We are in Tieton

Downtown Tieton, Not a car in sight in this moment...it is beautifully calm and quiet here in this little 4 street town. But, it was a fun and wild week, we went to potlucks for the holiday and a movie night. In fact today we are kind of pooped out.

 

Yesterday we went to the vet as Monty was peeing blood. It was so scary. He doesn't seem sick at all... he is on antibiotics and today he is a bit better. He does love the bed in the little apartment I'm staying in. 

In all this getting settled and going to fun events I
haven't had much of a chance to really look around, go for some walks and imagine what it would be like to live here...
A few things that have made an impact:
1. The best pan dulce bakery here ever! I have to stop this addiction of mine!
2. There are only modest sized houses in Tieton, nothing over 1400 square feet.
3. The sun has shone every day we have been here, today all day. Cold, but sunny. I love it.

Jentel Residency Post #5 An interview

An Interview with Janice

Who is that hippo and why is he holding that button? 

He is the newest member of my jury. (See drawing of figures) I believe he is the wisest. He has suffered much in his life, he is worn... he loves his friends and knows they will not reject him because he is too big, or doesn't wear a hat or have nice shoes.

What do you wish you had done more of at Jentel?

Daydreamed

Spent time doing nothing

Walked in the hills more 

Less?

I wish I had worked less and let that be ok.

What does the button mean?

It reminds me of the very good Russian sculptor at VSC who walked up to me tapped me on the chest and said (in a wonderful accent) "you good artist". I treasure this memory and hold onto it when I don't believe in myself.

What did you like the best about Jentel? 

The landscape and the people, residents and staff. I loved the input, support and hilarity that ensued from our relationships. 

Jentel Residency Post #4 and what did you make?

I got to Jentel and just felt tired.

Knowing what a gift this time was I, like all my fellow residents didn't want to waste time. 

The Jentel staff reminded us there was no expectation to produce, rather the goal was to renew ourselves and enjoy the connections we were making. (that was easy!)

I put up 12 flour sacks and stared at them and said "oh well, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'll just start". I realized I missed my wood panels. I have grown used to the process of paint/sand/paint/sand and work on paper felt very difficult. 

I worked in this confusion state for about 2 weeks. And then things started to happen. Funny at the end of the residency all of us said the same thing, that we needed another week as the work had just begun to roll, click and come together.

Jentel Residency Entry #3 or Who were the other artists and writers?

It's me, taking a walk with my lovely orange vest on. The residency administrators worry we might get hit by a car. 

 Jake from New York City,  a writer editing a novel.

On the left Jun, a painter and installation artist and mixologist!

And on the right is David, a native of Wyoming working on public art projects. 

Karla, a writer and RN like me

Misha, a film maker. Created a green screen environment in her studio.

We six arrive on the same day. We range in age from 29 to 61. In any normal circumstance you would wonder how we could connect. 

But the pursuit of a creative endeavor creates this common language and experience. We have all struggled for time, for validation, for inspiration. 

We all agreed it was great to not be the only strange one in the bunch!

We bonded, we helped each other, and we laughed soooo much!

Scenery, Jentel Post #2

I arrive at Jentel which is 20 miles from the nearest town. I wondered why I picked these photos to show you... it is because the landscape is so a part of this world. There are more hills than houses. This is so different from where I live. I find myself trying to take in this vast beauty.

 This is the residence house... 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a huge living room/kitchen, a library and a media viewing room. 

The land behind the house is called the 1,000 acres and we are allowed to wander there IF we wear an orange hazard vest and write down what time we leave. You can get lost in the beautiful hills. Did I mention the first day here we saw 2 golden eagles?

                           

 

The creek runs through the property beside the house. It is wide and shallow and in the summer residents bump down it in inner tubes. 

This is the beaver dam on the creek although the only "sighting" has been a loud thwack on the water.

The landscape informs but it is hard to slow down enough to listen. The first time I wandered in the thousand acres a flock of birds landed in a tree. I watched them, but suddenly realized they were singing. I know this sounds strange, but I realized that in Eugene I might see birds, but I don't hear them. I listened for a long time.

