new papers for art

A Creative Life, handmade papers

Been busy making new handmade papers for some new fine artwork.  Here’s a photo of them and the stencil’s (lower left corner of the photo) that I used to make the patterns on my hand dyed papers.  Sharp eyes will probably recognize the inspiration source (see this post http://sueclancy.com/2016/03/29/garden-of-ideas/) for a few of the patterns.

Sue Clancy's newly hand stenciled, hand dyed handmade papers she'll use to make new artworks

Sue Clancy’s newly hand stenciled, hand dyed handmade papers she’ll use to make new artworks

 

garden of ideas

A Creative Life

Look what I found in the garden! Paper pattern ideas! I’m thinking dots…  blue dots and white dots… for upcoming handmade paper adventures, I mean patterns, to be used in my fine art!

BlueOnGreenPattern WhiteOnGreenpattern

Soapy Smooth art

A Creative Life, animals in art, fine art, visual story

Just finished a new piece for an upcoming exhibit! It’s 6 x 6 x 2 inches, made with handmade paper collage. This artwork was inspired by patterns on fruit, carrots, rabbits and live saxophone music.

"Soapy Smooth" by Sue Clancy, 6 x 6 x 2 inches, handmade paper, hand dyed paper, ink, watercolor and acrylic on cradled board

“Soapy Smooth” by Sue Clancy, 6 x 6 x 2 inches, handmade paper, hand dyed paper, ink, watercolor and acrylic on cradled board

You can see me working on the handmade paper from inspiration to stencil creation to new paper on this post here: http://sueclancy.com/2016/03/15/paper-pattern-plotting/

paper pattern plotting

A Creative Life, fine art, visual story

I went to the grocery store the other day and look what I found: Paper pattern ideas!

fruit found at the grocery store that inspired Sue Clancy's new handmade paper pattern ideas

fruit found at the grocery store that inspired Sue Clancy’s new handmade paper pattern ideas

Then I designed and cut stencils so I could make a pattern on my freshly dyed handmade paper (in prep for some new fine art).

Sue Clancy's work table full of tools for cutting stencils and the stencils she cut. Oh, and her cup of coffee.

Sue Clancy’s work table full of tools for cutting stencils and the stencils she cut. Oh, and her cup of coffee.

And here I am using the stencils to make the patterns. If it looks like I’m having fun it’s because I am! And yes, a sharp eyed reader will eventually spot these papers in some new fine art of mine one of these days.

Sue Clancy in the process of stenciling patterns on handmade hand dyed papers

Sue Clancy in the process of stenciling patterns on handmade hand dyed papers

 

animals in art

A Creative Life, animals in art, Authors, fine art, food for thought, visual story, words and pictures

I have a gazillion-trillion reasons why I depict animals in my artwork and why I do it the way I do it. These two articles; one titled “Thinking With Animals” and the other titled “Why look at Animals?” lists a few of the issues often within my thoughts. In short within my artwork I contemplate the ways humans think in animal metaphors and our efforts at self-transcendence – and how to go on and living well with all the beings on our planet.

Why I do visual stories is another topic yet one that is intimately intertwined with why I depict animals in art and here is a wonderful article on storytelling titled “Susan Sontag on Storytelling, what it means to be a moral human being and her advice to writers”.

Possibly best of all, and what got me started writing this blog post, is this article titled “Neil Gaiman on how stories last”  – In that article at one point Gaiman says “Pictures, I think, may have been a way of transmitting stories.”

Because the Internet likes images I’m including one of my artworks that has – gasp! – animals in it.

Soup Moon by Sue Clancy (this piece is currently at www.caplanartdesigns.com)

Soup Moon by Sue Clancy (this piece is currently at www.caplanartdesigns.com)

Here are the full article links:

https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/04/16/thinking-with-animals-lorainne-daston-gregg-mitman/

https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/04/01/why-look-at-animals-john-berger-about-looking/

https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/03/30/susan-sontag-writing-storytelling-at-the-same-time/

https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/06/16/neil-gaiman-how-stories-last/?utm_content=buffer76d87&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

art inspired by books

A Creative Life, art exhibit, art gallery, fine art, visual story, words and pictures

Here is the just finished artwork based on the drawing I’d talked about in this post as being inspired by a book about a novelist.  As a result of my reading I’ve been thinking about novels and how they describe our world, how writers bravely charge through the alphabet forests in search of the best word… The title of my newest artwork is “d’Scribe” – and is likely destined for exhibit via Caplan Art Designs.

" d'Scribe " by Sue Clancy, 7 x 5 x 2 inches (h x w x d)  hand dyed paper, hand stenciled paper and acrylic collage on cradled board

” d’Scribe ” by Sue Clancy, 7 x 5 x 2 inches (h x w x d) hand dyed paper, hand stenciled paper and acrylic collage on cradled board

 

book plus sketchbook equals art

A Creative Life, books, fine art, sketchbook, visual story, words and pictures

I’ve been reading “Confessions of a Young Novelist” by Umberto Eco.  During one evenings reading I drew this drawing in my sketchbook. Now, as I read further in Eco’s book, I’m in the process of developing my sketchbook drawing into a small work of fine art. Here is the drawing;

sketchbook drawing by Sue Clancy

sketchbook drawing by Sue Clancy

 

 

finished new art

A Creative Life, art exhibit, art gallery, sketchbook

Finished a new artwork that I’ve titled “Banjo Time”.  It is 18 x 24 x 2 inches and made with my hand dyed handmade papers.  Eventually this artwork as well as others will be in an exhibit arranged by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com later this year.  But for those who may wonder “how Sue gets her ideas” here are a few sketches I did at a live music event where I had the first wiggling of an idea for “Banjo Time”.  The musicians would start a song sometimes by counting 1, 2, 3…

Mike1616c72 Patti1616c72 Greg1616c72

And here are links to past posts that show my sketching setup that I take with me to live music events – and here’s me working on the new artwork – and that post includes links to pictures of the developing sketch and me making the paper that I ended up using to make “Banjo Time”

Banjo Time by Sue Clancy 24 x 18 x 2 inches mixed media handmade paper collage

Banjo Time by Sue Clancy 24 x 18 x 2 inches mixed media handmade paper collage

 

working on new artwork

A Creative Life, animals in art, art exhibit, fine art, visual story

As you know from previous posts I’ve been working on new artwork for my upcoming art exhibits.  In this post I shared a design I’d drawn in my sketchbook.  Then in the post here is a photo of me making one of the papers that I’d need towards the new artwork design I’d drawn in my sketchbook.  After days of dyeing, and cutting out a gajillion more pieces of handmade paper – today in this photo I’ve cut out the shapes of a dogs teeth out of paper and am in the act of gluing that cut paper into the dogs mouth.  I now have sympathy for dentist’s.

Sue Clancy gluing hand dyed paper that has been cut into the shape of a dog's set of lower teeth.

Sue Clancy gluing hand dyed paper that has been cut into the shape of a dog’s set of lower teeth.