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March 5, 2019

New Year, New Goals

Well, as you can see its been ages since I posted. It’s almost embarrassing but I figure I just need to bite the bullet and start again. Unlike in the past I do not necessarily have some grand plan although maybe I should. Parameters have always helped me succeed with goals. Anyway, a couple of months back I started painting again, well its a little more involved than that, I guess it actually starts with the creation of my studio space.

Tayto’s Christmas Outfit 2018 – ©CallaGraceFogarty

A year and a half ago my husband and I decided we were going to move houses after months of planning to expand on our previous house. We just were not looking for that kind of investment or project. Luckily we found a house we loved. Nestled in the woods but close to just about everything it seemed kind perfect. The decor wasn’t exactly to our taste per say but it had loads of potential and we have been working one room at a time to put our mark on it. One of those rooms was my studio.

©CallaGraceFogarty

The studio is located off of the main living area but feels slightly separated. I have always wanted to be near the heart of the house so I can still be slightly involved. As my husband can attest to I am famous for being completely uninterested in whatever TV show to movie he decided to put on only to 30 minutes later be completely engrossed from my studio, shouting at the top of my lungs “what just happened?” “Did he just die?” “OMG!” I’m sure he appreciates this.

©CallaGraceFogarty

The studio was at one time used as a dining room. I remember when we viewed the house someone said that the room looked haunted. It had faded lavender wallpaper with a print I cannot recall covering each wall. A golden but faded chandelier in the center, dull drapes that were fitting with the other decor and a lovely built-in cabinet in the corner. Needless to say we had the lights switched to track lighting before we even moved in. The wallpaper came down in a motivated fit one day and the closet was torn out by yours truly along with the neighboring wall. I had a plan I just needed it start.

©CallaGraceFogarty

My husband was kind enough to help me with my vision! I drew up some plans for the storage area and he, being the handyman he is, created beautiful shelving matching my sketches. We relocated the built-in to the common area. I finished removing the wallpaper (not my favorite job) and eventually painted everything. Slowly the space has come into itself and is currently about 70% of the way there but working perfectly for the time being.

©CallaGraceFogarty

Since then I have been trying to find the infamous “groove” but it has been hard to locate. I’m not sure what happened or even when exactly things started to click in my head, but I do remember Lee mentioning setting a time every week where I dedicated myself to my art and at some point I kind of did that. Instead of dreaming about creating something each day, I actual did it (kind of).

©CallaGraceFogarty

I started just hanging out in the studio after work or in the mornings on the weekends. I never really had a plan, I would just rearrange materials and supplies on the shelves, look at old work and attempt the occasional drawing or two. Eventually this process had me reviewing every piece of work I had ever created that was still in my possession. In a way I cleaned house. I threw out a number of pieces which were no longer to my standard or just not good in my opinion. I created folders of work, organizing by to develop, to sell, to photograph, etc.

©CallaGraceFogarty

After that I did a few things which I believe have been critical in keeping my head in the correct mind space. I decided to actually set up my Etsy page and post a few works. I took trips to local Art shows and museums with friends, and I invested some time on my Facebook page. At that point I decided that I should I post more often. This I suppose has been my only real parameter I have set. I try to post once a week and with that I am forced to keep myself actively working.

©CallaGraceFogarty

This process has brought me much-needed encouragement. Allowing a lot people to see what I truly love to do, as it had been suppressed for far too long. It has also allowed me to become motivated again, to try new things and start experimenting in a way I feel I lacked in prior years. I think with a new outlook and approach I have started pulling from new inspiration rather than turning to the past as I have in so many cases before. I still have the goals, to find the gems amonst the mess, the clutter, etc., but in a way I just pull my inspiration from different sources now. Sources that I am connected to which makes the process very natural.

Boo Boo Baby ©CallaGraceFogarty

Throughout this post I included some of my newest works. These have all been created within the last 3 months and represent my journey into finding myself again.

Thanks for reading, see you next time.

