It’s that time of the year again. A brand new shiny year means brand new shiny New Year’s resolutions. A blank slate! I once took a poll of my friends to see who partook in this yearly ritual. To my surprise, not many of friends like to create yearly resolutions. The reasons vary from “I can’t be bothered” to “Why would I set myself up for disappointment if I don’t follow through on my resolutions?” I read somewhere that less than 10% of resolutions are kept by year’s end and there is a failure rate of 25% by the end of January. Yikes! Even though I’m equipped with this information, I still enjoy creating resolutions.
 
This year I thought I would create New Year’s resolutions related to my art. My 2019 mantra is to work smarter, not harder. In order to do this, I need a plan which is where resolutions come into play. Also, by putting my resolutions out there to the world so to speak, perhaps I’ll be more likely to stick to them.

In no particular order…

• Learn new skills. In addition to being a member of Artistic Portland, I am also a vendor at Portland Saturday Market. I don’t work the market during January and February since it is closed so this is the perfect time to learn/hone skills that I can implement into my mosaic jewelry line. I have been planning for this time off for a while and will be starting on this endeavor in a week, after my studio is re-vamped, which brings me to my next resolution.

​I created small actionable steps for each resolution to help me get and stay on track as this is the only way I will be able to achieve my goals. It’s all about knowing myself and knowing how I work (play). I’m excited to get started! I love blank slates, especially ones that are 365 days long! Are you an artist? Have you created resolutions? Feel free to share them in the comments section!
 
Happy New Year!
 

​Having a space to work is critical for an artist. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy.  Each artist’s needs will vary depending on what they do, but it seems to me the space needs to be big enough to accommodate whatever tools and equipment the artist uses to create art, and it needs to be a space where the artist can have quiet time to think and create.  The space needs to be their space. Every artist I know has a personal story about how they created space to work on their art. Here’s mine.

​I’ve been making jewelry for several years and my workplace has changed and evolved with my jewelry. I started out on the kitchen table, which was a challenge.  My husband gently vetoed my presence there and suggested he help me set up a little work station in the basement. We acquired some old boards which we placed on sawhorses and bed risers. This worked for tasks like designing, cutting and sanding metal, but hammering was often disastrous and ended with the table and its contents on the floor. I solved this problem when found a sturdy chopping block at a yard sale and it became my delegated hammering station. A portable table served as my bead and stone area, with all the stones organized in fishing tackle trays. They were now visible and readily available to whatever project I was working on. 

​As my work progressed, I bought a torch, some propane and oxygen, and I learned to solder. I soon realized that soldering in this enclosed area was dangerous and not good for my health, so I set up a table outside. This worked fine in the summer, but the cold Ashland winters bring snow, wind and freezing temperatures, so this was an uncomfortable option in the winter. I really needed a roof over my head for soldering, so I moved this area to a little shed attached to our garage. The only problem was that I had to trek through the yard, carry my work up 6 steps and walk about 100 yards down the driveway to the shed.  After about a year of dealing with this inconvenience, I made the decision to move my studio to our garage.  

​Although I now had more space, sturdy tables and the soldering station just outside, this arrangement had a few drawbacks. The garage was some distance from our house and we lived in a forested area in the mountains above Ashland that is inhabited by a large population of black bears. We often saw them on our property and I noticed they had a nightly habit of wandering past our garage in search of an open garbage can or a carelessly tossed apple core. I bought a bear bell, bear spray and a good flashlight for my walk back and forth to the garage at night. I took precautions, made a lot of noise and looked over my shoulder a good bit when making the walk.   

​When I relocated to Portland about 18 months ago, I moved my work area into the garage attached to our house. My space here isn’t fancy. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter and I share it with our washer and dryer, lawn tools, wheelbarrow, stored boxes and everything else garages seem to accumulate. There is no room for cars. My husband observed these issues this summer and proposed a solution; “Let’s build a studio for you behind the house!”  What? A designated jewelry studio, just for me? Unbelievable! The prospect of not having to share my space with anything or anyone else was delicious! We would design and build a 140 square foot studio in our backyard with electricity, windows, an inside soldering station, a vent to exhaust fumes, sturdy tables, enough light to see what I’m working on and ample space for my tools! Oh my!

