February Post

As always- time seems to just zoom by.  A mix of medical appointments- Ron had  cataract surgery on the eye that he had surgery on in November so check ups for that- things seem to be ok there. I have had some good studio days. Finished a collaborative project with Los Libros- one of the book arts groups I  am part of.  We are each making a mini zine- we will get one from each person in the March meeting and make a slip case to hold them- there will be 40 different ones.
I had a moving experience yesterday(Saturday the 16th) - I may have shared that a wonderful collage artist Valerie Roybal died here in November- Valerie invited me to be a part of the collage group here when I first got here to Albuquerque. There is a show of her work up at a gallery here right now and they brought in her actual old desk and everything on it- several of her antique cases with her collections- the collage group set up tables right in the middle of her show and there were stacks and stacks of her books and collage materials we were encouraged to take and make work with. It was both a sad and a joyful afternoon. Here is a link to Valerie's work. https://www.pinterest.com/evabudlong/valerie-roybal/?lp=tru 
Here are two collages I made at that gathering.

Lucky Strike

This collage is on a monoprint.

Facing the Past

This collage is also done on a monoprint.

Last week of January

Well the time just zooms it seems.  I have been to some groups lately a wonderful collage group- 2 different book arts groups and have been to a printmakers studio and printed with some fun artists.  Yesterday I took a collograph class a The Remarque Print Workshop.  That is an amazing place here. https://www.remarqueprintshop.com/
Have had some health stuff to deal with- Going in to see a specialists about a test I had.  Ron is having his second surgery on his eye-that happens next week.  So in between that I have had time for some art making. I don't have pictures yet from the workshop yesterday but here are some collages from the class I am taking.

We'll Be Watching You

This collage is very different for me- we printed some gelli prints on transparency sheets. This collage is a sandwich in that I printed one on paper then  I cut out and added the collage elements and then put the transparency over it all.

 

Sometimes A Door Must Close

 

This collage started with one piece glued down- it was the paper that looks like netting.  Then the rest was added.

River of Time

 

This started with the piece of map- then added the rest. I figure in front is an altered very old photograph and I printed it out on a old dictionary page.

The Weight of Home

 

This collage started with the piece  of numbers and letters with the square punched out.  The trees are a rubber stamp.

Not So Merrily Down The Stream

 

This collage started with the 2 pieces of red grid paper from an EKG I had done last year along with the piece of book text.

Emma's Garden

This started with  A piece of tissue with the colored circles.

A House In The Woods

This started with  the red house like shape I found in my box of collage fodder.  I cut the trees out of the insides of an envelop.

Another One Got Away

I started this collage with the gray scale pieces.

There Was Trouble At Dinner

This last one started out with the odd shaped piece behind the man.

 

So Much for Posting More Often!

I didn't post the month of October. Still amazed how fast the time goes- The first week of October my art buddies were here- we rented an air bnb house and made art like crazy for a week- I will share some pictures form that and the journal pages that happened that week.  I am so thankful for this group - there seem to be few men in the mixed media- journaling world so having this group is very special.  There are a lot of men in the collage groups that I am part of.
We continue to discover new places here and have seen some terrific art- we have hiked in the foothill of the Sandias and I have joined a book making group that meets once a month. So feeling good about our move here.  There was a lot of fall color here- the cottonwood trees along the Rio Grande  are past peak but the yellows were stunning- I can see the mountains out our front door and I never tire of looking at them- they are ever changing in color and light.
 Here are some journal page spreads from the retreat.

This spread we call the prompt game where we go around the table and we each give a prompt- like 3 three collage images   and add white lines and add a number and so on-

This is a shot of the table where we worked.

John taught us a binding that was new to the rest of us- a slip-knot binding.

 

This is the inside of the slip knot book.

 

 

 

Here are the gents on our field trip to Santa Fe

Here we are in Old Town Albuquerque

 

Really? The Third Week of September?

Time continues to zoom. Feeling good about the move down here to New Mexico. Finally getting use to the idea we don't have to gallery and museum binge- we live here now.  I have had some great discoveries- I was invited to a collage group- it was terrific sitting and making collages with wonderful artists I felt welcomed and inspired!! I also attended a meeting with a book arts group here- wonderful people so this is feeling really nice. There are more groups I hope to attend and we have barely scratched the surface of galleries to see.
I have a great week in store starting at the end of the month. My art buddies are flying in for a week of art making.
So here are some collages I have made in the last few weeks.

Split Man

Does It Fit?

House Finch Message

He Pushed Start

Meat Cuts

Final Journey

He Thought About It

Back in the Groove

We are feeling pretty settled in and have been able to explore some. The Albuquerque Museum is wonderful.  Ron helped me put together some cabinets for my studio- well he did most of it and I was his lovely assistant.  The studio space feels good and I started in with some new collages.

This collage is titled Vigil.  What makes this special to me is that the background is a photograph I took and altered 18 years ago in Santa Fe.  Little did I know then that I would be living just an hour south of there.

This one is titled Grooming His Thoughts. The background is one is I put together digitally over 10 years ago- yes I moved this stuff here from Minnesota! The head is from a photograph I took in an antique store many years ago-  so I cut that out to use.

This one is titled Blue. The background for this one is one I had printed over 10 years ago as well.

This is titled, Fading.  And yes the background is also from that 10 year old stash I found.

Where to begin?

