Where I landed. Where I go.

My feet are back on the ground, I think. It's been a long lingering month or two where things were so busy that I had to be disciplined just to finish all the tasks on my plate. Chris and I got married and that required my complete attention. After a simple family ceremony in our yard, we went to Maine and had a few days of wonderful surf to unwind. Immediately upon returning, it was the start of college and I had to pull myself together to teach Design at COBY two nights a week instead of 1. Meekly, I post on this blog, but I feel guilty for letting things just die here. I continue to do this periodically. I am not sure about the overall future of this forum....I  am still weighing out where I am going from here.

I did a small showing of art at the Harvest Fest in Sharon Springs over the weekend. The Harvest Fest was not exactly the best art forum, but I did want to show these pieces to the local folk that live in the town that the art was about. I got to talk to various people about Sharon Springs and I even sold a couple of pieces. As I put things away in boxes to bring down to the Elephant Bistro in town, I really felt the urge to just put this work to rest. I have already shown it and I actually am tired of it all. The Bistro, however, really wanted to have some pieces hanging in their restaurant, so I brought them down there. Regardless of this strategy, it does feel like it's the end of an era. It's the end of the Sadler era and it's time for me to move on to new ideas and formats.

I felt badly about not selling more this weekend and I had to sit back and think about reality.

The one thing I did sort out over the weekend is my own thought process, which isnt' working right.

I do art to express myself and as I do this, I could care less what anyone would think of the completed work. I go for a particular "look" and when I achieve it, I toss the canvas aside and move onto the next unfinished puzzle. When I feel I have completed a body of work, I take it to a gallery to show/sell. I take these artworks and present them to the public where I now expect them to like it---no, love it-- and perhaps even purchase it. 

When I create, I could care less about anyone else. But afterwards, I am trying to sell to someone else, and honestly, what nerve!! I expect them to like my viewpoint, and the way I presented it, and also to buy it and love it like it's there own. I am looking to be rewarded for being me. No wonder it's such a bummer when art doesn't sell, or when someone doesn't exactly like what you do. You really put yourself on the line. There's no way to avoid this I don't think. 

So there are 2 ways to go on from here.

1. Cater to the public. Figure out what sells, figure out what people want, and give it to em. Not sure if this is anywhere near as personally satisfying. But, if out society decides merit upon how much money we make, then this is definitely the answer. Lots of money = good artist.

2. Do my own thing, and suffer the consequences. If it sells, good. If it doesn't, who cares? I got my satisfaction out of the creation anyhow.

My new husband says that art is my therapy and that I probably would stop doing it if I did it just for sales. I tend to agree. But this doesn't help the wallet! And somehow this whole sales thing seems to tie into the money thing. And the money thing ties into the self worth thing. And the world goes round.

"Thinking of Ewe"

Steve Specht here...
On Saturday October 1st, Sculpture Space, located in Utica, NY will be holding its annual CHAIRity auction. Sculpture Space is an internationally lauded residency program for sculptors (see www.sculpturespace.org). I have been donating pieces to this great cause for the past 10 years. I usually do a piece of painted furniture and for the last couple of years did a collage as well. This year I have done this piece for the event. It's entitled "Thinking of Ewe" (14" x 11"). I'm hoping that two people like it enough so that it will bring in a respectable amount for Sculpture Space. It's a great event and is the closest that Utica ever gets to feeling like New York City (in my humble opinion). Enjoy!

Black and white?

Steven Specht here...
This piece is 14" x 22" and I think I will entitled it "It's Not Always Black and White". The reason for this title? Each of the elements - with the exception of the starry space element- is taken from a book or paper that made it appear to be black and white. However, although the pieces were monochromatic, they each had different hues. The woman is somewhat purple. The fetus is yellowish (aged paper). And the roses have a Payne's gray hue. I love the interplay of these subtle colors in this piece. Enjoy!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW COUPLE!!!

