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I had an absolutely marvelous experience last week. I have a show of my girlhood and womanhood prints up at Memphis Theological Seminary, and I was invited to give a lunchtime convocation and conversation on women, their bodies, and gender roles in the church. It was powerful to me to grow up in a church with a woman in the pulpit, Louise Lawson Johnson, who has been a huge influence on both my faith and my art career. She not only modeled a woman with full agency leading worship (essential for me at any church I might attend), but she enlisted me to illustrate a national Bible study of Revelation for the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., my first major illustration job.
My womanhood series celebrates women with full agency in several venues, clerical, sexual, and, more traditionally but important to many women, parental.
My womanhood series celebrates women with full agency in several venues, clerical, sexual, and, more traditionally but important to many women, parental.
Matt Matthews, a teacher there and also a photographer whose work I admire greatly, gave me a touching introduction and kicked things off talking about the images of girlhood that Barbie locks us into and suggested that my girlhood prints in the same series offered alternative roles for girls, emphasizing imagination and delight and confidence.
I ended the slide show with a temporary mural I had done for Idlewild Presbyterian when I was artist-in-residence there. One of our huge doors went out for repair, and I painted on the plywood replacement that graced the hall for a few months. I painted a vision of God as a nursing mother, based on Isaiah 66. God speaking to Jerusalem says, "Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like an overflowing stream; you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip, and dandled upon her knees. As one whom a mother comforts, so I will comfort you."
I ended the slide show with a temporary mural I had done for Idlewild Presbyterian when I was artist-in-residence there. One of our huge doors went out for repair, and I painted on the plywood replacement that graced the hall for a few months. I painted a vision of God as a nursing mother, based on Isaiah 66. God speaking to Jerusalem says, "Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like an overflowing stream; you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip, and dandled upon her knees. As one whom a mother comforts, so I will comfort you."
The room was full of students who showed up for an arts conversation on their lunch hour. They had powerful comments, questions, and personal experiences to share. I was honored to be able to talk about a range of subjects with such engaged and interesting people.
They were especially excited about the image of God as a nurturing mother. One man told me it was liberating to him as a man, which was beautiful to hear from my female end of things. A number of people stayed after to talk more, two students had emailed me before I even made it home, and four theology students with student loans and tuition payments were moved enough by the art to buy a print. It was an amazing day, and I felt so honored to be a part of a conversation like that. I'm still thinking about it a week or more later. And I think I need to do a new print of Isaiah 66, seeing how much the text spoke to people. The plywood door was such a temporary piece of work. I'd really like to revisit that idea in my newer medium. I'm grateful for the room of people who came and shared those ideas with me and sent me home inspired and excited all over again about the work I'm lucky enough to do.
They were especially excited about the image of God as a nurturing mother. One man told me it was liberating to him as a man, which was beautiful to hear from my female end of things. A number of people stayed after to talk more, two students had emailed me before I even made it home, and four theology students with student loans and tuition payments were moved enough by the art to buy a print. It was an amazing day, and I felt so honored to be a part of a conversation like that. I'm still thinking about it a week or more later. And I think I need to do a new print of Isaiah 66, seeing how much the text spoke to people. The plywood door was such a temporary piece of work. I'd really like to revisit that idea in my newer medium. I'm grateful for the room of people who came and shared those ideas with me and sent me home inspired and excited all over again about the work I'm lucky enough to do.
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I have been quiet here this week because of a pretty loud and chaotic week in my real life. In the best possible way. It was Memphis's annual contra dance weekend (a lively form of American folk dancing), and I put up eight house guests and hosted the late night swing party in addition to dancing all weekend
I saw tons of friends, celebrated my birthday by dancing with some of my favorite partners, and I got I to do lots of this:
Thanks to Kevin Riggs for the happy photo to remember the weekend by, and to Dennis Wise for some great dances.
I've been getting back to work this week, sketching outside some to enjoy the weather and giving a presentation at Memphis Theological Seminary in conjunction with my show there. (More on that later.)
I'm also doing a lot of carving. My latest print is a diptych for my show at Dixon Gallery and Gardens this fall. I want to do something special for a museum show, and I'd also like to vary the size of my prints for it. I've never tried a two part print, but it's fun to stretch myself. A diptych also doubles the size I can work in, since I'm already using about the maximum bed size of my modest sized press.
Here's the first proof of both halves.
This print is based on one of my favorite pairings. I enjoy revisiting favorite images in a new medium to see how the look changes over time and with different materials.
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It's finally warm enough to sketch outside again. Cloudy, but warmish. I ran down to Elmwood Cemetery today to drop off some prints for their gift shop, and I also sketched this gorgeous magnolia while I was there.
