Upcoming Show March 2nd-March 31st

 

 Here is the full image of the painting.

The Rooms of Anais  Nin  28 x  38 encaustic L Pressman

Have you seen this painting?

FOUND!!!   It was with a consultant and neither of us had the paperwork. I am  working on it!

July 4 28 x 39  encaustic on canvas on panel

Yesterday I saw a facebook post by Joanne Mattera  saying she was busy doing inventory. 

Inventory, a huge thorn in my side.

For years I had a book with titles, info, inventory number sold or not but what good did that do me? Not much. Now I have folders on my computer that show the images; where things are, where they are going, if they are home and if they are sold. What is this doing for me? Not much, apparently.

( I do have an account with one of the online programs but when I went to  enter the information I was overwhelmed. Did anyone say I need an intern????).

July 4th was in my home folder but it is not in my  home, studio or racks. When I realized this, I traced it back to some paper work which placed it at my solo show at the Center for Visual Arts, fall of 2010. I know I brought it home and it may have made it out to a local venue after that....one that didn't have a folder on my desktop. I don't have a record of selling it. I keep going back through my racks thinking it is hidden amongst the  graduate school paintings.

 I sent out some feelers with an image but all said they didn't have the painting.

You know, it is not like my keys or cell phone that will show up  in my garbage, under the bed or in my back pocket. It is a painting!! It is somewhere.

Ok. I confessed.  I have misplaced a painting. Not my finest moment.

Anyone else? Probably not.

Working on my inventory is top on my to do list.

So the next question is which program do you use to keep track of your work?

And if you see July 4th somewhere please let me know. 

Sue Post and her art influences

I've Loved You All Your Life
2010
oil on canvas
60 x 60"

I haven't done an artist influence post in a while and I forgot how much I enjoy doing them. Finding the links and images for all the artists is such a great way to revisit old and new favorites. This is Sue Post's work, an artist "friend" on Facebook. I see her paintings floating by and always stop to take a look. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

A Different Kind of Line
2011
oil on linen
20 x 20

Natural Light
2011
oil on linen
20 x 20

"I find ways for paint to “behave”, in work marked by simultaneous contrast and ambiguous space, with surfaces that are both flat and deep.

My paintings are animated by what they look like, not what they resemble. Pivotal decisions – mostly about edge, color and value -  determine how the paintings come alive, and locate where on their surfaces this magic occurs. Painting interactions of color feels authentic and clarifying to me in ways that making pictures of things does not. 

My latest work is based on an irregular grid or weave, a “plaid” composed of four colors and two different sizes of bounded area. Each patch or strip of color serves as part of two distinct vertical or horizontal structural elements, and every part hovers between figure and ground." Sue Post 2011

Rainbow Sherbet
2011
oil on linen
24 x 24"

 A historical list  of  Sue's influences:

Courbet,"L'Eternite"

 Vincent van Gogh,(La Crau from Mont Majour")

Edgar Degas"Cafe Singer"

Frank Stella

Howard Hodgkin,"View From Venice"

Helen Miranda Wilson (a teacher in grad),"Americauna"

Sean Scully,"Angel"

 

Edouard Manet

Gerhard Richter

Jonathan Lasker

Elizabeth Murray (a teacher in undergrad)

Sue will be having a show at the Painting Center, NYC

January 31, 2012- February 25, 2012

Serape
2011
oil on muslin over board
16 x 16"

Fuse: Art in Motion

I spent some time with artist Sara Mast back in June of 2009 when we were included in the New Talent Show at Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia. It was an instant lightening strike of friendship and artistic partnership.

I use the word lightening for a reason. There is a crackle, a synergy in which ideas become reality when we are together. When she came east again in January of 2010 for our shows at Rosenfeld, we were shopping for wine when we came across a wine called FUSE.

"FUSE explodes with the aromas and flavors of a much more expensive Napa Valley wine. The name derives from the inclusion of a significant portion of Syrah, adding an exotic, spicy twist to the blend...igniting the senses! It also refers to the friendship of the partners, whose fusion of passion and experience inspired this wine......"

I showed the bottle to Sara and of course, we bought two! We decided on the spot to call our workshop FUSE. The fusing of artists, mediums and the actual fusing when you use encaustic.

Turn the calender to June 2010 when she is back east to attend the 5th International Encaustic Conference in Provinceton MA. Before we left for the conference I took Sara to a Niyolates@ Class. Niyolates@, created by Rolin San Juan, is an expressive fitness and awareness movement program. It combines the dynamic poses of yoga, the explosive power of the martial arts, the grace & spontaneity of modern and ethnic dances and the stillness & concentration of Tai-Chi. When we were done she looked at me and said, “Now I understand where your paintings come from…” It was true, but not just my paintings. Movement and connectivity with the body can free up energy and stress to allow anyone’s creativity to flow in new and dynamic ways. So that is the story of how Fuse: Art, Body, Motion was born.
 
