The Midwest

where I grew up

The Southeast

where I live now

These are a few thoughts I am having today as I begin our new collaboration – “Two Artists : One Surface”.  I am thinking about how a geographical place can affect one’s emotional place.  I couldn’t help but see the parallels in where I came from and now where I find myself.  How maybe I love this landscape in South Carolina because it has familiar colors and forms to those I first saw as a young girl in Illinois. Laura and I often talk about how our home, the land, the seasons, and our experiences outside define and shape our work in intricate ways.  We often wonder how two artists being 900 miles apart may talk about this through the visual arts.  Not knowing where this project will take us and allowing it time and space to unfold is an exciting process.

…thinking…

…stewing…

…pondering…

Tina

photo taken by Terry Hirsig

Dear Friends,
Yesterday I spoke about the completion of our collaboratively made Book Exchange which spanned two years. Today I would like to let you take a peek at our ideas for the next collaboration.  Some of these thoughts were posted in our recent Newsletter – please sign up if you have not already.

We are calling our new collaboration

Two Artists : One Surface

or TAOS.

Inspired by the artwork of Jennifer Bartlett from the book of her work titled In The Garden, we saw the possibilities of having us both work on one piece of art together. Since we live far apart, we had to brainstorm a method of how to make this work long distance. What we decided was to each begin on a wood panel, working on about half of it. Once we have completed our half, we will swap our work through the mail. Once received in the mail, we will complete the other’s piece of art.

The artwork created is open and subject to the individual artist creating it- we do not have any parameters or objectives here- only to create in the moment and see what develops between two artists. This is an experiment which will be documented thoroughly on our blog.

In a way, this is similar to our project Vision/ReVision we engage in weekly. In that project we each post a photograph on Monday titled ‘Vision’. In response to that photo, the artists choose an element such as color, line, composition, shape, form, pattern, design, or conceptual idea to create a ‘ReVision’. ReVisions are posted on Friday.

For this new project we will take one month to start a new piece of art and another month to tradthrough the mail and complete.  We have projected to create twelve pieces of collaborative art by this time next year.

Look for updates, letters of reflection, photographs in progress, and comments on this process on our blog over the next year.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day~

Tina

Four years ago Laura and I began sending artwork to one another through the United States Postal Service.  These were in the form of a simple postcard and served as a tactile way to communicate what we were doing in our studios.

Two years ago we began a book exchange to consolidate many of the ideas that had been generated through these individual postcards.  When we began the project we had only two rules:

1.  Complete one page with whatever artwork we felt moved to create.

2. Add a small image on the next page as a starting point (to elicit a visual conversation between us).  Look for these “lead-ins” in the photographs of our book at the link below.

The Book Exchange 2008-2010

Once I completed my page I sent if off in the mail to Laura.  When she completed her’s, she sent it back.  It went around like this about 26 times (sometimes we hand delivered it if we visited one another).

pages 28-29

The last two pages of the book (page 30 and back cover)

These last pages were recently created together while I visited Laura’s studio in July. We sat down one day and just observed, flipping pages and discussing our creative decisions.  We looked for reoccurring ideas, images, compositional choices, colors, and anything else that jumped out at us in this visual conversation.

At the beginning of the project it was our hope to see how this would get to the core of who we are and what we want to talk about as two artists working together.

Here is what we noticed.

…circles/cycles…maps…written words/notes….organic shapes/images…leaves…birds…duality~ outward/inward, revealing/concealing, public/private, exterior/interior…expand/contract (bird’s eye view to detailed microscopic view)…defining home…presence/in process/moments…spirit…sky…moon cycles…growth…time…

These observations and words were incorporated in the last few pages.  We worked side by side to decide how they were to be included in the visual imagery.  The last page represents the moon.  Oddly enough, when we would come together in the same geographical location it was always a full moon.

signing the last page

These reflections are informing our next collaborative project together we are titling “Two Artists: One Surface”.  This is piquant idea that we suspect will occupy our work together for many years to come.  Tomorrow I will speak more about this new collaboration.

