Category Archives: Textiles and Drawings

Asking the Right Question

How often have you found that just the right question will snap an idea into perspective?

Last week, during our Zoom panel discussion “Signify: A Conversation about Meaning & Technique”*, which was based on the current exhibition Hidden Messages: Old and New, our moderator, Leslie Roth, posed a meaningful question (among many). She asked the 3 of us on the panel whether our perception of our work shifts as a result of seeing it in a new environment or context, or in the way it interacts with its surroundings and other nearby art.

A few images from within the show to give you an overview

More than any other exhibit, I’ve been hearing very positive feedback from the other artists in this show regarding the placement of their work. Overwhelmingly, these folks, including the other two panelists, have mentioned that they felt their art had been elevated in some way by the other nearby pieces, acknowledging the expertise that had gone into creating groups of art that work well together and, one might even say, in conversation with each other.

However, I have a bit of a contrarian view — not because I wasn’t happy with how my pieces, or the show as a whole, were hung — far from it! I think those responsible did a superb job. But because, at the core, I don’t tend to engage with my (or others’) work in relation to its surroundings when on display. When I look at art it’s a sink or swim game — the work either shines or it doesn’t. I am drawn directly into each individual piece, studying and appreciating it by and for itself, without consideration of its neighbors in that opinion.

Of course I wouldn’t be pleased if I felt my work had been placed so that it was somehow given short shrift, but aside from that, I can’t imagine or remember an instance where I thought my work might read differently, in either a positive or a negative light, in relation to its neighbors within a gallery or other setting. And I also can’t remember a time when my opinion of another artist’s work was affected by the art nearby.

Wall 2

All that said, it’s crucial to acknowledge that Curation (with a capital “C”) is an art-form unto itself. Art doesn’t exist within a vacuum. As I see it, the important job of a curator is to create a sense of organization, context and logic around a grouping of seemingly disparate works within a single setting. Their expertise (and task) is to make it easier to navigate through all the work in such a way that each piece can be more fully appreciated and understood on its own merit. A curator’s skill is in making a show hold together as a unit, while providing room for each work to be seen in its own best light.
And the curators of Hidden Messages did that in spades.

For an interesting and at times humorous look at the idea of curation and how it is evolving, check this out.

There’s still time to go see Hidden Messages for yourself. The show runs until September 5th.
Chandler Center for the Arts
71 N Main St.
Randolph, VT
Hours: Tues – Fri 11am-4pm, Sat 12 -5pm
802-728-9878

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*The “Signify” discussion was recorded and a link will be posted on the SDA website in the next weeks. I’ll be sure to let you know once that happens.

Gearing Up

After a hiatus of a year and a half, it looks as though our Life Drawing sessions will start up again in early September. Here’s hoping the rising variant numbers don’t interfere with that.

Supplies

In the meantime, I’ve been gearing up by getting back into practice mode and collecting supplies along the way. I’ve had plenty of time to experiment with new materials over the past 18 months, so my kit will be a little different from what it was when we last got together in March of 2020.

The biggest change will be paper. Be forewarned – this is a deep dive into options, probably best suited to those of you who draw.

Before the pandemic I had been using Canson Edition paper exclusively. It’s 100% cotton and acid-free with two deckle edges and two distinct sides, one smooth and the other slightly textured. It’s a good workhorse that accepts a variety of media. For my purposes, its greatest asset was in capturing the marks of my ultra fine (.03) graphite. The downside is it doesn’t show off colored pencil as richly as I might have hoped.

Scott, detail

This past year, working smaller & mostly in sketchbooks, I discovered several new options as I began working more with watercolor in addition to ink and graphite.

Stillman & Birn makes sketchbooks with eight different types of paper. The Beta Series is my favorite. It has a lot of great qualities: acid-free, bright white paper that handles ink and watercolor beautifully and, despite being cold press, has a surface that my pen seems to glide across effortlessly. Each page has some real heft (180 lb) so there is no rippling and it stands up to erasing without damage. Plus, it’s a good weight for stitching if, as with my garden paintings, I choose to go that route. Happily, it’s also available in 22 x 30″ sheets, giving me lot of flexibility with size.

I’ve also been experimenting with toned paper.
Strathmore 400 Series Toned Mixed-media paper (acid-free, 184lb, 9×12″ sheets) takes ink and other wet media well, while its smooth surface amplifies the marks of colored and pastel pencils the way I like.

