August 31, 2008

Besides getting ready for the show at the Fein Art Gallery in Pittsburgh, I have two pieces (framed and ready to go) for the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art Biennial, and a small solo show at a local coffee shop, Websters on Aaron in State College during the month of December. The space at Websters is fairly small and I'm planning on making at least a couple of paintings site specific (one of the line at the coffee counter and something reflective of life in State College, PA). I also would like to show some of my photographs, most of which are nature photographs taken either at the local state game lands or in one of my backyard's gardens. My plan is to have 10-15 photos double matted at the frame show and then find simple pre-made frames that will suit the photographs. Because the space is small I also would like to paint a few "tiny" photographs. The photo at top is the size and simplicity of the statement the paintings that I see myself doing for this show. Today I had some editing experience as I selected music for the background of "The Making of the Wall" DVD that I am showing at the Fein Art Gallery. There were about 100 options in the library music I was looking through. At first it seemed slightly overwhelming and then I began to get a feel for what was needed and I choose pieces that felt right to the scenes the music will serve.

August 30, 2008

Final few crunch days before pieces have to be delivered for show at Fein Art Gallery in Pittsburgh. I dug out an antique ipod to load on the sound track for the Menstruation Theater, purchased a portable dvd player to present "The making of the "Wall". I went back and forth with whether or not to show this dvd as there will be no monetary transaction for either me or the gallery as the actual piece is unable to be shown. Finally decided it could offer a painting break should someone need to divert their attention a bit.

Tomorrow I need to chose some music from a music library to play softly underneath the original soundtrack which is talking and tool noises. Also an audio transfer from cassette to cd will be made. My final chore of today is to recheck my list of things to bring to painting drop off including: artwork, staple gun, dvd player, ipod, headphones, tape, epoxy and directions.

August 29, 2008

A brief trip to the local frame shop and $750 later, I have all the paintings I'm bring to Pittsburgh for a show framed and ready to go. There's just a few small tasks left for this weekend-get the audio for the Menstruation Theater onto an ipod, attached the ipod in a discrete location on the theatre (under or behind), transfer VHS to DVD (the actual footage of "The Wall" being removed from the back of my house and purchase a portable DVD player to play it on.

There are many hidden and not so hidden costs in doing a show like this. Gallery fees upfront have to be paid, framing, two-u haul rentals, purchase of DVD player, hotel cost for opening night, gas to get to Pittsburgh (three times-drop off, opening, pick-up) and the obligatory lunch on delivery day. Even so a two person show in a city gives me more visibility than I get in the group shows that I usually do.

Peace Always
Sharon

August 28, 2008

Another busy day yet still managed to get a few hours for painting. Today I started the bottom row. One circle is a head shot of my daughter on moving day and the second a Bart Simpson type character that is saying "You eat no meat!"I wanted to memorialize my daughter on moving day.The most memorable moment of the day was when she first showed up at her new apartment in a totally put together outfit that would translate well to a cinema version of moving (not necessarily the real thing).

My daughter has a fabulous sense of style and always has. Before she was in kindergarten, when we went clothes shopping I would take something to read and plant myself nearby while she sorted through clothes. The sales people were always confused by us but we always left with an outfit or two that was well coordinated (my daughter) and possible to wash (my say).

Peace Always

Sharon

August 27, 2008

Sophie with a butterfly on head
photo by Sharon Lee


Still quite busy getting ready for the show at the Fein Art Gallery next week, my daughter's new apartment needs, restocking my supply of yoga props and trying to retain a semblance of non dust order in my house while all this happening. Dragged out the Menstruation Theatre from its cedar closet and I was grateful to find that I had carefully covered it and all was in great shape. One bottom board needed to be re-glued, new batteries are necessary for the mini lights, a bit of dusting and she is good to go.

During an evening walk in the woods with my dog Sophie I decided I would put a dab of perfume on the puppet so every time you walk past you would slightly notice it. Consulting over the phone with my daughter, I decided on one of her Dolce and Gabana fragrances-light and not cloying.Tomorrow I have two art related errands: hair dyeing (roots) and pick up five pieces that are finished being framed. I love to see the final pieces always a surprise and usually a good one.Still undecided about whether to rent a cargo van or take the 10 foot U-Haul I have already reserved. Maybe the answer will come to me in a dream.

