I am super excited to announce that, with help from the City of Maple Valley's City Manager, King County Parks & Recreation has approved my mural proposal! Stay tuned for more information about this upcoming community art project.

@ STEAMboat Studio in Maple Valley

@ Bellevue College North Campus

     Remember that self-imposed deadline? Well, my art show is in 18 days and the next 11 days, especially, are going to be a whirlwind of activity at the Chrystie/Kielgass household! I have less than two weeks to finish two 4x8' and one 24x36"-ish paintings, hang and label the work, write blurbs for each, get food and drinks for the opening plus go to work (love teaching those Art Explorers!), collaborate on a draft proposal to organize five murals for the City, attend the Public Arts Commission meeting, AND try and talk enthusiastically about my work on video later today.
     It's this last one that's causing me to lose sleep. First of all, I really don't like photos of me. Ick! Throw some semblance of public speaking into the mix and boy howdy! 
     Good problems to have, right? Exactly.
     I was having coffee with some good friends of mine last Saturday, reflecting on some of my darker times about 23 years ago versus where I am today. It took me a solid 18 years to clear up a whole bunch of gunk so that when I finally went back to painting, the work wasn't a self-centered, in-your-face freak show. 
     My journey back to painting started two and a half years ago and I feel that my work has come a long way. I look forward to seeing where it continues to go.
     In the meantime, I hope you consider joining me at the Maple Valley Creative Arts Center on Saturday, May 19th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

     Can I finish five new figure paintings - two of them 4x8' - in less than a month? I think so. They may be 'surface-dry' when hung for the 5/19 opening, but not too gooey. I used to work well with deadlines. Hopefully that's still the case.
     About a month ago I pulled out a couple of sheets of masonite and immediately sketched out figures. Around the same time, it became apparent that my intended STEAMboat Studio student art show at MVCAC wasn't going to pan out. So instead of releasing the venue, I figured I'd put some of my stuff up on the walls and see what happens. The Boys, a 7'x4'-ish painting of Thai Buddhist Monks, had been collecting dust for the past year, and with these new paintings, ...well, there you have it.  A show is born!
     Now the race is on to get them done. One thought is that this self-imposed deadline will help deter me from becoming too obsessed with perfection and outcomes and it will force me to simply bust out the Diet Coke, crank up the tunes and sling paint.
     Portrait of the Artist is currently on its face on the floor while support braces are being glued in place. The large untitled beach scene is stewing for the moment. In addition to the circular The Fates, I have a smaller circular panel and an oval panel in the works. I'm still contemplating the few faces seen in these works. There's a reason for this that I haven't yet put my finger on.
​     More will be revealed.

     My studio is stinky. I think I burned all my nose hairs with the amount of fumes from the turpentine I've been laying down the last two days. Looking forward to warmer weather when I can paint with the windows wide open. In the meantime, do I use the respirator hanging less than ten feet away? No, which is stupid.
     I start each painting thinking I'll just lay down a line or two, sketch in a rough composition, play with layers. Get a feel for it to see if the size and shape of the canvas (or whatever I'm working on) fits with what is beginning to take shape. If it starts to click together, I become completely engrossed and lose all track of time. Next thing I know two, three hours have passed.
     This is exactly how this past Monday went. After having received feedback to go larger, I spent the previous weekend working on a slightly smaller version of the painting above and pulled from it a few monoprints on Visqueen. One of the large, wet prints was then laid on a primed 4'x8' panelboard.
     First thing Monday morning it was obvious that the large monoprint wasn't working for me; it felt 'off', didn't have the same visual impact. The print led me down a little rabbit hold about bodily impressions on beds, which then led to the twin-size bed canvas, which led to the idea that I should be creating some conceptual masterpieces about how everybody sleeps. Ha! Good thing I snapped out of that relatively quickly. Whenever - and I mean, truly whenever - I think I have a super hot idea, it ends in disaster.
     Of course all of these mental gymnastics led to noticing that the twin-size mattress of a canvas with a version of the salty sunbather also felt off. Here's why: in another photo of the same beach scene and off to the left, there's a cluster of people that read (to me) as a dirty old man taking up too much physical space and gawking. Power, toxic masculinity, privilege on display, granted, it may seem like a micro display, but it's still a thing.
     Do I really want to get into a painting about the female gaze and pervy old guys? You bet I do! Now that's something I can relate to on a whole bunch of levels. Next thing I know, I'm scrapping the abstract monoprint by painting right over it and within a matter of minutes I have the new salty sunbather sketched out. The older tanned lady (with baggage) is looking at the older tanned guy (her husband? Similar tan, empty beach towel and obnoxiously visible baggage) as he postures in front of a younger woman who is obviously new to the beach scene as noted by her pale skin color. Near the center of the painting is a trio of women of various shapes (no body shaming here!) and a young boy, obviously related, getting ready to snorkel. Nature vs. nurture.
     Growing up looking at Paul Cadmus (Coney Island at LACMA plus others). Falling in love with Eric Fischl's work but can't relate to the male-gaze thing. Feeling breathless looking at Joquin Sorolla for the shear beauty of his work and the blatant pedo vibe. (I'm not the only one who sees this, right?) So I'm creating something that I think all females can relate to: being subjugated and silent about it. The microagressions are real and we let way too damn many of them slide. No more.

