Jun 8, 2014

new work in the studio




i've been painting again and have added a few new pieces to my art website and saatchi online gallery please check them out if you are at all interested. i have started a site on society6 as well, which is a cool creative site out of LA. there you can have your images made into charming housewares and personal products like throw pillows, cell phone cases, shower curtains, and tee shirts. the art and designs are so original and interesting on this site that i may never buy another mass-produced and designed product again, the throw pillows alone are groundbreaking and so unlike what you can find in your local home furnishing store. also quality is quite good and prices are low. have a look cupandtable on society6

i am really excited to be painting again after taking a hiatus due to moving out of my studio space and into a barn with far less room to paint. it's been a challenge creating space and time to work, but i can never stay away from it for long. it's a compulsion for me and it is kind of like the ideas build up inside me until i get the chance to express them in paint. kind of cathartic really.

these latest paintings are a bit of a departure for me as they all feature gardens and plants. i am far more used to working with distant landscapes and abstraction. the plant kingdom is a fascinating place. more to come on that. also i've been taking a japanese ceramics class in nyc at togei kyoshitsu, really interesting. i just love japanese ceramics. so inventive. so many different shapes for plates and dishes, hexagons, rectangles, not all the dishes are round like standard issue american ceramics. it's been really fun playing with clay and wheel throwing. the last time i did wheel throwing i was in middle school and i would come to my mom's art classroom in a neighboring school district, she was an art teacher, to do ceramics on my days off. my mom is a brilliant crafter, and can make almost anything out of almost anything. her skills include weaving, sewing, jewelry making ceramics, pen and ink, etching, crochet, water color and photography to name a few. she's the kind of person who just might have a pair of needle nose pliers in her purse just in case, she is also a kitchen magician who easily pulls off things like baked alaska and maintains a beautiful garden with elaborate plantings. she still mows her entire lawn--and it's hilly and large--with her little electric push mower, she was born in 1935, and she's a force of nature. she was an excellent pottery teacher. but anyway, i'll show you some of the pottery i threw, nearly 30 pieces, course as soon as they come out of the kiln for the last time. it's been great to relearn something i haven't done in years. i hope you are enjoying this last bit of spring in the northern hemisphere. the stone fruits are in, nectarines, apricots, plots, an embarrassment of riches. xo, g