things change

'Stick Pin'  4.75" sterling silver, stick;  Kathleen Faulkner

Back in the day

when running free was a given 

no worries about touching

or being in close quarters

 a sneeze brought a

'bless you'

a cough meant not too much

Community of stick pins. Kathleen Faulkner

We had our art openings and events 

filled to the brim

hugging and laughing

the good old days. 

'COVID safe' stick pin, 4" sterling silver, paper,
gouache, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

Today's stick pin is fully covered

for protection

no direct contact

social distancing is currently in place

as it sits in a box 

on a table.

carry on smartly

'Good Schooling'  Brooch, 4x4.5" sterling silver, gouache, 

graphite, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner 

 

The power is in the numbers.

 

It's a New Year

'Girl with Pacific Frog Prince' shadowbox 6x6" graphite,
gouache, paper, wood, glass;  brooches: 'Pacific Frog Prince'
1.5" diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache, glass lens, 'Orb'
1"diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache, glass lens

Please join us for 'Bewitched,  Bothered and Bewildered'

This jewelry show at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle is opening February 3, 2016 from 5 to 8pm 

and running through the 23rd. 

Also, Guy Anderson and Skagit Women Print and Friends 

at Schack Art Center in Everett, WA on now and running through

February 27th.

Life in Edison

gouache drawings on wood, approx 6x4";  Kathleen Faulkner 

One can always find something good in the free wood bin at Smith Vallee Woodworks.  I check often.

  These small gouache drawings are done on some of that free wood.  They are part of the Objectification 8 show at Smith Vallee Gallery in Edison through December.  

'On Any Given Day, 22x32" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

Down the street, i.e. Gallery hosts the LUMMI Show. It's a Beauty that includes 13 artists' works on view through December 27th.

'Afterlife'  16x20" oil pastel, charcoal;  Kathleen Faulkner

Across the street, Shop Curator is currently showing a few of my oil pastels.  

Edison is only a couple blocks long but it's packed with art, food and fun.  

Please support your local artists, galleries and small businesses.  

Happy Holidays!

make love not war

'Mistletoe' ornament for Holiday Show at Facere Gallery
1.25" diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache, mica;
Kathleen Faulkner

In Norse mythology,  Baldur, god of the summer sun and son of Odin and Frigg, was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe.  Frigg brought him back from the dead.  Crying with happiness, her tears became the white berries that can be seen on mistletoe today.  Frigg then declared mistletoe a symbol of love and that no harm should befall any who stand under it, only a kiss, a token of love.

The ocean's rainbow

'Pearl' earrings 1" diameter, sterling silver, paper, gouache,
watch glass lenses; Kathleen Faulkner

It is said that health and longevity follow those who wear pearls.

 The oldest known gem is a pearl dating back to around 520 B.C.  It is on display in the Louvre Museum in Paris. 

Knights going into battle would wear pearls as a symbol of strength and spirit, courage and protection.

The sheen is called orient luster.

a lush organic gem

The forest thanks the great Rain God

'Cumulus' earrings, 1" diameter  sterling silver, paper, gouache,
watch glass;  Kathleen Faulkner

The clouds have returned to the Northwest. 

With that comes rain.  

We are most grateful.

anomaly

'Trillium' brooch 2" diameter, sterling silver, gouache,
paper, glass lens,  Kathleen Faulkner

My family spent a lot of time in wilderness.  That was a long time ago when there was a lot more wild.

I remember finding trilliums in the woods and being thrilled:  the Find.  Now one can buy the plants at nurseries and plant them in the shady part of the yard.  

Times change.

Did you know?

'Indicator Species Series: Illuminated Kelp'
18 - 20" chain, 2 - 2.5" diameter discs
Neckpiece, sterling silver, paper, gouache,
watercolor, glass lenses;  Kathleen Faulkner



http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/kelp.html

Life as we know it.

'A Red Herring' 2x4" brooch, sterling silver, paper, gouache,
watercolor, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

So many distractions and so little time.

I'm grateful to be focused on art these days; It took a long time to get here.  

Life's been a roller coaster ride.

Signs of Life

'Indicator Species Series: Northern Spotted Owl'
4x3" Brooch/Pendant, gouache, paper, mica,
sterling silver,  Kathleen Faulkner; photo by
Larry Bullis

I am invited to be in the show, 'Signs of Life' at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle October 7th through the 27th, 2015.
This show features the work of nine jewelry artists, each paired with a writer picked by the gallery. The journal, 'Signs of Life' combines stories with jewelry art and is in conjunction with the exhibit.

 I don't know yet, who the writers are.  I'm really looking forward to it all.

stick it

'Branching Out'  brooch 7x3" coral, sterling silver;
Kathleen Faulkner

I found several odd shaped branches and wondered what I should do with them.  

One thing led to another and, before I knew it, I had a slew of stick pins.  Then I decided to draw the sticks.  Then I remembered this piece of coral.  

I guess you could say that I'm branching out.

'Stick' pins various sizes, wood, sterling silver;
Kathleen Faulkner

'Stick' pin gouache, mica,
sterling silver;  Kathleen Faulkner

'Stick Pin, Too'  gouache, mica
sterling silver;  Kathleen Faulkner

we are all salmon people

'Something's Fishy'  brooch, 2x3" sterling silver, gouache, pigment,
ink,  mica;  Kathleen Faulkner

I remember standing on the bank of the John Day river watching the salmon heading home.  

There were so many that I imagined I could walk across them to the other side.

Things are different now. 

a helping hand

'Safety First' 20" milagro necklace, sterling silver,
paper, gouache, ink, graphite, mica; Kathleen Faulkner

We never know what lies ahead.

Some say that we create our own reality.

Whatever is true, it can't hurt to have a helping hand.

Ex-Votos from Mexico, Girard Collection, Museum of International
Folk Art (DCA) Santa Fe, NM A.1981.42.694V.1 Photo by Paul Smutko.

Louder than Words

'Stick' pin 3.5x1" sterling silver,
gouache, paper, mica;
Kathleen Faulkner

Remember the old adage: 

'Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me'.

True courage consists in doing what is right, despite the jeers and sneers of our companions.     

Christian Recorder, March 1862

'Volcano'  18-20' chain 2- 2.25" discs,
sterling silver, gouache, paper,  glass lenses;
Kathleen Faulkner



'Louder than Words'

BooM!

'Volcano' necklace 18-20" chain 2-2.5" discs,
sterling silver, gouache, paper, glass lenses
Kathleen Faulkner

It's almost a new year.

Although the days now will be getting longer, they're not there yet.  

Heavy rain, short days make for some good pondering.

Career:  I have a plan.  My new year is already full.  It is what I've wanted.

Personal:  I also have a plan.  I'm breaking loops.  It feels good.  

Resolution:  be kinder.

“I see a vision of a great rucksack revolution thousands or even millions of young Americans wandering around with rucksacks, going up to mountains to pray, making children laugh and old men glad, making young girls happy and old girls happier, all of 'em Zen Lunatics who go about writing poems that happen to appear in their heads for no reason and also by being kind and also by strange unexpected acts keep giving visions of eternal freedom to everybody and to all living creatures.”
― Gary Snyder

New Tricks

Gouache  noun \'gwash\  A method of painting with opaque watercolors. 

I was fortunate to be able to take a week long gouache workshop at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, Washington through Gage Art Academy.  I was familiar with the instructor, Karen Hackenberg's work and was really looking forward to the week.  I was not let down.  

Karen is a fabulous instructor, patient and precise with excellent communication skills.  She is also a master at gouache.  I learned more than I had hoped. 

  

Maybe the best part of the adventure was the time created for painting.  I am a working artist but the days usually get interrupted by the business of living.  Rarely do I have a long day (let alone week) to devote exclusively to painting.  

#1 test: rubber faucet thing.   This was about the paint,
how it handled and the exciting discovery that it really
could cover itself. It reminded me of painting with
oil except that the paint would dry within a minute.
Kathleen Faulkner

#2 test: broken plastic fish pen.  The goals were a smooth background
and the look of plastic.  With gouache, one can go back and
fix problems such as a couple that I can see above.
Kathleen Faulkner

#3 test: plastic easter egg dye bottle with water.  
I wanted to master the little devil and that tricky
shadow.  It was a struggle.  I also practiced spatter
as a background effect.
Kathleen Faulkner

'It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.'

Henry David Thoreau