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P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell

Creating my artwork, work in progress & new work.

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Posts about artwork submitted or appearing in an exhibition.

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Art Making, the Journey #4

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on October 2, 2019 by SSeptember 30, 2019

After a few years of working without showing my work beyond a small circle of artist friends, family and neighbors, I prepared to open my studio and show my art in the annual Port Townsend Studio Tour. This was exciting and a little bit unnerving; most of us want to be liked and want our work to be admired!

I spent nearly two months preparing for this two day weekend free tour. I organized and cleaned my studio, after almost eight years of use, and some months of neglect, it really needed a spring cleaning! I retrieved favorite work hung in my home, I mounted & framed more work, and I made my studio walls my gallery. I cleared and organized my work stations, shelves, and racks and set up some show of my process: the steps for making molds, the tools for carving stone, and “before and after” examples for digital transformations. I wanted to honor the true spirit of a “studio” tour. I created written descriptions of my processes, and I made copies of my short artist biography/statement, printed art cards and had lovely business cards to give away. I went all out, and it really was great! I loved the way my studio looked, I loved my work on display; I was so ready for the crowds! I even warned all my neighbors in my cul-de-sac, and arranged extra parking.

stenciled STUDIO signs
Signs for Studio Tour

Well, the crowds did not arrive. Promotion was poorly handled this year, the brochures printed very late, and there was very little advertising. When I realized this a few weeks before the event, I started a Studio Tour FaceBook page, paid for a bit of online advertising myself, and distributed a few brochures at the last minute. With some sixty artists listed on the tour, studio visitors could hardly visit them all, and I am guessing most visited less than a dozen.

But many friends arrived, and few had spent time in my studio or seen much of my work. And a steady trickle of strangers arrived throughout both days, so I was never alone for long. I really had a fine time, and my husband and friends helped me take breaks and feel totally relaxed. My friends and most visitors were enthusiastic and engaged with me once I introduced myself. Several visitors really entered into the event, asking questions and looking at everything. And wonder of wonders, I had more sales than I ever expected. Part of the surprise was what sold: a few “big” pieces, and some small things I made that I considered experimental studio decorations, rather than finished artwork! Mind you, I started out with very low expectations, and I set very low Port Townsend prices, further discounted for friends!

I am so very glad that I don’t need to profit from my art in order to eat or keep a roof over my head. My years as a computer geek paid off, and I am pretty comfortable in retirement. I don’t need to have a new car or take expensive vacations. But real art sales could provide a special trip, or more likely more and better art materials for larger art projects!

The real lesson learned from Port Townsend Studio Tour 2019 has been the sheer pleasure of sharing my work with interested visitors, whether friends or strangers. I think I want more of this than I have had for the past few years. But I don’t really know what that looks like, or how to get it.

I don’t think I can get the same satisfaction from an annual open studio. Many friends have now seen what amounts to a retrospective, covering years of making art. They will hardly have the same level of interest every year, and also it took me two months to prepare the show I put on this year.

I do have more artwork, and with considerable effort and some expense, I might be able to display a new and different exhibit next year. But I can not do that every year; I won’t have enough new work. And it would be a huge disruption and distraction from actually making new art! I don’t produce finished work quickly, I don’t have help, and I can’t pay for professional framing or mounting; I do all the presentation work myself.

So maybe Studio Tour might work for me every other year, or even every three years, and probably on a bit smaller scale. I might work up a live demonstration for some additional interest.

That may give me a few sales every other year, to help with the stockpiling of work, and it will help me stay on top of actually finishing work and clearing out the chaff! But I would still like to have a few more sales, I think.

And I do crave more engagement: it was really lovely to have that. I wonder how to get this without trying to be an extrovert, which is not going to happen!

To be continued … in Making Art, the Journey #5

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Posted in About my art, Exhibitions, My Art, Ramblings

Art Making, the Journey #3

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on October 1, 2019 by SOctober 2, 2019

Currently, as an artist, I struggle with my ambition, my sometimes inadequate knowledge and proficiency, and with increasing problems with my aging body. But these things are to be expected, to be coped with, and will be managed!

Setting these issues aside, I am still have immediate questions to resolve, questions I seem to need help with! I don’t where to start resolving my twofold dilemma:

  • What do I do with all my finished artwork?
  • And how can I best find sufficient rewarding interaction and affirmation around my artwork?

And preferably without hours, days and weeks away from actually making art!

There are many artists who do not have a gallery contract or regular venue to show or market their work, yet they persist in making art. Artist creators who do not have agents, or galleries, or much of an audience. Most visual artists create alone, and do almost all their work alone, without paid assistants, interns, or other helpers. Some of us must share a need to find homes for our work, or to engage with a broader audience.

