Installation....

I am preparing for my first solo art show and wanted to write about my installation experience.  My show, "Buildings, Flowers, Lines & Curves" is being showcased at a major university in Chicago.  What is cool about this particular installation, is that it focused mainly on students as the curators.  There is often someone who is hired to curate a show or whom works for the gallery that takes care of the work.  I have always dropped my work off and showed up at the reception to see a wonderful array of work displayed appropriately. 

It was interesting to see the students look at my work, ask questions and figure out how to hang the pieces.  They worked in small groups and after deciding the order of how I'd like the pieces to be displayed they went straight to work.  I am thrilled to have these young academics exposed to my work and art in general.  I hope they learn a lot.  I will have the opportunity to interact with several students during my open reception, a time for the school as a whole to meet the artist.

The pictures below are just a sampling of what occurred during the installation....

If you live in Chicago and are interested in attending the show.... here's the information:

A. Montgomery Ward Gallery

UIC Student Center East

750 S. Halsted

Chicago, Illinois

Gallery Hours:  Monday - Thursday, 11:00 am to 8:00 pm

Friday, 11:00 am to 5 pm

What's In A Name?...

Often, I have been asked, how do I come up with the titles to some of my pieces.... I will share with you the best advice that I was ever offered on the subject.  My watercolor teacher simply told me to think about the mood that you are in while you are working on your painting, poem, photograph or whatever you fancy and upon completion name it the first thing that comes to your head.  I will give you four examples of where my mood and mind were when it came time to name that image.

First up is a personal one, on a recent mini vacay, I witnessed my host diving to the bottom of the lake to collect large stones to place within his garden.  I watched him for a half an hour diligently diving and bringing up these stones, each one very unique.  Within those thirty minutes he managed to collect dozens of stones, I happened to capture a pretty cool image.  His thought to repurpose put me in such a good mood, hence the warm glows of the image and the name as a result... "Bill's Rocks."

"Bill's Rocks" (c) 2011



The second example, is a simple one.  I have an image of wood in many forms, I enhanced the grain and added more texture.  The name for this one.... "Wood Grain."

"Wood Grain" (c) 2011



The third example, is a literal one, a personal fear of mine.  That is the fear of spiders, however, I am not fearful enough not to capture it's image.  This guy was pretty large and made a home in my front bushes.  He is about 3 inches long and the yellow and black colors beckoned me to take the picture!  This one is appropriately titled "Arachnophobia."

"Arachnophobia" (c) 2011



My last example is an abstract, the name does not reflect at all the subject of the image.  In this case, Marina Towers in Chicago, Illinois.  I was in a great mood while working on the image and even more thrilled with the end result.  When I looked at the picture though, it reminded me of a staple in our country.... corn.  The buildings looked like to giant stalks of cob corn and I couldn't help but name this one "Corn on the Cob."

"Corn on the Cob" (c) 2010



So always remember your mood and the first thing that comes to your head when you are thinking of a way to creatively come up with names for your work.  The names that you will create will always be distinct and add a little something extra to the piece.

Two Perspectives....

I had previously blogged about how I was enjoying myself in the great state of Michigan and enjoying some lake time with my family.  We were honored and grateful for the invite from a loving couple that knows my husband.  I was lucky to get some magic shots, hence my blog entry tonight.

On our second evening on the lake, my kids, husband and I tagged along with our host for Bass fishing on the lake.  I am not much of a fisherman but I did tow my camera on board (remember to take your camera with you everywhere).  I saw an awesome sunset on the lake and took a variety of shots.

So what do you do when you have similar shots of the same subject matter?  That's where you have to utilize your creativity.  My creative style varies depending on the subject and I often call it digital painting thanks to Photoshop.  The computer becomes my canvas and I apply layer after layer of different techniques, filters, etc. to create the look that I want.

With the lake shots, I decided to to do to monochrome techniques with two of the shots.  Not that mother nature did not do a phenomenal job in her own right with the original.  Who can top her?  I offer up my own creative style with the following pieces.  The first is called "A Lake in Michigan" and is a simple black and white and the only color that you see is from the lens flare.  The second image is called "Golden Sunset" and has added yellows, ambers, and golds to add to the beauty of the shot.  These are my two perspectives on the same type of image. 

"A Lake In Michigan" (c) 2011

"Golden Sunset" (c) 2011