Too good to believe? Stay tuned for the progress of Marty’s backyard studio!

​Ellen Cranch will say that working with artists older than her and that have spent many years perfecting their craft inspire her. But as Artistic Portland's youngest artist, Co-op members will say they are the ones inspired by Ellen's obvious talent and the desire to spend her life creating art.

Ellen travelled back to Oregon from Calgary with a BFA focused on Character Design and Illustration from the Alberta College of Art and Design. She carried with her a wonderful body of work which includes Bear & Bunny, a children's book she wrote, illustrated and published.

She grew up regularly taking various art classes and was able to explore all sorts of media, though most of her work these days is either in ink or is digitally produced. The watercolor shown here was her first attempt at a children's fairytale that she wrote and illustrated many years ago.

​Ellen, a Canadian, chose Alberta College of Art and Design for its excellent reputation and for its affordability to Canadian citizens. It also offered a Character Design major which was exactly what she wished to study. Ellen will comment, "It has a studio class focus and a drilling of the basics that most art schools let slide. And it's small, easily navigable and invested in incredible teachers rather than dorms or sports facilities or after school activities."
 
Good Grief was created early in her schooling. Ellen notes that "ACAD was fantastic at making sure we understood art and design in order to create the best and most professional work possible. The first year was 100% traditional art and drawing skill including perspective, shading, and shape design. Second year added new mediums and color focusing on graphic design, illustration, and so on. Third and fourth year was when the streams branched off. Illustration and Character Design broke away from Advertising and Graphic Design. Our projects focused on our majors and brought us to where we are today."

​Currently, Ellen is finishing a coloring/doodle book which is a collaboration with her youngest sister, and has started a comic project with a friend. On top of other smaller art projects and drawings, she has worked on two larger commissions that she says, "Were really fun and turned out really well." One was a series of Selkie illustrations for a return customer and the other was illustrating a book The Discovery of Mi-A-Kon-Da for an all-girl’s camp.'"
 
About the future, Ellen says, "My skillset is at once narrow and impossibly wide. My drawing skill buys me more leeway than most graphic designers, but what I truly look forward to are illustration and character design projects. If I was able to join a studio to create stories and characters for any media, I would be ecstatic!"

This year I had the pleasure of meeting a group of artist friends for two weeks of working together during the day and sharing long, discursive dinners around a massive red table in the evening.  There are usually about 6 artists from around the country and their partners, plus local artist friends who come to Butterfly House to work for the day and share dinner.
 
It’s an opportunity to disconnect from the usual distractions of daily life and to focus.  I found time both to play with new ideas and to produce work.  There’s time to look at images, sketch a new idea, plan an approach, try and fail then try and succeed. I spent a couple of days experimenting with a technique learned from Utah artist, Jana Roberts Benzon.  Jana is a master at manipulating polymer clay to create luscious 3-D shapes.  This one involves layering colors, cutting, turning slices and recutting.  It’s complicated!  Here 

are my experiments with Jana’s technique.

Next I worked on a class I’ll teach on January 19th called Romancing the Wave.  The idea is to create swirly patterns using ripple blade techniques with very sharp serrated knives and mokume gane, originally a Japanese sword making technique.  Mokume gane adapts very well to polymer clay.  I was also inspired by the stunning work of Britain’s Carol Blackburn, a former fiber artist whose palette is inspired by fabric designs like Missoni patterns, who has perfected her own variation in clay.  The photo shows my wavy forays. 

​Working together, we have a rare opportunity  to observe each other’s strategies for designing and perfecting new techniques.  This was an eye opener.  Maggie Maggio, who is both an internationally acclaimed artist and a color expert, used her time to work on a project to teach for upcoming engagements in South America and to celebrate the tenth anniversary of her book with coauthor artist Lindley Haunani,  Polymer Clay Color Inspirations.  Maggie worked tirelessly on making, tweaking, critiquing her new designs, and then repeating the entire process.  Watching was a tremendous lesson in learning from mistakes and working day after day with intention.   Here are Maggie’s prototypes. 

