I'm back...

I just got back from my yoga training. I am mentally and physically bushed and trying to get a cold or something but it was an amazing time! There were more people in attendance than I have ever seen at one of these, about 30, so I was worried it would be impersonal but it wasn't. The instructor was funny and really knew her stuff; the students were eager to learn, share, and bond; and the information was enlightening and challenging. I loved it! I think I made some new friends and am ready to share my new knowledge with my yoga students.


I realize that the yoga side of my life may not look like it directly effects the theme of this blog (being my career) but it does. It is a huge part of who I am and it alters my view of my life and surroundings. Which in turn effects my artwork. Also, with the training under my belt, it affords me time to get back out to the studio. Woo Hoo!


I have been sketching more monsters, ideas for more yoga themed drawings (like the frog in lotus pose) have been bouncing around in my brain, and I have a few projects started that I would like to work on or finish. I'll keep you posted as things develop.

Influences

I just bought this cool game called Machinarium. It is about a little robot who has to find and rescue his robot girlfriend from robot bullies but that isn't the cool part. I LOVE the way this game looks! It is sketchy and the colors are muted but darn if that little robot isn't cute. Seems like lately, I have been finding all kinds of things that inspire me to paint and draw but no time to actually do it. I have big plans of spending time in the studio once I finish my yoga training course first of December. I still have a few projects in the works but like I said, little time to devote to them.

I am content with finding inspirational pieces where I can. Like the game and books on other artists. I have also been sent a few new web sites from my friends that spark the creative fires. Oh yeah, I am asking for a Wacom tablet for Christmas too and I am hoping that playing with it will produce some great work or at least something creative and different. Guess that's all a person can hope for.

Don't forget to take the time tomorrow to stop and give thanks for the gifts you have been given. Our health, happiness, family and friendships are valuable but often taken for granted.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Ho Hum

I feel like I should make an entry because it has been so long but I have nothing really important to say. I have taken things really slow since the show. It is nice to have the break and no pressing events.

I have painted a few more of my shopping totes, taken some work to hang in a used book store in Pierce City, and have a painting (Merkat Summit) hanging in the membership show in Joplin at Spiva Center for the Arts but other than that, not much going on here. I have a big yoga training coming up in a few weeks and have lots of studying that has to take place before that so I have mostly been reading. I have doodled a little and did a little work on a follow up painting to "Time and Time Again". It is titled "Time is Money" and will look very similar with the exception of its square format and different symbols.

I also have been buying art books on artists that are new to me or artists that I am interested in. I just bought an amazing book titled, "Pop Surrealism: The Rise of Underground Art". It is a photo book made up of artists associated with this movement. I really like the work these people are doing. Their work is unusual, some of it is mildly disturbing, but all of it has a unique subject matter. Their technique or "style" may not be cutting edge but what they do with it certainly is, in my opinion. They are a group of artists to be watched because I predict that they will be come the hot item and nationally recognized soon if they have not already. Some of the artists in this movement that you should check out or google would be Mark Ryden, Todd Schorr, Brandi Milne, and Shag. Ms. Milne is not found in this book but I think she should have been.

Broaden your horizons and looks at something new. Check out these artists and their work.

Now that the Fine Art Sale is over...

Well, my Fine Art Sale is over and it is time to move on to the next project. Both the attendance and the sales were great! A huge "THANK YOU" to everyone who come to look, buy, and work it with me. A special thank you to my family, Carol and Becky for working their rear ends off!


I will take some time to clean up my studio, it is quite a wreck, and then get back to some pieces that were put on the back burner due to the sale. I am also planning on putting a piece of art in Spiva's Membership Show to run in November. More details on that to follow.


As a sidebar, I am currently out of town on a yoga retreat. It runs three days and is just what the doctor ordered after stressful planning of a big event. Today we did 6 hours of yoga. I think that is some kind of record for me. Thankfully some of it was restorative (the mostly horizontal kind of yoga). I feel rested and very "zen-like" and another great side benefit of all the meditation has been a creative boost. Once I quieted my mind, the ideas just started flowing so we will have to see if anything comes of it. I'll keep you posted!

Still working on the "Sale"...

Holy cow! I can't believe it has been so long since my last entry. Sorry guys.

