Fibre Arts Take Two

I recently had the honor and pleasure of spending an hour talking with Tara Axford of Fibre Arts Take Two out of Sydney, Australia about my art practice. If you are not familiar with them, you should be. On Instragram they can be found @fibreartstaketwo and their website is: https://www.fibreartstaketwo.com/

When I think of the many organizations that promote the arts that I know of, rarely do they meet the outreach that FATT does. This is a true dedication to connect artists with the public at large in everything related to the art of fibre not to mention the education opportunities that are also available through FATT.

As the Friday, Oct. 4th feature artist, the live broadcast on Facebook will start at 3pm tomorrow afternoon EST (Sydney is 14 hours ahead of us currently) on Thursday Oct. 3rd — the link to this event is: https://www.facebook.com/events/901785465141060?ref=newsfeed — join us if you can!

If you miss the broadcast you can see the video on YouTube @: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQG3_WxJX_M

Many, many thanks to all of you at FATT who have made this opportunity possible.

Color Paper Scissors

COLLAGE. This time honored medium is having a global moment as artists all over the world are incorporating paper into their daily studio work. For my part, I’ve been working in this genre for about five years now and really can’t imagine letting the collage aspect of my work go anytime soon. Indeed, the interest in my collage workshops remains strong as this medium is very forgiving and doesn’t require drawing skills. I’ve even completely rearranged my studio to accommodate the organization of my collage material—this is essential to keeping my sanity as an artist.

Urban Botanical #372

87 x 12.5 inches — various collage papers, acrylic house paint and Irish linen waxed thread on hand stitched canvas. Industrial thread spool armature.

I’ve also begun to work more with hand stitched canvas this year and I’m looking at a more textile approach in my art practice. This is a natural exploration for me as I combine book arts sensibilities with my collage work. I’m still pursuing work on panel, both aluminum and wood, as well as using a lot of vintage book covers as my substrate. There is continuity as well as exploration as I navigate change and solidify my every day practice in the studio.

Urban Collage #373 displayed in the AVA Juried Members show 2024

78.5 x 68.5 inches — various collage papers, acrylic house paint and Irish linen waxed thread on hand stitched canvas. Wood, leather and hex bolt armature.

Urban Collage #330 hanging in TETHER (on the right)—the September show in the main gallery of The Loft in Marietta, Georgia on the square (photo courtesy of The Loft Marietta).

Also, a new era has begun as this year has seen some changes in representation for me—Citron Gallery in Asheville has closed its doors, this summer heralded the end of the relationship with my Nashville gallery, and exciting new representation began with The Loft Marietta. Change is always imminent, especially within the art world, and its best to roll with the punches and embrace new challenges.

CONVERGENCE — New Work by Anna Carll

convergence noun

1 : the act of converging and especially moving toward union or uniformity

example: the convergence of the three rivers

synonyms: concurrence, connection, merging, concourse, crossroads

Urban Harbor #313

36 x 80 inches — MM on hollow-core door

SOLD—Private Collection

The Urban Series

“When I first conceived the Urban Series, I was thinking of the cycle of life in relation to my Mother’s diagnosis of dementia—the painful erosion of her mind and personality. When I pursued this line of inquiry, I saw a distinct correlation between what was happening to my Mother and how nature erodes our cities, towns or villages with acts of natural disaster. Through this lens I began to see that there could be many different but convergent collections within this series—each with their own characteristics and related in form and structure.”

Within the Urban Series all the colors, shapes, textures, lines and compositions converge to convey the same concept; the exploration of city life in conflict with nature. Carll designs and creates the majority of her collage material in Photoshop and then prints the images on acid free sketch paper. “I have a lot more control over the imagery and am able to create files that explore different images of our local infrastructure through a process of layering my photos with grunge textures that cause fracturing of the forms within—much like what nature does to our communities.” This process is unique to Carll’s background in graphic design and illustration—a way to merge all of her skills from her early career with her current multi-disciplined art practice.

Viewers of this work will discover all kinds of patterns made from utility wires, city grids, wallpaper patterns, monoprint designs, architectural elements and plant life. All of this imagery is merged with fine art & handmade papers layered in the form of collage as a dense construction of form and palette choices. Carll refers to this process as “painting with paper.” Anna Carll combines painting, collage and mixed media within a multi-disciplined art practice using her own vocabulary to create powerful visuals that embody her unique vision of the world.

Karen Hewitt Hagan and her team @ Hagan Fine Art present: CONVERGENCE — New Work by Anna Carll — on view through September 2023.

Event page @ Hagan Fine Art

Opening reception: Friday September 1st — 5-8pm (This will coincide with the CGA Artwalk in downtown Charleston, SC.).

