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Category Archives: Artist Studio

Lessons From Michelangelo — Part 3

21 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Artist Studio, Caerus, Creativity, Painting, Sculpture, Studio Practice

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

art and emotion, art practice, art process, art routine, art theme, creativity, inspiration, Lessons from Michelangelo, Lessons Series, Michelangelo sculpture, Michelangelo. Renaissance

Portrait of Michelangelo by Jacopino del Conte (after 1535) at the age of 60

Portrait of Michelangelo by Jacopino del Conte (after 1535) at the age of 60

Michelangelo "Self Portrait "Last Judgement" in the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo “Self Portrait “Last Judgement” in the Sistine Chapel

“There can be no doubt that Michelangelo was sent into the world by God as an exemplar for thoses who practice the arts, so that they might learn from his behavior how to live and from his works how to perform as a true and excellent craftsman.”
— Giorgio Vasari, in his book Lives of the Artists (1550)

Varsi’s famous work both lionizes and sanctifies Michelangelo as “an artist of sublime intellect, infused with divine grace and knowledge.” Vasari also created many of the legendary myths of a saintly man and beatific artist who lived only for his art.

I, too, believe that we may draw direct lessons from the scope of the life and work of Michelangelo. Although not setting these entries within any numerical order to avoid a false sense of hierarchy, I maintain the foremost lesson we must remember is that Michelangelo was a working artist and thus connects to our own personal artistic experiences. I have developed a deep affinity with Michelangelo in the process of working on these posts.

This is the third installment of “Lessons from Michelangelo.” If interested, you may find Part One here, and Part Two here.  There is an overview about the Sistine Chapel that originally inspired the series here.

A "Cupid" figure attributed to the teenage Michelangelo

A “Cupid” figure attributed to the teenage Michelangelo

“The Torment of Saint Anthony,”  believed to be Michelangelo's earliest known painting. (1487)

“The Torment of Saint Anthony,” believed to be Michelangelo’s earliest known painting. (1487)

Michelangelo Lesson: Exalt the Passion of Observation

“My soul can find no staircase to heaven unless it be through earth’s loveliness.”

“From such a gentle thing, from such a fountain of all delight, my every pain is born.”

“Nature did all things well.”

Michelangelo paid special observation to the big vistas as well as the smallest details. Apprenticed to the painter Ghirlandaio at the age of thirteen, he remembered the careful study of the fish market to heighten details in  his assignments at this busy and commercial shop. Before he was twenty, he asserted that he researched anatomy directly with scientific dissection of corpse, the absolutely forbidden by church doctrine.

Michelangelo drew with an obsession and from a compassion for beauty of the human form.  He was constantly observing humanity along with his immersion in the studies of the wonders of classical antiquity. He reveled in the sublimity o the sensuality of interaction of human bodies.

Although the grandeur of his monumental figures are astonishing, they are rooted in meticulous, daily observations of life, heightened by the originality of his vision and imagination.

We can elevate our level of observation of all the senses and from all sensations that the world offers us in splendor. Dust off the sketchbook and carry it on all your many journeys. Visual art is not merely an optic manifestation, but springs forth and expresses a deep involvement in all aspects and facets of life.

Michelangelo's carved signature on the 'Pieta" of St. Peter's

Michelangelo’s carved signature on the ‘Pieta” of St. Peter’s

Another view of the placement of the signature

Another view of the placement of the signature

Another detail of the placement his signature

Another detail of the placement his signature

Michelangelo Lesson: Seek Spirit

“The true work of art is but a shadow of divine perfection.”

“I regret that I have not done enough for the salvation of my soul…..”

“True art is made noble and religious by the mind producing it.”

