The Bee Team!

I pity the fool who says the A Team finishes first. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them (I hope this blog helps), maybe you can hire the BEE Team. (I know...my TV reference is dating me!)

The BEE Team is a group of artists that have come together through the online store Etsy.com where you can buy or sell all things handmade. Etsy has turned out to be a great meeting place of super talented artists making a living selling direct and promoting themselves through an established online community.

If you are a collector of art, check out the amazing list of artist working in encaustic.
Such as:
Michele Maule
Shannon Newby
Kate Phillips
Deanna Woods

If you are an artist are interested in working in encaustic, the BEE Team Blog gives you:

• Working with photographs and encaustic

• Call for encaustic art

• Encaustic class offerings

• Resources

I pity the fool that doesn't look, make, and buy art. If you need help, call the BEE Team!

I can't stop singing this song.

Hamster On A Piano


This is art, right? I know, I promised more arty and meaningful posts but this is all I got right now.

I recommend the following to get the hamster song out of your head:

How long has it been?

Life has been a bit of a twirl since the art show at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. As some of you may know, I have a day job as an internal leadership development coach and advisor. Outside of my day job I am an artist, a small business consultant and coach, improvisor and sometimes blogger. As you can see I have been slacking on the blogging and keeping you updated on the newest art projects and random musings.

List of things that have gone and are going on:

• I was accepting to The Second City Training Center's improvisation conservatory. I am just finishing up conservatory one and heading on to two in January.
  
• Next week I am hanging a show at Valentien's in Bakersfield.
• I am finishing writing up a grant for a local art project.
• Currently, I am being psychically and physically stalked by an ex-girlfriend of a man I am dating. (Had a lovely Springeresque midnight moment on my lawn. Yep, it is true!)
• My Ohio gallery had to shut their doors.
• I finished another coaching certification to teach the class Corporate Coach U. I am planning on offering classes mid-2009.
• I am hoping to be vegetarian by 2009. I am slowly transitioning.
• I have been posting too many pictures of my cats on my Facebook and Myspace accounts.
• I'm thinking...just thinking of taking a hip hop dance class. If you know me...this is funny.
  
• My next blog will be more interesting than this one.

Non-perfunctory posts promised period.

Breakthrough

I think you know when it happens, when you feel like everything just comes together and you have done something or made something that has you so proud you revert back to your pre-teen years. You fly in the back door of the house after running from the bus stop with your Mickey Mouse book bag in your left hand and your construction paper turkey with the glitter accents in your right and you shout, "Look Ma, I made this!!"

Here is the latest piece for "Encaustic Expressions" art show at the Bakersfield Museum of Art.

"Growing Wings"

Unfortunately, this is just a little too big to put on the fridge.

Bakersfield Museum Opening - May 22

I'm in a small group show at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. The curator selected 6 artists throughout the US working in encaustic medium. I would love to see you there!

Melt my Art: Encaustic Expressions
Bakersfield Museum of Art
1930 R Street
Bakersfield, California
Exhibition: May 22 - August 28, 2008
Opening: May 22 at 6:00 - 8:00 pm
www.bmoa.org

My lovely cards will be going out next week. Drop me an email if you want to be on my "Self-promotion to those I love!" list.

Here is a sneak peek at one of the six pieces that will be in the show:

"Twin Difference" 7" x 11"

Ohio Show!

This work made its way to a lovely (seriously lovely) gallery in Ohio called Papercuts and Gluesticks. If you are in Ohio, please tell Kari (the owner) how great she is and the space she has created. It is not only good karma, but also true.

"Held Still" 12" x 12"


Grouping - each 5" x 7"


"Through the Fog I see" 12" x 12"

Bad art is so good!

Love it...
Peter The Kitty

Shy Glance

Sunday on the pot with George

Gilded Nude

I think I have a few from art school that might make the cut! Just take a tour of my parent's garage...the "Julia Heatherwick gallery of Shame." There you will find my lamp of terror; a paper mache' woman pierced through the back with a pvc pipe, with her belly blown out with long red entrails rising toward the heavens. That was when the stone spray paint just came onto the market. As if she had glanced at Medusa, she was frozen in her stone state while a light bulb was cleverly hidden in the pipe only coming to 'life' with a rolling click. Plug it in, plug it in! Pure brilliance.

"Waxing On" in an interview by Misti Wilson

An email Interview by Misti Wilson for my upcoming exhibition in Germany.
www.MistiWilson.com
Curator and Art advisor for the upcoming exhibition:

"Kick-ass" - Kunst unter 100
Gemeinschaftsausstellung
Freitag, 11. April 2008
19:00 - 23:00 Uhr
Eigelstein Torburg, Köln

1. When did you start making artwork?
Although not documented for future publishing, I believe my first mixed-media masterpiece was created at the age of four. My father had a large container of wood glue on his work bench in the garage. I safely traversed a mountain of sharp tools to acquire this choice medium. With two hands, I squirted the glue in a Jackson Pollock influenced flourish over the entire garage floor. I chose kitty litter to pour over the top of the glue as the sculptural element. My brush was a large, floor broom. The result was quite stunning. My parents were proud.