I've been having fun with the fountain and brush pens. I got a new bold tip Lamy fountain pen, and I tested it out last night. I was mostly carving a new print block, but I took a couple of breaks and sketched Mr. Darcy while he lay beside my chair.
I've been having fun with the fountain and brush pens. I got a new bold tip Lamy fountain pen, and I tested it out last night. I was mostly carving a new print block, but I took a couple of breaks and sketched Mr. Darcy while he lay beside my chair.
Mr. Darcy also accompanied me to the farm today. The daffodils are blooming on a hilltop out there. Every year I try to sketch the beauty, and every year I fall short, but here is this year's effort.
It feels good to be out in the world sketching again. I hope spring has really come.
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Here's a new block I've almost got done this week. It's a scene from Country Workshops, a grove of trees I've painted several times over the years. I intend this print for my fall show at Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
This is the first color proof, but it's close to what I want. I'll do a little clean up carving, and I think I'll hand paint a blue sky, just to see what that would look like. I'm really trying to keep a lot of these prints to just two blocks, though. It's a huge addition of labor each time you have to mix ink, hand roll each one, line it up, and print it on the proof press. Two times is way better than three, but the blue sky in the original sketch is pretty integral, so I'm going to try it.
Here's the underneath block. I roll the green and yellow at the same time, using one block there instead of separate printings.
Here are the two blocks together along with the original sketch.
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Memphis is on the ice line, so if there's winter weather, it's usually sleet, freezing rain, or the occasional truly debilitating ice storm. Today we got 4-5" of lovely, actual snow. I'm totally ready for spring, but this is the best option if there has to be frozen stuff on the ground. It's in the 20's, but I took my tiny watercolor set and waterproof inflatable cushion and did two very quick sketches on my dog walk today. It was too rare an opportunity to completely pass up.
In other news, I'm working on a new print today while listening to the very first game of spring training, and I could not be more delighted that the boys of summer are getting started back. Hopefully the weather will soon follow.
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It's been a darn cold couple of weeks here in Memphis. We had a week of ice. Not snow, just a sheet of ice. I've been managing to walk the dog, but mostly I've been hibernating and waiting for better weather. So here are a few sketches from earlier I forgot to post. Hopefully I'll get going again soon. Nice that I'm at least having a non-busy period to go with my winter sluggishness....
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I did a Valentine watercolor commission for the current owners of Mayor Crump's house here in Memphis. For music lovers, this was the Mr. Crump of W.C. Handy's song "Mr. Crump down allow..." You can see the historical marker over to the right. I love our music history here in town, and Andy Cohen had sung the song just the night before at my regular old time jam. (Which becomes slightly less old time when Andy's home from touring and rares back with occasional blues songs.)
I had such fun thinking about those connections that I walked over and painted Boss Crump's statue in Overton Park the next day. I was trying a new marker, and it got a bit muddy, but for the curious, here he is.
I had such fun thinking about those connections that I walked over and painted Boss Crump's statue in Overton Park the next day. I was trying a new marker, and it got a bit muddy, but for the curious, here he is.
Here's a wider view of the statue from several years ago. This corner is a part of my regular walk.
The song was written during an election, and Handy had been asked to write a song for, instead of against, Mr. Crump. After the song came out, Boss asked him about it, and Handy told him he'd gotten a better offer from the opposition. Boss asked him how much he himself had offered Handy and then how much his opponent had, and when he heard the higher figure, he reportedly said, "You did right." And now it's his name that is immortalized in the song, so it worked out well for him in the end.
Here's the statue of W.C. Handy on Beale Street.
Here's the statue of W.C. Handy on Beale Street.
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I hung a show last Thursday, just before heading out dancing for the weekend with a nice feeling of accomplishment. It's at Memphis Theological Seminary, which very kindly invited me to exhibit some prints there. (Chaplain Tiffany McClung not only offered me this chance but also helped me hang the show, which was absolutely lovely hospitality for a solo artist. Four hands do so much better than two.)
I do art for churches to use in their bulletins as a part of my career, but I don't often show this work. It doesn't really fit with my landscapes and ends up being a bit of a left handed step-child sometimes. I was delighted to have a place to show two different series of prints that hadn't been exhibited before.
The first is my Girlhood/Womanhood series. These prints began as an illustration for a blessing written by Kendra Hotz for the baby girl of friends of hers.
I do art for churches to use in their bulletins as a part of my career, but I don't often show this work. It doesn't really fit with my landscapes and ends up being a bit of a left handed step-child sometimes. I was delighted to have a place to show two different series of prints that hadn't been exhibited before.
The first is my Girlhood/Womanhood series. These prints began as an illustration for a blessing written by Kendra Hotz for the baby girl of friends of hers.
