From Jafabrit

Happy New Year

Regular Posting will resume after I have recovered :)
Meanwhile
Here are some thoughts for the New Year

screw the business of art
Oh well NOT quite, I will still be posting images of work for sale, which takes all of 5 secs (okay a bit more)

I am not putting down others who do so ( or the importance of laying the groundwork) but this really isn't about YOU.
This year I am divorcing myself even further from being concerned about the business of art.
It is too distracting.
This year it is going to be all about

The Doing of Art

Merry Christmas

Cor, can you image how many pressies you would get if all these santas showed up ;)Actually they are part of the santa dash, a fundraising event that many groups around the world take part it in. A bit more noble that what
these naughty santa's did.

For a really different take on Santa check out Art Fag City which has the work of Biljana Durdevi. Can't say I like it visually, but I like what she is saying with it.

Bad Santa Jokes

Why does Santa always go down the chimney?
Because it soots him!
(that's one of Santa's favourite jokes! *HO! Ho! ho!*)

Where does Santa stay when he's on holidays?
At a Ho-ho-tel!
joke source

Found Art

I did a very very quick acrylic painting of a robin on a small canvas board and stuck it on my friends building on Xenia Ave in Yellow Springs.

I bought myself the most ridiculously impractical pair of granny ankle boots (well that was what we called them when they were in fashion in the 70's) to go with my 1920's vintage coat. I am in heaven, I can actually fit into this coat now that I have lost a total of 25lbs. The only thing about these boots is they make me walk like a catwalk model and I feel all wobbly and la di dah, swinging those hips baby!!!!!!!!

Here is a peek at a prototype of something I am working on. Spent two weeks trying all sorts of ideas out and going semi bonkers in the process. This seems to be where I am heading on this particular project: using an old computer part that has been glued to a piece of wood, spray painted and then glazed with a bit cyrstal glaze and black acrylic.

While I haven't been very active in the studio, I have been thinking out ideas, and dithering about on this and that. I have to say I really LOVE stripping down old computers and laptops. What FUN!

Edith Sitwell Series

After the stone painting of Edith I did a version called "sitting well" on canvas.

"I have often wished I had time to cultivate modesty.....
But I am too busy thinking about myself."
Edith Sitwell
As quoted in The Observer (30 April 1950)

Winter Scenes
photos and artwork by Jafabrit

Found Art Card

What prompted the Card
False Kindness

Have you ever met someone who acts so kind but inside they are seething with resentment, jealousy and/or bitterness. I knew a woman like that once. She always acted so kind and volunteered to do things, proclaiming what a good Christian she was. Then resentment or jealousy would start to nibble away and she would find reasons to dislike the person or people SHE had volunteered to help. She would start to say little things, play the gaslighting game ( use of deceptive information to promote a distorted view of others or tried to convince others they said something they didn't or try to convince them they had forgotten things).
I saw the real woman one day. She took off the mask of kindness.

I can understand why some feel the need to wear a mask, but I have more respect for those who don't hide who they are, who are true to themselves, even if they are not always likable. At least we can be spared the painful process of finding out that the person we thought we knew or liked proved to be someone we would never have chosen to be friends with in the first place.

The angel face is based on a painting I did of a mexican wooden mask.

The Howling

It is dark
the wind talks to me
I don't know what it says
it howls and swirls
screeching at me
coiling itself around the house
licking at the doors, licking at the windows,
clawing to get in
it talks to me
I don't know what is says
by C.Bayrak

Before I start a new series I make a point of NOT looking at certain artists work because I fear it may influence my painting. In this case I was influenced and didn't even realize it until I had a "duh" moment a day after doing this blog entry. Both Sunil and Loretta have had wonderful posts with some poetry, and it is obvious it has inspired me. This is something I wrote in our family diary 7 years ago. We were living in rural New Jersey, the power had gone out as a storm moved in, and was I was totally alone for the first time in years. The wind came, and as I became aware of all these eyes starting down at me (portraits in the studio and around the house) and the howling wind made weird noises I could see why so many pioneer women isolated for months alone on the prairies/homesteads would sometimes lose their minds. The photo I took recently of my daughter.

Snow Art

My husband and I decided to make a snow woman. She looked quite regal at night.But then she lost her head during the night.