When I thought my work was ready, I started entering local juried art shows. At first I was delighted to have work accepted. This let me feel successful communicating something in my art: I was evoking a response in others, not just for myself. Also I had hopes of sales: I wanted to at least pay for some art materials & frames. For some years, I entered a 2 or 3 juried shows each year, and was pleased to exhibit a few pieces. But nothing sold. After a bit, I developed a body of work and more self-confidence, so I made the effort to arrange my own shows at local businesses. It is common in town for restaurants, banks and a few professional offices to display the work of local artists on a rotating basis. Generally artists simply self-nominate, and are put on the schedule. I have been lucky enough to have help selecting and displaying my work in this way.

So I have exhibited some work in the past, and sold a few pieces at my own shows, or to friends at other times. I don’t remember ever selling work from a juried show. And yet artists pay fees to enter juried shows, and must meet gallery guidelines for presentation. The fee is usually a small one; a base price plus a bit more for each submission, but framing can be pricey, and the gallery will keep a significant percentage of any sales. After submitting, the artist must wait in some suspense, with the likelihood of rejection. We may submit 3-5 pieces to a particular show, but given the number of entries, we will be lucky to have 1 or 2 accepted. At an exhibit opening, there will a dozen or more artists present, each showing just a few works. Few attendees take time away from their personal friends and from refreshments to engage with unknown artists about their work.

As you may guess, I no longer find it appealing to enter juried shows. Even when work is accepted, the experience is not rewarding. Quite the opposite, in fact. So I have not entered a juried show in several years. Nor have I made the effort to create an exhibit of my work at any of the local business venues.

Port Townsend Studio Tour brochure

Instead, this year, I signed up for the local Studio Tour, an annual Port Townsend event promoted with a brochure and some advertising. Participating in Studio Tour has been an ambition since getting my current studio space in 2011. I am lucky enough to have an excellent, heated, comfortable studio, with enough wall space to actually showcase quite a lot of work, and August is a good time for me to show some outdoor work also. So I finally made the commitment to have my studio and my work on display.

When I show art in an exhibit, I may never hear from viewers, and if something sells, I may never meet or talk to the buyer. And it is difficult for me, as an introvert, to engage with strangers looking at my work. My artwork is always personal, and I, the maker, am vulnerable to criticism even when I am most proud of my achievements. And of course there will be people who do not like my work. I don’t really want to overhear critics who may not try to be tactful.

The occasional sale does communicate something; it tells me that I have reached someone. There has been some sharing, and there is a response, and presumably appreciation! This does help me enjoy making art. I may never know what my work evoked: a sense of mystery, a bit of beauty from a balance of colors and shape, a definable message, or perhaps a personal memory. But some shared response was evoked in the buyer.

Is that enough? It seems that I crave a bit more interaction.

To be continued … in Art Making, the Journey #4

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Posted in About my art, Exhibitions, My Art, Ramblings

After PT Studio Tour

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on August 19, 2019 by SAugust 19, 2019

Studio Tour was a fine weekend for me; I was proud of my work, proud of my (intensive!) preparation, and totally enjoyed meeting and engaging with visitors to my studio. I was never busy, so I had time to answer questions, share my enjoyment, and really have a nice time!

A few artworks now have new homes: four more significant sales, several prints, digitally patterned water bottles & tote bags, and a few trinkets. Selling with interested & engaged visitors is very pleasing, an affirmation of my weird vision perhaps… and the enthusiastic feedback was great, purchase or not. My prices barely cover materials most of the time, or there would be no sales at all, I think.

There were no negative experiences, though one was close … a bit odd!

I hope all artists on the Tour had as much fun. I put in a lot of work preparing my studio and yard; I essentially put on my own solo show, and most visitors recognized and enjoyed this. And I had wonderful help & support from my partner and friends!

I put out lots of signs, and cleared & prepared far more parking spaces than were needed. I never had more than three cars at a time. But my other efforts were rewarded by the enthusiastic comments I received, with most visitors really enjoying my Yard Art.

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Posted in About my art, Exhibitions

Busy Day

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on July 31, 2017 by SJuly 31, 2017

Just hung this piece (first showing) at a group show 1012 Coffee on Lawrence St in uptown Port Townsend, the work to the right is by Geralynn Rackowski, Kathy Panks, and Noa Piper:


Also made a trip out to Adelma Beach Road to buy a little stone suitable for carving!  60 lbs. of limestone and 50 lbs of alabaster! Now we have tools and stone; what more could we want?  A bit more expertise :-), but that will come with practice.  Stronger younger tendons & muscles would be nice too, but those are less likely to develop, I fear!