Stillman & Birn Beige toned sketchbook, 8 x 10 inches

I also just bought, but haven’t yet tried, a Stillman & Birn Nova Series beige-toned mixed-media sketchbook. The 90lb paper will take ink and light washes, so I expect it will be good for general practice, as is my Global Hand Book sketchbook.

Bryan ©2021 Elizabeth Fram, Graphite, ink and watercolor on paper, 11 x 8.25 inches. Global Art Hand Book Artists Journal. This paper is also able to take a light wash, but note the rippling on the right, captured when I scanned the image.

Experimentation is half the fun, and it’s great to have a few new options. Whether or not we actually make it back to meeting in person – and I really hope we do – it’s exciting to think about as I get prepared.

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If you aren’t one of my newsletter subscribers (you can sign up here), you will have missed my notice that next week I will be participating in a panel discussion with 3 other artists who also have work in the ongoing exhibition Hidden Messages: Old and New, on Wednesday, August 18th @ 7pm. I hope you will join us – the details and link to registration are below.

Artists Talk

Signify: A Conversation about Meaning and Technique

will be moderated by Leslie Roth, with a panel of
Jennifer Davey, Marya Lowe, and yours truly.
The presentation is free and open to the public; register here.

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Instagram of the week:

It doesn’t have to be all about fancy, store-bought paper. Check out the work of @peter_rush_drawings. He often draws on the inside of cardboard packaging – a novel take on toned paper!

Flying the Coop

It was beyond wonderful to spend the past week in Berkeley and Chicago, and most importantly, to finally be with our kids for the first time in 18 months. Knowing we would be in two very art-friendly cities with re-opened museums, you can be sure I did my research ahead of time to see what might be on exhibit. Whether by pure coincidence or cosmic reward (I’ll go with the latter) our trip overlapped with four shows that seemed tailor-made for this art-seeking traveler. Kay Sekimachi “Geometries” and Rosie Lee Tompkins “A Retrospective” were on view at the Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). And then at the Art Institute of Chicago, we saw the remarkable Obama Portraits, along with “Bisa Butler: Portraits”.

As you might well guess, this will be one of those posts that is mostly images…enjoy the ride.

Kay Sekimachi: “Geometries”

From the wall text of the exhibition:
“Kay Sekimachi’s work is an integral part of the story of art and fiber. Along with other mid-twentieth-century artists, she transformed fiber from a material confined to industry and craft to one capable of expanding the categories of modern and contemporary art. For several decades this Berkeley-based artist has made experimental works with linear pliable elements that unite art and craft, economy and intricacy, and Japanese and American artistic traditions.”

Takarabako VII ©1999, Kay Sekimachi, Linen, acrylic paint & boning After a winter of making box-like houses, Sekimachi’s work struck me more deeply than it might have otherwise. According to wordhippo.com, Takarabako means “treasure chest” or “strong box”.

First recognized in the 1960s for her woven monofilament sculptures, Sekimachi is also known for her intricate baskets and bowls.

This small piece (about 12 x 12 inches) was one of a series of works made in homage to Paul Klee and Agnes Martin using linen, dye and indelible ink. The subtle nuances of color are lovely.

This vessel is made of kiri wood paper, a one or two-sided paper-backed veneer that is manufactured from the paulownia tree, called kiri in Japan. It is a fast-growing hardwood with light, fine-grained wood typically used for chests and boxes.

Rosie Lee Tompkins: “A Retrospective”

Born in 1936 in a small Arkansas farming community, Rosie Lee Tompkins learned to make quilts from her mother when she was a young girl, but did not begin making them professionally until the 1970s. Her work floored me for its strong sense of color and design. The frequent use of velvet added richness and depth without detracting from the sheer joy many of these pieces projected. The expanse of the museum’s walls gave each piece the room it needed to fully come into itself, while also allowing for a celebration of each quilt’s delightfully irregular perimeter.

All works were “Untitled”

This was by far my favorite for its joyful elegance.

Orange

What drew me across the room to this pair was Tompkin’s striking use of denim to express value.

Multi colored Tompkins

Although there weren’t details about specific pieces, the wall text gave clues to Tompkins’ overall approach, noting her later wall hangings are meditations on self, family and spirituality. Several works contain “yo-yos”, the number of which often corresponded to a personally significant number, like an age or relative’s birth month. One couldn’t help but notice that this piece was entirely black, almost shroud-like in appearance, as compared to the riot of color in all the other works.

