Gearing up for Finge Festival

Putting the finishing touches on my installation "The Double Helix Cafe" for the Fringe.  Just finished rigging up the back frame for the three pieces, so that they hang as one unit. Testing tomorrow...... :)
fingers crossed our idea works. I also finished the catalogue that will be for sale.  You will be able to purchase it through the Blub site,  here or the Double Helix Cafe. There will be a lot of other items up for grabs as well.

Double Helix Cafe Catalogue by Marijo Swick | Make Your Own Book

I'm Hand Lettering and Taking Names!

So, still working on the Double Helix Cafe. I've imposed a deadline by entering the Fringe Festival, so now I must come up with some resolution! I decided to work it out a little differently than the first iteration. Still using 3 panels, but in a new configuration (mostly for easier moving of it). I've also made the panels match the packaging of the slides, which works much better. On the header panel, I'm hand painting the logo. Thank you Mike Bush for all the meanness in college teaching us how to hand letter. I did learn the importance of kerning and a steady hand, but I still think perhaps you didn't have to be such an ass about it. Maybe just maybe you could have offered a couple of nice words now and then.. but then who's to say, maybe your nasty ways is what worked.

Had some trouble creating the reflected letters, but finally got it to work with a lot of glazing. Now I'm working on the red stripe in the logo. Will post a photo shortly.

The larger panels, I taped off and painted some nice crisp hexagons on, but I think I still need to glaze down the high key of the light purple. it's just a little to stark still. I'm having trouble making a glaze work on such a large scale, I keep getting brush marks. If anyone has any thoughts or advice please send it my way.

More Work on Double Helix Cafe

So, I had to redo some of the sides from the Double Helix Cafe that got broken in transit back from British Columbia. I've put it on the back burner, but decided I had better just get at it and get them done. Now I need to figure out a way to repackage them so that they can travel and be safe. Right now the slides are packaged in bags with a card back, like in craft packaging of small items. The individual ones seem to have been ok, but the "combo packs" are the problem where I have packaged two or more slides in a bag. So I'm going to have to come up with a way to separate them I guess. I'm thinking maybe a sheet of plastic between the slides might be enough... maybe...
Any thoughts?

Visual Elements opens tonight

invitation for Visual Elements

Tonight the Woodstock Gallery opens the doors to it's new space, with the 53rd Annual Juried Exhibition: Visual Elements.
Come out for some fun, check out the gorgeous new gallery space and see some great artwork.
The gallery is located at The Woodstock Art Gallery is located at:

449 Dundas Street
Woodstock

There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6:45, with the exhibition opening following. 

I have a piece in this exhibition: The Benzene Ring Interchange Project (pictured above in the right column).

Hope to see you there!

Still trying to Tame the Beast

So it still seems like  I am more than a little buried in stuff to do. I'm trying to sort it out, but there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day. But then, there's the old axiom work expands to fill the time allowed. Very true. It's like a living organism. So today, well actually last night, I made a list of just the things that I need to accomplish today. Just today... don't worry about the rest. Just get through today's list. I can do it. So far I'm on item 3... this blog. I'll get there. Breathe deep Marijo, breathe deep.....

So much time, so little to do.... strike that reverse it.

Sometimes I feel like I just need a personal organizer or assistant. How do I have so much to do and yet I feel like I'm getting nothing done. I have the biggest mess in my studio right now that has expanded outward to the entire top floor. My office, my sewing room, the bathroom... you name it, it's like a growing beast. I feel a little  like there's no hope of conquering it. And then there are the daily chores to do: laundry, dishes vacuuming etc. And proposals to write, and grants to explore. And getting my website updated, and emails to respond to,and, and and. The list goes on. And that's just the maintenance type/business stuff. I still need time to work in the studio!
I feel a lot like I'm drowning. Help! Does anyone have any helpful suggestions?

Photoshop

So the past few days I have been avoiding cleaning my studio by drawing in Photoshop and Painter. I've done a couple of paintings that I like. I started the sketches in Painter, but most of the painting was done in Photoshop.Any thoughts, constructive criticism, welcome. What do you think?