|
I guess you could say I’ve retired from being “retired.”
While two of the groups are based in New York, four of them are entirely virtual, which is why I am able to attend. My faculty-mentor is Amir H. Fallah, whose bold narrative paintings resonate with my desire to tell stories with my art. The backbone of the program is that each of us in the cohort will provide support and critique to one another under the guidance of Amir. In addition, there guest artist mentors who provide critiques or classes on subjects such as art history, theory, research and writing, professional practices, and independent study. I’m very excited to begin! With the experienced mentorship of Amir, visiting artist faculty, and insights from an my cohort, I’m ready to forge ahead in this next and most exciting stage of my creative life.  I'm Magical! 14x11 ©Leslie Peterson Sapp
0 Comments
It was a looooong trip. All in all, we traveled on nine airplanes, two rental cars, and a boat. It was just shy of a month.  In case you can’t see it, this little fold out feature reads: Athens-Crete-Santorini-Plitvice-Zadar-Split-Milna-Hvar-Vis-Mljet-Korcula-Dubrovnik-Athens-Home Seeing that this is an artist blog, I will stay on the topic of art and art-making. But, I do have a photo-album of the trip on my personal facebook page HERE. What's On Your Bucket List?  While I loved the whole trip, seeing Santorini and the ancient frescoes of Akrotiri have been on my bucket list! Those of you who have followed me for a while know that many pieces in my Archeology Art series are based on these same frescoes. Seeing them in person was truly a thrill! If you would like to read more about the frescoes of ancient Thera, read my blog entries The Saffron Gatherers: Delight Amid the Ruins and The Adorant- Large and Small. Art-Making While Traveling Most artists I know (at least, most female artists I know,) lay a little guilt trip on themselves. They plan to travel and they pack some art supplies, telling themselves they are going to make art and have a deeply creative, spiritual travel experience. Then they don't do it, or do it only once, and they beat themselves up for not being a "real artist." This was me. I even wrote a blog entry about it a few years ago entitled My Vacation From the "Shoulds".
I accepted that I really don't want to paint my surroundings at all. Last winter I went to Mexico, and created my own sketchbook to bring with me. (You can read and see pictures HERE.)With newfound freedom I doodled and sketched and collaged and scribbled notes.    What is ironic and revealing is that I ended up making art about my surroundings quite a lot, only instead of being straight representation, it was about what I experienced, what I saw, and how I thought and felt about it. So much more than just a picture. The Perfect Set UpAnother barrier to art-making while traveling is finding your perfect little set-up. This looooong trip wasn't a relaxing stay in a Mexican resort. I couldn't just hunker down with a bunch of stuff, spread out and go for it. I had to travel light, compact, and be able to pull my art stuff out of my suitcase and put it away again easily. First, I had to make the perfect sketchbook.
Then, I had to make my art supply set up.
Also included was a snap-off exacto blade, a small smoothing tool, and a pencil sharpener. I also had two larger ziplocs; one was for an 8" gridded ruler and my collected ephemera, the other held the sketchbook. (The only thing I forgot was a hole-punch!) As I went along, I gathered tickets, maps, brochures, etc. About every three days I would take a break, pull out my stuff and immerse myself. I was interested in keeping a general chronology, and found I was about 3-5 days behind in any one location. So, for instance, I would work with what I had collected in Zadar three days later in Split. I even worked for several hours during our home-bound layover at Heathrow airport. The result is a combination of collage, doodling, drawing, and journaling.  When I got home, I worked on the last few pages. Then I created the frontispiece and put fabric on the covers. To be frank, I am not quite sure what to do with this. It was created under limiting circumstances, and so when I look at it, I see many pages that could be improved. And yet if I go back into it and improve it, it is no longer an artifact of my trip. So, I suppose I must allow it to be as it is, and present it to the world in its imperfect perfection. Below are a few images of some of the more interesting pages. Below that, you can see a video of me paging through the book and unfolding a few pop outs as well. Video of Greece and Croatia (8:25 minutes long) What the heck is an astrolabe?
Archeologists found a temple complex oriented toward significant constellations and planets. They found remnants of a statue of Ba'al, a god widely venerated in the ancient Mediterranean world. At the center of the site lies a shallow pool, believed to have been used to reflect the night sky—an element which was paramount to this seafaring culture. There is a lot going on in this piece, and some of the aspects of it, such as the lay out of the temple complex, are depicted in ghostly white lines. To read more about this piece, go to my blog entry about it, HERE.
A Gift to MyselfAnd now here is MY astrolabe!