Michelangelo did not work for personal glorification (though he was very cognizant and careful of his artistic reputation.) The only time he signed a work was the “Pieta” in Saint Peter’s in Rome. The youthful proclamation carved on the ribbon of the Madonna when he was 23 years old read: “Michelangelo Buonarroti of Florence Created This.” (He later regretted this boastfulness.) Nor did he create strictly for his patrons (he frequently changed the scope, scale and timing of his contracts.) For him, art was a ecstatic path to explore his sense of the sublime and the divine for the refinement of his earthily life and for the development of his soul.

Michelangelo was a pious Christian who was scornful of dogmatic doctrine. He disdained false priests and the folly of warring popes. During a time religious absolutism, Michelangelo studied texts that would have been considered heretical, with the technical risk of his soul, not to mention the real possibility of a death sentence.

Michelangelo was exposed to ‘neoplatonism’ during his youth at the de’Medici villa, an art school overseen by Lorenzo the Magnificent. After the medieval shop system of guilds, this atmosphere full of opportunity of intellectual freedom, to research ‘forbidden’ subjects and to question doctrine was a heady mix.

Michelangelo believed in the Neoplatonic notion that physical beauty is manifested by noble spirit. He was also influenced by the crossing of Medieval beliefs and assumptions with Renaissance sensibility of forms, space and light. We can often see this dichotomy in his work with its poignancy of spiritual struggle combined and counted with the expression of the exaltation of the human spirit.

Consider how you might approach this the compassion of spirit with the emergence of beauty in your work.  How might you express the underlaying understanding of our time with intuition and imagination?

"The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Plants"  Sistine Chapel

“The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Plants” Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo's signature

Michelangelo’s signature

Michelangelo Lesson: Concentrate Your Artistic Identity and Endeavors

“Michelangelo, the sculptor” (how he signed his important painting contracts and his letters.)

“….sculpture (is) the lantern of painting, and that between the one and the other (is) that difference between the sun and the moon.”

Although he exceeded in many disciplines, Michelangelo always professed he thought of himself as a sculptor rather than a painter, or some hybrid of approaches. He constantly disclaimed his profession of painting, even though he is now considered one of the greatest painters in the history of European art. In the opinion of many, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel comprises the greatest masterpiece of Western Art. He recommended that all painters keep their work rigorous by doing sculpture. He asserted sculptural stone craving demanded more refined artistic judgement than painting and required the reality of hard work.

Most artists believe their discipline is the most difficult and demanding. I believe that as artists, we need to commit to a discipline in order not to devolve into dilettantism. We have to dedicate ourselves to our work and not dabble.  I do not speak of those who have cobbled their singular approach from a combination of many artistic approaches, disciplines and traditions, but of those those who try to follow too many paths at the same instant. Michelangelo expressed himself in many areas of creativity, but always held to his identity as a sculptor.

Study for "Annunciation" -- 1547

Study for “Annunciation” — 1547

"Pieta" 1550, said to be a self-portrait,  originally carved for Michelangelo's tomb -- later mutilated

“Pieta” 1550, said to be a self-portrait, originally carved for Michelangelo’s tomb — later mutilated

Michelangelo Lesson and Counter-Lesson: Take Care of Your Artist

“I feast on wine and bread, and feasts they are.” “After four tortured years, more than 400 over life-sized figures, I felt as old and as weary as Jeremiah. I was only 37, yet friends did not recognize the old man I had become.”

“Everything hurts.”

Michelangelo was not good at self-care. He was full of dynamism and energy coupled to an anxious demeanor and despair. A workaholic who undertook herculean tasks, he was haunted by a pernicious perfectionism.

His hygiene was notoriously poor during an era when daily cleanness was not paramount.  He thought of himself as aged and old half-way though his long life.  During the last forty years, he contemplated, mediated, nearly obsessed with death. He sacrificed almost his entire income for sculpture and for his family and lived in  the squalor of extreme privation in that period of few creature comforts.

Michelangelo was terrible at time management. he entertained unrealistic perceptions about the amount of time, sheer effort and costs of his commissions. He overcommitted his time and never completed many of his contracts.   The most notorious example is the “Tomb of Julius !!,” the papal patron of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The original design called for 40 larger-than-life states, several reliefs within an archituecturally detailed structure to be completed within five years.  But within the span of forty years, he produced only ten sculptures — four of which are considered unfinished.

