Patterns, Symbols, Geometry - Work In Progress

I've been intrigued and fascinated by the colors and patterns of designs in Arabic/Turkish/Oriental carpets, fabrics and tiles. To date, I have visited a tile shop, several carpet and fabric shops and seen beautiful traditional embroideries and designs on clothing in Jordan. I am playing around with a new set of ideas which would be to incorporate these often geometric patterns into my artwork...either as a frame or eluding to the designs under layers of paint.


Today I started working on a piece, 100cm x 100cm that is maybe 1/3 done.
(Below is a photo of the painting in its beginning stages)


Looking through the hundreds of photographs I have taken since I got here for inspiration, I came across a photo I took of an old embroidered cushion on a seat at the Duke's Chapel, Um Al-Kundum. I loved the colors, not necessarily the whole design but found myself drawn to the fleur de lis border surrounding the coat of arm-like design. As I started sketching it, thinking mostly about the colors, I started to draw the border into my sketch...and I liked it. I have never really been drawn to, or rather should I say "didn't think" I was drawn to geometric patterns as a subject in my artwork.
(Below is my sketch and the photograph which inspired it)


Lately I have taken a deep interest into design and symbolism. I was listening to a song on the radio the other day and realized us humans seem to like repetition....notes, sounds, words, shapes. Why are we so drawn to repetition? In music there is a constant repetition of sound creating a rhythm and beat. In design there is often a repetitive symbol made up of line and shape to create a pattern. It does help make things feel complete, whole, contained and orderly. It must be innate. Maybe it has to do with routine being part of life.

Back to the subject...Ben and I went carpet shopping last week, and after looking at several dozen carpets/rugs, we both realized we are drawn to Kilims and similarly geometric-designed carpets. So, now I'm researching them - Visually by sketching those that I am drawn to and if I can find the information, the symbolism behind each design.

I'm still not sure how I'll incorporate these patterns into my work but I'm enjoying playing around with the concept. On the piece I was working on today, I first created a good base of color with several layers of paint. I then made a stencil out of paper of the fluer de lis pattern of the cushion. I spray painted the pattern around the frame of the painting and on the sides. I plan to paint on top of this "border" and alter the color of the pattern as well as work on the "center of the painting".

Below is the painting at the end of today's working day.... more layers and photos to come! (and that is masking tape by the way...not permanent, but I'm liking it)


What do you think?

in Jordan...inputting and outputting

So I'm finally settled in my new home in Amman, Jordan. Well, actually I was settled a while ago, I've just been too busy enjoying the new, or "inputting" as I call it, to sit down and update this blog.
(photo to the Left: detail of door at Duke Bisharat's Diwan, downtown Amman)

Ahhh traveling to and/or moving someplace new is one of my favorite things. The amount of new information, new sights, stimuli for the senses is delicious, and addicting. Since arriving here in early July I have been moving about, meeting people, sampling the food, learning about the culture, trying to learn some Arabic (I'm ashamed to say I've been a poor student), socializing, visiting places with Ben, and taking lots and lots of photos. I've met wonderful people, found and gotten involved in the art scene here, and really feel at home. Jordan is comfortable and very friendly. Amman is a small city but there is so much to see, especially for a newcomer, that I find every task interesting. That doesn't mean I haven't gotten frustrated with certain aspects of this culture yet...but overall, I'm enjoying all the nuances. (photo to the Right: me at Duke Bisharat's property Um Al-Kundom, by artist Tariq Dajani)

As an artist especially, the "input" is particularly important. Input, as I define it, is basically like opening your mind, eyes, ears, nose, mouth and heart to receiving new information. Looking and noticing everything possible...the smells in the street, the dryness of the air, the patterns on a woman's overcoat and hijab, the sweat on a streetvendors upper lip, the eyes of a street cat, the brightly colored cars from decades past, the unfamiliar sounds of Arabic, the beauty behind the grime, the singsong of the gas truck... Anyone can identify with this, if you have experienced something new or traveled to a new place. It doesn't have to be exotic or far away. (photo to the Left: A cave in Little Petra, Jordan)

This experience is something I believe is an important practice, for everyone. Every so often, placing yourself in a new environment to expose yourself to new perspectives and new stimulation. This is how we learn. This is how we compare by juxtaposing what we know to what we have just discovered. This is how we confirm or re-evaluate our beliefs, opinions and views on the world. Even if one doesn't discover anything profound, it just gives you another take on life, and reminds us how small we are, and how much there is to see.

