Ah, Whitney-Anne

How much did I love working with her? SO MUCH. And she's cheeky, just like a "proper" English woman, in my mind, should be. I loved reading her updates and conversing with her on facebook throughout these months. Little things here and there, the time we had the mail sent and received and no photos to speak of between the two of us. That was an episode of dimmed excitement for me, as both of our cameras were not working.

All this is to say, that I was thinking earlier about how I actually converse the most with my fellow artists in ATCTE. And you know, the vast majority is on facebook or on their various blogs, where I try to keep up, and at least read about them when I see them pop up on my google reader. I had an idea in regards to that, and it may show up in the final exhibition as the literature / statement aspect. The idea just floated in but it's still formulating.

Anyway, you should check out Whitney's Weird Stuff where she wrote the nicest recap on her end, of what transpired this year with the one mandala. I loved reading it and looking at the photos, and you will too. Go there now and see what happened to the piece I started!

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Just after I wrote the above passage, I got up from where I was sitting...I was having this nagging feeling yesterday that my portion of the other mandala wasn't finished, even though I had acted like it was finished, shot and edited the photos, saved them in the appropriate desktop folder....but no, it wasn't finished...So I just got up, and walked past an unopened box of Sweethearts candy from this Valentine's Day. They're not my favorite candies, but I always liked the little stamped words. So I walked by the box, and then promptly reversed my walk, picked up the candy and went to work immediately finishing the mandala, just now. Yep, it's done now. I felt like this was such a "sweet" little piece. I always loved the markings in the background, the stitching, the texture; it has a whimsical and eccentric quality to it. I can only imagine that it was a bit of Whitney-Anne's personality sneaking through. This finished product is bright and very fun!

So here us our little mandala, from start to finish, Cycle 7, Round 4:

Round 1:

 Whitney-Anne Baker to Shana R. Goetsch

Brixham, Devon, England/UK to Baltimore, MD, USA

Shana R. Goetsch to Whitney-Anne Baker 

 Baltimore, MD, USA to Brixham, Devon, England/UK

Whitney-Anne Baker to Shana R. Goetsch

Brixham, Devon, England/UK to Baltimore, MD, USA

 And now for the final mandala!

Mandala (with candy) finished by Whitney-Anne Baker and Shana R. Goetsch in Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.

Stitching it Together

We have an update (Whitney-Anne and me). It took us what seemed like forever to get this round together. And it was me holding things up, she's very prompt. But between the two of us, two cameras were dropped and one computer crashed. So they were both finished at a certain point last week, but I was unable to make a post with the results until now - no photos.


Cycle 7, Round 3:

What Whitney-Anne did here was to paint the outside edge with a nice cherry red color. Then she did some very fine stitching, with (I'm guessing) embroidery floss. She has given me a great geometric pattern to work with in the last round, in addition to the chaotic/loose background. I enjoy the juxtaposition.

Whitney-Anne Baker to Shana R. Goetsch

Brixham, Devon, England/UK to Baltimore, MD, USA

What I did here was to take the movable center portion and attach it to a different "base". This was something that was previously made that I had lying around because I had no idea what to do with it, so I saved it and used it here. I originally created this base, quasi-mosaic piece with magazine papers. However, I did paint a wash of China Orange over the whole thing before I attached it to the movable portion. I also selectively painted over some of the gold in the center that Whitney-Anne had laid down in the last round. A little extra *pop*.

  

Shana R. Goetsch to Whitney-Anne Baker 

 Baltimore, MD, USA to Brixham, Devon, England/UK 

So there ya have it! (so far)

Movable

I have another update from Whitney-Anne Baker. Whitney, much like Heather Gordy, works fast. I am used to holding onto these things for months...but not with Whitney-Anne. She receives it, works on it and sends it...and then lets me know it's sent. My reaction is always akin to, "Oh crap, better get moving!" So, I did send hers out, and she received it again. The mail (or "the post" as Whitney-Anne says) seems to work pretty fast between here and there, which is fantastic. Now onto the show!

Cycle 7, Round 2:

Whitney made the mandala movable! How awesome is that? It looks like she took the mandala, cut out the center, sparingly applied some gold paint, mounted it all on some bright, aqua painted cardboard, and then made it move by clipping it to the back. Genius! I would never, in a million years, think of that, but it seems to be the most natural state for a mandala - changeable.

Whitney-Anne Baker to Shana R. Goetsch

Brixham, Devon, England/UK to Baltimore, MD, USA

Here I am moving it around with the tabs provided. Right now, it reminds me of a compass.

For my round, I again utilized some recyclables. I had been saving the playing card I used (for the red/white portion) for quite a few years. I originally saved it because it has cute little winged creatures on the back. Beyond that, I ripped some of the cloth off of the mandala that Whitney-Anne sent to me. I did this because I knew that the glue she used would leave a nice residue and create another pattern. Then I literally just covered the whole thing in my dirty watercolor water. The remnants of my watercoloring were a nice purpley-red color this time. 

 Shana R. Goetsch to Whitney-Anne Baker 

 Baltimore, MD, USA to Brixham, Devon, England/UK

 Sssshhh, don't tell anyone my watercolor water is that dirty. I am the worst about using actual clean water.

BTW, Whitney-Anne also sent along this postcard which gives us a visual of the town she lives in...

Now we all know about how quaint Brixham is, thanks Whitney-Anne!

Tricksters

I had to laugh when I opened the package from Whitney-Anne, just because it was the very antithesis of what I had expected from her. Never underestimate...her note even said she had some tricks up her sleeve. I believe it. Based on her past work, what I expected was something digital, with high color. What I got was paper, fabric and stitching, in a cream on white color scheme!

This brings me to a little anecdote about my philosophy and pedagogy class--it's a class about teaching art in college--we have to design a curriculum for two classes, complete with sources and references, and reading material for them, whatever we want. One book I chose to have as required reading for the students in my class, "Not Your Grandma's Watercolor" (for real, I named the class that) is Chromophobia by David Batchelor. "Chromophobia" is "a fear of corruption or contamination through color". It just makes me laugh when things are so topical and linked together; real life and art life. The Universe is such a trickster.

So needless to say, I'm going to get craaaazy with this, because I ain't afraid of color...watch out Whitney-Anne! This is her stitched canvas and paper piece...

Cycle 7, Round 1

 Whitney-Anne Baker to Shana R. Goetsch

Brixham, Devon, England/UK to Baltimore, MD, USA

I liked the stitching on the back as well as the front, so if I decide to use the back I will have to take a photo of it first (mental note). On to me and what I sent to England, which was something very colorful and simple, it's made of yarn on cardboard! I made quite a few of these during the months of August and September and this is one of them. This was used as a technique in an art workshop I facilitated with the kids and adults at the domestic violence shelter. It's somewhat about concentration and creating order, subconsciously. That aside, I hope Whitney-Anne rips this thing apart!

 Shana R. Goetsch to Whitney-Anne Baker 

 Baltimore, MD, USA to Brixham, Devon, England/UK

Next up, Artist Paula Phillips, also from Baltimore (I'm mixing it up).