I enjoyed doing the girls, and the series made me think about what it means to be a woman as well. I've done several prints about women, claiming sacred and sexual space, as well as the traditional role of motherhood, as spaces of power for women. I'd like to add to this series as I have time and continue to think about women in the world.
I ended up adding a few tiny monotypes I also had kicking around and orphaned. They're based on family snapshots, and they're 3x5 to 4x6. Putting them up makes me want to do more of these.
I ended up adding a few tiny monotypes I also had kicking around and orphaned. They're based on family snapshots, and they're 3x5 to 4x6. Putting them up makes me want to do more of these.
My second series of prints in this show (there are two different hallways, upstairs and down, so I was able to have two discrete sets of work) is my Easter psalm series from last year. I have done several different sets of Lenten works, and last year I decided to mark the joyful season and remind us to celebrate the fulness of joy as well as penitence and self denial. It was fun to see them all up on the wall together.
There will be an opening Tuesday evening, March 3rd, and the show hangs until April 8th.
There will be an opening Tuesday evening, March 3rd, and the show hangs until April 8th.
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The Memphis Urban Sketchers met at the Cleveland Street Flea Market on Saturday. It's a funny little indoor flea market, right in my neighborhood, that has its own community inside. There are not only booths with regulars manning (or, more often, womaning) them, but a cafe and a barber shop tucked in the back also. One of our urban sketchers works there part-time and made us very welcome, with drinks and snacks laid on. It's an almost overwhelming place visually. I did all three sketches from one chair, near a window, instead of wandering around too much and having too many options.
I was playing with minimal color choices that morning. I liked my sketch above with just the sky colored in. (Watercolor and a Stabilo grey fine liner.) My second one I tried to pick out mostly the blue and yellow in the hat display, but I wasn't happy with the watercolor splashes in that one.
I was playing with minimal color choices that morning. I liked my sketch above with just the sky colored in. (Watercolor and a Stabilo grey fine liner.) My second one I tried to pick out mostly the blue and yellow in the hat display, but I wasn't happy with the watercolor splashes in that one.
I switched over to Faber Castell markers, also with a Stabilo fine liner, for the last sketch. I've had better luck with them in the streamlined color sketches. Also I've been working a lot in watercolor lately, and I find I lose my touch with the markers if I don't use them regularly. This seemed like a good opportunity to play with them again.
Both this sketch and the scene itself reminded me of a brocante (French for antique/flea market) I sketched in my neighborhood in Paris, so I scanned it in for comparison. It was one of the sketches from that trip I was really happy with.
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Playhouse on the Square is currently producing The Rocky Horror Show with the absolutely freakin' amazing Jerre Dye as Frank-n-furter. If you are within a day's drive of Memphis, run, do not walk, to see this production.
I grew up with the movie version. My more adventurous sister was in the live local cast that acted it out underneath the screen every Friday at midnight when we were in high school, so I spent some time there with Tim Curry et al.
Much as I love Tim in that role, Jerre is jaw dropping. He manages to completely make a cult classic his own, which seems like it would be intimidating, and he beautifully shows the instability and mercurial changes of the character. He is funny and heartbreaking and totally rocks his corsets.
The cast as a whole is marvelous, and the choreography and physicality are much more complex than in the movie. I also loved the Greek chorus effect of the ever-present Transylvanians.
I grew up with the movie version. My more adventurous sister was in the live local cast that acted it out underneath the screen every Friday at midnight when we were in high school, so I spent some time there with Tim Curry et al.
Much as I love Tim in that role, Jerre is jaw dropping. He manages to completely make a cult classic his own, which seems like it would be intimidating, and he beautifully shows the instability and mercurial changes of the character. He is funny and heartbreaking and totally rocks his corsets.
The cast as a whole is marvelous, and the choreography and physicality are much more complex than in the movie. I also loved the Greek chorus effect of the ever-present Transylvanians.
The show begins before the curtain with the chorus as zombie ushers roaming around in the "abandoned theater" the show takes place in. They dance creakily in the aisles, interact with the audience, occasionally sit in laps.
At right is my only sketch from my first viewing of the show, when I went with friends. Last night I went back to sketch more seriously.
They did an absolutely beautiful job with the opening and closing song "Science Fiction Double Feature," which I came home still singing and dancing to in my kitchen, which greatly confused my dog.
Ok, I'm a total fan girl, but I just have to say it again. JERRE DYE.
I was drawing quickly with just the light from the stage, light sometimes brighter than at other times, so there are some smudges and whatnot that happened. And drawing people is never my strength at the best of times, but I had fun trying.
I was too pumped to go to bed immediately after I got home, and there was a gorgeous moon rising outside my window, so I did one more page before I went to bed.
