Letting Loose the Bears…

 

I’ve been trying to come to terms with the knowledge that I have shamefully neglected this blog, and you, my 3 1/2 readers who haven’t completely given up on me.  Whenever I resist doing something, there is always some logical, if not good reason that I am resistant. I’ve been thinking about what that reason could possibly be and after some discussion with one of my friends, I think the reason is something like this:

Pandas are way more fun than a “serious” blog about fine art.

Am I right, or am I right?

The last four years have been the embodiment of that curse: May you live in interesting times. And the times I have been living in for the last four years have been interesting, to say the least. “These interesting times”  include the  collapse of the housing market, (which affects art sales) the stock market, (which affects art sales) and the job markets, (which affects art sales.)  Did I mention that the art market, at least for us non-deceased blue chip artists, was severely affected?

But a bright spot appeared in my peripheral vision, while I was contemplating my crumbling art career.

Pandas.

They came sneaking in the back door, giggling and rolling around and breaking things, eating cuppycakes and running for president.  I won’t tell the story here, but if you want to know more about the pandas, they have their own blog, The Panda Chronicles which you can read and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

Back when I was in art school (and never mind how long ago that was,) I got it in my head that if you were to be considered a “serious artist” who did “serious art,”  you must never stray from the path of seriousness.  I tried to be good, I really did.  I didn’t even indulge in printmaking, for goodness sake, let alone illustration or …gasp…cartooning.

On Pins and Needles // Egg Tempera // Anne Belov // 2012 all rights reserved

But just as I have no intention of giving up painting to draw cartoons all the time, (I am kind of good at it, after all, and it has supported me for the last 25 years) I also don’t want to give up this blog, which has mostly been about my art career, at least until now.  But I am too old and too cranky to follow the rules any longer. I am letting loose the bears.

So here is my goal for this blog: I will try to post once a week on Tuesdays.  They may be very short posts, maybe just a new painting I’ve been working on, or an observation about the process of trying to get my first children’s book published.  Or it may be a story that I have written. I am not going to restrict myself, or hide my pandas under a basket. (As if they’d stay there!) It’s time to give unrestricted free reign to my creative process and outpourings.

Arrangement in Black, White, and Gray //Anne Belov //all rights reserved

After all, when I named this blog after one of my favorite paintings, I named it: Nothing Overlooked.

Anne Belov paints, writes, makes prints, and is the founder of The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire. You can find her paintings at the Rob Schouten Gallery, her cartoons on The Panda Chronicles, and her new book here. She will be teaching beginning egg tempera at the Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio in April. for more information: contact WIFAS  She also writes regularly for The Whidbey Life Magazine, a free journal of art and culture on Whidbey island.

Back in town and ready to print!

Greetings from the extremely jet lagged!

I just returned from 3 weeks in Italy and boy are my arms tired….wait that’s for my other persona’s blog.

For those who have been following this blog, you may remember that earlier this year I created a successful Kickstarter project in order to help fund my trip to Italy.  My trip had two main goals (not counting drinking and eating, but that’s quite another story!)  The first was to study with egg tempera master Fred Wessel, and the second was to try out my idea of plein air printmaking.  Not the actual printing part, but the idea of drawing my travel sketches directly on polymer litho plates.

My reasoning for drawing right on the plates was so that I could capture the freshness of sketches done on site, rather than trying to translate them afterwards and then losing the immediacy in the translation.  I did a number of test plates before I left to make sure the drawing materials I chose to work with would indeed work.  My goal was to come home with at least 20 plates that I felt were good, and so I left with about 40 some.  In the end I completed 35 plates, of which approximately 28 -30 I was very pleased with.  They are small plates, about 4.5″ x 6.5″ and fit in a little notebook that I made to hold them, each separated by a page, with folding flaps to keep them from falling out.  (I will include photos of these in a future post.)

I also did a little experiment with silverpoint on the litho plates to see if that would hold ink.  I am sorry to say that experiment was a complete failure, which is disappointing, as silverpoint drawing can give you great subtlety, which ink can not.  I guess that is the nature of both printmaking and experimentation.  Not everything works out.

I spent the last couple of days sorting out plates, tearing paper and getting ready to print.  I am going to print the first plate today, and I hope it goes well.  Then I need to clean out the technical pens that I took on my trip, as at least one of them clogged up on the trip.

Pictures of Italy and prints and stories to follow.

Porta Nove //Monoprint//Anne Belov // all rights reserved

Also, my exhibition at the Rob Schouten Gallery in Greenbank WA opens in a couple of weeks.  Hope to see you there.

