Pulse

This piece just found a new home. It is a piece dedicated to the victims of the massacre in the Pulse nightclub last year in Orlando.

The names of each victim are on a scroll, which rests inside an individual bead, making up the heart in the middle. The number representing those killed and injured are displayed using church attendance numbers.

21 Cents That Chain Us

Hey Arties,

I wanted to share a little more about this art piece and how it came to be. This past year, I offered an after school art class and had 12 students from the ages of 7- 12 sign up. The class was about finding your inner visionary and we discussed some of the artist featured at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. If you have not been you should check it out.

Anyway, I wanted the students to push themselves to create "something" out of trinkets and left over pieces of things others had abandoned. I wanted them to connect with the material and put something on the canvas that represented them as an artist.

This led me to lead by example. About the time the class was taking place, there was a great deal of media coverage about the Michael Brown shooting. I learned that young black males were 21 times more likely to be shot and killed by police than their white counterparts. This is not OK with me.


As I went in front of the students every week, I would bring this canvas with me so they could see it transform into the final piece of art. We talked about the two Statue of Liberties in the background and how we divide ourselves. We talked about the bubbles we all live in and how that keeps up from seeing other people and learning from them as we also teach them about ourselves.

We talked about the history in the country when it comes to racism and how we all must do better and that it all starts with each of them.

There was one young man, who upon seeing this final canvas looked at the other kids and said, "We have to change all of this! We have to make things better for everybody."

It made my eyes water and my heart full that this group of 12 kids could see the meaning behind the work and were unafraid to embrace the work that needs to be done to make a difference.

The art they presented back to me was unbelievable, complex, funny, deep and meaningful. I will carry the images of them presenting their work to their parents with me always and see their faces as they told their stories.

As for me, this piece is hanging on my wall and it has become one of those pieces I am finding hard to let go. I am sure the right person or organization will come along that fits into the message it conveys. If that happens, I will sell it or donate it and move onto the next piece in the hopes it speaks as deeply to the kids as this one.

This was constructed using a bunch of different things, but the outside edge of the canvas is framed with construction strapping. I liked the way it looks and will be using it again on other pieces.

I hope you like it.

How Time Does Fly!

Hey Arties!

It has been an absolutely crazy and busy year for me, with a lot of things taking me away from my artful path. I am hoping I can get back into the swing of things now that I have actually started my business here in Annapolis, MD.

The quick update/highlights:

I taught my first after school program and had 12 students sign up in less than 24 hours.

I took on a few private students for a 4 week class.

I worked with a local school by assisting them with an anti-bullying program and implemented a "Peace fence" as a school wide art installation. The pickets are based on the 5 Human Values of Peace, Love, Truth, Non Violence and Right Actions. The youngest child was 18 months old and the oldest was 12 years old.

I worked with the school on their bi-annual auction. I designed and implemented 4 of the 7 projects from start to finish.

This project is a picnic table that converts to a bench. The children painted both sides of it, with the bench side having tulips, ladybugs and turtles and the picnic side have a similar theme with the addition of a checkers board and a tic-tac-toe board. They also painted garden rocks for the game pieces as turtles and ladybugs, with a crown on the opposite side for when they are "kinged."

It sold for $1675

Up next is the Slippery Fish table. It has part of the lyrics to a song the children sing. Each child painted a fish to represent the fish in the song. 

It sold for $750

The upper elementary students spent some time at the botanical gardens studying leaf patterns. They took those patterns and burnished them into copper and silver metal which was then attached to rounds cut from the plywood before being reinserted. The final result looks like hammered metal.

It sold for $750

Finally there is the Illuminated Letters from another elementary class. Each child used the first letter of their name and an animal starting with that letter to decorate their individual canvas pieces. The complete set of letters was then attached to a larger canvas and paper vines were added between the letters to continue the pattern from the custom from made from a chair rail. 

It sold for $2300

I was very pleased that in total these art projects raised $5,475 for the school. The community honored me by allowing me to work with their children and seemed very pleased with the quality of the pieces.

The school honored me with a sweet bracelet that states one of my favorite sayings.... "Not my circus. Not my monkeys."

Like I said, I have been busy and have even gotten in a few cigar boxes and altered books. But my best piece was "21 Cents that Chain Us" which was submitted to Smack Mellon as an artist response to the events in Ferguson. 

I think things have calmed down a bit and I am committed to limiting my time spent on other things and focusing on my art the rest of the year. I will try my best to have at least one post a week for the rest of the year. 

Until next time, keep creating!

CJ

Something to Crow About at the Blue Rooster Café

Hey there!

How are you?

I know it has been awhile since we have communicated, but I just completed a cross country move and it has been somewhat of a nightmare!

