Show & Tell

Show:
Hey folks, if you happen to be near Raleigh, please stop by Cameron Village Library, where my work is on display this month. I adore this library: it has provided me with acres of free reading material, not to mention the recorded books that keep my brain alive while I work on tedious bits. Without the library, I would surely be both broke & insane. Or maybe I should say broker & insaner.

I brought in lots of stuff for the show including several paintings you've seen here, some curiollages, plus a new (12x24"--big for me!) painting created for the show, a bookworm called "Voracious." The bad news is that my scanner has decided to stop working, so I can't include an image yet. The good news: Patti, the library art curator, promises that if I get it going again (please, please, please?) I can borrow the piece back & scan it so you can see it here.

Tell:
I was tagged twice last week, but due to show-prep-frenzy, Thanksgiving family stuff, & a wicked chest cold, I've been slow to get into the game. Apologies to Cynthia DiBlasi & Isabelle Gauthier for being such a sluggish player. No wonder nobody wanted me on their team in elementary school.

Here are the rules (from Isabelle):1. Link to your tagger and post the rules2. Post 7 random facts about yourself3. Tag 7 friends at the end of your post and link to them4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

The rules (from Cindy):
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention these rules.
3. Tell six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
5. Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Seven random habits of highly ineffective Leah:

1. I wear lots of hats. I mean that literally. My favorites are vintage cloches from the 20's & 30's, but I wear new ones too. In fact I hardly ever leave the house without a hat. I started wearing them because I have fair skin that doesn't appreciate sun, but I came to like the vintage look, & also the way I can hide behind them if I have a sudden attack of shyness.

2. I write nearly everything with a dip pen (Hunt's 108) . Letters, checks, invoices, my journal, even grocery lists. So far I don't carry it everywhere in my purse, but I fear I may cross that dangerous, inky line at any time.

3. I love dreaming that I can fly. Also I occasionally have lucid dreams. Either one can make me ridiculously happy for days afterwards. Now that I think of it, I should sleep a lot more.

4. I am hopelessly addicted to cryptic crosswords. I can stay away from them for a time, but I always fall off the wagon eventually.

5. I hate driving & bananas.

6. I love walking & all other fruits.

7. I'm a member of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, because I'm fixated on Alice. I was imprinted at the age of six when my folks bought an unabridged recording to amuse me when I was sick & had to spend hours a day on my back with my eyes covered. I was drifting in & out of fevers as I listened to it over & over. I have no doubt that the experience permanently warped my mind, & for that I'll always be grateful.


Since I was tagged twice, surely I should get to post extra links! Even so I've left out many favorites... someday I'll do another chapter.

1. Allison Sommers, an erstwhile history major in Virginia, whose painted (& recently, sculpted) alternate universe is peopled by curious, often disturbing longneck creatures, dressed in quaint fashion, rendered in gouache with amazing precision & rich with historical, anthropological & anatomical wonders

2. Ellis Nadler of London, a madly prolific artist, master of many styles & media, whose work is unpredictable, imaginative, erudite, often delightfully nonsensical, sometimes profoundly moving

3. Steve of go flying turtle, by day a mild-mannered art teacher in Virginia, whose superpowers enable him to fill countless moleskines with closely-observed nature studies, imaginary characters, & experiments with various styles & media, not to mention creating paintings, comics, & countless other projects in his spare time

4. Koldo Barroso, a Madrid native now living in Bellingham,Washington, whose imaginative & mysterious tales & illustrations always suggest hidden depths

5.Neil Ornstein of Snorkblog, a Canadian whose richly layered, atmospheric art (sparked by seemingly random phrases plucked from google) is always interesting & often moving

6. Dani Torrent of Barcelona, whose paintings feature wonderful swirling composition, rich color, & great imagination & feeling

7. Emily, of art of the masses, a Swedish writer-illustrator, whose pen-&-ink world features amazing architectural & natural settings, occupied by bunnies, hedgehogs, birds & turtles, & nearly always accompanied by a delightful story

