... Down to the count....

SOLD....Spartanburg SC

....Is it possible that there could be just a little too much counting going on? ...feels like a bit much over here... but it is all good... My kids are counting the days until they are done with school... and how many days until Christmas of course!!

....I, on the other hand, am counting the days until my kickstarter project, An Affair Of The Art, is over... January 2nd is the big day... And with a bit more luck and some kind hearted souls I will be dreaming..and again counting, the days ahead.

....Don't get me wrong... I am thrilled at the thought of taking a first ever class...and with a sought after artist, none the less- , I am really looking forward to and waiting for the newest mystery to unfold.... what will I learn... and what will unfold? I am excited to get back to the studio and put all of this generosity to good use!
...My feelings have given me a bit of a shock, I would have thought that I would be drooling at the thought of actual attendance at the class and gosh, getting to see tons of fabulous galleries and works! -Afterall, it isn't often...well, it hasn't happened at all...that I would get an opportunity to work and fill my head to the brim for 2 weeks straight uninterrupted of such things like...'mom, can you make me a sandwich... or where are my socks?'

...And then there is the money count...will I make it or not... about 16 days left... and I know folks are tied up this time of year with Christmas and all... not exactly the best time of year to be doing a fundraiser- things get a little tight!

...If you looked at my kickstarter project, the donated amount will currently read 1926$ ...and only 42% raised... just so you understand we are closer than that... Thankfully I can report that the amount left is roughly 700 dollars to raise. The difference is due to direct donations and commissions towards my project, via snail mail and such... Shhh...don't tell anyone but I am secretly hoping that Santa spreads some magic to help me finish it off

I know he can do it... we have been in touch to set a few more paintings on Santa's sleigh... 'Boisterous Blossom' (left) will drop off in Spartanburg South Carolina and 'Minding Her Own' (lower right) will continue on to Miami Florida...... (click on the images to view full screen)

...Thank you to the kind folks who have supported my project, purchased my work...

Posted by Artist Kayleen Horsma- see more of her work at Khorsma.blogspot.com.

SOLD....Miami Florida

Arts Guild Reflections

Feeling quite reflective lately. I have a recent personal blog entry reminiscing
what it was like to go back and see a favorite sculpture, on a college campus
that I hadn't seen in over 20 years. To say the least, it was moving. That
sculpture marked a time when I began seriously making art and appreciating
it, a time in my life that helped steer my path. A lot has happened since I stood
in front of that sculpture in 1989. (For the full blog entry, use link below.)
http://tbesonen.blogspot.com/2011/09/vision-that-was-planted-in-1989.html

“The Arvegods” (1979) by Ray Jacobson, represents a pair of early Norwegian pioneers.

Concordia College, Moorhead campus.

I am also looking back to two short years ago, when the Menahga Arts

Guild was forming, and I was meeting some of the other artists in our
community for the first time. I had my doubts that I could steer the ship
as the president, but I learned that teamwork keeps an organization
like this going. As artists we work well alone, but we have proven that
we can accomplish a lot when combining our talents and strengths.
And currently, I believe we are on the tip of realizing just how much
more we can accomplish individually with encouragement from each
other!

Two years of MAG, in estimated numbers:
$7100--how much we have received in grant funds from
             The 5 Wings Arts Council
91--how many students attended our Youth Arts Camp
       over two summers 
30--local artists who have somehow benefited from the MAG
$2500--how much our April Scholarship fundraiser earned in 2011
250--how many people were served yummy bbq ribs during our
         April 2011 fundraiser
100--how many silent auction items were donated for our fundraiser
4--how many arts guild members recently applied for individual artist
     grants
15--how many gallery exhibits arts guild members have been in over
       the last two years
25--how many art & craft festivals/sales members have participated
       in over two years
350--how many people walk through our Mid-Summer craft festival
         each summer
25--how many craft vendors had booths at our 2011 craft festival
$1000--the amount of our MAG Art Scholarship, for a graduating
             Menahga High School senior going into an art-related field in
             college, will be announced in April 2012
70--artworks by youth art camp participants on display at the Cottage
       House Cafe during August 2011

July 2011 youth art camp paintings drying

July 2011 youth art camp handmade paper/paint quilts

July 2011 youth art camp, watercolor still life painting

Intuitive Ewe




February Ewe 1, 2011. Ink on a 1921 encyclopedia page.
(Click on image to see words and details.)