Calla

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September 22, 2014

Inspiration comes from the strangest places…

It’s interesting to me how the mind works and how it reacts to stressful situations. Stress can incapacitate a person. They can become depressed, angry or experience phantom pain as a result of too much stress. Knowing that my bodies initial response is to become withdrawn and depressed, I decided I needed to start engaging in something that would focus my mind elsewhere. It has been a while since I have forced myself to paint everyday, but it felt like now was a good time to start up again.

I want to start by saying that I would never ask for a different life. I love the life I was given but it can be stressful at times. Things that should be exciting and happy can be surrounded by stressful situations. For instance getting married, buying a home, having a baby, all of these are wonderful happy events and yet when you ask most people, they will tell you it was stressful. So you may be wondering what my recent stressor was and well it is buying a home. My husband and I are delighted, but it has been overwhelming at times. I assume this feeling will continue until I am holding keys in my hand.

I’m not sure what really started the new series of work, only that it came from this exercise of painting when stressed. The pieces have become much more involved and the integration of hands seems to have come very naturally. I initially thought it was due to so many bodies being involved in the stressful activity but now I’m not so sure. I am no longer chasing the meaning merely letting it play out. The images feel like a much more mature body of work for me and I am very excited to see the other works that develop out of this phase. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, I’ve included a few images of recent works. You can see others on my daily site, 365Days1Year.com. Enjoy and see you next time.

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April 7, 2014

Spring may have arrived!

Well the sun is out, the birds are awake and the flowers are starting to appear from the thawing ground. Today was such a wonderful day and it feels like it is the right time to take a moment to regroup on the comings and goings of my artwork.

The past few months have been really interesting. I have not been doing a constant flow of work partially due to trying to really dedicate myself to my physical health but luckily I had a few projects which really just helped me stay focused. It all began with a few animal images which literally came from me looking at images of strange creatures. At some point I decided to paint my friends chocolate lab, Buddy, which ended up being a really good move on my part. A fellow co-worker had started to inquire about dog portraits which I had not done by request before but had done because I am so crazy obsessed with my dogs. I was able to show some of the previous images I had created and he was sold.

I painted two pug portraits which was an interesting experience. I have not done a huge quantity of commision works to date and in the past when asked to do images it was always in my more free, abstract style rather than a very accurate depiction of a picture of a dog. Needless to say that while painting Mya the white pug, I painted it 3 times because my super OCD kicked right into gear. When it came to the black pug I was able to capture the personality of this guy within one go. I was happy to learn that everyone was pleased with the outcome and it had really given me a great place to start moving forward with commission work like those.

After those pieces I was approached by a friend to help design the image to be used on a friends baby shower. Thrilled at the idea of designing this image I stepped right up to the plate. Best thing about it was the amazing theme, woodland creature tea party! WHAT I love it! I started working on images and for whatever reason it inspired me to no end! There was a collection of images but just to name a few,there was The Rabbits Tea Party, The Whole Gang and The Curious Mouse . The Whole Gang ended up being the final image but all were successfully completed and will probably be the beginning of a series I am already mentally working on.

Other than that things have been going well, a few abstract images along the way but not nearly as many as I would like. I began knitting a couple months back and was able to complete both a neck warmer which looks wonderful and really earthy as well as a baby blanket for the friend who’s invitation I helped design. I hope the sunny weather and warmer tempatures also bring along an extra burst of creativity as it does every year, with which I hope to take advantage of and just create, create, create!

As always, thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you next time!

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April 28, 2012

Well, Today felt like a good day to write!

Hello there,

I know it has been quite some time since my last post but I wanted to announce that I have started a blog that went live on April 1st, The blog is called 365days1year. It is a blog about my everyday challenge of keeping myself in the right mental state to allow myself to draw regularly. With every day I require myself to create something, which can range from a drawing in the sand to a finished watercolor. Either way by midnight of that day there must be a post for everyone to see and read. So far, so good. I am onto day twenty-seven and going strong still. It has been a wonderful challenge for myself, since I now feel that I have an obligation to others to keep the posts coming. Bellow I have included a few images from what I have created thus far. Please take a look and spread the word!

http://www.365Days1Year.com

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September 8, 2011

The print exchange with AS220

So this summer I signed up to be part of a print exchange with AS220 as a way to give myself a deadline. Luckily it worked and although the exchange has officially happened I still feel like I want to work with some of the blocks I have carved. I did a few variations just because I would have it no other way, but I feel there is a lot more that could be done with this. Bellow are the prints that I came out with so far . The red and blue one is the print I did for the exchange, now I love red/orange color but the blue is to be discussed. Once again my struggle with color has become such a focus on this piece and still erks me. I hope you enjoy and suggestions and feedback are always welcome.

