THE BOG KEEPER AND HER DAUGHTER

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This is the second post about work I had in the October show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts titled GRIM(M). You can read the previous post to learn more about the show.

This piece, THE BOG KEEPER AND HER DAUGHTER, is a favorite of mine. I am very fond of vintage photographs and am always looking for clean ... crisp ... copyright free images that I can use in my art. I was so excited to find the photographs of Costica Acsinte who had a photography studio in the early 1900's in Slobozia. His images are hauntingly beautiful ... and high contrast. Some look as though the chemicals weren't mixed exactly right because the borders of the photos are deteriorating away ... on others, the whole face is evaporating. I am so grateful that someone felt it was necessary to save these images in a digital form.


This is the original image I used for THE BOG KEEPER AND HER DAUGHTER. I think both of these women are exceedingly beautiful and if they were alive today, I hope they would approve of how I used them in my art.


This is a photo of butterburs that grow just beyond my french doors. These butterburs, one of my favorite plants, were the perfect background to blend in with the 2 women. I also blended in some photos of horsetail rushes that I photographed in our local ditches. Between the butterburs and the horsetails, I felt like the feeling of 'bog' was complete.


My whole idea around this piece was that the elderly, wise bog woman was passing on her knowledge to her daughter. Some of that knowledge was held in small amulets and talismans that hung freely from a copper rod attached to the bottom of the cradleboard.








These amulets and talismans were fun to make ... I found a snake skin in my woodpile ... the broken tip of an old fishing rod ... a vertebrae ... lichen in a small bottle ... a bell ... some beads ... etc.

I used the same technique as I did in my last post, tiling archival printed thin gampi paper using pva glue and then coating the whole piece with a cold wax to seal it.

Overall THE BOG KEEPER AND HER DAUGHTER measures 18" x 22" x 1.5.

MAKING PEACE WITH THE BONE TREE

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In October I was asked to be part of a group show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts titled GRIM(M). They were looking for either dark and haunting imagery or work that had something to do with the darker side of the Grimm Brother's fairy tales. I accepted the invitation right away but wondered for weeks what on earth I was going to make for this exhibition. I wouldn't describe my body of work as being dark ... or grim ... contemplative, maybe. I also thought about who would want to live with very haunting imagery on their walls on a daily basis. I continued to think about the theme and chewed on it most waking hours ... and sometimes in my dreams. Then some kind of transition happened in me ... I began to notice shadows and all the subtleties found in that darkness ... and the suggestion of stories that are not immediately obvious.

While I have worked primarily with photo etched metals the last several years, I wanted to try something different for this show. I enjoy photography and manipulating images in photoshop and thought that might be the springboard for me this time around. I asked Lindsay Masters, the director of Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, if I could photograph her with the intention of making her image be part of the Grim(m) show. Once she bravely said yes, I knew I was beginning a journey, not only into the darker side of things, but also a journey of new materials and new techniques.




Using Lindsay's image, I created MAKING PEACE WITH THE BONE TREE which measures 21.5" x 20" x 1.5". After days of messing around with photoshop, I blended Lindsay's image with some bare trees that I photographed at Rialto Beach on the Washington coast several years ago. I love the depth and shadows in this piece ... and the single visible eye looking to the side ... and the white bone-like structure of the central tree.


Once I was happy with the photoshop version, I printed the image using pigmented archival inks on thin Japanese gampi paper. I really wanted to achieve a tiled look so each image was printed on small squares of the gampi allowing for about a 1/4" overlap. I love how the overlaps are a bit darker and make the tiling more obvious. It was tricky glueing down each piece of very thin paper with pva archival glue and getting everything to line up as perfectly as possible ... a little bit like wrestling jellyfish.


It was so fun trying this new, to me, technique but I did want a little bit of my old voice, etched metal, to also be present. I etched a small brass door and hinged it in the lower right corner. I love doors in art and the slow reveal they contribute.


Inside the door is a small amulet and the words, " ... lay your burdens down ... lay your burdens down ...".


For the 'icing on the cake', I hammered some bent and rusty nails into the top of the cradleboard and with drippy paint, highlighted the tops of the nails. They sort of reiterate the white bone-like fingers of the bone tree.

