Art Swap - USA edition

I am friends with a lot of terrific artists from the art doll making community.  One of these friends suggested a paper based swap and I jumped at the opportunity.  I sent each of my partners a different 1ft x 2ft wallpaper sheet from my designs.  In return, these treasures arrived in the mail.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Untitled by Cody Goodin, digital image

Untitled by Dot Lewallen, bead, marker, ink, paper collage

'Doodle Do' by Emily Eckel, linocut

'Out in the Garden' by Karen Mallory, collage

 

Birch Trees by Judi Wellnitz, mixed media on paper

Artist Spotlight: Maryse Lörtscher

Mosaic Series, March 2014, watercolor, collage, ink, pencils by Maryse Lörtscher 

January 2015

Recently I was able to connect with Maryse Lörtscher, someone who lived in Senegal when I first arrived.  I did not get to know her there but friends connected us in Ghana.   Like me, Maryse is a world traveler.  She has lived in Mali, Haiti, Oman, Senegal, Indonesia, Egypt as well the United States where she will be moving shortly.
Marsyse studied biochemistry in her early years and later studied art, first obtaining a BFA in printmaking/drawing then an MFA in painting.  Her printmaking background predisposes her to create a lot of series on a theme.


detail

I discussed with her some of her thoughts behind her artwork.  She reflected that her interests studying biology and chemistry early on perhaps explain how her work evolves to sometimes microcosmic renditions.  She also mentioned that her mixed media- collages and painting- derive from the interest in "shadowing the information", something is erased and to writing that she refers to as asemic writing or pseudo writing.  She explained 'My work refers to altered communication.  You can see ghost images through and then make connections between the marks, symbols, images and text.  Trace of memories and events in my life.'
 

detail

Collaged images layer in combination with paint and the psydocalligraphy to peek through.  Those collaged elements come from museum pamphlets acquired from all over the world, her late father's stamp collection and magazines collected during her travels.  Many of her works have a strong fiber or fabric element as well.  She mentioned that quilters frequently pin her work on Pinterest as inspiration.  Color play is also a strong mark of her work.

The painting below, Writing on the Wall, symbolizes the signs of events to come, good and bad.  Many of her works are stories and expressions of her internal musings.  Maryse, however, prefers viewers to tell their own stories when looking at her work.  She says 'I don't consider my interpretation of my work to be the best.  My work is not there to pass on a message.'


Writing on the Wall 2011

More of her work can be found on her Facebook page or her website.

You can also view many more works and follow her work on Pinterest. 

*note Maryse spells her surname alternate ways, Lortscher and Loertscher.

Writing on the Wall detail 2011

Writing on the Wall detail 2011

recent works on paper

watercolor, ink and collage

Small Things: Plants and Microorganisms

Haven't had a lot of time for crafts recently but ATCs are just the kind of art one can do with a small amount of time.  (If you haven't heard about them here is a little info.)  The guideline for this swap was to have a cut-out and an add on item.  I really enjoyed learning more about foraging while in the US this last year so I thought that would be a great theme for this card.  I used a page from my old, worn copy of Peterson's A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central North America that had fallen out for the middle ground.  The trillium is a pen and watercolor pencil drawing displayed in the cutout of the text.  I added more forgeable plants on top in the form trim, drawing and beads.

Forage ATC

I also had some excitement in that I won the ATC giveaway from Bridget.  This was her Additive/Subtractive Book Page card from a 1953 yearbook about Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.  Nicely done!

And on to other small things, this week, on Spoonflower, is a Microorganism design contest.  My younger son was excited about this theme and asked to help design my entry.  He did all of the drawing and I am responsible for the color of this small scale ditsy design.  Please consider voting.

Old School Vibrant Microorganisms

 

Senegalese Artist Profile, Baye Djiby

Djiby Ndiaye also known as Baye Djiby is a conceptual artist in the art group Du Benn with Amary Sobel Diop. He said he calls himself this because it means father and that places him in the context of family, a context everyone is familiar with. 


"The One Who Dreams"

He was born in Saint Louis, Senegal and trained at the National School of Arts of Dakar.  He will be participating in the Biannale "OFF" Exhibition in 2014.
His paintings are mixed media using photographs he has developed and washed out.  He discovered the technique by accident when he came across some water damaged photos in a cupboard.  He uses the photos to explore concepts of inward and outward identity and representation. He also explores duality by incorporating photographic negatives to use as as stand in for literal 'negatives' and the developed photos representing to the positive attributes.  He states "by transcending duality and working towards peace, I can leave the negative behind." 

"The Ladies Game"

 

"The Interior"

photos from a series of five on the theme Mutation

Mixed Media Senegal Style

This is my first work inspired by Suzi Blu's mixed media style and a trip to Goree Island.  I was introduced to the style in a swap-bot swap.  This picture is a mixture of paint, oil pastels, color pencil, ink, collaged paper and sequins on watercolor paper. 

Happy Valentines Day!

In honor of valentines day I am posting a couple of small projects with romantic themes. 

First are three small hearts (~4 in.) for a hearts for a Dollstreet Dreamers heart exchange.  Each heart is made with a different African wax print fabric that I hand drew and then machine stitched. I painted each portrait with kissing lips using Jacquard acrylic fabric paints and added detail with Micron and gel pens.  I embroidered X's and O's, the traditional letters representing hugs and kisses on each heart.  I then embellished each piece with beads collected from South Africa and the United States.

 My second project is for yet another ATC swap with a mermaid theme.    The cards are drawn with colored pencils and ink on card stock.  These drawings are inspired by my daughter and her love of princesses.

Red Swap

My first swap of the year with swap-bot.  The swap guidelines are for piece of art at least 5 x 5 inches in which the predominate color must be red.  This work measures about 7 1/2 x 8 1/2.  I began by painting a red background on watercolor paper.  I then stamped the paper with browns and golds to add subtle detail.  I hand-drew flowers with black Micron pen over the stamping and then added some paper collage elements and tissue paper for texture.  The figurative elements are drawn with oil pastels.  The last details were the sari fabric scraps I sewed and glued in place.
Below is the wonderful artwork I received from my partner, Bug. The heart is an impression of a hand carved stamp.  She has used embossing ink to give it a little texture.  This is one of my favorite swap-bot pieces.