tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-345412832024-03-13T21:50:20.943-07:00The Last BedroomTMI about my studio life, documented in a fingers to the bone dry stylefingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.comBlogger952125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-48566539464372828892013-10-01T23:55:00.001-07:002013-10-01T23:55:41.710-07:00Beavers, Bisons, and Prairie Dogs, Part 1<p>I have a stack of reading that I'm going through to research for my <i>Fluid Dynamics</i> exhibit next August at <a href="http://www.waterstonegallery.com">Waterstone Gallery</a> in Portland, Oregon. I decided to start with what is probably the most fun, easiest, and least depressing of the bunch, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Water-Natural-History-Alice-Outwater/dp/0465037801"><i>Water: A Natural History</i>, by Alice Outwater</a> (I assume that last name was completely coincidental). And it has proven to be a fun and informative read.</p>
<p>Just for fun, here's the back side of the state flag of Oregon:</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iyu2p4-ytqU/UkvA8JuKJRI/AAAAAAAAEGs/0r5ncivuPnA/s1600/9-10-13-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iyu2p4-ytqU/UkvA8JuKJRI/AAAAAAAAEGs/0r5ncivuPnA/s320/9-10-13-a.jpg" /></a>
<p>I have lived in Oregon for 30+ years, and had never really fully appreciated the state mammal, the <b>beaver</b>, until I started reading this book. I knew, of course, that they built dams, that they had powerful teeth, that they had an unusual tail, and that they were hunted almost to extinction for their pelts when Europeans started to settle in N. America. (Their pelts were prized for coats and hats, but it was the hat trade that did them in.)</p>
<p>What I didn't know was how <b>big</b> an impact they had on managing rivers and the riparian zones (habitats for fish/insects/birds), and ground water. When the beaver population was decimated, the rivers flowed faster, provided fewer shelters and less organic materials as food for fish/insects/birds. And not only that, by cutting down trees near the water, the beavers created more diverse habitats. And for humans, the faster flow meant that less water seeped down to the aquifer to be stored for future use.</p>
<p>Coming up in the next few days, some process images of <b>Beavers vs Hats</b>.</p>
fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-34692410339659985742013-10-01T18:44:00.000-07:002013-10-01T18:47:20.942-07:00Has It Really Been Six Months?<p>Looks like my last post was on April 6 when I wrote about <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2013/04/phlebotomy-of-pie-official-entry.html">Phlebotomy of a Pie</a>!</p><p>Truth be told, I've been spending more time over on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ShuJuWangArt">facebook</a>, yeah, you know, THAT place. (And if you'd like more frequent but quick updates, you can sign up there.)</p>
<p>Well, no point crying over spilt milk, what I haven't posted here, I haven't posted here. Suffice to say that I have been busy over the summer — there were 6 small paintings of bugs and 5 have sold! My goodness, that's a record for me. The last one is available at <a href="http://bacart.org/">Bainbridge Arts & Crafts Gallery</a>:</p><p><i>Grace Hopper's Bug, II</i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptMLf631m0c/Ukt4EPYbWfI/AAAAAAAAEGE/TXco0_xI0RY/s1600/ghBug2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptMLf631m0c/Ukt4EPYbWfI/AAAAAAAAEGE/TXco0_xI0RY/s320/ghBug2.jpg" /></a>
<p>Here are three that sold during the August exhibit at the gallery:</p>
<p><i>Grace Hopper's Bug, I</i></p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y9NnqtyaiUk/Ukt4hZ3LrLI/AAAAAAAAEGM/MkDIX9nTWuo/s1600/ghBug1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y9NnqtyaiUk/Ukt4hZ3LrLI/AAAAAAAAEGM/MkDIX9nTWuo/s320/ghBug1.jpg" /></a>
<p><i>Hello World</i></p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6eK0aAvvYR0/Ukt4jvtGwEI/AAAAAAAAEGU/UycNV04eh40/s1600/helloWorld.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6eK0aAvvYR0/Ukt4jvtGwEI/AAAAAAAAEGU/UycNV04eh40/s320/helloWorld.jpg" /></a><p><i>Startup</i></p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6q1F2AHG74A/Ukt4j6XDM2I/AAAAAAAAEGY/aG6CoGyvnJk/s1600/startup.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6q1F2AHG74A/Ukt4j6XDM2I/AAAAAAAAEGY/aG6CoGyvnJk/s320/startup.jpg" /></a>
<p>I followed these up with <i>Hello World, II</i> and <i>Startup, II</i> and they sold before I was able to get high quality photos of them. That's a good problem to have.</p>
<p>I have started to plan and create work for my next solo exhibit at <a href="http://www.waterstonegallery.com/">Waterstone Gallery</a> next August, <i>Fluid Dynamics</i>. It will be a show of paintings and artists' books about our changing relationship with water. Because the topic is complicated, I will be writing more about it here. Facebook is great for a short & quick update, but sometimes, one needs more than that.</p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-32321433685083332052013-04-06T23:02:00.001-07:002013-04-06T23:05:10.039-07:00Phlebotomy of a Pie<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mGu5gekh6uU/UWEE67vlfMI/AAAAAAAAD3U/45v4PZYU1ns/s1600/pie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mGu5gekh6uU/UWEE67vlfMI/AAAAAAAAD3U/45v4PZYU1ns/s320/pie1.jpg" /></a>
<p>Here are the professional photographs.</p>
<p><b>Phlebotomy of a Pie</b><br />Artist's book with clamshell box<br />Nepal Light, Chinese Mulberry paper, gouache, acrylic, ink, cotton thread, medical supplies<br />2013</p>
<p>This is really a book about desires and restraint, told via the narrative of a pie.</p>
<p><i>Phlebotomy</i> comes from the Greek, meaning to incise into a vein. I think it came from back when 'bleeding' was a medical procedure. Now a days, a phlebotomist is the person who draws blood for medical tests.</p>
<p>When you make a pie, slits are cut into the top crust to allow the steam to escape; and as the pie bakes, the filling oozes out through the slits in the crust.</p>
<p>On one of the first pages, the instructions for preparing the pie crust —</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fMzgo0wx32g/UWEE63M1AgI/AAAAAAAAD3Y/kJQy_uGZt88/s1600/pie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fMzgo0wx32g/UWEE63M1AgI/AAAAAAAAD3Y/kJQy_uGZt88/s320/pie2.jpg" /></a>
<p>In the messy pie-making process, the boundary between pie filling and blood-drawing is crossed —</p>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uBdr6u9SKPg/UWEE662FazI/AAAAAAAAD3c/wKk_4g6J7OQ/s1600/pie3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uBdr6u9SKPg/UWEE662FazI/AAAAAAAAD3c/wKk_4g6J7OQ/s320/pie3.jpg" /></a>
<p>The reckoning. I could not figure out how to include a medical lancet in the book without getting into
trouble if someone should hurt themselves. I have collected and used rose thorns for many projects before,
and I thought the rose thorns would be a great application in this book. So here the narrative takes a more poetic turn even as we prick our fingers on the rose thorns.</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OrjRIso2w1I/UWEE7Gd4OXI/AAAAAAAAD3g/drTRp1xwqN0/s1600/pie4.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OrjRIso2w1I/UWEE7Gd4OXI/AAAAAAAAD3g/drTRp1xwqN0/s320/pie4.jpg" /></a>
<p>And life continues...</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl704_SqYdw/UWEK_KG-okI/AAAAAAAAD4c/QiD8G8RnnDc/s1600/pie5.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl704_SqYdw/UWEK_KG-okI/AAAAAAAAD4c/QiD8G8RnnDc/s320/pie5.jpg" /></a>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-19718984745168990302013-03-17T22:16:00.001-07:002013-03-17T22:16:49.409-07:00"The Pie Book"<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UCZaqTXwsT0/UUaeyTfmlcI/AAAAAAAADxY/rRWXbhV7bGs/s1600/3-17-13-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UCZaqTXwsT0/UUaeyTfmlcI/AAAAAAAADxY/rRWXbhV7bGs/s320/3-17-13-a.jpg" /></a>
<p><b>The Phlebotomy of a Pie</b></p>
<p>Unique artist's book with clamshell box, handmade paper (Nepal Lightweight, Chinese Mulberry paper), gouache, acrylic, ink, medical supplies, binders board, bookcloth<br />2013</p>
<p>And I completed this book without indulging in a single slice of pie. Not that I didn't want to. Here's the outside of the box, where the pie has obviously overflowed.</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bTLfBcQyxRk/UUaeyZ4TYsI/AAAAAAAADxM/--AFiGMWx8M/s1600/3-16-13-c.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bTLfBcQyxRk/UUaeyZ4TYsI/AAAAAAAADxM/--AFiGMWx8M/s320/3-16-13-c.jpg" /></a>
<p>And a few interior shots. You can also see lots of mid-process shots in this album on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151728587668356.617842.196543273355&type=1">Facebook page</a></p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TX5rhioh7No/UUaeyQa3ewI/AAAAAAAADxQ/omNnrFQd-aE/s1600/3-17-13-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TX5rhioh7No/UUaeyQa3ewI/AAAAAAAADxQ/omNnrFQd-aE/s320/3-17-13-b.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJmJsv4uvx4/UUaey0qLTmI/AAAAAAAADxU/EBE_4I2b59U/s1600/3-17-13-c.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJmJsv4uvx4/UUaey0qLTmI/AAAAAAAADxU/EBE_4I2b59U/s320/3-17-13-c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MLlQzPZaQO8/UUaezD5j98I/AAAAAAAADxo/ARDnTjwrr0k/s1600/3-17-13-d.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MLlQzPZaQO8/UUaezD5j98I/AAAAAAAADxo/ARDnTjwrr0k/s320/3-17-13-d.jpg" /></a>
<p>This page below has generated the most interest as I posted progress shots. On the left are rose thorns that I have collected and painted. They're attached to the page pointy sides up. On the right are "blooms" made with thread. The locations of the blooms match the rose thorns. The blooms have both a symbolic purpose and a practical one — they're where the thorns have pricked through the skin and blood is flowing, but they also protect the thorns and prevent the thorns from poking through the next page.</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FGf38b4AiRE/UUaezRPALKI/AAAAAAAADxs/YjUqcR0mN4o/s1600/3-17-13-e.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FGf38b4AiRE/UUaezRPALKI/AAAAAAAADxs/YjUqcR0mN4o/s320/3-17-13-e.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AXt4EXUQiXA/UUaezX3ZdWI/AAAAAAAADx0/2HfcONqSjoI/s1600/3-17-13-f.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AXt4EXUQiXA/UUaezX3ZdWI/AAAAAAAADx0/2HfcONqSjoI/s320/3-17-13-f.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zot0XkXm0o/UUaezkDwVTI/AAAAAAAADx4/XQswbSDRxYY/s1600/3-17-13-g.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zot0XkXm0o/UUaezkDwVTI/AAAAAAAADx4/XQswbSDRxYY/s320/3-17-13-g.jpg" /></a>
