Walkabout: Paths, Journeys & Destinations: The Opening

IMG_9135Last Friday was the opening of the Salem Art Association Radius 25 show, a show for established and emerging artists living with a 25-mile radius of Salem. The theme for the show was Walkabout: Paths, Journeys & Destinations, with creative interpretations of this theme encouraged. I wrote about my pieces and how I chose to interpret the theme in a previous blog post. You can see it by clicking here.

I didn’t take many photos, but here are a couple.

Me with Cameron Kaseberg, the guest juror for the show.
Me with Cameron Kaseberg, the guest juror for the show.

 

With fellow artist and friend, Julie Jeanseau (and her adorable daughter).
With fellow artist and friend, Julie Jeanseau (and her adorable daughter).

The reception was so crowded and I did so much visiting, that I never got to see the entire show. I want to go back when I have time to enjoy all of the wonderful art. The exhibit, at Bush Barn in Salem, is up through Friday, August 29.

The Journey Home

Edges of paintingsThe Journey Home. My three paintings were accepted into Salem Art Association’s annual Radius 25 show, a show open to established and emerging adult artists living or working with a 25-mile radius of Salem. The theme for this year’s show is Walkabout: Paths, Journeys & Destinations. I immediately knew that my theme would be The Journey Home, the journey home for my dad, who died May 17.

I decided to use a previous painting (that my mother has hanging in her kitchen) as my inspiration. Here’s a page from my working art journal.

IMG_8668We were asked to write a process statement, describing our process and subject matter. Here is what I submitted:

My three Journey Home pieces were created by painting cradled wood panels with acrylic paint, applying a layer of plaster for texture and interest, sanding, scraping, then staining the plaster with watered down acrylic paint. All of this was in preparation for painting, which I did using a mixture of oil and cold wax applied with a putty knife. The subject matter is a further exploration of working in layers and its relationship to memory, something I began experimenting with over and year ago in response to my father’s descent into dementia. My dad lost his battle with Alzheimer’s just a few weeks ago and these pieces were created in response to his death.

Lots of layers and contemplation went into these three pieces.

 

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The finished pieces.

 

"The Journey Home: Without a Pang of Remorse," 18x18 inches, plaster, oil, and cold wax, on cradled panel.
“The Journey Home: Without a Pang of Remorse,” 18×18 inches, plaster, oil, and cold wax, on cradled panel.
"The Journey Home: Caught in an Undertow," 18x18 inches, plaster, oil, and cold wax, on cradled panel.
“The Journey Home: Caught in an Undertow,” 18×18 inches, plaster, oil, and cold wax, on cradled panel.

 

"The Journey Home: The Ease of Slumber," 18x18 inches, plaster, oil, and cold wax, on cradled panel.
“The Journey Home: The Ease of Slumber,” 18×18 inches, plaster, oil, and cold wax, on cradled panel.

 

The show runs from Friday, July 11 through Friday, August 29, at Bush Barn in Salem, Oregon.

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