 

It’s the small things that matter

While there really is no such thing as having a completely non-toxic studio (I’m sure there will be some who disagree with me, but just hear me out,)  I continue to move in the direction of having a less toxic work environment.  I’ve been working with minimal toxicity in my oil painting practice since I returned to oil painting 14 years ago.  No more open jars of paint thinner or turpentine  with handfuls of brushes sticking out, just waiting to be knocked over.  (I use baby oil, kept in a jar with one of those coil things to help remove pigment from the brushes, then do a final rinse with soy solve.  I f the brush needs a little extra TLC I might use Master’s brush soap or one of the waterless smooth hand cleaners:  I like “Fast Orange” which is available at my local hardware store.)

The latest tip I have adopted was from a printmaker that I communicate with in a printmakers group on Linked-In.  The last piece of getting solvent based materials out of my studio was a way to clean my brayers.  These are large size hand brayers that Takach press makes.  They work really great for polymer plate litho, but the recommendation was to clean them with roller wash, which is seriously evil.  I definitely want to protect these rollers as they are not cheap.  The tip I got was to clean them with baby oil (which I am already using to clean my brushes) so I thought it was worth a try.  It works great, and you only need a very small amount. Hooray!

So why do I say that it’s difficult to be COMPLETELY non-toxic?  Many pigments themselves are actually toxic.  Cadmium is pretty nasty stuff, but I still use it.  No synthetic color has yet equalled a really yummy cadmium vermillion red.  Just don’t lick your brushes.  And to those who think that “water-soluable oils” are any healthier to use, they are not.  They are still bound with oil that has been hydrogenated to accept water molecules.  They are not “water BASED.”  I’m not saying don’t use them, I’m just saying know what they are.  I do use small amounts of Gamblin’s NeoMeglip medium, which is not very stinky, and I only have a small dollop on my palette.  I did try the water soluble oils when I went back to oil painting, but I found the texture was not to my liking.  By using a high quality oil paint, the texture of the paint, and the experience of painting is much more pleasant.  My favorite is Vasari Classic Oil Paint.  They make small batches of paint, the old fashioned way.  Check ‘em out.

With a little help from my friends…

Sottovoce - Lombardia - Oil on Linen - Anne Belov - all rights reserved

 

I’m still trying to catch my breath and get back to life as normal (aka working way too much).  I did get a little paint on a canvas today, which is a step in the right direction.

I know my Kickstarter project would not have been successfully funded without the help of my many friends and supporters, some of whom have been collecting my work over the years, and some, for whom this will be the first of my work in their collection.  I am grateful to you all.

Here are some things that I have learned in the process, what worked, what could have worked better if I had thought it through completely in advance:

1. Because I have been showing my art work oh these many years, I have a pretty good mailing list for snail mail, not so much for email, as I have only recently embraced (um…that may be too strong a word) the technology.  So did I have a postcard prepared to send out to 400 or so people? No.  Big oops.  Next time, I will definitely either get my email list up to snuff in advance, or send actual postcards to those of whom that is my only contact information.

2.  Have a regular schedule for sending out emails.  Did I do this? Well no.  I was a little concerned that I would over do the emails, causing people to automatically delete everything from me.  I think that once a week for the first two weeks would be fine, and then step it up a little for the last two weeks, only going into hyper drive at the last few days.  Keeping it fun and respectful, of course.  I forgot that even when something is of interest to me, if I don’t keep that email somewhere I will see it, I lose. them.

3.  Because this was a fine art project, rather than a “Panda Project,” I did not ask the panda’s help until almost the last week.  Then of course, the panda kindergarten went way too far,  with regrettable results.  Mehitabel is now fine, thanks for asking.  I have way more panda fans here in internet land (mostly because I put more effort into that blog than my fine art one…go figure.) and I wasn’t sure they would be interested in this fine art project.  The lesson here? You never know till you ask.  Turns out more than a few of my friends in pandyland think my fine art is worth supporting too.  Thank you all!

4.  Kickstarter is a funny little universe.  For your project to get a lot of help and extra notice from the KS staff, it has to grab the fancy of the staff, whom I’m sure are all amazingly brilliant, insightful, and astute observers of cultural trends.  ( a little sucking up for next time never hurts)  Otherwise, it’s really up to you to make sure your support base knows about your project.  I got a few supporters directly from Kickstarter, but most of my support came from people I actually know, either in person, with a strong showing from my panda fan base on facebook.

5.  Unless your project is one of those that leaps into the +100% support in the first 2 days, you should plan on monitoring it regularly, at least daily in the beginning, and then more often as the time period progresses.  For the last 24 hours, I was on there almost constantly, and doing a lot of electronic jumping up and down on facebook to make sure I didn’t run out of time before being funded.  You also shouldn’t obsessively watch to see if anyone is signing up.  That will definitely make you crazy, and you won’t get any work done.

