February Post

 Hard to believe it is almost mid-February!  While the pandemic has changed so much, I still am able to do art almost daily and it has helped me through this challenging time. I have been doing a lot of mail art and card making as well as journaling. I was just talking with a friend about how art is another language and one that can express ideas and feeling sometimes much better than words- sometimes the combination of word and image is powerful.

This journal spread is titled:   Learning To Swim In The Down Deep.  The down Deep class I mentioned in the other post ended last week but many, myself included, are keeping on with the assignments.  I always learn so much about myself in this Down Deep course.  The deep sharing that happens in that class group is really amazing.

I did several backgrounds on sheets of cheap paper for the class.  Some I have glued into my journal to use.  Then I collaged on top.

These articulated paper dolls were done for an exchange that a friend organized.  I made more to share with the Creative Gents group- this is a group of male mixed media artists. The body is a shrine- it's a rubber stamp- I cut the doors so they would open to reveal a quote.  The arms are the same but I made different pants for them. So they are: Terrance de ABQ, Patron Saint of Mail Art.

What a Year 2020 Was And 2021 Has Started Off With A Bang

 I will say that I was happy to start the new year- the the idiots that invaded the capitol shook me beyond where I had been. Yesterday was wonderful- a very nice. I am hopeful now- the ugliness has faded but it will not go away. Wishing you all a new year full of love and good health.

I have been busy with some mail art projects and have enjoyed that and I am in an online class The Down Deep 2021 with Fonda Clark Haight. She offers this class once a year and I have taken it twice before,  She has a way of getting you to go deep down and finding your truths. I will share a spread from that class- it is in progress. Here is that spread- we were to think of our earliest childhood memory. The piece after that was an exercise using a background we made.

To balance this course which can get heavy- I bought a 2021 Collage Planner from Margarette Miller.  Each week there is a spread on the left hand side is a background she has provided and on the right side are the dates for that week and also there are  the prompts for making that week's collage. I find it a fun challenge. https://www.margaretemiller.com/

 

Such a relief-The electoral folks did their duty.

 December has zoomed by!  Spraking of zoom I have so been thankful for that in being about to see and talk with friends- takes some of the sadness away. What I have now is growing hope.

I am grateful to Micaela Seidel- a terrific artist here in Albuquerque for starting the hand group.  Usually after I have a show there is that let down and this time it could have been worse with the show being cut so short. This hand project really motivated me to move on and explore. Should you be interested in this her group on facebook is called handmade hands- join the group and share!!! The diversity and quality of the work is terrific.

I did some different monoprinting after watching a video from Caterina Giglio. She is a terrific artist and has a blog and lots of videos. I monoprinted on a sheet of plexi-glass and on a sheet of this fun foam - it comes in sheets and really grabbed the paint. So these ended up to be great fun and then of course I had to collage them. I used  limited colors- red black and white on old book pages.

Be well and stay safe- hoping you have a nice holiday season!

Hand Stories

 Well we are having a quiet Thanksgiving-Hope you all stay safe and make good choices for this holiday- I know my gratitude list is long. I try to remember that when I get close to the edge of deep anxiety.

Here are several more hands.  My friend, Micaela Seidel here in Albuquerque challenged herself to make 100 hands.  She created a facebook group Handmade Hands and I was  hooked.  There is something about combining my collage work on to a hand substrate. I am at 20 so far and I am sure there will be more. I doubt I go for 100 but you never know.

Why Indeed

For You

Go Easy

On Troubled Waters

He Tried To Rise Up

Viral Fear

Two Dolls Watching

Out Of Reach

Looking Within

Looking Outside Myself

Sometimes The Pieces Just Don't Fit

Home Weighed Heavy On His Mind

Metamorphosis

Finding My Way Home

Not Welcome There

No More Running Away

He Reverts

Letters From Home

The art show is in lock-down

 November greetings,

Well my art show opened November 6th at Remarque Print Workshop. The artist talk was on the 11th and will be on their YouTube channel soon. I felt good about the show and have received some nice feedback.  Monday our governor started a two week lock-down- all nonessential businesses are to be closed so my show ended up being open for a week. Can't be helped- our covid cases are so high right now.

https://www.remarqueprintshop.com/narratives-in-cut--paste---terry-garrett.html

I was able to get some journal time in.  I actually played- I used hand stencils and masks and put them under my paper and did rubbings with Prisma Color sticks. Then I scanned those and played with them in the computer- I printed out a couple that I liked and they are the back grounds for these two spreads.

Title: Asking For Your Helping Hands

 

DreamScape

 

This last spread is titled Viral Nightmare- and it is-

 

My friend Micaela Seidel here in Albuquerque is working on a challenge she gave herself -making 100 hands.  She decided to create a Facebook group called handmade hands. I jumped in- here are my first two hand collages. This was challenging but very fun.

Internal Screaming

 

Thoughts of Flight

Three Self Portriats

 Hard to believe one week left of October. I deliver my work for my show a week from today so that is exciting. We  are finally going to get some cooler weather here in New Mexico.

For one of my online classes a self portrait was an assignment. It took me years before I would include a picture or image of myself in an artwork- leftover baggage from thinking people would think that is egotistical to include myself in a work.  Over the last few years I have become more comfortable with putting myself in artwork and journal spreads. These three I am showing here were done differently for me- I altered photos of myself to high contrast black and white. I then cut some monotypes to the standard size for my printer and I printed the black and while images right on the monotypes. Some that have a lot of paint cause the ink to slide a bit and then it seemed to not dry for a long time- I liked the way it is  left to chance how the photo will look on the monotype.  I then collaged them.

Key To Contentment

 

Melancholia

No Longer Chained To The Past

 

Online Classes

 I am a life-long learner.  I am thankful to have online classes as an option to take classes from artists that I follow. The trouble is I take too many and then get behind- usually it is ok as there is lifetime access to most of the classes. This post I am sharing some things I have made for a class by Fonda Clark Haight.  The class is Forgiveness. This class is a follow up class to her Down Deep class. These classes while hard at times, provide the motivation for some needed self care and work.  I find that art is so important for  growth. While I won't go into detail about the meaning of things- I will share the box I made for cards we were to make on topics of forgiveness. I also am sharing some of the cards I have made. The cards are just under 4 inches by 6 inches and the substrate is mat board.

This is the box I covered with images and quotes.

This is the top of the box.

One side of the box

Another side of the box

One of the quotes on the front of the box.