He mania for perfectionism is cited as the reason that even though he lived a long life, was a compulsive drawer and philosophical scholar, that we have remarkably scare resources of his private work.  Two days before he died, he stoked two big bonfires in the courtyard of his studio.  When they entered the studio after his death, there was not one piece of paper to be found.  Some maintain that he wanted control of his legacy by not leaving anything that did not meet his elevated standards.  Others propose the concept that he burned his heretical studies to protect his friends and family from being themselves consigned to the flames of various inquisitions.

And yet for all his crankiness and moodiness, Michelangelo was beloved by his friends, who cared deeply for him.  There are many stories of his attending parties with other artists and of hosting celebrations where they all would play games that involved drawing.

As artists, we need to take care of ourselves in order to take care of our art practice and work. Overworking workaholism, pesky perfectionism, not eating healthfully or sleeping sufficiently will diminish the exaltation of our art.

"Creation of Adam" Sistine Chapel - detail

“Creation of Adam” Sistine Chapel – detail

Michelangelo is an enigma and a beacon. There are many aspects and questions that can never fully be answered, discovered or explored about his work and his life.  There is always something new to learn.  That is one of the marks of greatness.

Karina Nishi Marcus

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Feb. 16th & 17th Fun: Afternoon pie and art, and Sat. evening mythical beasts, with Caerus Artists Lauri Luck, Karina Nishi Marcus, and Suzanne Edminster

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Abstract Painting, Art, Art Gallery, Artist Studio, Caerus, Creativity, Mixed Media, Painting

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

"Dog House Studio", abstract narrative, acrylic mixed media, Alkonost, art theme, artist studio, creativity, dog paintings, Europa, Gallery of Sea and Heaven, inspiration, mixed media, myth and legend, narrative painting, open studio, opportunity, Pie-eyed, process painting

Nishi Marcus & Lauri Luck in front of her studio with the "Lucky": sign

Nishi Marcus & Lauri Luck in front of her studio with the “Lucky” sign

From Karina Nishi Marcus: Caerus artist Lauri Luck has invited me to exhibit with her at her at her studio this weekend: February 16th and 17th from 12pm to 3pm. This is an excellent opportunity to get a taste of both of our work plus a taste of delicious pie! If you have a moment during the weekend to stop by — we would love to chat with fellow Caerus artists, friends and family.

Come to see art -- stay and enjoy pie!

Come to see art — stay and enjoy pie!

Lauri Luck opens her studio most weekends and has generously included me for the Valentine’s Day weekend celebration. She calls these events “Come Get Pie-eyed at the Dog House Studio.” If you have not yet visited her studio you are in for a visual and gustatory treat.

Her studio is located at 2371 Gravenstein Hwy South, just outside of Sebastopol. Turn at the big yellow-ducky fabricated from an old trailer (it is hard to miss.)  Her studio building is under the “Lucky” (for Luck) sign.  Remember: You cannot get ‘pie-eyed” without pie! Lauri and I, Nishi, look forward to this festive occasion with you!

From Suzanne: After enjoying your pie and art, consider coming into Santa Rosa for The Gallery of Sea and Heaven’s Alkonost Show, 5-7 PM.  The theme is myth and legend, and the show is carefully curated to highlight visual narratives. There will be an original folktale reading, and a wild animal thing or two. The Alkonost Bird on the invitation is really fun; I love mythology, but had never heard of this Slavic woman-bird. Here is the Alkonost version and invitation from the Gallery, followed by a traditional rendition.

Opening Sat. Feb. 16, 5-7, Gallery of Sea and Heaven, Santa Ros

Opening Sat. Feb. 16, 5-7, Gallery of Sea and Heaven, Santa Rosa

She’s the Bright Siren, the one who doesn’t shipwreck you; she sits on a tree of life, has a cool crown, and sings a song that erases care and worry.

