn't know what to do with it and then it hit me while reading this book. I would create an assemblage of cast off dolls that had survived being sent to the dump.
The doll on the left, I bought at a thrift store in Caldwell for a quarter. Someone had cut off all its hair and looked like she really needed a second life. She is riding on a giant fly. The doll in the center I found in the street and someone had run over it and its head was split open- it really did need another life, he is riding on a giant lizard. Barbies body is a dinosaur body. Now the three are all happy to be together gleaning and foraging in the wasteland that is left of our planet earth. And yes, that is a real snakeskin that someone gave me from their pet snake.

Bring Amtrack Back to Boise

At the March Arts and Crafts show I attended a few weeks ago, I bought this light up wooden toy train station from Cindy Allen. She said she couldn't wait to see what I was going to do with it. I promised to have it ready for 1st Thursday in April which is this Thursday. So this past week I have been busy working on it.
First I added a light coat of white gesso. Then I found some 3D Idaho stickers and thought of the whole issue with trying to get Amtrak back to Boise this past year but that financially it just doesn't seem like it is going to happen...so I decided to make it into a Boise train station, our current Boise Depot is a museum/event center.
I added white caulking along the edge of the roof, almost like decorating a cake or gingerbread house. And painted details along the sides.
I collaged miscellaneous items including the four railroad cards from an old monopoly game, on the roof and added more paint.
Next, I collaged tissue paper and added 3D items like real rocks, a miniature german shepherd (just about everyone in Boise has a dog except me), chess pieces to the corners, a hand carved vase with flowers and a wooden train (stamped on the bottom of the train: Made in German Democratic Republic) I did not glue the train down and it can roll around and be played with.

added more layers of transparent paint and gel medium.
To see the train station in person come to First Thursday (click for details)

A, B, E...

A is for Ant

B is for Bear

E is for Elephant

Some more of the assemblages I created this past weekend.
Back to my ABC roots. :)

Busy art week:
Today I drop off my piece that was accepted into the 2 month show at the VAC, opening is this Friday. Tomorrow night is TVAA board meeting. Wednesday night is my ATC workshop. Thursday night is First Thursday and I will have a booth set up in the same bldg. as Atomic Treasures. Friday is the opening of the show at the VAC. whew.

I get 2 spring breaks this month

"Red Box of Dreams"

This week my younger daughter is out for spring break, she did not follow her friends to soak up the rays in Florida, so she is here with me creating art (one of my projects pictured above). We had a great day yesterday...
playing/working in the studio with breaks for Mexican Food and going out for a walk to the grocery store in the warmth of the afternoon sun. Oh, and I can't forget the time honored tradition of bringing home the dirty laundry that has been piling up since Christmas Break, but I was happy to do it and have my baby at home.

Label Fiasco

My daughter was a little upset with me for this one. She had been saving these rum bottles that have tattoo art on the back of the labels and she wanted to save them. When I went to visit last week, I told her about this fool-proof method I had learned for doing this. It was to pour boiling water into the bottle, and it would loosen the glue and it would peel right off. Well you can see the result of her rum bottle labels above. My cheepo wine bottle label worked great...at least we didn't scald our hands.

A week in my life as an artist

"A"
My contribution to the Treasure Valley Visual Alliance collaborative art piece.

Monday's I attend docent training at the Boise Art Museum. A docent is a volunteer trained on the current exhibits at the museum and give school tours and teach an art project with the children following the tour. Our current exhibit that we are touring with the youngsters is on Robots. My first reaction to this being my first tour experience was yuck, I don't really care for robots, but the more I learn the more fascinated I become. I love being a docent as I get to learn too.

I dropped off art at the newspaper to be considered for their cover art.

I attended the Treasure Valley Artist Alliance Linger at the Linen, artist mingle, purchased a board for a collaboration art piece and finished that by gessoing it and making it into a frame for my previous "A" that I had made as part of the logo.

Chose 10 pieces of art and brought them to be professionally photographed for my application to
Boise Open Studios Collective. (BOSCO)

Went to meet at the Modern with Marianne, Zella and Kevin to look over our room (227) for the art event First Thursday May 6th. Checking out the space and figureing out how and were we will display our art and set up an area for making and trading ATCs.

