Lisa Call

Home #55
©2010 Lisa Call
6″ x 6″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$190 + shipping

Purchase Home #55 with a single payment:

Purchase Home #55 with 3 monthly payments of $64 each

New Art

I’m excited about Home #55 above, as in addition to sporting my newly rediscovered old hand painted fabrics, I did some free motion quilting on the textile painting. Something I haven’t done in years.

The free motion quilting I’ve done is called stipple quilting. You can’t see it in the photo above as it’s black thread on black (in the background) and the light in my studio isn’t very good in the evening for photos – so I’ll add a detail shot to my blog tomorrow when I have better light.

Stipple quilting is an organic line that meanders about the space, never crossing itself. I felt the organic quilt line in the back ground would compliment the print in the fabric nicely and it does look great.

What fun to revisit old techniques I haven’t used in years.

And chartreuse with black and white. What could be better than that?

I just finished this little piece and I also just finished quilting Dream #40 (photo of completed textile painting coming soon) so now it’s back to Structures #112 in the studio tomorrow.

Landscaping

Today I met with the landscape architect and we talk about a final revision I want in the plan. With this change (well – depending on what he does to the drawing) I think it will finally feel right.

I’m looking forward to moving on to phase 2 of this project – ie actually doing the work. Can you imagine? Getting to go outside of your house and sit down and enjoy the outdoors.

I’ve felt fairly trapped in my house because I have no landscaping. It’s not bad in the winter but during the summer it drives me a bit mad.

It’s help that this year I’m running – so I’m outside more. But I do need to get out and hike to enjoy more of the glorious Colorado summer. Maybe this weekend.

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 #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
Discounted prices good through January 2nd, 2010
Purchase Here

Reminder

Today is the last day for a discount on the Dream series. See all available artwork here: South African Impressions.

Later today I’ll put up my post with my 100 accomplishements for 2009. Running behind on posts as I’m working a lot in my studio and relaxing with my kids during their break.

Dream #14
©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
SOLD

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
Discounted prices good through January 2nd, 2010
Purchase Here

Dream #10
©2009 Lisa Call
3.5″ x 2.5″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
Mounted on stretched canvas
$40 $28 + shipping
Discounted prices good through January 2nd, 2010
Purchase Here

Resting

I’ve put in a huge number of hours in the studio and on the art business the last few weeks. I’m nearing 1/2 way done on the big deadline coming up in July so my brain took a vacation.

Last night I watched a movie with my daughter that on a scale of 1-10 was maybe a 1. Tonight I watched Mall Cop, which maybe doesn’t even make it to 1 on that scale. This is serious “lisa needs a break” time.

Tomorrow I’ll be back to making art and dyeing fabric cause this deadline isn’t going to go away.

Living with Art

In the meantime here are some images of more ways to display small art and a small sampling of the art in my house:

My bulletin board – the aceo in the lower left hand corner was made by Jessica Torrant. Around it are my journey blessings from Journey Juju. The card to the right is from Sandy Woock (a brilliant textile artist who has a new blog). The postcard is of art by Charles Waller. The dream catcher was made by my mom (who is very talented but has no website).

There are also fortunes from fortune cookies on there, some photos of rocks (one sent to me by my sister), a card from a hospital with 101 ways to praise a child, and a few quotes I like: “You can be right or you can be free” and “I won’t let anything into my life I don’t absolutely love”.

I have a bulletin board above this one that ends up with the more practical things that people put on bulletin boards – like the recycling pick up schedule. Although it seems to have more art than life management stuff on it also.
 

This is Lines #28, a small 3″x3″ textile painting stitched to canvas, posing in front of some old glass insulators, which came from Kansas from my grandparents – they are way cool. These little artworks on stretched canvas are great cause they can stand up on their own or be hung on a wall.

Lines #28 is available here: Lines #28.
 

This is Lines #23, another piece mounted on stretched canvas. The plant in this photo is a favorite meal for my cats so adding a bit of color to the scene maybe hides the bit marks.

These glass bottles are from my sister and the lava rocks (which probably have a more technical name) are from New Zealand. I brought a lot of rocks home from New Zealand – they’ve got really good ones.

Lines #23 is available for purchase here: Lines #23.