Ike and I drove to a gallery in Kirkland, near Totem Lake a couple of weeks ago for my first group critique in over two decades. The purpose of the critique was for possible inclusion in an upcoming group show at Ryan James Fine Art. My approach was to not have any expectations about getting into the group show. Hopes, yes. Always! But no expectations.
The drive up was nearly uneventful, and by nearly, I mean that I wasn't too much of a brat with my nerves being a little frayed and all. I only jumped on Ike once - that I can remember - because he wanted to take a different exit and we were almost late and the instructions from the gallery was to arrive five minutes before the scheduled appointment.
Whew. They were running behind by about thirty minutes so we went for a walk in the sunshine. I think we were both a bit nervous. With time to spare, we decided to go inside and wait in the lobby. Two other artists where also waiting. We all chatted and kept the conversation light..
It was then time for my fifteen minute in-person critique. I round the corner to find a long line of covered banquet tables and five panelists plus the gallery owner. Well, okay then! Showtime!
I submitted images of three small abstract works from my Waxing Poetic series, works that I love and that I thought would fit well with what I had seen of the gallery's artists' work online. These were the works that I had to bring in. I unwrapped them, passed two of the three for the jurors to hold and look at up close, and placed the third on an easel. I then proceeded to tell them a little bit about myself and the work.
Most of the jurors were gracious and kind with their constructive criticism. For that, I was and continue to be grateful. As I told them, it was a pleasure to have input other than my own and Ike's (maybe I'll go into that in another blog post).
Note to self: do not take framed work to a critique! The frames were a sticking point for the panel and took up way too much time. Excellent feedback from Pat Cameron was to work the frames if they are to be an inherent part of the piece; manipulate them. She reference Joseph Cornell. Spot on.
Overall, the panelists referred to the work as "sweet" due to their small scale. Even though the panelists asked me if I was opposed to ditching the frames (which I'm not), Milan Heger advocated for the frame of Waxing Poetic #13 stating that it reflected the playfulness of the piece. He then went on to state that he would like to see these works in a much larger scale, one in which the viewer becomes encompassed by the work. Ideas flooded my brain instantly.
Asked if I was willing to work larger, I let them know about frames I made that are roughly the size of a twin bed and then pointed them to The Boys. Most of the panelists lit up like a Christmas tree over that. One juror questioned my spectrum of styles, but I didn't have time to go into how I am not, nor have I ever been, a one-trick pony. Thank God. I would get so bored. Figuration to abstract and back again. The varying styles feed off of and inform each other. This is my process.
Am I willing to work larger? You bet! My second twin-size-bed canvas now has the beginnings of a figure painting, as does a 4’x8’ panel board. The second 4’x8’ panel board lies in wait. Like I said, I’m good with going big. I'm also experimenting with much larger additions to the Waxing Poetic series.
Was my work accepted into the group show? Don't yet know. My guess? Probably not. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I continue to be grateful for the feedback and am motivated by the juicy bits. Thanks to Patricia Cameron, Laura Dillaway, Kerry Itami, Ryan James, Milan Heger, and Dawn Laurant.

     It’s Tuesday. Halloween. Hearing from folks who won’t be able to make the opening this coming Saturday. I knew it was going to be tough to get people to show. The holiday season is kicking into high gear. Tack on normal everyday family-friend-other gatherings and availability further constricts.
     That’s okay. It will be what it will be.
     In the meantime, I've been focussing on finishing up a few frames for larger paintings made from salvaged mahogany planks from a 1940 Chris Craft Utility named “Spirit” (As in the cheerleading variety, but I choose the soulful meaning as it supports the Jungian Synchronicity references in the titles of most of the work in this exhibit). The bung holes on two of the framed pieces make for interesting character and sanding has been soothing, meditative. Overall, I love the grain of the wood and color brought out by a simple coat of linseed oil.
     Thirty three pieces of art - monoprints, paintings, and mixed media pieces - and labels are ready to go, which means I have days to fret about stuff like food and wine and other beverages and what types and quantities and... You get the idea. The art is what it is. People will see what they see in it. Or not. However, there must be tasty bits and plenty of them. 
     Here's where I have to remind myself to breathe and that it will be what it will be.
     See you Saturday? There will be tasty bits.