art opening

i have 3 pieces at highwire gallery for their show "art for the urban collector"
it opens tonight!
:D

Highwire Gallery
2040 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA

5:00pm-9:00pm

the best birthday ever...and stuff...

hello!
it's been a busy week!
friday was my birthday. i do not even want to think about how old i am...
but!

the husband took the day off and after weeks of telling me not to make plans for that day, i was on my way to the "mystery place".
he didn't tell me where we were going until we got there.

i was delighted to pull up in front of the barnes foundation! :D

if you don't know about the barnes foundation, you should!
it's a fabulous art collection, and a scandalous story!
it's going to be moved to the city soon, and it shouldn't be :(
so i have been wanting to go before it did.
it should be seen where it is, and how it is.
http://www.barnesfoundation.org

there is also a movie about it:

it's really good, actually. but also very sad :(

when we got home, the husband & the son had a present for me.

a new saw!!!

i'm back in bizness, lads!

we also went to my favourite mexican restaurant on the planet :)

it was a great day!
x

"mixed signals"

finally!!! i had to use a regular ol' miter saw and some elbow, but i got it done!
this one is called "mixed signals"



i don't know about these photos, and if you can see or not, but that's a bee in the
middle.

the text is from an old spelling/reader book. one is about how busy and hard working a bee is, and the other one says they are dumb animals. which is it???
i'm going to vote for the busy/hardworking one, cause i happen to like bees.

i was also thinking about things other people might say to us.
some people seem to always point out negative things, others positive.
but when they are both coming at you, it can make you question yourself.

here's a couple more photos from different angles.





cheers!
x

$%#@&%

stupid %$#&@# saw.

technical difficulties.

hello!
i have some things i want to work on, but my saw is wonky :(
hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow.
or i will borrow a friend's.
everything will be a little bit smaller than planned though, since all the wood bits are now weirdly cut :P
i hope i have something new to show you soon :D
i spent all day scanning stuffs!
x

"better half"

just finished this painting.
it is a present for my husband for our anniversary :)
it's mixed media and found objects on wood and it's about 11" square.
i hope he likes it :D

p.s. dear husband, if you are looking at this, you are gonna get a beatin'. now go away before you spoil the surprize.

:D



here is a detail pic

*not* anniversary

today is october 21st!!!
and it is NOT my wedding anniversary.
but for 5 years or so, i thought it was, and i made my husband celebrate it on this
day...even though he insisted it was the wrong day.

i found out later (for sure) that it's not till next week :)

so happy 9th not-anniversary to my hunny :D
xo

handmade division talk about blog

it's october 15th! that means it's the handmade division team's talk about blog.
every month we have a topic that we write about, then post links to the other team members' blogs who wrote too! (so be sure to see what they said in the links below!)

this month's topic is "Tell us about yourself - how did you get to where you are now with your skills?"

this seems like a simple question, but it isn't really easy to answer.
when i was a kid, i LOVED when we'd get a project in school to make a diorama.
i thought they were like little worlds that we could hold in our hands and disappear into.
i used to make little worlds outside too. with stones and moss and little acorns...whatever i could find.

i also really liked comic books.

when i was in art school, i kept leaning towards making collage type stuff. i found out about joseph cornell who made diorama sort of things with found objects. it seemed i had the same disease as him...finding stuff and feeling compelled to take it home and save it "for something".

after school, i realized that i had spent so much time with collage type stuff and i really wanted to focus on paint. so i spent a few years painting...portraits, still life...stuff like that.

i took a good few months off (maybe even a year) from painting, and really questioned what i was doing. it took me ages to finish a painting. i needed to reevaluate the way i was working.

it was then i decided to try to put everything together.
somebody (a teacher?) once said to me "notice what you notice". i always think of that.
why am i drawn to certain objects and things? what is the significance?

i started working in a way that i could put the objects in my work as symbols.
sometimes they aren't even symbols, but are purely decorative.
i started making little separate sections just for certain objects...to tell different parts of a story (like a comic book) and telling the stories in whatever medium felt comfortable or necessary to describe them.

so i have my diorama little worlds, i have a place for my found objects, and i am able to use painting and drawing too! it is much more natural for me to work this way. it makes me happy :)

here's the links to the other team members' posts!
please check them out too!