6.  Remember to thank everyone.  Yup, I did that.  But, just in case you missed it, thank you again.  I’m working on my thank you notes, even as I speak!

Would I recommend that you use Kickstarter to get a project you have been working on off the ground?  Absolutely!  I’ve applied for many grants through arts and governmental commission competitions, and have gotten very few of them.  The cool thing about Kickstarter is that your funding comes from real people who want to make a difference for you, and maybe don’t have a couple thousand dollars to buy a painting.  But, for $25 or $50 or more, they can contribute in a way that, if a lot of people do it, is really beneficial and meaningful.  Your stake isn’t determined by a very small group of people who may (and probably do) have their own agenda.  Will I do another Kickstarter project?  Well, yes, but I have a lot of work to do on this one, and even though I have started the thinking and planning process, it will be a while, since I have this one to complete. (Oh yeah, and go to Italy as well.  Look at the time!)  I will tell you this: my next project will involve pandas.

So stay tuned!

5 Hours and counting….

There are only 5 hours left to get another $700 to reach my goal for my kickstarter project.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you can follow the link at the end of this (mercifully) short post.  The people I have to thank are legion.  It goes beyond the people who have so generously pledged their support on this particular project.

I have a theory about buying art.  My theory is this:  When you buy a painting or sculpture or print, you are making an investment in that artist’s future work. You, personally, are insuring that the making of hand-made things will continue.  In a world filled with instant electronic communications, technological and information overload, isn’t it good to know that someone is loading paint on a brush and making a mark on canvas? That someone is getting up in the dark and milking their goats by hand and making incredible cheese? These creations and the people that make them are important.  I wouldn’t want to live in a world without them.

Thank you again for all your support.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arttraveler/painting-from-the-source-the-inspiration-of-italy

27 Hours to go on My Kickstarter Project

I hate to be whiney in my posts here at Nothing Overlooked, but unless 101 more people pledge $25 (or more!) my kickstarter campaign will leave me kicked in the butt.  (and there is no telling what the panda kindergarten will do to Mehitabel!)  So, if you are at all inclined to do so, check out my project at:

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arttraveler/painting-from-the-source-the-inspiration-of-italy

Bob, Babette and all the other pandas thank you!  No matter what, you all are da bears!

Bob T. Panda

Pandas, where did all these pandas come from…?  Isn’t that the OTHER blog? Well, to fill you in on whats been going on with the pandas, here are a few cartoons that have put Mehitabel on the horns of a dilemma:

   Well, all painting and no pandas makes Anne a dull girl.  Hope you check out my Kickstarter project!  Thank you all so much for the support you have shown.

 

Tooting Your Own Horn: 13 More days on my Kickstarter Project.

Among the many cultural things that make it harder for women to get ahead, is the childhood myth told to all girls, “No one likes a show off.”  As we get older, at least for me, and I’ll bet lots of other women in the arts, that translates to: Just sit there quietly and wait for someone to notice you.  My friends will tell you that I’ve given up false modesty and when asked, I will tell you that I’m very good at what I’ve spent the last 40 years doing.  Unfortunately, I have not made that leap in many of my professional dealings.  I sometimes wonder if I would have gotten farther, faster up the gallery ladder being a little more outspoken about where I think the artist/gallery relations need to go, as opposed to sitting there quietly and hoping they will schedule a show, if I just wait patiently.

So here I am with only 13 days to go on my Kickstarter project, wondering if enough people will pledge so that I receive this funding.  A good friend sent out this email to HER email list, and I hope she doesn’t mind that I am copying it here.  When I read it, I had one of those moments …you know the one.  It’s when this really good looking man waves to you from across the room, and you turn around because you think, he can’t possibly be waving at me! But there is no one behind you, and indeed, he is coming across the room toward you.

So, here’s what she wrote:

Have you ever wanted to be a patron of the arts? Now you can. 

Please consider supporting my dear friend Anne Belov’s Kickstarter project to attend a painting workshop in Italy. Besides eternal gratitude from Anne, your support gets you original monoprints.http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arttraveler/painting-from-the-source-the-inspiration-of-italy<http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arttraveler/painting-from-the-source-the-inspiration-of-italy> 
 
Why Anne — besides her wonderful monoprints and paintings? See her work: http://nothingoverlooked.wordpress.com/<http://nothingoverlooked.wordpress.com/> 

Anne is the real deal. She has dedicated her life to being an artist with the discipline, creativity, intelligence, humor, and eccentricity it takes to succeed. She paints lush still life and landscapes, and translates many of those images into equally gorgeous monoprints.
 