As we work together, there is camaraderie, jokes and joyful sharing; there are observations and suggestions for each other’s work, sometimes helping to push towards a new design or a new level of artistry.  This is, of course, also a motivation for belonging to Artistic Portland!  Although I always take advantage of the glorious, sunny New Mexico high desert for a little outside time, I managed to make the components for new pieces headed for shows and, of course, Artistic Portland.  It was a reinvigorating and relaxing time. 

​

How long have you been a member of Artistic Portland, and what appealed to you about joining the Co-op?
I've been a member of Artistic Portland since June of 2018. I was feeling very isolated working at home in East Portland and not having a work community which often takes the place of family and friends in this day and age. I didn't expect that being part of an artistic community would have such an impact on my artwork which has evolved and grown.  

What’s your background?
What the heck is meant by what is your background? Well artistically my background is that I went to college and within my first year of junior college realized that being an artist was probably not the right career choice for me. I went on and did work in Social Services for 20 years then after being laid off and not being able to transfer with my government employer due to disability-related job barriers I ended up unemployed. Distress of the situation helped push my health to a bad place, and all my friends and family came together to get me through a kidney and pancreas transplant. This is what brought me back to art because I felt a need to give something back these people have been so generous during a really bad time for me. That's my background as an artist.

My human background is that my mother was orphaned and not raised within her cultures (Navajo, Ute, Latino) so I was always trying to get more understanding of where we came from. My father was not part of my life growing up, so I'm not highly influenced by my Irish heritage except my appearance. I have a great-great uncle Benito Sanchez who was a Navajo Rock painter, my mother was an artist in Greenwich Village before she had me, and my sister doodled on anything she could get her hands on throughout her life. So my background is rich in experience, culture and the DNA to make art but not so rich in the education or training. 

What does your work aim to say?
​My work is ever-evolving meaning it changes all the time. Sometimes it aims to say women of all sorts are beautiful and have amazing attributes that strengthen our world. Sometimes it aims to say let's find the common beauty that we share because we need to find a bridge between ourselves. Sometimes the message is just isn't this pretty and aren't we lucky to live in a world where beauty can be found when people slow down and let the creativity take over. 

Who are your biggest influences?
My big joke is that early South Park and late Matisse are my big influences but quite honestly that's a joke. I do admit to loving the organic feeling of Matisse's paper collages which I remember staying on a Margaret Mead book as a teenager. The artist that I grew up loving was Diego Rivera. I love his earthy colors and his beautiful women with their indigenous brown skin which reminded me of my mother. Later my mom fell in love with Raul DelRio because of his whales and dolphins and I fell in love with his bright bold colors, sharp edges and graphic nature which he called modern primitive. I've actually written to Raul Del Rio and had some lovely written conversations over the years.

Probably my earliest influence was La Raza art exhibits, Dia de los Muertos art, murals in the Mission District of San Francisco and our neighbor painting traditional brightly colored tropical flowers on a black chair when I was just a kid.

Describe yourself in one word. Why that word?
Determined. We are all a complex jumble and the thing that people always say about me is about my courageousness or bravery but that's really not at my core…it’s just a means to get to whatever it is that I want or feel driven by.

What and where do you create?
I create visually accessible paper collage with clean sharp edges, high contrast colors and the tactile structure created by layers of card stock. I called my work visually accessible because it can be seen usually from pretty far away and is created for people with low vision not no vision, plus anyone else who likes bold, colorful graphics.

I don't work in the studio; I work at my dining room table, on little TV trays, sitting on the floor, at coffee shop tables or anywhere else that I feel like creating.

What inspires you?
I tend to be inspired by visions that float through my brain when I'm meditating or having an interesting conversation. I also get inspired sometimes by trying to figure out how do we as humans share and care for each other. 

What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?
My one indispensable item is scissors and now paper is also necessary but somehow the scissors are more important. I use cheap Dollar Tree scissors that I buy two or three sets at a time and somehow still lose. I oftentimes have a set of scissors in my bag and I have put numerous holes in canvas bags with these scissors. 

What kind of creative patterns, routines, or rituals do you have? 
I don't really have rituals around my art. I do tend to create art late at night or at least in the evening but sometimes I wake up and immediately start on a piece that I didn't finish the night before. The other thing that I'm trying right now is creating art everyday. This doesn't mean I create a piece of art every day—just that I put some scissors in my hand and a scrapbooking glue stick for at least an hour. 

