Lisa Call

Home #50 (informed by Home #13)
©2010 Lisa Call
3.5" x 2.5"
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Sold

Adventures in Oil

I just had a fabulous weekend.

Although I intended to make much art, I didn’t. I intended to do much work on my art business, I didn’t do that either.

Instead I connected with several amazing female friends through out the weekend. I’ll be writing a blog post about connections and friends in my removing obstacle’s series soon, but this isn’t that. Just a quick weekend update, as it was fabulous to talk, walk, paint, eat and laugh with these women.

Above is a mini textile painting recently completed.

And below is a 6″ oil painting I made this weekend – similar colors and motif, different medium.

This was my second attempt at painting with oils with my fabulous friend Amy. [this is our first oil adventure a few years back]

I still know nothing about painting with oils, other than we need paint, oil and brushes. Beyond that we just went for it again. Although this time on much smaller canvases.

I found I enjoyed it much much more, instead of trying to cover a big old canvas with paint I could think more about what I was painting as I only had a small space to fill in.

Some day I might learn something about painting, but in the mean time we plan on having fun.

This was about having a joyful afternoon with a friend.

Untitled
©2010 Lisa Call
6" x 6"
Oil paint on canvas

Making Progress

I’m a week and a half into my 7 weeks of intense studio time as I prepare for my upcoming solo show.

I have 4 large textile paintings basted and ready for quilting and a 5th in design. I’ve started quilting the first piece, the one I’ve selected for the show postcard, and things are going well. I’m mostly on track and think I will meet my schedule.

Things can become quite a mess when working this much, as is evidence by my work table above. I know, not really all that messy, but for me it is, as normally I keep table tops clear. When things are organized I’m more efficient and I think more creative. I don’t waste energy finding things so I can use it all for creating art.

Save The Date

My solo show will run Feb 17 – March 17 at Macky Gallery in Boulder. The gallery is only open 9-4 on Wednesdays and to ticketed patrons of the Macky Auditorium.

Best chance to see the show will be at my opening – February 21 from 1-4pm. I’ll be giving a gallery talk at 2pm during the opening.

Mark your calendars now and more information will be coming with directions and parking info.

Number 101

I intended to include on my list of 100 accomplishments of 2009 my winning of the award for The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of the Year from Making a Mark but somehow forgot.

Thank you Katherine for the award. I love my new studio and so glad you loved all the photos of the construction.

Making a Mark is the most amazing and mouth watering blog by Katherine Tyrrell – if you are an artist and aren’t reading this blog you are missing out. It is a huge honor to be included in this years award winners.

Dream #13
©2009 Lisa Call
6″ x 6″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$275 $170 + shipping
Purchase Here

Project Completed

I’m very happy to announce that the South African Impressions project is completed. I love making this artwork and now I’m enjoying sharing it and very much appreciate everyone positive comments about the series.

You can see all 35 pieces of the artwork on this page: South African Impressions.

Everyone that prepurchased artwork has selected their their piece (except Karin – I seem to be unable to get ahold of you – please email me if you see this) and I’m in the process of shipping out the last pieces.

The remaining work (of which there are some of my favorite pieces in this group, like the Dream #13 above) is now available for purchase.

I’ve decided to keep them at their pre-purchase price until January 2nd so if you are interested in owning one of textile paintings in the Dream series now is an excellent time to purchase one.

The remaining 16 textile paintings:

Six Inches Square – Mounted on Stretched Canvas

Dream #2
©2009 Lisa Call
6″ x 6″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$275 $170 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #24
©2009 Lisa Call
6″ x 6″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$275 $170 + shipping
Purchase Here

Four Inches Square – Mounted on Stretched Canvas

Dream #3
©2009 Lisa Call
4″ x 4″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$125 $78 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #5
©2009 Lisa Call
4″ x 4″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$125 $78 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #15
©2009 Lisa Call
4″ x 4″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$125 $78 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #16
©2009 Lisa Call
4″ x 4″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$125 $78 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #26
©2009 Lisa Call
4″ x 4″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
SOLD

Three Inches Square – Mounted on Stretched Canvas

Dream #7
©2009 Lisa Call
3″ x 3″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$75 $46 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #18
©2009 Lisa Call
3″ x 3″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$75 $46 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #28
©2009 Lisa Call
3″ x 3″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$75 $46 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #30
©2009 Lisa Call
3″ x 3″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$75 $46 + shipping
Purchase Here

ACEOS (Art Cards)

Dream #9
©2009 Lisa Call
3.5″ x 2.5″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
$40 $28 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #10
©2009 Lisa Call
3.5″ x 2.5″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
$40 $28 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #20
©2009 Lisa Call
3.5″ x 2.5″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
$40 $28 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #22
©2009 Lisa Call
3.5″ x 2.5″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
$40 $28 + shipping
Purchase Here

Dream #1 – Dream #35
©2009 Lisa Call
Textile Paintings (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)

Done!