Spent time on the computer promoting my ATC class that I will be holding at the North End Organic Nursery next Wed. @5:45-7:15. I still have room, if you are interested leave me a note.

And spent time on that never ending job of cleaning and organizing the studio to make space to make art!

3rd time's a charm?

Cabernet Corks

Good Luck

Your Perception

One of my many goals as a Visual Artist is to be the cover artist for the Boise Weekly. No small feat. I have submitted work twice and it was rejected but they can't tell you what they are looking for...just if they see it, they know it...so after looking at the covers now for over 2 years maybe I have it down?

The first time I submitted images, they were all flat square collages or paintings. The second time, they were photos of my 3D assemblages. This time they are the original art but more of a flattened type assemblage. All 3 are made in CD tins, that AOL used to send in the mail every other day. I'm glad I saved them. They also all use my new favorite media- wax.
Wish me luck... I drop them off tomorrow. :)

Early Spring in Eugene

M.E.C.C.A. & artist garage sale finds

When I went to Art and Soul in Portland I met Yona who was from Eugene and volunteered at M.E.C.C.A. Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts, so I made sure to put that on my to-do-list when I knew I would be going to Eugene to visit my daughter for Spring Break. It was a cool place and Yona even happened to be there. It is a non-profit organization whose mission it is to divert reusable materials from the landfill and put them back in the hands of people who can use them. We stocked up on some cool stuff for my art projects and then when checking out we saw a flier for an artist garage sale and got some more finds. My daughter and her boyfriend had been talking about wanting to make candles out in the back shed and we found a whole box of candle making supplies for $10 so mom got it for them.:)
We had three days of wonderful early Spring weather with no rain! We explored several parks, ate at many good local restaurants and visited Cody, Panda (the dog) and Victoria's favorite spot on the river.

Bill and I got to stay in the special " loft apt." above my daughters new home. It was reached by a ladder in the hall closet and you couldn't stand up in it but it was newly carpeted and a big space so we could spread out all our crap. I felt like a hobbit. I've always loved cool spaces like this.

and when I got back I had a special surprise waiting for me..my Artful Blogging magazine that I won on http://voodoonotes.blogspot.com/

A parting shot of the beauty of Eugene.

Your Perceptions....

So let me tell you about this one... well first I saved a fortune cookie insert that said, " Your perceptions are sharpened through careful observation." Then I found a magnifiying glass and I put the two together in my studio for about 5 months to percolate. Then recently I bought that wood storage spice cabinet that was highlighted on my blog a week or so ago. I am using it for my little embelishments, well I had taken all the tops of the spice shakers off but of course I couldn't throw those away, they were added to the growing collection on my table. The face came from a bag of ceramic heads I bought on our "art trek" out to the hinter lands in Caldwell ID. The Yellow is an Encaustic wax sample I picked up at an art store in Portland. In the wax are embedded some found pebbles and beads. My next step is to pour resin all over the whole thing. I have not had good luck photographing items with resin on them because of the glare created, so this photo is sans resin.

Exquiste Corpse

Pam's piece in progress...

Zella, Marianne, Nancy, and Susan all collaborate on Zella's piece.

Zella working on ATC's

Pam's ATC's

Today was such a great day for "an art date" with a bunch of fun, artistic girl friends. First of all it had been an early spring here in Boise and we were all marveling over the warm temps and budding trees and flowers, then this morning we woke up to snow! So it was a great day to stay inside and create.

Well, Marianne (click to see her photos and blog) invited us all over for a day of art, she generously shared all of her wonderful art supplies, books and techniques and we learned from each other.

We were each to bring a "substrate" something to start the piece on and then we would each have an hour to work on each others piece and pass it around. We had a lot of laughs, a lot of sharing of ideas and a lot of the "F" word which actually wound up on the back of my piece after we had been through a couple of bottles of wine and some great hour-devours!

A few of the men came out of the woodwork by the end of the day when we broke out the steaming pot of chili and Pineapple cake to top off the days work.