The Obama Portraits

On a five-stop tour to museums across the country, from their permanent home at the National Portrait Gallery, Kehinde Wiley’s and Amy Sherald’s portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama are spectacular. They will travel from Chicago to Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston – so make a note if you’ll be in or near any of those cities.

I was struck by the diversity of people viewing these portraits, many emotionally moved or just plain giddy to be in their presence. You can download the free Art Institute app for an introduction to The Obama Portraits with commentary from artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald and curator Jordan Carter.

In addition to the portraits, other artwork related to the Obamas was also on view. Two that caught my eye were Jordan Casteel’s painting Barack, painted to accompany a 2020 interview with the former president in The Atlantic, and Alma Thomas’s A Red Display of Fall Leaves. The Obamas were the first White House residents to collect the work of an African American woman artist – Thomas’s Resurrection hung prominently in the Old Family Dining Room, and two more of her works were installed in the family’s private living area.

A Red Display of Fall Leaves ©1972 Alma Thomas This piece was made when Thomas was 81 – the same year she became the first African American woman to receive a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York

Bisa Butler: Portraits

One of the biggest perks of the pandemic was being able to attend Zoom artist talks that I never would have had access to before everything went virtual. Last March I listened to Bisa Butler give the 2021 Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecture at The Center for Design and Material Culture, University of Wisconsin-Madison. You can listen to it too. What a gift that the talk introduced me to Butler’s work, planting the seed to see this exhibition.

Anaya with Oranges, detail This shot gives a better idea of the detail work. Loved that a single sheer fabric with flowers was used to depict her hair.

If you made it this far, thank you — I hope you enjoyed these works as much as I did. And please let me know what exhibits you’ve caught now that we can venture out once again.

“Cape Elizabeth Supper”

When I was growing up, my mother used to save leftovers, no matter how small, and freeze them for later. Eventually there would come a night when she would pull them all out, reheat and serve with a green salad. It was another way she avoided waste and, perhaps more importantly, got a night off from cooking. She jokingly called the culinary mélange “Cape Elizabeth Supper,” in honor of our public high school fundraising potlucks.
In that spirit, I’ve been saving up an assortment of links and announcements to share with you all at once. Think of it as a mid-summer break for both of us.

First the announcements:

A view of “Hidden Messages” Photo: Rosalind Daniels

Many ‘calls for entry’ rely on themes. I generally tend to skip over them since that’s not how I prefer to approach my work and meeting their parameters is often a stretch. However, the premise of Hidden Messages: Old and New at the Chandler Center for the Arts’ Gallery in Randolph, VT was a different story, offering a platform that resonates strongly with both the intention behind several of my pieces – the idea of something “hidden in plain sight” – and the process I used to create them.

Espresso & Peanut Butter ©2018 Elizabeth Fram, Stitched-resist dye and embroidery on silk, 14 x 11 inches. This work is something of an ode to the hidden and often unsung beauty of the quotidian, a fact of life that I have come to more fully appreciate through my regular drawing practice. Photo: Paul Rogers

In coordination with the Surface Design Association, this exhibition features the work of 15 Vermont textile artists who break the boundaries of traditional fiber processes and techniques, infusing their work with underlying layers of meaning. You can view a sampling of the show online but I also hope you’ll consider going to see it in person. It’s a disappointment that I won’t be able to attend the opening reception due to an eagerly anticipated family commitment, but if you go, many of the artists will be there, keen to speak with you about their pieces and the ideas behind them.

The Secrets She Keeps ©2020 Elizabeth Fram, Stitched-resist dye and embroidery on silk, 24 x 18 inches In this reimagined portrait of Barbara van Vlaederberch after a painting by Hans Memling, both the subject and the process used to create it address the idea of unrecognized identity. The sad fact of being visible, yet invisible is something that intrigues me. Unfortunately, it has been a reality for women throughout history. I could find very little information about van Vlaederberch, only that she was married to a prominent citizen of Bruges and had given birth to 18(!) children. You can’t convince me she didn’t have a story to tell. Photo: Paul Rogers

The three works I have on view allude to the idea of “hidden” in different ways conceptually, two of them emphasizing the theme through a multi-step process that involves “losing” a white-on-white stitched drawing within a field of stitched-resist dye and pattern, and then bringing the image back to the surface via a second layer of embroidery using threads in colors that contrast with the dyed background.