Peace Always

Sharon

August 26, 2008

pencil sketch of Menstruation Theatre puppet

Menstruation Theater (Installation)
2002
30” x 18” x 54”



As a show opening's date edges closer my days have become many hours of hectic. Mixed with moving my daughter into her first apartment, moving my friends son's, a trip to Pittsburgh to pick up camera equipment, making and shipping yoga props for my yoga prop business, a broken car (my daughter's), interviewing for a Continuing Ed. position (instructing a class on "How to Live in Central PA as a Vegan") I have to coordinate van rental, purchase a portable DVD player, have video transferred to dvd, cassette to cd, dust off the Menstruation Theatre, get some ipod cables, pick up framed pieces, hotel reservations, hair dyeing, and decide upon an appropriate opening reception outfit.

The routinist in me wants to hold on to my daily schedule: painting, hiking, gardening and yoga but as each day passes I know I have to let some things go. Tonight my intention was to paint, walk in the woods and a session of relaxation yoga. I had time for only one and chose yoga.

In the past I have ignored the busy times keeping my scheduled activities and cramming in any other necessities any way possible. I usually end up sick afterwards. Age has taught me to accept that all things can not be done at all times.

August 25, 2008

Although some may argue with this statement, I believe I am a moderately organized person. I make lists, write appointments, events, etc on my house calendar, keep all my art slides safely in a binder, save receipts and on a irregular basis clean up my computer's desktop. However I found a major hole that I had overlooked in organizing for art shows and it finally came to fruition that not being better organized would result in a bite in the ass.

Whenever I find a show I wish to enter I mark the date (about 10 days before the deadline) of the show submission on my calendar. I then put the application, whether from a mailed announcement or one I've printed from the computer in a "special" spot on my dresser so when the time comes I can easily find the necessary paper work. A few days after a painting is finished I send it to be photographed with a local photography studio. Slides are kept in plastic slide sheets in a binder. Business and manilla envelopes (all recycled materials) are kept with paper clips with several fine point black sharpies that are just used to label slides.

The one important thing missing is that no where in my records do I list which pieces are being submitted to which show. I have, once before submitted the same piece to two shows both being held simultaneously and had to called, apologize and chose which show the twice juried piece was to go into. This weekend I hit a major snafu with one piece entered in in two simultaneous shows and another piece in three.

It is uncomfortable and embarrassing to have to call gallery and museum staff and admit my organizational error and make a decision where to show the piece. You can bet that before I enter another show I will have made sure that I will have set up a reasonable system for avoiding such a problem

August 24, 2008

My daughter moved into her first apartment yesterday. As she was getting ready in the morning we had several cell phone conversations including one about clothes. Now if you know me I am not the one who would tell anyone how to dress especially not my daughter who can tell you which designer's cut of clothes is best suited for her body type. I wear only comfortable clothes usual of the work-paint-garden variety and I assumed that in this scenario (moving) I could actually offer some clothes advice. I talked her out of wearing flip flops because of concern I had over stubbed toes which would deeply affect her recent pedicure. Finally she showed up at my house from her dad's and she looks like she is about to play doubles at a very upscale country club. Beautifully tanned legs, small white shorts, silver sneakers, white tank top and a summer weight light grey almost white Juicy zippered hoodie.

So in honor of my daughter who has a wicked sense of style for all occasions I started a new circle on the painting I am working on. No title yet, just the laying in of lines.

August 23, 2008

Today, my daughter at Penn State moved into her own apartment. Taking the advice of my chiropractor I hired 4 young men who with my friend, my daughter and I moved her massive mountain of clothes from one place to another with a fair amount of ease. She now lives 12 minutes away now and I get to avoid the angst of other parents packing their children away to school.

After I got home and did some yoga prop and art business I decided it would be relaxing to paint a bit even though it was late and I most likely would not get a chance to hike in the woods, do yoga, wash the pile of dishes in the sink or clean the downstairs floors which are in a sorry state.

I added two more circles to my painting. One is "Fall From Grace" and the other is yet to be named. "Fall From Grace" along "Before the Fall" are a vegan statement using the story of Adam and Eve and their diet before and after their hankering for apples caused a ruckus. Blame it on Eve she was the one collecting their food.

August 22, 2008

Moving my daughter into her first apartment. Hope to post something tomorrow.

August 20, 2008

Photo by Sharon Lee
August 2008

A small window of opportunity presented itself today in the hottest part of the day so I took advantage and painted a bit. I worked a touch on circle one and two.

I changed the third disk to be "Lou Gramm goes head to head with the
Unpleasant Frog" (Still a working Title for that section).

