Art That Appeals to Teenagers

Musical Mandala by Susanne Clark 2006

Every year I get quite a few emails from young high school students.  They have somehow found me on the web when looking for an artist’s work to do their end of year art exam project on.  It’s the musical work that seems to capture their interest and I find the same thing when I exhibit at outdoor art shows.  Young people and teenagers are immediately attracted to the work and bring their parents to see it.

When the students write they ask me a lot of questions about my technique, what inspired me and usually how long it takes me to create one of my pieces.  They seem to love the colour and vibrancy of the work and the fact that the Musical Paintings are not a literal copy of an instrument but something more exciting.  I spend quite a lot of time try and answer all their questions and usually add that I would love it if they would send me a picture of some piece of artwork that they have done as part of their exam.  Sometimes I get a nice reply with a thank you and a photo, other times just a thank you and sadly sometimes no response at all.

Last year I was contacted by Becky Sharpe, a 5th grade elementary teacher from Georgia in the US, who wanted to do an art project lasting several months using my musical works as a focus.  I was chosen because as she said “My students asked me if there were any artists who were still alive.  I looked at my curriculum and sure enough, all the artists I was highlighting were … well … dead!  From that point on I’ve made it a practice to seek out contemporary artists whenever possible”.

As the project went ahead I really enjoyed getting updates from Becky and some emails from the children. The final event was a combined art/ poetry jam.  The children created a poem to go with their musical instrument piece and they invited the adults in the school to come to the exhibit. I was extremely honored to have had my art chosen to be the inspiration for the project!

Becky also sent me some of the poetry pieces that they had written but I have chosen to focus on the artwork in this blog.  I think they did some really fun work and I hope they are inspired to continue creating. 

Art in Portugal

I'm very lucky to be in Portugal on holiday.  When I'm away I love to go and see local art so I'm always looking for Galleries however here in the Algarve in Portugal they are almost non existent.  This is my third visit here and I think I have only found five in total but yesterday was very exciting because I actually found a really nice one with some interesting work.  The young lady working there said that people in Portugal don't buy much art.  I'm sure the poor economy has a lot to do with it but it appears that there just isn't much interest.

I bought art materials here with me and intended doing some art each day but it's hard not to be seduced by the beautiful weather outside and the interesting places to visit.  To justify my lack of work I have been taking lots of photos.  Yesterday we went to a totally amazing church called the Sao Lourenco Chapel.  The walls inside were completely covered in blue painted tiles showing the martyrdom of St Lourenco or Lawrence as I guess his name is in English.  It was absolutely amazing and quite beautiful inside despite the awful theme. It is a small chapel or church but one of the most stunning I have seen.  Taking photos inside was not allowed but here are a couple from the outside.

Sao Lourenco Chapel

Blue tile picture on the back of Sao Lourenco Chapel

The beaches are fantastic.  A day or so ago we went to a small town called Luz where we sat in the sun outside and had lunch overlooking the sea.  The scenery was amazing.  We felt very lucky to be here.

Beach at Luz, Algarve, Portugal

View from our lunch spot at Luz

More to come.

5 Unusual Reasons to Buy Art

Art By Shona McFarlane

Some 22 years back I was on my way to my weekly sculpture class in Wellington, NZ when from the car window I saw a painting in the front window of a local Gallery.  It was a large, free flowing and colourful work by a NZ painter Shona McFarlane who had a personality as vibrant as her paintings.  I decided right then that I would buy it.  What also appealed was that it showed the view of the valley where I lived and was very soon to leave.

Fire on Second Ave, Ottawa, Nov 1999

Fast forward to November 1999.  I am living in Ottawa, Canada and my house has just burned down in the largest fire in the city in 34 years.  My new town house of under a year old is almost completely destroyed along with 12 other homes.

What was left of my front entrance

The house was a crime scene for a few days but then we were able to walk through a few areas to see if anything could be saved. There on the wall was the painting, covered in smoke but still in one piece.  Days later I took to it with detergent, water and a soft scrubbing brush and because it was acrylic it came up like new. 
Our house was rebuilt within a year and with this painting on the wall it felt like home again.

This got me thinking about different reasons to own art and so here are 5 of mine.

1   Unlike clothing and most everything else, it doesn't wear out.

2   It will stay with you through difficult times and give you joy.

3   It will still fit in 10 years.

4   Art adds real personality and uniqueness to your home and reflects who you are.

5   When you look at the art you will remember when and why you chose it and who you were with and it will remind you of the unique path you have taken in your journey through life.

I'm sure you will have your own reasons to buy original art and I would love to hear them.

