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).

In the Middle

Hey there, first mandala round completed by Brian Sylvester and me! I received this in the mail from Brian this past week. We both decided on a 12" x 12" format. Brian has started with a gessoed canvas, and used acrylic paints in bright colors. Much like D. Garzelloni, he has used a light grid/mathematical pattern to start his piece...


Cycle 6, Round 1:

Brian Sylvester to Shana R. Goetsch

Somerville, MA to Baltimore, MD

And in usual form, I have dug through my garbage and found stuff laying around on my floor. I used the corrugated cardboard packaging from a set of bowls, and a piece of tissue paper that I had left laying about for quite awhile because I thought it was interesting. The square of paper just happened to be 12" x 12". This was just another case of helper elves 'placing' things on my floor for me to find. Thanks lil guys...

Shana R. Goetsch to Brian Sylvester

Baltimore, MD to Somerville, MA

YAY! *dives in*

Three Thoughts

Okay, I have the piece and it is photographed and edited! Moma Luna is from Holland, and has started this first mandala round with me. The piece she worked with features an image from one of her previous pieces, Thoughts which is duplicated three times. Three is a magic number, as she has pointed out, and it is a number that is used in Christianity, as well. This is also a variation on one of the classic mandalas, the Triad form, which was mentioned before in this blog. I got a few close-ups of each piece so that you could see the detail a bit more. Moma Luna has duplicated the figure, but has changed them each in minor ways, such as the patterns, and colors. She has also mentioned (in a nice hand-written letter to me) that she used three kinds of paper on this.

Cycle 5, Round 1:

Moma Luna to Shana R. Goetsch

Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland to Milwaukee, WI, USA

On my mandala piece, I went a more simple route (as usual). I was originally wanting to use colored feathers for this, but decided upon magazine papers instead. This is mainly because I had so many laying around in disuse, and I'm a recycler. This shape is the same one used in a mandala that I worked on with Heather Gordy. So basically, I cut out many tiny shapes and then layered and pasted them. The vague patterns/lines on the side were made with rust, they are 'rust prints', technically. And interestingly, Moma Luna and I unknowingly chose the same colored palette to start...

Shana R. Goetsch to Moma Luna

Milwaukee, WI, USA to Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland

Every One of Them, Unique

Guess what! I received a package today...Elbee and I have exchanged our first mandalas. You will note that sizes and formats are different, for now. I plan to actually keep the square format of the one that Elbee started, and then build upon whatever I get back (it is pictured here as an 8" x 10"). A square format, how did I not think of that before!? Brilliant.

Elbee has started with a thicker stock of paper, and then gently glued a circular "snowflake" pattern on top of it. It's made of tissue paper, which I thought was really delicate and cool. She also placed another circular shape on top of that one. The mandala reminds me of doilies and my grandma Goetsch's house (comforting and warm in the winter).

What I started with, was the back of a mailing package. Really, I was that literal this time 'round. Anyway, I liked that I could not rip off the bubble wrap, it was well-secured. So I flipped it and noticed a blank "canvas" for me to use. I figured that If I made the paper very wet and used watercolors, that the bubble wrap texture would automatically show up, to a degree. Being that they are little circles, I thought it was fun for a background, so I let the color take its time seeping and saturating, Then I placed a heavy jar on top of the wet piece, centrally, so that it would create the indent, or impression of a circle. Now, let the show begin...

Cycle 4, Round 1:

Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Milwaukee, WI

Shana R. Goetsch to Elbee
Milwaukee, WI to Tallahassee, FL

...That Carries Countless Tensions

I love this part. Today in the mail, I received another artist's first mandala piece! Danielle Garzelloni has sent me something complex and wickedly precise. (I actually uttered "ooooo, complex!" when I opened it) I tend to think of stained glass when I look at it now. Both of these pieces will eventually make it to 18x24" size, as one of us has overshot the agreed upon size, and one of us has undershot it, purposely. This snafu will just add a new element/layer into that piece, I think. Danielle has started her mandala on what looks like patterned wrapping paper, with gesso or white paint thinly applied over the top. I think it was reflective paper originally. She then helpfully drew a complex web of circles as a guide for me to possibly follow, beyond the ones that she perfected in black.

And speaking of webs, the piece I started for D. had some key words included in the package. The words I gave her are: "Grandmother Spider", which is a reference to a Native American tale. Grandmother Spider made the stars in the sky. I thought this was such a sweet, and yet powerful concept. The story, and the character of her legend reminded me of my own strong grandmother. So I drew upon imagery from her (and my) ancestors for the concept of Grandmother Spider in this mandala. We'll see what D. chooses to do with the information, I'm not holding her down to that plan (but I hope she considers it). Here we go...

Cycle 3, Round 1:

D. Garzelloni to Shana R. Goetsch
(Chicago, IL to Milwaukee, WI)

Shana R. Goetsch to D. Garzelloni
(Milwaukee, WI to Chicago, IL)

A Single Tension

If there were a winner, Heather would win. But there's not, so she'll just have to be happy with the fact that I'm super impressed and extremely nervous. These two mandala pieces are so vastly different right now. This will be challenging and fun for me, as she has forced me into drawing my ass off. Heather has started with an intricate graphite drawing on paper...and I have started with a glued piece of paper that has random watercolor drippings on it (*rolls eyes at self*). But hey, this is what I asked for, a project, and an experiment. On with the show!

Cycle 2, Round 1:

Heather Gordy to Shana R. Goetsch
(Houston, TX to Milwaukee, WI)

Shana R. Goetsch to Heather Gordy
(Milwaukee, WI to Houston, TX)

Given and Received

I must admit, I am extremely excited to start doing this. And I will be just as soon as I officially post this. Here are the products of the very first mandala swap! We both used the color orange, and I started with acrylics. The mandala I sent was on un-primed, brown, loosely woven linen, and Wes has started with watercolor on pre-primed, cloth-backed, canvas-grained paper.

Cycle 1, Round 1:

Shana R. Goetsch to Wes Way
(Milwaukee, WI to Harrisonburg, VA)

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch
(Harrisonburg, VA to Milwaukee, WI)