working working

A shot of my studio as I madly produce fifteen new works for Kennedy Gallery this month (there are more on a table outside of this shot, if you're counting.) Watch for the debut of these new works soon...

fairy sketch

For a commission piece for a vernal pool specialist, she likes the male vernal pool fairy shrimp because they're fiesty...



P.S. So apparently I've sketched the wrong shrimp! Back to the drawing board. ;)

revelation

I had an amazing day in the studio today - I made significant progress on "Prophecy" but that wasn't the biggest deal -

As part of this final part of the process, I spend a significant amount of time just staring at the piece, making decisions on what to do or waiting for something to strike me. Sometimes things just strike me and I do it. For this particular piece, I've been a little worried that God hadn't been as involved as I had hoped.

I've been studying a book about Finding Divine Inspiration and this has really been on my mind a lot. At one point the author, J. Scott McElroy, says something to the effect that he doesn't always feel God's presence while he's working, that he'll just ask God to work with him and trust that it happens. I'd been trying to trust but worried that I wasn't letting God be a part of this while I really wanted him to be - I know, pretty thick-headed, but hey, we all are sometimes.

So today I was just trying to paint, not think too much, because I find I do much better that way, though it's a fine line to not thinking enough and messing things up, too. First I had decided to create the green glazed section to the left side, it was something that had come to me earlier, and still seemed like a good idea this morning, so I went with it. Then I started staring. Wondering, is this a good thing? Or did I screw up?

It still seemed like a good thing but not complete, it seemed to need a thin red line between the green and whatever the rest became - and another one across the top, sort of around the curvy horizon line. What? Red lines? I don't use red (almost never, anyway.) What would that look like? Why? And then I saw it - then it hit me, it would be a red cross, red like blood, the sacrifice that the prophecy of the Christ would fulfill and on the other side of the cross is green, new life. This wasn't my idea, I've never done anything quite like this in my work before, but I'll be doing it in this one - the revelation of it hit me so hard it nearly brought tears to my eyes. God is involved, just as I had hoped.

prophecy of hope

first stage of collage work done

After months of preparation I've finally begun to put together my piece for the Covenant Artists' Art of Christmas show at Oak Hills Church.

This has been tough for me - maybe that's not the right word - I've felt an unusual amount of pressure to do this piece justice to the concept: it's based on scripture prophesying the coming of Christ, which is the tie to Christmas.

There are actually several chapters from Isaiah and some from Jeremiah that are in the physical work - you can see it down the left side of the work in progress in these photos.

aerial view of my work table

So throughout all these passages, Israel and people in general are referred to as trees and forests. Isaiah talks about how God is going to punish Israel for worshiping other gods by burning them down like a wildfire in a forest and letting the king of Babylon chop them down - then chopping down the king of Babylon. It's in this context that God then promises the hope of Immanuel, or God With Us. Then Isaiah 11:1 says, "Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot - yes a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root."

Being a tree fanatic, these scriptures really resonate with me & I wanted to find a way to illustrate them, but having an idea and then going out and trying to photograph it is a pretty tall order sometimes.

first layer of paint - working on an easel now

So that's where the pressure started -and I decided that I was going to do this large four-by-four-foot piece just for kicks. It's actually the biggest piece I've done so far and after I had the panel custom made, I discovered it doesn't quite fit in my car! Thankfully, Phil, my friend who built it, was able to bring it to my house so I could work on it and I'm sure I'll find some way to deliver it for the show & get it to my midtown studio for display later...

And then there's the focal point of the work - not a photograph, but the stump with the shoot - marking another shift in my work, at least this time. At this point, I'm finally feeling like it's all coming together, but it has certainly been stepping stones of faith to get to this point.

I'm actually used to this final stepping stone - having all the painting come together and getting done in time - of course, there's the little part of getting it to the show, but I'll figure that out in the next week, I'm sure - since that's when I have to have this done!

a dog's tree house

As one of the studio artists at the Kennedy Gallery Art Center, I was asked to paint a dog house to be sold as a benefit for a local rescue group called Homeward Bound. Homeward Bound rescues and adopts out Golden Retrievers - many of you know that my hear belongs to another breed, but how could I say no to any dog?