 Artist blog entry from Menahga Arts Guild member, T. Besonen.
http://tbesonen.blogspot.com/

Recently, I have been working more intuitively with images, words,
and materials to create narratives that seem to delve into the
subconscious. Creating these personal metaphors is a therapeutic
process of soothing my own anxieties, and discovering how we are
all connected to each other, as well as connected to nature and to
the past.

Also, I have been researching the Art Nouveau movement of the
early 1900s in art and design history. I am fascinated with how this
time period was such an important transition into the modern art era,
and I see parallels between the industrialization of the early 1900s
and the digitalization of today.

Drawing on the surface of 1920s encyclopedia pages with black
ink, I am enjoying the process of responding to the surface texture
and words as sheep images and natural, art-nouveau-inspired
motifs overlap.

I grew up on a sheep farm in North-Central Minnesota. At age
eleven, I became awe-inspired by nursing half-frozen lambs back
to life, and experienced mothering instincts for the first time.
Experiences with mothering my own two daughters today, the
oldest nearly eleven, may be why sheep images are surfacing in
my work recently.



February Ewe 2, 2011. Ink on a 1921 encyclopedia page.
(Click on image to see words and details.)







...A visit to Kayleen Horsma's studio...

WARNING: ENTERING MY STUDIO 

...Thought I would take you along to see a bit of my studio...
While I was loading up these pictures I was reminded of how nice it is to have my OWN space. I know. I worked at the table for many years... or maybe we were just eating on my easel?

...I remember when I was a tad bit younger liking space.... seems that I have always had a bit of an issue with that sort of thing, come to think of it. This may come as a bit of a shock to you, but I SOOO badly wanted to have my own bathroom...

...At least one of my sisters liked space too.. though she didn't really appreciate that I liked her space... especially when we set up our play house in her closet. It was a perfect size.. had our own window, kitchen, and all.. no bathroom, but that didn't really matter.

...and there is one more story that is kind of humorous now that I am reminded of space. I was sponsored by the local Coop as a midsummer queen candidate. We were given a list of questions to prepare to answer on stage. One of the questions was, 'What are the pros and cons of being from a large family?' ... WAAAY too obvious... I would never be asked that one. Right. So I walk the walk, and wait prepared for the big question. Right? .... Well, what is a person supposed to do, but be honest and give a very queenly styled answer...'The cons are that If you live in a small home there might not be enough room, and the pros are that if you do, you learn to cooperate quickly.'
The audience was a bit more entertained than I had intended.

Needless to say, I am thankful to have some space.

I think my kids are too. Although, Owen, my 7 year old- just today asked about the meetings that I go to... 'Why do you have so many meetings? Do you go have a meeting with yourself, huh?' (I had met with a reporter and his wife from the Finish American Reporter this morning at the studio.)

I can be reached by cell at 218-639-2251 for one of those meetings that I have with myself :)
....right off of HWY 71 in Menahga, MN

(** paintings on the easels are in progress)

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ZOOM

Article by Kayleen, a copy from her blog at  http://khorsma.blogspot.com/

The Dreaded Artist Statement!

I have come to realize that writing an artist statement during 
a time of transition in my work can be a tense, messy process, 
but this time it was well worth the effort. Writing this artist 
statement (below) really helped gain understanding of where 
my work has been. The two pieces mentioned below will be in 
an upcoming exhibit at the Cyrus Running Gallery at Concordia 
College, Moorhead, Minnesota in September 2011.

    More                                                  More detail

Artist Statement
As a mixed-medium artist, I work both two and three-dimensionally; my sculptures and paintings seem to fuel one another. My recent paintings and sculptures are examining how we all are connected to each other, as well as needing a connection to nature. For the last seven years, I have been working with sewing pattern paper as my primary material, inventing processes to use the material without losing its delicate and translucent qualities. I enjoy sewing pattern paper’s natural color, graphic markings, and associations with traditional women’s work and craft.

The painting More began as an ode to light, as the womb-like pear form was painted to allow light and color through the translucent paper. As it continued, I chose to repeat the block-printed word “more” and it quickly became a statement or challenge. Are we all sheep? Or can we resist the demand upon us to have and do more, and more fully appreciate the natural abundance all around us?