Is there an artwork that you created that you are most proud of? Why?
What part work I am proud of changes constantly but there is one piece that lives in my heart. My Happy Mother's Day piece is very special to me because it has an image that I could never find for my mother growing up. When I was growing up I worked really hard to find beautiful brown women to reflect my mother which sometimes can be hard to find. Only when I started making my own art did I realize that I had been forced to choose cards that did not reflect my family. The beautiful brown women always had beautiful brown children but my mother had two little cute white babies. So I created a beautiful brown woman with her two little white babies and to this day that is my favorite piece of my work.

If you weren’t an artist, what would you do?
If I wasn't an artist I would probably put a little more effort into my activism and advocacy work. Somehow I think that my place is to be a bridge so when not creating art and focusing my energy there I have been active in the equity and inclusion community asking where people with disabilities fit into the efforts and opportunities. 
​
What do you like to do when you're not creating?
What I enjoy outside of art, activism, and advocacy is cooking, my yoga class, and playing games. I used to like socializing in small groups with my friends, but it seems like since the advent of social media people think that an online connection is enough. Online connections aren't enough for me so I found a way to build it into my art by becoming part of an artistic co-op.

I was just told about this wonderful podcast: 99% Invisible! It is about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world. With over 250 million downloads, 99% Invisible is one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes and is available on RadioPublic, via RSS and through other apps.
 
The latest episodes are about clothes and clothing. Like the very interesting: When and how did plaids come about!

And, When and why did pocket come about!

I love making jewelry. I should say, I am driven to make jewelry. I can’t help myself. If I weren’t making jewelry, I’m sure I would be making something. I simply need to be able to create. I’m a maker! Jewelry fills this need for me now because it involves multiple processes, including designing, planning and fabricating the final piece. In the past, when my three children were small, I spent time as a basket weaver, potter and papermaker. These were all crafts that I could do at home with small children at my side. When my children grew older, I went back to work at my chosen career, clinical social work. I worked primarily in hospice and end of life care until 2013 when I decided it would be best for my mental health if I looked at other options.  

​I decided I wanted to try my hand at being a jeweler. I walked away from end-of-life care and feel it is one of the best decisions I have ever made. In the early days, when I sold my baskets at craft shows, I lingered around the jewelry booths every chance I got, pondering how each piece was made and trading baskets for jewelry. I examined each piece I obtained as if it held a secret message that I needed to decipher. My first metalsmith class at a local community college taught me basic skills such as riveting, sawing and hammering metal. I moved on from there to the school of “trial and error” and You Tube. Six months after making my first piece of crude jewelry, I attempted to jury into a local artisan guild in Ashland. I was rejected and told my work was “borderline dangerous” and needed “refinement”. Harsh news, but I persevered and paid more attention to such details as sanding away rough edges and polishing. I returned the next year with new pieces of jewelry and this time my work was accepted. This opened me to participating in the guild’s weekly art and crafts shows in downtown Ashland. Once I had sold a few pieces and realized that people would pay money for my jewelry, I was amazed, inspired and delighted.  

When I first started making jewelry, the thought of making something that would appeal to a potential buyer enough for them to lay down money for it seldom entered my mind. Now that I am participating in more art and craft shows and selling at Artistic Portland and the Portland Saturday Market, that is always at the forefront of my thoughts and seems to guide my creative process more and more. I grapple with making something that gives me pleasure, stretches my artistic skills, and nurtures my soul, versus making something that will appeal to a potential buyer. The practical truth is that to continue making jewelry, I must sell it. I sell it to buy more materials, so I can make more.  

I have learned that it is important for me to know my buyer. My work seems to appeal to the older woman who has a solid sense of herself and isn’t afraid to express it (not unlike myself). She is an individual and likes for her jewelry to reflect her uniqueness. She may even be a little quirky, but in a good way of course! Each selling venue presents new challenges and new opportunities for getting to know your buyer and also getting to know yourself as an artist.

