Ideas

I'm often asked is, "where do you get your ideas?"  And although I couldn't pinpoint where they come from, they often happen in a similar way.  Usually I am just working through a mundane part of the process on a current piece, my brain wanders off...and pop pop pop they just start coming.

I'd like to do this, I could do it like this, on this, the title could be this, or this, or this...and the whole piece just erupts.  I scramble for paper, or in the case of a few minutes ago, rush back to the studio to write notes.  Because they often start to vanish as quickly as they come.  Ideas that have been sparked by interstate driving are pretty much lost, until they are triggered again.  If they are triggered again.

The piece above, didn't come quite that quickly.  It made me work for it a bit.  The title is "The Initiation"

The dress has a repeat pattern of mouse traps, directions are stitched on the waterfall photo.  Oh, and the not so subtle ring of fire. This piece will be shown for the first time at the Des Moines Art Festival.  You can see my summer show schedule here!

Thanks for checking in.

Collaborating

I'm not really sure how it happened.

But I am starting a collaboration in clay.

Minneapolis ceramic artist Kyle Osvog and I have been tossing ideas back and forth for months, trying to build things that showcase his forms, and incorporate my linocut prints.  The learning curve has been steep, especially for me.  Paint and printing inks are one thing, glazes and underglazes are a whole different beast.  I have had failure after failure.  Ugly glazes, uncooperative transfers, and stuff that just blew apart, fell off, or simply stuck together.

But things are starting to work a little more often than not.  

So, I'm going to keep trying.

You can see a bunch of available work in my Etsy shop, and more work will be coming down the pike soon.  Take a look HERE to see what's available, and consider purchasing a piece to keep the process moving forward!  These won't be going on the road to any major shows soon, so if you want one, the Etsy shop is the place to go!

And have no worries, the paintings will still be coming, but I think the crossover from one medium to another will be interesting to watch.  Thanks for checking in!

The Destructive Little Bastard

Linocut prints of dead birds in the background, paired with a photo transfer of a vintage photo begin this piece.  Stitched antlers, a beaded box around his heart, and a line of painted split cherries carry it through.  The weapon of choice, a child's toy hoe, hangs below.

Approximately 24" x 48"

Available

New Year, new thoughts.

It's that time of year where I unwillingly find myself confronting all the New Year's traps.  Looking back at all the successes and failures of 2015.  Trying to figure out what went wrong, and what went right.  I say I don't make New Years Resolutions, but I kinda do.  They are the standard ones, I'll be more organised, get more exercise, convince myself I'm going to make better work, better business decisions, read more... oh, and stop procrastinating.

Of course few of these things stick, by February I am hunting for paperwork, drying paintings with a blow dryer, and my only reading seems to be articles online.

Maybe this year will be different, I've tidied the studio, made to do lists, I've even made some work already.  I have applied to all the shows I want to be in between now and July.  Yup, applications ore often due 6-7 months before the show.

Speaking of, this coming week is a big one.  One of the big Accept/Reject weeks.  The week that many of the sweet summer shows that I really want to be in start sending out the results from the jury process.  That sweet little *ping* in my inbox either reads...Congratulations!  Or, We regret to inform you...  I open all these emails with one eye closed, just to soften the blow.  It doesn't work worth a shit, but I do it anyway.

These little *pings* are what decide where I will be driving to this summer, they also decide which of my friends are going to be there, and whether I will have a roommate, if he or she makes the cut.  It feels like a total crap shoot much of the time.  But if it's good, it's great.  And with any luck at all I'll be able to write my calendar in ink, and update my schedule online.

Fingers crossed.

Hark the Herald of Small Voices

I am very pleased to be a part of a new installation at Signature Shop in Atlanta from now through early January.  Hark the Herald of Small Voices features work by Kirsten Stingle, Christine Kosiba, and myself.  Loosely woven around the folklore of Krampus, the exhibit features naughty children, and their toys as they are watched over by ravens or crows.

In the center of the show is a tree topped by Krampus, loaded with one of a kind decorations for the collector of odd and wonderful things.  If you are in the Atlanta area please join us for Tea and Krampus on December 12th from 1-5pm.

Krampus will be there with his helpers posing for photos, and maybe even pouring some tea.

Signature Shop is located at 3267 Roswell Rd. NE in the heart of Buckhead.

A new website!

I've done it, I've gone and built a new website!  With dresses, and abstracts, and links back to here and my (elle)ement page.  Take a look...

www.kathrineallencoleman.com 

Scapegoat

I've been holding out on you.

Work has been coming out of the studio at a nice steady pace, but I have been hoarding it.  Keeping it to myself.  Waiting for the right time, and all the while making more work.

Here is one of my favorites, "Scapegoat."

Scapegoat gets blamed for everything, even things that are clearly not his fault.  He gets so good at this, that eventually he begins to blame himself, he doesn't even need the middleman.

Vintage boy's sailor suit, acrylic paint, and dress pattern tissue on canvas.

24"x 48"

Bits and pieces

Projects, works in progress, unfinished, almost finished, turned against the wall.

I rarely start one piece, and ride it to completion all in one go.  There are drying times, and other factors that just get in the way.  So when one piece is in limbo, I am working on another.  This usually means that either it feels like I haven't finished anything in ages.  Or, work is flying out of the studio and waiting for framing.

Right now, it feels like I haven't finished anything in ages, especially as I was out of the studio for almost a month.  So I'm focusing on the small victories.

Red Handed is in progress

The Destructive Bastard has grown antlers since this photo, and there will be some beading before it is finished.  And paint, and other bits...

And tags, I'll be making more tags.  In paper, like these, and in porcelain.

Can you imagine the clinking sound that porcelain tags will make as they bump?

Projects, collaborations, partnerships, those things are all sounding interesting too...  

Yes, I'm keeping busy, I'll keep you in the loop!

Doubling down

One of the questions I am asked most often at shows is "where do you get your ideas?"  And the answer always escapes me, I fumble it. Sometimes I actively hunt ideas, I used to buy art books and visit galleries regularly.  But, I find that rarely works for me, although I love the distraction.  More often than not, just staying in the studio and working on something keeps ideas flowing.

But they really start popping when I am presented with new challenges. Fewer shows on the road, but more gallery show this year have stirred things up a bit.  As has the opportunity for collaboration with other artists, and getting to work in new media.

I don't know how far these new ideas will go, if they will push a new body of work into the forefront, or just be pulled into the arena that I work in now.  But I am enjoying this time of experimenting.

Puppet studies,  I'll make more, there will be puppets sometime, somewhere in my work.  I think.

In progress.  I love this piece, and then I thoroughly dislike it.  Then I see it in a new way, and like it again.  That happens sometimes.  The tricky part is to know when to quit when it stalls.

And, I thought I would make a few fun Valentines this year, like this one.

"I love you bonehead"

That's it for now, I'll be heading to Miami next weekend for the Coconut Grove Arts Festival.  Come on down!

All she needed was a magic dress

There is something about magic, if you talk too much about it, it kinda disappears.

"All She Needed Was a Magic Dress" is 24" wide x  44" tall.

Acrylic, linoleum block prints and vintage dress on canvas.

$3400