Friday

I'll be flying to Utah this Friday for "Hortus Conclusus (The Enclosed Garden)" group show. My dad, sister Cass, and I will have a variety of paintings on display. I will have these four paintings and nine mixed media pieces on paper.

(Sorry the pictures aren't so good).

In her Garden - One

In her Garden - Two

In her Garden - Three

In her Garden - Four

There was a fabulous article in the Arts and Entertainment section of the Deseret News last Sunday (or here it looks better and easier to read) about the show and our artsy-fartsy-family.

The idea that gave us inspiration for this show last year, was medieval European enclosed gardens and the question, "What is in your garden?" As put in the article, "..the idea of enclosure was to create a protected and nurtured space, 'where ideas and people, like plants and flowers, can flourish. The idea of a controlled safe place can represent the family, the community or even the space in one's own mind."

I know this will come off as somewhat predictable, but my mind went to motherhood. Ya, ya, I can't help it. I was thinking about all the decisions we make for our children, from what they eat to what they wear and even the vocabulary they use. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but I've got the scissors and am thinking about when we can cut those strings. My oldest, who just turned eight and gets baptized this Saturday, is on the left. She is just recognizing the strings are there. Then there is my middle. I feel like I am always pushing her to do things she doesn't want to do. And my youngest who I am still keeping close. I'm not really sure what to do with the scissors, and honestly am feeling a little guilty for wanting to use them. I've put us in our garden with a slightly weathered fence which is rainbow in my attempts to make everything beautiful and everyone happy.

Come, if you can, Friday night. It should be a good time. Art Access Gallery, Salt Lake City, six to nine pm. The show will be up through October seventh.

**Gavin: a variant of the Scottish name Gawain, meaning little hawk or white hawk.**

September 18 - Art Access

I'm

almost

finished.

What happened to August?

Sunday Drawing

Entirely Factual

Branch,Axe

Paper, Scissors

These are works on paper for my show (with my sister, Cass, and my dad) this October in Connecticut. I gessoed watercolor paper, drew with conte and colored pencil, a little oil paint, crackled and glazed. These are what you would call mixed media. They are simple, but I think they will look neat when they are individually matted and framed, hung in pairs.

If you receive the Ensign (a magazine for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), check me out on page 40, September issue. I may be quoted in over 50 languages...

Titling

Every so often I will start a painting with a title in mind. Even more rarely, a title will occur to me mid painting. Though, a great majority of my paintings are painted, varnished, ready to pack up to be shipped out just in time to make it to their destination by the long ago established deadline.... only to be held up in the documentation stage as I desperately grasp for a title. I am in such a position now. These "works on paper" were due two days ago. They are finished and ready to go, ugh!

In my discouragement, I researched (googled) the process of titling paintings. I found a Canadian artist named Robert Genn who said,

"The right title makes a difference as to how a work is seen and understood. Not only are titles a bridge to the viewer, they are also part of the art and need some careful thought."

True enough, but I already knew that. Some practical advice, please. He divided titles into five categories: sentimental, numerical, factual, abstract, and mysterious. I think I tend to go sentimental, but I've been known to give a little mystery to my viewers on occasion. How tempting is numerical. I would feel irresponsible.

Let's use Robert's idea and do a little exercise.

1. Sentimental: Holding the Responsibility of the Village

2. Numerical: Village #3

3. Factual: Village on Woman's Head

4. Abstract: quaker Winter's eve

5. Mysterious: Frank had said it with Candor

I just came up with seven sentimental titles and they all suck. Sentimental, who needs it. No wonder I have a hard time titling, I'm too sentimental. I should try to be a more factual or numerical artist for efficiency sake.

**Update** I went with Village of Devotion Pretty sentimental, blech.

Here is what I am excited about:

I haven't done this in a while, so my list is a little long, but I've narrowed it down to my very favorites. Oh, and none of them are art related, just so you know.

First Day of School

Hip hip hooray! We just finished our third week of school. School is the greatest give anyone could give a mother. I love my alone days, and I love being excited and enthusiastic to welcome them back home. Even my little ezzie is in school this year, 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours, which is a nice break. Though, she is a fun little buddy to tote around with me, and an excellent studio companion.

Garmin Watch

I love to run so much. I also love stats. This watch has been so much fun to play with. I know my pace, my time, my distance (hello satellites), my altitude, sunrise, sunset, time of day, average pace, lap pace, fastest pace, location on map, heart rate, I could go on. Too much fun.

Total Immersion

My swimming sensei, Laurie, lent me this book. It is so great. I did all sorts of crazy drills, now I am gliding effortlessly through the water. My sensei, who claims blogs are for showing off, keeps telling me she is going to bring a camera to the pool in the morning so I can have a picture to post. Though, I don't think that would have the desired effect.

