This Week's "Year of Abstract" Exercise - Spontaneous Shapes

 This week's exercise in Painting Abstracts by Rolina van Vliet involves painting with spontaneous shapes.  The instruction is to begin with an underpainting (above).  Let it dry, then apply splashes of the next color and repeat, adding more colors as each dries.

Here is my final piece following the instructions for "Spontaneous Shapes".

Ideas for Earth Stories

 I am thinking that my Earth Stories piece will have Wind Turbines for Wind Energy and I think about how to depict the wind.  I remember the wonderful swirls in Van Gogh's Starry Night, and I take some inspiration from this.  I look at his work online and think about how I can represent the motion of the wind.  My first effort involves carving some printing blocks - first prints on paper below:

Earth Stories - The Evolution of My Subject

I wanted my Earth Stories piece to be about energy sources, including the use of fossil fuels.  Montana is also the scene of extensive fossil fuel mining.  There are many oil wells, and huge coal mining operations scattered across the state.  The vast fracking operation known as the Bakken Oil Field is right along the border between Montana and North Dakota.  I hoped I could portray my mixed feelings about these various ways of obtaining energy. 

My search for a subject/project led me to Procon.org – a non-profit online pro and con forum that presents intelligent discussions on controversial subjects.  It contains a vast collection of professional writings offering both pro and con arguments for the use of Alternative Energy –vs- Fossil Fuels.  I contacted them and obtained their permission to use text from their website on my piece.  They graciously approved, provided I included the proper citations (which I have done).  Examples:

Jeffrey Sachs, PhD, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and Klaus Lackner, PhD, Ewing-Worzel Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, in their Feb. 2005 paper, "A Robust Strategy for Sustainable Energy," a Brookings Papers on Economic Activity available on the Brookings Institution's website, wrote: "To provide all of current primary energy consumption in the United States from wind energy would require capturing, every day, all the kinetic energy from wind over an area of about 500 km by 500 km [approximately 97,656 square miles--size of Wyoming]. Meeting world energy consumption would require almost four times that area [approximately 1,562,500 square miles--two and a half times the size of Alaska.]." ProCon.org. "Is Wind Power an Economical Alternative to Conventional Energy?" ProCon.org. 10 Apr. 2009. Web. 7 Jan. 2014.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) wrote in its May 2009 report "Water Resources and Natural Gas Production from the Marcellus Shale" on the USGS website: "Natural gas is an abundant, domestic energy resource that burns cleanly, and emits the lowest amount of carbon dioxide per calorie of any fossil fuel... [N]atural gas resources in the United States are important components of a national energy program that seeks both greater energy independence and greener sources of energy... While the technology of drilling directional boreholes, and the use of sophisticated hydraulic fracturing processes to extract gas resources from tight rock have improved over the past few decades, the knowledge of how this extraction might affect water resources has not kept pace. Agencies that manage and protect water resources could benefit from a better understanding of the impacts that drilling and stimulating... wells might have on water supplies, and a clearer idea of the options for wastewater disposal." ProCon.org. "Should the US Use Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) to Extract Natural Gas?" ProCon.org. 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 7 Jan. 2014.

 Here is a link to the website with the pro and con discussion of Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy at ProCon.org.

http://alternativeenergy.procon.org

Earth Stories - The Beginning

Earth Stories is a SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Association) Exhibition.  The artists were chosen through a call for consideration process.  Artists were asked to submit 3 pieces that were representative of the style for the piece we would be creating for Earth Stories if we were to be chosen.  The artists were also asked to present a proposal identifying a person or project that enhances the planet, makes a significant difference in restoring and/or protecting the environment, increasing sustainability or otherwise improving the earth we occupy.

For my story, I wanted to explore the imagery of wind farms.  I drive through the wind farm at Judith Gap, Montana every time I visit family in Central Montana.  I have long been captivated by the regal, yet alien nature of the gigantic wind turbines juxtaposed against the backdrop of four beautiful mountain ranges in the sparsely populated agricultural valley south of Judith Gap.

Earth Stories Exhibition Shows at UCM Gallery of Art and Design

 I am so thrilled to see my piece: "Alternative Energy -vs- Fossil Fuels" in the UCM Gallery of Art and Design, where it will hang through March.  Below, the postcard for the exhibition.  My piece got a nice spot on that, as well! 

I have not shared this piece on my blog yet.  I was waiting until it had been shown, first.  But now I can tell the story.  Stay tuned!

Trimmed Kimono Collage

 The stitching is finished, so I trimmed the piece, and put it up on the design wall.  Not as happy with it as I thought I would be.....I tried flipping it horizontally to no avail.  Then, I thought it might be better with a few inches removed from the left side, so folded it back (below).  I know it will look a lot better once I do something with the flower petals....whether I paint those by hand or stitch pearls in place as I have done with the others.......It just looks kind of dull to me.  Maybe I have done too many of these to find them interesting.

Perhaps I will put this aside for a while and return to it later......

A Year of Abstract Exercises - Free Shapes

 One nice thing this book of exercises does is provide suggestions for variations.  This time, I used both black and white oil pastel crayons to make marks on the page before adding the fluid acrylics. 

Below, the finished piece. 

For those who missed it, I am doing a year long / weekly artistic discipline for 2015 - following each of the exercises (one per week) presented in the book Painting Abstracts by Rolina van Vliet.  

Each weekend I am posting the week's project on my blog. 

2015 Abstract Exercises - Free Shapes

 The instruction for this exercise is to make scrawling movement on the paper with an oil pastel crayon, which will resist the fluid paint.  My first attempt above.  Below, the finished piece.  I outlined the crayon shapes with black marker in the one on the right (my idea).  Better?  I am not sure.

Machine Stitching Over Hand Embroidery

As crazy as this may seem, it is quite effective as a way of adding texture and color to the bark.

Thread Auditions

Now that I have built up the branches with embroidery, I want to add another layer of machine stitching over the top to even everything out and tie it all together.  I hope for those underlying threads to just peek out and give a bark like texture.

Today's the Day! The 100 Fundraiser for American Cancer Society

Instructions for making a contribution and receiving one of the wonderful works of art contributed by 100 artists!

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/FFACThe100Fundraiser.html

Embroidering Branches for Dimension

Embroidery on the Vintage Silk Collage

Auditioning embroidery threads.

Layering Vintage Silk Collage

Even though this is fused on, I thought some stitching would be in order before starting the embroidery.