Artistic Portland abounds with art of all kinds - paintings and two dimensional wall hangings, ceramics and jewelry.  When you buy a piece from Artistic Portland, you become the owner of a unique work or art made by a local artist. It feels great both because you get a fabulous piece of art and because you’re helping to support our local community of makers.
 
Public art is a different kettle of fish, belonging to no one,  but enjoyed by everyone.  When the sides of buildings become canvases or when old bikes become the framework for a wild collage of hubcaps and license plates, you just have to stop and let yourself enjoy the whimsy. Artistic Portland has its own little public art piece.  Helen Hughart’s vibrant knitted piece in the middle of Artistic Portland’s store deservedly attracts attention as it brightens our interior and, we hope, entices pedestrians to check us out.  

Public street art is a playful intervention, a conversation starter. When Artistic Portland Artist Karin Kaufman of Nadelwerk decorated the bike rack outside of Artistic Portland with crocheted butterflies, flowers and snails, many walkers stopped to look, touch, smile and talk to each other.  (UPDATE: The City of Portland removed this decoration since it is city property and does not conform to code.) 

It always makes me happy to think that a building owner has chosen to spiff up an otherwise boring space for all to see or that an artist took the initiative to make our world a little more colorful. It’s delightful when individuals - let’s say our inner artists- take the time to make a beautiful, ephemeral little work of art with no purpose other than the joy of sharing a creative impulse. My neighbor’s spontaneous front step sculpture of camellia blossoms was lovely.

My phone’s camera is full of wall paintings and quirky little front yard installations. I’m not alone! When I googled “Portland street art” I learned that there’s a 3.5 mile self-guided walking tour called the Portland Street Art Loop in inner southeast Portland. The loop laid out is bounded by Water Avenue to the west, 14th Avenue to the east, Ankeny Street to the north, and Madison Street to the south. The website suggests that Sunday is the best time to go, and it’s on my list. And there’s a festival just for Portland’s street art called the Forest for the Trees. When I  researched one of my favorite murals, Fox and Bird located at SE 10th & Taylor, I learned that it was painted in August 2015 by Josh Keyes, for the annual Forest for the Trees mural event. It’s coming up soon, though the 2018 dates and locations haven’t yet been announced.  
 
Hurray for street art! Let’s appreciate it and maybe make a little ourselves.

How long have you been a part of Artistic Portland?
I have been with the co-op since February of this year.  
 
What’s your background?
Over the years I have dabbled in a variety of creative arts. I have been working in fused glass for about 18 years along with working full-time in Social Services and Management.  Now that I am semi-retired I am able to devote more time to my art.
 
Why do you do what you do?
I enjoy bringing more beauty into people’s everyday lives in these challenging times. It also gives me a lot of joy to play with color and design and make one-of-a-kind creations.

Describe yourself in one word. Why that word?
It is tough to give a one-word description of myself. Perhaps, “multi-faceted." I have a breadth of things I enjoy and lots of different aspects of my personality.

Where do you create?
I have a studio in my home in Vancouver with a lovely large window overlooking the trees.  

What inspires you?
Nature gives me great inspiration—especially the amazing colors and designs, from bugs to butterfly wings, to flowers in profound colors.
 
I tend to work in spurts – or bursts of inspiration.  I like to play and try different combinations of glass see how they interface.  I enjoy exploring a variety of techniques.  I’m not content to find my niche and stay there.  I'm always experimenting.

Is there an artwork that you created that you are most proud of? Why?
When I went to Belize I was totally amazed by the fish when I went snorkeling. I had a small underwater camera but I lost it with all the pictures on it!  When I came home I created a piece in glass – an “s” curve shape (which you can see on my website.) I used a variety of flashy dichroic glass to create from memory those amazing fish and a multi-colored piece for the coral.  That is my favorite piece.

What do you like to do when you're not creating?
When I’m not creating I love to be outdoors adventuring-hiking, kayaking, and skiing. I also enjoy working as a counselor two days a week assisting people with their personal process of growth.

How long have you been a member of Artistic Portland, and what appealed
to you about joining the co-op?
I was doing a show five years ago, and Marianne asked me if I would be interested in selling my felted scarves at a co-op store she and five others were starting. I had been only selling my felted items at shows and festivals so this sounded like a great opportunity. I joined so I only do one show a year now. I love being a part of Artistic Portland. I get to work with very creative people and contribute to the running of our store. I am amazed at how 35 people can run a business. At Artistic Portland we have people who contribute their time and expertise to make it a success. Working there is a pleasure.