Oral-B Triumph

My dentist has been recommending this, but I have been afraid. I take my oral hygiene very seriously, but I couldn't make myself go electric. Turns out, it's not so bad. Actually, it feels really good and it's like I just went the dentist every day.

Litho Stones give me Butterflies

Once I got settled in Utah (for our month sojourn) I headed up to my dad's studio where I saw four beautiful, untouched litho stones laying around. I got some fluttery little butterflies thinking about what I could do with one of them. My dad was gracious enough to let me use one, and walk through the process with me step by step. So, I threw all notions of accomplishing any other work out the window. Though I was on vacation, it was perhaps not the wisest choice now that I have deadlines creeping up on me, not to mention the bill that came from the printer. Speaking of printers, my former lithography professor from BYU, the incredibly talented Wayne Kimball printed these for me. I absolutely loved the process, and am pleased with the turn out... hmmm, what litho will I do next summer?

If you make me say it, the image is about taking on the responsibility of children and trying to stay pure and wise and do a respectable job, when you yourself are a bit wicked with weaknesses and imperfections. But, I would rather you didn't make me explain, these things are too hard to put into words.

p.s. Selling some of these would be a good thing for me. Let me know if you are interested. I have 50 and they are priced at $85.

Home Sweet Home

We have been gone for just over one month! It flew by, we must have had a lot of fun. Our 4th of July extravaganza topped all this year. Games and Cul-de-sac of Fire rocked (especially the Fire Girls 550 South). If you have ten minutes, here is a rad video to give you a glimpse of the events. Projects, parties, bike rides, outings - we made some good memories this summer. I miss my family a lot. Still, it's good to be home.

With Strings

I kind of forgot I had a blog.  Summer fun, it gets a little crazy.  Before I get into that, I thought I would explain about the pieces in my last few posts.  These are for the show I am having at Art Access in Salt Lake with my dad and sister this September.  
They started as pencil drawings on gessoed paper.  Then I crackled, glazed, and added a little color.  I have had way too much fun making these.  It's all my favorite parts; I love drawing, and the magic of crackle and glazing is a scrumptious treat.

Early Girl

Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket

We needed an adventure today, so I took the kids to Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket.  It's so cool!  It is a huge market with crazy foods from all over the world, live catfish and other sea creatures in tanks (which made delia glad she is a vegetarian, but not cloe), bizarre fruits and veggies, and lots of tofu.  We thought we were safe with sweet treats, so we all picked out a fancy wrapped confection.  Just before we left I spied some big fat straws and knew we had found a treasure - BOBA!!  We love boba (big black slippery tapioca balls) smoothies.  They take five minutes to cook, so we wipped up some after-swimming-boba smoothies to wrap up our adventurous day.

p.s.  I'm dying over cloe's (middle child) sun-kissed freckles.

The Last Carrot

What's up with this carrot?  It got buried under my gargantuan tomato plants and we forgot about it.  We pulled it up today and each broke off our choice nubbin to eat.  It was like a mystic family good luck ritual.  I'm excited to see what becomes of it.

Pretense

This small painting will be shown at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (at the University of Utah) this weekend for the opening of their exhibition Art in Bloom.

Ezra loves nice monsters.  She's three, this is her birthday crown.  

I dedicate these flowers to my aunt lorelie, the craftiest.  

Prints

Women's Conference was a really great experience.  It was fun to be with my sister and I loved connecting with so many wonderful women.  I managed to come home with a few prints leftover from the event.  So, for all those who have been asking and any who would like one, write to me at ecmcphie@gmail.com and I'll give you the info.  I have 10"x8"s of "In the Strength of the Lord [all Things are Possible]" (below) for $50 and 8"x4"s of "Big Apron, Little Girl" (above) for $25. I pushed for an 8x10 so it would fit in a standard frame, and the other print was a cute little surprise. I only have a few, so write right away.

Women's Conference

I'm in Utah,  jazzed and ready to be womanly and do lots of conferring.  Cass and I will be on the third floor of the BYU Bookstore from 10 to 6, Thursday and Friday. We'll be signing prints and doing a little painting if we chance upon a dull moment.  I'll have this painting, "In the Strength of the Lord [all things are Possible]" as an 10"x8" print for $50.  And, a smaller print of "Big Apron, Little Girl" for $25.  Stop by and say hey if you are around!

More Plates

A couple more plates for the Art Access 300 Plates show.  These are really fun to paint.  I will deliver them the day after tomorrow when I go to Utah for Women's Conference at BYU.  Come see me there if you are around.  Third floor of the Bookstore, all day Thursday and Friday!!