Andes Cruz
Tess Norberg
Jaime Pickering
Purified
Nancy Dale
Jewelry by Natsuko
Sand Fibers
Alice Istanbul
Thomasin Durgin
Beth Cyr
emily watson
Tosca Teran
Lisa Hopkins
Tamra Gentry
JJ Papke
Alisa Miller
Mary Spencer

"broken"

it's finished! it took me a while, and kept me away from the computer ;)
but it's finished!!!

meet my new painting, "broken"
it's about 24.5" square.
mixed media and found objects on wood.



i've taken some detail shots because they are sort of hard to see in the main photo...







the drawing is raised so that depending on the light, there is a shadow of the image behind it.

thanks for looking! i hope you like it :)

hello!

remember me?
i am still alive. i've just been working on something that is taking me ages.

i had a whole week where nothing at all went right, and i had to re-do a lot of things :(
but that seems to have cleared up and it's moving along.

i'm hoping i will be able to show you soon :)
cheers!!!
sus
x

"consumer"

i was thinking about things.
things we buy that we think we need. they don't last. they aren't made well.
they are cheap, but not inexpensive.
mass produced.
they break, and we have to buy a new one.
things that we eat.
where is it coming from? what is *in* it?
mass produced.
processed.
i just read a BIG GIANT list about preservatives, food colorings and other stuff put in foods that were BANNED in europe but not in america. WHY?
why is it ok for us to eat it?
i also read about someone who was questioning what happened to "recalled" beef.
they found out that "it depends on why it was recalled"
some of it is cooked and sold in canned/frozen ready to eat food.
some of it is put in OUR KID'S school lunches!!!!
it's all about money, i suppose. and greed.
sickening, isn't it?

handmade division talk about blog

it's the 15th of the month. that means it's the handmade division's talk about blog.
this month's topic is "where do you draw your inspirations for creating from?"
please check the links at the bottom to see what the other team members say!

Andes Cruz
Alice Istanbul
Rebekah Meddles (Lunasa Designs Jewelry)
Jewelry by Natsuko
nanotopia
Bella-Bijou Jewellery
Beth Cyr
ArtJewel Designs
Lisa Hopkins Design
Thomasin Durgin
Abhaya Fibers

just peekin my head in.

built some new panels to paint on today....bring on the paint!

feeding the pig

i found this photograph in a big huge old books/paper/posters type place that is way too expensive and i wish they weren't.
anyway.
i love the photo. it is really blurry and sort of just a bad photo in general, but i like it anyway.
on the back it says "they were feeding the pig you can't see the pig very well, but i think Larry looks just like you"
i thought it was so random.
i love random.

anyway...it turned into this painting.

i always feel bad for pigs. i happen to personally like them very much, and i hate to think that they will end up being somebody's dinner.

i painted the sides of this to hang as is, but i'd like a frame instead.
seems i need to go buy some framing wood, as i'm making stuff and have nothing to frame it with :P
i'm talking too much.
ciao!
x

updated: framed it! :D

"pudge"

"pudge" is a tiny painting. it's not quite 4" in diameter.
it's a little portrait of a doll head i have, but...

i was a fat baby when i was born. thankfully, i didn't stay that way, but my grandfather dubbed me "pudge", and "pudge" he called me my whole life (until the end of his, anyway).
when i painted this, it just looked like a "pudge".
:)
x

save the girls

this painting is about 16" square. i still have to build the frame, but i thought it would be easier to photograph without it, since my frames are sort of shadowboxy...and that makes shadows...

i found this old book a while back. i think it's from 1895.
it tells you all sorts of things...
like how to be a good wife, how to properly clean your teeth, or how to get rid of certain strange worms. mostly etiquette stuff...

i was reading the part about girls and how they should be taken care of so as not to turn out to be harlots. there's a few pages about boys too, but it seems the girls are higher maintenance...and if
you don't follow all of the rules, they will most definitely become a harlot. the book says "society forgives man, woman never". you better listen! ;)

that bit is actually titled "save the girls" and there is text from the book in the painting (if you look close...)

i don't know why i'm rambling on about this. i don't normally say much about the painting because i want people to make up their own story.
but that's that.
x
updated: framed!

duh!!!!

i finally figured out that i could put a slide show of my work right there ----->>>>>
and i put my studio video up too, and my facebook page.
took me long enough, eh?
:)

and another new tiny painting....

"seek"
acrylic, gold leaf paint, and tacks on wood.
5" in diameter

two new paintings

"teef"
mixed media and found objects on wood
5" square



"wake up part 2"
mixed media on illustration board
10" square

the plush team has a book!

Extra, Extra! Get your Plush Team Annual!

The Plush Team is ecstatic to present to you our first ever Team Annual, containing 120 pages of plushy goodness!