Absorbing and digesting all the input is another story. This takes time. I'm trying to be disciplined about limiting my thirst for input and start my processing. I need to work! My solo show at Zara Gallery is literally only 5 weeks away (not counting the nearly 2 weeks I will be out of the country visiting NYC in September). November 10 is the opening but I have set a deadline (which I know I won't meet) to have my work finished and framed by mid-end of October.
(photo to the Right: courtyard of my studio, Jabbal Webdeih, Amman)

I have painted every day for the past 2 weeks, and I am finally finding a "groove". My studio is finally set up. It's a charming small apartment located next to our apartment in Jabbal Webdeih. Our neighborhood is quiet, tree lined and very residential. It's also the neighborhood apparently, for creatives. Writers, Artists and Academics like to reside here. My studio is very small but has a lovely courtyard in the back with high walls which I can hang my art on. The lovely thing about the Jordan climate is that it's guaranteed to be dry and sunny every day (until late fall I believe) so I have been working (and leaving my work) outside! Yesterday I got so sick of the music on my iPod, I turned it off and decided to work to the smells of Iftar (breaking of Ramadan fast...lamb, chicken...mmm!), sounds of children playing, and the chirping of birds in the tall pine tree which shades my courtyard. There is something to be said about immersing yourself in your environment and connecting to it. This means accepting the fact that bugs get stuck on my paintings and pine needles fall onto my head and into my paint while I'm working. And that when it gets dark, I go home. I have had to get more disciplined about going to my studio early and working straight through. Being an input addict, anything can get me distracted and caught up in a daydream....(photo to the Left: working on a painting in my studio courtyard)

Back to what I was saying about processing the input to start the "output". I have taken lots of photos since I got here and have much inspiration. What to do with that inspiration is sometimes overwhelming. I have made many sketches using oil pastels in my sketchbook...so I have a lot of material. I have ordered 20 boards to be built for me to paint on. I have all my materials and tools to work. So what stops me? Sometimes it's overwhelming to think of all the ideas you have and then decide where to start...I guess that is a good problem to have. Daydreaming is also a curse when you want to process and start outputting. I admire my artist friends who work diligently every day and it shows - they are prolific in their output! I have to remind myself though that for me the key is not quantity, it is quality. I have changed my process a bit. I no longer "have to" finish a painting in one sitting. That I have deemed is unrealistic. Instead, I have been taking my time and absorbing what I do and see on the painting surface. I evaluate, I think. And then finally I say, "HALAS!", it's finished.
(photo to the Right: detail of a painting I am working on)

So far though I think I'm doing ok. I have 3 pieces completely finished. I have 6+ pieces started and about 1/3 done. Pressure I guess is sometimes a good thing for artist-types...it gets us going! More to come...

Art for Ari

It's up! My friend Ari Hest's new album, "Winter Songs" featuring 13 songs he has written (one per week) starting this year is now available on iTunes with one of my paintings as the cover art.

The artwork selected is a painting on paper done in 2005 and is titled "Rupture IV". It is mixed media on paper: acrylic, pencil, oil pastel and sand.

Ari chose that piece out of an assortment of paintings I had suggested. I had made my original selections according to what I felt was the most visually indicative of "Winter" but also pieces that reflected the emotion that Ari's songs evoke.

Check it out on iTunes! (note: link will open up your iTunes application on your computer.)

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=278092182&s=143441

My favorite songs: "One, Two", "Broken Voices", "Better Than Before" and "Morning Streets".

Music & Collaboration

Creating art is wonderful and something I must do. It is beyond a hobby for me...it is a need, a force to be reckoned with. It is also an incredibly solitary experience until your work is done and exhibited. When you collaborate with other artists, crossing mediums and genres, is interesting, inspiring and invigorating. Music has always been an inspirational tool for me when I paint and I find it hard to paint in silence. It helps me get lost in a flow, evokes emotion and nurtures my intuition which I use to create from my core.

A talented singer-songwriter friend of mine, Ari Hest, asked me to provide the cover artwork for his upcoming collection of songs to be released on iTunes this month. I'm honored and grateful to be part of his new work. Ari is a talented musician who writes songs that move you and has an amazing voice to go with it.