This morning I finished uploading the images for the South African Impressions project and created a webpage to display them: South African Impressions.

Feels GREAT to have accomplished this task and now comes a very fun part of the project – contacting the folks that pre-purchased some of the artwork so they can select the textile painting they’d like to own. I’m contacting folks in the order they purchased the art so if you bought a piece of art and haven’t heard from me yet, you will soon, so start thinking about which piece you’d like.

If you didn’t prepurchase one and now would like one there will be several available and I’ll let everyone know when prices are posted and paypal buttons are up. I’ve had several inquires – so thank you!

What’s Next

I have a bit of work left attaching the textile paintings to the canvases and anticipate I’ll complete that task in the next day or so. Then there is the shipping and paperwork that goes along with the creation of new artwork.

I have a few hanging sleeves to get on artwork headed to shows soon that I’ll tackle this weekend also.

Then the big studio clean up. I’m going to get the last design walls up, finish up some painting and in 2009 I will declare my new studio COMPELTE (for new readers – I built a new studio this year and the last 6 months I’ve stalled on the last 1% of the work – time to remedy that).

By middle of next week I will have things dusted off and the studio in great shape it’ll be time to start the new artwork for my solo show – which opens in February. Seriously tight deadline but I’m excited to get started.

PS – I’ll also be sending out my studio newsletter saturday or sunday as promised. If you aren’t already on the list you can join here: Studio Newsletter Signup

Dream #23 and Dream #24 (in progress)
6″ x 6″ each
Textile Paintings in South African Impressions Project

The Art That Had to Be

This weekend as I was putting labels on the South African Impressions textile paintings I became overwhelmed with the need to make 2 additional pieces in the series. I had been trying to ignore this desire for a few days but as things were wrapping up it didn’t feel right without a 2 of the house themes in the 6″ size. I had these in my head and they had to be made.

Sometimes art is like that, it simply insists on being made and I can’t ignore it until I’ve created the image that keeps appearing in my head.

I have about an hour of stitching left on these 2 final art quilts and then I’m back to the plan of photographing and up on the website so they can find their new owners.

Newsletter

As I’ve worked in my studio on a fairly consistent basis this past week I have noticed a profound change in my attitude. Much more positive and forward thinking. Things are definitely shifting back to the positive place where I was sitting 6 months ago.

After I get this artwork published on my website and and start contacting the buyers, I’m going to write and email out my final studio newsletter for the year.

If you aren’t a subscriber but would like to be you can subscribe here .

South African Impressions – The Discount

About half of the new Dream textile paintings were prepurchased prior to my trip to South Africa.

I am still offering the discount on prepurchased South African Impressions textile paintings for about another week. The timing of my newsletter will determine the final end date of the sale.

This is a chance to own my artwork at lower prices and with payments spread out over 2 months if desired. For example: my ACEOs (2.5″ x 3.5″ art cards) normally sell for $40. The ACEOs in the Dream series are currently priced at $28. The 6″x6″ paintings (like the 2 above), normally priced at $275 are available for just 2 payments of $85 each.

Details here: South African Impressions Project

Textile Paintings in South African Impressions Project

A Name

I’ve been pondering what I will name the series of textile paintings that I’m doing for the South African Impressions project for months. I’ve wanted a name that captured my feelings about my month long vacation in South Africa but also captured my thoughts about the country.

The word that finally came to me as appropriate is Dream.

The overwhelming feeling that struck me about South Africa was the spirit of the country. Yes, there are some serious challenges ahead, but the what I mostly felt was hope and opportunity. It appeared to me the people in South Africa are dreaming about a future while also healing from a difficult past.

On a more personal level, the trip to South Africa was a dream come true to be able to travel for a month and enjoy the people, cultures and landscapes of South Africa. And it was more than that, when I think back on my trip I think about my future and the amazing things that I can plan and do next.

So each of the 30+ textile paintings in this series will be named Dream #__.

Progress

I’m making steady progress on the work and by the end of today I will have the stitching done. Tomorrow I’ll paint the stretched canvases and start mounting the little textiles to the canvas. Saturday will be photography and website update day.