Art talk with the artist: 7-8pm.

125 Church Street

Charleston, SC 29401

+1-843-901-8124

The Flying Fruit Bowl — Dialogue of a Creative Journey →

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

~Thomas Merton

Urban Collage #297 — Available @ A Gallery Fine Art

It’s not often that I look back at the entire creative journey that has brought me to where I am today as an abstract artist, but I recently had one hell of a conversation with Aaron S of The Flying Fruit Bowl. TFFB is both a platform and a podcast series that is DEDICATED TO THE DISCUSSION AND EXPLORATION OF ART AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS. Aaron is based in the UK and brings to you his passion for long conversations that meander around your particular journey with insightful questions that make you see things in a new light. A photographer himself, Aaron understands the sacrifices and demands that revolve around a creative path in modern society.

In a world that is increasingly less private, where can we go to just listen? Finding sources of authentic content has gone the way of the dinosaur—pretty much extinct. Aaron and his team have produced some fantastic podcasts that I’ve listened to on TFFB, and is one source that I will treasure and return to again for creative content that’s worth my time.

If you’d like to listen to my interview with Aaron, it’s been split into parts 1 and 2 — each 1.5 hours of dialogue that dissected my creative journey:

Part 1: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NZ1UqEnOX2MJzjXEQvuqJ

Part 2: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4THOLHRrQuBMFYQJZnIm0Z

May Momentum

For many years I have considered May to be one of my favorite months of the year. Living in the South for most of my life, this month continues to be one of the prettiest, (April showers bring May flowers) and the weather is still mild before the real heat of Summer. This year my May has brought an abundance of marketing heat in my sister city of Nashville, Tennessee.

Ron York of York & Friends Fine Art really stepped up to the plate for me and initiated a series of events that have brought forth abundance in many ways. It started with an inaugural gallery talk—the first in his gallery—an interview style conversation with Paul Polycarpou of Nashville Arts Magazine. That led to Paul offering me a feature article in the May Issue and Artist of the Week the first week in May on the famous Nashville Sign off of the Broadway and West End split.

BIG really is better...

Erosion Series: Character Botanical #1

The proximity of this sign off of Broadway assures maximum visibility and really shows how serious Nashville is in promoting the arts. Nashville Arts Magazine is one of the best city dedicated art publications I've ever seen even in my graphic design days. I really enjoyed meeting Paul and bringing an intimate art talk to York & Friends Fine Art—which has quickly become like family. Kathleen Boyle wrote a fabulous feature article that focused on my Erosion Series. She asked very deep questions and peppered the interview with whit and humor which made me feel like I've known her for years.

I feel very welcomed in Nashville and have been repeatedly surprised by the depth of the contemporary art market in this fabulous city. Nashville continues to be a wealth of inspiration and vitality throughout all of the arts. If you haven't visited Nashville in a while and experienced the intensity of the arts there, you should add this great city of the South to your bucket list.

Online Nashville Arts Magazine link (My feature article starts on page 72)

The Character of Typography

Many years ago when I was in college at the University of Florida, I needed an extra class credit to complete my degree before the grant money ran out. At the beginning of my final semester the university decided that one of my credits from junior college would not be counted due to some hidden agenda to squeeze more money out of a financially strapped student—they never did give me a good reason why this credit was discounted (I've heard this story before). At the eleventh hour I spoke with one of my professors in the fine arts college about my dilemma and the next morning he cleared the way for me to produce three extra assignments using the letterpress equipment that would fulfill the additional requirements for my degree. This was the beginning of my life-long love affair with typography.

Examples of some large movable type made of wood that I used for many of my assignments in 1984

Most of the large type blocks were wood but the university had a pretty good collection of metal type as well. There is something about large letter forms that excite my imagination for I've used typography extensively in my graphic design practice over the years. What I didn't know at the time was that these letter forms would come full circle and excite me once again in my paintings thirty years later. In January I began to experiment with my botanical images in Photoshop by creating a clipping mask of different arrangements of the word "erosion" thus creating a typographical window through which you would see the botanical forms. Within the painting this was achieved by painting out the background/negative space once the botanical forms were complete to create the characters. I love this new direction and plan to make these character botanicals a regular part of my studio practice. 

It's always fascinating to me how everything we do in life has some level of value for the future. There are no true mistakes in a studio for every experimentation of form, color or line within our daily practice always leads to a new twist or direction that enhances our imagery. Once again typography has brought a new character to my work both literally and figuratively.

Old Roads to New Directions

When I get bored or frustrated with my art practice, I always return to mark making. The sheer joy of pushing paint around with no destination in mind usually leads me into a new direction.

