A THANK YOU AND GOODBYE TO MY READERS

I would like to thank all of you for sticking with me as I have posted my journey through the world of art. After 8 years of posts it has come time to say goodbye to the blog.

Thank you for letting me share the process:

The inspiration:

The exploration into various media:

The love of composition:

and the finished artwork:

 "Where We Live" 2018  Lori LaBerge

I will leave on a happy note with "Construction Quad" (below) chosen by Wendy Earle, curator at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, to be shown from January through April at the Handcrafted 2019 exhibit in Rocky Mount, NC.

"Construction Quad" 2018  Lori LaBerge

I encourage others to exercise their creativity in whatever media they work in and to overall  love and enjoy all the art world has to offer. This blog will be kept online for an extended period so those who choose may use it as a reference. I will also be starting an Instagram account in the near future and will be exploring some opportunities in the art and design field that have been offered. Love to all.  

BREAKING DOWN THE DESIGN PROCESS

As yet untitled design 63" X 48",  Lori LaBerge  2018

My favorite part of textile work is the design process. I love grabbing a new pencil and sketchbook or the camera and heading out into the world. There is nothing like an afternoon spent taking those sketches or photos, working through ideas and coming up with new designs. Some ideas come easily while others take time. 

Here is a bit of the process involved in the development of the work above:

While exploring the local area a few years ago we came across this structure in a low lying area near a railroad track. We walked down to take a close look at it as we had no idea what it was for. The locals say it was a drainage system for water runoff from the mountains to keep the tracks from being washed out. The windows are at varying heights (side-stepped, seen on second photo) so if one gets clogged by debris the water will go into the next one. 

The first photo was used for frontal view of tower while the side stepped windows in the second photo provided the idea of using various height buildings around it. I tend to use random colors during the design process and change them later.

A half circle was added for a focal point

The tower was changed to red to show better with the background colors

The half circle was changed to blue as the pink did not show well against the red. Lines were added bringing diagonals into the work on the top and horizontals on the bottom. The top line through the gold color was extended into the beige to break up the large block of color

Colors were changed again. The beige becomes more of a salmon color, the green yellower , and the red turned toward pink. The diagonal lines brought a roof type feel to a section of the red and that section was changed to white while the upper "window" was removed and the lower "window" extended to an elongated rectangle. A white half circle was added to balance the blue one, break up the expanse of salmon and carry the white color to the lower left of the work.

The whole work was changed to a square format

The edges will be whipped in a thin line of rust color with small sections of black, dusty rose and pink added into the edges. A section of wire fencing will be attached to two painted boards and be placed on the side of the hooked work. 

While I have my own story of finding the structure in the woods that led to the development of the work, it will be up to the viewer to create their own thoughts on the final piece.

A TRIP TO LOS ANGELES, LACMA

Sweet William by John Chamberlain and Elegy to the Spanish Republic 100 by Robert Motherwell

A trip to Los Angeles led to a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). A full day of viewing only allowed us to see half of what the museum offers. My must see was the modern collections. LACMA is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.

My takeaways were to study more Russian artists and to learn to loosen up with my own art. Taking close looks at works allows one to see brushstrokes and techniques. From a distance some works looked perfect, but when viewed up close you could see the use of the hand in circles that were not perfectly round and paint moving from one color into another. Pencil marks of sketches underneath paintings could be seen. It was a wonderful experience.

 Architectonic Painting by Lyubov Popova

Proun 3 by El Lissitzky and Untitled by Alexander Rodchenko

Desert Moon by Lee Krasner

In the Kairouan Style, Transposed in a Moderate Way by Paul Klee and Motion of a Landscape by Paul Klee

Yellow Border by Wassily Kandinsky

Around a round by Frederick Hammersley

The Ballantine by Franz Kline

Urban Light by Chris Burden. A grouping of street lights from the 20's and 30's formed a sculpture lining the front of the museum. A beautiful entry!