After 35 years of showing up in her studio whether she felt like it or not, I’d say she deserves our support to continue to bring her vision to us through her artwork. This is professional development for her to learn a specific painting technique, be stimulated by her colleagues, paint and photograph images to inspire future artworks, and of course, to enjoy being in Italy.

I hope you’ll send her a couple of bucks. I’m going to. Just make sure you do it before the end of the month. And feel free to share this message with your art loving friends.

So, thanks from the bottom of my heart.  I hope you all will follow her suggestion and check out my project.  And if you support, I thank you again, not to mention will send you some pretty swell art, if I do say so myself.

Making Stuff….

I had a conversation last night with one of my friends, and one of the many things we talked about was that we really liked making things, and also that we related best to other people who make things.  It doesn’t have to be art.  It can be houses or bread or boats (or cake!) or any number of things.  It’s not that I don’t dwell in my head a lot,  (or as some people might say, entirely too much.)  It’s that actually making things  is so satisfying on so many levels.

A few years ago, I had an opportunity to learn hand book binding from  printmaker/bookmaker Briony Morrow-Cribbs.  Did I really need to add another activity onto my already overflowing plate?  Well, no, but I have always drooled over other artists’ hand bound books, and I really wanted to learn how to do it.  The truth is that, at least for me, making stuff is fun.  Here are some pictures of a project that I worked on with Briony and several other artists that participate in my show, The Froggwell Biennale.  We decided it would be a fun idea to make a portfolio containing one print of each of the 8 printmakers that participate in the show.  It turned out to be more work than I thought, but I learned a lot in the process.  Now that I have this skill, I am going to make a small number of the hand-bound portfolios of the lithographs that I will do in Italy. ( see kickstarter proposal 17 days left to go!)

In the background of the last photo, you can see my etching press.

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arttraveler/painting-from-the-source-the-inspiration-of-italy

 

 

Entering the Kickstarter doldrums…..

I am well into the second week of my Kickstarter project, at least as far as the gathering of the faithful in support of my project.  The actual work won’t start till the end of May, other than preparations for the trip, and perhaps some work on making the hand-bound portfolios, which I can do before I go to Italy.  I will take some photos of a previous portfolio project that I did to contain work of 8 printmakers who all participate in the Froggwell Biennale.  The F.B. (as opposed to “Facebook”) started as a showcase of hand-printed printmaking work, and quickly grew to encompass sculpture and painting as well.  It’s a wonderful show, in a very unique setting.  If you are in the Seattle Metro area, it’s well worth the trip.  I’ve started (yet another) blog to share news of the show and participating artists at http://froggwell.wordpress.com

Any way, about those doldrums, I mentioned just a minute ago…now that many of my friends have signed on to the project (thank you, thank you, again) the responses have slowed down.  So, with only 22 days to go, I am somewhat stalled at about 25%.  Do check out my project, if you haven’t already.   Also, I will start posting about this year’s show at Froggwell Gardens ….soon.

Procrastinators, unite!

Ok, just what the heck is a monoprint?

Asparagus //Monoprint on paper // Anne Belov 2009

Monoprint, monotype…what are they and what’s the difference?  A monotype is a singular form of printmaking, which kind of seems like a contradiction in terms.  I mean, if it isn’t going to be a multiple, why do it?  Why not just do a painting?  Well, settle down in your chair, and I’ll try to explain it in a way that won’t make you run screaming from the room, with your eyes rolled back in your head.

It boils down to this: ink transferred from one surface to another has a different look than ink or paint applied directly to paper.  Simple, no?  There is a spontaneous and accidental quality that you can get when doing monotype as compared with any direct painting method.  Now, for me, I like a little more defined detail than you can get while doing a straight monotype.  In monotype, you apply thin layers of ink or paint to a smooth surface, lay your paper on top or the plate and run through a press, or rub from the back of the paper.  You can add as many thin layers as you like till you like the image.  I learned the hard way not to put too much ink on the surface, as it just squirts out the other side, making a mess of your press and the blankets.

A monoprint, on the other hand, adds the element of a repeatable image, such as an etching plate, woodblock, or lithograph.  You can turn a plain old etching into a monoprint by a method called “alla poupe`” (or as some printmakers like to call it, “Grey Poupon” ) which is french for “big stinking mess. ”  In this method, you add different colors of ink to the same plate, and then blend the edges of color together.  You will never get the exact same inking on subsequent prints, so they will be similar, but different, thus making them  a monoprint, more than an editioned etching.  I like to use lithography as the repeatable part of a monoprint, which is what I’ve done with the print above, and my Italian series of prints.  By combining the detailed and structured litho with the loosey goosey-ness of the monotype, you get something that is both structured and spontaneous.

Hope this answers some of you questions about what this monoprint – monotype business is all about.