2. What inspires your artwork?
Nature and my childhood. I grew up in central Illinois in the corn-belt. Surrounding my country home were flat fields of corn and soybeans. Surrounding the fields were overgrown ditches of tall grass and weeds. I built many forts and structures to escape, daydream and hide my collected treasures. Any plant or grass that can only be seen by lying on your belly is an inspiration.

3. Can you describe your process?
I’m a collector. I am inspired by the tiniest plant, patterns, repetition and rusty, antique tools. My recent body of work uses Encaustic as the primary medium. I carve all of my botanical figures out of the wax with a scribe and fill in the line with pigmented wax to create a wax inlay.

4. Can you explain how you come up with titles and why
you choose to title your work?
I think my titles are getting better. I use to be pretty sparse and direct such as "Dig" or "Spring". I still have a tendency toward simplicity, however, the poet and writer Wendell Berry has been a positive influence. I’ll make a piece and then spend some time reading his poems or stories. This helps me change my language from the visual to verbal. Most of my pieces have little nick-names that I give them that are a bit less romantic and are just for me. Sort of like the nicknames you give to an ex-boyfriend or nosey neighbor, but they are probably kinder.

5. How do you see your work evolving in the future?
Bigger and more sculptural. I would also like to create environments and installations that incorporate sound and technology.

6. Is there a particular size or medium you prefer
working in?
I have been working small scale. I loved making the 5" x 7" pieces for this show. It keeps me simple and direct. My background is in Intaglio printmaking. That has been an obvious influence on my current choice of working with encaustic medium. You can do much of the same effects in encaustic as you do in intaglio.

7. Please describe your studio where you work. Is it
chaotic, organized, in the city, suburbia or
countryside?
One word for my studio: Disaster. When I’m in creating mode I do the strangest and graceless things. I have wads of blue painter’s tape stuck to my wall. It would be just as easy to throw it away, but "whap" I stick it to the wall. I kick things to the side, step on stuff, stack things precariously knowing a disaster is about to ensue. My studio is my second bedroom in a small 1930’s bungalow in an old part of Bakersfield, CA. My studio seeps out into my living and dining room. I have orange, electrical cords snaked to different outlets because I’ve blown too many fuses. Right now, my dining room table is full of little wires with wax tips, collage papers, bills, dried plants and an empty cereal bowl pushing up into this mountain of stuff. Oh my, I think I have shared too much.

8. Do you listen to music while working?
I listen to music during different phases of my work. During the creative, thinking, planning and concentrating phase I like complete silence. During my favorite time, "carving time" I blast the tunes. I’m a hard-core folk music lover! Oh yes, you can rock to folk, let me tell you.

9. When working, what feelings do you feel?
I feel a mixture of emotions. I can feel excited, anxious, angry, frustrated, giddy, content and peaceful all during one sitting. It is like having a relationship with each piece.

10. How do you know when a piece is finished?
I have a physical reaction. I remember going on a two-week road trip by myself from Illinois to Montana. I had just finished reading the book, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values" by Robert Pirsig. During this self-proclaimed chautauqua, I had beautiful moments while sitting quietly in nature. One memorable moment was in the South Dakota Badlands and another on Avalanche Trail in Glacier National Park, Montana. I remember feeling my chest open up as if I were gasping inside. Honestly, that is what I feel when I create a pivotal piece. They are not all like that or need to be like that as each piece informs my next. Sometimes I just get a smile that says, yes, that is right.

11. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about
your work?
I’m interested in patterns, connections, relationships and opposites. Recently, I had my friend Sue over for wine and to talk art. She asks the best questions that always pull me out of my head. We were talking about a work of mine called "Together as One." In this piece I had taken pages from a braille book and glued them to two wood panels. I then did a graphite rubbing over the braille so you could "see" the words. I then poured a layer of wax over the pages. I followed that by carving in images of pointy thistles. I liked the idea of seeing what you should feel and feeling something smooth that should be pointy. She said that sounds like synesthesia. Synesthesia is a neurologically-based phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory. That is when I discovered I had a form of synesthesia. When my eyes are closed, I see distinct colors for each defined sounds or tones I hear. Thanks to Sue, I had a profound moment of connection to who I am and what I do.

What goes into art or not...