Above is the last grouping of little quilts that I’m stitching. I love them all grouped together.

House Inspired Textile Paintings in South African Impressions Project

Houses

This weekend I finalized the last design for my South African Impressions textile paintings: Houses. Fits right in with my Home Series.

I loved the houses in South Africa (some photos here). The colors, the lines and shapes. They were so simple and powerful and beautiful.

I’ve been pondering for a few months how to represent this simple elegance in my textile art. After much doodling and sketching I decided to go with a very simple design. Above are the first 2 art cards in the grouping.

I’ve got another dozen that are just about done, the stitching on these is taking a bit longer than anticipate with the little doors and windows. And its definitely worth the effort – I’m loving how these are turning out.

Back in the Saddle

My post on MakeBigArt on saturday could easily have been appropriate for this blog also as it’s a fairly personal look at the last 4-5 months where I’ve done very little studio work and my thoughts about getting back to work. It’s all about mindsets – and looking for a positive mindset to get back on track.

You can read that post here: Success is Getting Back in the Saddle

Current Progress: Textile Paintings in the South African Impressions Project

Progress!

I’ve now completed nearly 20 of the small textile paintings for my South African Inspiration Project. Only the house inspired pieces are remaining and I am going to complete those this weekend.

It’s taken so much longer than I would have liked and when I reflect back upon why I don’t like all the answers I come up with. But I accept that what was going on in my life was necessary, not just the disruption with moving my mom to live in Denver, but other things happening in my life.

Refocus

My mom is now settled and I’m now ready to recommit to my studio schedule – 20 hours a week or more (and very likely much more as my solo show is fast approaching in February).

I’m also going to refocus on my blog and studio newsletter as I have missed the communication and connection with everyone.

To that end, after writing my first blog post on makebigart when I finish this post, I am going to turn my computer off for the weekend. No twitter or facebook or email or watching hulu or wasting time just staring at the screen doing nothing of significance.

Time to start doing again.

The First 10 Textile Paintings in the South African Impressions Project

Making Progress

I’m not sure where the last 2 weeks went but I apparently didn’t write any blog posts. I did spend some time in my studio and have 10 small textile paintings nearing completion for the South African Impressions Project.

Another hour or 2 and these ones will be completed. I intend on making 30 small pieces in this series and plan on completing them by the end of the month. For those that have pre-purchased a piece expect and email from me within 2 weeks for details.

For those that didn’t prepurchase – you still can as I haven’t had the time to change the webpage with the payment info, which is here: South African Impressions. I presold this artwork prior to my trip South Africa at a fairly significant discount.

You can still get the discount if you reserve a piece soon. Because it is taking about a month longer than anticipated I will not be charging shipping to anyone that purchased a piece prior to September.

Mom Update

My mom is now settled into her new apartment and things are going well. This weekend my brother and sister and I will be heading to Kansas to empty her house and get it on the market. My sister and I will be driving a 22′ truck back across Kansas with all her furniture. Woohoo – I can hardly wait. (eek!)

This means there will likely not be another blog update for a few weeks. But once this move is done things should be settling down and getting back to normal around here.

South African Impressions

This morning I finished another larger composition for the South African Impressions project, the third on in the series to date. Like the first piece, this one is kinda sort of landscapey.

The original inspiration is the bushveld of South Africa, lots of grass and short scrubby trees. This piece is about 26″ x 20″.

In addition to working on this design, which will still need to be quilted. I completed the first of the 3″x3″ textile paintings. It will be mounted on a small stretched canvas before arriving at it’s new home.

It was good to feel a sense of completion and get this small piece quilted as the stitching adds the much loved texture to my work.

Not Yet Titled
©2009 Lisa Call
3" x 3"
Textile Painting mounted on stretched canvas

Names

I’ve yet to come up with the titles for this body of work and I’m sure something will eventually strike me as appropriate. So for now they are all untitled.

Misc News

The Fiber Arts Telesummit that I mentioned a few weeks back has been canceled. They are going to reschedule but I’m not sure I will participate. I think I will instead offer a series of teleseminars on social media and blogging for artists through my new project Make Big Art.

When I get my mom settled I refocus on makebigart.com, so look for that in coming months.

Today I received my very gracious rejection letter from Art Quilt Elements. Bummer. I was a bit sad but I don’t let it stop me. Congrats to all that did get in.

So I’m starting to feel like an artist again – rejection, studio time, blogging, thinking about make big art again. Yay!