Deadlines Are Good

I belong to an "artist's group"--the 12 of us met at a year-long program designed to teach emerging artists skills for marketing their art work. We bonded so well as a group, that we decided to keep meeting after our course was over to support each other as artists.

One our first endeavors was to apply for a group show at a nearby Museum; we decided to use a theme: A twelve month chronicle of the process of being an artist, from twelve points of view. After quite few months, we heard back from the Museum--they liked our proposal, and set date for the show, which we titled "12 x 12."

Our exhibit is going up next week, and I have spent the past two months producing artwork for the show. I documented this year by creating a series of mixed media inter-active "Wheels of Life". Since I am concerned about the assault on nature and the destruction of the environment, these themes recur in my art making throughout the year. I have always been fascinated with decorative patterns and illuminated manuscripts, and using these motifs I hope to give the viewer an awareness of the spiritual content of non-human life and a new way to perceive the patterns in nature that are integral to all life.

Paints, colored pencils, beads and fabric with painting, drawing, sewing, beading and embroidery techniques encourage me to fashion a series of layered circular calendars using decorative motifs. Viewers may then turn each calendar's top layer, allowing them to see through small windows to view images on the bottom layer.

My past year has been especially multi-faceted, and at times I seemed to be digging through a thick stratum in order to survive and keep creating. So I have chosen to re-create my fragmented and multi-layered artistic year by making layered images which are inter-active. Also included is the beaded box you see below (My Mother's Button Box), as well as a small art quilt--a self-portrait in buttons and beads.

Our art exhibit, "12 x 12," is at :
The Rose Shenson Gallery at the Triton Museum of Art. 1505 Warburton Ave. Santa Clara, Ca. 95050
When:
July 8 - August 5, 2006. Reception for the artists July 15th, 1:00pm - 5:00pm

If you live anywhere nearby, please do come to the reception.
If you click on the link to the right here "Visit My Group Art Exhibit" you will be web-transported to our website.