You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Info' category.
By Bridget Benton
I am a woman obsessed with making art from just about anything I can get my hands on. I naturally tend toward collage and assemblage art, and have
incorporated this approach into my work making jewelry, fiber art, acrylic
paintings, and now encaustic art. The more media I can combine—and the more crazy materials I can incorporate—the happier I am. In fact, the materials often guide my work. Later, I will discover themes and meanings emerging, but in the magical moment of making, the materials are the driving force.
About a year ago, a material that grabbed my attention was all the plastic
that I couldn’t put in my new blue curbside recycling bin: plastic bags,
clamshell containers, and the humble plastic bottle cap. It looked like a
whole lot of potential art to me! I made a few necklaces from bottle caps,
and then started thinking about what I could do if I had a lot of bottle
caps, maybe even hundreds or thousands of bottle caps.
So, my boyfriend and his family started saving me bottle caps. I got a few
from other friends. I started experimenting with different ways of
connecting them. You look at things differently when you have a lot of them:
in many ways, they become more interesting, more beautiful. You see
patterns of shapes and colors, and you begin to see patterns of consumption.
And then I got involved with the group Leave No Plastic Behind and their
plastic art challenge. I learned more about the impact of plastic on the
oceans, as well as the fact that bottle caps come right after cigarette
butts on the “Most Common Beach Litter” hit list.
All of this collecting, connecting, and consciousness-raising culminated in
the construction of this chandelier, called Drifter. It’s now on display in
the lobby of the office building next door to SCRAP off of MLK. The piece
is over 5 feet tall, and includes a long string of Christmas lights. I
haven’t counted how many bottle caps are in there, but it’s a lot, and it
was all collected over a relatively short five-month period from only a few
households.
[Above, the chandelier constructed from bottle caps.]
Now, I’m in the process of collecting another big batch of bottle caps for
the creation of several more light fixtures. If you have plastic bottle
caps – any size, any color – from beverages, shampoo, household cleaners,
peanut butter, whatever – bring them on over when you drop by my place
during the Portland Open Studios tour. My demos will all be about encaustic
painting, but as for the conversation, well, all materials are welcome.
Below, Bridget’s collection of bottle caps.
To learn more about Bridget Benton’s work and classes, please visit her website at http://www.eyesaflame.com/.
You can visit Bridget and 99 other artists during Portland Open Studios weekend. To learn more about the event, visit http://www.portlandopenstudios.com/.
Above, Helen Hiebert making paper.
Helen Hiebert, Diane Jacobs, and Shu-Ju Wang are 3 members of an art collective who have been meeting and working together for several years. Their most recent collaboration, the installation For the Love of Food, was shown at Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania earlier this year.
They are also participating in Portland Open Studios this year and have decided to coordinate their hands-on demonstrations. Visitors will have a chance to see the process of creating a print, starting from making paper from pulp to letterpress and silkscreen printing.
Start at Helen Hiebert’s studio (artist 49), where visitors are invited to make paper. From there, visitors can go on to Diane Jacobs’ studio (artist 44) and Shu-Ju Wang’s studio (artist 90) to see how text and images can be printed using letterpress and silkscreen printing techniques. You are encouraged to visit both Diane’s and Shu-Ju’s studios (in either order) to see how the two different printmaking methods can be combined to create a finished print.
Between the three, they will also be showing finished work that range from handmade paper, lanterns, prints, artist’s books, sculptures, paintings, photographs, cards and more.
They are also in 3 different regions of metro Portland – N Portland, NE Portland, and SW Portland, perfectly spaced for people doing the tour throughout the Portland metro area. Note that Helen’s and Diane’s studios are open on October 10 & 11 only, 10am-5pm; Shu-Ju’s studio is open October 10, 11, 17, and 18, 10am-5pm.
To see more of Helen’s work, visit www.helenhiebertstudio.com; Diane’s work at www.dianejacobs.net; and Shu-Ju’s work at www.fingerstothebone.com.