House Divided (Mitch and Nancy) ©2021 Elizabeth Fram, Stitched-resist dye and embroidery on silk, 18 x 24 inches. This piece relies on visual metaphor to communicate my point, while navigating between the superficially obvious and hidden layers of meaning through imagery that is symbolic of a deeper idea. Photo: Paul Rogers

Here are the show details:
Hidden Messages: Old and New
July 10 – September 5, 2021
Chandler Gallery at the Chandler Center for the Arts
71 N Main St. Randolph, VT 05060
Opening reception: Saturday July 17th, from 4-7pm
Gallery Hours: Saturdays 12-5, Tues-Fri 11-4 when Chandler Offices are open (look for the Open flag or call 802.728.9878 and press 2), and during Chandler events.

And please note, as part of Hidden Messages, an exhibit of traditional and contemporary quilts are concurrently on display at the White River Craft Center, also in Randolph.

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I recently learned that my piece Until the Bitterness Passes was selected to appear in “From Confrontation to Catharsis”, the 2021 SDA International Exhibition in Print. The full exhibition will be featured in the Fall 2021 issue of the Surface Design Journal.

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©Elizabeth Fram, Embroidery and applique on cotton, 8 x 8 inches.

Last week I finished my contribution for The Violet Protest, which you may remember was a call, created by Ann Morton, for 8″ square works of equal parts red and blue to encourage thought about bringing our differing political factions together rather than continuing to separate them more widely. My square will appear in stack G-3 in the ongoing exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum through September 5. If you will be in Phoenix at some point this summer, I encourage you to go to the museum to view the project before the squares are sent to members of Congress at the end of the year. Or, if that’s not possible, you can get a feel for the scope of the undertaking at @thevioletprotest on Instagram. (My Instagram recommendation for the week).

And now for the promised links:

“The Woman Who Made van Gogh”, a NY Times story by Russell Shorto reveals how Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law is finally recognized as the force who opened the world’s eyes to his genius. If you prefer, you can listen to the full story on The Daily podcast.
Here’s a new take on eco-friendly art restoration. “Send in the Bugs. The Michelangelos Need Cleaning” by Jason Horowitz. Read how scientists and restorers completed a secret experiment by unleashing grime-eating bacteria on the master’s marble masterpieces to remove centuries of filth.
If, like me you are an Alice Neel fan, you will enjoy Erica Ackerberg’s article about the fascinating people who sat for her portraits.
And lastly, in the process of encouraging a friend to visit Benozzo Gozzoli’s fresco Procession of the Magi in the tiny but spectacular Medici Chapel within the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, I came across a wonderful podcast: Rebuilding the Renaissance by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero. In each episode he explores the development of art, architecture, culture and history in Italy. Have your device nearby while you listen so you can look at the works while he discusses them in detail. (In the mood for some armchair travel? Read more about this jewel box chapel and other visual delights in Florence in my 2018 post L’Arte di Firenze).

Color Maps

What is it about grouping colors together that is so enticing? Have you ever left a paint store with only the color chips you came in for? Neither have I.

This is a pretty cramped area to work in so I am planning to expand into another part of my studio. While I didn’t buy any new paints (see below), I did order a new porcelain palette. This old one that I’ve previously used with textile paints is versatile, yet I wanted something with a larger flat area for mixing. After a bit of research, I ended up ordering a rectangular porcelain sushi plate rather than a formal palette. Not only will it fit my work area better, but it doesn’t have paint wells, which were the often-mentioned caveat in review after review of various palettes.

A big part of my attraction to watercolor is the transparent layering of hues, as well as the flow and interaction between them. Pair that appeal with a love for the colors and forms of plants and you have a near perfect recipe for endless exploration.

Showell Fruit and Veg Portraits

Over the years I’ve collected a number of books of painted flora, the vast majority in watercolor. This week I’ve been re-reading Billy Showell’s 2009 book Watercolour Fruit & Vegetable Portraits. Her botanical studies are strikingly accurate while retaining a sense of informality. It’s a given that anyone who writes such a book will spend the first chapter or so going over their chosen materials. Often I’m inclined to skim those sections and move on, but Showell goes a lot deeper than most in discussing her palette, particularly regarding primaries. It’s important information.

