angela bentley fife's artworld:: May 2012

Friday, May 11, 2012

300 Plates Show

Art Access Gallery

Salt Lake City

May 17th, 6-9 pm

This is a GREAT fundraiser show. I am honored to be a part of it.

I took a weekend workshop with a former professor a few months ago. It was so exciting for me because he introduced a process that he has been working with and we kind of played around with it a bit in class. The process is broken down into squares and as you go you just keep breaking down the squares until an image emerges. The cool thing about it for me is that it keeps my painting more loose than usual. I have the tendency to close the painting soon and with the squares it sort of forces me to keep it open and loose until the very end. It is the first time in several years that when I leave my studio, I can't wait until I can go down and paint again.

Oh and I did have my studio expanded to about 3 times the size...YAY! So I am sure that helps as well. I will definitely post the finished product (the studio) when I get it put back together.

These paintings are small, 8x10" and 12x12". It is fun and I have a few more in process now. I started by driving up on this old Texaco in Draper, Utah and I was so inspired by the shapes and the sign. It has spurred a series of 6 paintings of vintage signs so far. Let's just hope the galleries are willing to take them off my hands.

My Shadow #3

Painting her "princess chair" that goes with her "princess table".

Is this what happens when this little girl has been surrounded by mannequins her whole life? I think I have about 17 in my 'still life' collection now. So she is following me at the store and I hear "Mommy!". I turn around to see her holding hands with big, white, creepy mannequin, sooo proud of herself.

Ohhh. The curse of the baby fine hair that she inherited from Mom AND Dad. Sorry kid. This is from ONE night's sleep.

What I Saw this weekend

'The King's Speech'......I was completely enthralled with this movie. Enthralled like I forgot who I was and where I was. About half way through the movie I had a few seconds of clarity and remembered I was at a movie theater in the year 2011 and I looked over at Mr. Fife to see if he was enjoying Collin Firth as much as I, and he was sound asleep.......wha, wha. Oh I married my opposite. I guess I need to escort him to a top 5 Hollywood action flick, preferably starring Mark Whalberg. I concede.

what I read

'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother'. So I just started this today, but I am fascinated! If you don't let yourself get offended or sensitive about your own mothering, this book is an amazing view into another way of parenting, another culture. This is a book club read, so our discussion should be intense. I don't know any other subject that gets women as riled up as attacking our mothering. Which is obviously why this book is so controversial. If you live under a rock and haven't heard of it, the author writes about "chinese mothering", including no playdates, no cell phones, no sleepovers, never any grade other than an A, never 2nd in anything academic, no hobbies. I might feel like a horrible mother, or a great mother after this, I don't know yet. Here is a quote I chuckled at "My children can do something with their free time, but nothing like crafts, that leads nowhere or drums, that obviously lead to drugs." (I can't tell if she is being sarcastic, but somehow I doubt it). btw, crafting is like the best thing I do as a mother.......me no tiger mother I guess.