Adornment

I'm still on this idea of the fabric of our clothing expressing the fabric of our being.  We are continually weaving a tapestry and telling a story by living our lives.  The vignette on her skirt tells of what occupies her mind the most.  This is one of a series of five, painted on recycled litho plates for Art Access gallery in Salt Lake City.

I Want

I’ve used the image of a snail shell with a baby head and baby feet sticking out while thinking about my kids growing too fast, and wanting them to slow down so I can appreciate them before they change, yet again. In this piece, I have applied the same concept to my time. I mean my time, the snatched minutes without kids wanting to eat… again, without chores and all the things on my mile long to-do list. The red ribbon represents passions, the burning desire in my gut to create. I wish I could push pause, have everyone freeze for bit, while I disappear into my studio to paint. Sigh. There are so many things I want to do, and so little time to pack it all in.

This piece is for a miniature show in Canada.  It cost me one hundred thirty-four dollars and forty cents to ship it to Alberta.

Chemicals

There has been a lot of talk about toxic chemicals used in painting, how they effect our health, and how we can do without them.  I use walnut oil in the studio, but I still break out the toxics to seal off a painting and for some glazing in the final stages.  When I use liquin, I go outside and wear a mask from opening the bottle to washing the brushes.  This way it doesn't get me too bad.  I would love to find a glaze that works well and is not hazardous.  

In the Strength of the Lord

... all things are possible.  I will be at BYU Women's Conference Aril 30 and May 1 on the third floor of the bookstore, with prints of this painting for sale.  (Small and paper, so very affordable.)  Come visit!  I will be hanging out with 5 other women artists (including my sister) and various authors.  I'm excited, I hope to see some of you there. 

Full Skirt

"In the Strength of the Lord" all things are possible.

Nurture and Endure

 This is my final installation as the painting has been finished for a week and I'm antsy to show you and get on with all the other stuff I've been doing. A garden was mentioned in the comments on what would you put on your skirt. I used it to express nurturing, which I feel like I am constantly needing tap into kindness and selflessness to do. The tree is symbolizing family history.  And, the bees/wasp nest, of course, are about hard work.  One last thing, the landscape has an uphill climb which could represent endurance as we work hard to become better at all we do.  

Butterflies at Dawn

A lot of your comments had to do with needing strength from the Lord when it comes to being parents.  I used butterflies to represent children.  My sister uses this symbol a lot for her kids.  I think it has to do with their ever-changing and metamorphosing.  They are hard to capture and hold on to, every time you turn around they have grown and have new ideas.

I have also painted in the sky which is a bright, clear dawn.  I am often outside while the sun rises and relish the serene, clean feeling a new day comes with.  Not to mention its peace and beauty.  Every day is new and ready for you to make the best of it.

Work

Man, I have a lot of work to do.  I can't seem to get caught up with cleaning, organizing, emails, phone calls, the list goes on and on and on... and on.  The clothesline represents chores.  If you make a list of all the things you are "supposed" to do every day, there are simply not enough hours available.  Not to mention all the "other" things that are what I actually want to be doing.  There are too many things I want to do and too many things I know I need to do not to keep trying, be organized, and put all my energy into getting it all done.
"Lovest thou me?... Feed my sheep."  I was asked to bear my testimony on missionary work in church a couple weeks ago.  I was a total blank.  I had to think really hard to come up with two to three minutes worth. I went with going back in time to review all the missionaries, of all kinds and callings, who brought the gospel to my ancestors.  Not only did it give me warm, fuzzy appreciation for these people, it was also a good awakening to define what, when, and where missionary work takes place.  I am better than I thought, and totally capable of doing more.  "Arise and gird up your loins, take up your cross, follow me, and feed my sheep" D&C 112:14.

Home

My existence revolves around house and home.  This is where I started with the diorama on her skirt.  I try to make my home peaceful and beautiful.  I want it to be a place where my family wants to be and where people always feel comfortable.  The door is inviting, the smoke from the chimney makes it feel warm and cozy, the dove represents the spirit and it is surrounded by lilies representing Christ.  Home is where I need continual and constant strength, and I know I cannot do it alone.  You can keep making comments on the last post about what you would put on your skirt.

In the Strength of the Lord

The theme for BYU's Women's Conference this spring is "In the Strength of the Lord."  When cookin' up an idea for a painting to go with this theme, I couldn't help but add "all things are possible."  Which begs to ask, what things?  I painted the figure of a woman presenting "all things," as she turns to the Lord for strength.  I have a few ideas laid out, but I would like to know for what things do you need strength?  Go ahead, leave a comment, I dare you.