The title of this post is taken from Kurt Vonnegut’s first novel The Player Piano (read more here https://libcom.org/library/player-piano-kurt-vonnegut). I’ve always liked all the versions of that quote and felt it was apropos.
The devil could not get a hold of me this past month because it has been a whirlwind of activity. Most of it great, but balanced with enough uncertainty to keep me grounded. Recently, I became involved with a brand spankin’ new arts organization on Long Island. It’s been very exciting working from the ground up with a non -profit that focuses on creating opportunities for emerging artists and keeping the arts alive in our communities.
The Greater Westbury Council on the Arts introduced itself at The Hicks Flower Show in Westbury, Long Island. This year’s show focused on displays with a re-purposing theme. In the spirit of the theme, my live painting gig had me recycling some of my own, older techniques. I was thrilled to be able to paint live on the second day of the show because flowers consistently appear in my artwork and I love recreating the colors and shapes. It’s interesting to me how as artists, our styles adapt to the media and the moment. Painting live is always fun, it forces you to work quickly. You don’t have time to obsess over the perfect line. Your eye has to capture what you want to express and interpret it, usually way out of your creative comfort zone.
For this show I decided to complete a mixed media piece with broken cd’s and used paper towels, using watercolor and pencil. On one of my many travels through Michael’s I spotted Aquaboard, a watercolor surface adhered to a rigid board. That is a lifesaver for using watercolors on an easel. Usually I have to create my backgrounds before any live event and build from there, but the Aquaboard turned out to be pretty useful, if not as fluid a surface as I normally like. Regardless, it was pretty cool to work with. I would definitely use it again, but only with a coupon. Art supplies are priced like designer shoes these days!
Here’s a few pics of the piece in progress and finished –
It ended up a lot looser than I’m comfortable with, but it felt good to get out there again.
The Arts Council had a great exhibit of Westbury based artists and Council members. They did an amazing job of setting up the exhibit, especially considering this was their first event as an organization. See for yourself –
Greater Westbury Council on the Arts @ Hicks Flower Show
You can also also visit their FB page to see more artwork and learn about the organization – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greater-Westbury-Council-for-the-Arts/503864876352161
Next Up – Picking artwork to exhibit at a movie screening, not as easy as it sounds…
Pattemade 