<p>As always, this took about two & half weeks longer than I anticipated. There were also lots of problems with old batch of methylcellulose, which was resolved by buying a new batch. I make boxes so infrequently that it's always a struggle when I do it. And this one was particularly difficult in that it's so large. The sheets of bookcloth was more difficult to control and place. But I'm reasonably happy with how the box came out. I think I could be a good box maker, if I made them more frequently.</p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-21261725219134347832013-01-24T15:57:00.000-08:002013-01-24T15:57:48.653-08:00Limited Edition Archival Reproductions<p>I'm slowly putting limited edition archival reproductions of the Red Bean Paste & Apple Pie series up on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/shujuwang">Etsy</a>. I've been working on this (doing pre-press, researching printer, etc) since December last year, and finally picked up the 1st set of reproductions a couple of weeks ago and have been putting one or two up every day. Already sold two!</p>
<p>On other fronts -- doing some experiments for about 5 different book projects. Each at different stages. One got as far as having paper already dyed for it...evidence --</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1rpaosi1kcE/UQHJ93orzRI/AAAAAAAADnU/jmIpfn4hq-k/s1600/1-15-13-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="280" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1rpaosi1kcE/UQHJ93orzRI/AAAAAAAADnU/jmIpfn4hq-k/s400/1-15-13-b.jpg" /></a>
<p>So yes, I am in fact, still alive and working in the studio!</p>
fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-33136806009711552062012-10-31T22:55:00.000-07:002012-10-31T23:31:52.146-07:00Red Bean Paste & Apple Pie, exhibit & reception<p>The work is installed, and now I just need you all to show up!</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RX155d5sOZ8/UJIM1zIUfcI/AAAAAAAADmE/Od5vB1diWwU/s1600/3-6-12-c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RX155d5sOZ8/UJIM1zIUfcI/AAAAAAAADmE/Od5vB1diWwU/s400/3-6-12-c.jpg" /></a>
<p><b>Bamboo Mountain, Potato Hill</b><br />Diptych, gouache & acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />12"h x 24"w<br />2012</p>
<p>First Unitarian Church of Portland, Fuller Hall<br />
1034 SW 13th Ave, Portland, Oregon (enter at corner of SW 12th & Main)</p>
<p>Dates: November 4 - 25, 2012<br />Public hours: Sundays, 9am - 1:30pm and by appointment</p>
<p><b>Artist's Reception: Sunday, November 11, 2 - 4pm</b><br />There will be homemade goodies, but of course!</p>
<p>For more on the series, following this <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/search/label/red%20bean%20paste%20and%20apple%20pie">tag</a>.</p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-7083525162532225302012-10-27T02:00:00.002-07:002012-10-31T22:48:54.885-07:00Asleep in the Chamber of Mirrors<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mGd-sVEop7Y/UIucVvnIeYI/AAAAAAAADj4/nF-0ljjLiOA/s1600/process11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mGd-sVEop7Y/UIucVvnIeYI/AAAAAAAADj4/nF-0ljjLiOA/s400/process11.jpg" /></a>
<p><b>(Asleep in the Chamber of Mirrors) Moonlight Becomes Frost Becomes Apple Pie Becomes Moon Cake Becomes Moonlight</b><br />Polyptych of four panels<br />Gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />24" H x 24" W<br />2012</p>
<p>The 11th from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>.</p>
<p>Yeah, I know the title is a mouthful, but I wanted to convey the complexity of the idea of 'home.'</p>
<p>The Moon Festival on the lunar August full moon (usually occurs around September or October in the western calendar) is one of the most important Chinese holidays. People make their way home from wherever they are, often traveling for days for the round trip. So the ideas of moon and home are always entwined.
The equivalent in the west might be the harvest moon, also an important time traditionally as people gathered to help each other harvest.
<p>There's a famous Chinese poem by Li Bai that translates as:</p>
<p>Before my bed a pool of light –<br />
Can it be hoar-frost on the ground?<br />
Looking up, I find the moon bright;<br />
Bowing, in homesickness I am drowned.</p>
<p>(Translation by by Li Ziliang, Li Gouqing and Zhao Feifei, from "Chinese Literature, Cultural China Series". I found it on this <a href="http://www.chinapage.com/poem/libai/libai-trs2.html">page</a>.)</p>
<p>To me, there are just so many similarities between these two traditions, even down to the sweets we eat — moon cakes for Moon Festival, and apple pie in autumn. Moon cakes are pastries filled with a variety of fillings, from red bean paste to salted duck eggs, lotus seeds, durian fruit, etc. I wanted to create a piece that addressed these similarities.<p>
<p>There are many things I could draw on, to pair the 'equivalents' between my home here in Oregon/US and my home in Taiwan. I ended up choosing moon cake & apple pie, the statue of liberty and the big stone statues of Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy), the mountains (Mt. Hood and garden rockeries that are meant to represent mountains):</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLmgoe6i448/UIucWcW2Z1I/AAAAAAAADkE/4lgn2y-_0Wg/s1600/process1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLmgoe6i448/UIucWcW2Z1I/AAAAAAAADkE/4lgn2y-_0Wg/s400/process1.jpg" /></a>
<p>Breaking with previous pieces, instead of a medallion, I'm putting a heart in the center:</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FXfuAwaQf-I/UIucXBNwoKI/AAAAAAAADkQ/jR9Ui2UKnJo/s1600/process2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FXfuAwaQf-I/UIucXBNwoKI/AAAAAAAADkQ/jR9Ui2UKnJo/s400/process2.jpg" /></a>
<p>The moon cakes, apple pies and other details are going in:</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MV58BmfkjEk/UIucX6xRiqI/AAAAAAAADkc/OTvqr8cRQow/s1600/process3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MV58BmfkjEk/UIucX6xRiqI/AAAAAAAADkc/OTvqr8cRQow/s400/process3.jpg" /></a>
<p>The statues are going in:</p>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AB-t-uuQTtk/UIucYq07vtI/AAAAAAAADko/q07w1ABeRCU/s1600/process5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AB-t-uuQTtk/UIucYq07vtI/AAAAAAAADko/q07w1ABeRCU/s400/process5.jpg" /></a>
<p>The bed, the frost, the halos around the moons:</p>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6zLY8i8eHPc/UIuciyZWk1I/AAAAAAAADlA/wz2XJHGTxZo/s1600/process9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6zLY8i8eHPc/UIuciyZWk1I/AAAAAAAADlA/wz2XJHGTxZo/s400/process9.jpg" /></a>
<p>The finished piece is the image at the top, with the moon represented as floral structures.<p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-7889534633196543842012-10-26T00:21:00.000-07:002012-10-31T22:49:21.784-07:00By Air, By Land, or By Sea<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WJ8v1RYXBBw/UIouhbBpCGI/AAAAAAAADiE/4f19hYdBGHc/s1600/process11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WJ8v1RYXBBw/UIouhbBpCGI/AAAAAAAADiE/4f19hYdBGHc/s400/process11.jpg" /></a>
<p><b>By Air, By Land, or By Sea</b><br />Diptych<br />Gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />12" H x 24" W<br />2012</p>
<p>The 10th from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>.</p>
<p>Growing up in tropical Asia, an apple was such a precious thing, so shiny, red and beautiful. They were also imported, being a cold weather fruit. Our whole family of 5 would split an apple after dinner. Here in the Pacific Northwest, I have an apple tree in my yard, and so do a lot of my neighbors. All through the neighborhood, I see unwanted apples on the ground by the hundreds, but I diligently pick mine. What we can't eat quickly enough, I dice up and freeze. I make apple sauce; I make apple sauce bread. The deer comes by to help as well. I'm happy to share. Every fall, I spend hours and hours processing these apples, but I appreciate having them when the season has passed. I'll probably still be eating these homegrown apples until March or Apple next year.</p>
<p>There are other thoughts going on in this piece. Transient vs. rooted. Precious vs. common. And who knows what else I'm still not consciously aware of yet.</p>
<p>But the initial idea here was simply the preciousness of what is hard to come by vs. what is common and taken for granted. On the left, cargo plane & cargo ship; on the right, ground covered in apples and a deer ready to dine:</p>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O4WyIqeD634/UIouh3QPjCI/AAAAAAAADiQ/TcnRunOHmT4/s1600/process1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O4WyIqeD634/UIouh3QPjCI/AAAAAAAADiQ/TcnRunOHmT4/s400/process1.jpg" /></a>
<p>Rather than making waves as I have done in previous pieces, which follow the style of traditional Chinese embroidery, I wanted something that moved more, something more turbulent. Something like what a cargo ship going across the Pacific would see:</p>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r0xBcY00rnM/UIouiVnViII/AAAAAAAADic/tZiL5ccPY7w/s1600/process2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r0xBcY00rnM/UIouiVnViII/AAAAAAAADic/tZiL5ccPY7w/s400/process2.jpg" /></a>
<p>As an aside, I started this a couple of weeks ago, and in these last 2 days, I listened to Life of Pi as I finished this painting. I had to wait for this book on CD to become available, I was something like no. 17 in line when I reserved it from the library. So there was no telling when I would actually get the book. But of course, the story is about a shipwreck, a cargo ship going across the Pacific. I find that many of the books that I listen to as I paint seem to have some relationship to the pieces that I happen to work on at the same time. I'm sure much can be explained by the simple fact that, well, it's what interests me, so I pick those books and I paint those paintings. But sometimes the pairing is uncanny. As a result, when I look at some of the paintings, I immediately remember the books that I listend to as well.</p>
<p>But I digress. Next, the big sky with cargo plane, and 3 giant apples with halos:</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fIh_OUa3-QY/UIouit_v5jI/AAAAAAAADio/ZbJERQUDR68/s1600/process4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fIh_OUa3-QY/UIouit_v5jI/AAAAAAAADio/ZbJERQUDR68/s400/process4.jpg" /></a>
<p>And the left side is almost complete at this point:</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V8BLPQXG8vM/UIoujHc0meI/AAAAAAAADi0/7g_K8O6n78I/s1600/process6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V8BLPQXG8vM/UIoujHc0meI/AAAAAAAADi0/7g_K8O6n78I/s400/process6.jpg" /></a>
<p>Started on the right side with the tree:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOINhb3lWoc/UIoutJoLHgI/AAAAAAAADjA/aCQnfZBBjTM/s1600/process8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOINhb3lWoc/UIoutJoLHgI/AAAAAAAADjA/aCQnfZBBjTM/s400/process8.jpg" /></a>
<p>Followed by ground & sky:</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbcHM3Wf_08/UIo5VGywHwI/AAAAAAAADjc/vdgv6nisDjg/s1600/process9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbcHM3Wf_08/UIo5VGywHwI/AAAAAAAADjc/vdgv6nisDjg/s400/process9.jpg" /></a>
<p>And the finished piece is the top image.</p>
fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-48555266783384868942012-10-11T00:31:00.001-07:002012-10-15T20:37:50.971-07:00Supercal...alidocious<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bg3Qv24ANVU/UHZetbXJgVI/AAAAAAAADf0/mipuoL6gCRQ/s1600/process13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bg3Qv24ANVU/UHZetbXJgVI/AAAAAAAADf0/mipuoL6gCRQ/s400/process13.jpg" /></a>
<p><b>Supercal...alidocious</b><br />Diptych<br />Gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />12" H x 24" W<br />2012</p>
<p>The 9th from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>.</p>
<p>There's a Chinese saying, "choose either fish or bear paws, but you can not have both." Although I've never had to choose between a fish and a bear paw (<i>and really, who has!?</i>), I think having to choose between locally grown cherries and locally grown lychees might prove to be fairly impossible.</p>
<p>Food brings a sense of place both in the locations where they are grown, but also in our imagination. Growing up in Taiwan, cherries were associated with a romanticized version of the West, a symbol of luxury and elegant living. I remember the imported chocolates with the cherries and syrup buried within, the contents gooey and indecipherable. I remember a commercial where a beautiful woman leisurely bathed in a huge tub of bubbles (another symbol of Western luxury), and a bowl of fresh cherries sat on the edge of the tub. It wasn't until I moved to Oregon, started working and shopping for myself that I first encountered a fresh, real life, locally grown cherry.</p>
<p>It's no coincidence that around the first time I encountered my first real cherry was also about the last time I had a fresh, locally grown, delicious lychee. The summer of 1983. Yup, that's how long it's been. I have not been back to Taiwan during lychee season ever since. Lychee needs those hot, hot tropical summers to ripen and they have a very short season. And that season happens to be around the same time that cherries ripen here.</p>
<p>So there you have it, choose either lychees or cherries, but you can not have both. (Admittedly, the heat and the humidity in the tropical summer is one of the reasons why I have not gone to Taiwan during lychee season, but, for artistic reasons, we will not talk about that.)</p>
<p>Here's how the piece started, a 5-petal cherry blossom, and some ovals that I was planing to develop into some lychees:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JGPO-lNV9dM/UHN88fAtB-I/AAAAAAAADeg/Untxg2saG9w/s1600/process1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JGPO-lNV9dM/UHN88fAtB-I/AAAAAAAADeg/Untxg2saG9w/s400/process1.jpg" /></a>
<p>I'm sketching in a view of the Columbia River Gorge around Hood River, famous for its cherry orchards and high winds (and coincidentally, the 1st essential factor for growing lychees is "no wind"... I'm not making this up, you really can't have both):</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-BlzJnOkdM/UHN88zrAs8I/AAAAAAAADes/sed28mGekk4/s1600/process2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-BlzJnOkdM/UHN88zrAs8I/AAAAAAAADes/sed28mGekk4/s400/process2.jpg" /></a>
<p>I decided that I really didn't care for the oval shapes around the petal shapes (too many similar shapes?), so I decided to go for a moon in the night sky instead; and the hills of the gorge are going in:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S8uuEPR7I4I/UHN89ZV5F0I/AAAAAAAADe4/6eBkgM02yGg/s1600/process4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S8uuEPR7I4I/UHN89ZV5F0I/AAAAAAAADe4/6eBkgM02yGg/s400/process4.jpg" /></a>
<p>Started in on the tropical hills:</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e65henfFAws/UHN89sVddhI/AAAAAAAADfE/1qxh0YNx_9A/s1600/process6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e65henfFAws/UHN89sVddhI/AAAAAAAADfE/1qxh0YNx_9A/s400/process6.jpg" /></a>
<p>Cherries and lychees are magical, and the tropical forest is filled with ferns:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zMe1nJeaxxk/UHN9Oqv0TAI/AAAAAAAADfQ/IqH-ur1WrKk/s1600/process8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zMe1nJeaxxk/UHN9Oqv0TAI/AAAAAAAADfQ/IqH-ur1WrKk/s400/process8.jpg" /></a>
<p>The lychees are mostly there, and the cherries are going in:</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-74dPCl_d-bY/UHN9Pc9juUI/AAAAAAAADfc/mmyHlw182qs/s1600/process9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-74dPCl_d-bY/UHN9Pc9juUI/AAAAAAAADfc/mmyHlw182qs/s400/process9.jpg" /></a>
<p>At this point, I had quite a bit of trouble finishing this piece. I tried several things, didn't care for them and had to take them out. I finally put in the high clouds and more cherry leaves, but then thought I didn't like those either. I sat on it for two days, staring at the photograph on the computer constantly (that's often how I review work), and finally decided that the high clouds had to go. I went into my studio tonight to take them out, saw the piece in real life and thought, "wait, I like it like this!"</p>
<p>In the end, the clouds stayed, but the fog/mist in the tropical forest got a bit more mellow, and I'm happy. The finished piece is the first image at the top.</p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-77498631102578468032012-09-04T15:22:00.002-07:002012-10-31T22:50:17.062-07:00Digest This!
<p>Shu-Ju Wang & Diane Jacobs in a two-person exhibit</p>
<p><b>Gallery 110</b><br />September 6 - 29, 2012<br />Wednesday - Saturday, 12 - 5pm, and by appointment</p>
<p>110 3rd Ave S.<br />Seattle, Washington</p>
<p><b>First Thursday: September 6th, 6 - 8pm<br />Artists' Reception: Saturday, September 8th, 5 - 8pm</b></p>
<p>Top: <i>It's Complicated</i>, Shu-Ju Wang, gouache, acrylic and glitter on paper mounted on birch panels. Bottom: Diane Jacobs, molded handmade cotton paper.</p>
<img src="http://fingerstothebone.com/events/images/digestthis.jpg">
<p>If you're interested in getting more frequent updates with work in progress, and you're on facebook, you can also check out my art page at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ShuJuWangArt">facebook.com/ShuJuWangArt</a>, and 'Like' it if you do. I frequently post progress photos to that page.</p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-59264099843385868752012-08-24T00:26:00.000-07:002012-10-10T22:54:12.134-07:00Summer Treats<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H-XrWyurxM0/UDhqlkZk9iI/AAAAAAAADcc/ss6WYhoLYeQ/s1600/shavedIce-iceCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H-XrWyurxM0/UDhqlkZk9iI/AAAAAAAADcc/ss6WYhoLYeQ/s400/shavedIce-iceCream.jpg" /></a>
<p><b>Summer Treats</b><br />Diptych<br />Gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />12" H x 24" W<br />2012</p>
<p>(Oops, had to make a revision. Woke up this morning and decided it needed more work, so the top image is now really the finished piece. Really.)</p>
<p>The 8th from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>.</p>
<p>This is another one of those junior high school memories. I left Taiwan right after I graduated from junior high (which went through 9th grade), so it's not surprising that so many of these pieces are drawn from memories from that time. The tropics of cancer goes through the southern part of Taiwan, which makes it officially tropical in the south and sub-tropical in the north. But why quibble with such subtle distinctions? It was extremely HOT & HUMID all over the island in the summer time, south or north. One of my favorite things to do is to stop in at the shaved ice shops for a bowl of shaved ice, and we did that almost daily after school, on our way to the bus stop.</p>
<p>Shaved ice in Taiwan isn't like shaved ice here on the continental US or in Hawaii. As far as I can tell, the American shaved ice is shaved ice topped only with syrup, which is so INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTINGLY INFERIOR to the kind you get in Taiwan, topped with all kinds of delicious treats, my favorite being flan, with red beans being a second favorite. </p>
<p>When I first came to the US, I don't think you could even get the American version of shaved ice on the continental US at all. Now I see it, but the syrupy stuff just doesn't appeal to me. Instead, I get to have ice cream sundaes, and milkshakes! I remember my American mom giving everyone milkshakes for dinner one night, when it was really hot. Another time, I had a giant hamberger, followed by a giant sundae!</p>
<p>Ice cream was unusual in Taiwan (when I was growing up). It was a rare treat that we got when we went to the movies, which wasn't very often. When I was a little older (8th or 9th grade), my uncle Lee took us kids to an ice cream shop, and I had a banana split (called a banana boat in Taiwan). I think that may have been the only time I was in an ice cream shop in Taiwan.</p>
<p>I started this early in August when Portland was having its hottest weather in 2012, and naturally, thoughts turn to summer treats — the shaved ice & ice cream, of course, lotus & dahlia, butterflies and a lace parasol to protect against the sun. Here's the progression, with the finished piece at the top.</p>
<p>And I'm very glad that I did not forget the butterflies antennae.</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VnXj9zzqA6k/UDclQNCOz8I/AAAAAAAADaA/55evFo35uU8/s1600/process1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VnXj9zzqA6k/UDclQNCOz8I/AAAAAAAADaA/55evFo35uU8/s400/process1.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y38FEUHfkbc/UDclQnrIwbI/AAAAAAAADaM/WeLr1wCdvhw/s1600/process2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y38FEUHfkbc/UDclQnrIwbI/AAAAAAAADaM/WeLr1wCdvhw/s400/process2.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-26vrP2au3Nc/UDclRaWfZeI/AAAAAAAADak/ENIDmtGaR0Y/s1600/process4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-26vrP2au3Nc/UDclRaWfZeI/AAAAAAAADak/ENIDmtGaR0Y/s400/process4.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1reJTa-ADgI/UDclonHVijI/AAAAAAAADbI/bsytBhW1QgU/s1600/process7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1reJTa-ADgI/UDclonHVijI/AAAAAAAADbI/bsytBhW1QgU/s400/process7.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AvLzB-o9laA/UDclrLtOuyI/AAAAAAAADbU/akTBdhF7PFI/s1600/process8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AvLzB-o9laA/UDclrLtOuyI/AAAAAAAADbU/akTBdhF7PFI/s400/process8.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsevMigr_98/UDclPzbAORI/AAAAAAAADZ0/FNbJJWN4LJM/s1600/shavedIce-iceCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsevMigr_98/UDclPzbAORI/AAAAAAAADZ0/FNbJJWN4LJM/s400/shavedIce-iceCream.jpg" /></a>
fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-67662898404129582082012-08-03T01:35:00.001-07:002012-08-03T15:08:47.802-07:00Gifts of Winter<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9parxy_zvew/UBuI364-jJI/AAAAAAAADYs/Fy3HkkIfNrk/s1600/process9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9parxy_zvew/UBuI364-jJI/AAAAAAAADYs/Fy3HkkIfNrk/s400/process9.jpg" /></a>
