Me, paint in a store window? Report on exciting SWAN DAY and GASP update

Presented by Muse Art/Design:

Thirty artists - one each day in April - will create an original work while you watch. Works will be exhibited as they are completed, ending with a celebration and auction of the artwork to raise funds to purchase art supplies for Portland classrooms.

All events are open to the public. Come see Portland artists at work, bid on your favorite works of art, and support Portland artists and public schools!

I will be the artist in the window this coming Friday, April 3! Come by and watch while I paint. (No heckling allowed.) I love it that new experiences keep coming along to challenge me! This one is in an excellent cause, art supplies for Portland kids! Hope you can come see me and/or other artists who are participating.

For more information visit "An Artist a Day"!

april 1 - may 15, 2009 muse art and design, 4224 SE hawthorne blvd

This past weekend I spent a great two days at the Portland SWAN DAY celebration. Swan is short for "Support Women Artists Now." This is an international grass roots annual celebration, founded by Fund for Women Artists, based in San Francisco. We had wonderful women musicians, film-makers, speakers, and more. Many visual artists participated as well. I was fortunate to be asked to host a collage-making table, in addition to getting to show my work. I provided magazine pictures, some collage papers and photocopies of old letters, glue and medium, and supports. The participants supplied the magic.

My daughter participated with me the first day while I did the second by myself. Both days were extremely busy. The Swan Day Exhibit was with the Energy Trust's Better Living Show at the Portland Expo Center. What an incredible turnout for both events! Thanks to Ana Ammann and the other organizers who worked so hard on this unique event!

I got to facilitate collage making by adults, teens, and young children. Some were experienced artists, others new to collage. I was blown away by the creations people came up with in our small working space. I want to share them with you!

Part of Swan Day Exhibit

This talented family produced three great collages.


One of the above family. See her collage below.


Great subdued but powerful color (the green is what the collage lay on when I photographed it.)



Here's a collage with a 3-D element



The artist poses with the above collage

One boy's modern abstract collage--cool!

Another young person's unique collage


This little girl jumped into collaging with great creativity

Here are her two finished pieces. She painted the leaves and branches on the left collage.

This girl juxtaposed bright color and a black and white photo--very effective.

The Buddha and a saint co-exist beautifully here. This person was one of those who used some acrylic glaze on their collage.

Another talented family at work


A blurry look at this young woman's first collage

A very young man did this great architectural piece

A nine year old boy made this abstract collage. Wow!

This cool surreal collage was done by a young teen boy whose family says he is devoted to art. It was fun to watch his process as I could see his focus and creativity at work.

A detail of a multi-textured collage by an experienced collage artist. Love the way she used a magazine picture of a towel in the lower part.

Had to resort to my phone camera after my battery went out--this is the first collage of a preschool girl. I think it won't be her last.

A rich collage by an experienced artist

By the end of the second day, I was exhausted and hungry. But I was also emotionally inspired and energized by the enthusiasm and creativity of the people of all ages who made collages at Swan Day. Thanks, everyone!


GASP (Garage to Art Studio Project) update:

The amazing Steve has returned to town! He and another talented re-modeler, Arturo, and I met to plan what we will do. Architect Dan is doing some final drawings and then Steve and I will brave the City of Portland permits office. (Alas, it must be done...) A final cleanout to the garage, a permit in hand, and we're good to go. Yaaaay!