My MA Thesis Show

My MA thesis project exhibition was tonight! It was so amazing to finally see all my hard work on the walls (and my massive 180-page paper in my advisor's hands!) I had a great time tonight at the reception, and thanks to everyone who came out to see my work.

I wound up selling a painting to my friend Olivia, but it was a painting from my studio that wasn't actually part of the show. I hope she finds the perfect place for it in her aqua living room!
Special thanks to Adam for helping me hang all my work (without him, it would have taken me 7 hours) and Tamalynn for baking such wonderful cupcakes and cookies! And Devon did a fabulous job of making the floors look and smell lovely.

My parents took lots of photos of the reception tonight, and I will try to post those as soon as my folks put them on to a disc for me.

Now, for a brief moment, I am wondering what to do with myself. Then, I remember that Tiny Canary is next weekend, after that is my thesis project defense, then OAL submissions and proposals are due, then is my Holiday Hop trunk show at What the Rock, my school's Scholarship Dinner, C-Note Art Show, and OSU graduation.

I will sleep after December 14th.

Just A Few Weeks Left...

...until my MA Thesis Exhibition. It's November 8th!!
Check out the invites below for specific details.
If you are reading this, then you are invited.

In The Studio

Today I decided to take advantage of my free Sunday and spend some quality time in the studio. But I wasn't making jewelry...I was painting!

I haven't painted in a while and I am trying to get back in the swing of things. Not only do I have works to create for my MA Thesis project, but I'd like to have some artworks completed so I can enter them in the OAL Fall Juried Show.

Below is one of my works-in-progress. I am using modeling paste to build up the surface and then piping the paste using pastry bags to create a confectionary texture.
I haven't thought about colors yet; I do like the subtle differences that you can see while the canvas is white.

I am also prepping some panels for a series that I am working on about the places I have lived. I created a similar series called "Nine Homes" for my BFA show back in 2003. Now, I have 11 "homes" and I am using the fabulous features of Google Maps to create abstract map-scapes.
But I can only do 5 right now, because Utrecht only had 5 of the 8x8" panels I need! And they're not available online. Maybe I can convince them to order more for me...

Time To Make The Donuts!

Mmmm...look at these yummy donuts! Too bad they're FAKE. Sadly, they are not edible; rather, they're part of an art piece I am working on for the Agora art show in October.

They start out as donut-shaped lumps of lightweight air-dry clay which are painted in a variety of cake-related shades.

Then, I "frost" them with a seemingly endless combination of acrylic paints, glosses and glazes. And then comes the fun part: sprinkles and drizzles!

The artwork below is about 85% complete. There will be a lovely surprise at the end. But I'm not giving it away now. You'll just have to come to the art show and see for yourself!

Remember When I Used To Make Paintings?

Yes, I did used to make paintings. And drawings. And prints. And many more other art objects. While I do enjoy making jewelry, I definitely miss painting.
I started thinking about this tonight, when I saw a posting on Craigslist about an art show being planned, with participants who haven't shown their work or made art in a while.
This was so exciting for me to read, because I certainly fall into this category.
The work above is the most recent painting I created; I think I started it in November 2006; it's not finished yet, and I'm not sure if it will ever be.
This pattern reflects the wallpaper my grandmother had in her downstairs powder room. She passed away in February 2006, and after we sold her house, I realized that the funky '60s and '70s decor would be replaced and updated and I would never get to see her over-the-top decorating style again.
So, I decided to celebrate the patterns of my grandmother's old house through painting. I didn't get very far, though!


My artwork in college (BFA at Ohio State) was heavily centered on ideas of relationships, memory, home, place, and travel.

Here is a free-flowing intuitive painting. I started painting in this style after my senior BFA show in 2003, when I got tired of creating representational art.











These are 2 abstract paintings inspired by city streets. They differ from the above painting in the sense that these have a reference, and were created specifically with that reference in mind.








During my senior year of college, I created a series of works where I painted old friends with whom I had lost touch or only saw once in a while.

This one is called "Day Off" (from being counselors at camp). Right now, it's hanging about my couch in my living room.




"Prom Sucks" was inspired by a photo that I have of a friend from New Jersey. She was so excited to go to prom as a sophomore, but later divulged that it "sucked" and that she and another friend spent most of the time outside smoking cigarettes.





This painting was also inspired by a photo I snapped as a 16-year-old at a party when I lived in NJ. I think it was at the good-bye party my friends threw me when I was moving to Ohio.
As you can see, I had some pretty interesting friends. But don't let the shirt fool you. This kid was a total sweetheart.


Hope you enjoyed the retrospective. Hopefully, I will be involved with this new art show and finally make some paintings. Although I'm thinking mixed-media. (Donuts + sculpey??) I know my ideas from creating jewelry will work themselves in to my new artwork.