I went to my favorite antique store for inspiration, The Great American Antique Mall. I always find it in their bargain basement. Yesterday it was 20% off! Can I get a "Hell Ya!"

Well, I found the perfect thing. It was a wood square frame (dove tailed) with two metal screws with hockey stick ends drilled through each side and meeting in the middle. Joining the two screw ends was this threaded, 2 inch, oblong metal ring. The screws didn't quite meet in the middle, but with some fussing I could thread them closer or farther apart. I had visions of placing some little balled thing in the middle and bolting it to one of my encaustic covered wood panels.

Well, I'm holding all my treasures in my arms like a schoolgirl holds her books and the shoe was dropped. "Are you planning on buying that?" Says Jack the storekeeper. "Because we use that for our bed frames. It isn't for sale."

Damn.

He was nice about it, but DAMN!

So, I'm a collector of odd, rusty things that sometimes make it into artwork:
"Bugird"

"Teeter and Totter"


Or they are a little more refined and subtle like the antique book in "When Silent":



And sometimes they are just art in waiting:

I was so happy when I found this 1 ball. While shopping, I was gleefully tossing it up and down in my hand WHEN...you guessed it, I dropped it. It split in half. Shit. But, I think it will be easier to incorporate into something. We'll see.

I'm excited about that tool:


Sometimes they are just inspiration like this "Dirty Sock Boy":

Influence through Improv!

My "Influence through Improv!" leadership workshop has been booked for a conference! I'm a scheduled speaker for the United Way Professional Development Conference for Non-Profits on February 26.

My workshop description:
"Influence through Improv": Let go of “looking good” and embrace “being in the moment!” Within this creative workshop, we will explore taking risks in a safe environment to unleash your inner “real character.” As a group, we will use introductory improv techniques to improve your ability to listen, trust yourself and influence those around you. Leave your thinking self at the door and be ready to say “YES!” to play.

My workshop isn't just improv games, although we do a lot of them. The critical piece is helping the participants make the connection from the abstract activity to what they do everyday. I emphasize the "What will you do differently when you leave here today?" coaching method. Recently, I facilitated a program with 45 executives in Lake Tahoe. The energy in the room went from groans to cheers. I worked closely with the Vice President of the group to make sure I made connections to their plans for 2008 and what it meant to be an aspirational leader. I've finally combined my 12 years management, leadership development and coaching with art, acting and writing to help create creative connections between business and art.

This was quite the contrast from a Improv workshop I did for a group of sixty 3-5 year olds in the Children of Migrant Farm Worker program. With the assistance of two performance artists we told a story as a large group. As I told the story, the dancers acted it out and when we needed sound effects I pointed to a picture of a dog, cat, wind or rain. The kids barked, meowed, stomped and clapped throughout the story. What a hoot!

Stay tuned...I'm working on an art class for business professionals! Oh my!

Grantwriting Thrill Seeker.

Instead of spending hours on a rubber stamp this week, I spent it on writing a grant!

I found out about this grant about a month ago and waited until 3-days before it was due to really hammer it out. Oh so, Julia. I think I like the rush I get from saying, "I'm not going to do it...I just don't have time" to "Give me a cup of coffee and I can get anything done!" It is the thrill of overcoming the impossible.

The Center of Cultural Innovation is offering two grants to California artists funded by the James Irvine Foundation. The Grant for Artistic Equipment and Tools and The grant for Presenting and Marketing your work. I am putting in for the equipment and tools grant.

My angle for my grant was the need to push my work into a larger format and doing that in a healthy and safe studio environment. So, I asked for money to purchase the following items:

Hot Plate 24" x 36"
Air Purifier
Repspirator
Art racks
Studio work tables
Lighting kit

My grant was for roughly $3,777.00. As The Secret says I should say, "I now have $3,777.00 to improve my studio!" You ask the Universe and you shall receive. I'm asking, I tell ya!

I'm also excited about their education classes coming up. Take a look at their -> calendar.

Not to fear my readers who do not live in California. I've included another link -> Here <- to help you find a grant opportunity.

And for you greedy California artists-> Here <- you'll find more resources.

Wait, there is more? Yep.

So many links, so little time!

I'll keep you posted on my grant results!

Breaking Ground StUUio

It is the first day of the new year and I was going to get so much accomplished.

Task List:
Clean the house. Not just pick-up, but really dig in.
Pay my bills
Review my 2008 budget
Write the grant for studio equipment - due Friday

What I actually did:

The making of the "Breaking Ground Studio Stamp!"

I drew out my design with a sharpie on paper:


I carved it in a rubber stamp and printed it on my "What White Rabbit?" mailers:


I printed about five, when I noticed is said: Breaking Ground StUUio.

Here was the brainchild fix:


The final version:


I really accomplished something today!