Best wishes from Steven Specht! Enjoy the day... and the rest of your lives together!

Takacs Shell Starship

Takacs Shell Starship, a photo by misphit on Flickr.

Time is winding down and the available free time i have has disappeared. I have been preparing for my wedding which is next weekend. My husband shall receive some gifts of art. This piece is the cover of the little album I have been working on for him. I will be handing a miniature version out as a wedding favor.
The ocean is calling me, and as I sit on the coast of Maine, I shall be collecting ideas, images, and emotions for my next work. I have had hardly any time this summer with both my daughter and I getting married, but let me assure you, absence makes the heart grow fonder...and I cannot wait to get back to my artwork!
I'll be back soon, with a new name and a brand new attitude!

Old Forge exhibit

Steve Specht here...
Boy I really do not want to "displace" Julie's stunningly beautiful self-portrait collage, but I hope she'll understand. We got very little publicity for this up-coming show (and perhaps some of you will be interested). I will be part of a three-person exhibit this month at The Old Forge Library Gallery with Suzanne Firsching (sculptural wall hangings) and Victoria Zacek (fiber artist). The opening reception is the Friday (Aug. 5th) from 5:00-8:00.

Mother of Pearl

Mother of Pearl - she plays the oyster harp

Such a difficult thing....doing a self portrait...I rarely do them. This was one of the few times that the vision in my mind actually matched what ended up on paper. This piece is for the wedding album. A real gift! 

workshop opportunity

Steve Specht here...
I am very pleased and excited to notify anyone who might be interested that Jonathan Talbot will be offering a two-day collage workshop at Utica College next April 21st and 22nd (2012). This is a great opportunity to learn from one of the best! Go to Jonathan's website for a more detailed description and to read comments and see work from previous workshop participants (including me!). http://www.talbot1.com/workshop/index.html

ABAD 23

A Book About Death is still quite alive. To quote the ABAD-23 site...


"The ABAD Project was born in 2009 at the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in New York City, the brain child of Paris-based American artist Matthew Rose. ABAD has since grown into an international art movement that continues to sweep across the US and the world. It has traveled to Brazil, Belgium, the UK, Croatia, Italy, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Mexico, touching artists everywhere.
This will be the 23rd ABAD worldwide, the first on Long Island’s beautiful South Shore."

I participated in the first exhibit, but have not been in any of others. It was time for another round. So I did a pair of works for this exhibit and I tried to use as much symbolism as possible. For this project, the artist is instructed to provide 2 pages, one for the exhibit and one to be bound in a permanent book..."thereby furnishing an Omega to the Alpha of the Unbound Book of the original show".

On the fronts of my 2 pages, for the base paper I used a grave rubbing. Pen and ink and acrylic add a splash of color, while black mourning lace adds a bit of drama . There's a nude male on one page and a nude female on the other--symbolizing the equality of death. Both figures are literally in bondage, and also exhibiting the "ties that bind" with threads--where I have stitched the front page to the back page.

page 1

page2

The back pages consists of portions of a cemetery log book. One of these is particularly endearing and charming, mentioning a certain "John Burrly, buried in the old ground by side of his wife. $5.00 paid the association for that privilege."

back2

back 1

It's all still quite amazing to me, how the emotions about death of one man, in this case Matthew Rose, grew into a worldwide phenom, which is far from dead. Ray Johnson was the originator of the whole concept and although he is gone, his ideas and thoughts live on also. Perhaps this is the ultimate irony of it all, and I sometimes wonder if Ray knew this. It's all such a delicious mystery, the unfolding of life and death!

I send this package to the gallery today on the 13th. For you Ray.

More exhibit information can be found here on the ABAD 23 website.

nautical kiss

nautical kiss, a photo by misphit on Flickr.

Notice, the dates on the vintage journal correspond to the dates of our trip...

Shellstar machine

Shellstar machine, a photo by misphit on Flickr.

