Starting a new series...And you may already be a winner! (Read through to the end to see how.)
I have begun a new series that is linked to my limited and perhaps naive understanding of recent world events. I am generally apolitical but, I have been compelled to make some artwork based on my concern for children around the world who are facing hardship, family separation and total uncertainty about their future.
As I was pondering the situations while driving, the song “Little Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp came across my Pandora station. I realized that what I wanted was for everyone, everywhere to have a little pink house. A place where they would have a gentle life, kindness, safety and love. The color pink, in my opinion, represents all of these things.
And so I set out to create a series to express my concern. My progress is coming along well and my next step is to find an organization that would partner with me to use my art in a fundraising effort to help children have safe and gentle homes. It must be non-denominational - because I am struggling with this world-wide situation. I am open to suggestions. If you have some, feel free to share them with me.
For the time being, I am focused on making the art that will hopefully help fund some programs to help those who could benefit the most.
Hand dyed cottons, vintage linens, overdyed commercial fabrics and piecing and applique techniques. I still have some free motion and hand stitching to do.
Here are some goodies for you to check out from my website, YouTube channel and studio. Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a creative weekend.
If you would like to hold on to the last bits of summer, here is a new series that incorporates my beach finds.
Here is my latest You Tube Video with some ways to save money if you work with acrylic paint. Some of it relates to oils as well.
Last but not least, as a subscriber to my newsletter, you are currently entered to win a piece of my original artwork. It is part of my Gratitude Giveaway and I will draw the name of a winner on Thanksgiving Day and contact the winner via email. Stay tuned and watch for the email on Thanksgiving Day. Here’s a picture of the 10” X 10” piece of art. It’s ready to frame in whatever style frame suits your decor and I will be mailing it out right after Thanksgiving.
Constructed of hand dyed cottons, cross weaves and vintage buttons, this piece is part of my Simplify series. You can see a video about the series here at my You Tube channel.
Art and Ice Cream
For the past few weeks, I have had my show at The ARTery Gallery in Milford, PA. Once a year, I pull together my work and present it for public inspection and critique. It’s a daunting task. Not only because it requires a lot of work but, more so because it is an exercise in vulnerability. It’s as if I say to the gallery visitors, “Hi, this is my inner voice. My self-expression and the product of my recent efforts and skillset. What do you think?”
What the viewers don’t see is the whole picture of my artwork. They only see the finished product. Which is fine. That’s what I decided to show them. Because when I buy an ice cream cone, I know there was a cow, a farmer, a truck driver, an ice cream craftsman and a freezer builder involved. But in the end, I just want to enjoy my ice cream cone.
The dye stained fingernails and painted hair as I scratched my head is for my eyes only. The artwork that went in the trash bin or is sitting in a drawer, unresolved and unprepared for public display is not open to critique. They don’t need to see the dirty water and brushes that need cleaning. Or the mat cutting and tedious framing process. They don’t have to watch me as I ponder and stare at artwork that has yet to be resolved. The art should be like an ice cream cone. It’s just meant to enjoy.
That said, I hope you will come out this week and enjoy my work – it comes in many different flavors and I thoroughly enjoyed making it, both for me and for you.
“Artists’ Notes” Exhibit Dates: August 12th – September 6th 2021
The ARTery Gallery
210 Broad Street
Milford, PA 18337
Gallery Hours:
Monday and Thursday 10 – 5
Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10 – 6
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Collage Pieces Newly Posted
As I continue to build the website gallery and shop, I am posting three pieces that are available in the Collage Section of the Shop. These are a combination of collage and acrylic painting. All of them are on 2” thick cradle boards.
My work is a series of decisions that are taken one at a time. I make one decision and add something (or edit out something) and then take a look at what happened to the overall piece. Only once I have seen how the piece has changed can I decide what it needs. It’s a bit like cooking at times. Does this need salt, spice or a bit of butter to make it yummy? Except it’s more like does this need collage, pattern or a line to make it balanced?
You can visit my shop by following this link:
https://www.claudelarsonart.com/shop/collage
Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question on this blog. I appreciate your visit and love to hear what you have to say. Thanks and have a great day!
Seeing Red 9” X 12” X2”
Seeing Red Side View
Circle Play 8” X 8” X2”
Circle Play Side View
What’s on the Inside? 6” X 6” X 2”
What’s on the Inside Side View
Never underestimate your ability
I wanted to build a website. That’s a really straightforward goal these days. Some people will go so far as to say that if you aren’t on the Internet, you don’t exist. I had a lot of companies offer to do it for me and the price range was wide! I decided instead to trust in my ability to problem solve and read and research and focus.
If you want to pay the nice people who will do it for you because you just don’t want to, then you should. But, I’m here to tell you that you can probably do a lot of it yourself. Sure, you’ll have to watch some video tutorials and you’ll click a bunch of stuff for a while before anything makes sense. But little by little, I build a website. It probably has some little typos or issues - but the beauty of that is now I know how to correct them. If someone else had done it for me, I’d be really lost. And possibly paying them to continue to help me.
I feel like building a website is a lot like creating my art. I start with the basics - fabric, paper, canvas, paint, tools and then I do stuff little by little until the artwork appears. It’s not an easy process but, as I go I learn stuff. I use what I’ve learned to help me solve problems later and I don’t get worked up over little things that need correcting later.
For today, apply this to your tasks. Before you ask anyone to help you do something, read up, watch a helpful video or just fiddle around until something works. You have great ability - and the more often you use it the greater it is. However, the more often you let someone else solve your problems, the less likely you will be to solve them yourself.
Thanks for joining me here on the newly located blog. Please leave a comment so I’ll know you’ve arrived!
Every ending is actually a beginning…
I’ve been blogging my art process and experiments for quite a while. Now, as I start my website, you can visit my older blog posts by clicking the button below. Going forward, I will be posting right here in one convenient place so you can find everything you want or need with just a couple clicks. Thanks for following along with me!