BLUEPRINT TEXTILE TRIPTYCH

"Blueprint Aqua, Blueprint Gold, Blueprint Red Triptych"  6" X 12" each (12" x 18" matted and framed)  Lori LaBerge  2018

What is it that attracts me to floor plans? I love the lines, the directions they take us in and the idea of exploring new spaces. Always one for what is hidden or around the corner, I find the variety of floor plans exciting. I look at the miniature plans I sketch and imagine what rooms would go where. Is it an open floor plan or one that allows for hiding out in small spaces such as libraries or dens?

It is not only the variation of layout in the works above but how color affects the works. The background of each piece is exactly the same, yet differing colors and values create a change in appearance from one to the other.

My favorite part of these types of works is that no matter how much planning goes into the design, the outcome is always a surprise.

A few other things happening in the studio:

Scrap wood in the workshop being used to create a sculptural architectural work. Decisions are being made as to paint choices. Lots of color!

Mock-up on studio table for 14" X 11" painted textile work.

TEMPORARY ART WORK: CREATE AND LET GO

"Aerial Pool 1"  14" X 11"  Lori LaBerge  2018, digital photograph

Two things came together this week. The first is the idea of ephemeral art. This type of art is temporary and not meant to last. It is created knowing it will end (as in performance art) or be destroyed. A good example of this was a work I saw in Burlington, Vt. shown below:

Flour poured through metal carving to create oriental rug effect by Cal Lane

The second idea was creating work from local sites. An abandoned pool has been an obsession with me for years as it is filled with cement blocks and other debris. A community college recently purchased the building and is just beginning construction starting with structural details.

Pool at Pinebridge in Spruce Pine NC

From these two thoughts I began painting on an old polyethylene tarp used as a drop cloth. I knew the tarp would again collect drops of paint and stain in its next use, destroying the work created.

The first artwork at the top of the post used the two blues from the above photo. The silver is the color of the cement blocks. The crinkled appearance is reminiscent of water movement.

Another view of abandoned pool

The work below was based on the spray paint surrounding the future construction area around the pool. The paint can just be seen on the upper right hand side of the photo above. There were also posts placed around the pool to keep people out. 

"Aerial Pool 2"  14" X 11"  Lori LaBerge  2018, digital photograph

The actual works do not exist anymore. One could think of the photographs as new works, but they are not the same as the originals.

FINISHING, DESIGNING, READING

"Construction Quad"  63" X 48"  Lori LaBerge  2018

The yarn order arrived and now all that is left for "Construction Quad" is stitching the label to the back and pouring a glass of wine to relax with. While hanging the work to photograph, I looked closer at the various shapes and contemplated creating sculptural works.

Some ideas for painted textile works were printed out and the designs for underlayers of the hooked portions will be drawn out soon.

A pre-ordered copy of Ninth Street Women was received this week and given a place in the home library. The book, by Mary Gabriel, chronicles five women painters working in abstract expressionism. The author looks at Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler as they work in the male-dominated field of art. Hoping to start this one tomorrow.

BACK TO LARGER ARCHITECTURAL ABSTRACT WORK

Layout of in progress work on "Construction Quad",  63" X 48"

After completing quite a few smaller works, it was time to return to "Construction Quad".  The hooking (in a 6-cut) was completed and finishing started. Yarns were chosen for the whipped edge. A dark gray will be interrupted on three sides by sections of rust, pink and light green. 

The piece has a reference to oceanside homes built as an escape, yet close to the roadways leading one to them. The shapes were derived and pieced together from viewing boats and houses on last year's vacation by the water.

The side piece brings more of the construction process to the work. While other options were designed for this purpose, some were simply too complex and distracted from the main hooked work. They could become works on their own. This is a much simpler, cleaner design. Plumb bobs hang from a painted board with the string brought through drilled holes in the board and coupling nuts resting on top of the board. The strings will be tied off. 

Plumb bobs will be allowed to sway freely. The board holding them will be hung with hardware that will show on top, adding to the construction process idea.