43 Human Dramas

Glass on copper assemblage

Enameling, (glass fused to metal by means of intense heat), was my first serious art medium.  The idea of putting glass grains on copper and fusing them by heat,  and to watch the colors emerge as the piece cooled was utterly fascinating!  It is still fascinating after 40 years working with this ancient art form.  I have explored many of the traditional techniques of enameling; cloisonne, champleve, plique a jour, basse taille, etc.  Today I am interested in the relationship between enamel- copper- heat, especially using firescale,( copper oxide formed as the copper is heated).  I can use just one enamel color and get a range of other colors by the use of firescale.  the glass on copper assemblage in this post utilizes this property.  I had a lot of fun in the process of this wall piece.  It has received several awards in art shows.

Paper making

                                                                         "Rock Stories 1"
                                                                        paper pulp painting

The handmade paper making workshop I presented a couple of weeks ago has sparked off ideas to develop more fully.  This is one of the delightful gifts in life; we can't help others without also receiving gifts ourselves. There was a delightful playful spirit with all of us in the workshop, and maybe new ideas are incubating in others, also.  it was a real joy to share this fascinating medium.

                                             
                                                  playing and exploring with paper making

Paper pulp painting

I am back  home after a wonderful weekend attending the Society of Layerists in Multi media 30th. conference.  This art society consists of a few hundred artists who are interested in the interconnectedness of all life, things of the Spirit, Consciousness, the sacred mystery of this human dimension.  See www.slmm.org

                                                                             "Out of rock"
                                                                          paper pulp painting
We met in Taos, New Mexico, the weather was glorious,  and there was a light and joyful sense of belonging throughout the members present.  I presented a handmade paper-making workshop which was fun to prepare  and was well received by attendees who played with paper-making and explored this fantastic medium.  I have no doubt new ideas are already being nourished in the minds of these gifted artists of the spirit.

"An Ancient Song" 

Here is another mixed media artwork with a poem I wrote during a time I was really aware of the Oneness  of all life.  During my morning meditation there was a brief second when the veil hiding the mystery of life was lifted, and this poem was the result......  The art work came a few years later.  There was deep joy in completing this artwork.

The Circle Unbroken

From time to time I add my own poems to collages.  The Circle Unbroken expresses my belief that all that is real remains changeless regardless of appearances.  I enjoy the warmth of the collage and the feeling of connectedness.  This artwork was a joy to create.

Extraordinary Ordinary Women

"Mum's Story"

mixed media

Extraordinary Ordinary women is a series of mixed media artworks honoring ordinary women.  I started with photos of the woman  at various ages, photocopied these on acid free paper and adhered them to a gessoed board.  Next I added appropriate words which highlighted the essence of the woman.  I completed the work by balancing values, colors, textures.  After exhibiting the series all works except "Mum's Story" were given to the woman honored or family members.  "Mum's Story" was to honor my mother and will be treasured by our family.  It was a joy to complete this series, and I learned more about composition and design in the process.

Paracelsus

I often add phrases,my poetry, or fragments of a poem to my collages.  "Paracelsus" is a long poem by the British poet Robert Browning, and I am using just a fragment.  It is about finding truth within and allowing this wisdom to be revealed.  We are always looking outside for answers, yet we have all the answers we need, if we are willing and able to just be still and quiet.

Art and Tea

Probably because of my British upbringing I have a fondness for tea.  I also make handmade paper, and learned that tea bags are made of abaca, which is from a type of banana tree found in the Philippines and south America, and  is strong and can withstand wet handling.  Just for fun I saved used tea bags, put the tea on the garden, and painted the dried tea bags with acrylic paint.  I then collaged them into a collage.  "Teabag Tapestry" was the result.  Lots of fun!

Western art

We had thousands of people in town for Cheyenne Frontier Days, together with bulls, steers, horses, and cowboys.  After our move to Cheyenne I did an enamel assemblage expressing the western way.  It took many hours of work to design, enamel, and mount the separate pieces.

Mixed media artworks

"The Center"

watermedia collage

I often combine enamel and mixed media elements to make collages and or assemblages.  The myriad of materials, textures, and colors scattered around my workspace cultivates a sense of living on the edge of chaos, which further promotes imaginative thinking.  Delight in the process of making art is a result of the transformation of separate elements into a unified whole.

Enameling; my earliest medium

Enameling, -
I have been developing this fascinating medium for over 35 years.  what is it?  Well, it is fine quality glass fused to metal by means of intense heat.
Process
Take 16-36 ga. copper.
Sift one or more prepared enamel colors.
Place in a kiln heated to 1500-1600 degrees F. for 1-3 minutes.
Remove from the kiln, and enjoy the transformation!

Aerial View
glass on metal assemblage

The separate elements no longer exist; they are forever fused together.  Before me is the start of an enamel piece, the canvas on which to express my vision.  There follows many hours of layering colors, exploring possibilities, problem solving, 2-20 more firings, and developing the piece until it is completed.

The adventure of making art is a journey into the unknown.  Traveling with us are imagination and creativity.  We are co-creators traversing the vast landscape of mind and Spirit.  As in all adventures we face obstacles when uncertain of direction, and times when ideas bubble up from the depths, and we are one with the flow of life.  I trust the process and allow the composition to unfold.  There is a great joy in this relationship with the inner life,- Spirit.

"Lunar high country", collage

I work in several mediums depending on ideas.  My task is to stay awake and aware for the quiet whispers of Soul.  Then I am ready to begin the adventure....

Expression through art

The process of making art is an expression of my journey towards recognizing wholeness.  It challenges me to greater creativity, to learn to simplify, to overcome limitations.  The qualities of the materials, textures, and colors evoke the mystical, the paradoxical, the awakening to truths older than time.