Chroma|Collective|Gallery - our artist’s collective is launching our first online exhibition, and other news :)
CONNECTION: Kindred Spirits Found - Feb 1-28, 2022
www.chromacollectivegallery.com/onview
Early Access Password: connection2022
I’ve belonged to an “Art Pod” for the past year - the six of us, scattered across the Western USA, met through an online art club based in the UK with members worldwide. We’ve met twice a month (or more!), for 2-3 hours at a time over Zoom since January 2021, to discuss all things art related, share some laughs, and find support and community. We realized that we operate in somewhat different art spheres, and decided to put together an online gallery to introduce each other to artists we love, and allow our circles to comingle. We’ll be hosting monthly online exhibitions, each inviting an artist to showcase their work alongside ours - any purchases that are made will go directly through each individual artist, 100% going to them (we’re not charging anyone to participate). I hope you will find some new artists of interest to you, and also enjoy learning how we met. We’ve had a blast with this project, and our friendship has expanded even more through our team effort pulling it together from scratch!
In my personal art world, I’ve been working on a new series in the new year (my first “official” series, since previous attempts all seemed to diverge) - trying to blend so many of my art loves: texture, pattern, and the inclusion of history through collage, and am really trying to boost my color and emphasize contrasts. I realized that I’d been making so much muted, architectural-feeling art, but that most of the art that we purchase for our home is vibrantly colored. Here are the pieces that are close to the finish line, not titled or shown on my website yet - they range in size from 10x10 to 36x36. I aim to have at least 10 paintings in this series, but may continue with it as long as it’s teaching me. The paintings are built up from many layers of collage, plaster and acrylic on wood panels, with a great deal of sanding in between. I sneak in some ephemera from loved ones that sometimes is barely perceived (but it’s there!).
My last update is that I’m MOVING into a REAL STUDIO! I’m leasing a 13’x22’x14’ tall space in the Ford Building on SE 11th & Division Street. It has a huge 4’ x 8’ skylight that will light the painting wall, and heat + AC (which is rare for studio space - I scored with the thermostat!), and a community of artists that I’m eager to get to know. I know, the photos don’t look like much (especially compared to my previous beloved architecture studio), but it’s a big step for me. I’m a little anxious about moving out of the little space that I’ve exploded within in the lower level of our home, but am aware that each time I stepped up the space for my architecture firm, I found my work stepped up to that level quickly. Honestly, I’ll mostly be glad to stop banging wood panels into our 6’-9” high basement ceiling (doh!). The photos below are the “before” view of my new digs - the landlord will be removing all of those ugly marker-boards and stained acoustic panels, giving the walls a fresh coat of bright white, removing the tacky pebble film from the sidelight, and painting the entrance door black. The old barn door (to nowhere…it used to access an adjoining room) will stay orange, because I like it! I will update you with the “after” views once I can get in there, which might not be until March 1st, since another larger tenant is in line for improvements before me. The last photo is the view through the sidelight of Therese Murdza’s studio, an artist down the hall who I’ve admired for a while - it’s aspirational, I can’t wait until my studio is dripping with paint :).
Thank you so much for subscribing to my ramblings - I so greatly appreciate it if you’ve read this far!!! I’ll shoot another update in the next month or so, after I’ve hopefully settled in. XO Liz