2010 | Daily Art Muse

Yearly Archives: 2010

a year end reflection and gifts for you

Written on December 24, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Archives-Protected, Featured, Inspiration

In a few days we will celebrate the end of 2010 and the start of a new year. It is one of several times throughout the year that I stop to reflect on what has passed and what I want for the days, weeks and months ahead.

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This image is an all-time favorite:
A little boy, who lost one shoe, chasing a seagull on the beach.
I had a great time watching him play – carefree and in the moment.

2010 was a year of change and transition for me, with bittersweet endings, thrilling beginnings and unexpected adventures that playfully pushed my inner-child-out, front and center.

On this late December day I am empowered by the realization that each new dawn brings another chance to make different choices. And that is what I am doing, making different choices – learning to trust that the Universe will support me as I bravely move forward.

My gift to you as 2011 approaches is a mini calendar (PDF download) that I created with a few favorite pictures of the coast of Connecticut, where I have been staying for the last few months working as an apprentice to an artist and planning my year-long apprenticeship project.

From me. To you. Enjoy – and Happy New Year!

2011 Mini Calendar from daMuse

I printed my calendar on scalloped edge card stock, fastened the pages with a binder clip and tacked it to the wall. Easy. No Fuss. Low Tech.

Chance to win a custom image from daMuse!

I am taking a few days off to do what I do (see above) but I have one last question for you this year:

What word will you use to set your intention for 2011?

My word is ABUNDANCE…more about that later. Leave a comment. Tell me yours. Really, I want to know.

Custom TextMessage by Susan Lomuto (aka daMuse)

When I come back on January 3rd I will choose three people and create a custom image download for each of them using their word – a wonderful reminder all year long to stay focused on their intention. Need some help?

C’mon over to the comments area and tell me…what’s your word for 2011?[/private_archives]

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chris dorosz: shifting the idea of the surface

Written on December 23, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Color, Featured, Inspiration

Trapping drops of paint in tiny compartments created by the deliberate arrangement of industrial staples, Chris Dorosz ‘paints’ mosaic-like images that mesmerize viewers.

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four figures indoors
acrylic/gel medium, industrial staples on canvas, 15″x18″

Paint drops pool in staples placed on their sides, and as the artist explains, “…the low relief of the metal staples catches light and shadow; shifting the idea of the surface as the viewer changes positions.” The work requires not only vision, but a great deal of patience and an intimate relationship with color.

detail of staple painting, click to enlarge

“Out of material discovery I began to regard the primacy of the paint drop, a form that takes shape not from a brush or any human-made implement or gesture, but purely from its own viscosity and the air it falls through, as analogous to the building blocks that make up the human body (DNA) or even its mimetic representation (the pixel).” Chris Dorosz

four figures in the sun
acrylic/gel medium, industrial staples on canvas, 15″x18″

three figures in a garden
acrylic/gel medium, industrial staples on canvas, 15″x18″

Taking the idea further, Dorosz traps fallen paint drops on vertical clear acrylic rods in the Paintdrop Sculptures series. As the viewer moves, the pixel-like paint drops align to form images which then disappear when the viewer shifts position and the drops move out of alignment.

stasis 13,
paint, acrylic plastic, 12.5″ x 20.5″ x 6.75″

“By placing my subjects in a form of ‘stasis’ through the medium I mean not only to protect them for a little while, but alternately to underscore the tenuous nature of human physicality where any moment life as we know it might just collapse into a pool of droplets or drift upwards into the atmosphere.” Chris Dorosz

See more of Dorosz’s new work at Mayberry Fine Art[/private_archives]

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joe brubaker’s tribe: scale and quiet gestures make powerful art

Written on December 22, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Archives-Protected, Featured, Metal, Recycled, Wood

Joe Brubaker’s large-scale wood and metal figures are haunting, spiritual, totemic. A lifetime of making art, first as a painter and now for more than two decades as a sculptor, has taught him to be aware of details like the subtle grace of a quiet gesture.

It works, and so does Brubaker’s ability to harness the power of size – or oversize in the case of many of his sculptures. A mix of abstract and figurative, playful and serious, inspiring and meditative, his tribe speaks my language.

This carved wood and metal figure is 5 feet tall

“Most of my figures are totemic, that is, very quiet and subtle of gesture. I have found that more extreme body positions in the figures do not work for me. I believe this might be because “quietly gestured” figures invite meditation. Also, a standing, quiet figure exudes grace, and very small adjustments in the head tilt, or arm location, or leg position, affect the attitude of the piece a great deal, and create an implied narrative.” Joe Brubaker

Timothy, 5 feet tall

Timothy, detail

Sentry, over 5 feet tall

Sentry, standing guard

Horse, reclaimed wood, found metal, 33″ x 60″ x 8″

“I make art to renew myself, to experience the vitality of creative flow. I also feel that the individual creative process generates a ‘halo’ effect that is more significant than the individual creative act.” Joe Brubaker

The video below, created for the Donna Seager Gallery, has a few surprises – watch the sculptures closely. Nicely done. For a lengthier visit with Joe (half hour), click here - he shares the wonderful collection of inspiration from his travels around the world that fuel his creativity.

Joe Brubaker from Elliot Art Productions on Vimeo.

More at the Donna Seager Gallery and Sue Greenwood Fine Art

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damuse announces new donor reward packages

Written on December 21, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Apprenticeships, Archives-Protected, Featured

Better late than never, right? Apologies for not getting this post out to you last week as promised – I’ve been a busy little muse.

All donations between $20-$50 made before 12/19/10 have been acknowledged and donor reward packs delivered into email boxes.

Donor Reward Packages Page

I created a Donor Reward Packages page (look for it on the menu above the posts on any page) which outlines all of the donor reward packages to date.

The new reward packages announced today for donations of $1-$19 AND $75-$100 are in bold with lots of exclamation points! Now is the chance to collect a few of daMuse’s favorite Resource Links OR get your own mini-eStreamline session. Read all about it on the Donor Reward Packages Page

Thanks to all who have made a donation so far. I have a few more reward levels to reveal soon – and there is a big announcement coming so stay tuned!

{If you made a donation between $20 and $50 and you did not get a thank you email with the reward pack attached please check your spam folder – if it isn’t hiding there, let me know.}

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battista’s sideshow reminds us that we are all living curiosities

Written on December 21, 2010 by Susan Lomuto in Archives-Protected, Featured, Glass

Carrie Battista’s glass circus tents represent the sideshow performers that she feels most connected to as a glass artist who is often observed while she manipulates the hot, molten medium.

The Elephant Tent, blown glass, verre eglomise
16” x 11” x 11”

The Elephant Tent, back

Battista gilds the interior wall of the glass tents with precious metal leaf and scratches drawings into the surface. Each tent also houses a mirror that distorts the viewer’s image. Spectacular.

The Itty Bitty Lady Tent, blown glass, verre eglomise
12” x 8” x 8”

The Itty Bitty Lady Tent, back

“Traveling sideshows have always fascinated me. I feel that living the artist’s lifestyle parallels that of the performers on display – alienated, nomadic and continually on exhibit. I frequently find myself being the subject of observation as I make my work. With the hot shop as my stage I am forced into the role of the performer, leaving me feeling self-conscious and exposed.” Carrie Battista

Come and See!, blown glass, 22k gold, paint, fabric
18″ x 12″ x 12″

Come and See Too!, blown glass, 22k gold, paint, fabric
24″ x 12″ x 12″

Come and See Too! detail

“My intention is for viewers to see themselves inside the tents and realize that we are all living curiosities.” Carrie Battista

See the entire circus series here and her bio here

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