What is in store for you upon opening this marvelous book:

• An opening by our team founder, Megan Green, describing how our team came to be.
• An insightful, informative, and all-around fascinating account of the history of plush craft by our team co-founder Christina Ward.
• 42 two-page, full color features of our Plush Team members. Each includes photos of the artist's work, and text written by the artist explaining motivation, process, and inspiration.
• A time line of Plush Team activities through over the years.Profile pages providing a comprehensive list of Plush Team artists, including artist head shots and Etsy shop addresses.
• Photos of PT Stitchy, the team mascot, scattered throughout the book in his various incarnations as interpreted by our team members.

The book is full color, professionally printed, and soft cover. It measures 6.75"x6.75" (or 17 centimeters square). This is volume 1 of our Team Annual, featuring the artists from 2009. Our intent is to make this a yearly publication, updating it each year with our newest members and their incredible work.

Visit the Team Shop today for your copy!

talk about: collaborating

it's time for the handmade division's talk about blog!
please be sure to click the links at the end to see what the other team members have to say about the topic :)

this months topic : " Are there specific artists you'd love to collaborate with? And what kinds of things would you like to create with them?"

i've been thinking about this all week, and i've come to the conclusion that i can't say i've ever really wanted to collaborate with somebody when it comes to art.
i think it has something to do with it being the only thing i have (somewhat) control of in my life ;)

my husband used to play in a band.
so many times, when we are talking about art, we compare it to playing music. it isn't the same in a lot of ways (like having to deal with other people) but in some ways it is (like it being something you need to do).
when we talk about that, i always think what a terrible band mate i would make.

i work better alone, when no one is watching, or expecting, or "suggesting" what i should be doing.
i had to share a studio in art school, and i could never work. i had to bring everything home every day.
i also really have trouble doing commissions. it's not that i don't want to make somebody what they want, i just want them to want something that i've already made. and i can't take the "not knowing for sure" if they are going to like it or not. way too much pressure ;)

BUT.
there are times where i want something to put in my art that i don't know how to do myself, and would love to be able to learn from somebody who could. lately, i've been wishing i knew how to weld. i know it wouldn't be a good idea because i know i would probably burn my brand new studio down, but i would still love to know how to do it. just for little bits and bobs to put in my art. i'd also like to know more about firing clay (also a fire hazard for me!) i feel as though if instead of making the things myself and using part of what someone else has made, it really wouldn't be mine...
is that selfish?

i have seen people who can collaborate and do it so well.

herakut are fantastic collaborators! (hera and akut...they put their names together) they must get on VERY well to be able to do what they do. i really couldn't imagine working that closely all the time with someone else. but it definitely works for them!



see what the other team members have to say (they must be more collaboration-related posts than mine! lol!)

Andes Cruz
Lisa Hopkins Design
ceeb wassermann aka howlindoggie
Rickson Jewellery
Purified Art

nanopod: Hybrid Studio

cassé

cassé
Originally uploaded by susarto

here's the second one.
maybe i shoulda waited to blog and put them both up at once ;)

i've listed her too, where you can also see both views, here
ciao!
x

p.s. i forgot to say that you can click on the photos and they will take you to flickr. i have another view there as well.

dolly fleur

dolly fleur
Originally uploaded by susarto

i finished this today and put it in my SusanMoloney etsy shop :)

i'll be putting the other dolly in there too, but i want to put a frame on her.
and i also have another one almost finished. waiting for some stuff to dry :)

so that's that.
i have nothing else.
;)

dolly

dolly
Originally uploaded by susarto

i have some assemblage stuff in the works, but today i felt like painting and drawing a little...
this is a little one. 8" square.

i have two more dolly head portraits i worked on today, but they aren't finished yet.

that's all, folks ;)
x

what am i, anyway?

Handmade Division Team's "talk about blog" time again :)
This means that the team is given a topic, and we each write what we think about it...
so after you read mine, please check out the other team's posts! (links below)

Junes's Topic: "Do you consider yourself only a XXX artist, or do you work in multi media application, and/or draw techniques from other fields to use in the on you're working in? "

I certainly work in "multi-media" but I don't call myself a "mixed media artist".
I usually just tell people I am a painter.
Then I have to explain to people that I am not a house painter, but a picture painter.

My husband argues with me and says I should just say "I'm an artist".

I have a lot of knowledge about different mediums from working in art supply stores all through college (and beyond) so I figure I should put that to use.
Besides, working that way comes very naturally to me (and I have an uncontrollable impulse to pick things up that I find interesting and stick em in my art).

