Looking Back: REALLY Big Chairs!

In 2001 I had the great fun of creating two whimsical wood constructions for "Chairs on Parade" in Charlotte, NC. Over 100 giant rocking chairs were furnished to area artists to play with, and were then displayed all over town. Here you can see my first one being delivered by "The Two Mikes". It caused quite a stir in the neighborhood, since it sat on the front porch for six weeks while I worked on it.

The first of my designs that was chosen was "Afternoon in the Matisse Chair". I loved the artist's playful forms and bright colors, and decorated the chair accordingly. I thought it would be fun to add all the comforts of home, so side racks were attached for "snacks" and entertainment, still keeping the Matisse touch. Making wooden "cushions" was a challenge, but it all worked out.



Below is the "entertainment center", with a faux book of Matisse cutouts, scissors, paper and pencil, and a bird-watching book. I added wooden binoculors too, to go with the book!



Next is the "snack rack", full of my favorite munchies: chocolate bar, corn chips, peanut butter crackers, sunflower seeds, and gummy candy.



Here's another view of the food, plus wooden cutouts that I glued to the bottom cushion, thinking it might keep people out of the chair. Boy was I wrong!



Being a true Southerner, I had to include a glass of iced tea for porch sittin' pleasure. That was probably the hardest object to do, because it was painted in the round. Easy to find models, though.


The finished chair, complete with a fan and a fly swat! I had a lot of fun making them, especially the swat. Unfortunately it was broken while on exhibit, but at least the fan stayed intact.


When the Matisse chair was finished, another of my designs was sponsored, so I got the great pleasure of creating a real fantasy chair, with giant butterfly wings that really moved (put 'em on with piano hinges)! I was quite proud of the engineering - used lawn mower springs and door stops to limit the movement so the wings wouldn't pop the hinges in a breeze. The antennae bobbed, too. I think the guys bent one of them when they put it on the truck.


This was one chair just made for sitting! That's me in the chair - didn't want to let that one go.

Morocco: Green Doors

Another of my gouaches from the days of straight lines. Not sure why it's so dark: the green door barely shows in the shadow. No, I never went to Morocco, though I'd love to. My "Morocco" paintings came from a fabric design project involving Moroccan weavings. There were pictures of villages that caught my eye in the source material, so I built models of them and based my paintings on close-up photos of the models. That way I could play with the light and shadows - sort of the "next-best thing to being there". Green Doors is my favorite; I painted large and small versions of it, both of which are still for sale.

Out of the Night That Covers Me

Out of the Night is one of my more "illustrious" paintings. 'Way back in high school we had to memorize (and recite) "Invictus", the first line of which was, "Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole..." I spent a lot of time in the '80's at Southport, NC, poking around what was left of Fort Caswell, which by then was a summer camp. Late at night I shot a photo from the dimly lit inside of one of the old barracks, looking out to the porch column which was illuminated by a bare bulb. It was a spooky, metaphysical moment, bringing to mind that line from the poem. I later turned it into this painting, which is another widely exhibited gouache. The colors are not quite as dark as they appear here, but the mystery and other-worldly feeling are there.

Becton Park, Part 1

Big surprise here! This was my style for 20 years - hard edges and high contrast. Becton Park Part 1 was quite successful, taking "Best in Show" at a national competition. It was also featured in shows at the Fayetteville Museum of Art and Weatherspoon Gallery at UNC-Greensboro. The actual colors are warmer (this image is from a CD of my slides, which are much truer). I have decided to sell this painting and others that remain from my work with gouache (pronounced "gwash" - it's opaque watercolor). I doubt there will be any more produced in that medium, which was perfect for the body of work to be offered, but no longer suitable for my current direction. They'll be posted soon on my website (www.BethStafford.com) .