Traditional Slavic Version of Alkonost

Traditional Slavic Version of Alkonost

I have two paintings in the show, including Europa.  I hear that the Big Bad Wolf will be there.  We all need a little wolf in our over-tamed lives.

Karina Nishi Marcus and Suzanne Edminster

Winterblast 2012 Caerus Artists Open Their Studios: Nancy Dempster and Suzanne Edminster

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Abstract Painting, Art Gallery, Artist Studio, Caerus, Painting

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Open studios, SOFA Arts District, Winterblast

Winterblast in SOFA, South of A Street, Santa Rosa is a unique event. Called the “hottest, coolest” holiday celebration around, Winterblast is a free street party that includes open galleries and studios, musicians, street food, kid’s activities, and a parade of sofas on wheels around the block!  Do try to make it.  It’s Sat. November 17, 5-8 PM, rain or shine!

Two Caerus artists are showing in the Backstreet Gallery, Nancy Dempster and Suzanne Edminster.   Along with Fred Vedder, their art draws from traditions of abstraction and expressionism.   Nancy Dempster’s delicate, authoritative paintings are complex and intriguing.  If you missed her at Art Trails, be sure to see her at Winterblast.

Nancy Dempster’s intricate ribbons of meaning

Here’s a piece you can see at Winterblast at Suzanne Edminster’s new Saltworkstudio.  Check out her website tonight or tomorrow for a sneak preview of the new space.

“A History of Home” by Suzanne Edminster, on display at SOFA Backstreet Gallery and Studios

Check Saltworkstudio’s FB page for an announcement of a special before-party in Suzanne’s Studio on Friday from 5-7 PM.  We may have copies of Judy Olin’s Gathering Clouds available there.

See you at the Blast!  Suzanne Edminster

Invitation to Caerus Fall Sketch Picnic, Sat. Oct. 27, 12- 4 PM

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Artist Residency, Artist Studio, Caerus, Creativity, Painting, Studio Practice, Studio Residency

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

art and emotion, art process, creativity, inspiration, plein air painting, sketch picnic, travel sketching

Emile Claus, Picnic

You’re cordially invited to join us at noon at Spring Lake Regional Park in Santa Rosa for the first Caerus Sketch Picnic.  Your hostess is Karina Nishi Marcus and Caerus Artist Residency. Bring your notebook, travel art materials, or plein air setup, a dish to share, and a beverage.  The Claus painting above could even be Spring Lake!

Claud Monet, Picnic

Wear one elegant accesory to spice up the arty aspect of life!  And food can be pretty too.

Maurise Predergast, Picnic by the Sea

We can even paint each other if we want. Have you wanted to try out your Fauve Landscape skills on the spot?  Bring on the red tree trunks and lime sky, or work on your abstract design skills.

Juarez Machado, unknown title

In case of rain, the picnic will be moved to the studio of Karina Nishi Marcus at the Barracks. Karina will send you details on the meeting places  in a Caerus gmail, and keep you up to date on the Caerus Artist Facebook Group.  Artists, feel free to bring another art friend or partner who might enjoy the day.  RSVP here in the blog comments. You can also use the Facebook page, or shoot an email to caerusartresidency@gmail.com.

I’m shifting studio this week from the Barracks to South of A Street, SOFA.  I’ll be moving Sunday after the picnic.   If you feel like helping out, or previewing the new spot before the Winterblast Studio Warming Party, let me know.  My email is saltworkstudio@gmail.com.

Suzanne Edminster

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Directions to Caerus Sketch Picnic — We will be on the Boat Ramp side of the park: Take the Springfield Rd / Hoen entrance — Follow the signs to Spring Lake ( from Hoen turn left on Lucy, then curve around on Newanga until you reach the Park Ranger Station. Directly after that — turn left and go @ a half a mile then turn left at the “Jack Rabbit Parcourse” sign. You will see the restrooms to the left, a bench near the road and a garbage can almost directly on the other side of the road. From that marker (I will put up a sign) there is a very short path (maybe about 25 feet) to a lovely spot with two picnic tables close together. I will arrive ahead of time to get these tables. If that is not possible, there is another picnic table just a tiny bit further.