I have not posted in a very long time.  The big news is my husband and I moved to Albuquerque New Mexico! We sold our home in northern Minnesota and headed to the SouthWest. We are just getting settled in- this was a major move for us as we have never lived outside the Midwest before- So far all the people we have met have been so friendly and welcoming. We can bike from our house to this great paved bike trail along the Rio Grande River!  We are finally done with dealing with things like new doctor new dentist new bank new insurance and are ready to start exploring.  I am happy to say that my studio is set up and I have done a few journal spreads.  I will share those.

I did this spread on July 15th.   Well I sat down in my new workplace and did a spread- I will say it was emotional as it seems like forever since I last worked. I had been thinking about wanting to do a gratitude spread relating to this big move across the country.  We are pretty settled in- always more projects to do but it feels like home inside- It really felt that way once we got the art hung- I missed the energy I feel when the art is up- much of the art we have is made by friends so when they art is up on the walls and setting on shelves- I feel the energy from them. 

 

 

July 20 at 4:52 PM

Got in some studio time-got our errands done this morning- right now it's 101 out and going to be like this for sure through Monday. This spread has a lot going on for me- the kingbird card is special- I got it on a trip a few years ago with a dear friend. When we arrived to our new home there was a king bird pair that were in our backyard everyday- then a couple of days ago all their young were flying all over-they would sit on the patio ceiling fan and ride it like a merry-go-round. So they are beginning their new life as we are beginning our life here. I love the face with all the words- have been giving thought to what things make me who I am- the naked man(I believe it's a DaVinci) is how I feel sometimes- this new start- When I didn't make art for those couple of months I was so out of balance- feels nice to be back- the nest with eggs- the unborn ideas that will hatch here in this new studio. And then my dear friends- my art brothers. We will be together this fall for some artmaking. 

 

July 25 at 5:57 PM 

Feeling a bit more settled each day- discovered a great walk from our house- that was exciting- it is a park where the area had once burnt and a man carved sculptures from the trees. I was able to journal this afternoon- A Wolf at the Door is the spread. Thinking about how I tend to worry about things that I shouldn't- the critic and all that- mostly I am able to not answer that door- and doors... I have closed some by moving and now others are opening up.

March went so fast

Things have been rather hectic and intense of late. We put our house on the market March 9th- so there was work for that and of course the thinning is ongoing. I had been having some symptoms I didn't like and went to see my cardiologist.  She had me do a stress echo test- she called the next day to say she didn't like part of what she saw. So the 12th I had an angiogram and a major blockage was found- so I now have a stent to take care of that- at least the rest in there looked good.  So I am on a blood thinner for at least a year-to avoid clots around the stent. The part that surprised mt was I now have nitro pills-  I know I have coronary disease- and that along with the stent  makes to possibility of an "event" go up. So I am getting use to a new normal.  So thankful this was discovered and dealt with. The work of late has been in my journal. I have packed much of the studio but have left a few things out and the rest that is packed I can get to if I just have to cause I didn't seal the boxes yet.  I will include the narrative I wrote for each spread- these where shared with two different art groups I am a part of. I will start with a February spread.

February 18

Well today was challenging - we got around 9 inches of snow- a reminder that winter up here in northern Minnesota is far from over- Made the best of it and got more studio sorting and packing done and I had to do a spread. I have this book that is 5 1/2 x 81/4 so the spreads are 5 1/2 x 16 1/2. It is a book about rocks- I am using it as a journal. I will often do backgrounds using paint I have left from other projects. This one is called:
Adrift in the Sea of Uncertainty. The song by Jesse Marchant - "Adrift" was in my head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTA6_bc5Y3s 

Drifting in a Sea of Uncertainty 

February 14

Hello all- I have been working hard on the thinning and sorting and have piles for two art teaches in town that were art education students of mine. I just had to work on something today it has been so long. As I was sorting I came across all these zines I had saved. The Studio zine is one Teesha Moore did in the late 90s early2000s. I have several pieces in different issues- I was unprepared for the emotional reaction I had. That was such a great fun time. So the spread today: "It is hard to cut" is about that and just the emotional part of going through things that trigger all these memories.

It is Hard to Cut

March 14 at 2:30pm

Took the morning to work on a spread- I want to thank you for your loving and supportive comments concerning my heart issues. I really does mean so much and I know it makes a difference. So glad I only had to spend one night in the hospital. This was another one of those wake-up reminders that this is no dress rehearsal - and to live my life- thankful for each day. To me it is a marvel that they can go in from an artery to your heart- see what the arteries look like and then repair a blockage. SO this experience was one of those reminders that yes in fact we are mortal and to make the best of the time we have. Thank you again from my repaired heart!

Repaired Heart

 It has been a while- I had to go to my journal today. Lots to process. I have been off kilter since my getting the stent put in and being told I have to have nitro pills with me at all times- guess stent people are more likely to have a heart attack. I deal with depression and sometimes something like this heart stuff knocks me off kilter- I don't recovery as fast as I use to - often I circle the abyss as do many with depression but I can usually stay away from the edge- this has been a challenge. This spread sort of illustrates my state right now- I am finally up out of the pity party chair. The figures in the upper right are from the artistic director of The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater, Sandy Spieler. They are to me - Ron and I holding our dream of a new home together. When I get in a downward spiral I tend to play melancholy music- it feels like a warm quilt of comfort around me. But I am surfacing again.I started cardio rehab this week and that helps- House has been on the market for 16 days and have had only one couple come look. I know eventually it will sell.

Off The Pity Party Chair