Although this is a bittersweet end to a very productive project, we finish it having learned a great deal about who we are as two artists working together.  We move forward happily and celebrate what we learned through this process.  For further details on this process you may enter Collaborative Book Project or Book Exchange in our Search menu for past blog posts.

Cheers!

Tina

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Sabrina Ward Harrison, 2010

A glorious hello!

As I prepare for my trip I have been in a bit of a quandary as to whether to bring my computer with me to Italy. From what I hear the internet is a bit splotchy and I have debated whether it is worth the effort of lugging my lap top around with me. The pros are: I can blog easily and therefore will be able to share my adventures with you, I can upload pictures and organize them as I go, I can watch movies and catch up with work related things on the long plane ride and on it goes…. The cons: the computer is heavy and it might be nice to be “unplugged” both literally and mentally while I am on this holiday (SO need that right now). I guess the pull toward my computer made me realize my dare say addiction to it! So much of my time is spent blogging, reading favorite artists blogs, emailing, and “connecting” with others virtually. What I have realized is that I need time to reconnect with myself and my art. My wish is that Sabrina’s workshop will allow for this. Five days of bliss at a little B & B called, La Fenice which ironically means pheonix in Italian. Translation: n. phoenix, legendary bird who consumed itself in fire and returned to life from ashes. I am going to allow myself this time  to simply “be”~ with myself, with my thoughts and with my good friend, Millie whom I will be traveling with. I will embrace the different senses in my new surroundings and plan to come home refreshed and alive. In the meantime my camera, journal and paints will be my muse. I will look forward to sharing my adventure with you! Until then…

Arrivederci!

Laura

Sabrina Ward Harrison, Positano, Italy 2010

Sabrina Ward Harrison, Positano, Italy 2010

We just sent our newsletter, so if you did not receive it please sign up right over there -> in the margin.  I wanted to extend some ideas in this post today from the newsletter.

A common question after we tell people that we can talk on the phone for four hours is “what do you talk about?”.  After a recent lengthy conversation on the phone about creativity, I thought I would share some thoughts and resources if you are interested in this topic as well.  Laura and I often wonder why we have the drive to create art, why we can’t ignore it (having engaged in various occupations only to return to the arts time and time again), and the mysterious “flow” in the studio we crave.  Mihály Csíkszentmihályi discusses in detail this mental state “in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.” (as quoted from wikipedia on FLOW).  Certainly flow can happen in any occupation or activity.

Newsweek Magazine recently printed this article titled “The Crisis of Creativity”. (referenced in our newsletter), that sparked our conversation on creativity.    What is creativity?  Can you be creative without being an artist?  What is creativity in an interdisciplinary art practice?  What do we know about how our left and right brain work together and how that affects creativity?  We wanted to extend this conversation to you as well.  Listen to the podcast here to get you goin’

Having just graduated from an Interdisciplinary Arts graduate program at Goddard College, this is a BIG topic for Laura and I.  This is only the beginning of flushing out all our ideas on this one.  At the very core of this topic is the question “can we teach creativity or are you born with it?“.  The Newsweek article speaks to what science knows on this topic with the development of your brain.

This is seriously fascinating to Laura and I.

Daniel Pink addresses this very topic in his book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.  We have talked about him many times here on the blog, but had to mention him again. Creativity is where our future is headed.  We have gathered so much information over the last centuries, now what will we do with it?  Much of what we will talk about here at the blog is how the arts are responding to this.

Yes….this is why we talk for hours.   Conversation is our way of sorting out the numerous questions.  We have already had a number of thoughtful conversations with other people in our lives on and off the blog related to what we post, so keep it comin’ folks!

Let us know what you think about this “crisis of creativity”

I am SO grateful to have TWO of my paintings featured on the front page of the Westerly SUN’s Community section this past week! I thought I would share the lovely article with you. There are no words to express how grateful I am to everyone’s kind words, and loving support of the new show at ACGOW. Thank you! Thank YOU! THANK YOU! It will be up until Septemeber 25, 2010 and the opening reception is September 1st from 5-8:00pm. Hope you get a chance to see it!

xo Laura

click to enlarge

Hello Tina & friends!

I found the title Arrivals and Departures fitting for the new show at the Artists Cooperative Gallery this month as I will find myself soon departing CT and arriving in ITALY! This painting, Soulful Essence is one of the new paintings that will be in the show. It is highlighted on this postcard along with the work of Steve Tulka, the other featured artist this month. It is really exciting to see the work all up and hung on the walls of the gallery! I have been working hard on two different bodies of work, one is a continuation of my wine series and the other is the start of a series I am currently calling garden friends. Some of you might remember me promising to be more present in my garden this summer and this painting is an expression of some of my time spent there. I have SO loved sketching, thinking, writing and dreaming of new work and hope I have sketched enough to tide me over through the harsh winter months ahead. The shows opening reception/party is on September 1st and will include wonderful art from all our members as well as libations and delicious treats. I hope you can join all the fun! Since I won’t be there in person I have created a distinct piece of art especially for the show, which I turned into a postcard just for YOU! You can read more about them HERE. Share some sunshine and get them while they last!

Salute!

Laura

Tina's Vision 49

Laura's Vision 49

Tina and Laura’s ReVision today:

Laura's ReVision 39

Dear Tina~
The first thing that came to mind after seeing your Vision this week was this fan we have in our dining room. B picked it out long before we were together and although it is not exactly my aesthetic it seems to work in our house. It got me thinking about compromise and how two very different people can live happily together when they are so different. I am hopeful of a balance of sustainable resources like you eluded to in your Vision for this week. Maybe we can learn to live in harmony with nature and all her wonders instead of stripping her of her valuable resources, at least this would be my wish…xoLaura

Tina's ReVision 49

Dear Laura,

It has been awhile since we have created are ReVision~  it feels good to get back into the routine of responding to your images and ideas.  This time of year in South Carolina, the heat is so oppressive and intense that our garden actually dies down for the month and will come alive again mid-September for a second blooming.  Not having the color you have in your garden to respond for this ReVision, I remembered the corn fields of Michigan on our recent road trip to the Midwest.   We ate the corn freshly picked and was pleasantly reminded how the corn is so incredibly good (sweet and crisp) compared to the corn we get here in the Southeast.  The bounty of summer, as you spoke of in your Vision, was truly a bounty when we visited.  If you look closely you can see the corn cobs on the stalks in this photo.  You are right, when you spoke about your peaches, about not getting this flavor of freshness from the grocery store.

Tina

Dear Laura and Friends,

I just signed up for this project, which is sponsored by Art House Co-op.  The best part is that there is no jury process.  For anyone who has applied to something and been denied will know the beauty of an opportunity that is open to everyone.  The sketchbooks are pretty small so could be an easy project to give anyone a jump start in their studio work.  Deadline to sign up is October 31 and to complete it January 15.  The tour begins March of 2011 and will travel to Brooklyn, NY (where Art House Co-op is located), Austin TX, San Francisco CA, Portland ME, Atlanta GA, and my hometown Chicago IL.  Watch the video below created by CNN about this project.  I will post my sketchbook work here once I finish it.  Let me know if you join the fun…

Tina

Laura Gaffke, 2010

Laura Gaffke, 2010

Laura Gaffke, 2010

Hello Tina & friends~

Well, I decided with my upcoming Italy trip it was time to learn how to use the fancy camera my sweet husband surprised me with LAST Christmas! It is one of those amazingly beautiful cameras where you feel like you are going to totally mess it up simply by picking it up. Yes, I dare say I have been a bit afraid of it! Trying to bypass my fears I decided to challenge myself by actually using it. I have been having so much fun playing and staging little “still lives” of the seasonal peaches I have been devouring like candy. There is something so sweet and lovely about the vibrancy of their color, texture, scent and taste. These are not your store bought peaches, that is for sure. I have SO enjoyed playing and creating this way without expectation, just for the pure joy of it. I would love to know what you think of the first efforts with my camera. Is there one image that strikes you over another? Maybe you have some pointers for a new “photographer”?

I would also suggest you go out and find yourself some glorious summer peaches!

Peachy Smiles & love,

Laura