i wrote this awhile ago, but hadn't posted it.
i started my trained art life in illustration, using paint and paper. since graduating, i've slowly leaned towards fibers, and have focused on them in the last few years. every now and then i would take out the paints and canvas, work on a piece, and once complete, put the paints away again.
inside joke. i'm actually referring to the commode. anyways. the tub and plumbing are completely movable in case i decide to rearrange the placement. in keeping with the vanity, the tub faucet is encased in cork as well. perhaps i will get a bidet along with the toilet. if and when i can purchase just those two units alone. i don't really care for another set of bathroom appliances.
i decided to scan the wallpapers before i hang them on the walls. of the three i have to say the first one is my favorite. i like how the rock and planter came out, also the standing bird. i'm not sure how they're all going to look together and set at the angle of the roof. enveloping perhaps.
next step is to adhere the panels to the wall using contact cement. there are two reasons for this choice; one, i can later remove them if i would like, and two, the paper isn't 100% flat so i need an instant bond for it to be smooth. one reason against using contact cement would be the long term archival properties; i'm assuming contact cement isn't good in that department.
...of what i've been up to. i am in the middle of finishing the bathroom in the dollhouse. i was inspired by an armoire to conclude that the bathroom must have chinoiserie wallpaper. and that that wallpaper was to be lavender gray. how i came to this juncture is still somewhat a mystery to me. as you will see tomorrow, the connection from this armoire to the fanciful imaginings of chinoiserie wallpaper is peculiar.
this is a sample of the drawings that will act as guide to the later application of paint.
so this year for christmas i was determined to hand craft all of the gifts i would be giving. my brother had mentioned that he would like a painting for his apartment; just no "girly" colors like the last two paintings i had given him. "girly" of course being robin egg blue, baby pink, and lime green. obviously. i guess he just doesn't realize that pink was a male color, it being derived from red, and blue being a female color as it is generally more delicate, less fearsome. thus i went with yellow and blue. i choose to not see gender in color, as pink goes well with most complexions and should be worn more often. a good example being india. and giving nothing up of myself, as i quite like those two colors together, i painted him this octopus and jellyfish. i prefer to see it as a cloudy sky, the octopus coming into the picture on the diagonal; but is it friend or foe to the little jellyfish?
i've never been one to like mushrooms. oh, they're pretty enough, sure. but eat one? ugh. slimy. but then a weird thing happened. i watched a program devoted to fungi on some educational channel. and suddenly i wanted to eat them. it's very strange, but you know, they're very tasty sauted with butter and garlic.
and then i wanted to paint them, and so i did. they're even better to paint!
at the same time, i came across a picture of a dumbo octopus in national geographic. i really think they're a very adorable and cute creature. the ocean is full of such inhabitants. i've always been drawn to things that are so ugly they're cute.
so, onto researching my new subjects. for images a scroll through flickr would be my best shot. there are surprisingly few photos of the dumbo octopus, also known as Grimpoteuthis. they're a little deep in the ocean, places where we (homo sapien) don't get to a whole lot (which is a good thing, imho). i found around 12 or 13 on the whole. mushrooms are a little easier, there are entire groups devoted to this subject.
oh, and i like to work small (kinda obvious huh?). the above painting is 5" x 7".
quite a few people have magazines or books in their bathrooms. i've got a wall of art. they all serve a purpose; something to do when you find yourself unable to get up for a bit of time. so i thought i'd share my art gallery: a painting by jennifer davis, alice in wonderland string puppets, and three collage dresses of my own.
strange, but hectic. if asked to describe the month of june those would be choice words. to paraphrase that month using only several quick snapshots of moments would read as follows; a wedding, las vegas, an awesome skirt, hankies, and a modern kitchen redo. more on the kitchen to be posted.
some of my favorite artists, both new and old. there is a lot of beautiful skill and talent out there. i love the colors used by all of these artists; it's what drew me. there is a theme running through the works that i like; the female form, each artists view of it, either of themselves or their voices represented visually.
audrey kawasaki:
