Printmaking Exchange with the Art House Co-Op in Brooklyn, New York

I love going to Atelier 6000 and doing some printmaking. The vibe Pat has nurtured is creative, supportive and a lot of fun. One of the projects we artists came up with was to contribute prints to the Art House Coop print exchange in Brooklyn, New York (that's one way to exhibit in New York!!)

Going to their website, we got the rules on size and theme and let loose with images. About a dozen artists from A-6 got into the project and submitted art. Here's what the Art House is doing:

The exhibition for the Prints will be held on July 16th from 7-10pm. Sometime before that date you will receive 15 prints from other arts all over the world! Your 15 prints will be distributed to 15 other artists that also participated.

Sounds interesting. It's sort of a instant karma art experience. I love the randomness of what to expect.  I used this opportunity to learn etching and sent in 17 prints of my first etching. It's a version of my drawing, Love Always / Siempre Amor.  I printed the etching on Rives BFK cotton rag paper and finished the image with powdered pigments and charcoal.

I based this image of two skeletons embracing on the image of two friends I saw embracing on the beach. Their image was so tender it struck my heart and I've been drawing and painting versions of this for the past year. Though  this printmaking image lives in the Latino art culture of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) art, I think of it as a year 'round image.

And now -- what will I get back????

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Figure Drawing Exhibit at Atelier 6000

Many artists consider figure drawing (or life drawing) to be a crucial foundation skill for artists. Though you don't have to be able to figure draw to be an artist, drawing the figure from life (not photos) does engage your eye and heart in a different way than any other type of artwork.

From an early age, figures and faces were what first brought me to art. Though I've not made a career of drawing the figure (yet), I have regularly drawn from life for over two decades. Dipping into and out of the art of figure drawing over the years is like revisiting favorite classical music pieces. As I've changed with age and experience, my appreciation and enjoyment of figure drawing as deepened.

I put a few conte and charcoal figure sketches I've done over the years in this month's exhibit at Atelier 6000 in Bend, Oregon, June 2010. Be sure to check out the show of drawings. It is probably the most figure drawings to be exhibited in Bend, Oregon in a long time.  Dawn Emerson curated the exhibit. Thanks so  much Dawn!

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Douglas Jewelry and the Sara Fisher Breast Cancer Fundraising Event

Art and special causes often go together. Artists often donate a piece of art or the portion of a sale of a piece to worthy community causes. Bend, Oregon is a community of generous people and recently the Tower Theater was the venue for the Sara's Project, a fundraiser for breast cancer. Participating in this event were several jewelry stores in town, including Douglas Jewelry.

Steve and Elyse Douglas are true jewelry artists steeped in both the artistry and science of contemporary jewelry making. They make custom made jewelry from start to finish. 95% of their merchandise is produced by them (and their staff). Nothing leaves their shop for other jewelry artisans to complete. Elyse is also a certified gemologist.

This year's fundraiser was themed on the movie Sex and the City. Elyse asked a few of her fans and friends to model some of her finer pieces for the event. So... as one of her fans and a friend I also became a model. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to break out of my comfort zone and wear this gorgeous necklace while mingling with the crowd.

Thanks to everyone who was part of this wonderful event.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

New Monoprints - Bare Bones and Feet

Working at Atelier 6000 for the past half of a year has been such a wonderful experience. Learning the variety of printing processes (and there is much more to learn) has enabled me to blend drawing and painting in a way I've never been able to achieve with drawing or painting alone.

The techniques of mono-printing that I used to create these images involve painting with my hands on glass plates and drawing into the surface with my fingers, sticks, and more. The process is very sensual and enables me to feel as though I'm building each image with my hands from the stuff of my dreams.  For me this is a very mystical and satisfying way to create art images.

I prefer studio time in the morning when the visions from my dreams and subconscious are most accessible.  Here are two images I've recently finished.

Broken Pairing - Geese Feet Study 14:  Rives BFK paper 9" x  20".
A close friend of mine is a hunter and owner of Women's Hunting Journal.  Not only is she a responsible hunter and steward of the land, she's one of the few people I know who knows exactly where most of her meat has come from and she doesn't shy from her part in the life cycle of animals that humans harvest for meat.  She gave me some of these feet after a successful hunt. 

Ancestral Claim - Vertebrae Study #36, Rives BFK paper 16" x 16"
I am regularly in the forest and desert of the High Plateau around my home in Bend, Oregon. For many years I've picked up bones (I lived on a old homestead ranch for most of my first decade in Oregon). I especially love how the vertebrae echos some of the shapes of the DNA helix. I've worked with bones in my imagery since I first became an artist in the 1980's.

www.CristinaAcosta.com