Once I began suspending my strings of pear-forms, I was brought back to my first fascinations with the balance and movement of Alexander Calder’s mobiles. In Pear Helix, the empty space becomes just as important as the forms themselves. To me, the small, connected forms are an intertwined family.

 

Pear Helix                          Pear Helix detail  

My Affordable Art Fair Experience.... NYC 2011 (by Kayleen Horsma)

Affordable Art Fair ...NYC...2011 and my OOBE

Tried, I really did ;) , to have an OOBE (out of body experience). I was hoping that I could just hop over to the AAF in New York, NY... right over by the Empire St. Bldng...., yah, didn't get too far with that... I get to have my preview party right here... Thanks to technology!

Thought I would share a bit of what my laptop is doing for me, and how I am making the most of it here with out packing any bags or wondering what I should wear....

I have enjoyed 'meeting' a few of the great artists that also work with Ugallery... each of them deserving and worth taking a look!

Rebecca Rousseau (North Carolina) and I chatted a bit on Facebook on the opening night, fun lady! She sold 3 paintings on the preview night!

Duane Romanell and his wife Christine Soccio (New Jersey) attended the preview night and kindly sent me some photos of the opening. That was so thoughtful of them... I was feeling so bummed about not going!

Duane left the nicest comment for me on my Ugallery blog...
"Kayleen - Just wanted to comment on how beautiful your work looks up close and in person. I stopped by the AAF show in Manhattan last night with my wife (and fellow UGallery artist) Christine Soccio to check out the booth, and so your work hanging there. Very stunning, very bright and colorful, and very well done. Completely impressed with your art. I wish you much good success with all of it."

It almost feels like I am at the fair... well, not really.... I think it would be so great if I could have my spirit travel to great museums and places I have never been! Bringing home trinkets wouldn't be so easy, but I am not so sure that one would need them if a person could visit them when we have the whim.

***click on the images to expand*****

To see more photos and get a better feel for the AAF... click here ...
To see or purchase the art work at Ugallery's booth at the AAF....click here ...



For the second season, AAF NYC also will offer Free Admission for all visitors on Thursday, May 5 from 6:00-8:00PM, making art accessible for all. In celebration of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 8, Moms accompanied by a child will be welcomed to AAF with free admission and a special Mother’s Day gift bag. As always, all children under 12 can attend the fair no admission charge during all public hours.
General Admission: May 5th – 8th, 2011
Thursday, May 5: 11:00AM-8:00 PM
6:00 – 8:00 PM Free Admission
Friday, May 6th: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, May 7th: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 8th: 11:00 AM-5:00 PM Mother’s Day: Mothers attending the fair with a child will receive free admission and a AAF Mother’s Day gift bag (while supplies last).
Tickets: General admission tickets $20
Students and Seniors: $15
Group discounts (10+): $10
Children under 12: FREE during public fair hours
Happy Mother’s Day: Sunday, May 8: Mothers attending the fair with a child will receive free admission and a AAF Mother’s Day gift bag (while supplies last).
To purchase tickets, please visit www.aafnyc.com.


Copied from Kayleen Horsma's blog.... which can be found here .

Menahga Arts Guild sponsors Fundraiser!

The Menahga Arts Guild members and supporters are proud and honored to host the very first Scholarship Fundraiser BBQ Rib Dinner and Auctions on April 1, 2011 at the Menahga VFW in Menahga, MN.  One of the original ideas of the group when it first started, the idea of a scholarship was a way to help students with expenses during college and offer support through the guild.  A small committee started to organize the event nearly six months ago with the plans to raise money to offer a scholarship to local students going into arts and arts related fields.  At this time, the application is still being finalized, but will be posted here as well.

The silent auction and dollar auction items (seen by clicking the link below) have been generously dontated by area businesses and individual who believe in our cause.  We can't thank them enough and have been overwhelmed with their willingness to help out in tough times. 

Check out the items (many are not here or listed) and hope to see you at the fundraiser!  Bring your dollar bills for the auction too!

  • Slide Show of Auction Items!

Turning Point: Artist Commentary by Matthew John

(Click on the link below to read the entire entry.)
Turning Point: Turning Point: "As an artist when does one reach a turning point? what are turning points? & are they necessary? As an artist I feel we have many, as w..."