Some of the pieces may wind up in the silent auction at We Art Women-April 8th at the VAC and look for the ATC's around town as we get ready for our Modern Art Show at the "Modern Hotel" on May 6th.

15 years

Someone asked me today how long I had been married, I said 15 years this month, then looked at my watch and saw that we both missed our anniversary- it was yesterday! The photo above pictures my loving husband who went out of town on our 15th anniversary without me.

Seriously we have a great relationship and holidays and anniversary's don't mean much to us. It is better to celebrate the daily life together than to get caught up in the "what Hallmark says you should do thing"

The photo above was taken on our last family vacation with the girls and I think it was my youngest, Katherine,who altered the photo and made it cool. We had stopped the truck and all gotten out at some lake and were playing around with the driftwood...a good memory.

Happy Anniversary Bill!

3 good things

This week I found out that I was accepted into two juried art shows. "We Art Women!" chose "Time for the Show" for their fourth annual benefit for the Women's and Children's Alliance of Boise. (pictured above) and "If I'm Going to Die I might as well have some fun" (pictured below) was selected for an extended two-month at the Visual Arts Collective (VAC).


Other exciting news was Marianne, Zella, Kevin and I were chosen as participating artists in Modern Art 2010 a one night event at the Modern Hotel May 6th. Last year I think something like 3,000 people attended. We will be showing our work as well as hosting a table for people to make their own ATC's.

And last but not least I was checking one of my favorite blogs last night and saw the words "Hey, Pam McKnight" You win the copy of Artful Blogging. Send me your address, and I'll get it in the mail~~congratulations! How cool is that!

Lending Library

"Never lend books-nobody ever returns them;
the only books I have in my library are those which people have lent me. "
Anatole France

Last night I went over to my friend Nancy's house for our Tuesday "Studio Night" We have missed Marianne our other "regular" as she has been out of town or busy the last 2 weeks. This newest addition to my "ABC's" of Every Little Thing, I finished while at her house. These are the book spines I bought from Aimee (Beach Chicken) a month ago.

The quote I cut from a book (audible gasp) instead of copying it. I don't know why , just more waste of paper...(I made sure I read what was on the back of it first) and the book was printed on better quality paper than the cheap computer crap paper.

About the quote...it is humorous and I try to keep my art lighthearted and (2) it is partly true... I hardly ever buy full price hard back books but I have bought one, once or twice in my life and if I paid that much for it, it must be one that I want to keep and then I lent it to a co-worker I thought would appreciate it and then for 2 years heard " Oh I've been meaning to give you back that book" then he switched jobs...and never heard from him again...oh well...lesson learned.

I added my little 3-D embellishments, finding things that would go with each book title. The wooden base/frame was found at the bins. The whole thing was "antiqued" with alcohol based inks that I bought locally and then rubbed on the wood and embellishments.

Can't have enough.....Storage

AFTER

I found this cool organizer at "Savers" the other day for $4.99 I think it was handmade and was just begging to be decorated. Each little drawer handle is screwed into a spice jar. I glued the loose screws and removed the little plastic thing in the top of each container that has holes in it to sprinkle your spices. And added bottles caps, seashells, pins, dice, buttons, beads etc.

I have had fun figuring out what is going in each "drawer" as well as adding paint and collage items to the exterior.

BEFORE

WAY BEFORE

I had this ugly plastic one I used to keep all my little things in until my husband appropriated it...but I waited patiently and then this other piece fell into my hands. Wood is way cooler than plastic anyway....

Treasure Valley Artist Alliance

Last night I attended and officially joined ($) the Treasure Valley Artist Alliance whose mission is to forge connections among visual artists in the Treasure Valley in order to create opportunities for creative collaboration, support and community contribution.

Building upon this mission our new logo is one that all can contribute to. It is a 4 x 4 grid the spells out TVAA. The idea is for all members to contribute their own 6" X 6" 300dpi version of one of those letters, an ever changing logo that all can have the opportunity to collaborate on.

As a member at large on the board and the education committee chair of the TVAA. I would be happy to answer any of your questions or if you have any great ideas you would like to share...share away....:)