I wish I’d thought to do this earlier, but I realized with a bit more of one color or another I could add a sidebar to a swatch to give an indication of it’s range, leaning warm or cool.

For instance, she mentions that there doesn’t seem to be a single paint that is a true primary, so she will mix a cool and a warm version of a color (e.g. Cadmium yellow pale and Cadmium lemon) in order to get as close as possible to a near perfect primary. As you can imagine, this is key info for mixing greens, the mainstay of plant portrayal.

I was impressed with the range of greens I could get and with the added depth in them as the two colors of a given mixture settled somewhat separately as they dried. Genuine Serpentine, in the lower right corner, is the only green straight from the tube.

Before adding any of the colors she recommends to those I already have, I figured I’d see how my current palette stacks up. Not bad, as it turns out. In fact, the range of secondaries I can get from the various primaries I have on hand is pretty impressive. And that doesn’t begin to take into account the full range of color that is possible from any mixture of two colors, depending on how you adjust the percentage of each.
It also turns out that making these little swatches is incredibly relaxing in it’s own right. Give it a try.

The oranges, on the other hand, weren’t quite as varied.

Another watercolorist I’ve long admired and look to for guidance is Charles Reid. His work, unlike Showell’s, is loose and spontaneous, such that it truly celebrates the unique qualities of the medium. He is also a master of the lost and found edge, but that is another discussion.

As I work on my stitched garden paintings this summer, I hope to find a happy medium somewhere between Showell’s skill for description and Reid’s expressiveness. Figuring out how to incorporate each stitched house form, while capitalizing on both those aspects, creates an unexpected bridge between the two.
And while I’m practicing, I will be happily lost in color.

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I finished the puzzle piece mentioned last post and sent it off to the We Are All Connected Art Project. While scrolling through to see the latest pieces added, it was a happy shock to discover that Ai Weiwei had also contributed. My guess is that’s the first and last time I will have any overlap with him, but I’ll take it!

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Watch for more details about this upcoming exhibit in my next post, 2 weeks from now.

Hidden Messages: Old and New at the Chandler Gallery in Randolph, VT • July 10 – September 5, 2021

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Three artists who often share their lovely dye and watercolor swatch work on Instagram are Mirjam Gielen @mirjamtextiles, Rachel Kahn @vermontknitter and Paul Wang @paulwang_sg

Politic (Not Political) Choices

Working on these hybrid garden paintings-with-stitch has given me plenty to think about lately. Not least is how rejuvenating it can be to switch gears and to be firmly planted – no pun intended – in learning-mode for a bit. There are times when I feel I’m burning the candle at both ends by trying to toggle successfully between dyeing, embroidery, drawing (with ink, graphite & colored pencil), and now painting with watercolor. But the larger my grab-bag of processes to choose from, the more flexibility I have. The key is to remember that the most important, though unseen, element is limitation – and to use it judiciously.

Thinking along the same lines of choice, options seem to be opening all around us. This week Vermont became the first state in the country to have passed the 80% vaccination mark, a fact for which we can all be grateful and proud. As Senator Patrick Leahy so aptly noted, our success was due in great part to the bipartisan efforts and cooperation of our state’s leadership.

Politics don’t usually surface in my work, other than in my 2016 post Art as a Responsibility; Art as a Superpower, and my election-centric COVID house “Until The Bitterness Passes”. Overall, I feel I can have more impact by expressing strong opinions directly in letters to Congress, contributing to get-out-the-vote efforts, and never failing to show up on Election Day.

For the most part, art is a refuge for me. I feel I can do the most good for myself and for others by speaking to more intimate, everyday observations rather than using my work as a platform for interpreting or protesting the issues that get under my skin. I have great respect and appreciation for political art but I feel that others are better qualified and more adept in their use of it. And sometimes a quieter statement can have just as much impact for receptive eyes.

Every now and then though something surfaces that registers with both sides of my voice. This month two such projects came to light. The Violet Protest is an avenue you too might consider if, like me, you would like to creatively express your disdain for and frustration with the partisan stagnation in Washington. It offers an opportunity to use your textile skills to contribute (in a very manageable way) to what will be a “colossal visual gesture of friendly protest to every member of the 117th US Congress”. Please read more about the project and its purposeful creative “limitations” here, and be aware that the deadline of August 1, 2021 is coming along quickly!