So here I was, crazy busy with a hundred things, looking at a used Dogloo trying to figure out what I could squeeze into my already tight schedule...

Of course I saw trees! The spaces between the faux ice bricks instantly translated to tree trunks and branches and the idea of a dog tree house was born.


My first step was to scrub and prime the Dogloo, which I managed to do just four days before my deadline -

Three days to deadline and I had the time to start the trees themselves - having only a rudimentary plan in my mind, I started laying paint to Dogloo, without any sketches or real idea of where I was going - not at all the way I normally work, but then again, I don't usually paint dog houses, either...

I had started this project feeling like it was a chore - yes I had said I would do it, but it was more like one of those instances of "it seemed like a good idea at the time" but not so much when I had to work it into everything else I was already committed to.

But somewhere along the way, painting trees without any plan, it became fun...

The day before my deadline was the day it all had to happen - it was a completely free day for getting this project done - the deadline day was Second Saturday, when I spend the afternoon to evening at my midtown studio while crowds of people come through for the monthly art party in Sacramento. This particular Saturday also included several family errands and complications (like so many Saturdays do) so Friday was work day.

No makeup, no worries about hair, paint clothes & thankfully nice weather to paint on the back patio, building the greenery of ground and leafiness, adding a couple little birds with acrylic transfers and more shades of greens...

Sparky was content to hang out in the backyard, chase of birds and a neighbor cat, roll in the grass and leave me alone for most of the day. But in typical Stafford fashion, by mid afternoon she wanted to be in the middle of what I was doing and by the time I was done, she was trying to sit on my lap, or my foot, or lean against me & generally hinder my progress.

Finally, as the light began to fade in the backyard, I had added the final layers of yellow-green and then blues & lavender for sky, and the finishing touches of blues in the trees to create the depth of color that would make me happy with what I had done.

Saturday morning I was ready to varnish the Dogloo Tree House, but the last bits of blue glazes weren't dry yet...

Sometime around noon I was able to put on the first coat of varnish, the second coat at 1 p.m. - two coats would have to suffice as my plan was to be at the Kennedy before 3 p.m....

Not too long after three, the dog Tree House was installed on the front lawn strip at the Kennedy Gallery, ready for midtown's Second Saturday Artwalk. Before the night was over, we had a strong interest in the Tree House; if it's not sold by the end of today, it goes to Homeward Bound's 10th Annual Kibble and Bids Event, either way, dogs in need of rescue benefit & I can feel good about using my talents to help others.

a summer wedding

I was commissioned to create a wedding gift this past summer, something I had never done before but that seemed like a natural fit in this particular case.

It actually started with an email that came on the one day I was home between family vacation to Florida & working at an art festival at Lake Tahoe. The client wanted to know if I could work from someone else's photo to create a piece commemorating his brother's wedding on the beach. I promptly emailed back, yes, if it was his photo, as I don't want to infringe on copyrights & instructed him to collect flowers, an invitation and whatever else he might think I could incorporate into the final piece.



After the wedding, he sent me photos & I found one I thought would work great, we met & he gave me some flowers, the invitation and some fabric from the tailoring of the bride's dress - perfect. I set off to work, drying flowers in the microwave & sketching the pier near where the couple wed. I was a little nervous trying to capture something so special and personal that I wasn't even witness to, but as the piece came together, I felt I was onto something.



It finally all came together & I was pretty pleased. The client came & picked it up, and then I waited... how would this surprise gift be received? Art is such a personal thing and I trusted my client would know his brother & new sister-in-law's tastes, but still I was nervous. Within a couple days I got an email, with a copy of the new bride's reaction: she loved it! I'm so thrilled to have been a part of such a special occasion.

sketching

more daughter's hope

I wanted to explain the title I chose for this piece that I just finished and submitted to the Third Annual Art Bra Show in Sacramento. It's called "A Daughter's Hope" and I've created it to honor my friend Monique who is fighting breast cancer and her five-year-old daughter.

While I was searching for the right bra to fit my vision, I discovered that the bra that worked with the small canvas I wanted to use would be a young girl’s bra, which bothered me; I didn’t want to associate breast cancer with one so young. Then it hit me, breast cancer already was associated with one even younger: Monique’s five-year-old daughter.