Turn Left at this sign

The bench and the garbage can on the opposite side of the road — the short path to the picnic site starts here….

The two picnic neighboring picnic tables. The weather for Saturday is predicted to be sun-full in the glory of autumn….

This side of Spring Lake is the remains of a quarry.  There are many cezannesque rock formation amidst the oaks that are alive with movement while projecting a quiet dignity.  With the rains, the lichen and mosses have been awakened to a bejeweled level. There is a formal paved path around the lake — as well as many smaller pathways to explore. The still water of the lake hosts wandering Canadian geese, resident green-necked mallards and puncuation points of white snow egrets. This picnic will also be a feast of nature.

Beauty is everywhere.

Leashed dogs are welcomed in the park.  And there are many animated grey squirrels for entertainment.

Karina Nishi Marcus

Caerus Artists in Artrails Open Studio — This Weekend and Next!

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Abstract Painting, Art, Artist Studio, Caerus, Collage, Creativity, Fiber Fabric Art, Mixed Media, Painting, Sculpture, Sketchbook, Studio Practice

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

acrylic mixed media, art practice, art process, art routine, art supplies, artist studio, Artrails, collage painting, creativity, dog paintings, inspiration, mixed media, open studio, opportunity, plain air painting, plein air painting, process painting

Artrails: October 13-14 and 20-21

The world of the studio is often cloaked from view, a private reserve of creativity. The Artrails Open Studio program allows an intriguing look into an artist’s life — not only to see a wide scope of their work — which facilitates a deeper entrance into the artist’s universe — but to discover mysteries of their materials, to glimpse into their art practice by visiting their studio and surveying the set-up, or to pose a question about their process and philosophy. We celebrate our Caerus artists who dedicate their energy in the undertaking of opening their studios and extending their generosity to promote the dialog between the general and artistic community.

For more information and to view the map to the various artists studios — please click on artrails.org.

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Karina Nishi Marcus
Studio # 119 on the Artrails map

by Karina Nishi Marcus

Caerus co-founder and abstract painter, Nishi has been participating in Artrails for 18 years.  Her studio is located in a historic Naval Air barracks. Come see her lyrical, innovative and intuitive abstract paintings.
3840 Finley Ave., Bldg. 32, Studio #225
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
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Lauri Luck
S
tudio # 110 on the Artrails map

by Lauri Luck

This is acrylic painter Lauri’s second year in Artrails — but this year, she is showing off  her new, large, sun-yellow-floored studio. Her vigorously brushed paintings explore the unique cross-connection between the humanity of canines and nature.

2371 Gravenstein Hwy South
(Studio behind Renga Art Gallery)
Santa Rosa, CA 95472
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Sandra Maresca
Studio # 74 on the Artrails map

by Sandra Maresca

This is Sandra’s first year with Artrails, but she has participated for many years in other open studios.  Her multimedia acrylics and oils depict emotional narratives, often utilizing animal personages..  She also fabricates small, soft sculptures using fiber, clay and other fascinating materials. Come and explore her different perspective.

16120 Watson Rd
(1 mi N of Main & W of Armstrong Woods Rd)
Guerneville, CA 95446
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Many Bankson
Studio # 25 on the Atrails map

by Mandy Bankson

This is Mandy’s second year with Artrials. Her acrylic abstract paintings emphasize pattern and line, interlaced by rich colors. Visit her studio and be lured by into an unknown beauty.