About the Becton Park Series: there is a subdivision by that name in Charlotte, NC. It has a scalloped wall surrounding the development and each back yard. With the cookie-cutter houses and that wall running everywhere, it felt like something from the Twilight Zone. Nevertheless, it was full of interesting compositions and I enjoyed making the four paintings that resulted.

Sketch?

No, this isn't another UFO - it's a "PiCassieO" (Sidewalk Spirits), which is one of my digital works. Looks like I've come full circle with that art form; now I'm wanting to explore this art in more depth (with real paint again) . I can even see it done in 3-D, like some of Arp's abstractions. My PiCassieO blog is http://www.airedale-art.blogspot.com, if you'd like to see more. There will never be enough time to do everything that's in my head, but this is one I hope to complete!

The first UFO

I threatened to do this a while back, so here it is: the first of my many UFO's (UnFinished Objects) that are stacked all over. It's probably some deep psychological fear of being inadequate for the task - or maybe these things are just incubating. Anyway, for the past year or so I've been experimenting with monochrome underpainting. This particular one is titled Pink Iris, but after the underpainting was done, I liked it so much I couldn't bring myself to put any color on it. Still stuck there. Do I quit, or keep going? That is the question.

Standing Art on Its Head!

Recently I got the opportunity to display my work in the 6th Street Windows of the Hearst Tower in Charlotte, NC. The rules for the project (sponsored by McColl Center for Visual Art) are that the work has to be changed or rearranged twice after initial installation in January, before taking them down in July. I decided to have some fun with it, so my project consists of three large abstracts which are displayed two at a time in different combinations - and orientations! Starting out the way I did in near photo-realism, I never dreamed I'd arrive at the point where my work could be turned upside down and still look good! At least I think it does. Judge for yourself and let me know! Here is Mosaic #1, both ways.

A Serendipitous Piece of Work

I've been so busy promoting my "PiCassieO" work (www.airedale-art.blogspot.com ) that my "real" art has sort of fallen by the way. Actually, it's all my "real" art - just different ways of expressing it.

The title of the above work (20" x 16", acrylic on canvas) is It Started Out As A Fish. The composition was horizontal at first, and was part of my Betta Series. Nothing I did would make it work as an abstract of a fish, so I finally decided to just play with it and see where it led. What you see is what I got - my first (that I can remember) non-representational work. It became vertical, and the black forms grew out of the existing shadows. I like the colors and the title makes me laugh; guess I found something I wasn't looking for while trying to be "serious".

Yet Another Tangent

Yep, I can't stay on one track for long, lately. This time I'm working in collaboration with my dog, Cassie the Airedale, and we just got a blog: http://www.airedale-art.blogspot.com/ . I love her style - she paints the way I wish I could! I'm photographing her work from her favorite windows and playing with the images in Photoshop. It is so much fun! I never know what she'll do next. Here's a preview: name that painting!

Another Tangent

Last time I wrote, I was "down on the farm". My direction has changed again, brought about by going through a bunch of my old designs. There was one I did from an ancient mosaic, which I scanned into Photoshop and started playing with. I've been wanting to work with color and shape without being too concerned with what's being represented; the little abstracts from the design were just the ticket. At the same time it's like looking at clouds - sooner or later you're going to see a lamb or a bunny or some other familiar form. In the case of the mosaics I started seeing crosses (maybe it was due to beginning the work around Easter). What do you see?

Mosaic 2 (Oil Pastel, 8" x 10", 2007)

Mosaic 3 (Oil Pastel, 10" x 8", 2007)

On the Farm

On the Farm, right side (4' x10', acrylic, 2006)

On the Farm, left side (4' x 10', acrylic, 2006)

One reason I haven't posted in so long is, I took on my first mural project last fall. While scrambling to complete it on time (first weekend in December), I got so far behind in everything else that blogging was the last thing on the list (and my mind). Anyway, this was the BIGGEST project so far: each is 4' x 10'. I painted them on muslin in my studio and now they're on the wall of the Cabarrus Health Alliance Dental Clinic in Concord, NC. The subject is a true 180 from my usual stuff; I got my idea from 15 years worth of textile design, with a lot of embellishment! From what I've heard, the kid patients at the clinic are really enjoying my depiction of farm fun! I had a blast painting it.

