Geology lesson

'Rialto Beach' series; oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

'The observer, when he seems to himself to be observing a stone, is really, if physics is to be believed, observing the effects of the stone upon himself.'   Bernard Shaw

'A stone is ingrained with geological and historical memories.'  Andy Goldsworthy

'The finest workers of stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.'   Henry David Thoreau

'But which is the stone that supports the bridge?'   Kublal Khan

'Leave no stone unturned.'   Euripides 

'The poets' scrolls will outlive monuments of stone. Genius survives, all else is claimed by death.'  Edmund Spenser 

'Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set.'  Frances Bacon

'Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. O when may it suffice?'   William Butler Yeats

'What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.'   Pericles

Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.'  

  Richard Lovelace

'The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.'  Sigmund Freud

'Never treat anything you do as a stepping stone.  Do it fully, and follow it completely.'  Mira Nair

'Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.'   Ansel Adams 

Bone food

Earrings; sterling and fine silver, calcite; Kathleen Faulkner

Once upon a time, while hiking up in the northern New Mexico mountains,  we came upon an old calcite mine.  It had been closed for years but the rock was scattered everywhere.  The sun, filtering through the trees, and a slight breeze made those rocks sparkle.

I felt like I was in a dream as I sat on the ground picking up pieces of rock.  The day, the sun, the smells of pine and pinion.. and all these beautiful stones sparkling like diamonds..

Calcite comes from the shells of dead marine organisms.  That means that at one time, long ago, that area in Northern New Mexico was ocean.  

Many things have come from those bones of the dead:  cement, limestone, marble, medicines, fertilizer and the most amazing of all:  lenses.  The now extinct trilobite used clear calcite crystals to form the lenses of their eyes.  

All that and more from shells.  

Imagine what we haven't discovered yet..  

what we don't know..

Paper Trail

'Paper Trail' necklace, 60" magazine paper,
sterling silver,  elastic; Kathleen Faulkner

Paper beads became popular in Victorian times.  Women in England would get together and make   beads by rolling wallpaper on knitting needles. They would then string the beads on long pieces of yarn to use as room dividers.  

As a child I would make paper beads for bracelets and necklaces. When thinking about what I would do for this show, I remembered those paper beads I used to make and thought it would be fun to revisit. 

This necklace, as well as 'Message in a Bottle', will be part of 'Re-Art' at Smith & Vallee Gallery, in conjunction with the Re-Store. The show runs from April 2nd through April 30th.

This should be a great show.  I'm looking forward to it.

For Japan

Please remember our Japanese friends who need our help:     

Artists for Japan  

Something's fishy

"Smelt" oil pastel, ink; 17x17" Kathleen Faulkner

The Edison Eye Gallery, in conjunction with Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, presents 

'Friends of the Fish'.  

The show runs from April 16th through May 1st with the usual 

wonderful opening on April 16th, 6 till 10pm.  

I heard from a very reliable source that this show is going to be Good!  60 artists are participating and Dana is in a very good mood.  

'Edison Eye' photo; Kathleen Faulkner

An important message:

'Message in a Bottle' 36' found objects, poem by Gary
Snyder, sterling silver; Kathleen Faulkner

An owl winks in the shadows

A lizard lifts on tiptoe, breathing hard

Young male sparrow stretches up his neck,

big head, watching-

The grasses are working in the sun. Turn it green.

Turn it sweet.  That we may eat.

Grow our meat.

Brazil says "sovereign use of Natural Resources"

Thirty thousand kinds of unknown plants.

The living actual people of the jungle

sold and tortured'

And a robot in a suit who peddles a delusion called 'Brazil"

can speak for them?

The whales turn and glisten plunge

and sound and rise again

Hanging over subtly darkening deeps

Flowing like breathing planets 

in the sparkling whorls of 

living light-

And Japan quibbles for words on

what kinds of whales they can kill?

A once-great Buddhist nation

dribbles methyl mercury 

like gonorrhea

in the sea.