So on with the update. I am getting ready for a competition this weekend (to be held in Neosho) and my Fine Art Sale next weekend. I have been busy making jewelry, finishing paintings and hand painting shopping bags. The shopping bags will be my "unexpected" item at the sale. They are good sized linen bags that I am painting people and monsters on and attaching buttons for their eyes. They are funky and bright and will make a unique statement.

Here are a couple of photos of my latest pieces. I posted a peek at this painting earlier but here is the finished work. It is titled "King of Hearts".



This one is "Time & Time Again". I love the colors and the spiral flow! As much as I would like to have this one at the fine art sale, I am entering it in the competition and will not have it back in time for the sale. It is still available for purchase.




This last one will be at the sale and is called "Extruded Mugs". It has extruded aluminum pieces attached and is done in colored pencil and ink on wood panel.




All of these are smaller pieces, with the largest being "Time & Time Again" at about 7" x 19", and all affordable. Prices for these three run from $100 - $185.

Well, that should do it for now. I better get out to the studio!

What I've Been Up To...

I've been ironing out some of the many details for the Fine Art Sale/Open House this fall (October 17). The building is reserved, signs purchased, and post cards printed. That's a good start. Also, I have been trying to make creative, unique jewelry to sell. Since I only sell it this one time every other year or so, I want it to be special. I was thinking that I would only have beaded jewelry because I didn't think that I would have time for silversmithing but I should have at least a few pieces constructed from "found objects".

I needed a break from the jewelry so I started a 24" x 36" ink and colored pencil piece on wood panel. It is from a photo that I took in Taos of a blue door with hollyhocks and a ristra hanging on a gnarly post. Kind of traditional in theme but done in the style of my fairy tale series. I am really liking it so far. I will post a pic once I start the colored pencil work.

Getting ready for my fall art show...

So the push has begun for my fall art show. The past two weeks I have been making jewelry, painting like mad, and organizing details for the show. About every other year I rent our local community center and have a BIG art sale. This is the only time you can purchase my jewelry. I make it for this show only and no other time. You will also find prints, paintings, drawings, and a few surprises. This year it will be held on October 17 from 10:00am to 5:00pm so put it on your calendar now!

Want a hint for one of the surprises? Something old will be new again and in a format that will be portable. Hmmmm.

Well, I should get out to the studio. Lot's and lot's to do and so little time!

Finally Monster Pics and my latest work...

My vacation was so great that I hated to come home. It only compounded things to find it so humid and hot once we returned. But there is work to do and blogs to enter so here I am. As promised, here is a pic of my finished work, "Monsters I". It is colored pencils and ink on wood with attached eyeballs. I am really happy with the bright colors and had a lot of fun coming up with my own monsters but I must admit that I had a little help from my son. The straight jacket on the "moth monster" was his idea and he helped with the horned one.

And here is a cropped portion of what I am currently working on. Just a small taste. It still has a lot of pencil work to be done so the brown area you see is bare wood. I imagine that I will cover it all with colored pencil and there will probably be no attachments for this one. It's working title is "King of Hearts".

Pierce City Art Festival

Well, I did my first art festival. It was not so bad but what a lot of work to lug everything to a different location. I sold a few prints, which is good and got a lot of interest in my work which is even better. The turnout was best this morning, getting kind of slow this afternoon but it was hot and sticky out so I can understand it. Thanks to everyone who turned out to support our local artists. It was great getting to see everyone and making a few new friends too!

One serious down side to the whole event was my booth placement. I (and my friend Carol) were placed directly beside the Kettle Corn trailer! Oh the injustice, the horror of it all! Who can resist the smell of hot Kettle Corn?! Not me, or my son, or Carol, or any of the other booths in our vicinity! What an awful predicament! ; )

I did finish the monster painting and have a couple of pictures of the festival. I will post them once I get back from vacation. I promise!

Working on monster drawing

Wow! It has been too long since my last entry!

I am working on a final drawing using my monster sketches that I posted earlier. I changed the theme so that they are not waiting for a bus but it is more like a group photo. A lot like the composition of my "Button People" paintings. I will post the finished piece.

I am excited about working in bright colors again and am really thrilled that I figured out a way to combine my colored pencils and attachments! Do not be surprised to see more attachment work in the near future.

