“scraps”......... an ongoing series

When i first moved to Missoula, 7 years ago, i rented a studio in The Ceretana Building on the north side of town. My studio was not well ventilated, so i decided to make the transition from oil painting on canvas, to works on paper. I started experimenting with graphite, crayons and printing processes. When i finished a series, i found there were often pieces i didn’t like as much as others. Rather than keeping pieces i was not fond of, i decided to use them as collage material. My studio quickly filled with "scraps". 

I am very interested in keeping my ecological footprint small, so i carefully collected all the scraps and put them in boxes and drawers. 

All the pieces created for “Small Works” are sewn, collaged and glued together scraps from past exhibitions. 

Tim Thornton's painting "The Thirst For Gold", from his solo show at the brink, with "Montana Spring" by yours truly, from last months show, "New Work" at The Brunswick Gallery. 

Cool things for "small works" showed up on my doorstep last night. 

   In two weeks i have a meeting with Steven Glueckert, the curator of, "The Missoula Art Museum". We will be discussing my 2014 solo exhibition. I am very excited about that.
  That same week,"small works", an art show i put together with 25 local artists, is opening. I invited some of my favorites from past shows and a few newbies. I still have a lot of work to do for this show..... labels, food, collect over 50 pieces, hang the show, pass out flyers, remind the press, post on community callanders. On Wednesday the 5th i will be on KBGA's "The Ann, Theresa and Ann Show" at 8:00 am. The pieces will start showing up at my house this Friday.
  "Small Works", opens at two venues - The Brunswick Gallery, 223 Railroad St and Le Petit Outre, 129 S 4th St. W. on First Friday June 7th. The Brunswick Gallery will be open First Friday from 5:30-9:30 and Wednesday June 12th 5:30 - 9:00pm with a gallery talk by Lady Pajama at 6:30. The small works at Le Petit Outre will be up through the month of June.
  All this is very exciting. I am still reeling from my two person show with Jennifer Combe last month. I'm glad i ignored all the the folks out there that think art is competitive and a waste of time. Some people believe that a persons chances of working as an artists, are slim to no good. I believe that hard work and dedication to anything you love, will produce positive results. 

                                       Nature or Nurture, Mixed Media Collage 2013

   
Art is the instrument through which my ideas, life stories and observations take form. I work in a wide range of two and three dimensional media, including installation, painting, drawing, printmaking, collage and photography, depending on the needs of the piece. 

  My approach to making art is process based, experimental and playful. While working and creating iconography, I enjoy scribbling, scratching, and erasing as well as delicately rendered lines and shapes. 

   For the past ten years I have been working on a series I’ve  titled, “Misfits, Monsters and Pretty Things”. 

right side of wall installation "Rocky Mountain Spring"

"Rocky Mountain Spring" Mixed Media Wall Installation

left side of Rocky Mountain Spring

Thank you to all who came out to the show on Friday. I am happily exhausted and enjoying a few days rest until i start my piece for  a solo show at The Missoula Art Museum. The Brunswick show can be viewed through the 11th by appointment. Contact me if you are interested.
misfitsmonstersandprettythings@gmail.com
or through fb.