Another venture in which I was recently invited to participate is the “We Are All Connected Art Project”, spearheaded by Beatricia Sagar. It too speaks to this moment in history. Participants articulate aspects of their COVID experience within the confines of a 3″ puzzle piece. Again, limitations provide possibilities. As individual pieces by diverse artists are joined together, the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts.

The puzzle piece I received to embellish for the “We Are All Connected Art Project”

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Palate cleanser:

Colchester Bat Barn Photo: Ken Picard

After a year of constructing houses balanced on tall legs, it was a treat to happen upon a photo in Seven Days of a monitor barn raised on stilts. In his article in response to a reader’s query of what in the world it might be, Ken Picard supplied the answer: a bat barn. I am totally smitten with it!

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And finally, a couple of visual confections for you:

Where The Sun Shines Every Day Pip & Pop

Where The Sun Shines Every Day © 2021 Pip & Pop, Installation: Sugar, modeling clay, polyurethane foam, crystals, gems, glitter, artificial plants, beads, pompoms & various craft materials. Room-size installation 22′ x 26′ x 9’10”

I made my first in-person gallery visit recently to the BCA Gallery in Burlington and it was the perfect “first”! Their current exhibit “Bubblegum Pop“ joyfully captures the uplifting sense of release that accompanies reemerging after so many months of uncertainty and lockdown.

Lastly, Raku Inoue’s floral imaginations will delight and inspire you. Instagram: @reikan_creations

Marking Time

If there’s such a thing as visual euphoria, it’s the garden coming back to life again in all its glorious colors and textures. The early season vibrance of azaleas is beyond stunning after a long Vermont winter.

For those who have followed me faithfully here, you will recognize color as a recurrent early summer theme. How could it not be? With the lupines now out and irises just beginning to pop, I am reminded of this post from a couple of years ago, exalting a landscape immersed in purple and blue – my favorite.

Lately I’ve been noticing that the variety of greens on the hills and mountains that surround us are more vivid than ever. As summer wears on, the leaves will mature, becoming increasingly monochromatic, but for now their wide spectrum from warm to cool, offset by scattered reds and pinks, is pure visual pleasure. The sight is a post-winter reward.

May 18, First Color ©2021 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor and stitch on paper, 5 x 5 inches. I have been meaning to get back to watercolor for ages. This is a rusty first stab after a long break but, as with everything, practice is all. It’s such a pleasurable activity; time just melts away in pools of color.

Digging deeper, it is the constant change of the seasons upon a set structure (mountain) or template (garden) that I find endlessly interesting.

May 18, detail ©2021 Elizabeth Fram One can only learn by doing. By matching the colors of thread in the stitched house so closely to those of the paint below, I think the image melts just a bit too much into the background. The aim was to have it be like a good conversationalist, holding its own without either monopolizing or fading into obscurity. The results seem to lean more toward the latter the further you get from the piece. But maybe that’s good? An unexpected surprise upon close inspection?

With that in mind, I’m beginning a new project this summer, both as a break from months steeped in COVID-centric houses (although I haven’t released the house shape yet), and also as a creative stretch. I’m looking to combine paint with stitch, and what better inspiration could one ask for than the ever-evolving flora that has suddenly taken center stage once again?

The painting before stitching; the marks that outline the house are visible underneath the painting.

The core idea I am grappling to articulate relates to structure, within the garden or even, perhaps, in the larger landscape. Inspired generally by Piet Oudolf (designer of Manhattan’s High Line and Chicago’s Lurie Garden in Millennium Park) and particularly by the Red Garden designed by Jack Lenor Larsen at his LongHouse Reserve, I am thinking about constancy amid change – and even the constancy of change. I don’t quite know yet how this will pan out, you are seeing my very first steps. There are bound to be lots of stops and starts as I figure out where I’m headed, but for now it’s enough to embark on something fresh.

And since I’ve brought you into a garden headspace, here’s another resource, especially if you’re out and about in the area:
Elizabeth Billings is currently doing an artist residency at three of the Nature Conservancy’s natural areas in Vermont. She is creating intentional contemplative spaces under the title “Together: Nature Unites Us”. She has been posting about it on Instagram.