<p><b>Gifts of Winter</b><br />
Diptych<br />Gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />
24" h x 12" W<br />2012</p>
<p>The 7th from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>.</p>
<p>The chestnut and the batnut (water caltrop). Neither are nuts, but are both starchy fruit. To me, they're both associated with winter, cold weather, rain, fire, and general deliciousness.</p>
<p>Batnut, which is often confused with water chestnut (talk about a double misnomer) is the fruit of the water caltrop, a water plant. It has a blackish hard shell with very pointy ends. You must skillfully bite each in half in the middle, and if you do it right, the white flesh would pop out from each half. If you don't crack it just right, much of the meat can be stuck in the pointy ends and you have to dig it out. This was a favorite winter snack food in Taiwan -- we often sat around eating batnuts while watching tv on cold, wintery nights. I missed it terribly for a long time, and the first time I returned to Taiwan in the winter time, my mother bought me some. They were no longer being freshly cooked and sold by street vendors, and the pre-cooked nuts were disappointing. I haven't really wanted any since, and I do find that a bit sad. I think next time I go back in the winter, I should try them again.</p>
<p>The chestnut is the winter holiday thing — stuffed in turkeys and I always associate it with Christmas because of that song. As I was researching this piece, I found out that a neighbor down the street has a pair (you need two to have fruit), and she said that I could have as many as I want, as they haven't figured out how to get past the prickly shells! So I shall experiment with that this winter.</p>
<p>Here's how the piece progressed. In contrast to the previous 6 pieces, I did not have this piece fully sketched out before I started. I knew some elements — that it would be vertical, that it would have water & the batnut in the bottom panel and the chestnut in the top, that there would have a snowflake-like structure surrounded by fire in the middle. But that was it.</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7WoUcYTD22o/UBuIq26MICI/AAAAAAAADXY/1X5sGw9f_iI/s1600/process1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7WoUcYTD22o/UBuIq26MICI/AAAAAAAADXY/1X5sGw9f_iI/s400/process1.jpg" /></a>
<p>The snowflake, waves and the water caltrop started to go in first, followed by the stars of a cold, snowy, winter night:</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aw2X1FVH-8Y/UBuIrz-5j4I/AAAAAAAADXw/4K-s8XHtFhk/s1600/process3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aw2X1FVH-8Y/UBuIrz-5j4I/AAAAAAAADXw/4K-s8XHtFhk/s400/process3.jpg" /></a>
<p>The fire, the mountains, the duckweed:</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HEpBjSoH3ho/UBuIsYBflqI/AAAAAAAADX8/RIFzjDcaLuU/s1600/process4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HEpBjSoH3ho/UBuIsYBflqI/AAAAAAAADX8/RIFzjDcaLuU/s400/process4.jpg" /></a>
<p>At this point, I was very unhappy with the piece. I thought the bottom half was very uninteresting. After playing around with different ideas, I decided to add a favorite winter bloom, the camelia. So here I've scrubbed out parts of the bottom panel and sketched in the camelia flowers:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WGJgmIAeicA/UBuItBF-e1I/AAAAAAAADYI/nKRr73DQULM/s1600/process5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WGJgmIAeicA/UBuItBF-e1I/AAAAAAAADYI/nKRr73DQULM/s400/process5.jpg" /></a>
<p>Camelias are now fully operational, and the mountains got some snow:</p>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIbII3PYues/UBuI3FxBoUI/AAAAAAAADYU/wHISDviXj6I/s1600/process6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIbII3PYues/UBuI3FxBoUI/AAAAAAAADYU/wHISDviXj6I/s400/process6.jpg" /></a>
<p>The chestnuts are flying because it's a cold, blustery, winter day:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ug9RwinGC9E/UBuI3peIqrI/AAAAAAAADYg/4iZOYZ1V4sY/s1600/process7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ug9RwinGC9E/UBuI3peIqrI/AAAAAAAADYg/4iZOYZ1V4sY/s400/process7.jpg" /></a>
<p>And of course, it would not be a Pacific Northwest winter without the rain. In Chinese, the constant light rain that we have in the PNW is called "furry rain," and I do love to render those fine, fine, furry lines. So I made it rain that furry rain, and the finished piece is the top image. And more camelias.</p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-60311450141006230622012-07-18T17:29:00.002-07:002012-07-18T17:35:45.866-07:00Double Vision Confusion<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejSQpldbvVA/UAdL7K1MlQI/AAAAAAAADVo/Y-Hr51Gmti4/s1600/process10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejSQpldbvVA/UAdL7K1MlQI/AAAAAAAADVo/Y-Hr51Gmti4/s400/process10.jpg" /></a>
<b>Double Vision Confusion</b>
<p>Diptych<br />
Gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />
12" h x 24" W<br />
2012</p>
<p>The 6th from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>.</p>
<p>Another piece about rice and wheat; the 1st piece was <i>It's Complicated</i> and can be seen <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2012/07/its-complicated.html">here</a>.</p> After I finished <i>It's Complicated</i>, I felt there was more to mine on that topic, partly because those grains are such a big and confusing part of our lives and also because I had so much fun painting the wheat fields and rice paddies.</p>
<p><i>A hole in the wall</i> is a phrase that is often used to describe a small restaurant that might be easily missed but is quite good. It is also a phrase that often is used to describe an ethnic restaurant that is run by an immigrant family. These small restaurants are often our first exposures to another culture.</p>
<p>In a way, we're looking through these holes in walls for glimpses of far away lands and cultures. And it's a jungle out there!</p>
<p>Those are the ideas in this piece. The backgrounds of the two halves are based on two historical wallpaper patterns — the oak leaf pattern of William Morris and a chinoiserie palm tree pattern. The oak and the palm are trees often connected to wheat fields and rice paddies. The two holes in the walls turn into a pair of binoculars through which a hidden person gets glimpses of distant lands. But while she's looking at far away places, she misses the small critters that are near her — field mice and paddy frogs, two species that live in close proximity to our grains.</p>
<p>Here's how the piece started:</p>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32hT-brQYrw/UAdLqFCgL3I/AAAAAAAADUQ/ImAIkgSZIts/s1600/process1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32hT-brQYrw/UAdLqFCgL3I/AAAAAAAADUQ/ImAIkgSZIts/s400/process1.jpg" /></a>
<p>The background on the wheat panel and the wheat fields are going in:</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rMdVpGmNLA/UAdLqQiep5I/AAAAAAAADUc/9khyxtS2A_Y/s1600/process2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rMdVpGmNLA/UAdLqQiep5I/AAAAAAAADUc/9khyxtS2A_Y/s400/process2.jpg" /></a>
<p>I changed my mind about the storming sky in the wheat fields:</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0UP9K15L_kU/UAdLqXmyfVI/AAAAAAAADUo/KxzrAkSg3tg/s1600/process4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0UP9K15L_kU/UAdLqXmyfVI/AAAAAAAADUo/KxzrAkSg3tg/s400/process4.jpg" /></a>
<p>The field mice are in:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OnoL59HyoCE/UAdLqisERKI/AAAAAAAADU0/D5zdjf48HgQ/s1600/process5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OnoL59HyoCE/UAdLqisERKI/AAAAAAAADU0/D5zdjf48HgQ/s400/process5.jpg" /></a>
<p>The frogs, rice paddies, and palms are mostly there:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j9i1Ak6Ii1s/UAdLrIyeIZI/AAAAAAAADVA/KJqCzXZ6_xc/s1600/process7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j9i1Ak6Ii1s/UAdLrIyeIZI/AAAAAAAADVA/KJqCzXZ6_xc/s400/process7.jpg" /></a>
<p>The coconuts, the grain in the middle. I intended for the grain to bring to mind the 3rd eye. The circle in the middle is originally the focus knob on the binoculars (although quite enlarged), and I liked the idea of the connection between "focus" and the 3rd eye:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GkrTjTlIa_U/UAdL6rwMgJI/AAAAAAAADVQ/vKLiv3vjUzw/s1600/process8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GkrTjTlIa_U/UAdL6rwMgJI/AAAAAAAADVQ/vKLiv3vjUzw/s400/process8.jpg" /></a>
<p>And here the grain is starting to take on a religious look. Not my intention, but it's interesting to me that the shape evokes the outline of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The cell structures look a bit like stain glass, too. Neither were intended, but I like the result:</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-trly4unSXf0/UAdL66WDYYI/AAAAAAAADVc/n5ewXlsUfIo/s1600/process9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-trly4unSXf0/UAdL66WDYYI/AAAAAAAADVc/n5ewXlsUfIo/s400/process9.jpg" /></a>
<p>The finished piece is the image at the top where the central medallion is more grounded.</p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-89911437862717570522012-07-02T18:01:00.001-07:002012-07-02T23:33:38.215-07:00It's Complicated<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dJLA_Dy3o8M/T_I_uAIrRtI/AAAAAAAADRg/4b-DXHHpoNk/s1600/7-2-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dJLA_Dy3o8M/T_I_uAIrRtI/AAAAAAAADRg/4b-DXHHpoNk/s400/7-2-12-a.jpg" /></a>
<b>It's Complicated</b>
<p>Diptych<br />Gouache, acrylic and glitter on paper mounted on birch panels<br />24" h x 12" W<br />2012</p>
<p>The 5th from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>.</p>
<p>Rice and wheat, two of the more common grains people consume in East Asia and in North America They have played a big part in how well humans have prospered — they could be stored for a long time, and refined grain even longer. But we have a complicated relationship with them in modern society. In cultivating them, we also developed a complicated relationship with the horned lark and the cattle egret, birds commonly found in wheat fields and rice paddies. The center medallion is the insulin molecule, and it's surrounded by 'sugar,' another thing that we have a complicated relationship with; both wheat and rice also turn into sugar rather quickly.</p>
<p>Here's the sequence of daily or every other day developments:</p>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uo7nNBdB7f8/T_I_XkBIwEI/AAAAAAAADQA/3RqBu24rRQ4/s1600/6-21-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uo7nNBdB7f8/T_I_XkBIwEI/AAAAAAAADQA/3RqBu24rRQ4/s400/6-21-12-a.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q3AUcC9PwSY/T_I_X2LMHVI/AAAAAAAADQM/qDp1rEdRoTU/s1600/6-22-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q3AUcC9PwSY/T_I_X2LMHVI/AAAAAAAADQM/qDp1rEdRoTU/s400/6-22-12-a.jpg" /></a>