Pere David's Deer, the Elaphure,

lived in the tule marshes of the Yellow River

Two thousand years ago - and lost it's home to rice-

The forests of Lo - yang were logged and all the silt and

sand flowed down,

and gone, by 1200 AD -

Wild geese hatched out of Siberia

head south over basins of the Yang, the Huang,

What we call "China"

On flyways they have used a million years.

Ah China, where are the tigers, the wild boars,

the monkeys,

like the snows of yesteryear

Gone in a mist, a flash, and the dry hard ground

Is parking space for fifty thousand trucks.

Is man most precious of all things?

- then let us love him, and his brothers, all those

Fading living beings -

North America, Turtle Island, taken by invaders

who wage war around the world.

May ants, may abalone, otters, wolves and elk

Rise! and pull away their giving 

from the robot nations.

Solidarity. The People

Standing Tree People!

Flying Bird People!

Swimming Sea People!

Four-legged, two-legged people!

How can the head-heavy power-hungry politic scientist

Government two-world Capitalist-Imperialist

Third-world Communist paper-shuffling make

non-farmer jet-set bureaucrats

Speak for the green of the leaf? Speak for the soil?

(Ah Margaret Mead... do you sometimes dream of Samoa?)

The robots argue how to parcel out Mother Earth

To last a little longer

like vultures flapping

Belching, gurgling,

near a dying doe.

"In yonder field a slain knight lies-

We'll fly to him and eat his eyes

with a down

derry derry derry down down."

An Owl winks in the shadow

A lizard lifts on tiptoe

breathing hard

The whales turn and glisten

plunge and

Sound, and rise again

Flowing like breathing planets

In the sparkling whorls

Of living light.     

                                                                  'Mother Earth:  Her Whales'

                                                                                     by Gary Snyder

'Life is short, the Art long'

Somewhere between LaConner and Stanwood; Kathleen Faulkner

I started with a plan.  I would visit LaConner first, head over to Camano Island and then, finish the day in Edison.  An afternoon and evening of adventure and visual enjoyment.

As I walked toward the gallery I knew this show would be good.  Looking around at all the images I was reminded of the recipe for a good exhibit:  that the whole equals more than the sum of it's parts.  This small gallery filled with black and white photographs of the art history of the Magic Skagit: very Large and very Powerful.. 

Truly a sight to behold.

As I left I knew I would be back to look again.

Camano Island is long and narrow.  The next gallery I was headed to is at the south end of that island.  I had never been before.  It was a beautiful drive, a Beautiful gallery and a beautiful show.  I felt honored to be a part of this group, showing in this fabulous gallery. 

Wondering around in the sculpture garden, impressed to death, I decided to name the place, "Artland in the Woods". 

It is good to find some magic.

The last call was in Edison.  I love that town.  I always look forward to spending time there.  

The opening was packed, the artwork stunning, the conversation stimulating.   

An unknown,  a 'phantom' as Dana calls him..  a one man show of outrageously good work.  I imagine he won't be unknown for long.. 

It was a good plan.  It worked quite well.  It was one of the best 'art for your soul' days I've had for a long, long time.

Somewhere near Edison; Kathleen Faulkner

Greetings from Birdsville

'The Return' oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

The geese have returned:  a highlight of late winter. 

February was a cold, snowy month, the way I used to remember it as a child.  Indians named February's full moon the Snow Moon because of all the snow that would arrive.   It's hard to know if this is unusual now or not.

The eagles are down in the valley waiting for food.  I have seen more birds than ever lately.  Ducks, hawks, eagles, swans, geese, and on and on.

It is a wonderful thing!

Adult and immature eagles near Edison;

Another angle..

Everything is wet, cold and beautiful   It is good to live here.

looking northeast toward Mt Baker..

What's Up?

'Pod' necklace; sterling silver, pods, pigment; Kathleen Faulkner

This necklace is the companion piece to the Pod brooch.  These two pieces will be in the upcoming Northwest Designer Craftsmen show at Matzke Fine Art Gallery opening March 5th from 2pm - 9pm and running through April 10th, 2011.

'Pod' brooch; sterling silver, pods, pigment; Kathleen Faulkner
photo: David Scherrer

Fun Facts

For those of you who feel yourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place:

'Rocks' 36x9" oil pastel;
Kathleen Faulkner

walking along West Beach listening to the waves tumbling the rocks in the surf

it is all constant movement 

nothing stays the same.

