Lavina Blossom Art

Where Art Matters

Since my four 4×4 pieces sold at the Member fundraiser at CCMA, I delivered these (all 4×4) to replace them (one extra in case another one sells.) In the past, working small could take me about as much effort and time as the larger pieces, but I was able to finish these quickly. Enthusiasm for having sold the others helped!

I started making these cards when I found out that some members of The Society of Layerists in Multi-Media (SLMM) were exchanging Artist Trading Cards (ATC) next year. ATC or ACEO are 3.5 x 2.5 inch art pieces. Since I have put these up for sale on Daily Paintworks, I call them ACEO Cards (Art Card Editions and Originals) which are, basically, ATC (Artist Trading Cards) that are sold rather than exchanged.

I have a “serious” art-making side and a whimsical side and making these satisfies my whimsical leanings. Plus, they exercise my imagination. I confess that making them has become addictive–or I have become obsessive. I set a goal of making 365 and deciding then whether to continue. When other projects are stalled, I make more of these so that I’m not spinning in circles.

If you would like to see a short video of how I make them (created with my iPad, so it won’t be fancy,) please let me know in the Comments. The fact that these are symmetrical, and that I call them Rorch Art, after the Rorschach Test, gives you a good idea of how I begin.

I heard about this show from Rachel X. Hobreigh, who is organizing it. (We are both members of the Society of Layerists in Multi-Media.) The fundraiser will be from December 6, 2022 to January 8, 2023 at the Washington Corridor Gallery–Helms Bakery District in Culver City, CA. I have seen some of the other art pieces (on Zoom) and am sure this will be a wonderful show. And it’s for a good cause!

The challenge for last month’s collage group (Cut and Paste Club) was to create a collage from one image or photo or page. I used one magazine pages for each of these and made quite a few. Here are the better ones so far. I don’t think I’m finished doing these yet. I’m surprised by what I’m able to come up with, and I recommend this prompt to anyone who feels at all stuck.

I have been creating 6×6 landscape paintings that are on cradled board or cradled canvas (1.5 inches deep, so no frame needed.). I sold the first 3 at the Riverside Art Museum’s recent 6×6 fundraiser, and the other 3 will be in the Chaffey Community Museum’s gallery store (in Ontario, CA) soon. I have several larger landscapes that I will work on when I’ve finished a few more of these. These don’t require any fewer hours to complete, yet I find them equally satisfying–because I can see them all at once and they feel more intimate than the larger paintings. Also, I can approach them, because of their size, as more playful (child size) and feel less pressure to create works that are impressive. That frees me up. I’m a little more relaxed working smaller. I wonder how others feel about that.

Since March, I joined a collage group that meets once a month to share work responding to a prompt. For our last Zoom meeting, we made pieces from recycled material. I cleaned out old catalogs and sifted through the waste basket…love this kind of recycling. I also took a 3-week online course with Lewis Noble, a British artist, and I had my 2 doses of the Covid vaccine. After recovering from a monster headache the day after the second shot, and a couple smaller headaches in the following week, I now feel well, relieved to be safer (not totally safe) from the virus, and more positive about the future. But shame on India’s Prime Minister Modi for his wretched inaction to protect the people of his country!

Deep breath. I have missed friends, yet have relished having this time at home to feel my way toward creating pieces that give me so much pleasure and comfort.

Below, a collage, a painting on paper, and a painting on board:

This Can’t Be Right, collage on paper
Acrylic on paper
AL (Abstract Landscape) #1 – mixed media on board, 8×8: Available on FASO.