Residency Stories, #1

Wyoming is the least populated state in the US. 

The Sheridan county airport is the smallest one I have ever flown into.

Lynn, from Jentel was there to meet me and drive me the 20 miles to Jentel. There was a little corgi girl in the car to wiggle and give kisses. Thanks Josie, I was pretty overwhelmed and exhausted.

This was my huge, well lit studio space, 22'x24'. 

You could dance around in it (I did)

And there are my paper flour sacks waiting for me. 

This was my 3rd residency and for the first time I had no idea what I was going to do. 

I knew these lumpy wrinkled papers had been a good idea because I could just mess around and not feel like I was wasting the 4 dollar a sheet stuff. 

For this residency I would say I was materials driven, not idea driven. My zip lock bags of found papers, my new heat tool, the flour sacks were the impetus to push me to start. 

 

Here is one of the first 12. 

Working in groups of 6, 8, and 12 was helpful...

ok, more interesting adventuress tomorrow!

I am back from Jentel Artist Residency...

" Karla's Magic Coat"  14"x14"  mixed media on paper

I got back from the wilds of Wyoming last night at midnight. Today I am in a bit of a zombie fog.
I think I can only write about this time at Jentel in pieces. To write a chronology is overwhelming.

I could start with Karla's magic coat... purchased at the Red Door thrift shop for 8 dollars. It is an 80's pink color, wool with white polar bears embroidered all over. A big hood with fake fur and two long strings with pom poms made it an irresistible bargain. 

There were 6 residents and when the staff oriented us they made it clear that we were to connect with each other and not rely on staff. We did... it was a bit amazing we were a team in about 10 minutes.

 Karla of magic coat fame is an amazing writer and a nurse like me!

More soon when I remember where I left my brain.

bye for a while

bye for a while blog readers... I am in Wyoming at Jentel Artist Residency which is a bit of heaven. I'm here for 4 weeks which I know will zoom by. Residency... there are 6 of us, 3 men, 3 women. 2 writers, a film maker, me, a sculptor and drawer, and another painter. We share this huge, beautiful house on 1,000 acres of land. It is so beautiful here it boggles my mind. My studio is HUGE, and even has a bed to rest in. I'm scared as usual that I won't live up to such a wonderful gift, but I'm just ignoring those thoughts. The internet here is reallllly slow and i didn't bring a computer on purpose but I promise to regale you all in 4 weeks.
much love to all, Janice

one more thing...

I haven't gotten any comments in a LONG time on this blog and it makes me wonder if something is broken... (maybe it's me being boring?). I checked the preferences and it seems to be in order, but ???

What happened today...

This afternoon I vacuumed the floors at MECCA. It was fun, I got to look at everything and visit with the MECCA shoppers. And then something really good happened.

Two young men and a woman came into the store. They all looked like they were having a hard time, they were disheveled and not too clean and one was carrying a large backpack. The woman asked if there was yarn and a crochet hook and how much were they? She sounded angry and defensive. But little by little she softened. I got her a stool to sit on, the young men looked through the crochet hooks, and the amazing MECCA worker patiently answered her questions.

I told her the colors she chose were beautiful and the first smile appeared. She asked the worker if there was any material she could make a blanket with and the MECCA worker told her when she could come and use the sewing machine. By now she was beaming. 

As they were leaving they asked one more question, "do you have any sleeping bags or tarps?" The MECCA worker told them were to go to get help. 

That yarn gave that young woman a creative outlet and something to feel good about. It's why I love MECCA so much. Everyone gets to make things. It's about access. My guess is something like the story above happens most days there. 

What a magic place. 

Go visit!

MECCA

Waiting...

While waiting for G to get her hair cut I played with the photo app on her phone. I had so much fun making these photos... did you know I used to be a photographer? Long time ago. I quit because I got stuck when I started to work with personal material. I didn't realize that my photographs were telling me things I wasn't ready to listen to...

and then I became a painter. That was 25 years ago, more or less. 