Every action has a reaction

'On the Way to Edison' photo; Kathleen Faulkner

I stand in the middle of my studio and hear the world outside.  I am surrounded by manmade objects and materials that, once living, are now dead.

I stand in the middle of a forest and become part of an interaction with an energy that isn't in any house, studio, building except for maybe a barn.  

I stand in the middle of a field and feel that I am a part of it all.  

Observation can be a participatory sport

The favored one

'My Favorite Weed'  photo;  Kathleen Faulkner

I grow in her yard almost everywhere.  I guess that doesn't say much about the state of her yard:  I prefer poor soil, abandoned areas.

In her defense, she grows a fine garden of vegetables and flowers, she allows for wildlife habitat, there is even some grass in the back.  She could pull me out by the roots and that would probably be it.  I think she likes me, though.  Sometimes she comes over and rubs my leaves, she's taken many photos of me.  She lets me grow.  

I have some useful qualities, although I was brought over by the Puritans.

Dipped in tallow my flower stalk can be used as a torch.  Mullein stalks were used in ancient Greece as funeral torches.

I can cure leprosy and, if you have asthma, you can get relief by smoking my leaves. 

A tea made from me is good for catarrh or as a sedative.  

Maybe she keeps me around just in case.

Or maybe my leaves remind her of something 

or someone.

Buddy

'Buddy' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

Crow is another well adapted urban resident that irritates more than it inspires..   

although, in mythology, Crow is highly regarded. 

 

It is always a good idea to be nice to crow.   He never forgets.  

I have a friend that will not go outside when crows are around.  He is continually buzz bombed by them when he's spotted.  He says he doesn't know why but my guess is that he wasn't nice a time or two.

    

Wiley

'Rabbit's View' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

If you look up coyote on the internet you'll find that most of the information is about how to kill them.  No one seems to like the coyote especially the smaller urban critters.  

Coyote is one of the most adaptable animals in the world.  Good for them, bad for the critters.

Since we humans are taking up all the habitat we should expect that some cats, rabbits and other small mammals will become food for these guys,  gourmet food,  plump and juicy from easy living.

There is one that hangs out around here now and then but, so far, the cat and the rabbits are alive and well and I still see the squirrels digging around the yard.

I like to think of coyote as the transformer:  in the mythological world, he is heroic with attributes such as transformation, travel, high deeds and power.  His job is to change the ways of rivers, the standing of mountains and create new landscapes.  He is also the one that gets sacred things for people.  

I have the utmost respect for coyote.

Anniversary

'Slough' 7x9" oil and soft pastel, charcoal; Kathleen Faulkner

I started this blog one year ago today.  

The plan was to have an alternative to a website. What happened is that it took on a life of it's own leading me down some other paths.

I made a conscious effort to keep personal business out of it.  That didn't work.  I had planned to concentrate on calls to artists, show reviews and showcasing my work.  That didn't happen except that I have showcased my work.

What I discovered is that I enjoy telling the stories that inspire the artwork:  the full picture, so to speak.  I also discovered that if I just go with the flow it will go wherever it goes and that's ok.

One great benefit to me has been the feedback.  It is good to know that someone is out there.  One never knows who or what awaits once the publish button is pushed and the post is thrown into cyberspace.
It is also good discipline.

Now,  just for fun, here are some statistics from this last year:

'Solstice: full moon lunar eclipse' was the most viewed post.  'in addition' was a close second.  

Besides the US, Canada and Germany gave me the most hits.  

'Neckpieces' and 'Water' were the most visited pages.  

Monday has the highest viewing numbers with the most hits between 10am and 2pm.  

The image from 'A Fairy Tale' was included in Regina Hackett's blog post,  'Foot Fetish'.   

My blog was listed in two international jewelry blogs and dumped from one painting blog.  

All in all I'd say it was a good year.  

So, here's to another year of story telling and art making.  

Thanks for viewing. 

Cheers!