Aaaah. The Days of Summer 2011.
So far my days and nights consist of dreams. I am in a land within my head, and dreaming of ocean love. My fiancé Chris and I are getting married next month...August 20. Our honeymoon will be spent in BoothBay Harbor Maine. I am making this special wedding album for my husband-to-be. It's been fabulous fun to be back on the collage table after the rigorous exercises I have put myself thru as of late. I cannot believe how the inspiration just gushes when my mind is "in" something. I am so very excited, so this art feels like an overflowing tsunami.
Please enjoy this page from the wedding album. It's my personal fave.

To The Power of N... revisited

Steve Specht here...
I've been selected for this great event! So excited and nervous at the same time!
http://collagista.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/to-the-power-of-ncall-for-submissions/

Failure... or is it?

Steve Specht here...
So I spent a good portion of the day cleaning my studio space a little and just sort of getting back into the swing of things with my collage efforts. I actually did two collages today. One was done in the spirit of my friend and fellow collage junkie Julie Sadler. Her collages are awesome and they are quite different in style compared to mine. Her process- which she uses to great effect-- is much more "free form" and she lets herself explore more that I do in my meticulous ways. So I decided to try to "let go" a little and work without much planning. The result I think turned out okay. Then I decided to finish a piece I had started a little while back. This piece is a bit more in my "voice". It's also the smallest collage I've made (measure 2" x 5"). Enjoy!

Schwitters

Steve Specht here...
I will keep this post very brief, so as not to overshadow Julie's recent interesting crystal post. I realize this is VERY 'late notice', but if you get a chance to see the Schwitters collage exhibit at Princeton University art museum, SEE IT! Its phenomenal! Bad news is that it is only up until the 26th. See my blog for more coverage...

Crystals of Resistance & the Process

Altho it really isn't collage, I want to mention one of the things that are currently fascinating me...and this is the website of the massive installation by Thomas Hirschorn at the 2011 Venice Biennale. The title of his masterpiece is "Crystals of Resistance". It's a huge installation created in the Swiss Pavilion, made of raw materials placed in grand scale. He uses many visual cues to reinforce his basic premise, and they all equal a very powerful exhibit that has enchanted me even just by viewing on the internets.

You are inside a geode. Crystals poke from every direction.

In addition to all the imagery, he has this website that accompanies it. In the site, he supplies many documents and sketches and illustrate the birth of his idea and the evolution that followed. He goes into detail and writes about the project and the meaning of the various dioramas he creates....he supplies a book list of the books that he read that influenced his work. It's a huge treasure trove of his process.

Crystals of Resistance website home page

It's all about the process.

He tells a tale on the Schema page that relates to a time in his past when he witnessed children selling crystals....
I was moved. It was a simple tale, but the fact that he shared it helped me follow along his train of thought, and allowed me a glimpse of his work from another dimension.

My attempts at documenting my not-so-recent Mohawk Valley pieces on Tumblr was an extension of this idea where I am sharing the process. I am not achieving this nearly as well as Thomas Hirschorn with his massive and thorough website exposé!

At first glance, the exhibit appeared to be harsh to me, the appearance of the raw tape and foils and the fact that he makes no attempt to hide it at first jars me and makes me snarl. But I am enraptured by the crystals, since I have a fondness for them, being a Herkimer Diamond fiend.....so I keep looking through the pictures and it all begins to make sense. This is how art is I think. Art used to be something that hung on a wall and looked good. We are living in new times! I am learning to embrace them.

The Artist's Reception for Steven Specht at Arkell

Visitors absorbing into each collage illusion

The gloomy weather did not prevent a small crowd of art lovers from attending Steven Specht's reception for his show at Arkell. With these fiery works to view, it didn't matter what the weather was doing… we were in Steven's little stellar world for the moment.
As I entered the gallery, I was happy to see a large supportive group studying the work. He stood graciously before his most recent accomplishments, with the gallery's stone wall providing a great neutral backdrop for showing  some of his newest collages.