I wanted the piece to reflect Monique and her experience, the way she is handling this challenge, so I decided to focus on hope, specifically hope for a cure and hope for a future with her daughter. I paired the bra with an image expressing light and hope and let the rest of the piece come together in the same organic process I generally use for my work.



Finally I added a part of Monique’s faith to the work with a verse from Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I pray that Monique, and others like her, will hold onto hope and win this fight and that they all will live to have a future with their daughters and sons.

a daughter's hope

Not very long ago Monique, a young friend (i.e., younger than me,) found out she has an aggressive form of breast cancer - it was a shock for all of us - she has a five-year-old daughter and the thought of a missed life together was frightening. Monique is a fighter and a believer and she has been undergoing chemotherapy, has lost her hair (which we all know will grow back) and the tumor is shrinking, which we are all thankful for. Throughout it all Monique has been an example of a saint, keeping her faith in God and her good humor in full view - she really cracks me up sometimes!



A local women's group called the Women's Wisdom Project is sponsoring their third annual Art Bra Show to promote breast cancer awareness, exhibited this year at the Twentieth Street Gallery, and I knew I had to participate in honor of Monique and the battle she is facing.



I wasn't sure at first how I would incorporate a bra into a piece of my artwork & be able to stay faithful to my style but I figured a bra could be part of the landscape somehow so I just started at it - so far I think it's going pretty well -



My biggest challenge at the moment is the September 1st deadline - this also is the start of a new semester at the college where I teach & we've taken in a rescue dog to foster - not to mention the other deadlines & commitments I have going - oh well, I guess it's true that where there's a will, there's a way -

I'll post more later about why I've called this piece "A Daughter's Hope."

life and death

While out walking the dog last night I was thinking about a series of pieces I want to do - something a bit different with wood boxes and found items. I've already collected a few things that are too large to glue to a canvas and I was getting a picture in my head of these pieces when I found a baby bird on the sidewalk, dead from an apparent fall from a nest.



This may seem a little odd, but I immediately thought, "This could be one of my found items!"

Then Reason spoke up, "Are you crazy? Dead rotting bird is not art!"

"Well, maybe I could figure something out..."

"Uh - no, I don't think so."

I started to pick up the dead bird with a convenient plastic bag I always keep on hand while walking the dog, then started to walk away, then turned back, said hello to the guy jogging by with his dog and made the decision. Yep, I'm going to see what I can do with the dead bird.



I put the little bird in the side yard in a clay saucer, with another one inverted over it, to keep big things from carrying it off & started to try to figure out what to do...



First step was internet research, seems there's actually things like "DIY taxidermy" which I read about & even looked carefully at how to photos, but it just didn't seem like something I could bring myself to do, especially when I saw the photos of the home-stuffed mouse. (It's one thing when a pro does it, but this was something else. Really.) Then I read about how to cut up a bird and store the pieces in cornmeal until the separate parts mummify, which still makes me think maybe that would work on the little bird without any cutting necessary. Finally I read about freeze drying, which would probably work best, but I think it's probably been out too long for that to work long-term.



So today I took photos, to at least preserve the memory, I'd already been meaning to photograph a couple bird's nests that I had found, to use in my mixed media pieces. I'll leave Baby Bird to the ways of nature and if I'm lucky I hope I'll have a skeleton for a box at some time in the future...

more sketching

Working on sketches for a couple things in process -

For a commission with a vernal pool image...



And a couple seagulls to accompany beach images...

daytona beach

staffy sketch

studio walls

Rearranged the studio walls today - we tried a cleaner look, and we like it -

work of art?

BRAVO network just started broadcasting it’s newest reality show, “Work of Art: The Next Great Artist” which could be good for working artists or have no impact on us whatsoever. Art business guru Alyson Stanfield asked a few questions about this show, stimulating a response from me which I’ve honed a bit and am posting here.

So far "Work of Art" is another formulaic "reality" show that doesn't actually reflect the true reality of being a working artist, which is too bad, but I hope that no one truly believes that any of this genre reflects real life. I find it interesting to watch other artists' creative process, even under duress, but I could live without the prefab drama of personalities that are destined to clash.

