A little exchange program

Since 2020, I've been making collages at home in addition to my studio. I have saved magazines, catalogs, and other ephemeral papers in both locations. During that time, I've made a few collages that are still works in progress because they're missing something and I don't know what. So I decided to put my long-time unfinished pieces in an exchange program, swapping the ones at home with the ones at the studio, and vice versa.

Collages started at home, brought to the studio

Collages started at the studio, brought home

My efforts led to the creation of 7 new mini collages that I sold at 2 pop-up shows in neighboring office buildings downtown.

Before I sold my pieces, I scanned them and made new print-on-demand products with them for my Zazzle store.

The items in the photo above are just a fraction of what's available. And as always, you can customize everything to suit your particular preferences. 

Making love in the studio

They fear love because it creates a world they can't control.

—George Orwell

We need more love in the world. Since art has always been an escape for me, I've spent the past several weeks preparing for my Valentine's Day open studio. Unlike the work in my Post-Consumerism series, these little paintings are made with virgin materials. 

Coordinating with the abundance of red and pink hues is Venus, the goddess of love, in her elegant gown.

Creating these mini paintings was fun. I felt like I was making candies and pastries.

They range from 2" x 2" to 3" x 4" and come with a mini easel for display. They're $25 each.

Love is in the air, but so are COVID and the flu, which is why I'll be providing masks for my visitors.

The details on tomorrow night's festivities are below. If you're looking for something fun to do that doesn't cost a lot of money, please feel free to stop by.

Friday, February 14th, 2025

5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

The Fine Arts Building

410 South Michigan Avenue

Studio 632F on the 6th floor (in the back)

Downtown Chicago

Dark Oxygen

We're now in the time of year that everyone said they would circle back to last year. And I am circling back to blogging about art with my first work of 2025. Fittingly, the painting is round. I just finished making this paint skin assemblage from a series of overlapping circles of paint skins. If some of the colors seem familiar, it's because I included some palettes from Confluence.

Dark Oxygen | paint skins on canvas | 12" ⌀

Dark oxygen is something that I just learned about, and I thought it would make a cool title. Apparently there are minerals at the bottom of the ocean that can produce oxygen, and scientists are learning more about it. This piece is not for sale yet because I want to hold on to it for a little while, but once it's available, I will post about it here.

My latest commissioned painting, Confluence

Confluence | 36" x 36" | acrylic on polyethylene and paper on wood board

My latest commissioned painting was made for an office, my company's office, actually. We just moved to a new space that is close to the Chicago River. Our new color scheme reflects that. The wall that was designated for hanging the painting is almost a square shape, and the shape of the painting follows suit. The square shape needed diagonal waves to create a sense of movement. They are also in keeping with the river theme.

I made this conceptual sketch with ordinary office supplies because I didn’t have time to get my Prismacolor markers, colored pencils, and other drawing supplies from my studio. Instead, I created some squares in a Microsoft Word document, printed it out on standard printer paper, and drew variations of my ideas in pencil, then in pen, and colored it in with highlighters, permanent markers, and ballpoint pens.

I scanned my favorite concept into the computer and used Photopea, a free web-based Photoshop alternative, to tweak the colors and enhance the highlights and shadows. 

I used some of the polyethylene foam sheets and Kraft paper that I'd been saving to create a wavy surface. I didn't follow my sketch like a blueprint. Instead, I improvised.

After spending some time in the new office space, I decided to use richer, deeper shades of teal and green that better reflect the new furniture, finishes, and accessories. 

the edge of a glass door in the office

While working on my painting, I watched Geoffrey Baer's Chicago River Tour, a documentary produced by our local PBS station, WTTW. That was what inspired the title. "Confluence" is an area where rivers meet, and the word felt fitting. 

Here are some detail shots that give you a closer look at the texture and color variations. There are a few different shades of metallic teal, as well as emerald and copper.

I really enjoyed creating this commission and would love to do more custom pieces for anyone who's interested. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to make one last big painting before the end of the year.