Demonstration of Pysanky

I will be doing a demonstration at a local church on the history, the symbols and the techniques of designing Ukrainian Easter eggs at the beginning of March. I have been doing this art for many years.

Landscape Triptych

Angel of Peace

I attended the screening of a documentary called Ground Truth presented by the Pax Christi organization and my soul needed to create a commemorative work to call for PEACE in our troubled world. This work is 9" X 12" in which I have recycled a fragment of my collagraph print, collaged it onto a piece of canvas which had been painted with acrylic. Once collaged the whole painting was covered with acrylic gloss medium. PEACE BE WITH YOU.

Celebrate Reconcilliation

A 4X 6 collage painting on canvas with magazine clippings incorprated and monoprint fragments. I was inspired by the beauty of the chalice.

Postcard for our precious Earth

I called this 4X 6 collage painting Love This Earth. It began as a larger acrylic painting which lost its appeal for me and so it got cut up into 4 X 6 individual postcards. Each one will somehow evolve into a finished collage. This one consists of some collaged papers, an image transfer and a real leaf all encased in several layers of of gloss medium. I guess my philosophy is never throw any art away because it may evolve into a completely different work. As an artist I am constantly evolving. Collage helps me use up my unfinished masters......

These babies just keep flying out of the studio

I feel like I am on a roll. This little 4 X 6" piece has gone through many transformations. It began as a watercolor, transformed itself into an experimental fragment to try out some metalic acrylic paints on , and kept me irritated with its incompletion. Sometimes those irritants can force the hand to keep at it. So I finished it with an image transfer and a clipping from a magazine. I call it "Swaying Under the Moonlight." As beautiful as it is, snowing outside my window, I can only dream of witnessing the swaying grasses under the moonlight.

A quote from Robert Rauschenberg

I have always been intrigued by the work of contemporary artist R. Rauschenberg. He has been a prolific producer of all kinds of art: humourous, large, small, lithographs, mixed media, combines and some controversial art. I found this quote by him and it is helping me to see things in a new light. "Restrictions aren't limitations, they're just what you happen to be working with."

Another one dedicated to our precious environment

This collage painting is 8" X8". It began as a large painting on some heavy watercolor paper. It was all red and I was stumped as to where to go. Then I decided to experiment. This often is when my most successful paintings evolve. Is it the freedom of letting go of all the cerebral stuff that allows the work to emerge? I rolled out some yellow and orange with a roller. Wow that was fun. By that time I was on a roll and I added some magazine textured paper, a transfer and some cutout leaves from tissue paper. Voila, I was done and pleased.

Volunteering and Sharing Art Knowledge

This week I was invited to the unveiling and dedication of a collage that I helped students make at the Glenbard East High School in Glen Ellyn. The students are members of a Club that is dedicated to making the world a better place and they wanted to create a collage to express their commitment to be instruments of change. They began by creating their individually designed hands, cut them out and then glued the hands onto an acrylic painted stretched canvas. They worked on the floor because of the large size of canvas. Their enthusiasm was so infectious and I was proud to be their coach. By the way none of the students are taking art due to heavy schedules of academic classes. What a pity they are missing out. They do have talent.

Ode to the Gingko

With all the attention being given to global warming and its detrimental effects on weather and nature in general I began to refocus on my interest in this subject. I have always dedicated some of my art to nature. First when I became a photographer and then when I painted landscapes, flowers and trees. My favorite tree is the gingko and every fall I make it my tradition to gather a few leaves and press them. This little collage is merely 5" X 5" on a gallery wrapped canvas. The seed pods are just another seed I gather on the beach of Lauderdale by the Sea in Florida. I included it in the collage because no matter where I go I always seem to be attracted to what falls at my feet. Enjoy.