What’s your background?
Hmmm. I am assuming this is about my art. I have always been good with my hands (a phrase my mother often used). I started with sewing Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls for my nieces. In 1971, when my husband was in the service in North Carolina, I took a class in making Christmas ornaments out of egg shells. That art form had me making duck eggs with music boxes and ostrich egg clocks. When I moved from California to Portland my daughter thought I would like felting. I did. I started by watching YouTube videos and then classes at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival and other classes online. I am still learning about felt. I will always be learning about felting. I am an expert, however, when it comes to my egg decorations.

What does your work aim to say?
Wear me! Give me to your cat. Soap me up and clean your body. Put me on your Christmas tree!

Who are your biggest influences?
My Teachers. There are so many fabulous women in our area who make incredible art with natural fibers. I took a felted hat class from Tash Wesp. She makes the most incredible nuno felted clothes (a mix of natural fabric and animal fibers)! I took my first wet felting class from Caren Engine at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. I recommend this Festival in Canby, Oregon for anyone who loves all manner of animal  fibers, spinning, and knitting. They have great classes in knitting, felting, dying and many more. It is held at the end of September. Then there is the fabulous Tylar Merrill in Eugene. I hope to take one of her classes in the future.

How do you know when you are finished with a piece?
It is easy to know when I am finished with my egg creations. My little scene looks well balanced, tells a story, no glue showing, and seams are together. With my scarves sometimes it takes weeks of looking at it adding or subtracting this or that. Sometimes I put it into my giveaway box. Last month I took back a scarf from the store and added more fringe.

Where do you create?
In my home mostly. I am so lucky to have a really big downstairs room that I share with my Quaker Parrot, Birdie. I can make big messes so I am lucky to have a roommate/cousin who ignores the mess. I have manufactured wood floors for good clean-up and big sliding glass doors to our garden. Also, I can take materials to make my soaps, cat balls and eggs with me where ever I go. My storage space is in the furnace room which I share with the guinea pigs. 

It is a constant organizing and reorganizing.

What inspires you?
Color! Whimsey! Other artists. Practicality. I love all the wonderful colors wool fibers come in Sometimes I find a skirt or scarf made of silk or cotton at the thrift store that I can make a felted scarf from. Sometimes I find a piece of silk at the fabric store that I love.
 
The fabric you see in the photo below has been on my 4ft table for at least a month It is surrounded by wool roving, raw silk, and yarn I plan to use to felt the scarf. The raw silk I use for design. It is always a surprise to see how the silk weaves through the wool to make little rivers of color.

What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?
My six-foot table. I can make scarves in a small 12X14 bedroom. When I lived at my daughter’s house I was able to make my bedroom work for my studio.

What kind of creative patterns, routines, or rituals do you have?
I really don’t have any routine. I get up in the morning and start on whatever needs to be done. I can work on my felting or egg ornaments for hours and days without leaving the house. I am very undisciplined in my artwork. I wing it a lot. I never weigh my wool or plan it out. I make a lot of mistakes too. I am teaching a class in September at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita. I will have to get disciplined!

Is there an artwork that you created that you are most proud of? Why?
I love my felted silk scarves with white locks. They are so soft and elegant.

If you weren’t an artist, what would you do?
I’ve only called myself an artist for the last five years. I am 73 years old and
in my life I have been a sales clerk, preschool teacher, an espresso pusher,
a personal assistant, house cleaner, organizer (kitchens and such), care giver, and nanny. I would probably find some crazed scientist or channeler of ETs to assist. Right now I am blessed to be the “artist in residence” in my home where my cousin Mary Beth pays the rent and feeds me. She is an angel.
 
What do you like to do when you're not creating?
I like to read a good book while I am bicycling at Planet Fitness, cook a good meal with Mary Beth and work in the garden. But mostly I love to create! While I create I watch or listen to all sorts of interesting things on my computer such as British mysteries, politics, conspiracy theories, science fiction and even the Marvel series and movies.