July 29, 1929 - Dear Albert,

I love to use vintage ephemera in my art. I scour thrift shops and flea markets mostly. I am also lucky enough to have friends that gift me with stacks of paper goodness. I use them for backgrounds and cut them up for texture like the hair highlights in this work in progress.

But sometimes things come across your table that you just can't take scissors to.  I was gifted a pile of old papers and in this piles are some amazing letters. Frustratingly there are single pages of some sassily provocative correspondence.

Read this!

I need to find page 2! And how about these pages?

Who are Dotti and Albert? How could someone let these go?

I have no letters or papers from my family.  Even though I doubt they could compare with Dottiotoski!

A Creative Mind is Rarely Tidy

I don't know about you, but when I'm making something I tend to leave all the various options that have been part of the jury process just shoved aside. It's a very colorful and sparkly debris field to be sure but by the end there's very little room to actually walk or move!

I just finished up a batch of about half a dozen commissions so it's particularly bad at the moment. There's no distinction between wet and dry parts of the studio in process or done pieces its just all a big jumble.

So I'm taking the time this morning to actually stop and put things away. The good news? I got 3 more commissions over the weekend!

( this Thursday will be the cutoff for a local commissions.)

One of the hardest things about being a retailer who is an artist is trying to find time to actually make things myself.
Having people so thrilled with the gift that I make so they can give them to their loved ones is a good reminder that whatever we make, no matter how small, matters.

Brooklyn Bound- Revisited

Inspiration can strike anywhere.  An old acquaintance's Facebook post caught my eye.  She was elegantly dressed to catch a train to party in New York. While lamenting the fact that my middle age life did not include such excitement I asked her if I could "appropriate" the photo as inspiration for a collage.  She graciously gave permission. (While it is not illegal to 'borrow' photos in the public domain,  I feel it, it is only proper to ask to use someone's image or take their photo.)

A lovely family came in and bought not one, but TWO of my pieces.  I was thrilled and jestingly asked if they would send me a photo of my art in their new home as I like to see where they land. Not long after - I received this from John.

Hi Theresa,

We like your work very much. When did you make it? This year?

When I first saw your collage I liked it a lot because I saw a rare young woman I thought I recognized -- one with a defined sense of personal style that was somewhat daring confident and casual. I went back to see how you'd made it and liked it even more because what I'd first taken to be carefully drawn and painted, actually seemed to be brilliantly dyed draped and stitched! I admired the intensity you captured in your friend. And I think your medium of collage is so apt simple and surprisingly evocative of flesh blood and spirit. It pops with life and I love looking at it.

 

...

 

Sure you can use the photo.  You're pretty good to make me see your friend the way you see her.  She sounds like a special person. John

You are too, John. You are too.

PS- Blogger & artist Seth Apter is running a "Living with Art" series one his blog right now.  A corner of my living room is lucky  enough to be featured in an upcoming edition. Stay tuned!

Back to the drawing (uh, gluing) board.

 I don't know about you but I hate mending anything and I REALLY hate doing things over.  My sainted mother was always kind enough to rip out all of my sewing mistakes so I could sew them again (thanks mom!).  I thought of her this morning when I painstaking peeled the paper "hair" off my collage because she had a bad case of "helmet head".  Now poor thing looks like she has some horrible disease.  Not terrible sexy, oh and the black outlines were too harsh so out they went too.  So frustrating but it will make for a stronger piece.  Eventually.

 How cheap am I?  So cheap that I wipe off my brushes and palettes on to canvases so I can use them for background for future work.  Some would say frugal, I say you never know what happy accidents will occur!

While I am busy schooling myself I am looking forward to being schooled at Lesley Riley's upcoming Red Thread Retreat in the mountains of Maryland next week.  A weekend where it is all about art?  Sign me up!  Oh wait, I am already signed up.  And paid for it 7 months ago.  In hindsight, a VERY wise move.

Trying a new technique.

 I am trying a new technique for building my mixed media collages.  I tend to get glue happy and regret some layers I have laid down so this time I am doing of the pieces separately before I combine them in the final work.  My poor son gets the shirt shrift as I tend to make "girly" pieces so I asked him to model for a large work that I will display in my solo show at 1st Stage in Tyson's this November.  Above is the photograph I took.  Below is the pencil sketch. I decided I like it "flipped" better.