This is my artists statement for the show ...
I hesitated, at first, when I was asked to be part of this show ... GRIM(M). My past body of work could not easily be described as dark ... but ... the more I got into it, the more I investigated the subtleties in the shadows ... the weaving of modern photography with vintage images ... a blending of science and the occult ... well ... then the story emerged ... the narrative ... the common denominator of all my work. Stay tuned ... but I think I will be leaning toward the dark side for a while now. A friend wrote to me saying, “These images make me go to some forgotten place in the hard to reach caverns of my subconscious, where Neptune rules, where time is warp and light is weft, and what is left is a kind of woven memory of myself, faded by dreams, or like reflections in the lake of clouds on an unclear day.” A big ‘thank you’ to my friend, Zo, for these words ... I couldn’t have said it better myself. -Shane Miller

ROWBOTS

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ROWBOTS ... no ... that's not a mispelling. My ROWBOTS are all about water ... and boats ... and oars ... etc.

The ROWBOT ROWING CLUB is looking for new members. Stanley and Otis are recruiting robots of all sizes, strengths and gear ratios. While we strive for an autonomous environment, occasionally human intervention is necessary for adjusting vertical stroke and gear ratios. Each new member will receive an overall inspection, joint lubrication with a water displacement formula, and a t-shirt. Come join the growing community of ROWBOTS.
For more info contact zeb@rowbotswithknees.org

As I worked on these guys, I fell deep into the world of robots ... and in the spirit of research, I finally had to start my own collection of smallish reproduction robots. I am totally enamored with their shapes and colors and with the shadow that is cast on the wall by using a small flashlight at night while I sit on my couch ... totally enchanting. I even found myself making up stories about how they had to organize a bake sale to earn money for going to Nationals ... I think there could be a children's book in there somewhere.

I made these ROWBOATS for a show at BAINBRIDGE ARTS AND CRAFTS titled, TOYING AROUND. This exhibition will be open from Feb. 5th through Feb. 28th and features the following artists: Morgan Brig, Lynn Brunelle, Megan Drew, Garth Edwards, Jeannie Grisham, Solia Hermes, Sandi Hurd, Linda Jarvis, Don MacLane, Mary McInnis, Shane Miller, Carl Morgan, Gregg Onewein, Loran Scruggs, Raquel Stanek, and Kamilla White.


Stanley is photo etched nickel and stands approx. 11" tall and is 4.5" from shoulder to shoulder. His arms and legs are made from a zigzag metal folding ruler. It was important to me that the robots should be able to sit ... so they needed knees ... and to be articulated in a way that would make rowing possible ... or even getting into a boat possible. That was achieved by using threaded rod and washers and acorn type nuts. There were many trips to the hardware store ... on one particular day, I remember going 5 times ... whew!


Stanley's backside.


Stanley from the side.


Otis is photo etched copper and stands about 9.5 inches tall. Since this photo was taken, Otis now has a spiral copper wire as a finial head dress ... making him even more robot looking. His arms and legs are articulated using, again, a zigzag ruler ... this one is made of wood.


A close-up of Otis from the front.


The backside of Otis.


Otis from the side.


Here is an image taken at the gallery with Otis wearing his new head topper.


... and last but not least is an image of the ROWBOTS sent through a special filter ...could this be the beginning of the illustrated ROWBOT children's book ... stay tuned.

the 'OLOGIST' series

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Long before I made my living as an artist, I was caught up in the world of biology. In college, along with familiar course names like chemistry, physics and english, I attended classes in dendrology, ornithology and ichthyology. While I floundered a little with chemistry and physics, I excelled in all my 'ology' courses ... eventually getting a degree as a Fisheries Biologist. The 'ology' language just made sense to me. So here I am, over 40 years later, and I am still thinking of 'ology' ... in an art context.

The ‘OLOGIST’ SERIES is comprised of photo etched metal hands that hold various species for study. For example, a Dendrologist studies trees and wooded plants…a Cetologist studies whales, dolphins and porpoise…and a Conchologist studies mollusk shells. My two sculptures represent ORNITHOLOGY ... the study of birds, and ICHTHYOLOGY ... the study of fish. While the hand represents the environment of each species, the red cord is a symbol of man’s interference with nature. As hard as we try, even in the name of science and scientific study, we have a tendency to create a tangle even as we search for balance.



The hands are photo etched copper and the bird and fish are photo etched brass. The ORNITHOLOGIST measures 10" x 9" x .5" and the ICHTHYOLOGIST measures 10" x 9.5" x .5"... the tangle is red waxed cotton cord.