"Alchemy in Colour" Exhibition

View from the front entrance

On Sept 15 my solo show "Alchemy in Colour" opened in the beautiful Marianne van Silfhout Gallery at St Lawrence College, Brockville in Ontario Canada. 


View of the gallery

When I arrived and saw the whole gallery full of my work I had quite a strange feeling!.  After spending time working so closely on the pieces you become very intimate with them but seeing them again like that, it was as though they had suddenly developed their own identity.  A bit like the the children you nurture and watch grow up knowing them so well, and then suddenly they are their own person and stand separate.  Not that this is a bad thing .... it's as it should be.  

Collagraph "Under the Hot Sun" by the guest book

 So there was my work arranged around the walls like separate moments in time each one exposing a part of me to be either liked, disliked or ignored. I had an odd feeling of distance and was slightly amazed that I had actually created all this work! 


With my daughter Trudy and husband Brian


To send my work out into the world in such a beautiful gallery was a wonderful experience.   I was also very appreciative of my friends who made the journey to be at the opening.  It was very special to have you there.

If you've experienced a similar feeling when confronted with your work in a new setting please tell me about it.

The 1920's - I'm in a Flap About Flappers!

A few months back I did the above collagraph print of two ladies.  I had no idea when I started, all I knew was that I wanted to do a couple of figures.  They ended up with a 1920's look to them and were quite cute, nothing serious, but just fun.  I framed the first print I pulled in a nice white frame and took it to the Cobourg art fair where it promptly sold.   Several other people came back also wanting to buy it. 

My son then kept saying to me how much he liked it and that I should do more in this 1920's theme.   "The retro thing is very trendy at the moment" was his comment.   The theme is probably trendy because of the recent TV series  "Boardwalk Empire" which showed recently on HBO.

A few years back I started a series of collagraph Kimono prints and they were great fun to do.  It was a bit like being a dress designer  ....   I could make the kimonos with patterns and colors that I liked and fortunately other people seemed to like them too. 

The thing is, I really enjoy making this type of decorative plate and so I thought I would try some more with a similar 1920's look to "The Ladies".

Making the plates is proving to be very compelling.  I can't wait to get into the studio and create another one and I haven't even started printing them up yet and seeing the results in color.  It's very easy to get inspired when you have wonderful decorative elements, like exotic hats and stylistic clothes to work with.

After recently working on a series of non realistic abstract paintings this is a complete about flip!  It must be my dual natured Gemini personality breaking forth!

Next week I want to start printing the plates and see if the final results are are as exciting as I hope they will be.

This photo is part of one of the plates in it's beginning stages. The color showing is from the shellac sealer and old thick paint that I am using to create textures on the plate. These colors are not what will show up when I pull the print and you can also see pencil where I have mapped out the design.

Artist Blogs - Are They Written For The Wrong People?



Jester's Rattle
Original Blockprint
$99.00 unframed



Like many artists I am still trying to find my way with my blog and one thing that I wonder about is am I writing it for the right people.  Who do I want to read my blog and what is its purpose?



 Many art blogs seem to be more for other artists, with technique tips and marketing ideas, and not much for non artists who are art lovers.

 

As an artist I love to see what other artists are doing in their studios but wouldn't it be great if a blog was also really interesting for art enthusiasts and potential buyers as well.  What does it need to make it that way?

Perhaps it would tell more about the creative art process and give a personal insight into who the artist really is and what motivates them?  Maybe we talk about these things but just don't go deep enough or expose ourselves enough. Do we focus on showing our professional side and not let some of the nitty gritty raw feelings come out?  Would that make it more compelling?

What do you think?  As a non artist what would you really like to read about?

Printmaking or Painting - What Sells Best At Art Festivals?

"Jester" Handpainted Blockprint. SOLD


Two weeks ago I exhibited at the Lions Fine Art Show and Sale at the Waterfront Festival in Cobourg, Ontario.  I love this show because it's in a beautiful setting right on the beach.

I was showing both printmaking and non representational paintings like the one below.  While I got lots of great comments on my paintings it was the printmaking that sold really well. 


Small Orange Abstract 12 x 12 inches

I want to make it clear that the printmaking process I am talking about is creating original artworks printed by hand using a printing press and not a digital reproduction of a photograph or artwork.  My main technique is Collagraph but I also had some handpainted blockprints on show.
I thought that printmaking may sell better because the work is usually less expensive than paintings but although I have shown small paintings on many occasions they just don't seem as popular.  I find that people prefer the larger ones.

"Ladies"  Collagraph on paper.  SOLD

So, back to the printmaking ....  I'm not sure what makes it more appealing.  It could be the subject matter, my printmaking tends to be more decorative in style, or perhaps it just looks nice because it has a nice clean look with a white mat around it and a frame.  What do you think?