Two small pieces by Tina Mammoser, a purple aceo and an orange 5″ horizons. I love them both and see them daily as they sit next to my clock in my bedroom.
 

This is a larger context for where they live. That is Structures #44 on the wall. To the right is a howling coyote my mom’s husband made for me many years ago (Fred was also very talented) sitting next to a pinecone I long since forgot where it came from but I’ve had it forever so it must mean something.

And here is Lines #31 hanging out with some plants on top of my piano. I love having little spots of color about my house. (these aloe plants are babies from my big aloe that seems to generate more new plants than I know what to do with – like zucchini it seems – want some?).Lines #31 is available here: Lines #31.

Home #5
©2008
10.5" x 8"
Sold

The Paradox

I read an interesting article the other day:

In a survey of attitudes toward artists in the US a vast majority of Americans, 96%, said they were greatly inspired by various kinds of art and highly value art in their lives and communities. But the data suggests a strange paradox.

While Americans value art, the end product, they do not value what artists do. Only 27% of respondents believe that artists contribute “a lot” to the good of society.

Further interview data from the study reflects a strong sentiment in the cultural community that society does not value art making as legitimate work worthy of compensation. Many perceive the making of art as a frivolous or recreational pursuit.

That doesn’t sound very promising does it. Making art is not worthy of compensation? So which came first – artists/curators/etc thinking that art is for art and not commerce? Or society thinking artists don’t deserve to be paid for what they do? I have no answers – just interesting things to think about.

The entire (and short) article is on the United States Artists website: An American Paradox.

Part of the Solution?

The mission of this organization, United States Artists, is to invest in America’s finest artists and illuminate the value of artists to society. Closing the gap between perceived value of art and artists will take work on many fronts.

In my mind, the making of smaller accessible art for everyone has a place in that effort. I think many Americans feel they can not afford art and so they never think about buying it so the idea that one might want to pay someone for it doesn’t really sink in.

If they could own the art themselves and see it each day in their home, the value of the artist’s creative effort might become more obvious. Or at least that’s my current theory.

What do you think?

Home #5

The newest of my textile paintings inspired by the building of the new studio. I was working on this piece as they were putting on the roof last Wednesday and finished it yesterday (along with several other small pieces that still need to be photographed). As with all the new small art, it’s available for purchase on my Update: It’s sold – but there is more small artwork available here: small art for sale webpage.

This piece is not mounted on canvas as it’s very hard for me to predict how large the houses are going to turn out. I haven’t mastered the diagonals quite enough for that. So it came out to be a bit too large for the 6″ canvases. So this piece is designed to be hung directly on the wall and comes ready to hang with a board in the back for hanging it on the wall with 2 small nails.

I’ll be doing a post about how to hang textile art sometime in the next few weeks with photos, as I think it’s probably not so obvious unless you’ve seen it before.

ACEO #3    ©2007 Lisa Call    3.5" x 2.5"

 
Yesterday I completed all of the quillows for my daughter to sell. It was a full day in front of the sewing machine and it feels great to have that chore finished. I still need to construct 3 pillows for her store, which I’ll do first thing this morning and then finally I can get back to my work in the studio.

About a month ago I started a new large Markings piece and it’s been languishing on my design wall underneath quillows and small pieces for the Arvada Holiday Art Market. Today after a quick studio cleaning I plan to complete the construction of the design.

Finally back to making work because I want to make it, not because I have to for some deadline. This is the time in the studio I enjoy the most. No pressure. I make the art I want to and I don’t worry about what it’s for and if anyone (other than me) will like it. Too bad there is no money in such activities. Marketing….. I thought I’d get to some of that this week, didn’t happen. With my kids in town only 1 more week before their 3 month trip to Spain, hanging out with them is the highest priority for now.

 
The above photo is the last of the 3 Original Art Cards (ie ACEO) I made this summer. I first posted about Art Cards a few months ago. ACEO #3 was inspired by the Structures work that is composed of many blocks with this structure. I posted images of these pieces in this post.

I’m not sure if I’ll make any more small art cards at this point, I’m pondering my goals for 2008 in my head these days and so far I haven’t hit upon a desire to focus on this type of work. It was fun but I enjoy making larger work more. Maybe I’ll do 2 or 3 a year based on a few pieces made during the year. We’ll see how it goes.