THE ORNITHOLOGIST and THE ICHTHYOLOGIST are both showing at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts ON Bainbridge Island in Washington state through the month of December in a show titled RED.

In the coming year I hope to make more hands for the 'OLOGIST' SERIES. There are so many more that I am drawn to ...
the ophiologist ...the acridologist ...the dinosaurologist ...the neossologist ...to name a few. Stay tuned.

KEEPER BOXES

NOCTURNAL MOTHS
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I hinted in the previous post about what I was going to make from a beautiful 3' x 8' sheet of copper. Well, here's the answer....KEEPER BOXES. These boxes are solid copper and made using a shear...a notch cutter...and a metal brake. The images on the lids are photo etched using a salt water technique. KEEPER BOXES come in two sizes...(rectangular) 4.5" x 6.5" x 1.25" and (square) 4.5" x 4.5" x 1.75". There is a pad of velvet in the bottom of each box...to keep your things from rattling around too much.

I just delivered the boxes shown in this post to Bainbridge Arts and Crafts yesterday. The opening for the BOX SHOW is tomorrow night, September 4th. This exhibit, along with paintings by Sharon Carr and Susan Walker and photographs by several local photographers that share their perspectives on iconic Bainbridge landmarks, can be viewed through September 28th.


BEETLES

KEEPER BOXES
A place to keep the found button … a hummingbird feather … the note your mom left in your lunch sack when you
were seven … your rings and jewelry things … your father’s pocket knife … a photo of your childhood dog …
a letter of love … a found piece of blue sea glass along with a limpet shell … a toy plastic green soldier that
was dug up in the garden … an orange marble … an acorn from your grandparent’s property … your wish list …
a moon rock (or what you think might be a moon rock) … a dried poppy pod … a lost first tooth … a coin
from Australia … a Pez dispenser … a vial of gold flecks suspended in water … the key to the front door
of your first home … a tiny bird skull … a bead from Africa … and anything else your heart desires.


POPPIES IN MOONLIGHT


DRINK THE WILD AIR


HERON


OCTOPUS


TIME KEEPER

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS airbnb

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HEAD IN THE CLOUDS airbnb is my third piece showing at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts through August as part of the ROAD TRIP show. This was a fun piece to make...a healthy stretch of my imagination. This mixed media sculpture measures 12" x 15.5" x 1.5". The image is a compilation of 3 photographs that have been seriously photoshopped and messed with until I could come up with something that resembled a hybrid between photography and an illustration. The final result is ink jet printed using archival pigment inks and finished with a cold wax treatment. The edges are photo etched brass depicting the 4 directions...NORTH...SOUTH...EAST...WEST. Three small articulated inspection mirrors are mounted to the top of the cradle board.


This is the ad that is printed and included with the piece in a library envelope pasted to the back.

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
airbnb

Disconnect for a while and come stay in this unique
and charming airbnb...where the air is clear and
the stars are unobstructed. We are currently
taking reservations.

This floating trailer has one bedroom that can
accommodate two and a small but cozy kitchen.
Pets are allowed but only those with wings are
recommended. The view varies but is always lovely.
Power is provided by the sun and GPS is available.
CHECK IN is at 1pm. CHECK OUT IS AT 11 AM BYOP
(bring your own parachute).
SIGNAL MIRRORS ARE AVAILABLE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

REVIEWS:
A great night sky...felt like I was with the stars. -Jane

Watch that first step...it's a doozy!!! -Eugene

Best sleep ever...I dreamed I was floating. -Zo

Be sure to bring your binoculars and sunscreen. -Tim

A view to die for!!! -Amelia

My friend and I stayed at HEAD IN THE CLOUDS airbnb during
a lunar eclipse. The experience is on my list of most
memorable times ever. -Liz

My cockatiel, Betty, and I had a wonderful time...thank
you. -Ruby

A CHANGE OF PLANS

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A CHANGE OF PLANS is the second piece of art I am exhibiting at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts during the month of August for the ROAD TRIP show. This piece measures 12" x 14" x 1.5". Photo etched copper wraps the sides and the surface is finished with a cold wax treatment. A nicely worn piece of driftwood crowns the cradleboard, acting as a finial. The image is a compilation of several photos. I like to mess around in photoshop sending various photos through filters, etc., until I come up with an image that is somewhere between a photograph and an illustration.





