Saturday, September 11, 2010

. . . neglected this blog




but you all know how it is. . . sometimes things are just so bad you don't want to even think about them, and other times, things are just so good that you can't tell about them. Somewhere in between there, I have managed to make some art. The painting above is one of the latest. See those little circular things interspersed among the scratches? I knew those depleted calculator paper rolls would be useful for something. I semi-woke up one morning and staggered down to the basement, grabbed a pencil and a pastel stick, and wildly marked all over this canvas. And I liked it, and the marks stayed.


So for my next magic trick, I'm going to try Kerr Grabowski's deconstructed screen printing. I bought her DVD and have been studying it. I bought the appropriate dyes, ordered the sodium alginate, got some printing paper, and mixed up the pastes and the dyes. I purchased one screen, which is going to be too big for what I have in mind, but I've made several smaller ones out of foam core, so I'm ready to rock and roll. Except I can't find my gloves, and I learned when I mixed that dye that gloves are a necessity. Most of what was on the DVD was about dyeing fabric, which may come in handy someday, but mostly I'm interested using the process in my painting, most likely on paper. I am so attracted to the randomness of the deconstructed screen printing process, but I think I like the regular old screen printing process, too. And mixing the pastes and dyes. . . well, I felt like a happily crazy mad scientist.


This week I celebrated my 60th birthday. Unfortunately, I wasn't in Europe with my sisters, as we had once discussed. We could have done some damage in Europe, I think, and I am certainly in the mood. Now we'll have to wait until one of them turns 60. And I win the lottery.

9 comments:

Catherine said...

glad to *see* you Mary - and Happy Birthday....

can't wait to see the results of your deconstructed screen printing - I've been wanting to try it but that reqires actually doing some art....*weak laugh*

Trusting that the really good and the pretty bad stuff are evening out.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see you found your sodium globomite(?)
Hey, we'll go to Europe--how about April--we can go see Liz. Love this painting.

ArtPropelled said...

Happy 60th Birthday, Mary!
Wishing you a lucky lottery win .... but don't forget to buy the tickets. I really love this painting!

Cynthia Schelzig said...

What an amazing piece of work!! I loved reading about your mad scientist experiences too.

Karen Stiehl Osborn said...

Happy Birthday, Mary!

You will LOVE deconstructed screen printing! I really wish we lived closer. Oh, the fun we would have!

Kim Printz said...

your work is sooooo gorgeous! isn't it amazing how our ideas of what old is? you don't look 60 to me in any way -- your photos, your work. my grandmother was OLD when she was my age, 53!

Leslie Avon Miller said...

I love your painting Mary!
HaPpY BiRtHdAy Mary!

Teri said...

Ah...I turned 60 this year too so I completely understand what you speak about. I, too, was supposed to go to Europe this year but I got in that horrible argument with my friend of 45 years and we haven't spoken since. Probably never will. I'll have to find someone else to go with. If I win the lottery, I'll take you!! Or buy all your artwork so that you can afford to go!

Unknown said...

I really like what you are doing with your art!