We had to improvise.

weird stuff that made me larf!

What on earth is this!

Creative Motivations

Can you believe I actually think I've run out of things to say, which is ironic considering the failed painter just gave me this very cool award. LOL!! Thankyou Noonan :)

Okay, I have this to say. The holidays are upon us and I can't get my teeth into any serious studio work, which is not to say I haven't spent time plotting. Still I have felt a wee bit guilty about it and then I reread an article about Yoko Ono in which she is quoted:
"I work whenever and wherever I'm inspired". So I am reminded that it will happen when it happens.
Meanwhile I thought I would share what led to my Edith Sitwell painting titled "electric eel" - after a quote of hers-"I am an unpopular electric eel in a pool of catfish.". It all started when I saw a photograph of her by Loomis Dean in an old Life Magazine. Her haughty look and hands just intrigued me. I had a stone that seemed perfect to paint her face on. I wanted to use the form of the stone and illusion to define her features on the stone.

I just got this typical British Christmas Card from relatives in England. There is my favourite little bird the British Robin Redbreast and the iconic pillar post box.

On a brighter note

acrylic on canvas board, slightly altered on the computer

Fellow Jafa pal Nancy and I watched the Jackson Pollock movie starring Ed Harris and I thought I would give dripping a try. Hum! What is it people say about it being easy? It isn't a horrible effort, but it doesn't have the lyrical qualities that a Jackson Pollock painting has. Seeing his huge paintings in the real is magnificent. There is just something about them that makes them sing, the layers, the touches of colour, the balance. and the scale of it.

I have added a new art blogger who specializes in abstract expressionism on my side bar: pollocksthebollocks, check out his current painting, it is YUMMY. I really liked "Journey at Sunset" on his gallery page!

Here is the unaltered version, which is not too different from the altered version at the top.

The Story of the finger bone

Here is the backstory to this piece called "Gold". As I was putting it together I decided I wanted to use a real finger bone. I felt it would add a discomforting brevity and remembrance to all those lost in the annals of history. Perhaps help it be remembered as one of those lessons from history where thousands of innocents died for greed of gold ( in light of current claims lobbied against oil rich land). So I went and ordered one from the Bone Room. So I get it in the mail and I feel really queer about it. I call the bone room and find out it was from China originally. I can't open it. It sits on the shelf for several weeks. I feel haunted by it. Who's finger bone was it? Was it from an executed convict, sold by permission of the family, robbed from a grave, what?
One day my friend came over and I asked her to open the package and we look at it and I just can't do it. I can't use it, can't look at it, let alone touch it,can't keep it in the house (my friend took it away). So much for me wanting to make others uncomfortable! I think now if I had used it it would have been too distracting. So I used a chicken bone, and I know what chicken it was because I ate it.

The point of the bone: represents the bones of thousands of women and children still buried in the fields where the camps once stood. Underneath the white woman is a black face because thousands of African women and children died in camps, not because the British thought them hostile, but because they lived and worked on Boer land.

So I even creep myself out with my own artwork sometimes.

Effigy Dolls: Concepción

“As the world grew cold and grey, it was once feared that the sun was approaching the end of its life. It was at the time of the winter Solstice or Brumalia (Dec 25^th according to the Julian calendar) that Saturnus, the god of seed and sowing, was honored with a festival called Saturnalia. At the temple of Saturn a sacrifice was made to placate the gods and to ensure that the great light of the heavens would be reborn. Humans were once sacrificed to the god, but as society evolved, a goat or a pig was donated for the occasion. The woolen bonds which fettered the feet of the statue were loosened to symbolize the liberation of the god. After the religious rites were performed the crowds were dismissed with the proclamation: “Io, Saturnalia!” trumpeting the beginning of the joyous festivities. Crowds filled the streets, Romans paraded singing “unto us a child is born this day” Stalls laden with presents lined the streets near the Forum, but the great present of the season was the doll, of wax or terracotta. Hundreds of thousands of these dolls were on sale or held in the arms of passers by. Gone was a time when human beings were sacrificed to Saturn, the god or his priests had to be content with effigies of men or maids-dolls!” source material

I was at a goodwill store and saw this ugly doll and tossed it back on the shelf, but THEN it occurred to me that once a child had loved this doll and in some way it had a weird charm. It was made in China so there must be thousands of them somewhere in this world. I bought it and had it sitting on the shelf for months. I was invited to participate in a winter solstice show a couple of years ago and this doll just seemed to shout at me from the shelf. There were a number of issues that came into play other than representing the idea of solstice. I guess the commercialism this time of year was on my mind (complaints of that haven't changed over the centuries it seems) as well as mass consumerism and mass production. That is one of the reasons I left the label on the doll. I spray painted it white and added charms that had symbolic meaning and built a box to display it.

