Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig.

Last Sunday, after a glorious day trip to Edinburgh on Saturday, my UK host and I visited the studio of another artist friend of his who I’ve gotten to know on social media. Both of these men have a much higher cultural standing than I do and it felt good to be included and hold my own in the conversation. I don’t get nearly enough of it at home. I have a presence, people know my work, but I am often dismissed at that woman who paints birds. In fact, I get more dialogue selling the giclees at craft fairs, which is probably why I like doing them. I worry that selling that merchandise might cheapen the real work, but I have no problem separating the two paths for myself.

I remember watching Keith Haring do a chalk drawing in the Bleecker Street subway station early in his career, and I still have my wiggly baby and barking dog buttons they gave away at his POP Shop. I also once owned an etching of his but sold it years ago when I needed money. I doubt Haring would have an issue with my doing craft fairs along with the paintings, and I loved how the whole high art/low art argument went out the window with him.

In the meantime, while I was in Newcastle, I finished the project I mentioned in my last post of using watercolor to enhance the giclee proofs I’d had made of collages from a few years ago with the intention of doing limited editions of them. Some only needed a bit of tiding up, some got a total overhaul. Aria II, the image above, is my favorite but I’m happy with the results. Collage is an excellent break from my birds and when I come back to them, they always improve. It comes from the same spiritual place for me, which is all about growth.