4809 Wagon Wheel Ln
(Cross Street Baird Road)
Santa Rosa, CA 95409
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Donna DeLaBriandais
Studio # 40 on the Artrails map

by Donna DeLaBriandais

For 23 years, Donna has been a part of Artrials.  A plein air painter, she specializes in oils and watercolors.   This year she is showing all new paintings, with only a smattering of previous artwork.  Discover the charm of her garden studio nestled in an oak grove.

2927 Old Bennett Ridge Rd.
(Off Bennett Valley Rd)
Santa Rosa, CA 95405
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Nancy Dempster
Studio # 17 on the Artrails map

by Nancy Dempster

Painting: abstract, drawing & mixed media

461 Sebastopol Avenue
Enter Alley from “A” Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
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3 Open Studio Tips to Fight the Open Studio Blues

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Abstract Painting, Art, Artist Studio, Creativity, Painting, Studio Practice

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

open studio, open studio tips, sketch picnic

Goodbye, old friend. I’m moving from the Barracks.

It’s Art Trails time around Sonoma County, and plenty of artists, including Caerus artists,  are laying it all on the line. It’s a brave thing to do.  You open your studio doors, your soul, and your wine bottles to the public, with no guarantees of financial or other success.  It’s far more work than the public ever sees, it brings you face to face with some very odd characters in your intimate space, and it’s the quickest crash course to increased professionalism that I know.

 I’m not opening my studio this year.  In fact, I’m moving Saltworkstudio from the Barracks to SOFA (South of A Street) Arts District. This brings up my own version of studio blues, and a complete spectrum of many-hued emotions. However, here I offer you my hard-won set of tips for avoiding excess stress around open studios.  They are all based on one idea– visualize the end first, and work from there.  These have saved my open studio mental state more than once.

What do you really need to have an open studio?  Throw out perfectionism.  You need paintings on the walls and a price list.  The dust bunnies or perfect party food can stand aside for a moment.

  1. Do not paint (or create) up to the last minute. This is a way of using the artificial adrenalin of a deadline to force yourself to work.  It will burn you out and produce a lingering aftertaste of drama and trauma. You don’t need the pain and you don’t need more paintings.  You already have enough paintings/sculptures/prints/drawings. Stop creating two weeks or more before your open studio date.  Mark it on your calendar and make it a real committment.
  2. Do the physical before the mental.  If you find yourself pulled in many pieces by details, do physical work, like cleaning, hanging, and framing,  before agonizing about the publicity you didn’t do or would like to do, or the great idea you had for a new improved painting label, or the need to suddenly completely upgrade your blog/website/tweets/Facebook.   You will have your own versions of these lists.  Choose the physical.  The energy expenditure will, paradoxically, make you calmer and clearer.
  3. Hang first! Hang first! Hang first! Hang and arrange your walls before cleaning or working on food.  This is part of the philosophy of going to the end first.  You won’t believe how much more peaceful you will feel once your stock is up and arranged.  It will give you a real charge of positive energy and provide a restful place for your eyes, even if the rest of the task seems overwhelming. Hang as far in advance as possible. Fool around with pesky details later.  As long as a visitor can walk in, you’re set.  Take a deep breath.  Relax and enjoy your own beautiful work for a moment.

Please let me know if any of these tips are of use to you.  Do you have any open studio hints or cautions to share with us?  Where are you right now in your open studio preparations?

Suzanne Edminster

Call to Caerus Artists in Art Trails:  Lauri Luck and Karina Nishi Marcus are both in Art Trails.  Who else is in Art Trails this year?  Please comment below and then send us one image attached to an email with one short paragraph about your current Art Trails focus to caerusartresidency@gmail.com.  On Thursday October 11 we’ll do a Caerus Artists in Art Trails post and feature your work.  Yep, free publicity!

Come join our Caerus Fall Sketch Picnic on Saturday October 27, 12-4 PM!  We are hoping to have a luxurious Impressionist-style lazy day of lounging, sketches, and potluck food and drink on Spring Lake in Santa Rosa. If it rains, we’ll meet in Karina’s studio in Santa Rosa.  Updates to come in October! Please post questions here in the comments section of the blog.

