![]() Scenes from Asheville...we visited a TON of breweries, at the BEST food (seriously, the chicken wings at Sierra Nevada was legendary and Biscuit Head biscuits are THE BEST!) andI met a new dog friend. Also, not pictured, I re-started my rock collection, kinda a childhood obsession...ummmm, maybe I am the only one excited about that... ![]() I claimed a spot at Frank's table to be my 'studio' space for the duration of the trip. At the time, I felt like I knew what I wanted to do for June- a series of my 'big eyed gals' (perhaps a version of my 'Butterfly Bellas') using white colored pencil on black paper. I had found a pad of black paper before we left for our trip, everything was packed. I was pretty sure that this is what I wanted to do for the month...until I wasn't. More on that in a bit, or maybe the next post... On the way home we made a pit stop in Savannah. I'll actually be going back later this month for a week-long workshop and I can't wait! One highlight of the night (besides pizza at Vinnie Van Go-Go's!) was stopping by the Arts and Crafts Emporium. I feel like the name has changed (?) but years ago I actually used to sell my angel paintings there. I rented a small space and would re-stock my work there when I could, but it spanned the time that we lived in NC and even CA so it was a little tough. To me, if I made enough in sales to cover my monthly rental it was worth it- and I did that every month (!) and even had some months where I made above that, too. My biggest success there was when the owner of an event company from Boston purchased one of my angels, and then contacted me to create a HUGE order for an upcoming event she was hosting. It was definitely worth my time. Who knows, maybe I will try it again.
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I posted the first half of my series, including the graduating seniors that inspired the works earlier but I kept the second part of the series under wraps. The bulk of those works included some of my current underclassmen in AP and Portfolio (three students) and then also some of my 3D-1 students that really went above and beyond to help me this year and/or to be kind to their peers...so I wanted to thank them. I had some forms I was waiting on, and also I wanted to wait until the last week of school to give those out...and they were kinda a surprise. I even made one for my colleague, Brent. Well- surprise! Cat's outta the bag. They all were excited to receive their gift! ...and then I had some days left and I was trying to decide who I wanted to draw...and I didn't have to think about it too much because I looked to my immediate female support system. Overall with this series it is overwhelmingly female. In fact- my original intention was to make it all female, but then I had two male seniors...and my colleague is a man. So I did make those exceptions, but the rest stayed true to my original intent- portraying those that inspire me, a large part focused on my students.
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I have only been posting partial views (like this one) of what I have been working on so far this month. At first it is because I was waiting to introduce the series. Then the series changed, and I was only posting 'peeks' because I was trying to keep it a secret- until at least til this past Friday. |
First, let me give the back story.
Long story short, our cousin's wife is good for a surprise package in the mail out of nowhere packed with fun stuff just 'cause. Oh, and I should mention that she is an art teacher, so that means the gifts are EXTRA good! A while back one of the items in the package was a fab 'Feminist Saints' book. I read it, then put it in the windowsill with some of my other smaller books (which is why it is discolored) I thought, 'hey- maybe this month I will focus on women (and maybe some fellas) that inspire me'. Saints? not so much. Inspirational? So much yes. So there's that. |
May 2013, 'flowers'
November 2013, 'mustache'
May 2017, 'greek/roman myths'
May 2018, 'bridal illustrations'
Frida Kahlo:
Click here to read about the trip to see the Frida show in St. Pete
Yayoi Kusama:
'Love is Calling' ...trip to Tampa- so goood!
Georgia O'Keeffe
Faith Ringgold
...that one time...when I gave Faith Ringgold an angel painting...
Here are the first four *art saints:
(*Disclaimer: Not sure if that is what I will be calling the series yet)
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I pushed myself (and my students) to get things as ready as we could before I left for my trip, that way when I came back I could add in any pieces that they re-vised when I got back, then we cold double check everything and send it off the day before the deadline.
We had our final 3D photoshoots for Elmwood and Junique's recycled garments and Jean's cosplay before I left....and any time I had a second I was running behind my 2D kids to see what they were working on, offer some comments, snap pictures...it was a busy time. And it didn't stop when I got on that plane in Fort Lauderdale, or off it in Raleigh. When I was in North Carolina I was spending every night on the computer going through the final images and editing. I think some AP teachers have their students do this, and that's nice and all, but I am a control freak (a nice one) and have OCPD impulses (that are totally unchecked) and well...that's not the way I roll.