I did, however, work for many years only with oil paint...and who knows...I might do that again someday...
I think I'd like to keep my label open so I can work however I want without expectations ;)


here are the links to the other team member's posts!
(team members live in all different time zones, so please be sure to check back if their post isn't up yet)

Andes Cruz
Thomasin Durgin
Jewelry by Natsuko
Lisa Hopkins Design
Maureen BZ (Cosmo's Moon)
Abhaya Fibers
ArtJewel Designs
Tamra Gentry
Bill Martin

opening night!

the opening for "off the cuff" was last night.
it was a great turnout!
there was a steady stream of people coming in the whole night.
sometimes big bunches at once.

it was a really great night, and lots of my friends/family came out to see...
even fought through terrible traffic to get there! (thank you!!!)

here's a lil' video and some photos. i took the photos while we were setting up, so they are not great (i was kinda distracted) but you'll get the idea ;)



here's my work:






and eric frantz's work:





nicole tymowczak:





and melanie piekema:





the show runs through june 28th. if you're in philly, please stop by and check it out!
2040 Frankford Ave. Philadelphia, PA :)

just a reminder!

Highwire Gallery
Off the Cuff
Opens June 4th!!!
2040 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA

my lovelies

this post is for the handmade division team's "talk about blog" for may! (see the links at the end to follow the discussion)

this month's topic is "what item do you most treasure made by another artist"

i have a lot of things made by other artists, but i have to pick this one...

quite a few years back, i worked at an art supply shop/gallery.
i worked there for a pretty long time, and i got to know a lot of artists in my area.
there was a couple that used to come in often...jacques fabert and bonnie maclean.
i really got on well with them, and loved to talk about art and stuff with them when they came in. (i would tell people that they were my "art parents" ;) )

somehow, bonnie and i decided that i would sit for her. she would paint me for however many sessions, in return for one of her paintings.

she is an amazing painter.

bonnie maclean used to be married to bill graham, the manager for the fillmore in california.
she was one of the "poster makers" back then. she's sort of a big deal :)

here's one of her posters...






















i would go to bonnie and jacques' studio on a regular basis...
she would paint me, and we would chat.
we became pretty close.
i would sometimes bring cakes or something over and we'd have coffee and cake with jacques (who loves his sweets!)

here's one of jacques' paintings...























he's an amazing painter too!

i learned so much from going there,
and they are so inspiring and encouraging!

anyway, time went on, and i sort of stopped sitting for bonnie.
she had moved on to some interior type of paintings and she didn't need me there...

she told me to choose a painting of hers that i wanted.

this wasn't so easy.

i wasn't really sure that i would want a painting of myself....
but in the end, i decided to pick my favorite one that she did of me.
i remember that day, and sitting and chatting with her...
and she had jimi hendrix or something on the stereo, rockin out while she painted ;)

so, this one was my choice. i have it hanging in my living room, and every day i look at it and think how lucky i am to have it! and how lucky i am to have bonnie and jacques for friends! and how glad that i am that i picked that one...
just to remind me of those times.





i don't get to see bonnie and jacques as much as i would like now, but i do make a point to go and see them when i can. they mean a whole lot to me. i hope they know that.


be sure to click on the links below to follow the other team members' posts on this topic!
Andes Cruz
Jewelry by Natsuko
Tosca
WATTO
Ceeb Wassermann
Beth Cyr
Rickson
Tamra Gentry
Purified Art
SandFibers
ArtJewel Designs
kerin rose
Abhaya Fibers

workin!

now that i have the studio all set up, i can get to work on something new for the show at highwire gallery in june!
i made this especially for kit, so she can watch from a perch in my corner...



hi kit!

drumroll please.....

ta-daaaaaa!!!!!
the studio is finished!!! :D

shelves n' stuff

i'm dying to show off the whole room, but until the little bits and bobs at the end are done, i will have to settle for the table putting togethers.

the shelves and stuff were built yesterday, and i have everywhere that needs to be painted painted.



if you click the photo, there are notes to explain stuff.

the unpainted bits will be edged with nicer wood and stained. the storage is fantastic :D
and i could sleep on top of it if i wanted to ;)

newses!

the work table should be finished today! (being built, anyway)
i couldn't wait and started priming, but there will be shelves inside...



it's a HUGE table! i love it! :D

also, i have some gallery news!
i will be participating in this show at highwire gallery in june :D
i'm really excited about it!
i will be showing my entire "survival (what doesn't kill you makes you stronger)" series there along with (hopefully) some new pieces!



check highwire's website for any other info.
see you later with a finished studio, perhaps? :D

oh, and here's a lil' pic of the pooch in his new studio bed. just cause it's cute :)

copycats

i recently joined an etsy team called the snow leopard network.
the quality of the work on that team is fantastic!