<p>I'm waffling between doing terraced rice paddies vs paddies on the valley floor, so I'm playing with one and then the other.</p>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7vZ_OESV3Z4/T_I_YCQv2AI/AAAAAAAADQY/W-D2rQsPPDs/s1600/6-23-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7vZ_OESV3Z4/T_I_YCQv2AI/AAAAAAAADQY/W-D2rQsPPDs/s400/6-23-12-a.jpg" /></a>
<p>In the end, I went with half and half:</p>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SuSQx5qX8sg/T_I_YYoJaVI/AAAAAAAADQk/vZJRDxVi6g8/s1600/6-24-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SuSQx5qX8sg/T_I_YYoJaVI/AAAAAAAADQk/vZJRDxVi6g8/s400/6-24-12-a.jpg" /></a>
<p>The background is both sky and ocean:</p>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WLLXlwb0emA/T_I_tHEU8cI/AAAAAAAADQ8/EcqqRc-pGLg/s1600/6-28-12-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WLLXlwb0emA/T_I_tHEU8cI/AAAAAAAADQ8/EcqqRc-pGLg/s400/6-28-12-b.jpg" /></a>
<p>And the birds went in:</p>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i-XxqdHMZ_Q/T_I_trVkQhI/AAAAAAAADRU/LOKD90tjRFs/s1600/7-1-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i-XxqdHMZ_Q/T_I_trVkQhI/AAAAAAAADRU/LOKD90tjRFs/s400/7-1-12-a.jpg" /></a>
<p>The finished piece is the very first image at the top.</p>
<p>For the sugar, I played around with different options. I actually tried using real sugar. There was very little information about mixing sugar with acrylic paint (I would use acrylic as an adhesive). I tried using it as I would salt on watercolor, and the sugar melted and made a shiny, sticky mess. (I guess I could've guessed that.)</p>
<p>My critique group buddies suggested white sand for sand painting. I thought that was a great idea and went searching for white sand. But that was actually harder to come by than I figured. In wandering around the aisles at Michael's, I found this granulated glitter, which actually looked A LOT like sugar. And that's the 'sugar' around the insulin molecule.</p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-81062461276475610792012-07-01T12:38:00.001-07:002012-07-01T12:38:26.566-07:001st Gocco Print Drawing<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PavGTOFTKeM/T_ClwIX6_TI/AAAAAAAADPg/Kxlofl4MgGY/s1600/7-1-12-gocco-prize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="373" width="288" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PavGTOFTKeM/T_ClwIX6_TI/AAAAAAAADPg/Kxlofl4MgGY/s400/7-1-12-gocco-prize.jpg" /></a><br clear="all"><br />
<p><em>Yurt</em><br />Gocco print (silkscreen), 2001 or so</p>
<p>This was inspired by a visit to a Kazakh family's yurt in an oasis town somewhere along the silk road. I don't remember the exact town, but was probably around Turpan, Xinjiang, Chinese Central Asia. I visited the area in 2000.</p>
<p>I'll be giving away several Gocco prints over the next few months, this is the 1st of the bunch. To enter into the drawing, leave a comment to this entry. I'll cover 1st class shipping within the US. If you're overseas, or would prefer another method of shipping, we can discuss.</p>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-44288864245334517812012-06-17T00:26:00.000-07:002012-06-17T11:18:57.817-07:00We Eat, They Eat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BfPYOJ7nc3I/T911oviEPsI/AAAAAAAADNI/7veeDo-l_lk/s1600/6-16-12-c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4sm1K__WdgI/T911pM2KyQI/AAAAAAAADNQ/bEvuNXWB6zs/s1600/6-16-12-d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4sm1K__WdgI/T911pM2KyQI/AAAAAAAADNQ/bEvuNXWB6zs/s400/6-16-12-d.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>We Eat, They Eat</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Diptych</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Gouache, acrylic and plastic bottle cap shavings on paper mounted on birch panels<br />12" h x 24" W<br />2012</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The 4th from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste & Apple Pie</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The title is a play on words and a play on content. Who are 'they' and who are 'we'? The whole series is about the dietary changes I had to make as an immigrant to the US from tropical East Asia. So in that sense, 'they' could refer to the people of tropical East Asia and 'we' the people of the United States. But I also want the title to evoke the idea that 'we eat what they eat,' and in that sense 'we' refers to the people who eat the fish, the 'they' of the title.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And what are the fish eating? In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there exists the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It's approximately twice the size of the state of Texas. Fish mistakenly ingest the plastic, get trapped in the plastic, or ingest the plastic as it break down, however slowly. Then we eat the fish.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Through the different elements in the composition (the cutlassfish, the salmon, and representation of the Garbage Patch), I want this piece to be both about my personal dietary changes and the inadvertent global dietary changes. So here's how this piece started </span></span>— salmon 'in the north' and cutlassfish 'in the south.' Earth in the middle, with the Pacific Ocean rimmed by Taiwan on the left, Oregon on the right, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in between.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BfPYOJ7nc3I/T911oviEPsI/AAAAAAAADNI/7veeDo-l_lk/s1600/6-16-12-c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BfPYOJ7nc3I/T911oviEPsI/AAAAAAAADNI/7veeDo-l_lk/s400/6-16-12-c.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="all" /></span></span></div>
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The cutlassfish, a fish of the warmer waters of the Pacific ocean, was one of my favorites growing up in Taiwan. It was usually cut into 2" segments and pan fried. It was easy & fun to eat, just one set of bones down the middle — you put one side in your mouth and the meat slid off the bones, and you do the other side. Here in the US, many people don't like to eat fish that are long and skinny, which is always perplexing to me. But in either case, the cutlassfish is not available here, and I missed it a great deal for a long time. I still miss it; it has become very expensive in Asia, and I haven't had it in years. The salmon is, of course, practically a religion in the Pacific Northwest. It is a fish that I like, although probably not as much as I like the cutlassfish.</div>
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I decided the starfish were too bold, so I made them smaller. In the smaller size, they also remind me of the 'stars & stripes' of the US flag. The "stripes" will come later.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uzKzdm-ZwpM/T911u12BCPI/AAAAAAAADNY/XUa5JnZDpfI/s400/6-9-12-a.jpg" width="200" />
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I love the turquoise over yellow ochre combination (that's what's making that green of the Pacific Ocean).<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eLp7UIonJVI/T911yt81BZI/AAAAAAAADNg/ye7RCCZlFV0/s1600/6-12-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eLp7UIonJVI/T911yt81BZI/AAAAAAAADNg/ye7RCCZlFV0/s400/6-12-12-a.jpg" width="200" /></a><br clear="all">
I mixed a blue-black (ultramarine + lamp black) and applied it over the turquoise over yellow ochre in thin layers. That's what creates the variations. The salmon & cutlassfish are finished, and I have to figure out how to get the plastic into the Garbage Patch.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iqA79L-I-Fg/T91_VILEakI/AAAAAAAADN4/9fR2C-pnDaw/s1600/6-15-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iqA79L-I-Fg/T91_VILEakI/AAAAAAAADN4/9fR2C-pnDaw/s400/6-15-12-a.jpg" width="200" /></a><br clear="all">
I wanted to use some real plastic garbage. Various artist friends suggested different ways of getting plastic shavings off bottle caps, and in the end, I decided to start with the cheapest method first — a 10 cent cheese grater I got at the thrift shop. It worked great, although it was quite the aerobic exercise. I grated enough to make a batch of 'paint' by mixing it into some acrylic paint and GAC500. I mixed a red-black paint because I wanted it to look like a wound.<br />
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I first experimented with painting it directly onto some paper. The plastic bits wiggled around and it was difficult to control the shape. And since that would be irreversible, I decided I didn't want to paint it directly on the painting.<br />
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Next, I painted it on a sheet of plexi placed over the painting (so I could see what I was doing). I figured that I could peel this off and apply it to the painting. Here's a shot of that.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-spY6WkrDpGY/T911n-WAVtI/AAAAAAAADM4/bxgHeF7Zj0U/s1600/6-16-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-spY6WkrDpGY/T911n-WAVtI/AAAAAAAADM4/bxgHeF7Zj0U/s400/6-16-12-a.jpg" width="400" /></a><br clear="all">
It worked great. Except when I went to peel it off, it all came off in bits & pieces. I then tried to encase the plastic bits between 2 sheets of gampi. And that made a mess. See exhibit B:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJWUsGB1-Jw/T911oaPKrqI/AAAAAAAADNA/XpHP7C9FErY/s1600/6-16-12-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJWUsGB1-Jw/T911oaPKrqI/AAAAAAAADNA/XpHP7C9FErY/s400/6-16-12-b.jpg" width="400" /></a><br clear="all">
