NYS Summer Reading theme meets Jackson Pollock

This summer , the reading theme at libraries in New York State is "Ready, Set, Read!".  It is about being or staying physically active; my translation, read, but don't be a couch potato.

After several days of "What were they thinking?"  Because as a Visual Arts Teaching Artist at first I was stumped.

THEN I had one "A-HA moment!" Start Here Studio (my DBA) has a musical chairs round-table art-making program we have used for years. No one loses a seat, everyone draws, and the participants are exposed to music from around the world.  So- tweak that program and we have ONE potential idea to tell the librarians about. 

Then enter, Stacy W. (a teen librarian) who says, what about  Jackson Pollock?  And the gong in my head rang, and I slapped myself on the forehead and said "Doh!". 

Photo credit Museum of Modern Art, NYC.

After a week of serious thinking about having kids ages 8 and older splatter painting in a LIBRARY, I am bibliophile, books are the one thing in my life I take excellent care of. (Okay, my Golden brand acrylics, and my sable water color brushes)  I realized I am just crazy enough to do this. (And I am armed with drop cloths and 18 years experience in teaching all ages.) 

Add another few weeks of letting the program's format and sequence roll around in my head. Add more time researching Jackson Pollock (JP)- and finally re-watching Ed Harris' brilliant portrayal of JP- I was ready. 

Add a day of buying supplies, deciding which paints to go with- washable or not, latex house paint or not, and an evening of paint prep and making the surfaces. 

Finally, it all culminated today, the debut of ART and MOVEMENT featuring JACKSON POLLOCK. 
Fifteen brave souls, including parents and grandparents splatter painted as a group. The weather gods were kind- sunny and no longer 90 plus degrees out, a gentle breeze added the element of surprise a few times, but SUCCESS!

Here are some photos of the art. I always have the kids hide their faces, and even the adults wanted it that way today.  :)

Warsaw Library, June 21, 2016 

  

   

Newest Art Show Debuts on 4/1/11 in Rochester, NY

The days of being a "recluse artist" are over for a few weeks as my newest work goes public this Friday evening. The opening runs from 6pm-8pm in the Pieters Family Life Center located on Commons Way, in Henrietta, NY. For those of familiar with the area, it is just a few hundred yards South on East Henrietta Road of the intersection of Jefferson Rd. and E. Henrietta Rd. The show runs from April 1 until May 3, and is open from 6:30am-8pm, Monday through Saturday in the life center's Cafe. Please be sure to sign the guestbook!

To the right is a little "sneak peak" at some of the pieces on display...

The artist statement for the show is as follows:

In Buddhism there is the concept of "polishing the mirror of the mind", removing all the dust and debris that prevents us from clearly seeing the world around us. There is also the concept of we become what we think, or with our thoughts we make our world. With these two concepts in mind I decided to apply the process of polishing or scrubbing these paintings to bring forth the underlying light within each piece, and to create visual world that had started as a thought.

The process involves creating a textured base, adding carefully placed layers of color, and finally scrubbing, sanding, or carving down through the layers. I also believe in the healing properties or mood enhancing aspects of color,; to that end i carefully consider my palette for each piece. I delight in the look and feel of wet paint, so I will often add areas of gloss varnish to keep the painting wet looking.

These paintings are my way of visually portraying thoughts or states of mind we all experience. Within all of us is a pure consciousness, pure spirit, or Buddha nature that can be uncovered by polishing the mirror.