A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.
Mohandas Gandhi 

Meet my friend and neighbor

'Octopus',  bracelet; sterling silver, fossilized walrus ivory,
printer's ink;  Kathleen Faulkner

Shy octopus glides through the water looking for a hiding place.

One of my all time favorite critters, the octopus: shy, intelligent, curious and an intricate member of the underwater ecosystem.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's the Giant Pacific Octopus growing up to 23 feet and weighing as much as 150 pounds.  These beauties make their home territory from northern California up the coast along the Aleutians and down along the coast of Japan.  One could say they are a part of the 'Ring of Fire'.

If you've ever seen a live octopus up close and personal, you probably remember the eyes,  intelligent eyes that look right back at you, maybe even through you.

so much more than just another sea creature

Work before play

'Let's Play'  21x23" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

It's raining and has been for a few days.   Some places are flooded.  The yards have evolved into ponds. 

I've been thinking about some fun things I'd like to do. The version of play around here often involves being outside.  Fortunately, rain is not a deterrent for me.  

Today, though, I have a project to finish up and, as much as I'd love to play it will have to wait for another day.

Deer Prudence

'Prudence' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

'The sun is out, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you..'

Lucky

'Lucky' woodblock print; Kathleen Faulkner

I'm working on the first project of the year.  Just for fun, I thought I'd make prints of the animals that live on my property.  Since soon it will be the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, I decided to start with this critter. 

A friend said that rabbits are chewers and cause trouble.  Probably so but, the rabbit and I have made a deal. 

In the ether world, rabbits are considered lucky.  

Canada Post greets the Year of the Rabbit with new stamps

How I spent the last day of 2010

'Frozen Slough' digital photo; Kathleen Faulkner

We took our time and drove the Bayview road.  

The sun was shining and the air was cold.  We spent too much time in Edison.  It always happens.  There are people to see and time to spend. 

It was late when we left.  The cold winter sun was going down fast.  As we headed home we noticed the slough, frozen top layer left high and dry when the tide receded. I stood there listening to the groaning and cracking sounds of the ice giving it up to gravity.

Later, good food, good friends, hopeful toasts.

We can make this new year anything we want.   

'An eye for an eye will make us all blind' Mahatma Gandhi

This is the season of love and joy.  We are different:  as we wish our friends a Merry Christmas we are full of good cheer.  We give to charity and think of others.  We do good deeds.

Small things make us cry.   It seems as though we become the people that we've been waiting for.

Maybe this Solstice Full Moon Lunar Eclipse will have a hand in changing the time frame.  Maybe we will carry on the love and joy and peace from now until forever.  It is my wish for us all.


Happy Solstice, full moon lunar eclipse, Merry Christmas, Yule, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, HumanLight and Diwali to all   and to all a good life
 in Peace.

Solstice: full moon lunar eclipse

'Nightscape' 12x12" oil and soft pastel, charcoal;
Kathleen Faulkner

Winter Solstice:
Out of the darkness  we move toward the light

This 'holiday' really works for me.  Just knowing that we will now be moving away from the darkest hour gives me hope and brightens dark places.

This year, there is a full moon lunar eclipse during the Solstice, an event that we have never seen in our lifetime and will never see again.  A once in a lifetime opportunity to make it anything we want and a chance to move forward with a little help from the Universe.  That puts a smile on my face.

Happy Solstice, Friends!  May we move forward with love and peace and inspiration,  Cheers!

The Winter of it

'The Winter of It' oil and soft pastel, charcoal; 8x8"
Kathleen Faulkner

It is the Winter of it.  Darkness, rain  and the mentally ill.  

I think about a painting I did.  Title:  'It's Good to Have a Running Start'.
It is hard to have a running start in the Winter of it.  Friends are falling and Life is challenging.  I'm giving things away.  It helps.

It will soon be the Solstice.  Then, the days will grow longer and we will move toward Spring,  the favored season.  Then we shall all carry on.

'The Winter of It III' oil and soft pastel, charcoal; 8x8"
Kathleen Faulkner

Trees: 1 Neighbors: 0

'Morning' 23x21" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

It's been pouring rain.  My property is soaked.  My walkway is underwater.  I live on a hill so flooding is not something I worry about too much.  The wind uprooting my trees when the ground is so saturated is the bigger concern. 

