What's Happening in the Studio

After a long summer of moving to our first home, the studio is up and running.  Here are a few snapshots of what I'm currently working on.  There are two potential bodies of work starting now.  The first are what I'm calling "pennant drawings".  They're constructed from torn segments of other drawings and collage material. 

It takes a considerable amount of time to make the fragments.  I'm asking myself a lot of questions right now: do the fragments need to be hand drawn?  By me?  What content/effect does having collage material from old magazines offer?  How can I make these bigger?  Are they a timeline or record?  This idea started with a series of drawings from summer of 2008 that were combined.  Here's how they looked individually:

 

 And then when I put them all together:

The other thread I'm starting to explore is garish color and the power of repetition.  I think I'm drawn to pattern right now because of my constant exploration of fabrics and interior design for our home.  I especially like Amy Butler's designs; she is not afraid of color!  I fluctuate between natural and neutral colors and bright, almost primary colors in my compositions.  In learning about Amy's process--in which she designs the seed pattern or motif in paint, and then it is replicated--I wondered how hard it was to create my own.  This is my first attempt:

 

I'm going to scan it soon and see what it looks like replicated.  I was pretty shocked at my color choices as I went along.  I kept pushing myself out of my comfort zone whenever selecting the next color.  What I find intriguing is how repetition mitigates the discordance of the color.  This led me to really push it.  First I was looking for motifs...here's the first steps:

  And then here's where it went:

It's not complete yet, but whoa!  That's a whole lot of color for me.  We'll see where it goes...

There are some other directions starting to form, but these are the two most prominent.  Alongside them, here's what else is percolating...

My 2010-11 Freshman Class Profiled in IMAGE magazine

The final project for my freshman design students last year was profiled in CCAD's IMAGE magazine and blog.  Here's the online version. 

And here's an earlier entry on the CCAD news blog about the performance.  It was such a great experience!

Working on the Interwoven catalog

This summer was a busy one--buying a house, teaching College Preview at CCAD, and starting my new position at Ann Hamilton Studio. However, I did manage to make significant progress on a catalog for Interwoven, the project I did in February 2010 with St. Andrew Lutheran Church.  CCAD sophomore Luke Kramer, an up and coming young designer, worked with me on the design of the catalog.  He did a great job!  I've got a few loose ends to tie up with some of the stories and credits, and then it should be ready to publish.  I am looking forward to sharing the catalog with the members of St. Andrew, whose stories and images illustrate how the making of shawls and quilts can connect a community in a truly remarkable way.  I'll be sure to post a link to it here when it's all ready!

City Art Center Exhibition - Delaware, OH

I am currently showing at the City Art Center, 22 E Winter St, Delaware, OH from January 7-30, 2011.  Open hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons.



These works are made using ceramic slip (or watered-down clay) to make an initial mark, and then tracing the edges of the water in the clay as it absorbs into the paper.  As the clay dries, it shrinks and embosses the paper, causing it to ruffle.  In some of the works, I have mixed fabric dye into the clay.  This is what causes the turquoise marks.  I think of these drawings as meditations on time, material, and impermanence.

Mark Bradford-inspired collages by my CCAD freshmen

Last week, my two freshman Design courses completed their first group public art project.  It was inspired by a trip to the Wexner's Mark Bradford exhibition.  A few of the students were standing in front of one of his giant collages, and said that they wanted to work that large.  Just as Bradford collects all his material from LA where he lives, the students gathered all their collage elements from downtown Columbus where CCAD is located.  It was a proud moment for everyone to see them on view to the public!

My new website!

I am excited to announce that I have a brand new website at www.nicolegibbsart.com!  I will still be using this blog for ongoing news and updates, and they are linked to each other.  Enjoy, and let me know what you think! 

Nice review of Interwoven project

Kristin Forbes, a freelance reporter, wrote a nice review of my project with St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, OR. Here it is!

Artist Collaborates with Beaverton Church in Interactive Art Project

The Interwoven Project

From Feb. 6-14, I am working as an Artist in Residence at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, OR. We are making a piece titled Interwoven that will document the use of handmade fiber arts to mark transitional moments in community and individual life. It is inspired by a 1943 article by Margaret Mead about the connectedness of art and everyday life, as well as by the Protestant observance of the Transfiguration and its connection to sukkahs, the temporary tents made during the Jewish celebration of the Feast of the Tabernacle. This is my first collaborative social-based artistic project, and it will include a photography workshop and book project (Sun., Feb. 6), a lecture (Wed., Feb. 10), and a temporary collaborative installation (Sun., Feb. 14). Here is a brochure that describes the project in detail, and there is a separate flyer in the post below about the lecture. All are welcome to attend and/or participate!

The Interwoven Project - Artist in Residence Lecture, Wed., Feb. 10th @ 7:00pm

Great review of my show

Here's a great review of the work in my current show, Remote Sensing, in the Columbus Dispatch last Sunday.