He signed with Columbia Records a few years ago and the result was a success. However, with the music industry evolving every day, major recording labels have not been able to keep up and those who suffer are usually the good, true, musical artists. Ari left Columbia and embarked on a risky but incredible journey to satisfy his artistic need and give music to his fans at a very personal and intimate level. He's doing something incredibly novel and admirable by starting a project which he calls 52.

Here is what Ari says about it:

"When I got out of my record deal this past summer, I decided it was time to try something a little different. It feels great to be an independent artist again, and I'm more inspired than ever to write and record. I was looking for a new way to present my music.

So my manager and I came up with the idea of a project which we're calling "52". Starting January 7th, 2008, I'll be releasing one new, original song every week for a year through a new '52' website."

He told me about the idea last year and I thought it was incredibly ambitious, but I admired his innovative thinking and thought that it would be hard for him not to be able to pull it off. Every 3 months this year he will release a collection of songs from 52 on iTunes for non-subscribers. The first one will be released soon so check back here for details and you'll see one of my paintings as the cover art!

I strongly encourage you to check out Ari's website, sample his music, and become a subscriber of 52...you'll get access to a new song every week and personal contact with a talented singer - songwriter. Trust me, you will thank me! www.arihest.com

I guess Ari and I are alike in many ways. We both are driven by a powerful force to create. A force that provides us with energy, momentum, fulfillment and also solitude. It's great to be able to weave our work together and I look forward to seeing how our work compliments and converses with the other. That conversation between mediums is the essence and beauty of collaboration.

Upcoming Events & News

2008 has started off well with a certain momentum that I'm grateful to have.

First, I signed with an established and well-respected gallery in Newburyport, Massachusetts (just North of Boston) named The Churchill Gallery. (www.thechurchillgallery.com) Though they have historically exhibited traditional figurative and landscape paintings they are making the move to include more contemporary work after their clients expressed interest in this new direction. I am honored to be part of that evolution with them. I am currently working on a new collection of paintings to be exhibited at The Churchill Gallery later this Spring. Details will follow.

Second, I have been working on finding international exhibition opportunities. It takes a lot of work and time to negotiate through a web of networking but I am grateful to all the contacts I have made since I started my fine art career. Currently I have my latest works on paper exhibited at a fairly new gallery in Amman, Jordan. Jacaranda Images is a small gallery run by two women, one Australian, the other Jordanian. They feature prints and original works on paper and are making waves in the young contemporary art scene in Jordan. Check them out at www.jacarandaimages.com. I have also tentatively scheduled a larger one-woman show at Zara Gallery in Amman to take place in November of this year which will feature large mixed media paintings on wood and canvas. As time passes, I will make sure to provide more information on that exhibition.

Some of you know that I have spent the last 2 years studying and working towards my Masters of Education in Visual Art at Lesley University. Hard to believe, but the end is near. I will be showing my thesis artwork at our thesis exhibition which opens at the Marran Gallery on April 1 and runs through the end of the month. The opening reception is scheduled for Friday, April 18th from 6-8pm. Marran Gallery is on Lesley University's Main Campus on the corner of Mellen and Oxford Streets.

I will also be participating in the annual Fort Point Spring Art Walk. This year it is taking place on Friday, May 9 (4-7pm) and Saturday & Sunday, May 10 & 11 (12-5pm).

This brings me to the latest news. My participation in the Art Walk will be my last open studio event for now. I am embarking on a new and exciting adventure and moving overseas. I will be moving to Amman, Jordan in July of 2008 and joining my beau who lives and works there. Depending on job opportunities in art education, I may stay there or we may move on to another exciting destination. In any case, many of you know that I consider the world to be a very small place these days. I don't anticipate this move to change anything in regards to continuing to make art nor to my connections, ties to and presence in Boston and New England. I can promise that my travels and new endeavors will inspire new ideas and perspectives and I look forward to sharing those with you all through my art.

That's all for now. Thanks to all of you for your support and and interest in my work!
Ciao ~

Welcome to my blog!
I have thought about creating one for a while. I wanted to share ideas and thoughts with fans of my work or people just interested in art. I also wanted a venue for dialogue on certain topics. I'm still learning how this all works but I hope to be able to use this as a tool to share more details about myself as an artist, my creative process and my ideas.