On the down side, competing artists on the show are given insanely short deadlines to create artworks that meet the week’s challenge, but it makes for good TV drama, so I'm sure that's why it's there. I also was looking at all the artists' portfolios on the website & I noticed that they're all very 'edgy' New York art scene style & there doesn't seem to be any traditional working artists on the show at all - what does that tell the viewing public? Once again, it seems that many will be put in the 'decorative' pile for making work that employs traditional aesthetics, which is really too bad and personally rubs me the wrong way. And I certainly don't think this show will live up to it's name and find the next great artist, because the next great artist is too busy dedicating herself to her own work to stop and play these games.

I'm not sure what we might learn from this, though I did like Alyson’s comments about the first artist being eliminated because she couldn't verbally explain her work to the judges. I think many visual artists could stand to work on how to communicate what they’re doing to others if they want to make a living from their work. I was looking for a lesson to learn from this week’s show, and I'm still looking - at least the judges didn't eliminate anyone who was being pushed outside of their strengths by going from 2D to 3D. Maybe versatility can be a virtue? Or do we then become jack of all trades and master of none?

"Work of Art" certainly isn't killing our brain cells any more than any other television show, and might actually be stimulating a few more than the average by making even the average viewer imagine what they might do to meet the current channel. My husband, who is being forced to watch this with me, frankly came up with an idea for the materials that one of the artists was working with this week that I think was better than what she actually ended up doing. I was sitting there thinking, "That's pretty cool, why didn't I think of that?"

It remains to be seen what this show will do for fine art - does it denigrate it by creating challenges and asking artists to produce work? I don't think so - maybe it will help the general public see all the work that goes into a commissioned piece and the skill required to complete such a task.

And should we deprive ourselves of this guilty pleasure and stand up for pure art? Not at all - this is no more a guilty pleasure than any other TV show, which I don't watch enough of to feel guilty. As long as we don't obsess and let it take over our lives, let it entertain us and allow it to promote whatever part of the art world that it can. And what the heck is 'pure art' anyway? I create because I must; I express what I need to express and then I find others who connect with me through my art and it's a winning situation for all of us. Does pure art stay locked away in a studio somewhere or does it support the artist that creates it?

funny little sketch

vernal pool

May 29, 10
late afternoon
Mather field vernal pools



no pools in sight at first...


warm, slight breeze - out with Shannon - long wet spring has left it still pretty wet - looking at little special vernal pool flowers - redwing blackbirds fly by and call back - swallows come & scoop insects from the surface of the pool - dragonflies buzz around -


Hawkbit flower



Not sure how my old Polaroid T55 film will hold up, so I'm shooting a bunch with my new little Nikon P90, too - learning how it works as I go along - Shannon points out several vernal pool flowers and tells me each of their names.


White navarretia



Heard a western meadowlark...


Two horned downingia with little purple horns in center of flower


Yellow flowers here are vernal pool goldfields


Field owl's clover


Vernal pool brodiaea


White meadowfoam - cultivated in Oregon for seed oil used in cosmetics!




Shannon says soon the pools will be dry and all these tiny little flowers will dry up blow away with the wind!



Saw a tiny Pacific chorus frog (formerly known as a tree frog...) I found the frog while walking, watching my feet, and noticed what seemed like a big bug - I juggled my two cameras and let Shannon catch the frog - I'm using my new little digital to back up my aging Polaroid film - hopefully the negs will be better than the positive prints - but I'm backing everything up with digital just in case.





The unusual weather patterns this year - more rain, late cool storms - has changed the normal vernal patterns - the fact that there are still pools this late in the season is unusual, and the flowers aren't blooming all at once like normal but more in fits and spurts.



We stop and squat down while I process film, swap out cameras & write in my journal - then talk about how rare these vernal pools are, only 5% of original pools remain here in California - overall a very tiny percentage of our environment with very specialized plants and animals, many of which live nowhere else. Yet here we are on one of the nicest days of the year so far, enjoying it...


Coyote thistle spurs a discussion about the real danger coyotes are to even large breed domestic dogs.


Pretty but invasive medusa head grass


White hyacinth in invasive medusa head grass


Redwing blackbird shows off his patches for us


Used the P90's panoramic assist to shoot this - I'm pretty pleased with the result, it will likely find it's way into a final artwork -