JJ Worden

sometimes a meme hits you with a clue by four and becomes something oh! so much more than passing time on the interwebs.

case in point. longtime art friend Jane aka Sensewerks posted this on her FB status:

This is a game to keep art alive and thriving. If you 'like' the picture, I'll assign you an artist. It doesn't matter whether you know the artist or his/her work. Look him/her up on the internet and publish the one you like best, here, on facebook.

I thought, "okay. might be interesting."
She assigned me Yayoi Kusama, who I'm sad to say, had never heard of until that minute. And I fell headlong down the rabbit hole. This write up was particularly lovely I think. And makes me wish I could walk into this:

Infinity Mirrored Room- Filled with the Brilliance of Life

 So. In accordance with general meme rulez, I posted and fulfilled all the 20+ "likes". And because I like making things more difficult for myself, decided to assign Canadian artists. Cuz I'm all about spreading that Canuck love.  And it was good.

Here, for good measure, the artists I chose for my friends, and my faves:

Lawren Harris ... my mom did a fabric piece base on this painting back in the 70s!

Carl Beam ... the start of my love of mixed media
Emily Carr

Alex Colville


Benjamin Chee Chee ... we owned a print of this a long long time ago


Norval Morrisseau

Aganetha Dyck ... uhm. swoon!

Maud Lewis ... and not just because I own it ;)

Paul-Emile Borduas

Harold Town

Holly Carr ... and Nova Scotia to boot!

A.Y. Jackson

Tom Thomson ... this and AY's above may be the first 2 pieces of art I recognized as "Canadian" when I was a kid.

Mary Pratt

Jeff Wall

Rodney Graham

Edward Burtynsky

Fred Herzog 

Rosalie Favell

Thanks for playing along facebook friends! xo

Specifically, Charlie and Judah, friends who have endured more than anyone should have to.
If you're thinking a gift of art for a loved one this Holiday Season,  please consider buying from Charlie's Spot on Etsy. Something for everyone ... AND you're helping out dear friends. Tis the Season!

... december rain

... I kinda slipped off the AEDM bandwagon.

Circumstances played against me. Tuesday, I realized that if I didn't get a package in the mail THAT DAY, my daughter wouldn't have it by her birthday (today ... Happy Birthday Dee!). So I went into a frenzy of baking and gathering (I KNEW there was a reason I hoard small silly toys) and by mid-afternoon a box all packaged was ready to head to the post office.

That was kinda creating, right? sorta art.

And then Wednesday ... well Wednesday was horrible.

I was going to recount the tale but frankly, I'm still a bit raw from the experience.
In a nutshell ... Stella cornered "something" under our shed wherein she barked and growled and YIPED, as she was attacked for three solid hours before she finally came out, exhausted, bashed and shredded.
Thankfully given the robust nature of Jacks, she's making an amazingly fast recovery.

But it does lead me to wonder how we're going to deal with this inherent prey drive moving forward. urg.

So. AEDM. Yes.

Well, I'll tell ya. In previous lives, interrupted part way through something, I'd likely throw in the towel. But these days, I'm all about trying to be consistent so, I'll get back to it. I HAVE gotten back to it in fact. I just don't have anything to show yet.

Here, though for your viewing pleasure is one of my Solstice Swap danglies completed before the wheels fell off the cart.

2013 - Winter Solstice Swap danglie

 Onward.

So far I'm keeping up with my challenge of AEDM.
Not so great about remembering to photograph and log in each day.
Cuz, ya know, my studio is like 2 minutes up the stairs when I forget to bring up the camera. doh!

Day 8 -  Beauty and Force of the Language

 This one really flummoxed me. My traditional modus operandi is to grab 3 or 4 collage elements that grab my attention. And generally my instinct is pretty good. No second guessing. Maybe they would have worked. On their own. But than I had this urge to use my new punch (the dark leaf shape) and adhered an aluminum tape leaf and the cut out piece from the punch out below the dark one at the top. And it looked ridiculous. I pulled off the 2 adhered shapes. Not much I could do about the punched out leaf. It was a train wreck. So I kept adding. And adding. And adding. It still doesn't work but I have to remember ... some days are like that. Beauty and Force of the Language, indeed!

Day 9 - Number 9

  All the texture on this one is gel medium applied then scraped through and over with various utensils, stencils etc. left to dry and then dry-brushed (actually my finger!) with paint.

Day 10 - The Womanizer

 And for this last one, I was going to do more to it ... had left it to dry but when I went back this morning? I kinda liked it under done. So it stayed the way it was.

Day 11 is drying as we speak. Hopefully, I'll remember to take the camera up with me tomorrow!

Interesting, isn't it, how these were supposed to all have some sort of food theme and yet ... but a single cupcake survived. And obviously I became a bit obsessed with my little square mesh. With a sequin-waste side trip. Personally? The last one is the clear winner. How bout you?

Day 5 - Everyday Royals

Day 6 - Take a Risk

Day 7 - Foolishness, drivel, nonsense.

hmmm... seems there may be a series afoot*.

Day 2 - No Mother I can't sleep

Day 3 - There was a small clearing in the wood where the boys halted.

Day 4 - Scour

 All 3 are 6 x 4" on Mayfair. Postcard size. I have an idea that I might sell them as Mail Art pieces. On Etsy. $5. each to anywhere in the world. Through the post. With a personalized message from me on the back. Sent to whomever you wish.


*afoot. what a silly word!

