A Bird in the Hand

 

'A Bird in the Hand', 10x8x2", shadowbox, colored pencil, sterling silver, glass lens

Kathleen Faulkner

The Pacific Northwest is world renowned for it's jewelry artists. Ramona Solberg, Ron Ho, Mary Lee Hu, Keith Lewis, and Kiff Slemmons have all called this area home and the list goes on.  The Northwest is as well known for it's jewelry artists as it is for it's glass.

Lots of competition

I came upon the idea of shadowboxes as an answer to a couple questions: how to combine drawing with metal and how to create something different to bring to the table.   These shadowboxes hang on the wall, can be opened from the back and the two brooches you see above can be removed and worn.
I've always been intrigued by idioms and word play so, I thought, why not illustrate them?  What resulted is a new series of work.  We'll see where this goes..


The most prestigious art jewelry gallery in the Northwest is Facere Gallery located in Seattle... a most amazing place.

Browse Facere Jewelry Art Gallery exhibits here    

Spider Web

"Spider Web" 5x9" Intaglio print, Kathleen Faulkner

thinking about  the webs we weave
  how life progresses
the people we become 

I am in a heady relationship with the environment.  Times are strange, though, and scary.  We're not sure how things will turn out, but we have our thoughts and ideas back there where we don't like to go.  We don't want to think about it too much because, if we do, it might be more than we can bear.

You know the old saying:  "the only sin is having the knowledge but choosing to ignore it."  I don't know who to credit that to but it's run through my mind now and then for most of my adult life and quite a bit, lately.


So, my thought to you is this:  we must bring out our best selves, step up to the plate and take care of each other.  This includes all species not just humans but plants and animals,  too.  We have to be proactive.  Little things count.  We must quickly start to think differently about things but not hate ourselves because it's hard and we don't like it or we mess up and we have to keep trying - Never give up!

As the Dalai Lama says,  " It's all about the love.."

A Snail Tale

There is an area down by the docks where I go to look for broken pottery, glass shards and miscellaneous flotsam.  It is interesting potential for jewelry.

I've heard that it used to be a dump site for the town - a bit unsettling if I think about it much.

I found it when I used to go to Flounder Bay Boatyard to visit Robert Sund, the Poet.  He lived in a very lovely little cabin in the lumber yard.  Everything about his place was a work of art and everything about him seemed to be a ceremony.

Sometimes we would visit outside in the yard while he'd hunt for those annoying snails that eat everything in sight and overwhelm the gardens here. 

They're everywhere, cause trouble and have no friends. Unlike most people, Robert would never kill them.  Instead, he'd collect them in a bowl and then take them across the street and over to the abandoned yard on the corner, wishing them well as he'd gently place them.   Very Buddhist

I first noticed that beach one day while traveling with Robert and the snails to their new home.

Ever since, I've made a point to go down and look.  There is always something.  My route takes me  by the place where Robert lived.  It has since been torn down and the new owners have built two 'cute' cottages in it's place but it will be Robert's home forever, in my mind.
Then, as I head for that beach, I pass by the 'dropping off place' and I always think of Robert and the snail tale.

"Flotsam" Neckpiece 30" sterling silver, glass shards, Kathleen Faulkner

A Fairy Tale

It's Spring and I'm starting to think about a hike in the North Cascades. This winter was one long artwork.  I produced a lot of work and it's been an inspired year that continues still.  

Right now, though,  I'm feeling the need to move and I've been on the lookout for a good pair of hiking shoes,  shoes that can become 'one with the rocks'.

I haven't been able to find anything suitable so 

I decided to make them.  

"Rock Climbers" shoes, rocks, copper, Kathleen Faulkner

Walking on Eggshells

"Walking on Eggshells" 10x8x2" sterling silver, paper, mica, photograph, shadowbox; 

Kathleen Faulkner

I'm in the process of registering my blog.  It is a bit confusing in more ways than one.  I feel, at times, like I'm walking on eggshells.  Please bare with me and thank you for viewing my blog.

Greetings from Rialto Beach

"Rialto Beach"  21x23"  oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

One of my favorite places to run away to is Rialto Beach.  Located near La Push, it is home to the Quileute Indian Nation (Wolf People), some of the best rocks on the planet, the Pacific Ocean and the Olympic National Forest.
It is a Destination but, whenever I've been there, I've had the place pretty much to myself.  Maybe it's because I usually visit in the winter.

It is rugged, intensely beautiful and the air constantly smells of ocean. The beach is covered with rocks that, some might say,  could have the ability to heal hidden wounds.

Wild and windblown, this place is literally a breath of fresh air that is a tonic for a weary soul.

Regarding Mother

"Snoqualmie Pass" 21x23" oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

It was deep into spring and we were heading over the pass. Suddenly, a last, late snowfall, early morning sunshine and a nice slice of wind swooped us. It was beautiful yet unnerving, as if the elements were emotions.

Snow is unusual for that time of year and I'm sure my state of mind added to the mood. Our friend had died and we were on our way to a funeral.  One minute deep in thought and gazing out the window then the next,  paying attention.   

It brought to mind some questions I wonder about from time to time:  Do trees feel pain?  Can animals  show compassion?   Does Mother Earth know when her children die and,  if so,  does she mourn?  

"Snoqualmie Pass II" 21x23" oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

For The Children

"Dancing Trees" 28x32" oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

I recently heard about a new type of school called The Forest school. Kids learn outside in the woods all day, every day, rain or shine.  I can see it now:  little kids in rain gear, eating lunch on a tarp in the rain.. Not such a bad thing if you're a kid hungry for adventure.  I can't think of any child that doesn't like to play in the rain or just be outside.
It is so easy to love and appreciate nature and wilderness when it has become a part of one's life: what's not to love?

Humans tend to fear the unknown.  Children making friends with a forest might end up being what saves us..

"The rising hills, the slopes,

of statistics

lie before us,

the steep climb

of everything, going up,

up, as we all go down.

In the next century 

or the one beyond that,

they say,

are valleys, pastures,

we can meet there in peace

if we make it.

To climb these coming crests

one word to you, to 

you and your children:

stay together

learn the flowers,

travel light"

                                                                               Gary Snyder,  Turtle Island

Almost Cut My Lawn

'untitled' 17.5x17"  Kathleen Faulkner

"it happened just the other day

was gettin' kinda long

I could've said it got in my way

but I didn't and I wonder why

I feel like letting my Freak Flag Fly
I feel like I owe it to someone"

 So, in protest of the CORPORATION responsible for the most CATASTROPHIC oil spill in HISTORY,  I've decided to give my lawn to the deer.

A Love Story

"Fingerlings" 22x23" oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

Salmon and trees just seem to go together.  It's been that way since the beginning.  

We all want and need protection from the elements, enough food to eat, clean air,  a respite from the rigors of life.  Trees provide that for salmon.
The forest environment on the banks of rivers and streams is called Riparian vegetation.  This dies and ends up in the streams. It includes dead wood, underbrush.. generally, 'compost' of the forest and, in the fall, dead salmon. It is a food source and oxygen for salmon and other water citizens.
It is the smallest percentage of forest environment in northwest Washington yet has an effect on 80% of the wildlife population.  All the living, dining, nesting, resting and hiding goes on here.

We must protect and speak for all natural communities as they have  no voice.

How to Make Overlay Jewelry

Bracelet, sterling silver overlay;  Kathleen Faulkner

                            How to Make Overlay Jewelry

  1.   Come up with a design.
  2.   Draw a pattern from the design, cut it out and paste (elmer's glue is good) onto two sheets of 24 gauge silver that have been glued together.  Super glue works well for this.  I use 24 gauge for earrings, link bracelets (such as the one above) and some brooches.  That is two layers of 24 gauge.  Sometimes I use 22 gauge for the cut out to create a deeper cut,  Large cuff bracelets, rings and  belt buckles will require a larger gauge.
  3.   Drill holes in all the areas to be cut out.
  4.   Put the blade of the jeweler's saw through the drilled holes then saw.
  5.   Sand the edges of the cut-outs.
  6.   Saw out the bottom piece from the double sheet.

Bamboo bead Necklace
sterling silver overlay
Kathleen Faulkner

  7.   Torch the pieces so that the glue will burn up and they will come apart.  You will then have two top pieces and two bottom pieces.  I do this especially for earrings so that the design is the same on both tops. It would also be helpful for bracelets such as the one above.
  8.   Rinse and Dry.
  9.   Stamp name and s.s. hallmark on the back of the bottom pieces.

10.   Sand all surfaces on all pieces of silver.

11.   Clean the surfaces that were just sanded.
12.   Paint both surfaces with flux then place solder on the bottom side of the cut out surface.
13.   After the flux is dried, place the surface with the solder onto the bottom piece of solid silver.
14.   Solder the two surfaces together then drop into pickle, let sit while you do other things... maybe take a break..
15.   Take the piece out of the pickle, wash with soap and water then dry.
16.   Sand the surface to check for firescale.  Overlay has a tendency for this. If found, sand until it's gone.
17.   File the edges.
18.   If the piece requires components such as pin backs, ear posts, bails, etc., solder those now.
19.   Check again for firescale.  See #16.
20.   Buff the piece to the desired finish.
21.   Clean in ultrasonic solution.
22.   Wash again, with soap and water.  Dry with a soft cloth.
23.   Paint oxidation in the recessed areas on the top surface.
24.   Rinse, dry, wipe brow.
25.   Buff with a buffing stick and jewelry compound.
26.   Add whatever findings to be used with the piece: pin stems, ear nuts or wires, chains, etc.
27.   Type up a price list of the work going to wherever it's going.
28.   Pack up and then deliver.
29.   Hope the gallery loves it.
30.   Come home and take a nap.

Gun and Holster Brooch, sterling silver
overlay, found pottery shard;
Kathleen Faulkner

Why Craft?

*"This and That" Neckpiece  18" Kathleen Faulkner

I started out as a painter who majored in sculpture.  All my schooling got me a job on a little ferry in my town.  The frustration of being an artist working at a regular job finally came to a climax one day.  The local jeweler, who, at the time lived on Guemes, was coming home on the ferry and, without conscious intention, I approached her and said, "I think you need an apprentice."  Then she said, "Why yes I do.  Can you start Monday?"  That began my journey into the craft world.  My life as I knew it would never be the same.  

As I learned and worked with her, I came to the realization that this is what I was meant to do.  I like to make things.  It is a different process for me, unlike painting.  Painters tend to enter another state when painting, time evaporates and it can be a type of meditation.  Jewelry, on the other hand is a struggle and I have to work very hard at it.  I have to pay attention, I have to be precise.  Time passes but in a very different way.  I never lose track of time when making jewelry.  To me it feels very different.

I make jewelry because I can,  it makes me happy, it is fulfilling.  I paint for the very same reasons.  Different processes same result. 

                                           

                         "The Art is long, 

                           Life short, 

                          Opportunity fleeting ,

                          Experiment dangerous, 

                          Judgement difficult"

                                          from Hippocrates

*materials: sterling and fine silver, beads, river rocks, enamel, copper

The pitch

"The Ayes Have It" 30x1.5" colored pencil, mica, sterling silver,  Kathleen Faulkner

I enjoy donating to causes I believe in.  I feel that it is my opportunity to show gratitude for being able to work in a field that I love.  Dues, as some would say..

This piece is now owned by the Museum of Northwest Art.  I made it specifically for the auction which will occur on Saturday, June 19th.  I hope it does well for the Museum.

There are different opinions regarding donating artwork to auctions. Some feel that it is a hardship.  There is no doubt artists struggle and are constantly asked to donate.  January, I was asked to donate to six different organizations.  The only deduction an artist can take on their donation is for materials only.  It is a bum deal.

But,  if we think of it as something we can do towards the betterment/future/existence of the quality of our lives, isn't that worth it?   If we don't step up, who will?

The Museum of Northwest Art is an exceptional addition to our area here on the Salish.  We should take good care of it.  I am honored to be able to do my part.


                                                                                                                                      

     Northwest Arts Blog                          
     Museum of Northwest Art Auction 

"April has Turned Cold"

"Early Morning: Cranberry Lake" 17x17" oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

There was a tragedy in my little town this week.  It was very large and very sad and it has put a bit of a damper on things.  

It seems to be a volatile time around here in general, lately.   Cranky people, crazy weather, accidents and a little something off in the air.

When things get a bit overwhelming, I generally go somewhere.  A good place for me is Deception Pass.  It's best, in my view, in the early morning or early evening, less people depending on the season.

Hearing the surf while walking among the trees is incredibly soothing and the best part is that it is just minutes from my home.  I always come away with a renewed sense of wonder.

April has Turned Cold

April has turned cold.

                                 The evening light fades through the clouds.

             A string of geese calls me out

             to sing a farewell, and

                                I wish them luck as they go from Ish River

       away out over the ocean,

                    long long sweeps of rippling wings

       bound for Siberia.

                        Their wild song they take with them,

               and leave some behind.

 They leave enough so

                          I don't have to leave home any more.  

 Robert Sund

                                                                         from "Shack Medicine"

The Highs and Lows

"High Tide: Padilla Bay" 18x36" oil pastel Kathleen Faulkner

"Low Tide: Padilla Bay" 18x36" oil pastel Kathleen Faulkner

Padilla Bay is on the way out of town.  I've passed by it more times than I can count.  I always look and it's always different. 

Padilla Bay is an estuary.  The bay is filled with sediment from the Skagit River making the bottom very shallow. When the tide is out, the whole bay empties and at high tide it floods.  

One third of Puget Sound's eelgrass grows here.  The bay is covered with it:  nearly 8,000 acres.  Eelgrass is valuable because it is habitat for millions of critters.  It's used as a nursery for salmon, crab, perch and herring as well as home to worms, shrimp, clams and other invertebrates which, in turn, are food for herons, eagles, otters and seals.  It's a whole community unto itself.  

When I'm passing it I usually don't think about all the living that's going on there.  I'm looking at the patterns and contrast and color.  I'm thinking about how beautiful it is and how lucky I am to be able to see it whenever I want.  I'm also thinking of it as my very own personal tide table.

Down at the Wetlands

"Down at the Wetlands"  oil pastel 23x24" Kathleen Faulkner

Spring has arrived.  It changes our mood:  we all wake up!

The frogs are quite out of control down at the wetlands.  Theirs is a sound I look forward to every year.  It is so hopeful.

Standing in the bog with eyes closed, I am blasted by the audio equivalent of visual overload.  It is a sound that permeates the psyche like that favorite song we play loudly over and over  because it touches us deep where we live.

Frogs are an indicator species.  They absorb water and anything else that happens to be in that water, through their skin.  Here in Cascadia it's the Pacific Tree frog (among others).  Frogs are in decline and once they're gone, start packing your bags because we'll be gone, too,  shortly thereafter.

In the meantime though, my mood is brightened by the hopefulness of crazy frog sounds in the springtime down at the wetlands.

Pulse of the Planet

Tidal Marsh

"Tidal Marsh" oil and regular pastel, 

charcoal, gesso, 9x9", Kathleen Faulkner

It was an adventure.  We headed out early. 

Muted colors, bird sounds and the smell of salty sea grass hosting billions of organisms.. Standing in the midst of it all,  I could hear "it" living, breathing.

I lost my boot but got it back and, once home, pulling it off, I was struck by the blackness of the mud  blacker than the darkest farmland dirt   almost blue. 

"Salt marshes are one of the most biologically productive habitats on the planet,  rivaling tropical rain forests."  Wikipedia

"A tidal marsh is: soft, sticky, living tissue that grows on you.  Once into tidal marshes, you can only extract your person.  The mind continues to wander through with long, complicated, sinuous, personal thoughts"  Josh Collins 1996

Give a little bit

"Craft Island" oil and regular pastel, charcoal, gesso,  9x9" Kathleen Faulkner

There are two schools of thought in the art world:  keep your secrets and make it all a mystery or give it  away,  share.   

One day I was visiting Dana at the Edison Eye and Joel Brock stopped in.  His studio is in back and he invited me over.  "I want to show you something."  He said.  Little did I know that what he was about to share with me might just change my way of thinking about my materials.
He proceeded to demonstrate his technique, and then sent me home with supplies for practice.  He told me to come back when I had some pieces to show him in this new technique.  I haven't shown him yet.. but it's in the plan.

It's hard to feel generous during these uncertain times.  Who knows what's to happen.  You can't eat art. We're all just trying to stay alive and survival is a powerful force.  I think, though, that giving really does come back and, although that's not the point, it's a nice bonus.  

Thank you, Joel, for your generosity.

Full Moon, High Tide

"High Tide: Guemes Channel" 23x21" oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

We're in the midst of a full moon.  A lot has happened this last week. Our artist friend, John Simon passed, the Olympics finished, another earthquake and the weather has been unusual.  

Some say that a full moon* has no effect on us, that there is no scientific proof.  Am I melancholy because of the moon or could it be that the death of a friend tends to dull those rose colored glasses I love to wear, exposing life and death in all it's reality?  

Maybe it's a little of both.

*  http://www.equinoxastrology.com/LunarLore.htm

Chuckanut

"Chuckanut Series" 20.5x20" oil pastel Kathleen Faulkner

There is a place where the mountains kiss the sea.  

It is one of my favorite spots and it starts a twenty minute journey north.   Chuckanut Drive is spectacular, when it's open.  There are slides regularly so, quite often, the road is closed.  It is a narrow, winding road that can be dangerous at times but worth the effort.

It begins at Blanchard, a very small town that, at one time, prospered through timber but now is almost a ghost.  It lies at the base of Blanchard Mountain.   This area is a destination for many with it's excellent trails, vistas and bat caves.  Down at the water, one can buy shellfish and celebrate every July at the Bivalve Bash. There is still some old growth left, as well.  

A movement to save this mountain from logging has been underway for awhile.  Unfortunately, the southern tip of it is getting the ax.  

How does one explain the importance of wilderness to those who only see the money to be made by destroying it?   

The Magic Skagit

"Skagit Fields"  9x11" oil pastel  Kathleen Faulkner

I live in the Magic Skagit.  It is called this for many reasons but the richness and fertility of the dirt is part of it.  The earth here is special.  It feeds people, literally and figuratively.  

It collects artistic talent.

I moved here to be able to disappear into a forest within a matter of minutes rather than hours.  Although my world revolves around art, I wasn't thinking about the artistic history here when I settled.  I was thinking about the trees and I was struck by the vast areas of farmland in between.. and the colors:  grey sky and green earth.

I was also thinking about the sense of community one gets when not living in a city.

Life just seemed easier and it still does.  I'm grateful everyday.

This area has been considered home to such artists as Morris Graves, Guy Anderson, Richard Gilkey and Clayton James*, who, by the way, is still alive at the tender age of 91 and still painting.  This is where Tom Robbins lives, the place where Fishtown became famous and our old friend, Robert Sund, wrote a lot of his poetry.  Now,  new generations of artists are sprouting, growing and thriving.

Food, art and poetry in a magic spot on the Salish Sea.   Who could ask for more?

*Clayton James

  Richard Gilkey

  Morris Graves
  Guy Anderson
  Tom Robbins
  Robert Sund

Aspen

          **


One day, hiking around in Mazama, Washington,  I found myself in the midst of a "forest" of Aspen.  It was an odd feeling, as if I were intruding upon someone's personal space.  It so struck me that I came home and did these three pieces.

Aspen is considered to be an Indicator of Ancient Woodlands.

*Clonal Colony is a group of genetically identical individuals that have grown in a given location,  all originating from a single ancestor.

*A group of 47,000 Quaking Aspen clones in the Wasatch Mountains, Utah, is sometimes considered the world's largest organism by mass, covering 110 acres.

I think that qualifies this tree to have some magic, at least.


*from Widipedia, the free encyclopedia

** "Aspen", "Aspen II", "Aspen III", oil pastels, each 23x21" Kathleen Faulkner

Madrone

"Madrone" 30x22" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

Sometimes, in this part of the world, green can become overwhelming. The job of madrone is visual relief.

Aloof and mysterious, madrone is not interested in being domesticated.  It does as it pleases, is messy yet beautiful, tossing it's paper thin bark and bright red berries all over the place.  

I love that bark.

Bitter Cherry

Prunus Emarginata

Bitter Cherry

Steve at Dunbar Gardens told me about a native species of cherry.  The fruit is not edible by humans but the birds love it and it is a real beauty, don't you think?  

Cherry

"Cherry" 17x17" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

This is my newest oil pastel.  It is one of many in the "Tree" series, which I'll be posting from time to time. 

Although cherry trees are not native to this area, they do grow well here and seem to enjoy teasing us with  their early blooms.  Some around the area are blooming now.

Much of my inspiration comes from the area in which I live.  There is magic here and the light is special, too.  We are in the midst of the largest temperate rainforest in the world.  There's everything from snow covered peaks on down to the salty sea   Salish Sea, that is.  

Our friend Robert Sund called this area "Ish River country".   

One can always tell the tourists by how they pronounce the names of places around here.  

Welcome to Art Talk.

The mission: To get inspired, motivated or, at least, arouse our curiosity regarding the world of ART.

In the days ahead, I will attempt to do my part to fulfill this mission; I hope you will join me.