And then something happened without me knowing it, or even thinking about it...and I will get to that, but I want you to see what I saw;
I realized that yeah, I have my favorite artists from art history and also contemporary artists...but I actually TEACH some of my favorite artists (and there is totally a t-shirt out there that says that and I need it ASAP!) And they are in my 2D/3D AP Studio art sections and my Portfolio sections...and the ones so far that I have featured are leaving me. They are my graduating seniors.
So, that's my excuse for not posting the final images for eighteen days.
I am not sure who I will add to the collection now. I have three remaining girls in my advanced class, all underclassmen. Two are AP, on Portfolio. I am not sure if am going to add them to the series...or make'em wait til THEY are the seniors. I have to think about it.
So, I am naming my April series AND writing a bit of a 'closing' to that same series...ummm....
14 days AFTER it ended.
But hey, it's not 15 days, right?
I am REVISITING a theme that I have used several times, the idea of butterflies interacting or incorporated somehow with my whimsical big eyed gals. Sometimes I would do this within the garment or details of the figure, almost like an adornment of fashion statement. In this case, there are small butterflies in each piece that the figure interacts with, even if only a little bit.
And these Bellas are RECYCLED, so that sets them apart from my previous butterfly ladies. For this series various parts of the work, sometimes the hair, or the clothing, the background or bits of everything, include actual 'trash'. I used mostly newspaper and magazine scraps, the foil tops of Mackie and Milky's food (those are our cats), plastic drink rings, and also pieces of 'junk mail' that I had on hand.
Here is a peek at my first 'Butterfly Bellas' series (below)... and to read more about not only THIS series but also other butterfly pieces I have created over the years (well, up to 2016!) visit this link, https://www.jenniferlovegironda.com/blog/new-series-for-july.
And here is the latest version of my
'Butterfly Bellas' with the recycled twist;
A few things were consistent throughout the series, the wide-eyed female, with exaggerated eyelashes, small nose and mouth, and a thin neck. The faces were done with my mechanical pencil, then a touch of watercolor in the eye and on the lips. Lashes were sometimes done in black pen/marker or paint, or both. I used watercolor to add color to the backgrounds for the majority of the series, starting with just literal splashes on a mostly white background, then adding more solid areas of color until yielding to collage. The use of recycled elements in each work was also part of the theme- but as the month went on I would use more and more recycled material, starting with just the hair and butterfly motif and ending with a mostly collaged/recycled group of works.
And that, my friends is my closing for my April 2019 series. But don't worry, you know I like drawing/painting pretty ladies and butterflies, so there will be more Bellas in the future...I just don't know when.
But like most artists, it is a dream of mine to go to Paris. And seeing Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is on my list once I get there.
Only I almost wrote that in past tense...'cause the world almost lost this treasure. Seeing the reaction around the world to the fire in Paris of this sacred structure reminded me that at the end of the day- art and architecture matters. History matters. Beauty matters.
And we can all rally behind that...and that gives me hope.
One day I will go to Paris and light a candle in that cathedral- the prayer will be that we will always protect art and history, and that it will keep us connected to our humanity.
![Picture](/uploads/7/1/8/4/7184838/april-15-16-2019_orig.jpg)
If you got the reference right away-
you are obviously 'my people.
If you didn't it's okay...but you really GOTta start watching Game of Thrones, cause it's the best!
Okay, so long story short...I kinda...well, I kinda don't know what I am calling my current series.
And yes, I'm in day 16 and just now getting around to do a series intro. But as I mentioned in my last post, this kind of thing is a huge source of stress for me and my OCPD ways- so even if it's 16 days late, I need to have a proper intro...even if I have no idea what the series is called.
So far this year I created watercolor fashion illustrations, Frida-inspired paintings and played with gold leaf (and acrylic and spray paint!) for a month. I wanted to get back to some just plain ol' pencil drawing BUT I also wanted to use some recycled materials since Earth Day is later this month...and I often work with recycled materials in jewelry, and of course with my fashion club/3D AP students.
![Picture](/uploads/7/1/8/4/7184838/editor/img-5695.jpg?1555437474)
I actually started off playing around with two different ideas-then abandoned them.
Then...I kinda figured it out. Here are two inspirations behind my new series;
I just knew I really wanted to work with recycled materials...and I kinda went from there. I decided to style the current series after my 'Butterfly Bellas' that I have done in the past, and then just have fun incorporating the recycled materials- mostly in the hair right now. I am also adding a small reoccuring butterfly motif in each piece just to keep it cohesive.
Here are the first 14 images...still no name for the series...
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