These are all 24 printed and tiled out because I wanted to take this picture. Oddly enough my feet are my favorite part of this picture. Oh well!

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September 6, 2011

It’s a new day, with many changes

It’s one of those days that I just absolutely love. I woke up to a light rain and a cool temperatures and was able to take a bit of time to relax under the porch and just listen. A lot of things have changed recently and I still have not adjusted completely but I’m very excited for the opportunities I have been given. After I graduated from Mass Art I started working full-time as an assistant manager at Paper Source which has been a great place for me to develop and meet fantastic people. I was working at EES this summer as part of an artist residence and since then I have applied and become a full-time member. That was such a relief to know I am going to have a healthy and strong printing environment to work in. With that I was given the opportunity to participate in Hyde Park Open studios which is happening on September 18th from 11:00-5:00pm. I would love to have friends, family, and fans come and see my work, so if you can please stop by. This fall I was asked to TA for an Etching class at Mass Art taught by Nona Hershey and I am so looking forward to assisting in a class atmosphere. I’ve always loved the idea of teaching and working with people to help develop their vision, I know that it is because of certain peoples comments and support that I have done as much as I have. On top of that my husband and I made a big move back to my hometown, which has been wonderful. It’s the kind of place that you just enjoy being. The people are more relaxed and the scenery makes the commute worth it everyday. So as stressed out as I may seem its only until I adjust. I wanted to share what I have been up to and what it is that is going on in my life. I’ll touch back soon.

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January 28, 2011

it’s been a while….

So I feel like a slacker, I haven’t posted in quite some time and I swear I haven’t forgot about this at all, just busy. Started back to school last week, last semester now and well its been long awaited. For those who don’t know I have been on the 7 year plan with college and well I’m ready to take my chances out there. It’s funny to think about life without school when I’ve always had that support behind me but it also seems to hold me back a bit. I bet I will miss the facilities though. I keep wondering what I’m going to do after school and I guess for now that up in the air. Currently I have not photographed any new works, most of what I am working on is in the beginning stages. The most exiting event happening soon will be the Arches student show held at the Danforth Museum which open on February 27th I don’t imagine it will be up for long but its always fun to have work up. As soon as I complete some pieces I will start posts. Thanks for visiting.

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October 10, 2010

Newbies I’ve been trying to intergrate color… hmmm.

Both of these images were created on a whim, there was no base drawing or reference only a bit of randomly placed tape to create negative space. The top one is my favorite but both we working with the same forms and are nice to see as a pair. Let me know what you think of the colors, I always get stuck in this pallete.

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October 7, 2010

Shape development and experimentaiton.

These images are somewhat of an adventure for me I don’t really have too much in my head before I start it is all about finding the image within the grey tones.

Im currently working on a etching based off aspects of this drawing. The drawing itself is somewhat of an experiment for me trying to see how different styles play off eachother.

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October 5, 2010

new shapes and forms…

Since I’ve been working on complete tonal images I have had such a desire to draw something that is a bit more graphic and less defined. Thus the images bellow developed. The shapes evolved while working on a collaboration project and have started to tell their own story!

I’ve been really interested in line quality and the way shades of grey are used within an image.

This is the most recent version of this piece.

I wanted to be able to work larger while not getting to precious with the work so I’ve been doing a few images that are on a heavy duty craft paper which allows me to work as large as I want this is about 4 feet tall currently.

This was the initial image to have these circular shapes and I love it but it wont be around much longer, this is one of the pieces from the collaboration and I have handed it back to Nicole for her to do her layer. Sad face.

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