In the end, I used my original test patch that I had painted on paper, just cut into the shape that I wanted. The finished piece is the top image. The shiny spot in the middle of the ocean is paint mixed with shavings off a plastic bottle cap. And as it turns out, the lumpy-bumpy, rubbery end result also looks like a scab. That was a happy accident.fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-51196678277529421232012-05-03T00:00:00.001-07:002012-05-03T00:01:00.935-07:00Her Love of Green Vegetables Reaches Mythical Proportions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljOiJCI8roE/T6IloTNV9jI/AAAAAAAADK0/_kSAIr4noSM/s1600/5-2-12-g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljOiJCI8roE/T6IloTNV9jI/AAAAAAAADK0/_kSAIr4noSM/s400/5-2-12-g.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Her Love of Green Vegetables Reaches Mythical Proportions</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Diptych</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />12" h x 24"<br />2012</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The 3rd from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I seem to have mostly recovered from my hand injury, or at least have it under control. Since the beginning of the year, I've been spending hours a day painting, using little tiny brushes to create fine details. I had a break when I worked on <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2012/02/laundry-maze-is-up.html">The Laundry Maze</a>, but went straight back to long days of painting after that. By mid March, I could not move my thumb, and it was painful. Then I had another break–a trip to Taiwan followed by a week of taxes, a week of helping another artist with technical stuff, and another week of kitchen remodeling stuff–before I returned to finish this painting. While I was in Taiwan, I was able to see a doctor, and my hand was taken care of. All without health insurance, and for a grand total of about $50. (Thanks mom!) Now I just have to remember to stop and move my hand around every hour or so, and do my therapy once a day. It all seems to be under control.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Ok, so some background on this piece:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Growing up in Taiwan, my favorite vegetable was the water spinach, a relative of the morning glory (another 5-petaled flower). I only had it once between 1975 (when I left Taiwan) and 1983, my first return visit. Later, when I visited Mainland China, our national guide found out that was my favorite greens, she called ahead everywhere on our itinerary, and we never failed to have water spinach on the table at every meal. And also never failed would the the local guides' remarks that I was "so easy to feed, because that's pig food!" It grows in such abundance and so easily that they feed it to the pigs.<br /><br />Here in the Pacific Northwest, water spinach is not so easy to come by, but I love rainbow chard almost as much. And we all know that the unicorn goes with rainbow chard just like the water dragon goes with water spinach, but of course.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And here's how this piece started. For some reason, this reminds me of Cirque du Soleil:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z5n6WXLvvEs/T6Ilk50Z7wI/AAAAAAAADKE/a31ltTYGzgo/s1600/5-2-12-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z5n6WXLvvEs/T6Ilk50Z7wI/AAAAAAAADKE/a31ltTYGzgo/s400/5-2-12-a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Here I'm adding some water spinach leaves on stalks:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Spp7sAk_Xjs/T6IllQV9wRI/AAAAAAAADKM/AiK6RVkkxWw/s1600/5-2-12-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Spp7sAk_Xjs/T6IllQV9wRI/AAAAAAAADKM/AiK6RVkkxWw/s400/5-2-12-b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The water (a very famous body of water) and the water dragon are started:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MzHPyAbfio8/T6IllxG4ssI/AAAAAAAADKU/o8haujsT23Q/s1600/5-2-12-c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MzHPyAbfio8/T6IllxG4ssI/AAAAAAAADKU/o8haujsT23Q/s400/5-2-12-c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">And the dragon comes to life...?</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HCPT72aqsGY/T6IlmT-sMoI/AAAAAAAADKc/hek14PffS8M/s1600/5-2-12-d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HCPT72aqsGY/T6IlmT-sMoI/AAAAAAAADKc/hek14PffS8M/s400/5-2-12-d.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Now I move to the other side; first the rainbow chard:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uRCyk0A2uX0/T6IlmwKrpUI/AAAAAAAADKk/yTuznjglE-E/s1600/5-2-12-e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uRCyk0A2uX0/T6IlmwKrpUI/AAAAAAAADKk/yTuznjglE-E/s400/5-2-12-e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Then comes the sky and the unicorn:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--nnG3qyhJI0/T6IlngNkEsI/AAAAAAAADKs/EEaLqV3QjEs/s1600/5-2-12-f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--nnG3qyhJI0/T6IlngNkEsI/AAAAAAAADKs/EEaLqV3QjEs/s400/5-2-12-f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">And finally, the finished piece is the image at the top. There are a couple of things I might change yet, but for now, I'm setting it aside. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">I've started to prep the panels for the next piece. Might be able to finish attaching the paper to the boards tonight and start painting tomorrow.</span></div>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-78707076256586044362012-03-06T18:19:00.010-08:002012-05-03T00:01:42.487-07:00Snack Attack!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6mGI7PEDkw0/T1bG4cKxH1I/AAAAAAAADI8/63GWM54__Gc/s1600/3-7-12-d.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716975449929752402" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6mGI7PEDkw0/T1bG4cKxH1I/AAAAAAAADI8/63GWM54__Gc/s400/3-7-12-d.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 200px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<b>Snack Attack!</b><br />
Diptych<br />
Gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />
12" h x 24"<br />
2012<br />
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I love the corn cross section as a halo, don't you?!<br />
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This is the second from the series <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>, a project I'm doing with the help of a 2012 RACC Project Grant. It will prove to be a pretty intense year of painting—15 paintings by the end of October. My painting hand is already in a sad shape from long hours of painting for days on end. I have started to use a support glove while I'm working, and a stabilizer when I'm not working. And of course, doing hand exercises whenever I can. Hopefully, I will keep this in check. There are also enough other things going on right now that I take a day or two off from painting periodically.<br />
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So this is how this painting started—my favorite Thunderbird (Scott Tracy) riding side-saddle on a grilled corn on the cob missile, and Mr. Spock surfing in on a Pringle.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bXZ7X7GnNA/T1bG3i_iY_I/AAAAAAAADIY/m-UzrgIP2HQ/s1600/3-7-12-a.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716975434581828594" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bXZ7X7GnNA/T1bG3i_iY_I/AAAAAAAADIY/m-UzrgIP2HQ/s400/3-7-12-a.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 218px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The sacred geometry design here is based on the corn (but of course) and once again the 5-petal shape of the potato flower. And while I was concentrating on painting the sacred geometry, I spilled a jar of paint on Scott Tracy. I did my best to clean it up, but the stain is permanent (and will be fixed later).<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LP7RF7YuudQ/T1bG32Ne_PI/AAAAAAAADIg/jDWJk35IpOk/s1600/3-7-12-b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716975439740599538" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LP7RF7YuudQ/T1bG32Ne_PI/AAAAAAAADIg/jDWJk35IpOk/s400/3-7-12-b.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 214px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Right by the front gate of the junior high I attended in Taiwan, there was this vendor who sold freshly grilled corn on the cob (with lots of hot sauce!). He was there everyday when school let out. My friends and I would each get a corn on the cob and would eat them as we walked to our respective bus stops (absolutely contrary to what we had been taught—to never eat while walking). I would get home just in time to catch the Thunderbirds, a British puppet sci-fi show. After I came to the US, my American mom would always give me a small bowl of Pringles as a snack after I got home from high school, and I could watch Star Trek before dinner.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5BSfQUFKkVQ/T1bG4F-MAZI/AAAAAAAADIw/MQLHMwp-KJ0/s1600/3-7-12-c.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716975443971408274" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5BSfQUFKkVQ/T1bG4F-MAZI/AAAAAAAADIw/MQLHMwp-KJ0/s400/3-7-12-c.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 206px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The finished piece is the top image.fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-3757190030651902122012-03-06T17:54:00.007-08:002012-03-06T18:26:21.762-08:00Bamboo Mountain, Potato Hill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t0lSXV2fl5E/T1bBOQvUjuI/AAAAAAAADIA/hpQLf7KcpRA/s1600/3-6-12-c.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t0lSXV2fl5E/T1bBOQvUjuI/AAAAAAAADIA/hpQLf7KcpRA/s400/3-6-12-c.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716969227749199586" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bamboo Mountain, Potato Hill</span><br />Diptych<br />Gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on birch panels<br />12" h x 24" w<br />2012<br /><br />Other than The Laundry Maze, I've also started working on my new painting project, <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-bean-paste-and-apple-pie.html">Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie</a>, a series of diptychs that will be exhibited in Seattle in September and in Portland in November. The first piece is <span style="font-weight:bold;">Bamboo Mountain, Potato Hill</span>, a nostalgic look at one of my favorite foods from when I was growing up in Taiwan (fresh bamboo shoots) and how much I missed it when I first moved here. Both the bamboo shoot and potato are root vegetables that are fairly inexpensive (in the proper regions), and both are very versatile in terms of culinary use. <br /><br />I did not return to Taiwan for 7 years, and one of the first things my grandmother made for me was bamboo shoot soup!<br /><br />Here's a shot of how it started. You can see that I'm playing with some ideas that I ended up not using (the drawing of a sprouted potato on the lower right). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z2VKlz4v_Bw/T1bBVnW06aI/AAAAAAAADIM/L6jqYfxQo-I/s1600/3-6-12-a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z2VKlz4v_Bw/T1bBVnW06aI/AAAAAAAADIM/L6jqYfxQo-I/s400/3-6-12-a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716969354079562146" /></a><br /><br />The bamboo's cellular architecture and the potato flower are both 5-segmented. And I use this 5-segment structure as starting points. I'm using sacred geometry to denote many things -- the cosmos, the planet, the divider <span style="font-weight:bold;">and</span> unifier of the two sides/panels, but also to create a sense of myth and mystery. But it also gives me the pleasure of playing with patterns, which I love to do. <br /><br />Here it is, fairly far along.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-COH--H5tI4Y/T1bBLAbfrLI/AAAAAAAADHw/rcgcATfn6CQ/s1600/3-6-12-b.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-COH--H5tI4Y/T1bBLAbfrLI/AAAAAAAADHw/rcgcATfn6CQ/s400/3-6-12-b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716969171831467186" /></a><br /><br />And the finished piece is the top photo.fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-70973054358536787022012-02-13T23:35:00.000-08:002012-02-13T23:37:37.649-08:00The Laundry Maze is up!