Last Minute Changes

What Now?
Paper Dim 22 x 30"
Plate Dim 11 x 17"
Two-color Print on Rives BFK Paper
BEFORE

This is how the art goes for me, typically. I finish it, and then something happens where I have to do more to a piece. Last night after a whole day of framing, photographing, cataloging, posting, etc. with the eleven pieces, I realized that What Now? wasn't really done.

I named it What Now? because it was so barren. Ready for the future. And then out in the studio, I ran across the six glassine envelopes I couldn't find earlier this week. I had nine, and then lost some. I looked high and low, but then just gave up. Finding those other six sparked me to use them. The only piece that had any room was this one because it was so empty. So, I added four of the envelopes, with things inside. Then that had me do some drawing over the print (click on the image to see it blown up, and there are more "detail" shots of it below).

It all led me to something I had written down by Rainier Maria Rilke awhile ago, about how in relationships we should be the guardians of the other's solitude. Now the body of work feels complete.

I'll hang it tonight.

What Now?
Paper Dim 22 x 30"
Plate Dim 11 x 17"
Mixed Media/Two-color Print with Graphite on Rives BFK Paper
AFTER

ENTRY #327 - Rainier Maria Rilke/Guardian of Your Solitude

A good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude. Each realizes and accepts that even between the closest of human beings, infinite distance continues to exist. In such a loving and accepting atmosphere, a wonderful living side by side is born and can grow up.

When the partners succeed in loving the distance between them, they see each other whole against the wide sky. Each becomes the treasure beyond measure at the end of the others rainbow.

In their mystical, magical moments together, their rainbows merge to become a full circle around the brilliant morning sun. As the sun and moon merge, their inner senses feel the moon, full and glowing in the starlit sky. They become that which transcends thought. They become that which is perceivable only by the personal experience of those fortunate enough to find and accept the ultimate treasure that any physical human being can receive --- the treasure of shared love.

What Now?
Paper Dim 22 x 30"
Plate Dim 11 x 17"
Detail

What Now?
Paper Dim 22 x 30"
Plate Dim 11 x 17"
Detail

All Eleven Pieces

Finished!

She Contemplates Lucien Freud (in Italian) [Is Ecstasy Possible?]
15” x 22” Paper Dim; 12” x 12” Plate Dim
Combined Media Print on BFK/Rives Paper

Dirtbag in a Glassine Envelope
15” x 22” Paper Dim; 12” x 12” Plate Dim
Combined Media Print on BFK/Rives Paper

The art for the May show is done! Whew - just in time. I hang it on Sunday afternoon. I still have to buy some hardware, but all the framed pieces are in nice shadow box frames and everything is priced, titled, and clean and ready to go over to the shop.

You can see the images here in the Picasa web album.

Please come to the show sometime between May 3 and July 30, and really try to make the Artist Reception on Sunday, June 2oth from 3-5 pm. There will be butter tarts!

Flesh of My Flesh
May 3 - July 30, 2010

bamboo Hair + Body
799 Main Street
Half Moon Bay CA 94019
650.712.8200

Private showings upon request.

Artist Reception
Sunday June 20th 3-5 pm

Inspired by Flesh of My Flesh by Kaja Silverman, this show explores the relationship we have with ourselves and to others through inevitable, self-inflicted comparison.
So painful, and so necessary in 
establishing who we know ourselves as in the world.

Laura McHugh
Combined Media Artist

Piece No. 2

Standing on Buttons to Keep My Head Above H2O

22” x 30” Paper Dim 11” x 17” Plate Dim
Combined Media Print on BFK/Rives Paper

Eleven Pieces for Upcoming Show - First One Done!

I Gemelli - Who Am I in Relation to Others?
22” x 22” Paper Dim; 12” x 12” Plate Dim
Combined Media Print on BFK/Rives Paper

This piece is complete. Two color print with graphite and chine colle. Stay posted for the next 10...I'll be hanging the show on 5/2 and getting the information out for the reception on 6/20.

Here's Another

Wow - So Happy with My Chine Colle

These two prints, chine colle of paper images, are spectacular. Not a bubble or a ripple in them. SO so happy with how my press and I performed together today, especially since I STRUGGLED with chine colle in my printmaking classes forever. More to do on top of them, possibly. I will have to "sit" with them a bit, find out what they are asking for.

The plain one asked for buttons to be painted in around her. The other is asking for washers (the machine kind, not the appliance).

More Art Today

I went to my friend Debbie's house and she taught me about fabric painting. It's way cool. I did some things to go into my art. Tomorrow, more time in the studio.

Photojojo#179 - Baby Doll

My youngest daughter Claire is now Jojo-ing with me. She is a fantastic photographer and has been for many many years, even though she is a young 15.

I remember photos she took of the Altamont Pass in 2003, so seven years ago, that were awesome. I did a whole series of paintings from them.

Anyway, here's a photo she took of the doll, paired up with some art I made in the art class I'm teaching.

Enjoy!

Hot Off the Press

My press isn't hot, in the thermal sense. But it's starting to warm up with this new series of art. Here's the first of 15 pieces I'll be creating for a show in May to pair up with some photojojos.

The plate (tree) is from a 1780 encyclopedia I just bought on French Agriculture (CAA through CRE) paired up with my little paper doll. It turned out just as I wanted it to. Swell. On to a few more this afternoon.

Starting to Put it All Together

I made some good progress on art making today, despite several interruptions. Some good like a visit from a friend, and some not so good like the server computer (iMac 24) starting to overheat and doing some weird screen stuff.