But rest assured, I am getting back into the swing of things and should be settled into my new studio space soon to begin some new projects. I am still looking for the boxes of supplies and have my fingers crossed they show up soon.

What have I been up to you ask?

Well, I have some art hanging here in Annapolis at the Blue Rooster Café. I have taken the art from the Jerry's exhibit to display, with the hopes some of it will find new homes.

50% of the proceeds will benefit the Montessori International Children's House, because it is a great school and it is what I do!

"Montessori International Children’s House is a nonprofit coeducational school for children 18th months through 6th grade. Montessori International inspires excellence, nurtures curiosity and enhances creativity. Accredited by the Association Montessori Internationale, MICH’s student centered learning community emphasizes hands-on experiential learning, respect for self and others, and the development of inquiry skills that enhance life-long learning"

The Blue Rooster is like a coffee spot "Cheers" where everyone knows your name. The staff is spot on with customer service, and take the time to look you in the eyes and remember who you are the next time you pop in for a treat.
It has a funky art vibe, and they have amazing coffee and food. Go check out their website for more information and if you are in the area, pop by for a bite to eat. It is a great place with amazing people.

As for the move, my art space has been downsized a bit, but I have a great deck to use that overlooks a few trees. I find it relaxing and inspirational.

Annapolis is fantastic and I am feeling at home already. There is something about the people here in this atmosphere that has my artistic batteries charged back up. I can't wait to get started on my next endeavor.

Until next time, which won't be that long... I promise.

Peace and well being,
CJ

First Time For Everything...

Hey everyone,

This is where I will be this weekend. Come along for various handmade crafts and invite your friends as well.

Sunday, July 21, 2013
12:00pm until 5:00pm

Outdoor Market at the Wet Whistle
1900-A e. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX


https://www.facebook.com/events/392780004172409/

Stop by and say hello!!

Art 4 Sale Slideshow

Finally! I figured out how to do this!!

I absolutely HATE Google plus!! They make all of this way more complicated than they need to and create a tremendous amount of frustration.

Here is a little slide show of the art I currently have for sale. If you are interested in any of the pieces, please contact me and we can discuss payment and shipping.

Gallup-McKinley County Schools

Hey arties!

I wanted to give you a quick update. I have contacted Mr. Ray Arsenault the Gallup-McKinley County Schools, in the hopes he can direct me about making a donation to the schools after the art sale starting July 1st at Jerry's Artarama. I will provide more information as soon as I hear back. I may split the donation with the Tuba City Unified School District, which was featured on NPR,  if I can find the contact information and find out how to make it happen.

In case you have not been following the story, because of the idiots in Washington, DC the sequester has really hit the Native American population. Here is a quote from Dr. Heather Shotten, President of the National Indian Education Association, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the education of Native American students.

"For our Native students in federally impacted schools, the effects of sequestration are devastating because these are real dollar cuts in real time from district and school budgets," NIEA President Dr. Heather Shotton said. "Since these districts are often serving our children on reservation as well as federal property that the districts cannot tax, these districts cannot simply find other sources of funding to make up for lost dollars."

I truly believe each of us can make a small, yet positive impact on others. For me, the way to do it is through my art. I am donating 100% of all profits from any art that is sold to this school system in the hopes they can use the funds for something critical they need.




I can provide 100% of their budgetary needs, but I can send them something to show I am behind them and that I hear their frustration as a fellow human being. I can extend my hand in friendship and understanding in the hopes they will not give up. The children and communities need some love right now, and there is an endless supply of it, if you can open your eyes and hearts to see it and send it.

I plan on posting something longer tomorrow, to show the art I have for sale along with the prices and ways to purchase. I set up a mobile banking option for ease of payment for those of you outside my area. If you want to discuss a piece of art, please contact me via the buttons on the right side of your screen.

Until next time, peace and well being.

CJ

Stencil Gimp!

Hey there!

I am trying out a new program called GIMP to see if I can create some custom stencils, with the hope I can come up with a 2,3 or 4 layer stencil to use in some art.

I have these great family photos from 1798-1930 that I want to use, because I find the faces interesting. I think some of the stencils could be used in the Citra Solv art, in addition to many other things burning a hole in my brain trying to get out.

Here are a couple I am working on at the moment. The first one is my dad taken from a video of him on the show To Tell the Truth.

It is a single layer and I cut it and used it on a piece of scrap paper to see how it looks.

The next one is of his father, dating back to 1926. I am trying to get 3 layers out of it and hope to cut it out tomorrow, when I am not so tired.

 

I did a simple, single layer cut the other day for the art demo using a masking sheet on my Silhouette Cameo and those came out really well and people went nuts for them.

 

 

 

 Keep checking back to see how this experiment all shakes out!