Schmutz Bunnies: Can’t help myself

When I have taken photos of a finished piece in my new series, I wipe off the flowers, scrape off the paint and wash the glass. I love the fact that the piece no longer exists, except as a photograph. But the little piles of paint scraps and flower detritus call to me, and I scrape the leftovers—the schmutz—together and use the paint scraper to turn them into animals and birds and snakes. As you can see, I am easily amused. But I am also easily embarrassed, so I haven’t decided whether to include a couple of them in my show opening at Berlin on November 7.

Click here to see some more of the new work.

Click here to watch me talk about this new series in the five-minute movie made by the amazing David Mackenzie.  

A Toast to David Mackenzie, and Susan Perkins and Tom Pink

I met David Mackenzie the day he took this ‘official’ 70^th birthday photo. Imagine being new in town, and having someone with a painted face and a headdress of flowers and vegetables show up at your door. Well, it was great fun. Mezcal was involved. His partner, Susan Perkins, and Tom Pink, who introduced us (and, by the way, generously printed all the small work in my upcoming show), acted as stylists.

The reason I bring up this story now is that when I returned home to my studio, my whole glass-topped work table was strewn with leftover leaves and flowers, wax beans and tangerines. So I started distributing this detritus artfully on a half-finished “Palettable” series painting  I was doing directly on the glass. One thing led to another, and soon I was madly engrossed in “Allusions: Things not as they seem,’ which I am showing at Berlin Bar, opening November 7.  And just to close the circle, the amazingly talented David Mackenzie made the five-minute video that is part of the show.

The Frame Puzzle

I’ve been preparing for a new exhibition that will open on Berlin Bar on November, checking off the many details involved. In an effort to cut expenses, I bought an odd lot of large frames from Karen Clement as she was closing La Fortuna Framing, and a bunch of small frames from Lavinia’s overstock, at generous prices.   Almost every frame is a different size and style. The puzzle was to first figure out which frames looked good together in which rooms, and which images I wanted to show in what size, and then have the images I want to show printed to fit each frame, and to number the images to match the frames. Now I’m waiting with fingers crossed, brain fried, and a glass of tequila by my side—fervently hoping that it all works out.

Here’s a link to some of the new work.

The amazing David Mackenzie made a five minute movie of me talking about this new series. You can see it here. 

Opening All Too Soon-- 

ALLUSIONS: Things Not as They Seem

My exhibition at Berlin Bar opens Thursday, November 7, less than three weeks from today, and (what else is new?) I think I still have five weeks of work to do. Does the word ‘procrastination’ come to mind? “ALLUSIONS: Things Not as They Seem” is a series that, like its predecessors, is hard to decipher at first. You seem to be looking at a flower-strewn fountain or terrace, but something is off.

This time around I am playing a direct role in creating the illusion, rather than just finding and photographing it. I start with photos, shot from above, of ponds and cobblestones and fountains. Then I build up layers of glass, with spacers in between, adding flowers and leaves and other detritus that relate to the original photograph, as well as painting with glass paints, markers and oil pastels to enhance the sense of depth and movement in the original picture. I photograph this layered assemblage at night, lit from the side so that whatever is on the glass layers casts shadows. My intent is ‘point to’ the motion and reflection of what our eye really sees in that fleeting moment.

Once the photographs are taken, I brush the flowers off the glass and scrape off the paint or markers, wash the glass and start on a new piece. The ephemeral nature of this disappearing act delights me.

Here’s a link to some of the new work.

The amazing David Mackenzie made a five minute movie of me talking about this new series. You can see it here.