With more than 80 artists set to open their doors to the adoring public (that’s you) this Friday and Saturday at the 18th Annual Stutz Artists Open House, I’ve been taking a peek inside a few of those studio to offer you a preview of some of the spaces, artists and work you’ll see this weekend. Next up is Martha Vaught and Julie Perigo who share a studio on the third floor of the Stutz’s C Building.
Kate
After a full day of teaching art to her students which range from pre-school to 8th grade, Julie Perigo preps work for the open house. Note the required items: frame; t-square; diet Mountain Dew.
Julie share studio C325 with me, Martha Vaught. Kate has asked me to share what is going on at the Stutz. One big event this past week was the celebration over JanettMarie Braun completing her 100th painting in her Apple series. We gathered at noon for apple pie homemade, with cheddar cheese and champagne. So all that you may imagine concerning the lavish hedonistic lifestyle lived by artists is largely true. This was a welcome break from the hours of matting and framing and cussing about matting and framing; then converting working studio into exhibition space that still gives visitors a sense of the work space; because one of the unique features of the Stutz Open House is being able to visit the artist’s studio.
We have been securing & loading dollys with furniture to be removed to make room and hauling it to storage, driving into Bearcat Alley securing a dolly to haul goods in; food and wine; frames and art; wall paint and whatever is needed to ready. For myself I begin to feel short of time at the beginning of January and have to steady myself and concentrate of accomplishing artistic goals. The rush to be ready can hurry my creative working habit, but it is also a great motivator to make art because at the least there is certain to be a large and engaged audience during open house. In the 5 years I have participated each year’s patrons have been more interested in the art and in what it means, and how the work is made. For myself I get many questions on how my wood or linocuts are made. Here’s a new print that I just finished last week and will be available for $38.50(unframed).
“Ace Arrives, Music Suspended” linocut, Martha Lindenborg Vaught
This work was several months in the making. Initially I drew the design in graphite directly onto the block. I was not comfortable with the composition and spent many days tweaking the figures to get the lavish motion of the 2 horses to work in the tight format. The block is only 9 x 12 inches.
Carving this block took around 20 hours and it went through 4 proofing runs, a print is pulled and then the block modified, and then the press, paper, ink, rollers, drying racks, tables have to be carefully set up to insure a consistent edition during the final printing. When the prints are dry they are inspected with poor quality ones culled and then the select are signed, numbered and packed for sale. One is also framed for display.
All of my prints are on fine art paper. My 2 favorite papers are the light tan handmade Japanese paper Kitikaya, and the French mold made Rives Lt weight. For this new print I also soaked some Rives BFK which is a heavier paper that would receive more embossing from the block, but it is difficult to keep the ink out of the cut out areas so the block needed to be cleaned and re inked which is time consuming and messy. It is also a challenge to maintain the correct amount of ink on the roll out area. Ideally there is a careful balance of what is on the roller, roll out slab, and the block. A consistent amount is removed as each print is pulled. Too much ink looks gloppy and fills important subtle details and too little looks washed out and uneven.
For my relief prints I use etching black by Charbonnel. This ink is oil based and time tested.
I have also a large selection of new paintings in a wide size and price range. One of the new works also reflects the hard work that goes on here at the Stutz. It is a bit tongue in cheek….
“Worked Like a Borrowed Mule” oil on panel, MCLVaught 9”x 12”
“Music and Her Doppelgänger Shadow” oil on canvas 20 x 20 inches
This work reflects a major creative theme from this year, images that convey a sense of restfulness. That despite the turmoil of modern wired living there can be places to turn and feel peace. A question I have posed myself this year is, “What can a static image give us today? At times traditional forms of painting, 2-d art seem out of place and useless in this technology soaked world.” SO come and see how I have answered my query. AS for Julie’s art you will have to ask her yourself.
“She Broke Free,” acrylic, Julie Candler Perigo
Thank you for reading this and if you are interested visit my blog mclv-art.tumblr.com, or studio C325 during Open House.
Cheers,
Martha Vaught
April 25, 2011