Cathy Shanahan and Dana Eaton: One Studio, Two Worlds

23 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Abstract Painting, Art, Artist Studio, Creativity, Fiber Fabric Art, Studio Practice

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

abstract quilt, acrylic abstraction, art quilt, portable studio printer, shared studio

Cathy Shanahan, detail

Dana Eaton, detail

I recently visited a beautiful studio in the hills above Santa Rosa.  A converted three-car garage at Cathy Shanahan’s home,  it provides a wonderful space for Cathy’s groundbreaking art quilts in textile and dye and Dana Eaton’s evocative abstractions in acrylic.

Large and full of light!

Studio showing Cathy’s work in progress, with Dana in background

The studio is a wonderland of light, space, and materials.  It’s enough to make another artist , like me, envious. Cathy Shanahan does revolutionary abstract quilting.  Her dyes, threads, sewing machines, and dye baths make the studio into an alchemical laboratory, with stunning results.

Cathy Shanahan, detail

Two of Cathy Shanahan’s quilts are currently on tour internationally, and she has exhibited in museum and quilting association shows.  She’s a master of her media, and she’s defining her own terms as she goes along, breaking away from traditional quiltmaking and into her own unique territory, the mark of a artist.  Tour more of her lovely work at http://www.cathyshanahan.org/. The photo below gives a good feeling for her bright spirit.

Cathy and studio buddy

Dana Eaton’s richly-hued abstractions invite the viewer deep inside a world of saturated color.  It’s so cool to see her paintings in the same studio as Cathy’s quilts, an intoxicating brew.

Dana Eaton, detail

Dana Eaton, detail

The bright spots of light in the overall composition of these works gives the eye so much to play with.  They have a dreamlike quality and one can feel an almost volcanic warmth bubbling through them.  Dana Eaton is an accomplished artist in two media, printmaking and painting. She has an impeccable feeling for repetition in form and texture, and has translated her vision from detailed, Durer-esque black and white landscape prints and monotypes into new worlds of vivid color and abstraction.  You can enjoy some of these prints at http://www.eatonstudios.com/index.html‘

Dana Eaton abstract paintings

Cathy and Dana share a studio and often work at the same time in this generous space, lending each other a critical eye and support.  I really like it when I have others round about my studio, and have been lucky never to feel overly distracted. Perhaps because more women are painting now, the notion of a more communal, friendly, shared working space is coming into its own.  I’m very happy to say that they both have been students of mine, and I’m  humbled by the quality of their work.

I’ve published more studio photos below.  Do you think you could work in a shared or partially-shared studio space? I have before, and it wasn’t hard. What studio accessory would you most like right now?  I must confess that I  loved Cathy’s tiny Canon printer, no bigger than one’s hand. It could spit out a glossy 4″ x 6″ photo immediately from your camera or phone memory card.  Cool toy!

Cathy’s tiny printer with photo coming out. She uses this as a color and composition tool!

Cathy’s dye shelf
Cathy’s rolling dye bath
Cathy Shanahan, detail

Large and full of light!
Studio showing Cathy’s work in progress, with Dana in background
Cathy Shanahan, detail

Cathy’s thread boxes
Cathy Shanahan, detail– so painterly
Dana Eaton abstract paintings

Dana Eaton, detail
Dana Eaton, detail
Cathy and studio buddy

Dana and her work
Dana Eaton, detail
Cathy’s tiny printer with photo coming out. She uses this as a color and composition tool!

