New Work: Scar Lined Up

As I zipped up my pants as I was getting dressed before going to work, six weeks or so after donating my kidney, I noticed in the mirror that my scar lined up with the line of my pants. While I did take a photo of it, I decided not to make an acrylic skin of the photo. Instead, this tiny painting is created with paint, and hand and machine stitched thread, on stiffened monoprinted fabric.

Scar Lined Up measures 3.75” x 4.125” and is mixed media on stiffened fabric.

New Work: Rash Under the Surgical Tape

Rash Under the Surgical Tape incorporates acrylic skins of photographs of the rash that developed under the surgical tape after I donated my kidney in December 2019. The photos are photoshopped so they’re bright and colorful to highlight the shape of the rash over time. I collaged the acrylic skins on stiffened monoprinted fabric, and hand stitched the outlines of my scar and the surgical tape in opposite corners of the painting.

Rash Under the Surgical Tape, is 15.25” x 20” in size, and is mixed media on stiffened fabric.

Work in Progress - Dates in a Life Walking Project 2020

New work in progress, through January, Dates in a Life Walking Project 2020, a year-long painting documenting the number of steps I walk each day. I've documented my steps in paintings for the years 2016 through 2019 and I decided to do it in 2020 again.

I prefer to walk for exercise, as time permits, outside in addition to whatever other walking I do as I go about my day. My goal is to walk as much as I can every day. 

I use the Pedometer app on my iPhone to document my steps, miles, and stairs climbed.

I use a system of symbols to represent each thousand steps. Instead of showing exactly how many I walk. The black icons represent up to 9999 steps walked each day, red represents 10,000-19,999 steps and yellow represents 20,000-29,999 steps. 

This year, the daily background color will change depending on how many tens of flights of steps I climb each day. Turquoise is for 1-10 floors, Green is for 11-20, Indian Yellow is for 21-30 and Red is for 31+ floors. If there is a glitch in my phone, and days that don’t register any floors will be underlined with white.

The painting is created with monoprinted textures of a construction fence as the background, handstamped rubber erasers on fabric which are collaged on the background grid, as well as handpainting and stitching on stiffened fabric.

Work Still in Progress - Dates in a Life: Kidney Donation

Work Still in Progress - Dates in a Life: Kidney Donation documents time after I was accepted as a kidney donor, and everything connected on my end toward my son receiving a kidney, my donation in December 2019, and through yesterday.

This image shows the 196 days and counting since I was accepted as a kidney donor. I’m going to continue for another 28 days. Then I may or may not make a third painting.

The second image is this painting in progress next to my first one, Dates in a Life: Kidney Donor.

There are symbols that represent applying, each medical test (urine, blood, x-rays, and scans), phone calls or emails with the medical team about testing, travel across the US to the hospital for some of the tests, talking to kidney donors, recipients and my son, as well as his transplant, my donation, the anniversary of my father passing away after his transplant 44 years ago, and just passing time while I waited to donate and after I donated.

I decided not to use a calendar format, as I did for my Dates in a Life (Walking) Project paintings. The thin white lines under a square highlight Saturdays and Sundays to give a sense of time.

The painting is created with monoprinted textures of a construction fence as the background, handstamped rubber erasers on fabric which are collaged on the background grid, as well as handpainting and stitching on stiffened fabric.

On Exhibit: Coding/Sign, Symbol, Signification

Coding/Sign, Symbol, Signification with the works of Jeanne Williamson and Kim Alemian through March 27, 2020 at the North Hill Art Gallery, 865 Central Avenue, Needham, MA 02492 | 781-514-6232

Artists Jeanne Williamson and Kim Alemian did not know each other or about each others' work until just recently, when their pieces were selected for an exhibition in the North Hill Art Gallery. Both artists had a long-term personal project that each individually encrypted in their art. The work currently on exhibit in the North Hill Art Gallery are not just finished works of art, they are also like notes in a diary or notebook. The artist retains the ability to invent new ways of using even the most familiar material, but their Understory cannot be read without knowing the code.

Join us to hear these intrepid artists talk about their process and their work. They have both provided us with copies of their coding symbols, so you can interpret their Understories on your own.

Artist Talk: Thursday, February 6, 2020 at 3:30 PM in the North Hill Art Gallery. Reception immediately following. Click here to reserve.

New Work in Progress

New work in progress, a new painting with acrylic skins of 4 photographs of my scar after donating my kidney in mid-December and the rash that developed under the surgical tape. Each photo is photoshopped so my healing scar is bright and colorful and doesn’t look gross. I’ve started collaging the skins on monoprinted and stitched stiffened fabric. I hope to have time to work on it some more after work tonight or over the weekend.

New Work: 24 Days of Healing

24 Days of Healing shows black and white photographs of my scar each day, for 24 days, after donating my kidney in December 2019. Each scar photo is a 1.75” square acrylic skin that is collaged in order on stiffened monoprinted fabric.

This painting measures 10.25” x 10.5” and is mixed media on stiffened fabric.