“Intangible Evidence”

Intangible Evidence is the name of the next First Friday show at Art of Your Life studio. Guest Artist Jane Kearney will be showing her vibrant photographs and mixed media work. Jane works in color and black and white photography, collage, and acrylic. She also creates exquisite jewelry that is shown on an ongoing basis at Guardino Gallery in the Alberta Arts District.

Janey is a native Oregonian whose work has a strong pre-Raphaelite flavor, perhaps influenced by her travels in Britain. Her hallmarks include jewel-like tones and a sensibility that marries the romantic with the humorous. Other influences include the early art photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, and the painter Egon Schiele.

Hope you'll join us for this delightful and usual show!

First Friday, August 3

6-9 PM

The Art of Your Life Studio

1210 SE Oak St.

Portland OR

971-404-7664

A Hot Month

Ohmigosh, it is too hot! Having stated the obvious, I'll go on with an update for July. We had a great opening for Christine Tandy's show, "Starscapes". Once again, I failed to get pictures, this time because I found my camera's battery needed recharging. So you'll just have to believe me when I say the place was packed! Chris is a wonderful artist, and also a therapist in private practice. Her pictures are still at the Art of Your Life Studio, so if you missed the opening and would like to see them, let me know.

Last chance for Altered Alchemy, meeting this Sunday the 22nd from 12:30-4. We'll have some experienced alchemists and some new folks, so all levels are welcome. We now have air conditioning! So, if you're looking for a cool place to make art this weekend, come alter books with us!

I've been busy teaching my PSU Women's Studies class, "Women, Creativity, and Healing." The students are delightful and adventurous and I find it so energizing being on campus. I am also a new member of the Advisory Board for the Queer Resource Center on campus. The Center is a friendly and diverse resource for those identifying as Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans, Questioning, and their allies.

Starting in the fall, I'll be teaching weekend classes for the PSU extended campus program. These will be at Mt. Hood Community Collage and and PCC Rock Creek. I'm going to be doing the short classes on women artists of the past. The students will each do a creative project on the women covered for the last part of the class. No art experience needed!
The classes are:
"The Abbess and the Entrepreneur": Medieval painter, writer, composer, and abbess, Caterina dei Vigri, and Italy's first professional woman painter, Lavinia Fontana. Oct 26 & 27 at Rock Creek, PCC.

"Living to Paint and Painting to Live": Italian Renaissance painters Artemisia Gentileschi and Sofonisba Anguissola. November 16 and 17 at Mt. Hood Community College.

"Emerging from Shadows": Italian painter Marietta Robust and French scuptor Camille Claudel. January 25 & 26 at PCC Rock Creek.

"The Helpmeet & The Courtesan": Dutch painter Judith Leyster and Italian poet Veronica Franco: Mt. Hood Community Collage.

I'm excited that I'll get to share information on the lives and work of these extraordinary women who dealt with obstacles and challenges many of us still encounter today.

The picture shown above is a sketch for a series of mixed media pieces on the six wives of Henry VIII. In doing some reading about them I was, I hate to admit, surprised about how educated and highly intelligent most of them were. More on that later.

You know, as I write the above I realize I'm doing a lot and I haven't even listed it all. Yet sometimes when I just relax, I feel like I should be Doing Something. Of course I know, as do we all, that relaxing and letting your mind drift or having fun with friends is essential to us as humans and necessary for artistic and other inspiration to keep flowing. Still, the Puritan Ethic is alive and well. So here, for me, and for you:

Blanket Permission to relax and be! Lie on your blanket on the beach, in the park, on your bed, and breathe. Savor. Expand.


I recently attended the open house for Linda Womack's new studio. She is a fantastic encaustic artist and teacher. She has just put out a gorgeous and easy to follow book on how to do encaustic painting. Linda has been teaching for several years. She now teaches at Collage on Alberta and will be doing classes from her new studio. I highly recommend her for beginning and advanced classes.

http://www.lindawomack.com

Keep cool and stay inspired!

More on Altered Alchemy

I wasn't able to get pictures taken at yesterday's workshop, but got these great ones today from Diane. You can read more about her altered book and workshop experience at: http://www.craftypod.com/?p=190
Diane is also known as Sister Diane of the Church of Craft. This is a real church, whose mission is:

"The Church of Craft aims to create an environment where any and all acts of making have value to our humanness. When we find moments of creation in our everyday activities, we also find simple satisfaction. The power of creating gives us the confidence to live our lives with all the love we can. By promoting creativity, we offer access to a non-denominational spiritual practice that is self-determined and proactive.

The Church of Craft maintains no dogma or doctrine beyond what every member believes for themselves."

This group meets monthly for free craft get-togethers. For more about this great organization go to:

http://www.churchofcraft.org/doors/portland/index.html

Diane also offers a weekly post to subscribers that lists every crafty thing happening each week, and believe me there's a lot out there. You can find this site at:

http://www.diyalert.com

I'll post more pictures from yesterday's workshop as they come in.

Altered Alchemy Does It Again

Today's Alchemy Workshop was again successful in turning dross into gold! Diane's chosen book for altering was about the glories of Afghan hounds and was published in the 40's or 50's. Diane developed the overdone prose and glamor dog shots into a colorful and gently hilarious art piece. KC's book was from the 30's and purported to give astrological advice (though I can't say I cared much for what it had to say about my sign.)
KC transformed the book into a gorgeous catalog of her heart's desires. Chris continued work on her China journal that has traveled to China and back with her and continues to become more and more magical. Tasha began a new and dramatic book using vibrant colors and arresting images.

Techniques featured today were: photo transfers, the "Unification Theory", unique ways of binding pages, and adding 3-D elements. The next scheduled chapter of this altered book workshop is scheduled for July 22 from 12:30-4. This is open to new and returning alchemists. The tuition is 40. which includes all supplies except your book. Come join us and earn your alchemists' badge!