I am getting ready for my first art festival this Saturday. It will be in Pierce City from 10-5. Come visit me in my booth. This is kind of a rare thing...to see me exhibiting at a festival. I do not normally do festivals. As much as I love the social aspect, I really dislike the packing, toting all your crap there, setting up, then crossing fingers for good weather, for a whole day to three days. Just not my gig. But...Becky Golubski, who is putting this festival together, is a friend of mine and I told her that I would support our local arts and do this for her. I will have my "Fairy Tale Series" there as well as a couple of new pieces using the attachments and bright colors. The monster drawing will be there as well and all for sale of course.

Monster Sketches

Here are some sketches I am working on for a potential drawing. Monsters waiting for a bus, I think. It is still in the development stage and I won't know if it will become a real drawing until I get them all laid out. Sometimes I come up with these ideas that seem so cool until I get them drawn out and then I realize that it just isn't going to look like I imagine or that it is technically more than I want to get into. But you all will figure that out soon enough now that you are along for the ride!

A photo of all "Seven Women". From left to right: Becky Golubski, Kelly Moreland, Dianne Baum, Debbie Reed, Carol Shipman, Donna Roberts, and me.


The opening reception for our exhibit "Seven Women" was last night and I believe it was a big hit! I was busy from the moment I got there until the event came to a close and even some after that. I was curious to see the response to my new work. It is just so different from my other stuff that I didn't know how well received it would be. But I was pleased with the response. Of course at an event like that you usually don't receive constructive criticism but I had many people tell me that they like it as well or better than my other work and that is what matters. I did sell a piece last night and that does thrill me! Every time I sell a piece of work, I still get as excited as I did when I sold the first one.


I plan to do a few more small pieces in this same style for my fall "Open House" but I am still undecided as to whether there will be more larger ones. We will just have to wait and see. For now, I am working on monsters! I craved something different and that is what came to mind. I will share/post some of my sketches as soon as possible. Expect whimsical and light hearted monsters, not creatures of nightmares.

What's next?

Thursday we hung our show at Spiva. I think it looks pretty good. I took more work than I thought I would need but was able to hang all nine pieces. You will find different sizes and price points ranging from $42.00 - $865.00.

Now I am ready to do something a little different. It will still be working on the Trupan/MDF wood panel but with more color and a funkier subject matter. I am influenced by graffiti so there may be elements that have that flavor. Once I make sketches, I will post them so you can see the progress. I have also been told that it is time for me to go back to using attachments and to do "Button Paintings" again. We'll see how things pan out in the sketching phase.

New Work

Here is one of my new pieces that will be at the Spiva show. It's title is, "...there is a path that leads to a gate." If you aren't familiar with my previous work, you can check out my web site, www.mdesutter.com, to see the difference in my older pieces compared to the new ones. I begin with a sketch on a light weight MDF board, then ink in all my lines, and finally color it in with Prismacolor and Caran d'ache colored pencils. Each piece is given 4-6 coats of protective, UV coating when I am done. This one will not be framed but hung as it is.

"Seven Women" Show

I am part of an upcoming exhibit and I wanted to share the info with all of you. Six of my friends and I, hence the "Seven Women", are putting together a show for Spiva Center for the Arts, in downtown Joplin, Missouri. Each of us have vastly different techniques, mediums, and styles so there will be something for everyone. The new work that I am displaying is something completely different for me. As though working my colored pencil on wood panels with ink isn't a departure enough, my subject matter and color palette are different. Landscapes in earth tones with a fairy tale feel. I am looking forward to getting feedback on my new work so try to set aside an hour or so to stop by take a look at the show.

Our exhibit will run in the "Upstairs Gallery" from May 3 - May 29

Opening reception for the exhibit: Friday, May 15 from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location: 222 W. 3rd St., Joplin, MO. Spiva's hours: Closed Mondays, open Tues. - Sat. from 10 am - 5 pm, Sun. 1 pm - 5 pm.

Be sure to check out the exhibits in the Main Gallery and Regional Gallery too!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I am very excited to be starting a journal to chronicle my art career and to share it all with you! I have always been a "journaler" so blogging seemed to be the next logical step. I plan to make entries that show the progress of my work, ideas that I am bouncing around for new pieces, and any other important subjects of interest. I will try to keep it mostly art related but we all know that art is a reflection of our lives so there may be times that the entries run more personal.

Please check back often to see what I am working on and I hope you enjoy my blog!
Michele