Detail: boy with sheep

Detail: school bus

Detail: boys on bales

Betta Ab 2

Betta Ab 2 (16" x 12", acrylic on panel, 2007) is my first experiment with painting on panel. It was a lovely surface to work on! I have several others in the works. This one photographs dark, unfortunately, but the actual colors are much more "Betta".

Betta Ab 1

Betta Ab 1 (7.5" x 7.5", oil pastel / inkjet, 2006) is the first in the series that I've just begun, based on images of the late "Blue Max" (see last week's entry). His silhouette was really lovely, so I started with that. Probably most of the others in the series will be more highly abstracted, the focus being on the beautiful colors of the fish and his surroundings.

It's strange to miss that fish so much when he was only here a week and a day. Maybe it's because I was so intensely focused on him while he was here. He was a wonderful little presence!

God Sent Me a Fish

"Blue Max" (Digital painting) 2006

Here it is, almost a month since I made an entry. After my last one, I started having a problem with my left eye: there was a really bloodshot area on the inside corner, which was staying irritated and uncomfortable. Since I'd been doing a lot of mowing in heavy dust, and attempting to clean up stray bits of insulation that were coming out of new ductwork in the house, it seemed logical that there was something in my eye. Two doctors said it was due to allergies, but it surely felt like there was something in my eye.

Labor Day rolled around, and my eye was still red. My friend Sharyn wanted me to go with her to Linens 'n Things to look at a Moses Basket (for her December baby). Since I had a gift certificate to use at PetCo, which is right next door, we went there first. The only items I had any use for on the list of "freebies" were a pound of gourmet dog biscuits (which I don't usually feed my dog because she swallows them whole) and a cheap toy (but we already have piles of those). But - there was also listed a free mini-aquarium. Sharyn was enthused about that one, since her family has fish and other critters all over the house, so she introduced me to the Betta fish. They looked like graceful little jewels; I couldn't resist. So I came home with Blue Max, a gorgeous little fellow with deep ultramarine scales and fins and a pair of burgundy appendages (pectorals?) in front. He was a joy to watch. The more I watched, the more artistically energized I became, so I got out the camera and started shooting. It was just what I'd been needing to get me going again. I got some great material to work with, even though he wasn't the easiest subject to capture. Then I shot a short video so I could pick out the best frames of him in "full fin."

By Saturday, however, little Max started slowing down. On Sunday he looked paler and wasn't moving much. He had only eaten once since I got him, so Sharyn gave me some different food to try, but he wasn't interested. On Monday night, he was hanging vertically, gulping air and then slowly sinking. I knew this was not good. Before I went to bed, I cupped my hand around the corner of the tank where he was resting and said what amounted to, "Goodbye, little fish, and thank you for all you've given me this week." Tuesday morning he was lying on the bottom of the tank. I buried him in the flower bed, next to a brilliant blue balloon flower.

I'm not sure why his death hit me so hard: maybe it was the loss of a being so exquisitely beautiful, or guilt that maybe something I'd done or not done had killed him, or maybe it was just a focal point for some things I hadn't dealt with, but my tears were flowing hot and fast.

By Tuesday night, my left eye was looking remarkably better, and in another day or two it was back to normal. That old saying about the Lord working in mysterious ways has new meaning for me: my eye was healed and my artistic vision renewed, thanks to God and his little miracle named Blue Max.

"Sweet Gum"

Sweet Gum (8" x 7", oil pastel, 2006) is another one that has been "in progress" for way too long. Originally it was larger, but I couldn't make it work to my satisfaction, which was probably why it took so long to finish. I finally whacked off a couple of inches and changed a few areas, and here it is. For such a small work it was a lot of trouble. I would have just ripped it up and done another version, but really liked the colors and didn't want to trash them.