In July of last year I traveled to Vermont to meet up with my sisters on Lake Champlain. My youngest sister, Lisa, and her partner, Greg, have a wonderful lake house right on the water complete with an osprey nest. Putting up a platform for the ospreys to build on was one of the first things Lisa and Greg did once they owned the property. They were rewarded almost immediately when a pair of osprey started bringing sticks to the platform and constructing their nest. That osprey nest is the center of attention of the property. With a spotting scope you can watch all the intimate details of osprey life...the day in and day out of sitting on eggs...ripping pieces of fish to feed the chicks...a little R&R for mom to just get to stretch her wings...and eventually watching the young ospreys practice flying by flapping their wings and lifting off the nest just a few inches. For the days we got to spend at the lake, we were enthralled by the ospreys. We were also enthralled by a small red-winged blackbird that just liked to hang out near the nest. Every morning we could hardly wait to look through the spotting scope to see if the red-winged blackbird was still there...and every morning, it was. We began calling this little bird, the mascot. Lisa emailed us this spring to say that the ospreys were back...and yes...the mascot was back, too. I just love that.

THE MASCOT

Perched on a branch that extended beyond the circle
of the nest, the red-winged black bird stayed ever so
close to the osprey pair, earning the nickname, the
mascot. On many occasions the mascot would fly out
to meet the male osprey as he returned to the nest, a
fish tight in his talons.

Like a vigilant shadow, the dot-of-a-bird would watch,
the feeding of the chicks...the change in the weather...
the stars as they disappeared into morning. Through
the whole summer, in what could only be called
adoration, the little mascot seemed content to only
watch and wait, a mysterious witness.

A year has gone by and the ospreys have returned.
As they shore up their nest, a small blackish bird can
be seen perched on one of the branches...it looks a
lot like a red-winged blackbird. Yes...yes...the mascot
is back...and we watch and wait in what can only be
called adoration.


This is the osprey platform and nest on Lisa and Greg's property. If you look closely you can see the red-winged blackbird sitting to the right of the nest.


This is my little sister, Lisa. We sometimes call her, bird. It must be because of those skinny legs.


My sister, Mary, on the left and me, Shane, on the right.


Another favorite thing to do at the lake was to wait until dark and take flashlights down near the water and touch huge frogs that were mesmerized by the light....so fun.


Several pieces of steel sculpture are dotted around on the property. This is my favorite, a large rusted steel arrow that has become the symbol of Lisa and Greg's property.

THE COAST BY NOON

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Friday evening, August 7th, is the opening of a new group show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts titled ROAD TRIP. I am so excited to be part of this show....the theme is right up my alley. No one likes a road trip more than I do and if you throw a vintage trailer into the mix...well...let's just say I am over the moon. One day I hope to have a sweet little vintage camping trailer of my very own...maybe I need two...one for the road and one to plant on my property as an airbnb.


THE COAST BY NOON is one of three pieces I have made especially for this show. It measures 10" x 10" x 1.5 inches. The image is one of my photos sent through a few filters and photoshopped to look like the result of a marriage between photography and illustration...a look I am quite drawn to. The image is printed with archival pigment inks and is then attached to a cradleboard...messed with a little...and finally sealed with varnish and cold wax. The sides are photo etched nickel and depict symbols that we have all learned to associate with campgrounds. A sweet little piece of driftwood from a favorite local beach acts as a finial.





The model for this piece is my very own vintage toy truck and trailer that live on the windowsill in my living room. These little trailers make me smile every time I see them.



I think the idea of a road trip is somehow built into my DNA. My mom and dad took a major road trip for their honeymoon, traveling from Hot Springs, AR to Sequoia National Park by car. I think there were several breakdowns along the way. One was captured by my mom...it is one of my all-time favorite photos.

That spirit of adventure must have stayed with my mom and dad even after they had a passel of children. In hindsight, I think they were so brave to load 5 kids in a car pulling a pop-up camper, or better yet, a converted school bus complete with 4 bunkbeds and a little kitchen. I remember many trips to Padre Island, TX and eating pancakes in the morning with just a little sandy grit in them...we didn't seem to mind. Another memorable trip was going to Estes Park, CO, and later driving up Pikes Peak in the bus as it overheated again and again. I also remember that each of us kids got car sick, one after another, as we slowly made our way up the mountain. I am so grateful for the memories...for the time spent with my family...and especially for my brave mom and dad.