Caerus Artist Christine Nora Behrens: Sketchbook Project

10 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Art, Artist Residency, Artist Studio, Creativity, Sketchbook

≈ 8 Comments

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sketchbook project

I am so thrilled to be a participant in this summer’s Caerus Artist Residency.  What a wonderful idea, and just what I needed to help my focus and commitment in general, and specifically for a sketchbook project I’m working on.  The sketchbook project will be due in January 2013 and will be housed in the New York Public Library after it tours the United States for all to see.  Please note link below to the project if anyone’s interested.
These are photos of my project to date which consists of miscellaneous pages that will be assembled artfully and interestingly into a book format.  The book spine should be 1 inch wide or less and overall size of 5×7 inches.  Fold out pages are permissable, and I have a great idea for a fold out!
My studio is fairly organized, but I’ve been doing a lot of commuting between Oregon, Santa Rosa and Sebastopol so I keep a backpack of supplies with me at all times.  On Sunday, the first day of the Residency, I was driving back from Oregon and stopped in a little town called Orick and did a quick sketch.  This will be developed further for the sketchbook.
 http://www.arthousecoop.com/sketchbookproject/
Christine Nora Behrens

Artists, join us for the Caerus Self-Directed Artist Residency this July

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Art, Artist Residency, Artist Studio, Creativity

≈ 5 Comments

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artist time management, caerus, self-directed artist residency

Artists, please join us in July to work and play in-studio for two weeks.  Caerus Artist Residency provides a framework of support, clarity, and companionship as you embark on a two-week journey deep into the heart of your art.

Caerus, God of Opportunity. Catch him if you can!

Have you ever wanted to attend a formal artist residency? The Caerus (KY-russ) Artist Residency is a self-directed artist residency done in your own studio, but within the supportive context of a community of artists working together for two weeks. You are asked to commit to an hourly work schedule and a specific project or theme.

Your studio might be a dining room table, a closet, a garage, a picnic table, or a pile of blank notebooks.  It might be a digital camera and computer, a sculptor’s toolbox, a video camera, a script to write or perform,  a needle and fabric, or a collage box. The time available to you might be six hours a day, or fifteen minutes.  Caerus Artist Residency will support you in “going to your room” for the serious play of artmaking.  

This year’s Residency starts Sunday, July 8 and runs through Saturday, July 21, 2012, with a day off during that time.  In focusing your time and efforts, you will clarify your studio work habits and heighten your involvement with your theme. This is a real residency, where you will take yourself out of your daily routine and everyday concerns, commit to a time requirement, and briefly document the process of your journey.  An exhibit, show, or celebration at completion is highly recommended.

The Caerus Artist Residency blog acts as a forum for comments, check-ins, reflections, and posting links and work.  Like a formal art residency, the companionship if other artists can be a source of inspiration, feedback and support.

Please use the Application Form at the top of the Caerus site to register.

The Call of Caerus : Clear Your Slate

23 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by Caerus Artist Residency in Art, Artist Residency, Artist Studio, Creativity, Studio Residency

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art project, art theme, artist time management, self-directed artist residency

One motto for your Caerus Art Residency would be “Carpe diem” — or more to the essence of Caerus, “Seize this Moment of Opportunity.”

Granting yourself the gift of time for the intensity of this self-directed artist residency is paramount. Put your other work and art responsibilities on hiatus during your residency and commit to the project or theme you have selected.  If you work an outside job, perhaps you might take some vacation time for yourself to go on an inner journey rather than an ordinary vacation.

We would wish to remove ourself from the daily ordinary of our current environment to gain a similar sensibility of a new location.  We need to think about how we might remove ourselves from the external habitual influences.

You may wish to mitigate your television viewing habits…or stop completely and put a veil over the screen.  Use your evening time to read, reflect, meditate about your art, your life (which is the same thing for we artists) and the future.

You might wish to remove yourself from the influence of your computer — except for keeping in contact with your fellow artists who are also pursuing their own project with the Caerus community. You might want to put your e-mail on vacation response.  You may wish to schedule your blog posts for automatic posting. Unplug as much as possible from ordinary dailiness.

Ask your household members and friends for their understanding and support as you progress in your residency.

Travel mentally on this art holiday. There will be minor sacrifices, even major challenges, but this residency is the time for you with your art.

Karina Nishi Marcus

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