Both Sara and I have taught drawing and paintings for many years (see bios below). This small, team-taught workshop will be an individualized experience for each participant. We will cover all basics of encaustic as well as move beyond technique to explore the expressive potential of wax and a mixed media approach. Our goal is to guide each participant in finding his/her personal vision.

The Studio in Montana

The workshop will be held in Sara's studio just east of Bozeman, nestled in the foothills of the Bridger Mountains. This valley was named the Valley of the Flowers by the Native Americans who gathered here before the European settlers arrived. It represents a peaceful meeting place where indigenous tribes worked together to share their dreams and visions, nurtured by the natural world that surrounded them. The beauty and serenity of this special place will inspire your work and delight your senses.

 An example of what a day might include: 
  
8:30 Pick up in van for commute to Trail Creek Road studio
9-12:30 Demos/worktime
12:30-1:30 Lunch (provided)
1:30-4 Demos/work time
4-5 Niyolates@ Movement & release after an intense work day
5-6 Relax in the beautiful surroundings of the Gallatin Valley or take a hike or horseback ride...
6 pm Van to the hotel – dinner on your own in downtown Bozeman

Each day of the workshop will be guided by the interactions of the group and by the instructors' response to the needs and desires of each participant. Possible areas to be covered include: encaustic and mixed media demos; use of pigment sticks, printmaking, and experimental drawing; art career advice on how to expand your creative research, get the work out, write an artist statement, apply for grants and residencies…and more.

Here are videos of Sara and myself talking about our work at the Rosenfeld opening.
 
BIOS 

Sara Mast is a widely exhibited artist whose paintings are included in over 30 public and private collections in the United States and abroad. Her work is included in Joanne Mattera’s book Encaustic Painting: Contemporary Expression in the Ancient Medium of Pigmented Wax. Exhibitions in 2011 include As Above, So Below, a solo exhibition at Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia, PA; Repertoire, a group exhibition at Zolla/Lieberman Gallery in Chicago, IL; and Night Visions IV, a juried exhibition at Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, AZ. Sara lives and works in Bozeman, Montana, and is a co-chair of the Drawing/Painting department at Montana State University.

 
Lisa Pressman’s paintings incorporate oils, collage, wax and other mixed media to create works that allude to a personalized time and space. The work is the physical embodiment of the slow and gradual process of realization and transformation.Recent and Upcoming exhibitions include: Kindred Spirits, Schiltkamp Gallery at Clark University, Wooster Mass and Confluence: Medium Meets Message at the Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, FL in 2012.Pressman’s work was exhibited in Making the Mark at Susan Eley Fine Art and at the Affordable Art Fair with Anelle Gandelman Fine Art, both in New York City. Her paintings were also featured in The Balancing Act, a solo show at Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia. She is currently an adjunct at the Art Institute of New York and teaches painting privately and around the country. You can find her teaching schedule here  Lisa Pressman lives and works in West Orange, NJ.

Catching up and being grateful

I can't believe the last time I posted was in September. I have been so wrapped up in preparing for my new job as an adjunct, prepping and planning workshops and getting into the studio that I just haven't had the energy to do a post. I am so grateful that it is Thanksgiving week. Here is a quick recap:

Teaching:

I have been  teaching for about 5 years now. Encaustic, pigment sticks, mixed media, and most recently college 2d design and drawing. I am getting better at planning and preparing for  workshops but college teaching has a huge learning curve.  I like the kids very much but the prep, grading and policing is a bit overwhelming. I know it will get easier. I am having fun revisiting the basics of point, line, plane, grid, positive and negative etc....

grid with repeating elements

I have been busy planning and booking workshops for 2012. I am grateful for these opportunities to teach, travel and work with great people.

January 25, 26, 27 

Pigment sticks at R & F Handmade Paints, Kingston,NY

April 18, 19, 20  

Pigment sticks at R & F Handmade Paints, Kingston, NY
June 4  
FULL
Pigments Sticks and Encaustic at Sixth International Encaustic Conference Provincetown, Mass

June17-22     

Encaustic  and Embellishment

Cullowhee Mountain ARTS at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina

July 26-30 

FUSE: Art, Body, Motion with artist Sara Mast

Bozeman, Montana 

August  20 -24

Pigment Stick and Mixed Media

Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Truro, MA

October 17,18,19

Pigment sticks at R & F Handmade Paints, Kingston, NY

Exhibition News:

In October my work was in  Kindred Spirits curated by Toby Sisson at the

Schiltkamp  Art Gallery, Clark University, Worcester MA. It included works by Kim Bernard, David A. Clark, Miles Conrad, Sue Katz, Kathleen Lemoine, Joanne Mattera, Laura Moriarty , Lisa Pressman, Marybeth Rothman, and Donna Talman. It is up until December 12th.

