First held in 1904, the Little Pictures Show & Sale is the oldest and largest exhibition of its kind in the United States. This year, the beloved tradition turns 117 and continues to be a strong source of pride for the historic Providence Art Club. The show will feature over 600 works of art sized at 16” x 16” or less and priced at no more than $300.
So, I am delighted to be a part once again of the Little Pictures Show & Sale. In fact, my little pieces of jewelry will be on sale at irresistibly low prices. And, there is still plenty of time to enjoy all the amazing talent at the Providence Art Club on 11 Thomas Street in Providence.
Visual is what I’m all about and writing down the bones is how I have to begin because writing is not my first language. Since I was a kid I placed my marks wherever I could. This included wood (furniture sometimes), paper, stones, and sidewalks. You may have had the same experience. Is it art? Hell, who knows. I know whenever there has been a terror deep inside me it has been a go to place. Make marks and they will tell you something.
Some of us have been lucky enough to have guides to get us started in life. I had two, Ginger and Janey. Don’t remember what they looked like. I can’t ask anyone because no one else saw them but me. This is the best part. If I didn’t like something (like soup for instance) I’d just say, “Nope can’t do, Ginger died from that.”
Where was I? I’m hitting the keys not knowing where I am on keyboard or page. It is a river of thoughts and comments. Bear with me. So, these two girls followed me til I was around 5. If I tracked them to here it would help to know what they thought of COVID-19. They would probably remain mute; not their style to comment on stuff they don’t know. But they did know darkness, they knew the signs you use to list it.
Pandemic acrylic on paper
On March 12, 2020 I went down to the basement studio where I do larger art work and metalwork. I could hear the news on tv from upstairs as the corona virus was taking its toll on the population in Italy. I painted the first piece posted to instagram and thought where do I go from here.
So, by March 13 I found myself seeking asylum again in my basement trying to pour out the fear and anxiety as it was growing. Is it art? It is my replacement for medication and whatever drug of choice once did the trick in assuaging the discomfort.
Untitled_2
On March 13, 2020 the United States coronavirus death toll 100. March 14, 2020, the United States declared a national emergency. COVID-19 is the technical term for the novel coronavirus. By March 18 the London Museum was the last museum to close its doors.
March 26, 2020
“Bin Cao, vice president and director of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, has worked on the front lines of patient care in Wuhan for the past few months. In closely monitoring the disease, he and his team are beginning to unlock some of its secrets. Cao talks to Josh Sharfstein about how the situation has changed in Wuhan, what we can learn about safeguarding providers, the primary risk factors for death, and the ongoing research that may reveal new treatment methods.“
Coronavirus began in Wuhan, China…A Doctor’s Perspective from Wuhan March 26, 2020
I started to keep a journal of COVID-19 as it spread globally. I created slideshows periodically with the data posting it to social media. Paintings were done on a range of materials from Arches paper, rice paper, canvas and masonite.
368 deaths bring its total to 1,809 in Italy March 15
The National Gallery London last to close, March 18
“The separation of health and environmental policy is a dangerous delusion”
US total cases: 85,356 total deaths: 1,246, 3/27/20
Italy: more than 10,000 coronavirus fatalities, 3/29/20
Total confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa: 5,999 3/30/20
8,000 fatalities and 295,000 cases in the US, April 4, 2020
Deaths: Italy 16,523 Spain 13,798 US 10,993 4/7/20
Africa 13,273 confirmed cases, 721 deaths 4/11/20
Total deaths US: 20,071 Italy: 19,468 Spain: 6,353 4/11/20
Spain total confirmed cases 213,024; total deaths 22,157 4/23/20
US total confirmed cases 866,646 total deaths: 49,759 4/23/20
Coronavirus across Africa: 25,040 cases; 1,240 deaths 4/23/20
China total confirmed COVID-19 cases 83,878, deaths 4,636 4/23/20
‘Structural inequalities’ in the US for coronavirus vulnerability
…minorities are being disproportionately affected by the virus
Italy’s Daily Virus Recoveries Surpass Cases for First Time 4/27/20
3,098,391 total confirmed cases globally, 4/28/20
1,008,066 confirmed cases in the US 58,126 deaths 4/28/20
At the time of this writing there are 3,784,085 total confirmed cases of COVID-19. This includes 1,231,992 cases in the United States, 213,435 cases in Spain, and 214,457 cases in Italy. Total deaths globally are 264,679.
