Best Laid Plans - Elements UPDATE

FINISHED!

To say this theme, for me, was the most difficult, thought provoking, and time consuming is an understatement. I thrashed about struggling with how to best represent the concept of Elements for several months.

I considered a number of paths, all of which lead me to unsatisfactory conclusions. In the end, I decided to tackle the idea in an abstract manner, which also allowed me to incorporate my exploration of patterning. I am pleased with the final result and proud to have been a part of this challenge.

Art and images copyright 2009 Tracie Lyn Huskamp - all rights reserve

Best Laid Plans - Elements

This blank canvas represents the current condition of my final artwork due in this year long art challenge.

Since today is the deadline for posting any outstanding pieces to the blog, I thought I would share a glimpse of my... um... work-in-progress.

After revealing my Heavens artwork, I had a full week to complete my interpretation of Elements, and fully intended to have the painting ready by today, however, life quickly stepped-in with other ideas.

I still plan to finish the work, and hope I can update this post with happy news, very soon.

Every Matter Under Heaven

"For everything there is a season...
And a time for every matter under heaven.
He hath made everything beautiful in his time,
from the beginning to end."

This posting is a bit out of order as I still need to complete my artwork for the Elements theme. But since this is something I am still struggling to find inspiration for, I decided to turn my attention to the final theme in our year long challenge.

This final theme, the Heavens, mean so many things to me... but the idea that kept reoccurring in my mind was the concept of time, and how there is never enough when you seem to need it and yet in some instances the hours, minutes, seconds drag by. However, among the Heavens does time exist? Is there really a beginning and an end?

My family owned a grandfather clock when I was growing up. Although our clock never had the elaborate details like some I have seen, I was always fascinated by it's rhythmic tick-tock, the deep chimes ringing every hour. This precise measure of "forever" somehow made me feel safe and comforted with it's sounds. Most of the grandfather clocks that have captured my attention over the years have been equipped with a rotating scene that was shown through a small odd shaped window usually located above the clock face. Various pictures of a moon and stars, a sun, and ships sailing the ocean blue were enchanting to watch pass, just like a fairy tale.

So June's artwork is a combination of many thoughts, and ideas. The sun, moon, and stars represent the sky, and there are no hands on this particular clock face I have created to symbolize no beginnings, or endings, no hours, minutes, or seconds.... there is just life and the living of it.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp- all rights reserved.

A Quilt of Seasons

These last three Nature Gathered themes have really had me on the ropes.... pondering and pondering, with more pondering on how to best represent my artistic message.

Looking for a unique view on the Seasons concept, and searching for a way to incorporate patterning brought about thoughts of my favorite time of the year, Fall. Snuggling under a well loved, well worn quilt to keep the chill in the air from enveloping me was the inspiration for this background. Initially, I had planned to incorporate a nature element into all twelve quilt blocks, but quickly abandon this thought, deciding to go with two larger, distinct, nature elements that would hint at contrasting differences in flora and fauna within the year.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp- all rights reserved.

A Landscape: Beyond the Confines of Yesterday

Influenced by landscape artists, like Wolf Kahn and Lilias Trotter, this month's theme forced me to move beyond the confines of comfort and familiarity.

By letting go, I relied on my inner artist, trusting that voice deep inside to help me find the landscape I have dreamt of painting... I have dreamt of sharing... the beautiful Plains of my life.

Patterning holds a subtle place in this work with many rough textures incorporated throughout, representing the feel of the land.

Art and images copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Gifts of the Sea

I have always enjoyed the act of reading...
curling up in a cozy chair or on the bed,
snuggling beneath a blanket with a good
book in hand, finding myself lost among
the pages, transported to another time or
place through the carefully woven words
of a story.

So you can see how easy it might be,
that a familiar manuscript began as the
foundation for my February Nature
Gathered artwork. A classic piece of
literature filled with wisdom that is still
as meaningful, maybe even more so today,
as it was the very first time I opened the cover.

Gifts from the Sea was merely a passing fancy
or impulse purchase, something that I
had bought off of the discount shelves
of a local bookstore over ten years ago.
I don't know what I really expected from
Mrs. Lindbergh's prose, but I definitely
got more than I bargained for. What the
thin paperback was lacking in girth, it
made up for in content.

I have never been much of one to read and
re-read the same tale twice. And honestly,
I had absolutely no intentions of re-reading
this book when I decided to pull it down from
the shelf, at the end of January. I was just
hoping to maybe, find a passage or two that
might spark in me, a starting point from which
to base this latest piece of art.

But it only took a few sentences to find myself
mesmerized once again by the thoughtful
observations emanating from its pages.

All of a sudden, I had not only re-read the entire
book but I had actually read it twice. It was
inspiration magnified.

Carefully I stitched quotes from the book onto the
canvas, to represent the ocean waves washing
their wisdom upon the sandy shores of my being.



Art and images copyright 2009 Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Life and Death, A Cabinet of Curiosity

Instead of translating January's theme in a literal way, I decided to tackle the matter metaphorically. I thought it might be interesting to choose a concept that we, as human beings, find very curious. A topic containing a well spring of unanswered questions.

As I sifted and sorted through different possibilities, the idea of life and death was something that kept presenting itself, over and over again. And although there is plenty of medical information regarding both of these occurrences, they are still, in many ways, quite a mystery.

The idea of pattern or patterning is very subtle in this piece. Life and death is actually repeated several times throughout the art in both images and words.

This particular work even inspired a bit of poetic prose which I used for a separate collaborative or challenge, a Winter Poetry Postcard Exchange, that I am participating in.

"How do we bridge the gap,
these minutes between life and death,
beginning and ending.

The expanse of our days carefully ordered,
writhing in the beautiful ecstasy of fate and indecision
for tis not the start and stop of it that truly matters,
but each occurring middle moment to become
the absolute curiosity of all things belonging
to heaven and earth"


Art and images copywrite 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Amphibian

I have to admit, that December's challenge was just that... A CHALLENGE. I struggled quite a bit with the subject matter, and how to best represent either amphibian or reptile.

I am pleased with the results of my labor, as this piece took me much longer to complete. I also wanted to continue with the exploration of pattern, which is represented in this piece by the marsh foliage, shown in the upper portion of the work, trailing off into what is the watery depths surrounding the lily pad.

Art and images copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Ornament from Bee

This sweet little character arrived at my doorstep on Christmas Eve day. He made the perfect addition to the tree. Many thanks to Bee for such a whimsical ornament.

Happy Holidays to all!

Fauna:Fawn

By definition Fauna means : animal life ; especially : the animals characteristic of a region, period, or special environment.

Although, I had the choice of incorporating any sort of animal into this piece, I could not stop thinking about how closely the word Fauna sounded to the word Fawn.

After pondering this thought for well over a week, I decided to yield to my whim and select a Fawn as the main subject.

In keeping with my continued exploration of pattern and patterning, the contours of the grass are loosely repeated in the sky, creating a very starry night.


Update 12/11: After posting the completed work, I continued to feel as if it was missing something. Since Tuesday, I have been on the hunt for just the right finishing touch. I discovered that perfect piece today while rummaging through a jar of various buckles.

At the bottom of the jar, there was a mother-of-pearl buckle simply begging to be used. Although oversized for the artwork, it makes the perfect half-moon and a nice balance to the fawn.

So, here is the completed work with a slight revision.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Field Notes - A Kansas Autumn

Don't let the date inscribed at the top of the artwork deceive you. This piece was indeed created to meet the Field Notes challenge. Last month was very busy for me, with a 13 day trip away from home tucked into the last two weeks of October.

I had actually started on this challenge back in September, but abandoned my first attempt after I became quite dissatisfied with the direction the art was going. Now midway through October, I was faced with beginning again, which made me both disheartened and anxious.

However, my absence from home gave me time to let ideas simmer on the back burner of my thoughts. So when I returned, I had a clear vision for my second try and was eager to start again.

Inspiration for this artwork comes from a 1967 Reader's Digest Illustrations that was reminiscent of a Kansas Fall... I truly longed to capture the essence of my favorite season of the year.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Nature Gathering

On Friday, October 3rd, seven members from the Nature Gathered Art Challenge shared a few brief moments face to face. It was an INCREDIBLE experience!

What started out as a somewhat daunting task to come together for such an early morning meeting, turned out to be a wonderful occasion, and a fond memory.

Jan and I appreciate those members that were able to make it, and truly missed those individuals that could not attend.

We want the entire group to please keep in mind that we will be having our art show at the 6th Street Gallery in August of 2009. There will be an artist reception, and it would be SUPER if we could all be together!

Below are a few photos that were taken while we enjoyed coffee, and each other's friendship.

life is good when the task worth while

A million choices, or so it seems every time I work on a new theme. As I start to narrow down the number of ideas, other thoughts constantly flood my mind concerning each possibility I am carefully weighing.

It is definitely problem solving at its best, taking abstract and/or random thoughts and making something of them, making them tangible. It took forever for me to decide what I was going to do. I felt like I mulled this month's artwork over and over again before I finally settled on a direction.

Sunflowers were not my first choice. I arrived at this floral through a process of elimination from my choice of pattern. And to be honest, this particular pattern was also not my first choice.

My research for this piece began by looking through the pages of a large oversized book on the Quilt's of Gees Bend. If you have never seen these works of art I urge you to RUSH down to your local library or nearest bookstore and check them out. The quilts shown are beyond breathtaking! Even if you have no interest in fibers or fiber art, you can not help but be amazed by their patterns and color combinations. I always feel inspired by looking at them.

I started with full intentions of mimicking a Gee's Bend Quilt pattern, but fate stepped in and led me down another path. Several days before I began working on the piece, I happened to receive a retail catalog in the post. This particular catalog had a patterned pillow that I could not stop thinking about. From that moment, I knew I needed to follow my instincts and go with my own version of the pillow pattern. So, no matter how much I plan there are ALWAYS surprises along the way, where I change my mind or a opportunity presents itself, which I kind of like!

Using such a tall, leafy, repeat pattern also provided that perfect opportunity to incorporate the sunflowers as a believable flower that might appear on such gangly stalks. Again, I try to take the viewer through thoughts of what is real and what is pattern by blurring the line between the two halves.


Art and image copyrighted by Tracie Lyn Huskamp 2008

Dearest

I have always been enamored with butterflies. When the entomology theme was introduced, it was an easy choice for the subject.

The work is painted on fabric using acrylic washes, along with stitching, beading, and additional washes applied of an iridescent paint and liquid gold leafing. There is only a small bit of collage incorporated into the piece.

The exploration of pattern continues with a play on the idea of a garden through the interpretation of an antique Victorian floral wallpaper design.

Again, I pose the question to the viewer of whether the butterfly is real or part of the wallpaper. He casts a patterned shadow of stars to aid in this transition from tabletop to wall.

An additional note, the butterfly is actually 3 dimensional. Although difficult to see in the posted image, the body is sewn to the background allowing the wings to lift just like in real life.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Tracie Huskamp

day by day, The virtue and Strife for a goal

It is hard for me to believe that July is already half over. My first Nature Gathered artwork is complete.

Now you would think this theme would have been an easy subject since I am constantly showing birds on my blog, and selling works in my little shop, as well as teaching Nature related workshops. But in reality, I have been ponder on this piece for over five weeks.

Why so difficult, you may ask?

Well...the word challenge according to Webster's Dictionary means,"to arouse or stimulate especially by presenting with difficulties".

This is the first piece in a body of work I will be presenting. It represents a part of Nature I hold dear. I also want to take full advantage of this opportunity to grow and stretch my art in new directions.

So where to begin?

I knew I wanted the piece to be saturated with rich colors. However, beyond that, I did not know where to go next.

After careful thought and consideration, I chose to dedicate the majority of the background to a study in pattern design or patterning. This is an area that had always fascinated me when I was working as a mass market retail product designer.

Although I consider myself a representational painter and have no intentions of abandoning this part of my style, I am increasingly finding myself drawn to more abstract elements. Bits of abstraction are also something I would like to incorporate into my future works.

As I was furiously creating, new ideas were flooding my thoughts. I have now found myself snipping inspiration from catalogs, magazine, here and there, tucking them away to use later.





Without further adieu, I proudly share my art with you.


The entire artwork was rendered on fabric with the exception of stitching and small paper elements. I spent a great deal of time mapping out the logistics of the background, painting and repainting, with wash after wash of diluted acrylics to achieve just the right look and depth.

I made only a few changes to the piece once I started. I suppose it could be considered part of the evolution of the work. One of the biggest was going from the use of three chickadees, down to one chickadee, then abandoning this bird type for the bluejay you see.

I also added a pattern to the bird to help him transition the two distinct areas of the painting, the grid patterning and the sky, making the viewer wonder if the bluejay is real, abstract, or both.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Tracie Huskamp

Communing with Nature, with Friends

The times we spend communing with Nature are Enchanted moments that are indeed precious.

My hope is during this endeavor we are enriched with experiences, growing stronger, and closer not only from our observations of this vast world, but also from our friendships.

How could I be anything, but quite honored to be part of such happenings.


"We have an interval and then our place knows us no more...
Our one chance lies in expanding that interval,
in getting as many pulsation as possible into the given time.

For art comes to you proposing frankly to give nothing
but the highest quality to your moments as they pass,
and simply for those moments' sake."

- Walter Pater

FOR SALE: Tracie Huskamp's Art

* To Purchase Please Contact - Tracie Lyn Huskamp at TheRedDoorStudio@yahoo.com

* Accepting - Paypal and Personal Checks. Please make checks out to The Red Door Studio. Shipment held for 10 days while Personal Check clears the bank.

* Artworks are shipped USPS Priority with Deliver Confirmation and Insurance. Shipping is included in the price of the artwork.



1. Title: Dearest, Nature Gathered August - $200.00

Specifications: artwork size - 8" x 8" : matte size - 1": matte color - white : frame size -12"x 12" : frame color - black


2. Title: Fawn:Fauna, Nature Gathered November - $200.00

Specifications: artwork size - 8" x 8" : matte size - 1": matte color - white : frame size -12"x 12" : frame color - black


3. Title: Amphibian, Nature Gathered December - $200.00

Specifications: artwork size - 8" x 8" : matte size - 1": matte color - white : frame size -12"x 12" : frame color - black


4. Title: Gifts of the Sea, Nature Gathered February - $200.00

Specifications: artwork size - 8" x 8" : matte size - 1": matte color - white : frame size -12"x 12" : frame color - black


5. Title: Elements, Nature Gathered May - $200.00

Specifications: artwork size - 8" x 8" : matte size - 1": matte color - white : frame size -12"x 12" : frame color - black