 I asked my boy what color he thought the background should be for my next painting and he said "moody purple"  He picked dark green for my last one (see previous post) and so I followed him again for this one.

Then I decided on the large scale object materials.  In this case fabrics, sheet music and leather.

 then I hand embroidered the face & finger delineations.  The most amusing part so far?  The t shirt on the figure is from a REAL rhino shirt that my son inherited from my good friend and fellow artist Beth Loftis' son YEARS ago and has grown out of!

I am psyched to continue working on this but ran away to "pick" for the shop inventory for Stifel & Capra on the Eastern shore!  Got LOTS of good loot today!  Can't wait for you to see it.

Happy Birthday to me!

Transitioning is hard. Transitioning form chore to chore, duty to duty. Parenting, home keeping, shopkeeping, artist, and paperwork, paperwork, ppaperwork!  When exactly is it I am supposed to whip up gourmet meals, exercise to lose this spare tire, make art, take my husband dancing, not neglect my friends, pursue my spiritual life and ugh, do more paperwork?  Seems like if I actually finish any one task it is always to the detriment of another.  Anybody out there have any advice about structuring one's work day?

One day that is never work is my BIRTHDAY!  Turned (gulp) 49 on Friday and my awesome neighbors and my usual suspects came over and had copious nibbles and raised a toast!  Thanks everyone for all of the birthday goodies and a wonderful time.  Here's a toast to my awesome sister Robin who attempts to keep me on track (and stands in for my left brain as I have none!).  Cheers!

What does "productive" mean to you?

I could have taken a photo of my clear kitchen counters, swept floor and tidy pile of laundry. Or perhaps my drycleaning ticket, or receipts from the art supply store (but I don't show those to anyone except the bookkeeper) but instead I will show you the stages 1, 2 & 3 of the 2 pieces I am working to submit to the art league next week. And yes, before you ask, I do work better with a deadline! I am feeling a little super woman-ish because it looks like I actually accomplished something today! Of course I didn't finish anything. The kitchen isn't actually clean and the laundry is in a giant pile in my bedroom! But hey, little victories....
These pieces are bigger than anything I have worked on before, the canvases are 2 feet by 3 feet. They feel like they are coming along. I am thinking through how to use my linen and hand embroidery on the faces without it becoming "sullied" by the collage glue. I THINK I have it figured out! Stay tuned!

PS Helene I will be done with your custom piece tomorrow, Susan yours is FINALLY ready and BJ, still have more to do. Will have a finish day soon.

Quintessential Customers

Saturday brought me a lovely treat. Two ladies dressed like ladies: vintage mid century frocks, cute shoes, vintage jewelry. Clients after my own heart! (But not my waistline, I must say. It's hard being six foot two and unable to wear all of the vintage fashion I love. That is why I live vicariously through women like Becky & Lori!) They had a grand time trying things on and left with fun fripperies: beaded gloves, flowered hats and fun summer dresses. The only bad side? They are here with the army and moving within a year. Darn.

ART SHOW UPDATE: We now have 19 local artists participating in the upcoming "Artists Helping Others" show in August 22nd and 23rd. The food is all accounted for, left to take care of is music and all that behind the scenes PAPER. Programs, art cards, etc., etc. All of you that have done this before PLEASE tell me what I am forgetting!

It has been brought to my attention that we have made it onto "Open List" for Falls Church. Please feel free to visit the site and review the shop, so other people can learn what you like about the local artists at the gallery and the rest of our quirky mix.

http://www.openlist.com/falls-church-va_stifel-capra/885413455/ is the link if you care to participate!

Linda Morgan of Purple Cat Cards brought in a collection of her larger collages to add to her card line at Stifel & Capra.
We have 5 left in stock with various themes, including two manly oriented ones regarding dad and Guiness (uh, not together though...)

You've heard it said that three of anything is a collection? I have three vintage canteens in the shop right now (why? who knows!) One girl scout, one boy scout, one more Michigan camp style, just right to hit the trail with!

When you hit the trail this week be sure to stop in the gallery. This Friday is August 1st and that means FIRSTFriday celebrations in Falls Church! Kathy O'Brien will be here with her newest South River Collection of fun jewelry both Friday from 5 to 8pm and Saturday from 10 to 5pm.