RIGHT NOW:
“The Texas Supreme Court ordered a salon owner released from jail after she defied virus restrictions and reopened her business.”
Opening Reception Sunday November 10, 2019 12-5pm • Gallery Hours, Seven Days a Week 12-5pm
“First held in 1904, the Little Pictures Show & Sale is the oldest and largest exhibition of its kind in the United States. This year, the beloved tradition turns 115 and continues to be a strong source of pride for the historic Providence Art Club. The show will feature over 600 works of art sized at 16” x 16” or less and priced at no more than $300.”
Providence Art Club 11 Thomas St. Providence, RI 02903
I am so happy to be exhibiting at the Little Pictures Show again this year! Diverse media from over 100 artist members in media ranging from paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, hand-pulled prints, hand made artist books, along with sculpture, ceramics, glass, and jewelry. Cash and Carry. Don’t miss this event to help support the arts in Providence!
Triangle Sky: sterling with aquamarine ringPurple Rain: sterling with amethyst ringEternity Wrap/Choker with amethyst beadsAbstraction: sterling silver ring with white topazWeaving Comb: bronze with sterling plateBudded branch with aquamarine in sterling Vase of Flowers oil on masonite
The thing about chaos, is that while it disturbs us, it too, forces our hearts to roar in a way we secretly find magnificent.
Christopher Poindexter
Diary entries
After the workshop at the Providence Art Club on Diving into Abstraction with Karen Rand-Anderson, I started a new sketchbook. These early entries were done while listening to podcasts and/or just letting the mind go. It may not be great art, but it is certainly a great meditation practice!
Daddy’s pencils
Hurricane
Forbidden fruit
Reading the natural mind
River running
Another sunset
Imprint
The Fine Art of Chaos
In an age of global instability, the threat of chaos looms. Chaos and Awe demonstrates the aptness and relevance of painting as a medium for expressing the uncertainty of our era.
Edited by Mark W. Scala Essays by Media Farzin, Simon Morley and Matthew Ritchie
I would be remiss if I didn’t include in this post the recent publication from MIT Press “Chaos and Awe”. This catalogue of the major exhibition at the Frist Center for the Visual arts in Nashville represents a dialogue that has haunted me as a visual artist. Is painting dead? How do I create amidst the chaos and alienation of this world? This opens the door to seeing the deep existential necessity of expanding our “perceptions of knowledge, intuition and spirituality”. I highly recommend reading and perusing the beautiful images in this book as it explores painting as a relevant means of expression and cathartic experience in extreme times.
Code and Chaos
I discovered another aspect of chaos and abstraction while learning code. So much that is beyond me draws me in just the same. I remember the first time I discovered generative art and thought how can I do that? The basics are as follows from medium on generative art:
Randomness is crucial for creating generative art. The art should be different each time you run the generation script, so randomness is usually a large part of that.
Algorithms — Implementing an algorithm visually can often generate awesome art, for example, the binary tree above.
Geometry — Most generative art incorporates shapes, and the math from high school geometry class can aid in some really cool effects.
SVG Animation
We are biologically trained to notice motion: evolutionarily speaking, our survival depends on it
Sarah Drasner
SVG Animations by Sarah Drasner
This book was the next step for me to dive deeper into the possibilities of abstraction and animation. Vector art saved as an SVG opened the doors to my first animated logo!
I continue to research the link between chaos and art as it influences my work. There are so many links to share on this topic here’s just a few:
“Sunset I” airbrush – not photoshop 🙂 on paper 1980’s
Abstract drawings to limber up for lost wax casting
charcoal and conte crayon on newsprint
graphite on newsprint
graphite on newsprint
bronze brooch created from an exercise where I made a model derived from another student’s drawing 1994
Renderings as a Jewelry Designer for Precious Metal Manufacturer
Earrings and Pendants in 18k gold with diamond pave painted in gouache on paper. 1999
Fabricated Metals and lost wax castings – 2000 to 2017
Sea Pendant
Sterling Silver Earrings with Fluorite Drop
Abstract Ring
Freelance – Spinner Ring
Bell pendant
dot dot dash
Sinewy
Pinkie Ring/Pendant
Snake Ring
Snake Ring 3/4 View
Diving into Abstraction again . . .
Karen Rand-Anderson “Diving into Abstraction Workshop” Demo
In 2017, I had the pleasure of taking a workshop at the Providence Art Club with painter Karen Rand-Anderson titled “Diving into Abstraction”. Eyes closed drawings were part of the direct response to the media and paper close at hand. It reminded me of the sketches I did a long time ago when learning model making. Seemed like a full circle back to this class and I was very grateful for the trip!
“FIRE” mixed media on paper One of the first exercises I did in Karen’s class.
Part two follows with more about the role of abstraction in fine art, design and technology where 3D software and animation is an essential tool as a graphic artist and chaos is happening with JavaScript!
“Metamorphosis has always been the greatest symbol of change for poets and artists. Imagine that you could be a caterpillar one moment and a butterfly the next.”
Louie Schwartzberg
Butterfly Box Top View
Bottom View
Freshwater Pearl Necklaces
Top View
Dragonfly Stretch Bracelet with Vintage beads
Bottom View
Turtle Love Set
“Try to be like the turtle – at ease in your own shell.”
Bill Copeland
Turtle Love Box
Sterling Silver and Aventurine Necklace sterling silver tag and glass teardrop beads
Back View of Box
Tiny Boxes
“A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.”
Dante Alighieri
Tiny World Top
Open Box
Tiny World Bottom
“Angelus Novas” hand painted box
Box constructions from canvas, hardware and acrylic paint. Jewelry styled to fit the theme.
“A woman is like a ghost without jewelry.” Indian Proverb
“The Little Pictures Show will take place throughout the Art Club’s three historic gallery spaces located on Providence’s charming College Hill steps from the First Baptist Church in America. Over 100 artists, all members of the Providence Art Club, will take part. Works on view will include paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, hand-pulled prints, hand made artist books, along with sculpture, ceramics, glass, and jewelry. All works are sized at 16” x 16” or less and priced at no more than $300. With such a breadth and diversity of styles and media present, there is truly something for everyone. “
Opening Reception on Sunday, November 11, 2018; gallery hours 12pm – 5pm. Support the arts in Providence!
Crescent Moon Sterling Silver
Distressed Dragonfly Cuff Sterling Silver with Brass Motif
It’s been two years since I finished the front end web development certification from freeCodeCamp, and recently took a look at what’s happening in the curriculum. There is so much more to access for free on this massive open online course (MOOC/muːk/). I was immediately hooked and started submitting my solutions to challenges in new updates in CSS (Flexbox, Grid, Web Design Projects) and Javascript (ES6, Debugging, Basic Data Structures, Functional Programing).
Back in my 2016 blog post for web development, I mentioned data visualization courses coming soon such as React and SASS which are now available along with React and Redux. There are certifications in Apis and Microservices, Information Security and Quality Assurance. Also, visit the news page which offers numerous tutorials from Intro to Game Development in Javascript to Maths for Programmers. AND IT’S ALL FREE!
There is so much more to say but for now checkout freecodecamp today while they are “launching the 2018 New Coder Survey - an anonymous survey of thousands of people who started coding less than 5 years ago. You can take the survey here”.
LLabrie 