Small things

Bread Tab Image: © Karen Thiessen 2011

"One should pay closer attention to small things." -- Squeak Carnwith, American Painter (b. 1947)

Jon Lee is one talented guy

Jon Lee Installation NYC 2007

This installation of 10" square mixed media panels by Jon Lee caught my eye on a 2007 trip to New York City. It is from his Great Wall of Boxes series and aside from his techniques and imagery, what grabbed me was the modular nature of his work. I've been obsessed with modular art for a few years now and in a future post, I'll highlight a few artists who work this way. Jon Lee is one talented guy. He was one of 15 MFA students to receive the prestigious Joan Mitchell Foundation grant in 2010. 

This Doesn't Have to Be Good

Here's another sign that hangs in my studio. According to author Jim Collins, "Good is the enemy of Great." There are times when trying to do great or even good work gets in the way of taking risks and testing new ideas. Sometimes you need to be willing to make "crap." This is where the Day In & Day Out (DIDO) comes into play. A DIDO is an opportunity to play, test materials, techniques, ideas and not make something perfect. I've been doing DIDO projects off-and-on for 18 years and they continue to surprise me. Since 2008, I've been doing a DIDO to a 2" square piece of watercolour paper. That's 1115 of those suckers, to date. I'll share some of these DIDOs with you soon.

Mundane beauty

Mesh bag 2 © Karen Thiessen 2011

"The mundane is to be cherished." -- Jenny Holzer, American artist (b. 1950)

Poppies

This needlepoint belongs to a friend of mine. The same framed textile hung in my Opa & Oma's dining room. My Oma stitched it from a kit and it's one of those evocative objects. When I see it, it brings me back to visits with my grandparents where Opa and I played chinese checkers on a board that he made himself and where Oma would make delicious Mennonite foods like zwieback and rollkuchen. A cousin has the needlepoint, but I have Oma's wooden cooling rack that Opa probably made himself. 

Inspiration Wall

Inspiration Wall  Image: © Karen Thiessen 2011

Inspiration Wall  Image: © Karen Thiessen 2011

An essential studio tool is my inspiration wall where I tack up found images and objects, plus a few samples and experiments. When I moved into my studio I installed 4'X8' homasote panels on three of the four walls and then painted them off-white, the same colour as the walls. My exercise bike faces one of my homasote walls and I look as I ride. My mind makes connections between the various objects and images and new ideas are born. Riding my exercise bike is the equivalent to soaking in the tub when it comes to relaxing the mind so that eureka moments seep in.

Shayne Dark: Into the Blue

Shayne Dark Into the Blue

Shayne Dark Into the Blue detail

Here's some mid-January eye candy. A few years ago, I stumbled across Shayne Dark's Into the Blue in front of the Edward Day Gallery on Toronto's Queen Street West. The wonders of Yves Klein Blue aka International Klein Blue on Ironwood. Now, if only I could have one of these in my snowy neighbourhood right now-- just looking at it makes me happy!