Monday = Mandala!

"split personality" 1 & 2, mixed media mandala on paper, framed to 11x22" $95 © Lynne Medsker

Well, a lot of Monday posts have featured mandalas so I figured the title would work. Plus it’s getting tough to find new titles for mandala posts! 🙂 Similar the the “Sun & Earth” mandala post last week the two finished pieces I’m showing here each started as a single piece with the notion they’d be cut in two for display/framing purposes. Here is what they (plus another unfinished piece) looked like after they were drawn:

work in progress, ink outlines © lynne medsker

From that stage they were then given some washes of watercolor to make the backgrounds interesting. The watercolor tends to fade out/discolor the bold black lines so I re-applied many of those before heading to the final coloring stage:

work in progress, watercolor added, select ink outlines reapplied © lynne medsker

Here are the two pieces, finished, before they were cut in half:

"split personality" before being split! © lynne medsker

"divided" before being divided © lynne medsker

Lastly, here is the second piece in it’s matting, ready to go into it’s frame:

"divided" mixed media mandala on paper, framed to 11x22, $95 © Lynne Medsker

These two particular pieces are now hanging at Healing Arts Indy, in downtown Indianapolis. I’ve got a couple of the larger mandalas to share with you soon, then who knows what we might get into. 🙂

Have a great week!

Lynne

October Art Displays

I had one of the “lightning bolt” type realizations last week as I was hanging up art at a local library.  Even just five years ago having a solo display of my work at the library would have been the highlight of my month!  To be honest I hadn’t even remembered that I was showing my art at that location until they sent me a reminder.  I am afraid I am becoming unappreciative of these opportunities, and that makes me more than a little disappointed in myself. I have been blessed with so many chances to share my work with the public that I’m afraid I’ve come to regard it as routine instead of the special occasion that it is.  It took hard work, determination and a lot of my time to get this far and I should celebrate each and every time I am putting my art “out there”!  With that in mind I wanted to create a monthly post that announces where my art is currently on display. Although some of these events have their own post (or have already happened!) I wanted to put them here as a one-stop reference point:

October 1st through November 23nd, “Nature Awakens Creativity”
 part of the Spirit and Place Festival
at the Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, IN

October 1st through 31st, “Debra Wagner Memorial Exhibit”
 (reception October 9th 6-9 pm)
at the Sugar Creek Art Center, Thorntown, IN

October 2nd – 31st, Solo Show, Danville Public Library, Danville, IN

Saturday, October 10th, Zionsville Autumn Artscape, Art Fair from 10 am to 6 pm, Zionsville, IN

Continuing this month, artwork on display at:

Artistic Designs Gallery, Brownsburg, IN

Healing Arts Indy, Indianapolis, IN

Hoosier Salon Gallery, Broad Ripple, IN

Sugar Creek Art Center, Thorntown, IN

I will try to be more timely when I post the November events! Of course you are always welcome to come to my studio to visit and view my artwork.  Just drop me an email to set up a time – I bet I could even round up a cup of coffee or glass of wine for us to enjoy!

Celebrating each success,

Lynne

Directionally Challenged

I have an art show coming up in September and have been gathering info, images and ideas for it over the last few weeks so the press can go out, postcards can be made, etc.  At the very end of this process we discovered we hadn’t given the show a title.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned before how I can struggle just naming a single piece of my art.  Some pieces remain “untitled” for a really long time until inspiration strikes.  Now I was faced with titling a whole show?  Yikes!  I started brainstorming, just thinking of words that describe my work but that wasn’t helpful because I do so many different styles & media of work there just isn’t one word that covers it all.  Even combining two or three words wasn’t working.  I talked with the show coordinator on the phone and we bounced things around and she asked if perhaps I had a piece of work that could be used as a title.  None came to mind because most of them are simple, one word titles (due to my challenge at naming them, I’m sure).  As I was browsing through a folder of my art images this one popped up:

"directionally challenged" mixed media (c) 2008, Lynne Medsker

PERFECT!  Not only is it one of the pieces I had planned on displaying at the show it truly describes my creative tendencies!  SO…the show now has a title and it’s getting closer all the time.

“Directionally Challenged” will be on display from September 1st to September 22nd at Healing Arts Indy, in downtown Indianapolis. Healing Arts Indy offers a unique and luxurious massage environment with a cooperative of highly skilled massage therapists practicing a variety of bodywork modalities in a beautiful environment. They also have yoga classes, a licensed acupuncturist, fine arts exhibitions, book discussions, and other community oriented events to feed mind, body and spirit. Their address is 805 S. Meridian Street, for more info call 317-955-7811.  The opening reception will be on Friday, September 4th during the “First Friday” art tour in Indianapolis.  Please be sure and join me that evening!