This art card is available or $20 (includes shipping). If you are interested in purchasing the piece you can leave a comment here or send me email. Sold

 

Back Side of ACEO #3

 
ACEO stands for “art cards, editions and originals”. Originally known as ATC, Artist Trading Card, and are traded between artists. When sold to the public they are referred to as ACEOs. The primary rule for an ACEO or ATC is they be 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ – the size of a trading card. They are created in many different mediums and are collectible, trade able and affordable art for everyone.

ACEO #2, Inspired by Structures #78    ©2007 Lisa Call    3.5" x 2.5"

 
Today I took my mom to the airport, my kids are at their dads for a week so it’s time to get things in order and get back to my studio. I stayed focused yesterday and got most of my day-job work done so I only have a few hours to put in, which I plan to put off until sunday evening. I paid bills and got my art finances up to date this morning so it’s time to head to my studio and get back to work.

I had hoped I would be getting on a plane today and heading out to NYC for the opening of The Blogger Show but my plan of waiting until the last minute weekend fares to snag a cheap flight didn’t work. There were no cheap flights to be had from Denver to anywhere near NY. So I will miss the event and will have to be content reading the reviews by the numerous bloggers participating.

 
The above photo is the second of the 3 Original Art Cards (ie ACEO) I made this summer. I first posted about Art Cards a month ago although it seems like just a few days. ACEO #2 was inspired by the small work I showed a few weeks back, Structures #78.

This art card is available or $20 (includes shipping). If you are interested in purchasing the piece you can leave a comment here or send me email. Update – the work has been sold and is no longer available.

 

Back Side of ACEO #2

 
ACEO stands for “art cards, editions and originals”. Originally known as ATC, Artist Trading Card, and are traded between artists. When sold to the public they are referred to as ACEOs. The primary rule for an ACEO or ATC is they be 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ – the size of a trading card. They are created in many different mediums and are collectible, trade able and affordable art for everyone.

ACEO from Structures #48    ©2007 Lisa Call    3.5" x 2.5"

 
I made the above ACEO with a left over section from Structures #48, shown in the previous post.

 
ACEO stands for “art cards, editions and originals”. Originally known as ATC, Artist Trading Card, and are traded between artists. When sold to the public they are referred to as ACEOs. The primary rule for an ACEO or ATC is they be 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ – the size of a trading card. They are created in many different mediums and are collectible, trade able and affordable art for everyone.

 
My original thought was to sell ACEOs on etsy but my enthusiasm for that project didn’t last long. I put quite a bit of time and energy into my etsy shop doing internal promotion and even joined a couple of etsy street teams. I made 2 sales from my shop, both from people that knew me from outside of etsy. Lots of nice comments about my work from within etsy but no sales. I think my prices don’t fit into the cheaper pricing structure of much of etsy. It was an interesting experiment but not one I will pursue once my listings expire.

Etsy just didn’t feel like the right fit for me. First problem is I really can’t get over the name of the place, it really bothers me for some reason. Second was I felt like I was selling my work at a craft fair and while there is nothing wrong with craft fairs, that is not the venue I envision for my work.

When I restructure my website I plan to include prices for my small works to sell directly from my website. I believe that etsy isn’t going to bring me buyers. They are just providing a store front so paying a fee to a 3rd party for a place to host my images doesn’t make sense for my needs, especially if I’m competing against a bunch of folks that seriously undercut my prices.
 

The above ACEO is available for $20 (includes shipping). Sold – thanks Kit!

I made 2 or 3 other ACEOs and I will get them photographed and on my blog over the next few weeks. They were fun to make but pretty time consuming so I’m not sure I’ll make many more. It’s a very small format and quite a challenge for me. I was thinking about trying something in the 5" x 7" size range but it’ll be a few months before I have time to experiment as I have some show deadlines coming up.

 
It was my post about pokemon cards the other day that prompted me to remember I made these little art trading cards. I spent hours and hours mailing out trading cards. Sadly many of those little pieces of cardboard were sold for much higher prices than my original art work. The most impressive profit we turned was to head to toysRus one day and stand in line for 20 minutes to get a much anticipated promotional Mew card. I turned around and sold mine that week on ebay for $50. Not bad pay for standing around.
 

ACEOs – the pokemon cards for artists!

Back Side of ACEO: