"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