Pressing the rewind button allows me to get back in shape with the ACT of painting and in the process I see and feel new intention...new perspective...new possibilities. Now, many people would argue that there is always a signature feel to any artists work that you can never hide—hence old roads. I have found this to be profoundly true. We seem to carry the familiar with us wherever we go. In the midst of playing again, I found that my core interest—natures life cycle—crept right back in and gave me a fresh direction for my Urban Botanicals. I've also added a time constraint to the mix which adds to the intuitive feel of the marks.

I always feel renewed in purpose when my practice grows in shape and form. These new Urban Botanical Speed Paintings are both an old and new reflection of where I'm at as an artist and will act as a pathway to larger pieces that will incorporate urban street grid patterns in twine and collage methodology. 

It really is true that yourself will follow you wherever you go.

New Work

Urban Botanical Speed Paintings are available @ Area 61 Gallery and York & Friends Fine Art

Affinity in Interests

A new Gallery Relationship in Nashville

My latest Pod and Botanical Paintings find a New Home at York & Friends Fine Art 

Every once in awhile you find a gallery relationship that clicks right from the beginning. Maybe its part of southern hospitality but I have been lucky to find not one, but two galleries here in Tennessee that make me feel like I'm part of a family. Here in Chattanooga its Area 61 on the SouthSide and now in Nashville—Ron York's gallery in the beautiful Belle Meade neighborhood on the west side feels like home.

Ron is a dedicated artist and art lover who has a way with making people feel like you've been pals for a very long time. He believes in the importance of art and expression in our everyday lives and York & Friends Fine Art is repeatedly voted as one of the best galleries in Nashville. Within 24 hours he sold one of my Botanicals and has done more promotion for me than anyone in that limited timeframe. Very much the professional—Ron is always seen as an art advocate and builds trust quickly with all who come in contact with him.

Drop by and see my latest series of pieces if your in town—Ron will always welcome you.

New Work

Erosion Series: Seeds #7 @ York & Friends Fine Art

A Return to My Textural Roots

This new body of work is the culmination of where I am today as an artist combined with getting back to my roots. As a former graphic designer, I use this training and experience to craft my discipline of book arts. Since I self-publish this work, I end up with a lot of printer proofs that I save and use as the base elements that begin the Urban Botanicals. I also embed city-block map grids into the base art using different types of twine that are either left in place or cut away as the piece evolves. This is a very laborious process that builds up many layers of recycled materials along with various types of mixed media creating a very healthy amount of visual chaos. 

Using additive and subtractive methods, I begin the reduction process by pruning and simplifying the composition keeping the areas of texture that excite me. It does not matter that much, if not all, of the photos and printer proofs are buried under layers of paint and mixed media. It is the presence and energy of these elements that enrich the surface and add to the history of the piece. I see this work as archaeological in nature — similar to the way that civilizations are built on top of each other. Through this direction in the Elemental Series, I am forging a new footprint that is leading me to a path of both discovery and coming home.

The Urban Botanicals will be on view this Friday evening, April 7th, 5:30-8:30pm at the April First Friday Show Opening @ Area 61 Gallery — 61 East Main Street, Southside, Chattanooga. 

The Nature of Art

by Marie Lauer

Many believe in the healing nature of art. Indeed, scientific studies show that art has a profound affect on healing the mind and body. Add nature to the mix and you have a powerful force for energetic rejuvenation. 

This was the approach that local artist Anna Carll used to create a breathtaking series of paintings for Erlanger Health Systems valet entrance to the Medical Mall here in Chattanooga. The Elemental Series combines nature with intense color to enliven a neglected space in the vast geography of Erlanger's campus. "My vision was to help create a space that both patients and visitors wanted to spend time in and allow the art to do it's magic" says Carll. "Most people aren't aware of the subtle affect that art has on the senses—a deep and visceral response to color and natural forms centers the mind & body and can lead us down a healing path."

The Elemental Series is about seeing the beauty in the natural cycle of life and the passage of time. Carll's images successfully portray this concept in The Four Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall. Her modern botanicals dance along the main wall of the lobby while her panel entitled Rain graces the corner wall and reminds us that water is essential to all life on Earth. Carll also uses color as a way-finding element in the hallway leading to the C-bank of elevators. The four Elemental Impressions are colorfield studies that act as wall-level stepping stones representing the colors of the four main elements—earth, water, air & fire. Carll believes that "We are all influenced by first impressions. Subconsciously drawn to color—we will respond and head in that direction." When you round the corner into the elevator lobby you are greeted with Carll's lively depictions of The Four Elements—images that simply grab you and make your wait an enhanced experience.

This is a very cohesive suite of pieces in both palette and concept highlighting Carll's response to the basics of life. Anna Carll's work reminds us that we are all part of the elemental process.