The first circle on the left of the middle row is to be "After the Fall" which I skipped over for now to the middle circle which is a portrait of a woman masturbating.

August 18, 2008

Okay so today I have nothing artistic or thought worthy to share. I feel like I'm five hours behind and not sure what I've done or not done today could it be just random chores?. I did manage to paint a bit after dark. Don't love painting with artificial light but it is sometimes necessary. Not sure what is happening to current circle-story. Original it was the troll and the three billy goats but it appears to be an old drag queen and a crazy green monster. Have no idea where this will go. As I did when I painted "The Big Gulp" not so long ago I have no intention for this painting. Just sit down with some brushes, paints and music and see what comes up. Nothing seem to be cohesive yet hopefully a thread will be found.

Peace Always

Sharon

August 18, 2008

Sitting at my long cherry kitchen table today, as usual was my neighbor friend, Ben, me and our two dogs (Sophie and Bela). We have a sort of morning tea cloche almost daily where we talk about the previous night's occurrences and hopes for the upcoming day. Today Ben was noticing all the paintings of mine that have been shuffled into the living room/common area in preparation of an upcoming show. (Pein Art Gallery, Pittsburgh) Since he is part of my daily life he knows all the inside stories of many of the paintings, his dad, a common character. He thought he would like to come to my opening and tell people the back stories of the paintings he was familiar with. As kind as it is I declined the offer and explained that I was planning a separate viewing of this show for friends and family after the first public one.

I have attended a fair amount of openings with and with out family and friends. No mater how well briefed the kids are they get hungry and bored, the male adults are anxious to go and grab a bite to eat and the adult female wants to get back to lounging at the hotel and ordering room service. So this opening it will be all business for me with a glass of wine and yummy vegan dinner afterwards alone.

August 17, 2008

Although the weather today was an absolutely fabulous summer day with blue skies and fluffy white clouds, warm sun and now cool mountain night air I did manage to pull myself from outside and paint a bit. The new painting that I have started is comprised of 9 circles, all of which may or may not exist when I finish this piece. I have worked a bit on the first two circles and rough gesture painted the third.

The first circle is "Fall from Grace" which depicts Eve collecting apples from the "garden". The Second circle is the tale of Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Portrayed is Santa lying in bed, full Santa get-up with a remote control in one hand and a beverage in the other. The third circle is of a troll and three billy goats clip clapping over a bridge, inspired by watching an "after his prime" musician perform with difficulty a concert.

August 16, 2008

I have been listening to Todd Rundgren faithfully since 1977. Last night was the first time/opportunity I have had to photograph Todd while playing on stage. Until recently cameras were strictly forbidden at concert venues but since the advent of cell phones that can take photos and cameras the size of a key case the banning of photography equipment is impossible to enforce.

Todd Rundgren along with several people he frequently tours with (Jesse Gress (guitar), Prairie Prince (drums) and John Ferenzik (keyboard), with Bo Brice (American Idol), Lou Graham (Foreigner) Denny Lane (Wings and Moody Blues), Christopher Cross, a small string and horn group and a remarkable bass player and keyboardist (Sorry don't remember their names) played the album Sg. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in it's entirety.

We arrived at the venue a minute before the band came on stage and I noticed that there was a small group of people standing at the security gate a few feet from the stage. No one seemed to be getting chased away and I had my digital camera in my purse. I seized the opportunity and took a hundred of so photos.

Above are just a few.

August 14, 2008

Jesus And His Band Of Pseudo Hippy Trash Go To Ma Mary's For Lunch
2000
acrylic on linen
24" x 16"

In the year 2000 I painted "Jesus And His Band Of Pseudo Hippy Trash Go To Ma Mary's For Lunch". The idea behind this piece was that ultimate women get stuck with food preparation for meals and if Jesus was wandering the desert with his band of friends eventually they would stop off at Ma Mary's to get bite to eat.

I updated Jesus' friends to look more like contemporary hippie types plus my daughter, Meagan, a contemporary hooker and myself. My daughter is in the long sleeve blue dress which was a blue dress that I made her so she could dress like Anne of Green Gables (there was a scene in one of the Anne books where Matthew bought Anne a long sleeve puffy shoulder dress that she wanted).

The woman hanging down in Carhardts carrying two heavy buckets is me weighted down by responsibility. Next to me is my deceased dog Jackson, and in the far distance is Meagan's dad with his computer.

The top left of the painting is the table being set by Mary and the bottom left has Joseph cashed out enjoying an afternoon nap.

August 13, 2008

Big Gulp
2008
acrylic on organic cotton and hemp
38" x 38"

A few glasses of beer last night with my friends, a late start to my day today as a result, lost glasses, mislaid backpack...

So with the exception of delivering a painting I just sold and making some yoga props today was pretty much a bust. No art created. No visions inspired.

A few days ago I did start a new painting which I will I plan to periodically post. The working title of this painting is "Collection of Stories" but that title is subject to change. It will be a series of different seemingly unrelated stories with hopefully a connecting thread.

The first story I'm working on is "Fall From Grace" which depicts Eve walking around collecting food to eat. The canvas is 38" x 38" organic cotton canvas. A 38" canvas is large enough that I can both sit and stand while painting.

August 11, 2008

Today was my daughter's 19th birthday. This year's presents included Penn State clothing, red toaster, red blender, weekend trip to Pittsburgh and a day at a local spa. We had some nice together time which I enjoyed as I haven't seen her but coming and going all summer. In two weeks she's moving into her first apartment (12 minutes away).

Last year I painted H.B. Birthday to commemorate her 18th birthday. It is made of three small canvasses framed together, each canvas telling the story of a stage in her life: nursing-baby years, Meagan dancing in her ballerina tutu and my version of me and her shopping at Urban Outfitters.

Meagan has been a subject in many of my paintings and it's like looking at a photo album for me to see the stages of her life represented on canvas.

August 10, 2008

One of my long time favorite writers is Jack Kerouac. Jack Kerouac was a prolific writer who passed on sooner than anyone would have wanted. Both Kerouac and I share a story telling style where we use(d) the same real "characters" over and over again to represent certain moods, traits or feelings that these people are chosen to represent.

I have three characters in particular that I use: a blue eyed tall male, dark haired curvy woman and curly red haired woman. The dark hair woman is usually me or the protagonist. Occasionally the character representing me or the protagonist will show up in a disguise such as Smokey the Bear in the painting "Fear Based Choices". The other female and blue eyed male are real friends of mine that I use their physical attributes to represent "fear, desire, confusion or compassionate, etc.- whatever the mood or feeling is that I want to convey.

To insert these people literately into the story would be wrong they are simple other views of myself. In the painting "The Mermaid and the Kitchen wench. The Mermaid (red haired woman) represents desire which the protagonist (dark haired woman in the galley viewed through a window) represents longing and looking for other possibilities. The three men on the top are oblivious to what is going on with the women involved as they are in their own scenarios.

August 8, 2008

On Monday my one and only child will celebrate her 19th birthday. Those of you who have kids will know what I mean when I say that my daughter has grown in a heartbeat. Meagan is a gifted dancer, has great style and a flair for the dramatic.

This weekend my daughter, her friend Carrie and I will be going to Pittsburgh to accomplish three goals: Have Ethiopian food, shop at a great consignment shop in Squirrel Hill and pick up her Gluten-free birthday cake from Gluuteny (a gluten and dairy free bakery in Pittsburgh).

On the actual day of her birth my daughter and I follow the tradition of "birthday spa day" which we do twice a year on her birthday and mine. She will be having a manicure, pedicure, facial and I most likely some waxing. I on the other hand am looking forward to a long massage. We began this tradition of "birthday spa days" several years ago when no one was around for her birthday. Summer birthdays are difficult in that people tend to travel in the summer and tend to be away in August.

August 7, 2008

Not Quite Dead
2008
6" x 12" x 10"
Acrylic on metal file box with fimo, moss, string, metal bell, foam core,wood box, silk

I am nursing a pinched sciatica today which was caused by stressing my left hip to such an extent that it went out causing a pinched nerve as a result. After a trip to the chiropractor I optimistically though I would be "fixed" and today I could resume my rigorous schedule of gardening, hiking and berry picking but my 50 year old body tells me otherwise.

So faced with another day of sitting still, which I do not do very well, it occurred to me that I could start a new painting. Several hours later I am still figuring it out. I have the sense of what I want to do subject wise and will wait patiently for a "cartoon" of the painting to appear in my head.

While waiting I figured out that kneeling does not bother your sciatica and I managed to weed the garden a good bit. Today the only preparation for the upcoming show will be to paint the "Not Quite Dead" pedestal with a fresh coat of white. I made the pedestal for this piece so I could have a small pocket for handouts concerning this piece and my inspiration for creation. Since "Not Quite Dead" uses the "N" word I didn't want to give the impression that the piece was a hate piece. It is about hate words and how they still exists and will do so until we all accept each other as we are without unwarranted malice, hate or fear.