I am so excited to go to Jentel I can't settle down. Tonight I realized what I was excited about was discovery. The percolation that takes place with few(er) distractions. I don't know what I'm going to make, but I know something will happen...

The best film I have seen lately....

Video from KarmaTube

This video moved me and answered all my silly questions about the why of making art. Art just is a part of life, like breathing or movement. One woman's life impacting so many through her story and her art...wonderful.

It really is about the process...

I was depressed and confused and pretty lost today which is not my usual state of mind. I started looking through my "Interview" magazines for photos i liked. I cut stuff out of this magazine a lot. I like that it's over sized and sometimes the photos are of real people, not just models. 

What happened next is such a reminder that when you don't know what to do, do something. So here I am cutting out pictures and I turn the page and a photo I had cut in the past created a hole where the next page could be viewed. Sort of like instant collage. 

A new world. I'm thinking about windows and disparate textures. I hope you can see in these  examples how excited i got... no? well, you had to be there. 

moral of the story, just keep working, something will happen.

Puttering Along

 I have needed to bring Monty my aging greyhound to the studio. He doesn't like it much here. There is not a couch, only the futon... He noses me fairly often, but luckily the list of needs is short: treat please, water please, out for a walk PLEASE. We are managing...

I had a major bad food attack all weekend so made this yummy item today: tofu quiche with oat/almond crust. Full of veggies, flax seeds. Really, it was really good. 

I am so distracted... I am going to Jentel in 5 weeks but I can't stop thinking about what will I make, what will I bring. I have about 3 weeks until I have to start packing up my studio... G says just go for it, and you can finish up what you make later. 

bye for now...

What is next?

Go as far as you can see. When you get there you can see further.

Are there any True Blood fans out there? This painting of a young boy reminds me of the vampire Godric who walked into the sun...

 

It's fall and I'm so ready to get back in the studio on a consistent basis. I didn't realize how hard it would be to get to the studio with so much going on during the summer. Shows and places to go and just being outside. I'm ready for fall...

A couple of things...

A couple of thoughts... first I believe you have to try out your ideas no matter how stupid they may turn out. These are calendar pages I was getting ready to recycle when I got the idea to paint on them. One thought leads to the next thought. But the overall take away is TRY IT! Who cares what it ends up looking like... I am putting my hands onto paper.

The next thought that keeps coming into my mind over and over is the idea of daily art practice. And yes! there is an app for that! It's called "don't break the chain". This was the first time I wanted an I-phone... the idea is that the more you stay connected the better the creativity is . I know this is true.

Phew... no more 3-D!!!

I haven't been in the studio much these last two weeks. Travel to Tieton and camping have claimed my time. Although mucking around in plaster and water was fun I was/am soooo ready to get back to painting. 

I like these two, I just like them. When I drew them it was that kind of magic where you watch the charcoal pencil make the marks and just feel happy. 

I didn't fix the oddness of arm attachment above or the strangeness of the neck connecting to body below because I just didn't! 

I am so glad to be working in 2 dimensions!!!

"Do you think about Pompeii?"

I do think about Pompeii now and then. I thought about it a lot when I was making these 6 figures out of plaster cast material that Ginger brought home from the hospital. I think about those casts that captured people at the exact moment of death. I was reading about this and the newest research shows that they died instantly from heat (about 400 degrees)

Now, I'm sure dear reader that you didn't want to know all these facts, but since I only makes something with 3 dimensions once a year... well it had to have some story attached to it.

This is my piece for the MECCA object afterlife challenge. The folks at MECCA give you a piece of "junk" and you have to make something out it. My "junk" was a big spool. I used the cardboard cylinder and one of the ends to make the base.
 

It's good to stretch oneself. I HATED trying to get the whole thing to stand up, but I loved making the lumpy figures. Is it good? Did it meet the challenge? I have no idea and I don't think it matters. I have to admit it was fun, messy, good fun...