Sketchbook: Painting of a Robin Redbreast

I used to love seeing the fat little robin redbreasts in England. When I was growing up it was considered good luck to see a Robin at the first of the season.
Do you know HOW they got such bright red chests?
According to an Old English folk tale "when Jesus was dying on the cross, the Robin, then simply brown in colour, flew to his side and sang into his ear in order to comfort him in pain. The blood from his wounds stained the Robin's breast, and thereafter all Robins got the mark of Christ's blood upon them." source wikipedia

More Trivia

You can see some wonderful photographs of the Robin, which is the British National Bird, on the bbc website-Science & Nature.

Jafabrit Visits

Casey- Check out "winter" and the lush colours
Laketrees is a new one-love her black and white portrait paintings
Cynthia-confronting Change
Bad Kitty- the name alone is cool :)-is facing the challenge of landscapes (I sympathize)
Failed Painter- whose dragon tale coils around the tongue delightfully
Lincoln's Bird Blog in which he, coincidentally, has a current entry about the American Robin.

Tis the Season

New FAVE drink of the Season

Pomegranate Liqueur on ice, YUM!!!!!!!!
It's hard being on Jenny Craig right now
I just want to pig out on normal food, never mind the trifle's, the plum puddings, oink!
Oh, that reminds me a couple of bad Christmas Cracker type jokes courtesy of dd and dh.
What do pigs do when they are hurt
put on oikment
What do you call a mushroom that walks into a bar
a fun guy

PS. I forgot to mention fellow Jafa Pal Jan is having her grand opening Dec 7th for her NEW GALLERY in Albuquerque. More info is on the jafagirlart page.

Absinthe and Licorice

SOLD

Howard thinks I have been sniffing too much paint and looking at this painting he may be just right, yep been sniffing too much of that thalo blue, LOL! Kidding aside painters do need to be cautious in the studio when handling paints-health and safety in the arts website. Having a filter in my studio has made a HUGE difference to air quality.

On the other hand being an artist and prone to accidentally living up to the stereotypical artist image, I could imbibe in that naughty drink, absinthe. IT"S BACK!!!! minus the lethal wormwood component. As you can see in my weird facts about me list I LOVE licorice ( only Australian or the brit pontefract cakes- YUM puts hairs on yer chest). So absinthe is my kind of drink, but I can't imagine slugging the stuff down to the point of getting to the state that everyone gets their moral knickers in a twist. I have enough lucid moments without the need for absinthe :)


Tagged: Miki Nitadori tagged me, ARG! Seven weird facts about moi but I can only think of 5 at the moment. I am supposed to tag others but I don't want ti impose, so I will let others choose to play if they want.

1. I love winkles, but find escargot rather gross (don't ask me why but somehow a slithering along the ground creature is more gross to me than a slithery sea creature, lol-go figure)
2. I keep dreaming of Sean Connery, I once spent several hours just fondling his blasted knee.
3. I seem to be genetically programmed to playfully, and with a twinkle in me eye, take the mickey out anyone who take themselves too seriously and cop a hoity toity attitude around me (whether it be social, economic, art or whatever). Don't ask me why!
4. I have a soft spot for kitsch (as evidenced by my love of cheapo piggy cell phone holder in photo below)5. I once went to the docs with a numb tingling around my mouth. He couldn't find anything wrong. As I was leaving his office I felt compelled to mention (don't ask me why) that I had been eating a lot of licorice lately. He asked, "what is a lot of licorice?" I told him. I could still hear him laughing his head off as I was walking out the front door. I was not charged that day. My prescription was NOT to each THAT much licorice. Eating highly concentrated licorice candy can produce hypertension, amongst other symptoms.