work work work

 

untitled texts

gouache on paper
each 30" x 22"

angela simione, 2012

 

tshirt and texts

sharpie on a white Hanes

angela simione, 2012

i absolutely love pushing these puddles of black gouache around and scribbling on white tshirts.  it makes my life endlessly better, save for the burning pain in my shoulder from hunching over these pieces of paper.  i like to work on the floor here in my white room, listening to sad songs and drinking greyhounds.  the pain is worth it and it always will be.  it gives rise to such an aching beauty.  especially the pain of writing these words in the first place. 

Alpha

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Alpha
51" x 39"
graphite on paper
angela simione, 2011


this piece was commissioned by someone i know and love and respect so so so much! single handedly the best commission i've ever done, both in terms of subject and experience. elsie, our beloved. a strange angel that hovers around our heads and homes and lives. i feel connected to her in a way that i do not have the language with which to name. but the poet who commissioned this portrait does and i am excited for the fields of tall grass she swirls up, in line and breath, for us to hide and seek in. perfect.

6 feet tall

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Warning
72" x 50"
mixed media on paper, 2010



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the end

the end
39" x 51"
graphite and gouache on paper, 2010

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warning (2)
30" x 22"
mixed media on paper
2010

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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black graphite is delicious!

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untitled (no note)
15" x 16.5"
graphite on paper
2010

this is why rants and blogs are good:

i re-read the post below and realized i answered my own question: sit here and look at the work and shuffle it all around and see what narratives arise as a result. patience patience patience. curation is tough stuff. the worst thing i can do is rush and start forcing things together.

anyway, for all the writers in the room, here's a portrait for you. ;)




writer
15" x 12"
graphite on paper
angela simione, 2010

my practice has multiple personality disorder

today is all headless dolls and glitter...



fixed stars
22" x 30"
mixed media on paper
angela simione, 2010


the little dots all around their feet are orbs of gold and black glitter on a velvet ground of black gouache. their shoes are bright, sparkling silver.

shining things are hard to photograph.

i'm thinking of sylvia plath and wanting to read The Bell Jar. again. :)

the title comes from her poem "Words".

sneak peek

66" x 30"

this is only 1/3rd of what the finished size of this piece will end up being. the finished size will be 66" x 90"... maybe more. WALL SIZE! dang!

yesterday....

ghosts and grey dresses,
apparitions, the cold breeze...





hint (1 and 2)
10" x 22"
mixed media on paper
angela simione, 2010

more moths

hymn
22" x 30"
mixed media on paper
angela simione, 2010

amends...

amends (1)
15" x 11"
ink and gouache on paper
angela simione, 2009



amends (2)
15" x 11"
gouache on paper
angela simione, 2009

practice, practice, practice...

this is what today's practice looks like-


untitled
15" x 11"
mixed media on paper
angela simione, 2009

anonymity
redaction
identity
a document of Unimportance
a document of lost stories
unknown histories
histories that don't matter

who gets to be pictured and who doesn't...

and those white socks just kick me right in the heart.

pink...

i spent all day digging and pulling and looking, rooting through my heavy portfolios, making piles and systems and rituals. my back hurts. damn iffy disk. but progress has been made, even if just a little. and it was sort of romantic... sitting outside in the cool sun with all my portfolios laying open. i remember the day each drawing was made. every single one. they all, no matter how sloppy or misguided, made me smile. wide and warm and full of thanks... like when you watch children playing.

just a small collection of work found in the depths of the art pile...








all works-
angela simione, 2007

and so it continues...

geez. round 2 through my portfolios. it is never-ending, i swear. when will i see the bottom of the art pile? the massive problem of storage and archiving and yadda, yadda, yadda. the major issue here is that i'm just at a total loss as to what i should do with all this work. the vast majority is work on paper. and the vast majority of it is good work too. but it just doesn't fit with my current portfolio at HANG and it doesn't fit with the current inventory at black fence. where to send it? where oh where oh where? it's too good to toss in the recycle bin, that's for sure. but storing it has become such a big, sticky issue that i find myself completely overwhelmed within minutes of trying to find a solution. maybe the only thing to do is go through it all, piece by piece, photograph it, and try to compile some sort of "new" portfolio of work and find another venue for it to be available through. maybe. but even the thought of that is daunting. we're talking about no less than 8 huge portfolios of work here. i am not counting the closet full of little paintings on canvas i still need to contend with. any insight in to this problem is completely welcome. entirely welcome. in fact, i am begging for advice! any system at all that you may have had even the smallest success with i am willing to try. except for burning it or something like that. 'no fire near the artwork' is definitely a commandment in my household and shall not be broken. anyway... help.

shura...

child (shura 4)
22" x 15"
mixed media on paper,
angela simione, 2008



at black fence.

pretty...

i've started playing around with book-making again. it's something i absolutely love but fell off the wagon with due to an asshole professor who gave me a bad grade just because she didn't like me. in fact, she made it pretty clear that that was exactly the reason why i didn't get an A. guess it's my fault since i'm the one who made the mistake of asking why i got the grade i got, right? no matter, i got that crap removed from my transcript anyhow- fall through units. ha!

anyway, i've felt bad for a really long time that i let one of the worlds' jerks ruin something i value and really enjoy doing so i've been playing around with the form, just sort of diving right in and seeing where i go. no plan, no safety net, no eraser. the one of a kind artist book is something i've always been so drawn to. they are gorgeous and special and so totally romantic. and i'm a big fan of romance.

this is what i did today. just getting my feet wet:












and that's gouache on every single page! i spent a ton of time waiting for paint to dry today. tons! you'd think i'd be use to that but NO. so i got some laundry done today too on the in between time.


text:
such a pretty girl
robbed of her bell

angela simione, 2009

ahhhhh...

another wonderful weekend. crochet, poetry, and chardonnay. :) and splashing around in my lovely black gouache-



mama (3)


mama (4)


mama (5)

all works:
11" x 7.5"
water-soluble graphite and gouache on paper
angela simione, 2009

on a roll...

3 more little apron paintings in the bag, a ton of work on the next maid portraits (soon. very, very soon), and these:



this is one of the mono prints i made for the SJICA last month. i'd spent hours working on the very first one and, after pulling that print and a few ghosts, i painted back in to the original plate with sepia and black ink to get this piece.




and this is one of the ghost prints, touched up with a bit of black gouache. yum.

both pieces:
untitled
22" x 15"
mono print
angela simione, 2009


the top piece is available now at black fence.