How it starts...

The very first level of a painting. After gesso and acrylic ground there is a charcol drawing, some gray ink and some yellowy housepaint. That is all. It's hard to let go at this stage. I like my drawing. Will I mess it up by working on it and turning it into a painting with layers and layers of paint? Perhaps the answer is to make more drawings, then I don't have to change them. He will change. The challenge is to keep it loose and true to my instinct. 

sigh...

Friday...

Friday doesn't mean much to me anymore. If anything it just means it will probably be Monday until I get to go back into the studio. 

Today around 1pm I got so lonely again. I know this is about my missing Simon. I put things away, left and drove to the U/O art museum. 

There is a great show there right now of all kinds of art including Pacific Northwest artists. And my friend C. had a piece in it! 

Then I moved on to the U/O bookstore, downstairs where the best art store staff in the world can be found. I bought some more of these little panels, this time 6"X6". 

I have found I like doing a series of the same drawing...

Have a great weekend friends!

Keep going...

The last couple days I have been so sad. I miss Mr. Simon and his fuzzy self. 

These are some very small (5"x5") paintings I have been working on. The little panels come in a package of 4 and lend themselves to the exploration of one figure in different circumstances. I like his ragged tee shirt and the barn like shape.

and he is elegant and thoughtful and maybe from a place other than Earth? or Oregon?

Having a show with all my work in it rattled me some. The worst of it is when I start to think about making stuff in terms of what other people would like, what would sell, what would get me into this residency and that show. 

As my early religious upbringing would say: "that's not right thinking" and for once (or twice even) they are right. 

The reality is that people like you or they don't, and the reason they like you...well it's always a surprise. 

So, be yourself.

oh the bags... the empty flour bags, clean from the dumpster. three layers of brown paper, large, room to scrawl and move and explore. they go with my plaster figures, not sure exactly how. I think it might have something to do with a clothesline, the kind that looks like a spiderweb and goes around in a circle. Anyone want to lend me one?

Making Art... a very good video

I

I posted this on Facebook, but wanted it here also... she explains her process so well and with so much happiness. Thank you to whoever made this...

To say that I don't know what i am doing is an understatement. But this afternoon as I started attaching the heads to the bodies I remembered that I love to make dolls. I love the creation of someone/something with a personality. These arms and legs are so lumpy... but soon I will start making their clothing and painting them and who knows what they will be like.

I wish I had a photograph of the doll I made in 3rd grade. It was Father Serra (California mission history). His body was a dish soap container, his head clay and I made him eyeglasses. The teacher liked him and I knew I had made something good. 

Can't wait to work some more tomorrow.

Catching up

 I ran into A. at the fair and was reminded of what a lazy blogger I have become. I think I thought I had not much to share. Facebook is so fast. But my blog was/is the place I have talked about our life for several years. So, I'll try to keep it going. Writing about the process of life and art always helps me.

ok, the first photo is my NEW car!!! a 1997 Subaru Outback, luxury edition! I love having a 16 year old car that is luxurious. It's been 12 years since I had my own car. G and I finally gave up sharing, it just got to be too hard.  My new car has 240,000 thousand miles on it. The mechanic says it will run for years. May her molecules stay aligned forever (sorry, my childhood religion speaking here)

and THIS is our new trailer. It is 6 feet wide, about 10 feet long and smaller than our T@B. I thought it would feel claustrophobic, but it doesn't. You can easily sit up inside, and it has doors on each side so you don't have to climb over anyone. It is very light and easier to tow. We sold the T@B trailer while we were lying inside this one at the dealers. A woman stuck her head in and said "why don't you buy a T@B? We replied we had one and poof, she bought it! It'll be a couple more weeks til it gets here, I can't wait. 

The back flips up and this is the kitchen with sink and stove and fridge. This is our 5th RV. Each one has been smaller than the last one. The RV dealer says we are not normal...

Tomorrow myself and the dogs are going to the studio, so will have more art news to report.

Love you Alice and Dean, thanks for not leaving....