8. Lisa Evans, a British artist whose dreamlike illustrations possess a delicious lightness

9. Tanaudel, aka Kathleen of Errantry, an Australian writer/illustator, whose blog includes book reviews, travel sketches, & all manner of intriguing stuff in addition to her drawings, often in scratchboard or pen & ink

10. Rima, of the Hermitage, an enchanting cross between 21st & 12th centuries, living her fairytale life in Scotland, making lovely & imaginative clocks, drawings & oil paintings, traveling in a hand-crafted gypsy caravan & documenting it all online (including the rough spots) with great wit & tenderness

11. Q Cassetti of the Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts, who creates strong, yet intricate artwork, & generously shares her experience & inspiration as she learns from illustration masters

12. Charley Parker of lines and colors, who tirelessly seeks out, researches & writes insightful articles on artists and illustrators of all eras, styles & media-- an amazing resource for both artists & art-lovers

13. BibliOdyssey, that miracle of inspiration brought to the world by Peacay, providing enough antiquarian gorgeousness to set any rare-book-lover's head spinning with every post

A Venture Into Vinyl

I've been looking at custom vinyl toys for a while now, thinking "That looks like so much fun!" This week I needed some paint therapy & decided it was time to try a toy.

So I'd like to introduce my very first custom Dunny, "Shroomy." This little guy is 2 3/4" tall, painted with acrylics, & holding a real poppy pod, also painted with acrylics. The text collaged on the back is from a dictionary.

This was just what I needed-- a new challenge, but pure play. It was tricky painting the tight curves, & even trickier collaging on a curve. This is the first time I've tried to do that, & I'm not completely happy with the results. I'll have to explore other techniques, next time. But there will definitely be a next time-- this was too much fun!

Okay, I'm just pretending that I did this for the IF prompt, but since it's a Dunny pretending to be a mushroom, it seems appropriate enough!

SOLD!

Interviewed by Steve Loya (aka Steev-o)!

I'm deeply honored to have been interviewed by the illustrious Steve Loya in his October Artist Spotlight on go flying turtle. Thanks so much, Steve! (Yes, I was late returning my answers, & even later posting this, but at least it's still October, by the skin of a vampire's teeth!)

Clockworks

This is a "curiollage" I did a few years ago for Cricket Magazine. It illustrated a very funny poem about a clock that wouldn't work. The blank yellowish parts are where the type went.

The piece was assembled from watch parts, jewelry findings, wire, a key, paper collage, polymer clay, beads, & acrylic on the back side of a stretched canvas. The whole thing was 9x12", but the part you see here (which was the printed version) is 8x10".

Sweet & Sour

"Things sweet to taste prove in digestion sour." --Shakespeare.

A quick one for IF's "Sugary" theme. First time in ages I've done one specifically for IF... and possibly the first time ever that Pepto Bismol Pink has figured so prominently in my palette!

Acrylic on text (from Foods and Household Management, 1915) on canvas, 4x5"

Skulls & Monsters!

Halloween must be near... in the past week my work has appeared on Skull-a-Day and Monster Brains! You've seen both the pieces here before ("Lungfish" & "Last Ride"), but I couldn't resist posting because I'm tickled to be in such beautifully creepy company!

Birdland

At last I've had time to paint a bit. I'd been having withdrawal symptoms! Lots of work on the computer, which is just not the same as lovely, lovely Golden Open Acrylics (my new obsession). Please click for a closer view-- the landscape details are my favorite part.

Acrylic on text (1878 encyclopedia entry "Bird's Eye View") & map on canvas, 8x10"

News Flash! This piece will be in the Visual Art Exchange show "Bird's Eye View" 3-30 October, Raleigh NC. Opening reception 3 October, 6-9pm.

Wow... I just found out this piece won third prize! I'm feeling very lucky lately. Sometimes the magic works!