I got it cooled down enough to get SMC Fan Control installed, and that let me up the cooling fan RPMs enough to keep it at a nice 75-9oF, which should do the trick for awhile. A new 27" iMac is way expensive, though also way cool.

Here's a shot of some of the art making - I'm ready to start making prints tomorrow.

Art Class #2 - Making Textured Backgrounds

Oh what fun we had today making five textured backgrounds upon which to place our ephemera. We used hair dryers to move along the drying process, paint, plastic wrap, masking tape, gel medium, and pages from the phone book to create the grounds for the first 90 minutes. Then, it got really, really quiet while everyone worked on putting images onto the grounds.

Success: the canvas paper worked well for today's lesson and having each student use the same paint for all five of their pieces allowed them to see how each different technique varied.

Learning: give students a second brush to keep with the matte medium so it doesn't get tainted with paint from their painting brush.

Solojojo #178

Sour Photojojo #177

I'm in a sour mood today. Have been all day. Not sure why. Got plenty of rest last night - too much? Actually, I've been in a sour mood for days now. Since Friday of last week.

I was all ready for one set of things to happen, but then another set of things happened instead and it turns out, when it comes to those things, I'm not as flexible as I thought. I like to think of myself as someone totally willing to always go with the flow, but clearly, that is not always the case.

I had my mind and heart set on getting work-work done on Friday so I could do art on Sunday. I had my schedule set so that I could go to a family event on Saturday, then be all prime to get the art done on Sunday. But life intervened. Children needed help, and I wasn't at all helpful. I was quite rude and grumpy and in the process, alienated them, and hurt their feelings and got myself into a frame of mind that wasn't at all conducive to producing any art.

That feeling lingers today, and I continue to be less helpful than desired. I'm tired but can't nap. I'm hungry but don't feel like cooking. I just feel obliterated. This too shall pass, but in the meantime (no pun intended...) I need to be more kind to the children.

Here's today's photojojo too; my sunshine and birds with my partner's dark music club shot.

Mixed Media/Collage Workshop

Here's my piece from yesterday's class. It started out kinda plain and I wasn't very happy with it. Then, I worked with others in the class, giving tips and tricks, and came back to it. That's when I realized I had some lovely dark brown mulberry paper (tissue paper) that was the same color as her hair, so I gave her "extensions" and added the skirt. Voila!

Next week - background treatments.

Learning this week - canvas paper doesn't work so well for this class. It stays too wet and floppy and things buckle and bubble too much. Pam doesn't like the bubbles so we'll work on that.

Photojojo #176 - Looking Up

I'm back! Been busy getting ready for and teaching a 6-week art class. Here's today's jojo - my partner's tree and my look up at a power pole. I'm fascinated by power poles.

Happy Friday!

Photojojo #175! Guest jojos!

Here is the 3/4 way mark to 200 jojos, and a confession. I didn't take either of these photos. The top one is from my partner - a croc at the home garden show last month, and a photo of a headstone in the local cemetery, taken by my daughter #3 - Claire Bear.

Happy Easter - Four Photojojos (171, 172, 173 and 174)

Can you guess which ones are mine?

Photojojo #170 - Curly and Straight

Today's photojojo is curly stuff (mine) and the underside of the pier (theirs).

Photojojo #169 - Circles and Lines

Here's my partner's lines (bottles) and my labyrinth (circle).

Photojojo #168 - Green Counteracts Gray

I'm so tired! I was up until about 2 am doing that photobook. It's nice tonight to have some rain, the photojojo handled, and looking forward to a warm cozy bed and an early bedtime, after Idol, of course!

My jojo is on the left - some swampy grass outside the restaurant last Saturday, combined with my jojo partner's green rope. Green is a nice color when it is so cold and dreary outside.

Yikes - Book Entered into Photo Competition

It's a long, long, long shot, but I made a book of my photos from Italy and entered it into the 3rd Annual Blurb photo contest.
Here's a link that let's you flip through it just like a real book. The competition is juried, not voted on, so I hope I have a good shot at something. Grand prize is $25K!

Photojojo #167 - We're On Track

Here's another photojojo - #167 - trees and buildings at funny angles. I love doing jojo!

Photojojos Are Back! Photojojo #166

Here's a new photojojo with my partner. They provided the birds on the pole; I took a photo of the bare trees outside the crab feed.

Wow - Three Days Without A Post....

I wonder where my jojo partner is? Oh where oh where could s/he be?

Here's a photo I took yesterday with my iPhone. I didn't do anything to it...just the glorious Spring sky with the plum blossoms falling everywhere....

Flowers

Photojojo #164 - Solo Jojo With Someone Else's Doodles

This is old north wind with some doodles from a white board I saw somewhere. Someone actually using statistical analysis.

Surf's Up

Back at work today - out scoping projects to minimize wastes and thinking about art projects I need to do. My syllabus for my upcoming mixed media class is nearly complete - that starts April 8.

I have an art show starting May 2nd that I need to plan and do the art for - thinking I will do the Flesh of My Flesh stuff mixed with recent (abstract) photos from Italy. They might play nicely off one another. Goal would be to put photos into recycled frames that go-with. This is always a fun challenge - to mix the photo size with what goes well with the frame. I have the mat cutter now so that makes it easy to do the work myself.

Anyway - coming home from work today I saw beautiful waves along the Pacific Ocean, reminding me of this photo I took last Saturday that I will call "Surf's Up." Many people were playing hookey today and playing on the beach and/or surfing when I came down Highway 1.