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mgz7dHBilBg/TzoO7N5gCMI/AAAAAAAADDY/fHGuuxCeIuU/s1600/IMG_0313.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mgz7dHBilBg/TzoO7N5gCMI/AAAAAAAADDY/fHGuuxCeIuU/s400/IMG_0313.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708891888151431362" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Laundry Maze</span><br /><br />The Portland Building Lobby<br />1120 SW 5th Avenue<br />Portland, Oregon<br /><br />7am to 6pm, Monday through Friday<br />February 13 - March 16, 2012<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Join me and walk through The Laundry Maze on these days</span><br /><br />February 16, Thursday, 11am to 1pm<br />February 23, Thursday, 1pm to 3pm<br />March 2, Friday, 10am to noon<br />March 7, 11am to 1pm<br />March 13, Tuesday, 11am-1pm<br /><br />I will be adding new material to the maze each week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What is The Laundry Maze?</span><br /><br />The Chinese laundry is an iconic thread of early China-to-US immigration story, and The Laundry Maze references this history to start a conversation about one aspect of immigration — that of the immigrants' changing professional identities.<br /><br />Over the past few months, I reached out to immigrant communities through personal contacts, ESL classes, and adult literacy programs in Portland and also in other parts of the US. From each participant, I asked for brief descriptions/titles of their professions and jobs before and after they immigrated. Each pair of responses are then sewn on a shirt. Sketches of natural national boundaries — mountains, rivers, and oceans — are painted on the back of each shirt.<br /><br />At the time of the exhibition's opening date on Feb 13, I have received about 70 pairs of job titles or descriptions. More data continue to arrive, and I will add these to the installation as they come in.<br /><br />I started this project with a preconception — that most immigrants' after professions tend to be lower in prestige or social status when compared to their before positions. While this is true in some cases, I also find that many people are able to make lateral transitions, sometimes after a few years of additional schooling. Many participants are in this process now — either working or unemployed, but going to school.<br /><br />As you walk through the maze, you can read and share the immigrants' experiences of changing professions. On another level, the format of the maze creates a sense of mystery and disorientation, sensations familiar to people finding their way in a new country.<br /><br />At this point, I would also like to share a personal story. My grandfather immigrated from mainland China to Taiwan in the 1930s. After he married my grandmother, they tried several businesses before they found success with a dry cleaning/laundry business. By the time I came along, it was thriving. There was a room where all the cleaned suits, shirts, pants hung tightly on racks, waiting to be picked up. As children, my sister and I played hide and seek among the racks. Thus the seed for The Laundry Maze was planted.fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-16975343234023155842012-02-02T00:57:00.000-08:002012-02-02T01:18:16.768-08:00The Laundry Maze gets physical<a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2010/12/laundry-maze.html">The Laundry Maze</a> is the installation I'm doing at the Portland Building Feb 13 - March 16, 2012. There's been a lot of planning (<a href="http://fingerstothebone.com/thelaundrymaze/index.html">a web survey</a>, distributing postcard/flyer with self-stamped envelopes, connecting with ESL departments and adult literacy programs throughout the Portland area, asking friends who are immigrants, collecting shirts from friends...). <br /><br />And now, things are getting physical...the first shirt has rolled off the production line!<br /><br />I have gesso'ed 48 shirts (although I'm pretty sure I won't need anywhere that many; I'll probably need about 35 or so). So far, I have collected enough data pairs to sew around 2 sets of tags on each shirt. I'm also still setting up appts with ESL & literacy programs for the next few weeks. I will continue to add the tags while the installation is up. Hopefully, by the end of the installation period, I'll have 3-4 tags per shirt. <br /><br />The back of each shirt will be a landscape sketch that I hope people can interpret in various ways. Each will be a sketch of mountains, rivers, and/or oceans, all natural national boundaries. But landscapes can mean so much in terms of what a 'home' is.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yf5geh8XANM/TypRHgzmddI/AAAAAAAADC8/Z7eOGRDfWeA/s1600/2-2-12-a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 376px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yf5geh8XANM/TypRHgzmddI/AAAAAAAADC8/Z7eOGRDfWeA/s400/2-2-12-a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704461067525453266" /></a><br /><br />The front of the shirt will have tags of people's professions before and after immigration. Each pair will be stacked on top of each other; the "after" tag can only be read when you lift up the "before" tag. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yzOCp49CkHM/TypRHo-JAiI/AAAAAAAADDI/QUfmxBtpWbk/s1600/2-2-12-b.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 336px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yzOCp49CkHM/TypRHo-JAiI/AAAAAAAADDI/QUfmxBtpWbk/s400/2-2-12-b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704461069717144098" /></a><br /><br />The serger has been a great investment. It's handy in finishing the tags so that they won't fray as people lift up the before tags to read the after tags. <br /><br />I have bought the dowels that will serve as the laundry lines, and the clothespins. I just need to finish sketching the remaining shirts, sewing/writing the remaining tags, then it's install, and the show opens!fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-28657964698644620862011-12-28T17:04:00.000-08:002011-12-28T17:27:40.968-08:002011 ornament<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KLZn3BEgrRk/Tvu8y3PWOBI/AAAAAAAAC-A/ou7A8JlVIAU/s1600/12-28-11-a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 332px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KLZn3BEgrRk/Tvu8y3PWOBI/AAAAAAAAC-A/ou7A8JlVIAU/s400/12-28-11-a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691350136120555538" /></a><br /><br />Back in the late 70s, we used to make Christmas ornaments as a girl scouts fundraiser. They were made from old Christmas cards, cut into circles which were then folded into triangles. The triangles were stapled together along the 3 edges, and 25 of these made a ball ornament. The bigger the original circle cutouts, the bigger the resulting ball. And of course there would be glitter on all the edges (to conceal the staples). We made huge ones and also little ones. <br /><br />I hadn't made those in a long time, but decided to make another style of ornament from the 2011 cards. We don't get so many cards any more (since we don't send any...ahem). But there were enough cards with the right size images to make this. I used 4 cottage cheese container lids as the substrates, gel medium as the glue to cover the lids with scraps of decorative paper. With the plastic lids, I didn't need to worry about grain and I could use any little bit of paper scrap I had! Yippee! Wrapped gold ribbon around each of the segments and put one coat of GAC 500 over the decorative paper. The card cutouts were then collaged on after that. This is followed by gold paint along the edges...but of course!<br /><br />The top shot is a star, from the <a href="http://www.scarletstarstudios.com/">Scarlet Star Studios</a>.<br /><br />Here are shots of a few of the segments. This is a snowflake from my mom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d8PF6CIMvO8/Tvu8yy58bQI/AAAAAAAAC90/TNWowQa8dt4/s1600/12-28-11-b.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d8PF6CIMvO8/Tvu8yy58bQI/AAAAAAAAC90/TNWowQa8dt4/s400/12-28-11-b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691350134957042946" /></a><br /><br />Some Christmas stockings from a friend's mom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jiuGdIt-kUA/Tvu8yBDSTVI/AAAAAAAAC9s/HVCB1J6noFo/s1600/12-28-11-c.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jiuGdIt-kUA/Tvu8yBDSTVI/AAAAAAAAC9s/HVCB1J6noFo/s400/12-28-11-c.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691350121574452562" /></a><br /><br />From the <a href="http://michael5000.blogspot.com/">famous Michael5000</a>. Although I must say that, since he only spent 3.5 cents on this card, the paper is rather thin and weak, and it's not keeping the 2 halves open very well, against the push of the neighboring cards, which are clearly made of more stout stock. (OK, he might've said that he spent 35 cents on the card, but of course, I can no longer tell because the card is now cut up and glued to the ornament.) I even had to give it a little help by attaching another small piece of paper; but alas, it didn't help much.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O34iX8HHX1U/Tvu8x5uWKkI/AAAAAAAAC9Y/OlCkfGnDyJg/s1600/12-28-11-d.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O34iX8HHX1U/Tvu8x5uWKkI/AAAAAAAAC9Y/OlCkfGnDyJg/s400/12-28-11-d.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691350119607577154" /></a><br /><br />And from a college friend and his wife.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dqVIA9dhK7Q/Tvu8xn-wVNI/AAAAAAAAC9Q/_3_DNHF34Qw/s1600/12-28-11-e.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 296px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dqVIA9dhK7Q/Tvu8xn-wVNI/AAAAAAAAC9Q/_3_DNHF34Qw/s400/12-28-11-e.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691350114844562642" /></a>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-62514863480176259442011-12-20T16:33:00.000-08:002012-10-31T22:50:07.038-07:00Red Bean Paste and Apple PieHey, I got my 2012 RACC Project Grant for Red Bean Paste and Apple Pie! Here's the intent for this project proposal:<br /><br />"I will create a series of paintings using food as a metaphor to explore my transformation as a first-generation American. Nothing is more personal than each mouthful we put into our bodies, but what we eat and how we eat it are both seen as cultural and political indicators. I will use this duality to explore what it means to be an immigrant American by examining the changes to my diet and eating habits since immigrating to the United States. The paintings will be small format diptychs in gouache and acrylic on paper mounted on panels. This is the second of a multi-part series on immigration and migration."