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This is the first blog post introducing my project Atlas — a series grounded in personal historical research. It explores time, lineage, and culture, while also delving into spirituality, religion, and art.  This could turn out to be quite a long project! My intention is to document this process as I go along. If you would like to see any blog entries about this project, go back to my blog landing page, OR look for the tag "Atlas" under Categories in the right column of any blog page. Links to Other Posts About AtlasIn addition, I will continually update this page with links to blog entries about Atlas listed below. The Dillabough Banner The Witches' Pop-up Party How Much is Enough? Experimentation: Cyanotypes and "Parchment" A "Portfolio" for Artmaking On the Go! The Background for Atlas
The Structure of the SeriesMy goal is to research my ancestors and the places they lived, and transform what I uncover into a new series, comprised of stand-alone paintings and an artist book, which would emulate the form of an atlas. Below are a few images of the beginning framework of my "Atlas"— the skeleton, you might say.
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Over the years, I have gone through some drama about making art while on vacation. First I had to admit I was plagued by what I called "The Shoulds"(as in, I should do this or that.) Then I relinquished how I labeled and limited myself as an artist, and learned how to play. Finally, I figured out the perfect set up for my art supplies. So, on our most recent Mexican vacation, I seem to have finally cracked the code to happy artmaking while traveling. In fact, I have even made my vacation into a personal, mini art retreat!  Not a bad life, eh? The "Portfolio"In the past I have made a sort of "sketchbook" with various papers held in a temporary binding that I eventually bound as a finished "artist book." This time I didn't want to think of it in those terms, but decided to make myself a sort of "portfolio."
Cyanotype is a camera-less photographic printing process. It involves painting chemicals on paper (or cloth, or even glass,) then placing something on that paper and exposing it to UV light, such as the sun. Whatever is exposed to the light will turn a gorgeous Prussian blue.
I brought a measuring cup, bowl, and foam brush, plus the chemicals in a couple of travel shampoo bottles. I could only paint the chemicals on the paper at night. After applying the chemicals, they must dry in a dark place away from UV light. Where to put them in a hotel room? Ah! My empty suitcases! The ExperimentsI had lots of fun experimenting with laying my hands on the cyanotypes and seeing what happened.  Sprinkling water on the cyanotypes while they were being exposed makes a beautiful speckled effect.
In this one I wrote the lyrics of a 1984 Laurie Anderson song, Hothead.  One of the themes I am interested in are ornate glit frames. I think that if you put one around anything it lends it and air of legitimacy and importance. So I had played with some frame stencils before I left, and just popped them into my portfolio. I wondered what a cyanotype would look like in the stenciled frames.
I was having such fun with water and hands, I decided to see what a big ol' wet hand print would look like.  Another theme I am investigating is things coming undone or unraveled. I have been learning to crochet, largely so I can make things imperfectly, seemingly coming undone. I brought an undone doily with me and made a cyanotype from that.
I also took some cyanotype experiments from home and drew all over them- just for fun. 
Pile It All On!This last one is two sides of the same paper. It is a combination of:
Serious PlayI don't know if I will actually use any of this in my project Atlas, but I do know that the ideas and associations I forged during my time of "play" will serve me in ways seen and unseen.
My vision for what Atlas will look like continues to slowly, slowly become more focused. I have finished a couple of pieces, but mostly I have been doing research and experimenting with materials and methods.  Cyanotype of lace doily on taupe paper Different “tones”Because this is a book, time and sequence are an element I am working with. I hope to achieve the ability to change the “tone” going from page to page, so that the viewer will have a varied experience while going through the book. I will do this by using color, materials, and variations in text font. Cyanotypes in the Dead of WinterCyanotype is a type of camera-less photographic printing process. It involves painting a chemical on paper (or cloth, or even glass,) then placing something on that paper and exposing it to UV light, such as the sun. Whatever is exposed to the light will turn a gorgeous Prussian blue.
Simple enough, yes? No!
 Distressing Paper and Making "Parchment"My vision for Atlas draws from the look and feel of old books, field notebooks, and timeworn documents. This is a popular aesthetic and there are about a billion YouTube videos on how to make materials look aged, a process called "distressing." Most of the tutorials are for making journals and scrapbooks- in other words, crafting.
So it is not without trepidation that I allow myself to be inspired and taught by the many very talented crafters out there, who so generously share their skills.
"Parchment"In this project I am actively exploring the concepts of belief and faith. To me, nothing says religious orthodoxy like a medieval manuscript. So I began searching for a way to make paper that would look to me like old parchment.
Working in Concert As I said, I am aiming to have different styles and moods interweave throughout Atlas. My concern is that all these styles hang together, while also varying widely. I have been not only playing with styles and materials, but the order in which they will be placed in the pages. I am doing this by using a lot of tape! Nothing is cast in stone (or glue) yet. Below is a 2 minute video of me flipping through what I have done so far. Some of the images are well developed, and some are merely sketches. Remember, there is a lot of tape involved! For my new series and artist book Atlas, I explore time, lineage, and culture, while also delving into spirituality, religion, and art.
First, I needed to make a pop-up mock-up to see how it works. When I got that down, I created a mandala-like shape using a stencil. I utilized a number of iridescent and interference acrylic paints to make the sparkly effect. Then I cut out bits of it to make it lacey. Solving the Witch ProblemI really struggled with how to paint my fanciful witchy-women! It seemed the more I worked on it, the worse it got!!! So I started looking online for examples and kept running into these adorable pictures of women's circles from the early 1900's- the height of the Spiritualism Movement! So I thought, "Screw it! Why not just trace it?" And I did, and I love it.  Unfortunately, I was so involved with my project, I neglected to take many work in progress pictures. So here is my finished result. I cut out the dancing witchy-women, and all the trees. I painted the trees a bluish black and glued them down. Then I applied my mandala.  But of course, in order to appreciate a pop-up page, you have to see it move! Below is a video of me turning the page. You may notice that after the pop-up page, I turn to another page with a similar image. This page is a work in progress, and I am still developing the concept- it is inspired by the left-overs from this finished pop-up page.
When I created my Archeology Art series, I chose the subject for each piece on a whim- whatever archeological find happened to strike my fancy.
I became captivated by the idea that one of my ancestors may have actually seen some of these sacred objects. What forms of art and belief might there have been in my ancestral past? My goal is to research this, and transform what I uncover into a new series, comprised of stand-alone paintings and an artist book, which would emulate the form of an atlas. How Much (Research) is Enough?
Though I had a very general idea about where my people are from, I began some basic genealogical research to get a more precise picture.
Genealogy, I quickly learned, is a rabbit warren of branching paths I could easily lose myself in! Each branch of the tree leads to another, and another, and another. How far and how deep to go has been a real balancing act.
So far, I have done basic research on the four main branches of my tree. Along the way, I have become obsessed with mapping.
I have even created an interactive Google Map marking each ancestor’s birthplace, which you- yes you, dear reader- can explore yourself below!
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Having done all this work, I needed to get real about actually producing artwork! On the one hand, research is a legitimate and necessary aspect of making art with real depth. One the other hand, when are you researching, and when are you AVOIDING? Each artist must sense this in their own way, on every step of the journey. |
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