have a gawk:
snow leopard network
i am honored that i was invited to be a part of it.

anyway, once a month, this team has a talk about blog. people on the team write on a chosen topic and list the links of the others' blogs too. i think that's called a blog carnival. (i'm learning?!)
it's really interesting to hear what everybody has to say.

this is my first attempt...

and it's about copying!
(just the word copying gets my undies in a twist.)

besides being a member of the snow leopard network, i've been on etsy's plush team for a few years,
since it started, really.
copying has happened to me, and MANY of the other plush makers.
we discuss the problems surrounding this often!
surfing around the innerwebs, you hear about it DAILY!!!
it is heartbreaking.

i have been to many a craft show where you hear someone say "i could make that".
you probably have heard that too.
it takes all that i have in me not to punch them.

what is really baffling is how many people don't understand that it's NOT OK!!!!!

artists and craftspeople work hard to come up with original ideas, learn how to make it work, and work their butts off to get it out in the world....usually with the intention of making a living off of what they are good at.

when someone comes along and just takes this end result...well...it's stealing.

you know when you watch a dvd, and it says all that stuff about not using anything in it for personal or monetary reasons, or you will be fined eight gazillion dollars?
well, it's the same thing.
but there are people who use the stuff anyway :(
there's always gotta be "those people".

i wish i could say that everyone who made stuff was creative and imaginative and put their heart into what they did, but that wouldn't be true.
some people know how to make stuff, but they can't come up with ideas, so they just take somebody else's.

and the worst of these people.
the worst of them ALL!!!!
are the ones who will deny they copied and refuse to stop selling the idea that rightfully belongs to somebody else.
they will actually FIGHT over it!

do they think no one will notice???

these people do not understand how absolutely horrible it feels for the original artist because they don't know what it's like to have created something original.
they don't know because they can't do it...
...or they are too lazy to try.

there are so many books out in the world to tell you how to make things!
there are tutorials all over youtube.
there are many workshops and classes you can take.

but to take an artists work and try to pull it off as your own is wrong and immoral.
if there are still people in the world who truly don't realize this, then i think it's our responsibility, as artists, to spread the word.

which is why i agreed to write about this topic.

copiers!!! listen up!!!
it is hard enough to get by as an artist. please stick to your day jobs and leave our territories alone!
you will never be consistent enough with your work if you are only following someone else's finished product. you will always fail taking the shortcut.
it takes time! it takes years and years to develop an art!!!! it takes experiences, it takes patience, it takes failures and successes. it takes blood, shit and tears! it needs a heart and a soul.
don't try take that away from an artist and their work.
you can't.
and your copy will be absolutely lifeless if you try.
i can promise you that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

please see what the other snow leopard peeps think about all this...


ArtJewel designs
Andes Cruz
Jewelry by Natsuko
Beth Cyr
Tosca Teran
Tamra Gentry
alisa miller
Mary Spencer
Thomasin Durgin
rosyrevolver

my heroes

hero |ˈhi(ə)rō|
noun ( pl. -roes)
a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities : a war hero.

• the chief male character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize.

• (in mythology and folklore) a person of superhuman qualities and often semidivine origin, in particular one of those whose exploits and dealings with the gods were the subject of ancient Greek myths and legends.

• (also hero sandwich) another term for submarine sandwich .

these two guys are my heroes.



(they are not any kind of sandwich.)

that is our friend, jon on the left, and my husband, pat, on the right.

they worked their arses off for me to build this studio.
for something that started off as a small job, it turned into a HUGE project.
the result is something i've always dreamed of having, but never thought i would!
i am forever grateful and indebted to these two guys.

so, this is a public THANK YOU! from the bottom of my heart!
i'm a happy girl! :D

p.s. we make a GREAT team! xo

water!

i finally got my sink installed! and it works!!!! :D
i was a little skeptical about this sink at first...
i mean, i love the sink, but it's meant to be a bathroom sink on a vanity.
and i thought it would be kinda cool to use it like a vessel sink only it's really rectanglish i had to order the faucet elsewhere, so i wasn't able to see what it would be like until i got it here.

it's definitely different.

i was afraid that the faucet would pour the water right over the sink and onto me!
but it doesn't. it works just fine! and it is nice and high for washing brushes and stuff.





i sorta hate that the drain thing is silver, but what can i do? :P

the floor is almost finished too! i need one more coat of varnish on the last bit and it's done! i'm just a little worried that since i had to do the floor in so many parts that it will be all different in spots. surely it will, but hopefully the worktable will distract from that...

anyway,
water!
yay!