Monthly Archives: March 2013

Glass Dress at The Renwick

Posted on by
1

scan0024First of all, thanks you guys for all your supportive comments and compliments. I truly appreciate it–you are so encouraging! It makes me want to not let you down.

So let’s see.. we all know about Cinderella’s glass shoe but did you know there’s a glass dress? Yes, there is! It’s called Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery by Karen LaMonte and it’s gorgeous. It rests on a white pedestal in the center of an octagonal room with dark red walls, high ceilings, tall skinny curtained windows and an elaborate chandelier. The room itself is impressive and the perfect setting for Karen’s dress.

trip to arlington 086Above is my version of the room; to the right is a photo of the real deal. It looks like an invisible woman lounging in a translucent dress. Quite lovely. Especially if you are there in the room looking at it. You should go.

Pillow Talk

Posted on by
4

pillow Not that I’ve been wanting to draw my pillow, BUT…at the Renwick Gallery there was, in the corner of one room, an old pillow on a pedestal. I know–unbelievable, right? But upon closer inspection, turns out it was carved out of marble by Sebastian Martorana and titled “Impressions,” trip to arlington 083Marble pillow imprinted with the shape of the artist’s deceased father-in-law’s head. Hmm…it’s kind of more information than I want, you know?

So anyway, I decided that my pillow is important too.

My Mutant Lamp

Posted on by
2

scan0020Speaking of mutant lamps, Silverthorne’s piece in my previous blog entry reminded me of my print of a similar lamp. This is a monoprint I made in a workshop a few years ago. The process involved inking a plate (we used a piece of metal flashing) then drawing a design into it which removed some of the ink. I think I used a cotton swab and a stick. Then it was put on a printing press with damp thick paper on it and rolled through the press once. Voila! Very fun.

Doesn’t it look like it belongs to the guy in The Scream by Edvard Munch? It totally does!

Visit to The Phillips Gallery, D.C.

Posted on by
Reply

Confession: I’m afraid of my blog. Well, because it’s new and I don’t know how to do stuff yet. — It was a big rush to get this up and running before I left so I could show my folks –which was stressful — too many decisions to make too fast, like trying to pick out a good snack at the gas station when everyone’s waiting in the car for you.

Which I’m sure sounds real stupid seeing as how millions of people have blogs. But that’s what it’s like being  me. My husband thankfully is managing it for me ’til I get the hang of it. Right, he’s the one waiting in that car.

Went to two galleries in DC: the Phillips and the Renwick, both wonderful. The Phillips has a “beeswax chamber” done by Wolfgang Laib — there’s a video of the installation on the gallery web site: www.phillipscollection.org which sounded so intriguing — I was picturing a free standing cocoon shaped structure when in fact it’s a small closet that’s coated in the mottled wax with a light bulb hanging overhead. Lovely amber glow.The fragrance when you stand inside is wonderful–smells like BEESWAX.

There is also an exhibit, Vanitas! by Jeanne Silverthorne who makes sculptures out of this rubbery stuff. I should stop right now and read the brochure so I can write with conviction and know of what I speak. Ok, so they are made with platinum silicone rubber, phosphorescent pigment and some with metal or wire added. FUN exhibit. Great titles. Here’s:

Mutant Lamp with Pears and Flies, 2007 by Jeanne Silverthorne  trip to arlington 060

The Cloth Napkin

Posted on by
4

scan0014The red checkered napkin… well, I kept messing up, so I started other drawings of it, but messed up more or couldn’t get the arrangement right, so I came back to this one and decided to keep going despite obvious screw-ups. The composition was nice, more relaxed. So that’s that.

I need to buy new ball pens. This one keeps leaking blobs of ink. Adds to the charm, right? Ha! No. No it doesn’t.

Copper Sea Serpent Dish

Posted on by
3

boat 2Found this funny little copper and brass dish at a thrift store. I think it’s fascinating, Reminds me of Vikings, but the sea serpent on the sides makes me think it’s from India. Perhaps a little research is in order.

I have a seemingly endless supply of interesting items I’ve gotten at thrift stores over the years. Yes, now you have a teensy idea what the inside of my house might look like. Some people call it cluttered but I prefer to think of it as “treasure filled.”  At any rate, I’m having fun drawing this stuff.

I’ve tried several renderings, and will post them. This one is micron pen and a rather muddy wash of watercolor…need to practice that medium.