I live in a neighborhood that does not appreciate trees.  They distract from the potential view that some neighbors are intent upon having.  I've been begged, shamed, cajoled and threatened but to no avail.

There are two things that would do the trick.  My death and/or a major windstorm.  I've lived here through several wind storms of historic proportions but still the wind is always able to make me nervous.  In the end, though, it will probably be my demise that will seal their fate.  

So, for now, here's a toast to my excellent Tree Friends:  May you live and grow forever and may I live a very long life. 

The morning after

digital photo; Kathleen Faulkner

I wake to winter sunshine.  The frost lingers.  I've been working for months, intensely,  but today I can breathe.  I am free, I can do anything.   

Should I clean my house, workshop, yard?  Should I go for a long walk and take photos?  Should I visit friends that I've neglected all this time?  For an instant, I feel at a loss for what to do: my focus is confused.  I could keep doing what I've been doing:  I have three panels ready to paint,  a couple commissions, some jewelry I could finish but it seems a waste to let a beautiful day slip by while I'm indoors.  I have time on my side for once.

I guess I'll go with the flow and see where it takes me.

'Near Edison'  digital photo;  Kathleen Faulkner

The story I told the tree

'False Pass'  oil and soft pastel, charcoal;
Kathleen Faulkner

There are several garbage islands out in the oceans. These are huge masses of plastic where nothing lives except previously owned stuff, re-morphed into garbage that will last forever and that the fish and birds and animals eat because it looks like food.

It's all made from oil and contributes to our potential doom.

Of course, there are other ingredients in the doom recipe: global warming, pesticides, radiation, clear cutting and the destruction of whole ecosystems to feed humans' need for stuff.   There are many more, too many to mention.

Everyone that has something to sell hopes that someone will buy it.  I am an artist.  I create work because  it fulfills me and it supports me.  It's still stuff.  I often have conflicts about it all.  We all contribute to the doom recipe but less really is more and, as much as I can justify Art as a quality of life necessity, it still requires materials, some more destructive than others, to make it.  I wonder if I have any right to feel that what I do is worthwhile.  Maybe I'm just using resources for my own selfishness. 

Recently a friend read this story to me:  Global Warming and Art

It changed my perspective a bit and eased the angst.  

Bounty

'Jack Island' necklace 20" sterling silver, slate;
Kathleen Faulkner


Thanksgiving 2010.

I am grateful for the snow I woke up to this morning even though it will alter my plans.
I am grateful for the people in my life.

memories are good, too.   

Jack Island. 

We took a small boat and circled.   I remember the north side: large weathered, living rocks,  entangled kelp along their base and the shade from the trees, water calm,  sunny day,  good light.  

Then to the beach and, while landing, I noticed a carpet made of slate and shells.   

Someone  said there was once a fox farm on the island and I was noticing the trees. 

Later,  sitting on the south side facing North Beach, on rocks warmed by the sun, eating lunch, playing with rocks and shells, I remember thinking how interesting life is.

and with that memory I look out my window 

photo: Kathleen Faulkner

Change is good.

'Strategy is the Craft of the Warrior' 2.5x1.5" Belt Buckle, sterling silver overlay;

Kathleen Faulkner

Once upon a time, a long time ago and far away,  Artists were considered assets.  Anyone who was anyone was a Patron.  Artists worked on projects for years and were funded.  Real jobs, what a concept.

America is very young and so has very little respect or appreciation for the Arts.  Some might say that there are big collectors and that is true.  But, just like the wealthy, it's a small percentage. 

Artists just want to make art.  These days, that becomes more difficult.  Patrons are worried, keeping tight grip of their money, artists need money to live so they can create, materials used for creating are becoming more expensive and the general public doesn't understand any of it.   

Personally I've been doing some thinking about the materials I use.  On one hand, I want to do my part to leave a small footprint but on the other, I want to create.  This is an issue for me as all art is made from and becomes something.  

Silver is a natural resource. * Spot is at $26.01 per oz today.  Last year it was $17.00.  When I started working with silver in the early 90s it was around $4.00.  As you can see, price has become an issue.

This buckle consists of almost three ounces of silver.  At around $30 an ounce my cost, that's $90.  The formula for pricing is cost of materials times three which would be $270.  This price includes designing, materials shipping costs, electricity, heat, water, acetylene, solder, buffing materials, cleaning materials and solutions, polishing materials, boxes, pricing, advertising and a whole lot more.. including labor. I then take that price and double it because the gallery will take 50%.  Now this buckle is up to $540.00. Needless to say, I can't afford my own art.  

This piece took around 15 hours to design and create.  After deducting the cost of silver, I'm left with $180 to cover everything including labor.  I will make about $10.00 per hour on this. 

Since galleries do mostly consignment, artwork is not purchased, there is no money up front.  The artist must wait for the work to sell then, as is the usual, wait 30 days for payment.  

You will not see this much silver in future work.  I am re-thinking my designs - I have a new strategy.  Natural and recycled materials are calling.  I think it is a better way for me: less guilt, less cost and, hopefully, more creativity.

Any artwork takes materials, time, energy and inspiration and the result, if it works, is food for the soul.  I will always make art.

It's about quality of life. 

 *Spot is the unrefined price of precious metals.  Charges are added when ordering sheet, wire, tubing, etc.

My two cents

'Halibut' 2x1.5" brooch, sterling silver, fossilized walrus ivory, printer's ink;
Kathleen Faulkner

Art's Alive is over now.  It was a long yet inspiring weekend.  I heard a lot of comments  about many things..

As an artist and appreciator and, once in a blue moon curator, I get to see three different perspectives in the art world.

The Deciders
Three of this year's Art's Alive shows were invitational.  In this case it was mostly committee rather than a curator selecting a group of artists for each show.  They factored many things into their decisions: space, theme, compatibility and, most importantly,  artists whose work they had seen and knew about .

If an artist sits back and expects the world to find them, it may not happen.  This is one reason why exposure is a good thing.

As with most everyone, this committee works within a very limited budget.  The committee is volunteer and their goal is to pull off a good show and make some money.

The Creators
The artist strives for recognition and inclusion.  Some get it and some don't.  Sometimes, the ones that don't, get hurt feelings, wondering 'why not them'.   I've found that, if an artist is not invited to be in a show, 99% of the time it's for reasons that have nothing to do with emotion, that is if the curator is even aware of their work.  Artists, on the other hand, tend to take it personally.

The Viewers
Then there's the adoring public.  Absolutely handy to have around.  More would be better. There are those who know and appreciate the arts and there are those who don't understand art but 'know what they like' and then, there are those that have no interest.  A good percentage of the appreciators are other artists..  We would be great art collectors if we had money.  The largest percentage, I think,  are those who don't really understand art but 'know what they like'

Bottom Line
We need to educate the public about art and it's processes and why it is an important part of our  lives.   It is food for the soul but many never taste it.

There is a reason art is expensive.  Most people have no idea of the time and expense that goes into the creation of art.  Knowledge of the process helps people understand.

Artists need to toughen up.  Someone of importance once said that if you don't have a pile of rejection notices on your desk you're not trying hard enough.   Add invitational to that, as well.

The Deciders need to keep up on the art scene, think out of the box and take chances.

That's my two cents  just for the halibut.

R.I.P.

'The Long Walk' 17x17.5 mixed media; Kathleen Faulkner

My friend died.  She took her life.  She finally made it work after having tried a few times before.  The whole story is one that could happen to anyone and it's so very sad.  It makes my heart ache.
Struggles, strife: some are more sensitive than others  Some just can't take the rawness and ruthlessness that life dishes out. It is a cruel world that can leave us with nothing.

We tend to shun those that are different.  They scare us.  e don't know what to say, how to interact.  It's easier to be afraid, to run away, ignore or bully.

This is the day we celebrate the dead.  I will celebrate you, my friend, and I will miss you, sweet lady.  I'll always wonder if anything could have changed your outcome.  May you rest in peace.