Let me be absolutely clear: I have no idea how to use this thing. I have always struggled with ciphering, numbers and complex instructions. I even have a learning disability called dyscalculia! But, the way my special mind works (remember the crazy timeline project? What about my new, old typewriter?) is that I enjoy learning most by jumping into things and messing around, sort of like a child playing in a ball pit. The Night SkyMany of my paintings include depictions of the night sky. Sometimes I look up, and I realize I know nothing about it at all. My hope is that by playing with my astrolabe, I will get a different sense of what it means to be in this world, stuck on this planet as it whirls and hurtles through infinite space.  As I said in my post Sketchybook 1, I tend to find sketchbooks a bit uninviting, so I have taken to making my own.
Below is a short video of me making the book. When the video begins, I have already created the two covers from black illustration board and used a hole punch to create space for a binding. I wanted to have a binding that would allow me to flip the pages completely over, instead of lying flat like a book. So, I tried to make the binding with colorful string. However... I learn by doing-- I'm making it up as I go along! I had to disassemble the book and change the binding to hinged keyrings, because the string binding was simply not working. If at first you don't succeed... try, try again! Look out for a future blog entry about this travel sketchbook after I've filled it up. Who know what will happen? I am not particularly good at creating structure for myself.  An example of a "doodle" I have been making since middle school. Though I can be quite disciplined on a daily or weekly basis, creating an overall framework for my actions is something I’m quite blind to. When I became untethered from the structure of college, I started to drift. Back then I had no conception of the difference between a desire and a goal.
This a common problem for people with ADHD. I was in my early 30’s before I even realized I wasn’t setting goals. Eventually I compared my life to those of my peers and realized I was still living like a 20 year old- having fun, but building nothing. Then I decided to “get serious” about my art career.  "Analyze" Page 7 I have explored this in a blog entry What's Next? Reflections on a Career in Art. I also made an artist book that explores this a bit more called Analyze. You can see a slideshow of it HERE. When I got serious, I started by narrowing down my subject matter and style to something I felt might be salable and distinguishable. For subject matter, my love of old vintage snapshots was the perfect choice. To develop a consistent style, I created two image boards:
By doing this, I created a structure for my artmaking.
Through this, I was able to create structure for sharing my art with the world. The upside was that I was able to convert my desires into goals, and onto achievement! Like a real grown-up! The downside was that my particular manner of creating structure robbed me of artistic freedom and expansive expression. The work was less about me, and more about my chosen subject matter. After 16 years, I have proved to myself that I have the ability to stick to something and achieve my goals. But now I want to create art that is more personally meaningful. It’s been interesting to observe myself without the intense structure of an art business. It is as if I were back in my early 20’s drifting away from the structure college provided me. Only this time, I am more experienced and self-aware. I know I run the risk of simply drifting until I am frustrated by a lack of achievement. So, I’m looking at some options that could provide me with structure and guidance, probably in the form of a formal mentorship program for artists… but not quite yet. I feel like someone who is newly single after a long relationship. I don’t want to settle down again just yet. I want to “find myself” and play the field a bit longer.  Sketchybook I, page 26 Order out of Chaos I am also seeking new influences. I took an online art course by Lorraine Glessner called Mark Making as Practice. Lorraine believes that every artist has a personal vocabulary of marks that is as unique as a signature, and that mark making daily and without objective is the way to find and develop a personal style and expression.
Paradoxically, I have a condition called dyscalculia, which is a learning disability that results in difficulty understanding numbers and mathematics. Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.  Analyze page 4c, checkbook accordion book My Sketchybook
Armed with watercolor pencils, water soluble pens, markers, and a glue stick, I set up a place on the terrace of our Mexican vacation spot and worked a bit every day. Some of the images are abstract, and some are references to my surroundings and experience. I wrote text in some pages, mostly not. Some are lovely and sweet, a couple are sad, many are funny. I have a collection of images you can see HERE.
 Sketchybook I, page 25 My Special Purpose! This book is a work in progress, and currently I am using it as a tool to process my letting go and rebuilding structure. At the moment, I feel excited, yet overwhelmed by the many ideas I have and directions I could go.  Sketchybook I, page 27 Shall I make art about math, or my dyscalculia? How about astronomy and astrology? Compasses and navigation? I’m also fascinated by the origins of writing. Or I could get more personal and do a book about being an aging female (lots to discuss there!) Of course, there is always mythology and stories from the ancient world. Interwoven is my continued fascination with archeology- but which archeology?  Sketchybook I, page 16 I have so many ideas! Ideas that are more than ideas, they are inspirations, notions, concepts, curiosities, paths, directions, lines of inquiry, journeys, compulsions. All I know is that it is these things, these “ideas” that make life rich and meaningful for us all.  Sketchybook I, page 26 As I write this, this artist book is a work in progress! I was recently on vacation Mexico. I tend to find sketchbooks drab and uninviting, so I decided to make a sketchbook of my own. I made a lovely hardback cover for it with a cloth binding. Then I collected a variety of paper and some left over painted collage papers. I tore or cut them down to size, then folded them in half to make pages. I used elastic bands to secure them temporarily into the cover. This way I can move the pages around if I want to. Armed with watercolor pencils, water soluble pens, markers, and a glue stick, I set up a place on the terrace of our Mexican vacation spot and worked a bit every day. Some of the images are abstract, and some are references to my surroundings and experience. I wrote text in some pages, mostly not. Some are lovely and sweet, a couple are sad, many are funny. Below is a slideshow of the book. You can watch from beginning to end, or you can pause it and look at the still images by hovering your cursor over it and clicking the "pause" button that appears in the upper left corner. When I got home, I still had space in my book for more work, so I made a “Chapter Two” page, and kept going. I have no intended narrative in mind, yet I still strive to create an arch of experience while making and viewing the book. Remember- there is more to come with this one!