<br /><br />I'll be starting to work on these paintings pretty much immediately. I've promised a lot of paintings, and at the speed I paint, it's gonna be a full time gig.<br /><br />The first part of this multi-part series on immigration and migration is, of course, The Laundry Maze. Here's the <a href="http://thelastbedroom.blogspot.com/2010/12/laundry-maze.html">proposal for The Laundry Maze </a>, and here's the webpage set up for doing <a href="http://fingerstothebone.com/thelaundrymaze/index.html">the survey</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You should, of course, help spread the word!</span><br /><br />The third part is a book. It will be one-of-a-kind, and pretty big. At least as I see it in my head right now.fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-43468564539694697802011-12-08T23:36:00.000-08:002011-12-08T23:52:06.462-08:00Two hummingbirds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YiW9iQ3FVmo/TuG61T7mf3I/AAAAAAAAC7o/p4hYsq4_8-w/s1600/12-8-11-a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YiW9iQ3FVmo/TuG61T7mf3I/AAAAAAAAC7o/p4hYsq4_8-w/s400/12-8-11-a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684029629764370290" /></a><br /><br />Hummingbird of the Day, gouache & acrylic, 12"x12", 2011<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6HHcOn2U9A/TuG61TQEncI/AAAAAAAAC7w/-lem8ujKwIM/s1600/12-8-11-b.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6HHcOn2U9A/TuG61TQEncI/AAAAAAAAC7w/-lem8ujKwIM/s400/12-8-11-b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684029629581794754" /></a><br /><br />Hummingbird of the Night, gouache & acrylic, 12"x12", 2011<br /><br />Doing a commission is a lot different than doing something without a final client in mind, especially in this case where stories were provided, although I was able to add my own little twists to the basic premise. Definitely not the usual mode of operation around these parts where I'm making up the story as I go, and changing the rules as I go. The final images are above, here are some process photos:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B_W_7k_WWLY/TuG61gzyfvI/AAAAAAAAC8E/XSrHQBTjBtc/s1600/12-8-11-c.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B_W_7k_WWLY/TuG61gzyfvI/AAAAAAAAC8E/XSrHQBTjBtc/s400/12-8-11-c.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684029633221263090" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wyv2py_mGv0/TuG62BXviOI/AAAAAAAAC8M/6yzt0moI5do/s1600/12-8-11-d.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wyv2py_mGv0/TuG62BXviOI/AAAAAAAAC8M/6yzt0moI5do/s400/12-8-11-d.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684029641961998562" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OdtFvWRe4uU/TuG62RUjdMI/AAAAAAAAC8U/WD0z0wVNYcQ/s1600/12-8-11-e.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OdtFvWRe4uU/TuG62RUjdMI/AAAAAAAAC8U/WD0z0wVNYcQ/s400/12-8-11-e.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684029646243591362" /></a><br /><br />Initially, I wanted the two pieces to be bolted together and so the rocks continue from the right into the left piece. But after I completed them both, I decided they were better on their own.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mXKWah4cpLc/TuG7BFVP5aI/AAAAAAAAC8k/8rL92iazYYc/s1600/12-8-11-f.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mXKWah4cpLc/TuG7BFVP5aI/AAAAAAAAC8k/8rL92iazYYc/s400/12-8-11-f.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684029832003839394" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-483gJRfsKho/TuG7BYt3IoI/AAAAAAAAC80/mxIGMPcQEWI/s1600/12-8-11-g.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-483gJRfsKho/TuG7BYt3IoI/AAAAAAAAC80/mxIGMPcQEWI/s400/12-8-11-g.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684029837207347842" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1bPo-avwrzo/TuG7B20Z1NI/AAAAAAAAC88/y3RfYYWd9sE/s1600/12-8-11-h.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1bPo-avwrzo/TuG7B20Z1NI/AAAAAAAAC88/y3RfYYWd9sE/s400/12-8-11-h.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684029845287851218" /></a>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34541283.post-10060445376623782652011-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:002011-09-27T13:15:04.752-07:00Two years and nine months later...We have a book!<br /><br />This was the book I started with an elderly WWII vet back at the start of 2009. His wife heard about the project I did at Rose Schnitzer Manor and thought I might be interested in working with him. And now two years and nine months later, I have completed the project!<br /><br />The book is an edition of 26, Gocco printed on Nepal Heavyweight, a handmade paper from Nepal; each also has 5 etchings on cotton paper handmade by <a href="http://www.helenhiebertstudio.com/Helen_Hiebert_Studio/Home.html">Helen Hiebert</a>.<br /><br />Here's a stack of a few books. The cover paper is handmade mulberry paper from Taiwan. The image is Gocco printed and then brushed with a foam brush.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q16WQGRfHHQ/Tn_a9hD4FJI/AAAAAAAAC7M/6Urd2GdhwHc/s1600/9-18-11-a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q16WQGRfHHQ/Tn_a9hD4FJI/AAAAAAAAC7M/6Urd2GdhwHc/s400/9-18-11-a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480407382135954" /></a><br /><br />The front & back covers, and the back of the accordion. The back cover is created using the same method as the front cover.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFGvxpo4dEs/Tn_a9X7VzZI/AAAAAAAAC7E/7-J99vExipA/s1600/9-18-11-b.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 177px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFGvxpo4dEs/Tn_a9X7VzZI/AAAAAAAAC7E/7-J99vExipA/s400/9-18-11-b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480404930416018" /></a><br /><br />Detail on the back of the accordion. It's the melody from San Antonio Rose. If you know the song, you can follow along. Otherwise, it might just look like a landscape or the water.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H3pChvVw2ZM/Tn_a9UXPKsI/AAAAAAAAC68/cyCvg2CZVF4/s1600/9-18-11-c.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 199px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H3pChvVw2ZM/Tn_a9UXPKsI/AAAAAAAAC68/cyCvg2CZVF4/s400/9-18-11-c.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480403973679810" /></a><br /><br />The opening pages.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DhyAFJ1e3AM/Tn_a9Ak_McI/AAAAAAAAC60/96ntNTINIaM/s1600/9-18-11-d.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DhyAFJ1e3AM/Tn_a9Ak_McI/AAAAAAAAC60/96ntNTINIaM/s400/9-18-11-d.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480398662644162" /></a><br /><br />The first trifold. The brown paper with the etching is made by Helen and contains soil from the South Dakota farm that he was born and raised in. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk50cJFSgtg/Tn_a8zYcssI/AAAAAAAAC6s/QMJhcMd5jMo/s1600/9-18-11-e.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk50cJFSgtg/Tn_a8zYcssI/AAAAAAAAC6s/QMJhcMd5jMo/s400/9-18-11-e.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480395120390850" /></a><br /><br />The trifold opened up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7C7afnUci6I/Tn_axF7KobI/AAAAAAAAC6k/nDo11PgJM5U/s1600/9-18-11-f.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7C7afnUci6I/Tn_axF7KobI/AAAAAAAAC6k/nDo11PgJM5U/s400/9-18-11-f.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480193939415474" /></a><br /><br />The second trifold. The blue paper with the etching contains water from the Pacific Ocean.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kRK4jEwRot8/Tn_axPr6GEI/AAAAAAAAC6c/CwKnYCMwtak/s1600/9-18-11-g.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kRK4jEwRot8/Tn_axPr6GEI/AAAAAAAAC6c/CwKnYCMwtak/s400/9-18-11-g.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480196559771714" /></a><br /><br />The trifold opened up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-seSYb3LRkTI/Tn_aw13Cf4I/AAAAAAAAC6U/sdFQfQ1a-kE/s1600/9-18-11-h.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 231px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-seSYb3LRkTI/Tn_aw13Cf4I/AAAAAAAAC6U/sdFQfQ1a-kE/s400/9-18-11-h.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480189627137922" /></a><br /><br />The third trifold. The green-blue paper with the etching contains water from the Columbia River.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aNY_hj0bnss/Tn_aw7iHSiI/AAAAAAAAC6M/wXtPJeisSrk/s1600/9-18-11-i.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aNY_hj0bnss/Tn_aw7iHSiI/AAAAAAAAC6M/wXtPJeisSrk/s400/9-18-11-i.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480191149984290" /></a><br /><br />Opened.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KeI6TqySzzs/Tn_awmT-YZI/AAAAAAAAC6E/WLgnD6qL4Hw/s1600/9-18-11-j.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KeI6TqySzzs/Tn_awmT-YZI/AAAAAAAAC6E/WLgnD6qL4Hw/s400/9-18-11-j.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656480185453535634" /></a><br /><br />The fourth trifold. The gray-blue paper with the etching contains water from the Willamette River.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-niwIlz_iSNA/Tn_aj5qIfoI/AAAAAAAAC58/KwQyKOhpmkQ/s1600/9-18-11-k.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-niwIlz_iSNA/Tn_aj5qIfoI/AAAAAAAAC58/KwQyKOhpmkQ/s400/9-18-11-k.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656479967308447362" /></a><br /><br />Opened.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oVDArM8ZFJk/Tn_ajiH3W3I/AAAAAAAAC50/Zb01g6zwS7k/s1600/9-18-11-l.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oVDArM8ZFJk/Tn_ajiH3W3I/AAAAAAAAC50/Zb01g6zwS7k/s400/9-18-11-l.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656479960990702450" /></a><br /><br />The last trifold. The brown paper with the etching contains soil from his Oregon farm.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oWmmSIFCVvs/Tn_ajuMEcFI/AAAAAAAAC5s/4MMPa2HPWRo/s1600/9-18-11-m.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oWmmSIFCVvs/Tn_ajuMEcFI/AAAAAAAAC5s/4MMPa2HPWRo/s400/9-18-11-m.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656479964229562450" /></a><br /><br />Opened.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vfGmz-oeeKg/Tn_ajXR4ZXI/AAAAAAAAC5k/dMYRUJKkNmY/s1600/9-18-11-n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vfGmz-oeeKg/Tn_ajXR4ZXI/AAAAAAAAC5k/dMYRUJKkNmY/s400/9-18-11-n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656479958079923570" /></a><br /><br />The closing pages.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DtqbPCfKqmM/Tn_ajIiG7jI/AAAAAAAAC5c/H58BkbUiF1Q/s1600/9-18-11-o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DtqbPCfKqmM/Tn_ajIiG7jI/AAAAAAAAC5c/H58BkbUiF1Q/s400/9-18-11-o.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656479954121453106" /></a>fingerstothebonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09410312376236327398noreply@blogger.com10