13th Annual Day of the Dead at Guardino Gallery

Day of the Dead, year 13, opens Thursday, September 26, 2019, at Guardino Gallery in NE Portland. Not only is this a fabulous group show featuring over 50 artists, it is the place to be for the celebration, costumes, face painting, music, food, and inventive art. I’ve participated for many years, frequently getting into the spirit by dressing up.

My art for the show has always been assemblages and found object art. This year, I created four pieces, all nestled into vintage wood boxes. Three of my pieces are tall and narrow boxes, each with a single chair, a word, and a minimum of objects. In creating these simple pieces, I was thinking about those I have lost and the desire to sit with them for one last conversation.

lost listen linger

The other piece I created for this show is a variation on a design I created in 2017 for a community read project and then for the 2017 Day of the Dead show; this time around, rather than hanging found objects of remembrance on a branch or a piece of wood, I nestled the items in a box, attaching each piece of string with a vintage and aged thumb tack.

I love this show and I hope you’ll be able to attend the opening reception on Thursday, September 26, 6-9 pm, or visit the show, which will be up until October 27.

Up, Down, and All Around

I am working on three different projects right now, in three different studios. Come on, I’ll take you on a quick tour.

This is a look at my second floor studio located at the Willamette Heritage Center and part of The Art Studios at Mission Mill. I have converted my studio from an all purpose space to an area devoted to working on my What’s Your Story mixed media/collage project.

Here’s a sample of my project.

At my central Salem home, I use the basement of my 1926 house as my assemblage studio. Currently, I’m putting the finishing touches on a piece for the Salem Reads: One Book, One Community Project. Salem is hosting their first ever community reads event and several artists were invited to create a piece of art in response to the book Spare Parts.

My piece, Everything Accounted For, will be hung in the Salem Library Spare Parts art exhibit at the end of this month. I’ll share my completed piece once I have put the finishing touches on it.

Finally, my painting studio is in a big airy space upstairs at my house. Right now, I’m immersed in oil and cold wax in preparation for two upcoming shows in 2017.

Here’s a piece I’ve been working on this week for my Waterlines show at Guardino Gallery in May.

I’ll be sharing more about all of these projects in the future.

10th Annual Day of the Dead Show at Guardino Gallery

For ten years, Guardino Gallery in NE Portland has hosted a dia de los muertos group art show. I’ve participated in many of the shows over the past ten years. This year the show moved to the Main Gallery and features over 50 artists. The show, curated by Donna Guardino and Stephanie Brockway, runs through October 23, so if you’re in Portland, I hope you’ll swing by and see an amazing show.

MY ART

THE SHOW

THE PARTY (I mean, opening reception)

BONUS: Preparing

Make up done by our daughter, Amy Kayon.

Upcoming Art Shows and Sales

I’ve been invited to participate in two upcoming shows. The first is at Guardino Gallery in Portland, Little Things 14. This is a group show where all the pieces are 7×7 inches or smaller. I have 12 little plaster, oil, and cold wax paintings in the show. The opening reception is Thursday, November 28, 6-9 pm, and the show runs through December 28th.

The other show I’m a part of is the Left Coast Artist Collective Artful Gift Sale. It will be held for two days, Friday, December 5 (10 am – 8 pm) and Saturday, December 6 (9 am – 5 pm). This event will be held in the gym at the Multnomah Arts Center (7688 SW Capitol Highway in Portland). There will be jewelry, photography, glass art, paintings, book arts, fiber, and mixed media arts. I will be selling paintings, Funky Junkyard Birds, Curious Elements, and a big assortment of cards.

If you are looking for gifts or something fun for yourself, both of these events will have a great assortment of art by local artists.

Day of the Dead – 8th Annual Group Show

Outside Guardino Gallery looking into the Feature Area.

Last Thursday night was Guardino Gallery’s 8th Annual Day of the Dead opening reception. Attending Last Thursday on Alberta is always fun, but Guardino’s openings are even better, especially when the guests dress up in celebration of Dia De Los Muertos.

I created several assemblage pieces for the show.

"A Steady Quiet Routine" — “A Steady Quiet Routine”

"Casual Indifference" — “Casual Indifference”

"Writing Down Numbers" — “Writing Down Numbers”

"It Belonged To a Stranger" — “It Belonged To a Stranger”

"Waiting For An Excuse" — “Waiting For An Excuse”

The show runs through October 26. Guardino Gallery is located at 2939 NE Alberta in Portland, OR.

Tuna Can Reuse Challenge

I created a special Curious Element in response to a challenge put out by Salem’s DIY Creative Reuse Studio. Here’s the challenge:

Each month DIY Studio hosts a Reuse Challenge to encourage creatives to rethink and reimagine. February’s challenge must include a tuna can. Post your photos of your recreation by midnight Feb, 22 on our timeline. The participant who earned the most likes by midnight, Friday the 28th will win a bulk bag of reuse supplies at DIY! Game on!

Turns out, my little tuna can creation received the most likes!

Funky Junkyard Birds: A New Flock

I recently finished up a batch of my Funky Junkyard Birds, birds made from recycled, upcycled, and found objects. I haven’t made these birds for over a year, maybe longer, so it felt good to get back in the groove. Once I made the new flock, it got me clamoring to make more, so I spent a couple of days cutting out bird body parts and I can’t wait to dig in because I’ve got some great ideas to embellish and make the next batch a bit more flamboyant.

I thought it might be fun to see some of the materials in my basement studio (where my metal, wood, and plaster work is done). From raw materials to finished art.

A sampling of my most recent Funky Junkyard Birds.