So cool, I had to share it here.  I have always shot and edited the photographs of my art. It was a learning curve, for sure, but over the years, I think I got pretty good at it. Adventuring into the realm of book arts has posed an entirely new learning curve!
That, plus uneven lighting and askewed angles, laced with odd shadows. You see, the books don't lay flat, so I have to hold the pages down with pokey things and edit them out later, and my arms cast shadows all over everything. I knew something had to be done. The Wonder of YouTube
 Analyze, page 9c Below is a little video of my DIY photo lightbox. If you would like to see more of my artist book Analyze, you can see it HERE.
Below is a slideshow of the book. You can watch from beginning to end, or you can pause it and look at the still images by hovering your cursor over it and clicking the "pause" button that appears in the upper left corner. Some pages in Analyze have text, either handwritten or typed on my new, old typewriter. It may be difficult to read the text in the slideshow, so under the slideshow I have provided images with the corresponding text with each. Added Bonus: if you make it to the bottom of the page, you can see a little video of the check ledger featured in Analyze in action! Still Images with Text: Page One:
Page Nine:
The prefrontal cortex has a lot to do with developing these skills, and that section of the brain is SMALLER in children with ADHD. Some people’s brains will grow as they mature, so that you can barely tell the difference at all. Girls tend to be less hyperactive than boys, and are usually just really spacy. People with ADHD also tend to have problems with social skills. They are more prone to miss social cues, verbal, and non-verbal communication from others. Hyperfocus is another trait. It is as if all that missing attention roars back to life and consumes everything in its path. This can be a great advantage when creating art, but is terrifically inconvenient at other times. Everyone who has ADHD develops different coping strategies, some productive, and others destructive. One thing is for certain: it has a dramatic effect on how a personality develops, and will shape a person’s life trajectory in profound ways. Page 11:
Many report a chronic and deep-seated sense of underachievement and intense frustration over squandered opportunities and are at a loss to explain why they cannot seem to translate their obvious assets into more positive outcomes.” Barkley, R.A. (2015). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment, 4th ed. New York: Guilford Publications. Pages 13 and 13a:
Page 16a
Page 17
Page 23:
Checkbook Ledger: (You made it to the end!)
It's a big, beautiful machine, weighing in at probably 30 pounds!  I recently took a new creative direction by making artist books, where I utilize collage materials and text. Rather than merely depicting typewriters, I wanted to actually TYPE stuff and integrate it into my books. So, I wrestled my Woodstock back into my car and had it repaired at Type Space, Portland’s Vintage Typewriter Shop!
Below is a video of me tussling with my new contraption. In the video, I am writing a piece about having ADHD, which I will use in my new artist book, Analyze. Curiously, the act of typing echoed what it can be like to have ADHD. The process was long and laborious, and the result is a bit messy and garbled, yet totally unique and beautiful in its own way. Typing also made me reflect on this unique moment in our history. Now our keyboards require a light touch, and with tools like spell check and AI, we can rattle off whatever pops into our head, unthinkingly. Combined with the web and social media, this can lead to oversharing, thoughtlessness, and even trolling. It made me imagine a world past when we had to be so deliberate with our communication-where everyone had to take a breath and consider each word before committing it to the page. The idea of doing an artist’s book has been rambling around in my head for… come to think of it, decades! I have made a few running starts at creating them over the years, but decided to focus on the more “practical” path of creating wall art I could more easily exhibit and sell. I even imagined that one day, when I “retired,” I would start. Well, I guess that day has come.
I have used the creation of What Is Next as a tool to help me process a new phase I am entering in my art career. (You can read more about this in my blog entry What's Next: Reflections on a Career in Art.) It has no real narrative, but loosely explores themes relating to the transitory cycle I am in right now. I used stencils, collage materials, and sketches that I’d originally developed for larger pieces in my Archeology and Art series. I had a wonderful time making some fold-out pages- something I want to expand upon in future books. Below you can see a slideshow of each page, or you can click on the thumbnails below for a still shot. |
Take a Closer Look.
Here is an intimate, in depth glimpse into my thoughts, inspiration and artistic process. Categories
All
Not seeing what you're looking for? My previous blog on blogspot can be found HERE.
|
RSS Feed