In case you aren't familiar with sweet gum trees, they are the ones with the spiny "gumballs" that make walking torture underneath them when the seed pods have dropped. The leaves are truly glorious in the fall, though, ranging from a deep blue-black to flaming red.

I've been having so much trouble with "This page is not available" lately that I haven't been able to get to my web site to update it, so I'll add a plug here for my new adventure. One of my works (Purple Crocus) is now available on a mug, journal, and greeting cards at http://www.CafePress.com/staffordart . There is also a small print offered there: the image is approximately 8" x 6". If there is enough interest, I will have more "art stuff" available soon.

Lavender Pansy

Lavender Pansy (16.25" x 8", oil pastel, 2006) is hot off the easel! It's been staring at me, gathering dust, for months now. I finally overcame my artistic inertia and finished it, for better or worse. Whew - now I don't feel like talking about it, except to say it's a relief to have it done, and an even greater relief to find out I can still finish something. On to the next one!

Stormy Weather

I didn't realize how long it's been since I posted anything. It's usually late before I get time on Sunday evening to write; for several weeks in a row we had thunderstorms every time I got ready to post. Then my mother had surgery on June 8th; since that time it seems I need to schedule breathing if I can fit it in. Monday I had a stress test. Ha - I could have told them I had stress out the wazoo: didn't need a test to confirm that. Anyway, my intention is to get going again with this blog. Not sure if even one person cares whether I do or not, but hey - I like the way it looks. It's sort of a work in progress. Stay tuned.

Petal 2

Petal 2 (12" x 7.5", Oil Pastel on paper, 2005) happened accidentally. I should have published the original composition first, but didn't have a photo available and, due to changing this blog template (and struggling with "html", which I know next to nothing about), am out of time, so I'll just work in reverse. Really normal for me, anyway.

Sometimes I'll work on a painting, and keep working when I should just stop, and then I wind up tearing it up when it's no longer fixable. BUT - being the "abstracter" that I am, there is without fail a fragment that catches my eye and I'm off again. That's what happened here; Petal 2 is a strip I tore off one version of Petal 1. It's another piece of a hydrangea bloom, but what it is doesn't really matter; the graceful lines and colors of the fragment were the attraction. I like it much better than the original it came from.

Gives me an idea for next time (and maybe several weeks to follow). I did a serigraph (silkscreen print) of a building years ago. The prints that were misaligned or otherwise defective were destroyed, but WOW! what a wealth of work was created from the pieces. Stay tuned!

Hosta

Hosta (9.75" x 6.5", Oil Pastel, 2004) is one of the more abstract works that I've done. It was really fun to let go of reality and just enjoy the shapes and patterns created by the leaves of a varigated hosta. Since I use what my printer calls a "faint copy" as the base for the pastels, there are areas of color which aren't true to the original photo, due to lack of sufficient ink. Sometimes I ignore the variations, but in this painting I exaggerated them.

The result reminds me of works by some of the early 20th Century European abstract painters that I became acquainted with in my two years of art history in school. That particular era was my least favorite, since my preference at the time was for classical realism. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe how much my work has changed; at this rate, I really don't know where I'm going with it. The journey is quite interesting.

Hosta is in the collection of Phillip Morris USA, in Concord, NC.

Hydrangea 6

Hydrangea 6 (9" x 7.25", Oil Pastel, 2004) is a continuation of my abstract series of hydrangea blossoms. There are three so far with the same base inkjet print as this one, with each one turning out very differently from the others. I see new shapes and colors to explore, every time I print one. This is the most dimensional of the three.

Sometimes it is a struggle to find something to say; this is one of those times. It's been a gray, rainy, chilly day and my brain would rather sleep. If there's anyone reading this, I hope you enjoy the art and have a good night.