Mixing It Up

I like to have several works in progress at the same time. 

Some of the "Art Parts" on my desk

Some of the current W-I-P ("works in progress") that you can see in the photo above are the Clematis variations, both Dark and Light Cycles of the Nine-Part Herbal Fantasy, and a leftover border rose from Rose Dance. Oh, yes, and some tall lilies from the background of Coming Through! as well.

Coming Through! is an edition of 25.

Technically, Coming Through! has been debuted to the world and is "finished," but the edition is numbered at 25.  I still have a lot of cutting, sculpting and assembling to do (not to mention matting).

The Clematis variations actually have been causing me to do a lot of thinking.  I started out with a base drawing that I really liked, pulled it up into 3-D, and tested out both a Purple Clematis and a White Clematis variation.  Then, for grins, I cropped the design to a square, and played with that, too.

I like them all, but now I'm having trouble arranging them in a way that I think will work well.  Keep watching this blog and you'll undoubtedly see more developments with these.

This mashup of all the Clematis variations just didn't work for me.

I have discovered that it's very stimulating to work on several things at once.

Solving a problem in one project can open a way to solve problems in others. 

An idea generated while working on a current piece often provides an idea for a new piece.

My problem is mostly that I have too many ideas, and not enough time to explore them all.

All things considered, though, it's a pretty good problem to have.

PHOTOS: All photos and all artwork shown in this post is the work of Jan S. Gephardt. You may re-post the photos if you include an attribution and a link back to this post, and if you don't alter to the images.

Arti Gras is On

Pascal and I went to the Leawood Foundation's "Arti Gras" Gala tonight, a fundraiser to open their Annual Juried Art Show.  For the second year in a row, I am in the show!  This year's accepted entry is Rose Dance.

Jan with Rose Dance at Arti Gras (with painting by Summers).

As last year, the show featured a wide variety of work--different media, different subjects, different approaches.

The photo my husband Pascal took of me with Rose Dance and the artwork just above it, In the Garden of Glen, by R. Gregory Summers illustrates some of the show's range.

For a view of all the artwork in the show, go to the 2013 Arti Gras Gallery and scroll down.

The Arti Gras Show continues, with FREE admission, 11-4 on Saturday and Sunday.  If you're in town and have time, it's well worth the trip to see the art.

My favorites:
Norma Herring probably takes "first place" with me in this show.  I've been an admirer of her detailed mixed-media paintings since last year.  They are large but very intricate.  She had two in the show: my personal favorite, The Secret Byway, and Guest Juror James Martin's #1 "Best of Show" choice, Shades of Autumn.

It was a lively, crowded scene at the Arti Gras Gala Friday night 2/22/13.

I also loved Loreta Feeback's pastel, Dried Flowers Still Life; Jean Cook's oil painting, First Sign of Spring; Marla Craven's photograph, Zhouzhaung-A Watertown; Ric Cummings's photograph, Red Curtain; Dona Corben's photographs, A Walk in the Fog and Patterns in Nature; Karen Dreyer's oil, Heavy Load; Craig McCord's photograph, Klepzig Mill; and Patrick Schlotterback's oil, Taylor.  I also found the technique and imagery of Melinda Heaton's digital collage, Majestic Joshua Tree quite intriguing.  And I think I must acknowledge the quirky humor and unexpected compositions of Laura Carricker's oils, Shelf Life #1 and Shelf Life #4.

I believe I recall correctly that both Schlotterback and Heaton are art teachers in nearby school districts.  Knowing how much work a public school teacher must do each day, I am all the more impressed with their fine art accomplishments!

Here's another view of the crowd enjoying the hors d'oeuvres and art at the Arti Gras Gala, 2/22/13 in Leawood, KS.

 Pascal's Favorites:
 Pascal was drawn to Corben's work also, as well as Johne Richardson's acrylic, Blue Skies Overhead ("what an expressive face!"), which also received an Honorable Mention recognition from Guest Juror James Martin, and Sally Sullivan's mosaic, Meli.

I'm a sucker for painterly passages and intricate detail, but he takes a different approach. He says that once he's satisfied of the artist's overall competence, he primarily looks at the composition.  "A lot of artists almost get it right, and nobody does it every time, but when they do it just feels right.  That's what I like."

Official Winners:
Guest Juror James Martin chose this year's prize winners: as noted above, Norma Herring's Shades of Autumn received Best in Show.  Penny Pate Dillon's The Katz Clock took 2nd, and Parker Nicholson's Maple Vessel got the nod for 3rd.  Honorable Mention recognitions went to Sylvia Rose Augustus for Custer State Park, Lake Fog; Peter Crane for On Edge; Denny Dowdy for Mom's Backyard; and Pascal's choice, the Richardson painting, Blue Skies Overhead.

As Martin noted, it was a strong show. And you can still see it if you're in town! 11-4 Saturday and Sunday.  FREE admission.  Such a deal!

PHOTOS: The photo of Jan with Rose Dance is by Pascal Gephardt; the other two photos are by Jan S. Gephardt.  We allow re-posting with attribution and link-back, and no alteration of images.  Otherwise, all rights reserved.

"Deep Dish" Framing

My Beloved has been busy, doing his part to get Rose Dance ready for the Arti Gras Gala this weekend.  I thought you might enjoy seeing the framing work in progress, because it has presented some challenges.

My husband Pascal Gephardt had to improvise a support to hold up all corners while the glue sets.

Another view of the frame-in-progress, in our basement "framing corner."

Why on earth would I need a shadowbox this deep? 

Moral to the story: Let the creative juices flow, but watch the elevation!

I am grateful to Randal Spangler and New West Frame and Moulding for their help with acquiring the materials for this frame, and oh, boy, do I ever owe my husband Pascal Gephardt a "big one," for all the joining and assembly.  When you see Rose Dance all framed up, it will be thanks to them (stay tuned).

IMAGES: All photos were taken by me, Jan S. Gephardt.  Please do not reproduce them without attribution and a link.

3 Opportunities to See my Artwork!

Depending on where you live, you may have a chance to see my artwork at a show near you in February!

See my art at SheVaCon, Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, VA

SheVaCon, Feb. 8-10, 2013
The first opportunity comes the second weekend of February, in Roanoke, VA.  Several pieces of my fantasy artwork will be on display at the SheVaCon Art Show. The show runs Friday through Sunday, February 8-10 at the historic Hotel Roanoke.

Robin W. Bailey Book-Signing Feb. 15, 2013
Join Robin W. Bailey, Grace Townley, and me for an art show and book-signing at Prospero's Books in Kansas City (the 3600 Broadway #107, KC, MO location) on February 15 at 6:00 p.m.

Robin W. Bailey, author

Robin W. Bailey is a former president of Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA), one of the founders of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (see another post about it on the KaCSFFS Blog), and is the author of numerous books, e-books, short stories, and poems.

In addition to his "official" website, which hasn't been updated in a while, he has an "unofficial" website, which also hasn't been updated for a while. I suspect that is because he's been too busy writing! 

I especially want to thank Robin for the idea of turning his book-signing into an event that includes a chance to show artwork, as well!

Grace Townley's Inspired by a Star Formation

Grace Townley is an accomplished oil painter whose passion is outer space. Her "Interstellar Weather" portfolio gives a representative sample of her work, which ranges from very large paintings to a wide variety of affordably-priced prints.

The image at right is one of my favorite examples of Grace's work. I first encountered Grace at the Art Westport show in September 2012, and she joined a group of us in December for the Holiday Visual Feast.

Since a good bit of my fantasy artwork probably won't be back from SheVaCon by then, I'll be showing a mixture of fantasy, nature, and architectural themes, including pieces from my two new multiple-original editions.

Arti Gras Gala and Annual Juried Art Show, Feb. 22-24, 2013
I am delighted to announce that for a second year a piece of my paper sculpture has been accepted into the Arti Gras Annual Juried Art Show, sponsored by the Leawood Foundation of Leawood, KS.

The big event of that weekend is the Arti Gras Gala on Friday, February 22, at the Leawood Community Center in the lower level under City Hall (4800 Town Center Drive, Leawood, KS). Gala 6-8:30 p.m. 2/22.

Rose Dance was accepted into Arti Gras 2013!

This is a delightful, Mardi Gras-themed reception, to open the show and announce the recipients of several cash prizes. Most of the artists will be there (including me!), and if it's anything like last year the food and drink will be delicious. It's a fundraiser for the Foundation, so there is an admission fee.

If you can't make the Gala, the show remains open to the public for free viewing from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. that Saturday and Sunday, February 23-24.  

Please note that the address for the Feb. 15 book signing/art show location has been updated from the original post.

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to SheVaCon and the Hotel Roanoke for the photo of the hotel.  I would like to thank Robin W. Bailey, both for the use of his profile photo from his official website, and also again for inviting me to show artwork at his book-signing!  Thank you, Grace Townley, for the use of the Star Formation image.  I want to extend many thanks to the Leawood Foundation, the Arti Gras show, and juror James Martin for accepting my work into this year's show, and for making their logo available for use.  The image of Rose Dance is my own. It may be re-posted online, as long as the image is not altered, and credit is given to me as the artist, with a link back. Otherwise, all rights are reserved.

Life Catches Up, with a Vengeance!

I really must apologize to anyone who has grown tired of checking back for updates . . . we've had several simultaneous family crises (starting at Thanksgiving, and continuing through now).

In my diminished time leftover from dealing with them, I have made notes on about half-a-dozen posts I'd like to write, but spent more of it making art than writing about it.

As soon as possible, I'll write a post about creating Rose Dance.

The Nine-Part Herbal Fantasy is still in the works, but likely to become a diptych.

Coming Through! is a new multiple original that debuted at the Holiday Visual Feast.

That's a sample. I've also seen some galleries I'd like to write about, and there are other developments, as well.

Stay tuned. This family stuff can't go on forever!

"Rose Dance"--New Work-In-Progress!

I have begun a series of pieces this year that is based on a new approach to paper sculpture.

I've gotten far enough with the first one (working title: Rose Dance) to show a few samples in this space, but first I'd like to give a little history of how I got to this point.

This is the "quote panel" from the Summer Mail Piece.

My work last year on the Mail Piece Project proved to be absolutely as enlightening as I had hoped. It was a series of self-mailing multiple originals developed on the basic design of a trifold brochure, in each case incorporating some kind of paper technology.

If you would like to see some of my progress reports, take a look at New Year, Spring, and an overview of the elements that developed as consistent features. Unfortunately I got so busy I never added pages for Summer, Autumn, or Winter, though I probably should! Each edition in the series of five was a little more elaborate than the previous one.

Here is the "quote panel" for the Autumn Mail Piece.

One of the many things I gained from the Mail Piece Project was a return to my artistic "first loves" of ink drawing and limited edition printmaking (confession: I was a Printmaking "major" as an undergrad, even though I've spent a big chunk of my adult career as a graphic designer).

Here is the original ink drawing for what became
the "border panels" of Rose Dance.

Earlier, I had developed a prototype pattern for a dragon body and wings for a couple of pieces that I called "twig dragons," because they were attached to actual Silver Maple twigs from my yard.

I rendered the basic pattern as variations in ink, with both ink and color added by hand, and used them for Denizen of the Winter Trees and Treetop Primaries.

I was not satisfied with the results of the Prismacolor pencils as scanned and reproduced in the early editions of the Mail Piece Project, however--they seemed kind of muddy. So I experimented with adding color on the computer, using Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

The computer-based approach for adding color was used in several parts of the the last three Mail Pieces, though I also hand-colored all of those originals with Prismacolor pencils.

I also used computer color for my "Snowflake Dragons: The Next Generation" series. See Spring Swirls and Patterns in Turquoise for examples.

These color variations created separate layers.

The idea for the full Rose Dance composition originated from looking at the first panel I produced. It originally was going to be primarily an experiment: a small, limited edition of pieces that began as ink drawings that were colored on the computer, cut out, and layered.

Mirror images were designed to print 2-sided.

I developed different layers of color. Two color modulations formed the base layer (the darker one on the left, above), and a second overlay layer, with leaves and flower cut out from the background (right, above). Third and fourth layers were composed of the flower alone (see at left), printed on two sides, then cut out, sculpted, and glued at the center.

Here is the finished border panel, cut out, sculpted, and assembled.

Once I'd printed the various color layers on different weights of acid-free, archival-quality paper, I cut, sculpted, and assembled enough of the small panels to realize they could be more than simple stand-alone pieces. They could be assembled to create a border.

I experimented with several border layouts, but eventually decided I liked the square composition best. At that point I could begin the "base" ink drawing for the center.

The ink work is now done, but I'm still in the process of adding color. I'll post another article about this piece, once I have finished the whole thing.

IMAGE CREDITS: All photos and scans are of my original artwork, by me. All images are copyright 2011 and 2012 by Jan S. Gephardt, all rights reserved.