in the shop!

now available through black fence.

the first 3 pieces in an on-going exploration of loss and memory...
especially how the experience of loss itself persists through the act of remembering.






remembered (1)
10" x 22"
mixed media on paper
2010




remembered (2)
10" x 22"
mixed media on paper
2010




hint
9" x 15"
graphite on paper
2010


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p.s.

a whole big beautiful crop of drawings i've been hoarding now available at black fence.

simple...

about two weeks ago, my buddy eddie suggested that i cut myself a little stamp of the fences so that i could play around with the image at a much faster pace. i ended up getting that done on new years eve and have been having quite a bit of fun. he was completely right. being able to work with this image at a much more accelerated pace has been so beneficial - figuring out a lot quicker what's working and what's not.

here's one of the prints i made a few days ago; one of the first pieces of 2009:


untitled
11" x 15"
one of a kind print
2009


detail

it's so simple but also such an iconic image. the humble approach to making this piece lends it an elegance and beauty that i was pretty surprised by. my love of minimalism is showing again but i don't care. sometimes what's simplest is best and i really like this piece. i just listed it in the shop, just in case you like it as much as i do.

another little girl painting...

this piece is for the Hueliday show at HANG next month - a holiday show that celebrates color. and let me tell ya, it has been quite a challenge for me to allow color to come back in to the work! but i am endlessly thankful for the challenge. i think i've needed color in my life - at least a little bit - but for the past few months i have needed a more black and white approach to living for personal reasons. just something basic, bare bones, and unassuming, i suppose. but because of this show and having to commit to the color yellow, i've become a much more positive person and, though the work is still a bit morbid (i'm sure it always will be), i think a splash of color makes a huge difference and i'll be making the effort to include more color in future work. not as bright as this painting is, but i'll apply the lesson for sure.



lost
8" x 8"
oil on canvas
2008

always hopping on board at the last minute... but it seems to be working for me

yesterday was quite a day! absolutely wonderful, actually! i swung by SF Studio Gallery in San Francisco prior to going to the reception at HANG and managed to get two paintings in to the TINY exhibition they've got going on there. The show itself features an enormous amount of artwork - everything from paintings, to prints, to jewelry- all of which is under 7" x 7"... hence the name TINY.

Walking in to the gallery yesterday, it was such a treat to see the walls completely covered (salon style)in art. and Jennifer, the owner, is so sweet and smart and welcoming that i'm just so pleased to be working with her. here's one of the painting's she took:


little girls
6" x 4"
oil on canvas
2008

i've been trying, mostly without any real success, to get the little girls back in to my work for awhile now. but this past month, it's finally started happening for me and i am glad to see them again. i missed them... and maybe i'll continue to let them keep their heads this time around. :) no promises though.

and even though i DID bring the camera to the reception last night, i left it in my bag. i guess i'd just rather be part of the event than let a camera mediate my experience of the event. i like being in the mix, mingling with new people and having conversations. i was just having too wonderful of a time chatting with the other artists in the show to break away and shove a camera in their faces. i don't know, sometimes it seems taking pictures just ends up being the proof that you weren't really taking part. not that i don't love photography, i do! but i guess this is probably why i'm not a photographer.

no rest for the wicked! i mean, for the fairest...

maybe it was the excitement of the reception itself, and the unbridled good cheer and inspiration that lives in moments like those, but i just couldn't sleep. in spite of enthusiastically swilling my fair share of wine last night and getting home kinda late, i am up early, drinking coffee and ready to go to work in the studio.

the show looked amazing! i was so impressed with how well all the work (which is very different)fit together. KC Rosenberg and DJ Harmon did an amazing job curating this exhibition, they really did. and i felt so honored to be included in the show! my favorite piece in the exhibition is a gorgeous work on paper by KC herself:



believe it or not, that's actually acrylic paint! i swore i was looking at gouache but no! i don't know how she did it, but being able to make acrylic appear so matte and velvety is an amazing feat that i am wholly jealous of. and KC was so wonderful to talk to. she is such a friendly, good-humoured, and enthusiastic painter! i loved talking with her and felt sad that receptions are so short.

really, i had a wonderful time. a bunch of art-buddies showed up that i haven't seen much of in the passed 6 months since graduation and it was so great! i love them! and i miss them like crazy!!! in fact, it sort of reawakened my desire to go get my master's degree sooner than later. being in a tight-knit community of artists is such a wonderful experience and way to live your daily life! i miss it terribly... but i guess this is just the next phase of learning... making your own way and getting out there in a way that has more to do with sincerity and understanding than academic efficiency.

anyhow, i feel great! still high from the Obama victory too, i suppose: inspired, enthusiastic, full of faith and hope, and looking forward to undertaking the work that lays ahead.

anonymous girls....

Anonymous Girls #3
22" x 15"
ink on paper
2008

this has been a secret series of mine for about a year and a half now. only a few people have seen this work... until now! the gallery took this piece for the november show and i am so excited about it! it's work that people seem to feel pretty strongly about- they either completely love it or hate it more than any thing else. :) which i get a really big kick out of! when i first started this series, i was sort of just doing it to keep my hands busy and quickly ended up having a huge stack of little 8" x 10" ink drawings of girl heads. at the time, i had been really invested in the untitled sisters paintings... portraits of girls cropped at the neck (headless), and a classmate of mine made the statement that maybe this was where all their faces went. i really enjoyed his outlook and decided i'd let these drawings happen as they needed to and to not force them in any particular direction.


