Rochelle, Author at Rochelle Weiner Carr

Workshop with Karlyn Holman

I've just returned from a week long workshop with Karlyn Holman in Washburn Wisconsin. This is the 4th year in a row I've attended a workshop with her. Karlyn is such an inspiring person - she's created a wonderful life for herself in the arts. She is a great artist, she teaches in her studio and in workshops all over the world, she has a thriving business in an idyllic small town - she really is a wonder.

The first class I took with Karlyn a few years ago opened my eyes. Her success has inspired me change my life and pursue fine art as a career - something I never really believed was a feasible goal until I met Karlyn. Thank you, Karlyn - you are my inspiration!

Each year, Karlyn has new techniques to teach and new directions to take us. Each year I come away with inspiration to feed my studio time, incorporating the new ideas I've learned into my own work.

Below are my finished pieces derived from the lessons we worked on last week.

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Encaustics and the discarded series

"Sordid" - encaustic on 10" x 10" cradled board, $250.00

As another branch of my "Discarded" series, I have been incorporating antique photography into encaustic works.

I have a fascination with antique photography. It's sad and intriguing to find old family snaps and formal shots for sale at junk shops and antique stores. I can spend ages sifting through these crumbling old pages from someone else's life. I like the idea of giving them a new life by putting them into art pieces. I find these images so inspiring - precisely because I don't actually know the people in them. It affords each image the potential of infinite stories.

My newest iteration of this series is incorporating these images into encaustic works. Encaustic is painting with melted wax, and you can do image transfers, collage and carving into the wax to build your image. I used the image transfer method to create this series.

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By Rochelle / Collage paper / Discarded series / Encaustic paintings / Encaustic paints / encaustic wax / Inspiration / Materials / photography - 05/28/2013

One way to monoprint

There are lots of ways to create monoprints. I learned a fun way to do it in a workshop with Karlyn Holman a couple years ago. I've used this process to create probably more than 100 paintings by now. I've done series of flowers, vegetables an fruits, portraits, birds, and most recently I have come up with a new series I'm calling "Absurdity Birdity".

I've found this process to be really versatile and fun, as well as freeing. You end up with smears and marks from the ink, and the collage paper ends up in places you don't expect. This gives you the opportunity to "make it work". I find it challenging and I feel some of my best work has come from this process.

I thought it would be fun to show how to do it.

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By Rochelle / Collage paper / How to / Masa paper / Materials / Monoprints / Paintings / Watercolor / Watercolors - 05/28/2013

Now on Facebook

Facebook - at long last. I have been meaning to create a page for quite a while now and finally have got it up and running. Here's the link.

I guess this means now that I need to separate my art postings from my personal facebook page. That will take some discipline!

I'm picturing the page as an extension of this website. I'll be posting my work there in addition to here, and links to my blogs. I'll also be posting inspirations and ideas, fun stuff hopefully.

Feel free to follow me there and communicate your ideas and thoughts about art as well. All are welcome!

Next up - redesign of this site - I have some big ideas!

Happy arting!

artist statement / Fans / Inspiration - 05/24/2013

Opening on Friday May 10

I am one of 10 featured artists at the Deer Path Art League's show "Art is for the Birds" opening Friday May 10 in Lake Forest, IL.

Art is for the birds

May 10-June 14

Deer Path Art League & Gallery
400 E. Illinois Rd, (2nd Floor)
Lake Forest, IL 60045

Open Monday through Friday
10:00 am- 4:00 pm
Saturdays by appointment only

The elegant gallery space is in a beautiful spot on the edge of downtown Lake Forest, looking out over the treetops. Eighteen of my paintings are on display, encaustic works and monoprints, all featuring our feathered friends. The other artists will be displaying oils, hand made bird cages, mixed media works, jewelry, sculpture, acrylics, and etchings. I got a glimpse yesterday and it promises to be an amazing show!

I'm entirely disappointed I will not be able to attend opening night. However, if anyone else is interested in going that night, it promises to be a fun event. If anyone is interested in going any other time during the run of the show let me know and I'll do my best to meet you up there!

Following are my paintings that will be in the show:

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Art show / By Rochelle / Encaustic paintings / Encaustic paints / encaustic wax / Masa paper / Materials / Monoprints / Paintings / Watercolor / Watercolors - 05/07/2013

Absurdity birdity

A new series of monoprints has been inspired by an upcoming show "Art is for the Birds" at the Deer Path Art Gallery in Lake Forest, Illinois.

I was looking at the bird paintings I've done in the past and at the many figurative paintings I've done in the past year and wanted to put the two ideas together.

I liked the absurdity of the presence of a bird on top of someone's head, as if it was an every day thing. The silliness of it makes me smile. Doing this series in monoprint/collage/watercolor allowed the dirtiness of the monoprint process plus the brightness of the watercolor and collage papers. All together I think the effect heightens out the absurdity of the image itself.

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By Rochelle / Collage paper / Masa paper / Materials / Monoprints / Paintings - 04/22/2013

Art is for the Birds

I have been asked to show 12 works featuring birds in the "Art is for the Birds" group show at the Deer Path Art League and Gallery - yay!

I've focused on birds in many of my paintings and I will be showing a series of monoprints and encaustic works at this show. Very excited to be included! Thank you Deer Path Art League! 🙂

Details:

May 10 - June 14, 2013

Deer Path Art League and Gallery
2nd Floor, Gorton Community Center
400 East Illinois Road
Lake Forest, Illinois 60045

Art show / By Rochelle / Collage paper / Encaustic paintings / Encaustic paints / encaustic wax / Masa paper / Materials / Monoprints / Paintings / R&F Pigment Sticks / Watercolor / wood board - 04/04/2013

NBC's Chicago Fire and me

Yow!! Got a screen grabs of my artwork on national TV! NBC's Chicago Fire, filming in Chicago, has purchased 2 of my paintings for the permanent set and borrowed 4 more for use on temporary sets. Last night's episode showed the character "Shay" rescuing an at-risk baby - a poignant scene. But all I could see was my art behind her head! "That's Our Baby", "Tulip Garden" and "Autumn Cliffs" all got screen time this week.

Pretty exciting stuff! Thank you to The Leigh Gallery for taking such good care of me! Note: the paintings shown on last night's show are currently available for purchase at The Leigh Gallery in Chicago.

NBC's Chicago Fire - Rochelle Weiner artwork

That's "Tulip Garden" in the background!

NBC's Chicago Fire - Rochelle Weiner Art

You can see "That's Our Baby" on the left, "Tulip Garden" in the middle, and off screen to right is "Autumn Cliffs" (was only a flash on the screen but I recognized it...)

"Tulip Garden" clearly visible in the background.... Shay, move your head!

By Rochelle / Landscapes / Materials / NBC's Chicago Fire / Paintings / Watercolor / Watercolors - 02/28/2013

More paintings to be on NBC's Chicago Fire!

Thrilled to find out NBC's Chicago Fire selected 4 more of my paintings from The Leigh Gallery - this time on loan - for use on their sets! I assume that since they're on loan they're not for the permanent sets but rather for single scene usage. Keep an eye out for them - I know I will be! 🙂

Previous post: Rochelle Weiner Originals on Network TV

"Daffodils in a row" - Watercolor and collage, 24" x 20" framed

"That's our baby" - Watercolor, monoprint and collage, 15" x 15" framed

"Autumn cliffs" - Watercolor and watermedia, 15" x 15" framed

By Rochelle / Landscapes / Materials / Monoprints / NBC's Chicago Fire / Paintings / Watercolor / Watercolors - 02/15/2013

Galleria refreshed