Pulling out the inner Biddy...

Dark Creep (currently in process)
watercolor and acrylic on paper
22" x 30"

Gender as a presentation issue...

Self-portrait
watercolor
11" x 15"

Paper dolls for example (of visual social justice)

Some of my feminist paper dolls will be part of the inaugural exhibition at University of New England's School of Social Work Art and Social Justice Certificate Program. This is kinda cool.  This is a link to the page highlighting the artists in the showcase.  As of this writing all my contact info is wrong and missing.  Sigh.

March 2, 2012
Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre

I was also censored in the show, which is interesting considering the scope of the program.  The piece that was rejected was my Feminist Paper Doll from March 2, 2012, Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre.  I am not sure if they took offense to the word "government" or "fuck" but the piece referenced a protest against an invasive ultrasound bill that was being pushed through the Oklahoma legislature.  This bill had it passed would have forced women seeking abortions (any terminations including VERY early ones) to have an ultrasound and in most cases that would result in a vaginal ultrasound.  Frankly, the thing being protested was more gruesome
than any word in the English language.   And I am baffled by the schools censor.  again...Sigh.

Confusion between the planes

There are wolves running through the living room, chasing after a wildebeest.  Except it is not a just a wildebeest.  No.  It is a person who has changed into a wildebeest, like a werewolf but a were-wildebeest.

The wolves howl and snap and yip and jump over the couches and divans and ottoman poufs.  The living room is long and folds out beyond normal space.  The wolves cannot catch the creature.

They jump onto the tea service in the anteroom to the cavernous great room.  They shatter the Limoges, breaking it to bits.  Elderly women in the room frown, cluck but do nothing to help, really.  I am left helping the wolves chase the were-wildebeest out of the hotel while now cleaning up the broken china.  It was that one old broad with the smeary lipstick and the ugly hat who let the damn thing in in the first place.

While chasing the creature with the hairy pack of wolves, in real time my husband comes to bed.  Snuggle up to me he whispers.  I am running and sweeping when he asks me this and am confused by the added request.  As the pack is full speed chasing the thing, they all curl up suddenly on large king-sized beds that appear in the great room.  Clair de Lune is playing somewhere lulling them off to, I suppose another dream-time.  And this were-wildebeest is now wanting to snuggle with me.

Well, there is just too big a mess to clean up here and I don't think it is very wise to snuggle up to cursed and cloven footed animals.  There is a rule about that somewhere right.

Fine.  I'll snuggle with you.  But first let me get that old bat some more tea.  I've ground up the broken china to look like sugar.

Catbirds disguised as Blue Birds

Untitled (In the Catbird's Seat)
watercolor on paper
22" x 30"

Slow Bus to Florida

I have three wives and five children.  They all hate me and have an uneasy truce between each other.  The wives look very similar to each other and I suspect that they are sisters.  I realize one day that I am a man and that I also happen to be a royal asshole.  A super douche bag.  Except I never realized this until just now.

My wives and children are leaving me.  For how long I don't know.  They are all taking a bus to Florida and have told me to straighten up my act.  Maybe they will come back.  Maybe.

I go to hug my second wife and am crying.  I love you I tell her.  I say I am sorry for all the grief.  She punches me in the balls and tells me sorry doesn't pay the fucking rent.  She pulls away from me and mutters about was a sorry piece of shit I am.  I love this woman.  I love all three of my wives- desperately.  I love them and I am an asshole.  These are the things that descend on me- the epiphanies as they are leaving.

My oldest son is solid.  He keeps his room padlocked whenever he leaves it.  Even if he is just walking into another room, he locks it behind him.  He cooks meth in there and has a large cache of guns.  I am afraid of him.  I have raised him to be this. This is all my doing.  As my son gets on the bus with his mothers and siblings, he glowers at me.  Touch my room and I kill you he says.  This I know is not an idle threat.  He will kill me one day.

They leave.  The bus pulls away and I am alone.