This is kinda cheating.
Because I'd already done these before I signed up.
But hey! I was creative. So suck it! ;)

AEDM #1

AEDM #2

I'm contemplating doing a series like I did back in the day for Artsomofo or ABTI ... but that might require more organization than I'm capable of right at the moment. Stay tuned!

ABTI -2004 The Dark Series

Artsomofo - Chair Series

I've been preoccupied with last minute updates and preparations for Afterglow, taking place this Saturday from 6-11pm ... that's like, y'know the day after tomorrow. oy!

I think it's gonna rock.
Generally.
My only concern is whether folks will want to MAKE art rather than y'know look at art.


As I was mentioning to Tom this morning, people seem to love to participate in dance or music but ask'em to sit down and put pen (or crayon or paint) to paper? and they get all self-conscious and ewww-y!
So.
Yah.
If you're local and are wondering what to do on Saturday night?
Please. Come. Hold my hand. You don't even have to make an ATC (but you're gonna want to, trust me!).

September has been a crazy busy month.
Did I mention I hate crazy busy?
Yah. Well I do.
Hate it.
Because my cranky brain wants to do whatever it can't.
Belligerent two year old brain.

I did however get a chance to work in some books.



This was started at the same time as I was doing the Green Doggie Series. Clearly I was trying a different palette! The background was done using plastic wrap and gesso. If you've never done that particular trick, you're in for a treat.

(quickie tip: paint substrate flat black. let dry. pain w/white gesso. lay down plastic wrap to cover and smoosh. let dry. lift wrap. voila!)

  Lots of texture and stuff in this spread. I was trying to really push past my natural stopping point by just adding and adding and adding. Really too busy for my taste but I did accomplish what I set out to do.


This spread was done quite some time ago but thought it kinda went with the previous one. This was one of those 'slap it down/don't think' kinda pieces. Whenever I flip through my journal it never fails to jar my senses. A Good Thing, I think.

I rarely under do things (as you can see by the date, an old entry).
This one is so clean it jars me in the same way as the one above does. For exactly the opposite reason. A bit of quiet in an otherwise cacophonous world!

As mentioned previously, I will be hosting an ATC Make'n'Trade. And because I think it's rude not to have anything to trade, I've been frantically ...well. okay. not frantically. more like steadfastly... making lots. Enough and varied so that anyone wishing to trade might find something they'd like to take home.

It has become a rather zen production line, creating 4 or 5 at a time, cutting and pasting and trimming and mark-making leaving my mind free to wander and ponder: Will people step up and play? Will people get the concept of creating something to immediately turn around and give away? Will they agonize over their inability to "make art"? What supplies do I need to bring?  Should I bring my own collection? Should I include the history of ATCs somewhere?


Which of course took me down the path of how ATCs have evolved from an Outsider Art thing and Mail Art thing into a Somerset Studio thing.


Which of course makes me just a wee bit grumpy and agitated. And I know I've tarred many mixed media artists with the SS brush but they truly wrecked so many Good Things, shining that big ol' generic light and making it all commercial and shit. And I know I should just get over myself, let bygones be bygones... and then I'll see someone mention ACEO and I want to stick a hot pointy stick in someone's eye all over again.

So. Here. My two cents on the ATC.
They are Artist TRADING Cards. Or ATCs for short. Not ACEOs.
They are not for sale. They are for trade.
Preferably in face to face exchanges though by mail is also acceptable.
They should measure 3.5x2.5" in size.
And because they're supposed to fit into those plastic card sleeves (remember?), bigger is definitely not cool.
But smaller? Well, I happen to have a fabric and fuzed glass ATC that makes me swoon and I am totally not going to send out the ATC Police to take off the artist's right ear. Just sayin'.
They can be made of anything.
Cardstock, paper, metal, wood, fabric (and fused glass!), plastic. Any. Thing.
You can photocopy them. And you can scribble on the photocopy. Or not.
You should sign the back. And your contact info (email or mailing address) is nice. Adding your own Artistamp? Rocks the free world.

But the idea, dear SS people, the intent is to make mini works of art and share them with someone.
So stop trying to control shit that isn't your's and make some AT(fucking)Cs.
Just sayin'.

I'm home.

My heart, however,  is still sitting on the terrace at La Ferme Grand Pre listening to the roosters crow and the mourning doves coo and the bailers bale and the cows low.

It was everything I could have hoped for and so ...SO... much more.

Where I ate my breakfast each morning

I've been trying to sum it up in one short sweet phrase and I guess Tom's synopsis is as close as I can get: A trip of a lifetime. And not that most trips aren't life affirming and rejuvenating because unless they go to hell in a hand-basket they probably are, but there was something totally special about the house we stayed in, the town where we were welcomed, that all my kids and their spouses joined in the revelry, that we took part in an epic event ...100th Anniversary of Le Tour... while witnessing an epic stage of that event. It was all of these things wrapped up in blue skies and green mountains and snow-capped Alps and miles of cheese and cheap delicious wine and fresh baguette.

Maybe the pictures capture it better than words ever could:

Dejeuner a Chambery ... plat du jour

alpine meadows of Charmant Som

Tom at the top of Charmant Som

Mont Ornon ... and a crazy cyclist!

checking out a random cave

hiking back from Pic l'Oeillet

taking the Fred bikes out for a spin along Rue du Grenat

impressions of 'my frenchman'...atop the Bastille in Grenoble

Grenoble, France

the podium. L'Alpe d'Huez. getting ready to hike down to Switchback 3

the insanity that is le caravan...total gong show!

1 million people on L'Alpe d'Huez... party central

The Last Supper