 

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Posted in Exhibitions, My Art, Ramblings

In Flotsam & Jetsam

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on March 1, 2017 by SMarch 1, 2017

The Work Described:

Item 1, primary, a 3-D piece:

Two modest older three dimensional gentlemen, both a bit chubby, stand together in conversation on a narrow platform.  They appear amused:  one is clearly pleased & smiling, perhaps having just shared a joke or told a humorous story.  The other listens, a bit bemused, but enjoying the moment.
The figures are realistic, but rustic & rough, with faded metallic surfaces.
They stand in front of a two dimensional galaxy of shooting stars, or perhaps it is a greenboard extensively marked up with complex curves & intersecting lines. The platform could be a station for some unspecified transportation system, or it could be a strip of beach.  It is dotted with odd dark elongate half dome “boulders” that on close inspection appear to be weather worn:  multi-colored, with shallow fissures, and lumps. The surface of the platform has a hard to see design: it takes a very close look to find the two figures stand on a row of dark strange faces…

Item 2, secondary, digital photography:

This photo of a mixed media sculpture, taken in late afternoon light that is almost orange in tone, casting long deep shadows. The light from the left illuminates and shines through scratched & broken sections of acrylic onto three concrete figures standing in a conversational group among an unusual assortment of objects. Is this odd scene a sculpture park?  Who are these people & why are they here?
The lighting is dramatic. While the left side of the photo is so bright as to be nearly white, the far right is the dark side:  sharp black shadows of the figures are thrown up against a dark background lit up to a deep orange and patterned with a spider’s web of shadow created by the “wall” of cracked scratched acrylic.

Item 3, tertiary, mixed media based on a lino cut print:

Two rather mysterious softly outlined figures, a man and a woman, stand together amid a whirl of leaves and rippled lines:  the air currents are as visible as the figures or the leaves which fly loose from the tree at left.  The figures are transparent, gentle, & ghostlike;  they stand barefoot on or in an area of soft brightness that is more cloud than ground. The colors are soft, the tones are dark greenish black, soft yellow to a peachy or coppery color.  The print shows the texture of the thick paper.

The Work Selection:

My selection of work for Flotsam & Jetsam was not based on extended consideration:  there was not very much time to choose once we decided to change our work for a March show.

And I was so pleased with my new metallic look resin figures that I wanted to show them off.

I liked the idea of sharing my newest figures with others.  And I liked the challenge of getting my new piece properly mounted & complete for the show (although the timing for completing the presentation along with my commitment to cook a RW Monday dinner was terrible!!!).

The other two pieces were selected to be compatible with my newest Conversation (number VI).


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Posted in About my art, Exhibitions

March at Elevated

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on February 28, 2017 by SFebruary 28, 2017

My own three pieces in this show are: Galactic Conversation, The Grandparents, & Conversation in the Shadows.


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Posted in Exhibitions, My Art, Sculpture

Mixed media & the Start of an Exorcism Series

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on February 28, 2015 by SJune 1, 2015

Rubens An Exorcism via the Drawing Board The finished work: after playing with some digital collages (prototypes for the design), I used my water soluble graphite stick & disk to paint in the dark ground and the tree & sky background.

I had scanned a some images in the Rubens’ book, and isolated the three figures I wanted to use from the black & white photos of his paintings.

I sized these for my work, printed them, then added these using matte medium to my graphite painting, making this mixed media collage. Then I went to work with watercolors to tint the figures. I have left the background only partially tinted: just a hint of color.

I am amused, at least for today, and that is satisfying! And now I have framed this piece as if still on the drawing board, with the title:  Rubens: An Exorcism via the Drawing Board. I have left in the paper clips, used acid free paper tape on the corners, etc. but all after carefully flattening out the paper, using framing spacers, etc.

Rodin Hand of God draft 2

The Rodin book with “Hand of God” drawing added (artistic license 🙂

 

Select the image to see the rest of the story….

The photo now added is the start of a new work based on another 1939 era art book by the same British publisher, George Allen & Unwin, LTD London. These books are hardbound with plain cloth covers, just the artist’s name in large letters across the very top, and the full name along the spine. They include some biographical material, but are largely made up of black & white photographs of work, with a few color plates. These belonged to my maternal grandfather, Robert Sivell.

Rubens an Exorcism via the Drawing Board framed pic 1

Framed

Rubens an Exorcism rejected

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Posted in About my art, Exhibitions, Hidden images, My Art, Ramblings

It has been a year, and !

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on July 5, 2014 by SJuly 9, 2014

The 1012 show 1It has been a year since my last art show at 1012 Coffee Bar, so it is that time again! I just hung the show, with much invaluable assistance from Michael, and while it may get a little re-arrangement, it is mostly there! I have one more piece I want to take up, but I am too tired to go back today!

Update:  I found two MORE pieces that I want to hang in this show… good grief!

Tommorrow I will think about scheduling a little reception for friends… but for now I am just relieved/pleased to have the work properly presented & on display. Some of it was ready to go weeks ago, but I was working on some pieces, and the work list, from my arrival home yesterday until I headed uptown at 10:00am today. I am tired!

Photos & samples online don’t do it justice, so head up to 1012 to see it for yourself!

The 1012 show 2
The 1012 show 3

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Posted in Exhibitions

Artist’s Statement for COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS at the TKLofts

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on July 1, 2014 by SJuly 2, 2014

The exhibit COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS involves some hard truths. Residents of the Tashiro Kaplan lofts are part of a wider urban community; they see and experience the consequences of poverty & pain in the street every day. The harsh reality of homelessness and drug addiction is far more visible in Pioneer Square than it is in my comfortable community, but violence and suffering are here too. How can members of this community experience the danger, feel the fear, see the pain, and remain open to the humanity in everyone? My work is about trying to make sense of this chaos in our world. I am learning to use light and translucency to extend the depth of my work. This may represent the light we need to shine into the shadows of our difficult interactions with other human beings.

Sandra StowellI make art to satisfy myself, and to share my experiences. Art is self expression: a visual journal of my experiences and emotions. At times I want to communicate the sense of mystery and delight I feel when I look around at natural and man made objects. At other times I may express the angst & pain I observe around me, or experience in my own life.

I am a mixed media artist with a particular interest in printmaking, drawing, and sculpture. I use pencil, water soluble graphite, charcoal, colored pencil, pastels, Conté crayon, ink, paint, along with found objects, silk threads, cheesecloth, beeswax, driftwood, and more. I save and use my own work as elements in both physical and digital collage; I use a computer, scanner and archival ink jet printer as artists tools to modify and create new images. I especially enjoy the layering and combining intrinsic to print making and collage. As I work, I draw upon a backlog of my own drawings and prints: I may incorporate or transform older work in new projects.

I don’t start with a detailed plan, rather I explore an idea & appreciate the element of surprise. At some point a plan “happens” and I find myself working toward a finished piece. I love to improvise (think Jazz). I try to balance a need for control, which requires technical skill and practice, with a sense of play and exploration. Despite an emphasis on play, I take my explorations seriously. I am not interested in following techniques and trends in the art world, however I love to see the work of other artists and to explore new techniques. It is a delight when I encounter a technique that will help me express my own visual “thoughts”.

My grandfather was a painter and I liked to draw as a child, but disliked art classes did less drawing. I abandoned a college art major for computer science. “Making things” still happened, but only as a weekend hobby until I moved to Port Townsend in 1998. Making art became important and satisfying daily work, and I have an art studio next door to my home. I surround it with assemblies of found objects and odd creations: my yard art.

I have benefited from regional art classes as well as painting and sculpture classes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I participate in a weekly art seminar that has fed the artist in me for many years. I am a member of Corvidae Press, a fine art printmaking guild, and participate in our annual print exchanges. For four years I have participated in the Brooklyn Art Library Sketchbook Project. I enter work in regional juried art shows, when the wind is right!

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Posted in Exhibitions, Ramblings

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS July 3rd – 21st, 2014 List of Artwork by artist Sandra Stowell

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on June 30, 2014 by SJuly 2, 2014

My work in this exhibition is not for sale. It is experimental, and most pieces are, I hope, prototypes for larger more durable work.

Shattered1. Four Watchers, 70”x72”. Fabric, photo transfers, & ink. This curtain screens but lets in the light, and it changes with the light. The center area represents the connections made & broken by power lines, phone lines, & building rooftops in the city. The rats go everywhere, and see everything although we only seem them some of the time.
2. The Fight I & The Fight II, each 20” x 24”. In each piece, an observer watches with angst the tension between a female & male figure. Someone will get hurt. These works are translucent, designed to hang in front of a window or other diffuse light.
3. The Ancestors, 16” x 20” plus frame. The watchers in this 2-D mixed media work are strong and tense, but they are not anxious as they watch the bones of a human figure returning to the earth.
4. Shattered, 6” x 6” x 18”. Plexiglass, inkjet prints, tape, LED lights. The two fighting figures are in Pioneer Square, represented by the iron & glass Victorian pergola which has been shattered and restored several times.
5. Community of Shadows, 18” x 22” x 26”. Lightbox, cardboard, plywood, spraypaint, vellum, inkjet prints, markers. Translucent abstract and representation 3-sided figures populate a lit stage. This piece is both dark and light, and it is not clear why these figures gather here or how they relate to each other.

In Pioneer Square02 In Pioneer Square03 Community Stage The Watchers, variations
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Posted in Exhibitions, Hidden images

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