When I wake, I am myself again: a 41 year old woman living in Maine.  My hair is braided back and each strand hurts.  I want to shave it off.  But I won't.  The hair are antenna that pull in these other lives in other places not here.

Dreaming/Thinking
watercolor on paper
22" x 30"

Luddite Selfie

Upturned Self
watercolor and ink on paper
15" x 22"

Progression of a Single Piece (Thus Far...)

Quivering of Leaves
Underpainting and base drawing

Quivering of Leaves
more underpainting and addition of watercolor

Quivering of Leaves
pushing the image

Quivering of Leaves
base coat of watercolor and beginning the addition of top drawing

Quivering of Leaves
further drawing and more layers of watercolor

Off the wall

 I paint right on the wall of my studio.  I staple the paper to the wall and paint with watercolors and other aqueous media at a 90` to the floor.  Yes, gravity pulls the water down.

This leaves me with rather colorful walls.  In this current studio in the house that I have lived in since 2007, the wall has long stripes of colors pulling themselves down as far as possible to the floor.  Some make it. Some don't.  Some stop midway somewhere on the wall, caught up in the thoughts of previous paintings or else running out of water to pull down.

 Graffiti from conversations litter the walls as well.  My daughter several years ago wandered in my studio and asked my something that I had to tell her no to.  Then we drew hearts on the walls.

 I have to go through every once in a while and pull staples and nails and bits of glued on paper off the walls.  Some locations on the wall are less dense with paint in some ways.

 Some of the paint over the sheet rock is coming up.  I'll have to paint over the whole wall soon. Start fresh.  I will miss those plumb lines of paint.  They offer squared off places for the next paintings.

Works in Person (October 2013 Shows)

Pink Deer
mixed media on paper

 If you are in Maine this month, you will have a couple of chances to see my work in person.  I have a showing of works up at the Little Dog Coffee House in Brunswick Maine.  This show, called "Creatures" features about 12 paintings of mixed media paintings.  All the paintings, of course have various creatures as the subjects.  The Little Dog Coffee House is located at 87 Maine Street in Brunswick and is open between 6 am and 6 pm.

Things that Bind Us are Immaterial
mixed media on paper

 While you are in Brunswick, you should cross the street, Maine Street that is and see is The Frank Brockman Gallery and Belt Shop is open.  I have several pieces up in Frank's space including my Cat Collective Uprising series and the painting "Things that Bind Us are Immaterial."

Frank Brockman Gallery is located at 68 Maine Street on the 2nd and 3rd Floors.  His hours are catch as catch can but usually he is around on Fridays.  Also, he is one of the sweetest people around.  So there.

Ghost Cloud
mixed media interactive diorama

And finally, go down to Portland to the Meg Perry Center while it is still in its current location 644 Congress Street.  The show "The Secret City of the Absent Sane" is not to be missed.  This show is FILLED with amazing art.  I have three puppet based pieces there.

The Meg Perry Center is an amazing place.  The show up now was curated by Abbeth Russell and William Hessian of the Hidden Ladder Collective.  This group of artists is an vibrant crew who play off one another in true collaborative fashion.  The works shown together create a synergy that is somewhat surreal and dreamlike while playful, crass AND innocent.  I love these people!

I hope you stop by and see some of my work in person if you are able.  I'd love to know what you think. Drop me a line!

The Love Windows...

"You be the king who digs me and I will forever be  your queen of hearts."
working prototype/ sketch of interactive puppet windows

This little prototype is fragile and still in process but it will be going down to the Meg Perry Center for the Secret City of the Absent Sane show, opening this First Friday. It is VERY crude and I want feedback and information on what works and doesn't work about it. 

I am wondering how easily it will break (or not)? What is about it that draws or repels the viewer? What more (or less) does it need?  Does the story need to be interactive?  Is it interactive enough?

If you wander into the show (and I hope you will) I'd love to know what you think. If you are not at the show and are looking at it online, I'd still like to know what works or doesn't about this little foray into puppetry.

Thanks!

Creepy little sideways boneman...