For more information about Portland Open Studios, visit the website at www.portlandopenstudios.com.
Diane Jacobs setting type…
And Shu-Ju Wang Gocco printing.
Call to Artists
PORTLAND OPEN STUDIOS
Celebrating 10 Years: 1999 – 2009
Deadline Monday, March 16, 2009
Metro Portland Artists wanted in all media to open their studios to the public on October 10, 11 (east side) and October 17, 18 (west side). Artists may choose to be open one or both weekends. Show your art processes, sell your artwork, build an audience and communicate with the public. Artists are selected for the event by jury and will have an image of their artwork published in the Tour Guide and on the web.
2009 Purchase Prize
To celebrate our 10th Anniversary, Portland Open Studios will be awarding up to $1000 to the City of Portland for the purchase of artwork from one or more of our 2009 artists. Representatives from the Mayor’s office will make the official selections, and City Hall will host an exhibition of the 2009 artists.
New-Applicant Scholarship Opportunity for new 2009 applicants
The scholarship is open to any artist who would be participating for the first time regardless of media, age, and gender. The scholarship waives the $160 jury and participation fees and the winner is awarded an additional $100 stipend. All new applicants are considered for this scholarship.
Emerging Artist Scholarship Opportunity for artists between 20 and 30 years old
Kimberly Gales Emerging Artists Scholarship is awarded to one or two emerging artists every year. The recipient will have all fees waived and receive a $100 stipend.
Information, directions and the online application at http://www.portlandopenstudios.com/apply.html
Deadline for artist’s application and scholarship both: MARCH 16, 2009.
To see what past participating artists have said about the event, read the testimonials from past participants.
The word ‘green‘ is prominent in this year’s Portland Open Studios, a tour of 98 artists’ workplaces throughout metro Portland.
‘Green’ and ‘art’ said in the same sentence usually means the color. Marcy Baker uses a lot of green, gentle new grass green and deep rich pine, in her prints and paintings which are abstractions of her garden and the plants in the backyards of her neighborhood.
Below, Marcy Baker’s work:
These days ‘green‘ means the use of recycled materials. Many of the artists use found objects. Allen Kinast makes one of a kind furniture out of reclaimed lath left over from remodeling sites. He uses the cut narrow pieces of wood both on end and flat for a mosaic-like technique that yields geometric designs that are anything but static. His furniture is a great marriage between function and art. He uses the same techniques to make wall works, from tile sized to those that fit on a whole wall.
Allen Kinast:
What do french fries and ceramics have in common? Sure, you could eat a bowl of fries in a beautiful ceramic bowl thrown by Careen Stoll. But you would be wrong. Stoll uses recycled vegetable oil to fire the kiln that she has built in her backyard to turn raw clay into beautifully colored, elegantly shaped bowls, cups, plates and other utilitarian objects. The technical and physical challenges are numerous in both building the kiln and every time it is fired. She has to be part scientist and part magician to get the desired results in using this unusual fuel. Who said being green or an artist is easy?
Careen Stoll’s work, and her building her kiln:
Tom Soule, another artist on the neighborhood has his studio in a green house, actually gray in color, but has a 3.5 KW solar panel system on the roof that feeds directly into the (PGE) grid. The southward, oriented system has no “dark” periods during the day, and is on a slant with the roof to make its exposure 95% efficient. It has radiant floor heating, a passive solar heat storage in the concrete floor and low E glass on the windows. Don’t neglect Soule’s watercolor and gouache paintings which combine strong color with textured areas to create abstract images suggestive of buildings or geometric structures. His wood sculpture is more organic in form.
Tom Soule’s work and studio:
Whether you go by bicycle, car, bus or walk your own neighborhood you will be transported to the land of imagination, craftsmanship and beauty. Go ahead, paint the town green.