The fabulous Steven Specht and his muse Mary Carol Murrie Durr

I purposefully took in each work and mentally noted various things…such as the finely polished surface of each work, the soothing color combinations and the humor infused within. The stellar additions to some of the pieces tickled the scientist in me, and I enjoyed his realistic depiction of everything constellatory! My foray's into the celestial usually mimic astrological themes…so seeing full planets and moons with craters was inspiring.

I really liked this pair, but my photo does not do justice

Enchanting the viewers with his crazy meticulous style, he allows the viewer to really believe the tale he is telling…It's magical.

more on inspiration (not "moron inspiration")

Steve Specht here...
I posted something similar a few months ago; but I think it is worth reposting some new images and showing how raw images serve as initial inspiration for some of my pieces (because the MOST common question of me is "Where do you get the ideas for your pieces?"). Here are a couple of images that I got from a vintage French story book. They both inspire me in an "invasion" kind of way. Of course the window in one of the images will most likely be replaced by some spacescape. The lighting is awesome and it provides me with a nice 3-D illusion. The one with the woman walking the dog is quite thought-provoking as it is, methinks. I've illustrated here how just adding a circular element (it's technically two related elements) with stark color contrast can enhance the "collaged" image immediately. I will probably be working on these images over the next couple weeks-- exploring images and experimenting with placements. I will try to post intermediate images in the progress (but I can never guarantee that "documentation Steve" will be at the side of "creative Steve"-- perhaps fodder for another post). Enjoy!

ABAD: Kickstarter

Remember the Book about Death? This exhibit has grown to unbelievable proportions..how ironic that something about death should promote shuch growth...
Mr. Rose, with his boundless enthusiasm, has started quite the phenom.
There's a new facet to this project that is now in motion.  LuAnn Palazzo is trying to drum up support for this project. It's a fantastic and worthy cause, so if you have a dollar or two to spare in the name of ART-- because, you know, the govt. is reducing art aid by the millions of dollars--could you possibly donate?
I quote from kickstarter:

ABAD has since grown into an international art movement that continues to travel across the US and internationally. ABAD has shown in Brazil, Belgium, the UK, Croatia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mexico. It has spawned dozens of collaborative exhibitions on three continents.

This new exhibition celebrates THE TIES THAT BIND all living things universally through death, as well as the creative ties which now bind thousands of artists that literally reach around the world.

The Bay Shore, LI exhibit will feature for the first time new work from worldwide artists that are actual book pages like Ray Johnson originally created in 1963, and NOT postcards. The pages will be bound by the curator into a handmade volume and displayed at the exhibition, thereby furnishing an Omega to the Alpha of the Unbound Book from the original NYC show.

There have been many performance pieces included in these shows but never any music. For this show, I would love to feature some live New Orleans Funeral Jazz! That is primarily what I am raising the money for. I also need to print up posters and fund publicity and other items for the opening reception.

Congratulations Steven!

I am very excited to attend Steven's upcoming show at Arkell in Canajoharie, NY. I am certain he's put a lot of thought and effort to the pieces he will be showing. I am psyched that the gallery in my lil 'ole town is so cool, and I am happy to welcome Steven to Canajoharie!
I will post more with pix after this weekend, but I just wanted to give a shout out to the monkeybrain here online, in case anyone is nearby and can make it.

Here's the google map...if you plan to attend. Cya there!

View Larger Map

Edgey

Steve Specht here...
I thought that some people might be interested in a brief "lesson" in collage technique (although I'm probably preaching to the choir). I took photos while I was creating "Delicate Rana" (i.e., the blue frog piece) to illustrate the importance of covering edges in collage. Here you see the white edge of mat board on which the collage was created. Simply by using matching paints to cover these white edges, you get a much "cleaner" look which results in more powerful impact (imho). I use a ripped off piece of a foam "brush" for best results (if you use a standard paint brush, it's more difficult to keep paint from "straying" onto the surface of the collage). Enjoy!