Journal

Lady Coccinellidae

Lady Coccinellidae
Bookmaking has been an important part of my art practice for decades. After many years of studying the history of artist's sketchbooks and filling many of my own, I began making thematic books based on a variety of subjects, material processes, and conceptual approaches. I use a wide range of sketchbooks and journals, make my own using lots of different methods, and alter published books. Continue reading

Mirrors of Reflection

Mirrors of Reflection
During the month of June, artists in our Re-Imagine programs worked with the subject of Reflections in their sketchbooks and related studio projects. We studied the visual impact of nature mirrored in bodies of water and the distinctly inverted, remarkably abstract views found there. Continue reading

Connection and Restoration

Connection and Restoration
Over the past few months, artists in our Re-Imagine program have been focusing on the themes of Connection and Restoration in their sketchbooks and related studio projects. These subjects have been considered through the lens of natural phenomena, ecological concerns, and landscape abstraction. Continue reading

Wild Things

Wild Things
A little over a year ago, I was invited to exhibit my work in the Ruth Brennan Gallery at the Dahl Art Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota. At that time, I was working on several series of work dedicated to the restoration of wild spaces in the Chicago area. These works were informed and inspired by the re-wilding efforts taking place along Chicago's lakefront, in the Cook County Forest Preserve, and at Big Marsh Park on the southeast side of the city. Continue reading

New Season, New Series

New Season, New Series

During the month of September, artists focused on the concept of Extraction by selecting a specific area of an image made in the previous few months and developing a series from it. New works were constructed through multiple prompts that included working in a circular format, exploring new materials, methods, and surfaces, and infusing images with the spirit of contemporary artists of interest. The images below showcase these ongoing serial explorations.

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Emanations

Emanations

During the month of December, we worked with the concept of emanations, a thing or issue that spreads out from a source, while viewing videos of natural energies, forms, and phenomena. These include Reindeer Cyclones, Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, snowflake designs, ice crystal growing on glass and ice crystals freezing inside bubbles. Each of these subjects were explored on sketchbooks pages using a 5"x 5" square format and a wide range of drawing and painting materials.

 

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Sketchbook Environments

Sketchbook Environments
Over the past few months, artists in our Envision program have been researching the subject of Environments in their sketchbooks. They have been exploring the meaning of the word itself and its relationship to the natural world, our built environment, physical space, ecological concerns, future realms, and our material reality.  Continue reading

The Artist and the Sketchbook - July 2022

The Artist and the Sketchbook - July 2022
During the month of July, we explored the physical world in our sketchbooks by observing the built structures and shifting forces of the earth's surface. We focused on the the layers, textures, and patterns seen in areas of strata and erosion and experimented with ways they could be visualized through layered ink and watercolor washes, linear mapping, combining wet and dry media, and by using dry earth pigments. Continue reading

The Artist and the Sketchbook - June 2022

The Artist and the Sketchbook - June 2022

This summer we used our sketchbooks to gain a better understanding of the physical world that surrounds and supports us everyday. During the month of June, we explored the concepts of tracings, filaments, and symbiosis through naturalistic drawing approaches, linear mapping with ink and experimental color, masking tape topography, and printing with natural forms.

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