Drawing, writing, shivering.

So tomorrow night it's supposed to fall to 10 degrees here in the Twin Cities. I expected as much, just not this early in the year; even the natives are saying it's unusual.

So perhaps I will stay inside and make more art.



Above, Narcissus Bulb, about 4 x 7".

Meanwhile, you can see my Examiner.com blog for more about the things I've seen up here of late. There is so much going on here that if it were a paying gig I could write about art full time.

I don't really mind the cold here; I'm going to adjust and be fine. Not much else to say tonight, really. I'll try again tomorrow.

Writing and teaching NEWS

A quick update: I am now the new Minneapolis Visual Arts Examiner! Basically this means I go do Art Things and then talk about them, here:

Tracie's Examiner.com page

Quick update Part Two: I'll soon be teaching drawing classes at the Bloomington Art Center, an amazing place; I can't wait!

New Drawing

The Bone I Found and What I Made of It

Mixed media on paper, 11 x 13.5"

The bone is real; I found it in the Everglades about a year and a half ago. Immediately I thought of lizards, huge snakes, or even Oriental dragons.

Of course, it turned out to be none of those things, but I'll save its actual identity for another day and a future piece of art.

Salvage art: Corvid

Corvid, found objects and oil, 16" H x 6" W.






Someone asked me about the title. It's a genus name. Magpies, jays, ravens and crows are all corvids, members of the same family of bright, bold birds.

The red wood I used for the "roof" element came from a broken ladder in an abandoned (slated for demolition) shed. The flag is made from tin I found lying around a ruined farmhouse.

The crow is painted on what used to be the front of a small drawer. In the hole where the drawer pull was once attached, I affixed a piece of costume jewelry which had previously been glued to a very gaudy picture frame -- which fell and broke shortly after my arrival in Minneapolis.

The glass vial is one I've had for many years now. It's an antique and once held perfume; the mostly-illegible label is still attached.

Rainy Sunday, new salvage art, et cetera.

I'm headed for my barn soon, so I hope the rain will let up; chilly and gray but the whole landscape is splashed with bright fall yellow, orange, red. So it's not bad at all, though I think I am going to need another good pair of gloves soon.

Meanwhile, new work: The Same Old Bright Idea, found objects and oil paint, 13" H x 6" W. $350.



For me this has something to do with watching our culture try to recycle the same concepts that failed the last time around -- selling the same old thing while the rest of us just try to keep the lights on.

UPDATE! This piece has now SOLD.

Studio Stuff

So I finally got a studio space set up in the basement here, and it's a lot more cozy and pleasant than I'd ever expected.

Photos of the space to come soon; meanwhile, here's what I've been up to in there. A bit of drawing as I get back in the groove so I can go forth and paint once more:



Above, Appaloosa #3, charcoal and pastel on painted paper, approx. 10 x 13.5".

Below: Mare Sketch, charcoal and chalk on newsprint. This was a warmup drawing and I really like it so I'm sharing it here.

Vinny the Rooster

Vinny belonged to Barbara at Coffee On Broadway in Robbinsdale, MN. He is sadly deceased, and today I drew an homage from some snapshots Barbara had on hand.

Vinny the Rooster, graphite, charcoal pencil and chalk on paper, approx. 7 x 9."




9/30 UPDATE! This drawing now has a new home with Barbara of Coffee On Broadway, here in Robbinsdale.

$99 Sale at The Soap Factory!

On Friday night, Sept. 19th, the Soap Factory opened its fourth annual $99 Sale.

The sale featured over 230 works -- each one 5 x 7" in size and priced at just $99. One of them was my New Hope, pictured below, a tiny wall-sculpture made of found objects:




My piece sold within an hour of the show's opening. There was music, great food, beer and wine, and every time I thought I had seen all the art I would discover another piece I had missed.

Toward the end of the night, a team of ghost hunters came in, scheduled to spend the night in the place (which really was a very old soap factory in its former life) looking for evidence of spirits.

I had a wonderful evening and can't wait to do it again next year.

New Salvage Art.

Blue Bird. Found objects and oil paint, 22" H x 13.5" W

Moved to Minnesota!

I finally did it -- got out of Southwest Florida and on to cooler pastures in the Minneapolis area.

There's a whole new world here, and I soon expect to be teaching art, displaying art, and generally having the career I couldn't have built in Ft. Myers. Below, my first new work since moving:

The Night House. Found objects and oil, 22" H x 11" W.




Below, a detail shot. Click to view at approximately the actual size of the work.