You can watch artists at work in your green neighborhood during Portland Open Studios and other areas throughout the metro area on October 11, 12 and 18, 19. New this year is that many are open both weekends. Check the map and Tour Guide for the complete schedule, then cross the river both weekends. The $15 Tour Guide comes with two tickets, maps, pictures of all artists’ artwork, and contact information (in 2009 calendar format). Children under 18 are free. Available at Art Media, New Seasons, and other stores listed on www.portlandopenstudios.com.
Deadline MARCH 15, 2008 for artist and the scholarship applications BECOME A PORTLAND OPEN STUDIOS ARTIST
Open your studio to the art lovers so you can show off your studio, your skills and your art.
Applications due March 15, 2008
Portland Open Studios is seeking metro area artists in all media to open their studios to the public. Artists are selected for the event by a panel of three art professionals. Studios west of the Willamette River are open October 11, 12 and on the eastside on October 18,19.
New Option: artists can chose to be open both weekends making artists and the community more accessible to each other.
Portland Open Studios is a wonderful opportunity for you to open your studio to show and sell your work.
The Tour Guide is a valuable reference book with your artwork and contact information — used by the media, curators, and art buyers all year long. Artists get invited to exhibitions, get written about, teach classes and sell their work because of Portland Open Studios.
Of special Interest to young artists: Kimberly Gales Emerging Artists Scholarship to Portland Open Studios.
Artists between 20 and 30 years old are encouraged to apply for the scholarship which includes a waiver of all fees and a $100 stipend. Last year two artists won scholarships, Jennifer Mercede and Ben Heiken.
Information, directions and the online application at http://www.portlandopenstudios.com.
Portland Open Studios artist Linda Womack met with a reporter for an upcoming article about her and her work. Below is Linda’s write-up about her preparations to meet the press, “reprinted” here with her permission from her blog http://embracingencaustic.wordpress.com where you can see the original article along with images. You can see more of Linda’s work on her web site at http://www.lindawomack.com/.
My Closeup
by Linda Womack
OK, so it wasn’t on film at all but I did get up close and personal with a local reporter. Yesterday I met with Josephine Bridges who writes for numerous papers including a local favorite that covers my neighborhood: The Southeast Examiner. Josephine is writing a story on four Portland Open Studios artists who work with unusual materials, and our resident publicity hound, Bonnie Meltzer, put her in touch with me.
Josephine and I had met before, but last time I was doing demos in my dining room so she was very excited to see my new studio and all of my new work. I was nervous because I don’t usually get to talk with reporters — they usually review my work without any interaction from me — but she put me right at ease. We just sat and had a conversation as if she just stopped in for tea and the time flew by. Of course I did my homework beforehand and had a press kit ready. I haven’t made too many of those either but it’s easy to find advice online on what to include.
My press kit included:
- A copy of my resume
- My art statement
- My two latest press releases (about the HGTV show and my solo show at City Hall)
- A sheet titled “What is Encaustic?” so she can write knowledgeably about my technique without having to do any additional research
- Two promotional post cards with images on my work on them, one with a sticker announcing upcoming shows.
- Two business cards (Someone once told me to always include two so they can give one to a friend or have one at the office and one at home)
- A CD with high resolution images of 5 recent paintings, an image list with titles and sizes, 2 images of me with my work, 2 images from my book (Embracing Encaustic). After looking over the book she was so enthusiastic that I gave her a copy of that too!
- What I forgot: Copies of previous press clips (duh!) and a class schedule. It turns out that she wants to take a class!
Josephine was pleasantly surprised when I gave her the folder containing my press kit. Hopefully it will make it that much easier for her to use one of my images in the story. I shamelessly pointed out that I haven’t even done a press release on the book yet, so it’s something she might consider for another story. It seems like it could have a good DIY angle.
She did ask one question that I hadn’t had before: “What’s the one thing you want people to know about your work?” This is a great question! I told her that all the technical aspects of encaustic tend to scare some people off and they should know that it’s really not that hard to get started if you just know a few basic techniques.
Look for the article in the October issue of The Southeast Examiner.