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Summer reading:

Oudolf Hummelo – A Journey Through A Plantsman’s Life

Head Games

Beginning to feel like I had hit a wall this spring, and hoping to make some headway (no pun intended), I signed up for an online drawing anatomy class through Sktchy in March.

@2021 Elizabeth Fram

This particular course concentrates specifically on the head. It is divided into separate lessons that go over the skeletal and muscular systems of each feature (eyes, nose, mouth & ears), the skull, and surface anatomy. The teacher is a medical illustrator who covers the material in great detail, referencing her own layered and labeled drawings using Procreate. She draws simultaneously as she explains each feature.

@2021 Elizabeth Fram

Every lesson is followed by a real-time portrait study/demonstration reiterating what we just learned. I’ve found it helpful to draw along with her, listening as I work. I seem to absorb the info much better that way.

@2021 Elizabeth Fram

How often do we really look at the faces of those we know and love? The human face is such a rich landscape of information. With other subjects my focus often shifts back and forth between recognizably portraying the object(s) and sliding into an abstraction of shapes and placement. But every time I draw a face I can’t help but get lost in the details. Empathy is always looking over my shoulder, reminding me of the potential depths lying beneath the surface and the ever-present similarities in our differences.

If you’re interested, the class is “Drawing Anatomy with Tiffany S. DaVanzo: Learn How to Draw the Human Face from the Inside Out”. Most of the lessons are between 30-45 minutes long.
As an aside, she really knows her way around the Procreate program, which was fascinating to watch in and of itself. Yikes – another rabbit hole one could very easily drop into and become lost within! I know some of you must have experience with Procreate. I’d love to hear your thoughts – pro or con – and how you rate the size of the learning curve.

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As you might imagine, I have quite a variety of sketchbooks, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. For the drawings shown here, I’ve been using an 8.5″ x 11″ Crescent RendR. I like the size — big enough to not feel constrained, but not so large as to be unwieldy. It has a soft cover, so is relatively lightweight, and the paper is very smooth, similar to hot press. It is advertised as “no show thru”, meaning that ink of any sort won’t bleed through to the back side of a page. My Tombow pens have proven that to be true. Since I’ve been using graphite with these drawings, I’m much more interested in the smooth surface, the heft of each page and the fact that a kneadable eraser removes lines cleanly and without any surface abrasion. The one caveat is the paper has a slight grey cast, which I think is due to whatever it is that makes it “no show thru”. Because of this, photos of drawings made with a hard lead can appear under-exposed. That doesn’t seem to be an issue with scanning — although you can definitely see the cool slant of the paper in the images above. All in all, the advantages win out over that one downside, so I’m happily filling up the pages of my book.

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My Instagram share this week also falls in the portrait drawing arena.
I’m always captivated by the gestural and complicated work of Graceina Samosir who packs a lot of punch and information into every drawing. @graceinasamosir

Every Day The Same

As I sit here at my desk and look out the window, I feel like I’m in a crow’s nest. I can see the top of our blooming magnolia and the many leaf buds that have started to pop almost overnight on the deciduous trees. It’s an indication of the steady progress we are making, despite the fact that it’s still necessary to wear several cozy layers both indoors and out.

Chickadees reliably take up residence each year in the purple-roofed birdhouse (just to the left of the magnolia) that is a spot of color throughout the year.

A sense of metamorphosis is filtering through to the studio as well. Although not technically difficult to execute, my latest house piece has taken much longer to come together than it should have, perhaps a symptom that I need to switch gears for the time being.

How fortunate for me that my father gave me two miter vises from his workshop when he and my mother were clearing out their house to move to smaller digs.

With spring’s arrival and the ever-widening spread of vaccinations, COVID is loosening its grip here in Vermont. The resulting sense of liberation calls for change, prodding me to explore other ideas that have been brewing on the proverbial back burner for a while now.

I used the same dye bath for both the raw silk that covers the tiny house and the organza that is yet to be stretched over the medium-sized house frame. Since the dye itself becomes progressively weaker with each dip, I was able to get the medium value of blue I was going for — dark enough to show through the final layer of undyed organza, but not so dark as to obscure the smaller house within it.

“Every Day The Same” became the working title for this piece long before it was anything but a fleeting idea in my sketchbook. As the weeks of winter wore on, my routine was just that — a predictable daily schedule with little variation, signifying both the safety and the tedium of a habitual existence. Can you relate?

