an imageteller captures image celebrations.
sharing image tales broadens an artistic expression.
doing so, brings this particular creative indescribable joy.
what is your image story? perhaps I can help you tell it!
Our Imaginary Friend Griselia
I answered a call for art from Make.Shift Gallery.
Every year, Make.Shift Gallery celebrates Kid's Art Walk in May. This year, they partnered with Cedar Tree Montessori and asked 4th to 6th grade students to create artistic renderings of their imaginary friends. We invite YOU to create a piece of art inspired by the work of these talented kids. Our exhibit will display these works by students and local artists side-by-side through the month of May. The opening will be on Art Walk Friday, May 4th from 6-10pm.
I was given this adorable visual prompt
PLUS this description:
My Imaginary Friend by Amaia.
Her name is Griselia she is 4.5 feet tall. She wears black and red leafs formed into a dress. She wears black flats. She has a big black and red flower in her long black hair that flows into the wind as if it were part of it. She can morph into any animal that is not smaller than a fox. She has blood red eyes and is great with a bow and arrow. ( that she always carries around just in case ) She was abandoned as a baby but thankfully someone took her in. The person that took her in was a warrior and when she took her in and she was trained to be one of the highest trained warriors. She is very protective of her land, and I should know. I am Griselia
i had an afternoon to give to it. I was lucky to immediately find a red eye.
that image find was where the collage began.
The piece evolved into a sword which was appropriate for the warrior that Amaia described.
In two places a bow and arrow is implied, and below the handle of the sword are shooting rays of iight, a bit like the movement of arrows
I did the best with what I could find for her costume - it called for red and black leaves, all i could muster visually were black and red petals and black and white feathers. i think adding the armour helped, but i admit that section is a bit busy.
her hair became what morphed like a fox, i felt the braid instilled strength and what flowed into the wind was a head full of flowers
The piece evolved into an 18 x 24 Collage!
Framing as you know is a challenge for me.
I asked around for a spare
and one was found, and gifted to me.
YAY!
I oiled the wood
( coconut oil and vinegar )
and it was JUST perfect.
Took a friend to May's artist walk - she caught this one of me:
Inspirit-Form On Tour!
I am very excited to share that my solo installation "Inspirit-Form" is going on tour.
First stop was installed yesterday. Matt was a seriously patient and gracious assistant. The show looks awesome in the space.
Kindly stop at the Cordata Community Food Coop now through May in the local roots room and check it out!
Photography Exhibit At Sumas Historical Society And Museum
I am super honored that the Sumas Historical Society And Museum, a true gem of a place in the small border town of Sumas, WA has selected 6 of my photographs for their local artist display. The six 8 x 10 framed photographs are mounted on a pieces of wood giving the display a rugged look. Thank you Gail for the beautiful display! Julie, thanks for the image share.
Below is a closer look at the images, but nothing beats seeing them in person!
The museum is open WED, FRI and SAT from 12-4, it's on 2nd street, just down the way from the library.
Project 2017 :: Birds
I am enjoying tearing apart my collage journals and organizing them into visual themes and stories. If you recall I made a commitment in 2017 to journal daily with collage. If for some reason I missed a day, I would make two the next day. The point is I created a high volume of work.
I am a safety and order person. I like things to be a certain way. While I don't put my spices in alphabetical order, I valued that the work of 2017 was neatly in 5 journals and in order of the way that they were made. Taking them all apart and out of order feels unsettling. My goal with Project 2017 is to lessen the overwhelm of the sheer volume, and divide my collage work into cohesive collections.
ALL work is for sale. Reasonably priced $54. Plus shipping.
These are the stories and themes I've discovered so far:
Today's theme is BIRDS.
I had begun a side project at the beginning of 2017 for a solo installation. The installation was inspired by this collage and a found Audubon magazine.
I made this piece around the beginning of the new year. I loved the direction and focus it offered me. So determined!
"Give what you dream direction and watch yourself become"
I decided for the show to collage with images from Audubon magazines exclusively. Turns out finding that magazine was more challenging than I expected. I did source quite a few, and completely tore them all apart! In the end, I framed and matted 22 collages for my exhibit, which showed in the fall of 2017.
Outside of the installation that I was preparing for, birds found their way into my daily collage journaling.
I noticed that the bird is often solo, alone, single ...much like I am. When there are two birds, it's because of a specific reason. like a work project or moving help.
To see this theme in an album go here #74-#116
Below are some stories around this theme:
my search for a new home was ever present and very challenging.
a few solstice's and equinox's occurred
My solo installation launched this day. I felt so affirmed. The location of it was wooded.
By this time installation creations had become very BIRD, and had morphed into something more. A curator took interest and offered to author the narrative. The collaboration of which was really cool.
This was a piece that looks a bit like some of what was in the installation. (but wasn't included)
This collage solidified the nucleus known as my family. My nest (thus the mama bird) was empty, but we were unified. cohesive. I made this collage after visiting my two kids. I had not seen them for almost 2 years. In processing some of the trips not so great moments - I felt the authenticity of an apology from my daughter, which I feel spired the making of this collage. The second piece, was the day they told me that they were funding my visit!
Other collages were made simply for the beauty or mystery of what they offered.
Here is one that shows more than one bird or the help I had when I moved
(I moved two times in 2017)
As I tear these journals apart, birds seem to find their way into certain stories, so not all the birds are highlighted in this sharing, but I think you get the idea of the theme!
#4
#2
#1
#3
#5
#7
#8
#9
#6
#13
#11
#10
#15
#14
#18
#12
#16
#20
#19
#21
#25
#24
#21
#23
#26
#29
#30
#27
#28
#34
#31
#32
#33
#35
#36
#38
#39
#37
#40
#41
#42
#43
below notes from the backs of some of the collages:
1
2 boots, wool,wintery, poised, last bit of color.
3 working with sara collage
4 divided flight, unintended nature
5 made in collage circle
6 the direction you need to take is right in front of you, all you need to do is look. earth, fire, grounded, passion. give what you dream direction and watch yourself become
7 change of scape, flight, altered, current water and air
8 "toile" in flight. fascination with beautiful rest/fine linen
9 minds eye, little bird told me, combining nature with fashion, surprising, perched, searching
10
11 elegant, the neck and the bill doors of faraway places, medicinal woman, tradition, lack of
12 up the coast ( kate ) heard from matthew. trip.
13 stonehenge single, the other side of manifestion, monday, attracting homelessness
14
15 summer solstice, personal blooming, blossoming, vibration, imagine, let the sun shine
16 when folks do not get along
17
18 spread my wings, trees have paths, all in a row, gazing forward, exhibit launch ( uncanny )
19 got my whale tail
20 morphed, nature, one eye series, murky, looks better this way
21 installation occurred today. poland highway and waterway, wild turkey
22 family, mother, daughter, son, the authenticity of an apology felt by daughter, family unit, mama/baby bird
23 equinox, golden time of the year, wisdom, rooted, trees, the tree does not stand alone
24 what you discover on the internet, what there is to be told. gail - interview/already you are underpaid.
25 a little bird told me slice of moon
26 unexpected back side of a magazine page
27 full moon preparation/ watching over , wise, divided house
28 post las vegas shootings. horrified. the world is my ice cream cone
29 lady gaga morphed with a owl. wise. didn't work with the eagle feather
30
31 bizarre bird/bride morph fantasy, garden, fairy, bright
32 hard day, feeling stopped, day got away from me, not sure what i accomplished
33 watching. wise woman watching wise owl watching silly toy hat , cars in har
34 time capsule, lonely, bird morph, timelessness, weekend, nothing, cowboy, solo
35 EYE see autumn
36 lazy, sunday, dreary, rainy. color, rich, color rich, beautiful, hummingbird, fascinating
37
38 new lease signed today, city studio, fiscal relief is indescribable
39 moving help, duo, i had help
40 beauty and the lettuce leaf
41
42 soaring. new home very bellingham
43 not morphed, seeking their own direction weddel seal/hummingbird
Images Sold To The City Of Sumas
I captured an image narrative of the US/Canada border town Sumas, WA during the 6 months that I lived there. I fell for the odd quirk of the place and the absolutely lovely expanse of the surrounding countryside. A ten minute jaunt after a rainfall, at sunset, e even during the fires from BC would provide me with plenty of things to photograph.
I wrote an article about the little museum in town and out of that a referral found it's way to me from the Chamber. They chose ten of my photographs for their website/directory.
I am honored!
Photography = a never ending opportunity to capture visual celebrations.