Close up of Making Sense

Next year I will be included in "Confluence: Medium Meets Message" at the

Morean Arts Center, St Petersburg, Fla. This show is curated by Amanda Cooper and Leslie Neumann.
WAX: Medium Meets Message
March 23 – May 28, 2012
Opening Reception: March 23, 2012

Local artist and activist Leslie Neumann gathered a roster of stellar artists who work in diverse methods, but share the common bond of using encaustic, a wax based paint with luminous qualities.

Hailing from divergent places such as Portland, OR, Santa Fe, NM, Maine and the New York City area, each artist brings a unique and exciting perspective to this ancient medium. Viewers will be astounded by the floating installations of Lorrie Fredette, the kinetic sculptures of former dancer Kim Bernard, and the political bite of Russell Thurston.  Wax gets nostalgic with the photo-based paintings of Marybeth Rothman, and brilliantly abstract in the hands of Lisa Pressman.

Leslie Neumann and Elise Wagner draw our attention upward with paintings that explore the cosmos. Artists who present a more down-to-earth perspective are the seed-studded altars of Ann Taylor Gibson, and the geological sculptures of Laura Moriarty.

This exhibition not only will feature the diversity of wax in art, but will also provide our community with a fun, educational component featuring the history of wax and all its other versatile uses.

I am  thrilled to be included in the inaugural edition of Encaustic Works ‘11, a juried show in print by Joanne Mattera. My work was selected to be part of the portfolio section of the book.

Studio News:

My studio is in a state of disarray. I have many pieces working and just a few close to finished. I have been painting with oils, pigment sticks, ink and wax and having that "not knowing"  feeling.  All I do know, is when I am in the studio I know that is where I am supposed to be.

 

My office has become not only the communication, marketing and "sales" center but my 2D design studio. How many jobs do we all have as artists?......tooooo many.

My website needs attention so that is on my list for the near future.  I have been working on my artist statement. The never ending tweaking and retweaking....Here it is as of today:

My work is rooted in play, a sense of discovery and a passion for revealing the unknown. Images emerge from my translation of experiences of the outside world, and are internalized through the lens of the inner eye. I am interested in motion, energy and balance both formally and metaphorically.

The paintings develop through an intuitive dialog between deliberate and random marks, allowing a relationship between intent and accident to unfold. Time and memory are evoked through the process of layering and scraping. The working process is inseparable from the completed image, which stands as a witness to the history of its making.

Art Seeing News:

Part of my deal with myself with traveling into NYC for teaching is not to waste the money I spend just on the commute.  Recently, I went to see DeKooning which was overwhelming and I need to see it again. What struck me this first visit was the that those last paintings seemed to be the last of his memory of his painting structure that he used throughout his life.

Last Friday I went to Chelsea and saw Joan Michell and Richard Pousette Dart. Both must sees!

Joan Mitchell

close up of a Joan Mitchell

Joan Mitchell

Joan Mitchell

Richard Pousette Dart

Richard Pousette Dart

Richard Pousette Dart

Although I am grateful for all of the above, my family and my friends, old and new, are at the top of my list.

Happy Thanksgiving !

Using Mixed Media to Discover Your Voice, Part 3

Truro

My favorite part of any workshop is the end. It is the time when everyone gets to look at what they have accomplished and also what the entire group accomplished. We talk about process, we talk about formal elements and most importantly  talk about content. Are any of these works finished? The million dollar question. I would say, in most cases, no, but they are research to take back to the  studio.

I am pointing something out to Andy.

Here is she is. Her love of light and an abstracted landscape was apparent.

Barbara used her one minute drawings as a spring board to develop these  beautifully subtle  pieces.

 

Connie apologized  for her graphic one minute drawings. I said "Are you crazy? If that is what you do then go for it"

And she did with the exciting three pieces below the drawings. Freedom

 !

I saw maps/mapping in Deborah's work the first day and that sparked the above work.

Denise came with  specific imagery in mind for a book project. Here you can see the gravestone image emerging.

Julie's lyrical works reference stones and landscape.

Karen's love for textiles, organic forms and light are featured in her work here.

Lorraine worked very quietly and slowly creating these pieces. The top one in particular has such an interesting use of negative space, edge and line. It  is one of those pieces that reveals more as you look at it.

I blew up Maryellen's photo because all of her pieces were small. Small, but packed with luscious paint, surface and glimmers of light. Gems.

Pam had a great time painting and painting over. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with the triptych. You can't see it in this photo but there are layers of light and beautifuly quiet markings.

Patricia brought and did a tremendous amount of work. This is only half of the pieces she was working on. She is working out lots of ideas and it will interesting to see how she synthesizes them into her work.

This was my demo piece which I started in April at the R&F workshop. I brought it out to do a demo, and ended up adding that purple square on the left. Although it got a lot of oohs  and ahs

from the "crowd", I took it out. The piece is still percolating.

Here is the group! 

Thanks Cheri for inviting me to teach at Castle Hill.


For upcoming workshops please visit my website teaching page.