Various stages of house building. The smallest is finished, the medium one is painted and ready for the organza panels to be sewn together and stretched over it, and the large frame is still raw wood, ready for its first coat of paint.

Concentric houses represent both the overall repetition of that routine, as well as the layers of self that many of us have become better acquainted with in our isolation. That said, in the absence of life’s usual interruptions, this has also been a time of unparalleled richness, allowing for much learning, growth and productivity. I feel this piece can be viewed in two ways depending on your perspective: as a moving inward toward a greater remove, or as an expansion outward in an expression of evolution.

Hard as it is for me to believe, this is the 18th in my COVID house series. Beginning with “Relative Distance”, the invitational piece created for the Sheltering in Place project at the Highland Center for the Arts last summer, little did I realize how that piece would spur a series that would carry me through the many months to follow.

This series has been an undertaking of a specific point in time, lending a sense of solace and of connection during a period when both were sorely needed. I don’t think it’s being overly dramatic to say that that is the power of art.

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I’m pleased to share that my piece “The Secrets She Keeps” (detail in the banner above) was selected to be part of the Surface Design Association’s exhibition The Bones of Building, curated by Mo Kelman. The show can be viewed online. As noted in its introduction, the structural “bones” of the 20 pieces exhibited are evident, such that they provide not only the physical architecture of the work, but are central to the expressive nature of each piece.

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Symbolism and its use by artists to convey underlying messages is always intriguing, which is why this article from The Guardian caught my eye last weekend. It discusses how clues left by portrait painter Hans Holbein the Younger have led art historian Franny Moyle to suspect that a painting long-thought to have been of Henry VIII’s wife Catherine Howard, may actually depict his wife Anne of Cleves.

Moyle’s research on the subject will be featured in her new book The King’s Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein. While the book won’t be released here in the US until October 5, 2021, you can listen to a preview — 5 excerpts read from it on “Book of the Week” on the BBC Sounds podcast this week. Episodes will be available for 30 days from the first day of broadcast.

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Instagram of the Week

Benoît Averly aptly describes his sculpture as a mixture of texture, repetitive patterns, simple shapes and quiet balance — all qualities I find irresistible.

Down The Rabbit Hole

In looking for new subjects to draw, I’ve been seeking out photos of my artistic heroes. With very little effort, one can find some pretty remarkable images online.

Admittedly, searching in this way can become a bit of a rabbit hole if you aren’t careful. It’s easy to get caught up in unanticipated articles and links. Yet perusing these old photos also offers a tiny peek into the person behind the giant — a touchstone more intimate than critical essays and curatorial art-speak can offer.

As far as practicing my drawing is concerned, the fact that the majority of these resources are black and white plays to my advantage. Their lack of color gives me the opportunity to stretch by adding and working with various hues as I see fit, pushing the limits of what I know so far.

I’m coming to recognize that, even when using a photographic reference, drawing facial features is an exercise in empathy. Unlike a still life, there is a human being behind the shapes and forms one is diligently trying to capture. Alice Neel stated that she was painting her subjects’ souls in addition to their bodies. While I’m still working on more rudimentary levels of portrayal, I do find myself thinking about the person I am drawing, wondering how a conversation might unfold and what I might learn if I were lucky enough to have any of these heroes actually sitting in front of me.

YouTube, it turns out, can be a pretty decent substitute by providing the opportunity to hear artists (at least those from the 20th & 21st centuries) speak for themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed this 1978 video of Neel. She reminds me of my grandmother in many ways — partly because they were born around the same time and Neel’s look with the hat and chunky necklace is very reminiscent of the elder ladies in my family as I was growing up. But beyond that, also like my grandmother, Neel’s confidence and down to earth tell-it-like-it-was attitude captured in this interview is endearingly human.

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I have great admiration for reportage illustrators and have written about them before. For court illustrator Jane Rosenberg, the Derek Chauvin trial in times of COVID presented a far steeper set of challenges than I am experiencing in just trying to keep up a regular practice. It was interesting to see the results of her labors and to read about her experience in this New York Times article. The New York Post published a much deeper article about her career last September, as she remembered “40 years of legendary bad guys”.

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Instagram of the Week

Lara Blanchard is a multi-disciplinary French artist who makes embroidered etchings and textile-based sculptures. That description doesn’t begin to do her work justice. It is both fantastic and fantastical; be sure to check out her Instagram feed @laraorsolupa.