Anonymous Girls #4
11" x 7 1/2"
ink on paper
2008

it's been nice to have a low-pressure/secret project that grows and changes at it's own rate. i have so many that still need to be photographed. hopefully, we'll have a few more days of beautiful and bright weather... i've got an amazingly large (and constantly growing) pile of artwork that needs to be documented. i get so wrapped up in new work that i keep forgetting to take pictures! now that this project is no longer so secret... i'm anxious about what kind of reception this work will get next month during the exhibition... documentation will become quite important.

anyway...
any one else see the similarity between this work and the "black apples" series? a pretty nice partnership, i'd say! i really like seeing these pieces together... maybe i should make a zine of my own? definitely something to think about.


black apples (2)
15" x 11"
ink on paper
2008

pretty...

i've posted a few new things at little black fences, one of them being the big redoute rose painting, as well as a few smaller works like this one:



it's my very first ACEO (Artist Card, Edition, Original)! i only recently learned about Art Trading Cards and thought it's such a sweet and wonderful idea... especially since it was just a few weeks ago that i did the art trade. i was so pleased to find out there's an entire culture surrounding trading artwork. in order to be an artist trading card, there is one stipulation that must be followed: it must be the size of an actual trading card (3 1/2" x 2 1/2")... alot harder than it sounds!

the garden of weeds image is one that i've been working with for about two years now but is so different from my regular subject matter that i've not shown the work very often. i think they are so lovely though and the image was perfect for this art form. keep your eyes peeled for more of these little sweeties over the course of the next few weeks! and...


untitled (garden of weeds)
7 5/8" x 5 5/8"
mixed media on paper
2008


while i was laying in bed last night, waiting to get sleepy, i did this little painting. i'm going to post it in the shop tomorrow. i'll be posting alot of work over there as we get closer and closer to the holidays so check in often.

hope everyone's week is of to a great start! angela

keeping busy and getting sentimental...

between painting, the drawing rampage, dropping off work to the gallery, doing art trades, and setting up my etsy shop, this month went by so incredibly fast. i woke up today realizing that halloween and the holidays are just around the corner. the evenings have cooled down and i've been making scarves again. i've been spending alot of time putting together care-packages for family members and trying to come up with sweet, sentimental gift ideas.

lately, i've been completely consumed by the desire to do nice things for other people... ever since i finally sat down and read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. (thanks rebecca!) :) following through on the impulse to do thoughtful things for others has really brightened my days and made me a much happier and positive person all the way around. i'm thankful for the opportunity to do nice things and to be surrounded by so many people who appreciate the action. maintaining a positive outlook really does take a person a long, long way. some days it's hard. i can get in a funk pretty easily sometimes, but i'm getting better at reminding myself to see the good in my life and to count my blessings. i've got a lot to be thankful for. just being able to live as an artist is the best thing that could've happened to me. for as much struggle as there sometimes is, it is still such a joy to be able to wake up and paint. the truth is, at the end of the day, i spent it doing the thing i love most. i am a very lucky girl.

i spent some time going through the etsy forums last night. reading all the encouraging posts from one artist to another really warmed my heart. the art community is great at being supportive and i'm so proud to be a part of it. being in a community of artists was the big reason behind my desire to attend a private art college. it's important to be surrounded by people who appreciate what you do and understand that it is work. being in a place where art is respected, valued, and validated is priceless.

anyway, i'm getting sappy. ha!

here's a sweet little drawing of a nest i did the other night in bed as i was winding down for sleep. it's in the shop so swing by and check out the space when you get a chance. comments, criticisms, and suggestions are completely welcome. i'd be glad to know what you all think. thanks! angela



5 1/2" x 7 1/2"
ink on paper
2008

art storage overflow!

spent another day doing the big, top-to-bottom, fall cleaning session at home and realized what a massive inventory of art i've got: well over 80 pieces of art crammed in to our little house. dang! alot of the work is small and on paper, which is fairly easy to store, but about half of this jumbo art pile are oils on canvas. wall space is at a definite premium.

so... i started the daunting but extremely necessary task of scouting out galleries today. i've just got too much work and it's unrealistic to think my gallery can handle it all. and being that i produce new work on a daily basis, my collection grows pretty quickly... too quickly for me to even keep track of sometimes. i made a stack of all the work that still needs to be photographed (24 pieces) and will spend some time tomorrow documenting them while the light is good. in the meantime, i'm having to come up with some creative storage solutions... the best one being to just get the work out there for people to see.

finding an appropriate space for artwork can be a lenghty process though. it's by no means a quick fix. i like to keep my eye on galleries i'm interested in for months before sending an artist packet their way. i like feeling confident that my work not only fits well with a space's over-riding aesthetic but that it also fills a niche. so, for the next few weeks i'll have to cut back on my playtime a bit and do some real artist work - pound the pavement and see if i can't uncover a few new avenues for finding homes for all my lovelies. there are a few choice galleries i've had my eye on for quite some time now... i've just got take a deep breath and go for it.