the perfect reason came up recently. my dear friends (both accomplished and outstanding artists, check their websites) kara wood and brandon smith are in the process of adopting a baby from colombia. to help cover some of the expenses involved, their friends over at studio gallery sf organized a group show of over 40 artists that would each submit a piece for a benefit silent auction.
i am so pleased to be a part of this show and hope that my small contribution helps bring brandon and kara one step (at least!!) closer to being the amazing parents i know they will be. the gallery will post photos of all the work and the bidding will begin on wednesday, september 21, with the final bidding happening on september 25. If you're interested in bidding on any of the works, I encourage you to show up in person on the 25th between 4pm - 6pm, OR, if you can't be there in person, just give them a call at the gallery.
i decided to do two pieces at once. one for the silent auction and one that i have been trying to get going for MONTHS for my friend Charles. I'll walk you through my process with the finished pieces at the end!
my space
i usually start off with a single object in mind. for charles's piece, i was always wanting to use this internal clock mechanism that i tore out of an old clock i found while traveling across country years ago. it still ticks sometimes and i find that perfectly creepy.
so i start shifting things around....laying them out...start adding stuff....taking things away....adding and subtracting. in this case - a bird. which is pretty typical JH style. i have been "putting a bird on it" for over 10 years.
should it go in a box?
sometimes, i try to sketch stuff out
always listen to music.
for these two i wanted a common thread. i used found paintings (already framed = awesome) and did a quick change of orientation and composition to start from.
charles on the (L), k+b on the (R)
making things for k+b's....didn't end up using
laying it out....
done!
starting on charles's
i had to bolt that baby in!
done!
all images by janel holiday design
I listened to a lot of 80's while making these two.....including these guys who have been "putting a bird on it" for decades:
I think you and I share a few things in common. I actually have to hold myself back from putting birds on EVERYTHING! We also have a few of those birds in common, and I might know where you got the key. I have a set I'm not quite ready to use. I work very slowly. I cogitate for a long time on an idea, tweak it mentally, then bam! there it is. Waste no time once the muse has finally struck home.
ReplyDeleteLove your baby clock and the bird nest piece best.
Hearts,
Christine Wy
Janel! I LOVE it when an artist shows their process... it's a glimpse into their eyes and it's just fascinating to see how other artists create. My heart swells to bursting when looking at your process. You are so talented and I LOVE your view of the world. Just seeing this inspired me to do my next 10 paintings... and I've been "putting a bird on it" for over a decade too, ha ha! Love you so much! xoxo
ReplyDeleteP.S. my favorite pic up there by far is your sketch. I hope you are drawing more these days too, you obviously have a beautiful line quality and ability far beyond mere collage and glue...
ReplyDelete@Christine, i would love to see your finished pieces....please be sure to put up or send me photos!
ReplyDelete@sheryl - thank you so much for always encouraging me to tap into this side of myself....my "art partner" :) xoxo