August 6, 2008

Part of today was spent pricing art work for the two person show coming up. The Gallery I will be working with gets 50% of the total price. I decided on a price for one of the larger paintings which is sized at 38" x 38". Next I multiplied 38" x 38" to get the square footage of the painting which is 1444". Assuming that a painting of this size could sell in the Pittburgh art market for about $3000 I then divided 1444 into 3000 which is 2.07 or $2.07 a square inch. I then had this formula to go by for pricing the rest of the art work.

August 5th

Roots
2006
acrylic on canvas
18" x 24"

Today I've decided on the art work to be taken to Pittsburgh for a two person show coming up:

1. A Silver Titter Stole My Baby
2. Jackson’s Trip To Heaven
3. Summer ‘07
4. Meanwhile Back in the Congo
5. Menstruation Theater (Installation)
6. The Wall (Installation)
7. Distractions
8. Big Gulp aka Soft Machine
9. Fear Based Choices
10. Hermit of Halfmoon Hollow
11. Roots
12. Secrets
13. H. B. Meagan
14. I Had a Dream
15. Steph & Sharon
16. Family Album (sculpture)
17. My Struggle w/Morality
18. Two Women By Pond
19. Untitled
20. I Don’t Beleive (sic)
21 .Not Quite Dead (Sculpture)
22 Red Riding Hood
23. photograph frame

August 4, 2008

Steph and Sharon
2001
acrylic on plexiglass
48" x 30"

Several hours were spent today running errands for the upcoming show. I needed to drop a slide for printing at the photography house. The print will be an 8" x 10" image of a painting "Things Are Better With Soup" which I painted a few years ago, had photographed and then decided I did not like, turned the painting 180 degrees and painted "Summer '07". I left as many remnants of the earlier painting as possible. For this show I thought I would include this photo, framed to match the painting it goes with.

Also a trip to Old Main Frame Shop was needed to frame one more piece that I uncovered this weekend. It is amazing how different a painting looks with each frame you try. I was down to five frames ultimately choosing a frame that compliments most of the other pieces of art as they would be shown together.

The last errand was to Home Depot to buy a piece of chain to make a hanger for Steph and Sharon which is acrylic on plexiglass. The chain is to be wrapped around two large bolts that I inserted through the plexiglass and tightened with nuts.

August 3, 2008

Hermit of Halfmoon Valley
2006
acrylic on canvas
18" x 24"

When you think of art you rarely thinking about dusting yet that was exactly what needed to be done in order that I get my artwork ready for a two person show I've been invited to do at the Fein Art Gallery in Pittsburgh beginning immediately following Labor Day weekend. I've committed to bring twenty - twenty-five pieces of art. Simultaneously I have three pieces in another art show which runs at a concurrent time.

Hours bled into hours as I pulled paintings from a variety of storage spots and wiped off the dust on those pieces that were not wrapped in brown paper or packed in shipping crates. At the first pass through I counted twenty pieces, then reassessed the unchosen pieces to see if any of the remainder would qualify. The last two additions were "Not Quite Dead" a piece about racism, sexism and bigotry and a small painting I created in 2001 called "Red Riding Hood".

August 2, 2008

The Housewife
1998
acrylic on metal toy
5" x 3" x 2"

I have mentioned in prior post that my art training was in graphic design not painting. Several of my artistic neighbors wanted to start an art critique group and encouraged me to start painting so I could participate. One of my earliest sculptures was "The Housewife" which was acrylic paint on a metal toy and fimo. It was the first time I used my art to express a thought albeit a simplistic one (the classic whore vs mother images of a housewife).

August 1, 2008

H.B. Meagan
2006
acrylic on canvas
36" x 16 "

Today I spent mush of the afternoon riveted to a book by Kien Nguyen called "The Unwanted". It is a memoir of a man who grew up during the Communist takeover of Vietnam. As I was reading this book I realized that I tend to choose non fiction literature more often than not. I do read other types of literature but true stories are what appeal to me most.

This desire for "real stuff" follows suit in my music, art and podcasts interests as well. In music I am drawn to the authenticity of Laura Nyro,Todd Rundgren and John Lennon, art it's Frida Kahlo and my favorite podcast is Keith and the Girl. There's a similarity in presenting these artists' truths-not always the easiest to ingest but compelling nonetheless.

When I create I try to emulate those who put themselves out there by expressing themselves truthfully whether easy on the ears, beautiful to the eye or inspiring to the head.