UGALLERY - an opportunity for artists and art lovers

I am pleased to share with you my experience and learned knowledge of Ugallery.  Beginning in late October of 2010 I started working with Ugallery, which has so far resulted in the sale of 6 my paintings, and most recently chosen to be one of their exhibiting artists at the prestigious Affordable Art Fair in New York, held May 5th thru the 8th.  

Galleries exhibiting at The Affordable Art Fair show are from Canada, Australia, London, Spain, UK, England, Argentina, Vietnam, Netherlands, Paris, as well as various states here in the US....
The Affordable Art Fair also gathers in other locations such as Amsterdam, Bristol, Brussels, London, Melbourne, Milan, Paris, Singapore, and Sydney.


What is Ugallery?
 
 Ugallery represents today's top emerging artists - tomorrow's art world. An expert panel of curators selects each artist, giving the gallery a diverse and sought-after collection of media, styles, and perspectives, both online and with show attendance.   Try any artwork from their collection in your home for seven days with free return shipping .   Art lovers can even try an artwork on a virtual wall  and even change up color Go to Ugallery to get an idea of what a selected piece would look like in your home.

      "Chosen To Love"
       24 inch gallery wrap
       oil on canvas, sold
                                      

 above... "Somewhere" 12 inch oil on
         gallery wrap canvas, sold





 to right..  "Sideglance" 6 inch oil on
Belgian linen panel, sold




below.. "Bonnie In Blue"
3 and 3/4" x 5 and 1/2 oil painting on
panel , sold

 Why am I excited? There has to be a gaggle of online galleries, right?  How many can you name that don't charge you a listing fee? That handle the sale?  Pay for shipping ..You just have to ship your painting with in 48 hrs. If you live near a UPS center that does packaging- just drop your painting off and let them pack it for you! 2 weeks later Ugallery will send you your check at 50% less commission.  Ugallery is based both in NY, NY,  as well is in the artsy district of San Fransisco, CA.   Along with all of  that, everyone at Ugallery  is really very friendly and easy to work with.

Ugallery in the news.......  From magazines to newspapers, and even decorating the set of the movie It's Complicated, starring Meryl Streep. Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin, and the new Hotel Palomar Philadelphia uses Ugallery artwork to furnish its lobby. Ugallery has plenty of press and the link provided does quite prove it!  and a timeline link along with team member information.

How complicated is it?

If I can do it... You can do it!  Just follow this link  and you will see the usual browser button to load up 10 of your images... their panel will do a review and accept or decline.  It is important to remember when applying to galleries not to get discouraged if you are declined.  Galleries do know their 'nitch' and what would work well for them, if you look at the bright side of it- consider them to be doing you a favor by letting you know that your selection isn't working for them.  You are left with a few choices if you really want to work with a gallery. Follow your love and find the gallery that they work for, or follow your love and strengthen your work where it needs to be stronger.




" Not On The Lips" # 3   Oil on gallery wrap      canvas, sold




**.... just wanted to make a little update- and say how much I also appreciate Art Lovers and Supporters!!!... I sold 2 more paintings just today, ...bringing up my total now to 8.   I would encourage any artist who is looking for an outlet to sell their works to give Ugallery a try! **

For those  who would like to see more of my work ......
view my portfolio on Ugallery, or browse my
blog, Painting Color Within.

Article posted by Artist Kayleen Horsma, Menahga MN

Where do you get your ideas?

As artists, I think this question comes up every time someone looks at our art.  They try to analyze and understand it;  sometimes with success and sometimes leaving us quite bewildered. 

As an artist, I do the same thing when looking at another artist's work.  Often it's very clear as seen in a portrait or in a landscape.  Simply put, they are expressing their vision of something they found worthy to preserve on canvas or paper.

Abstract art or some of the non-objective work is not quite as easy.  Often in an abstract work you can almost pick out a part of an object or something familiar to us, although it's generally pulled apart or distorted in some manner that our brains can not quite assemble it in a manner it's accustomed to doing.

Somedays, that's exactly how I feel my artist brain works – abstractly.  I have so many ideas and thoughts when I first start a project, it's hard to filter out and edit what I really want to express.  Sometimes – it just happens.  Sometimes – it's a painstaking process, but most of the time, it's a bit in between the two.  I'll have a concrete idea, but then let the brain send messages to the hand and then just see what happens.

The current print I am working on is a prime example of that.  The print will be an edition of 13, for a postcard print exchange with a theme of "Light after Dark."  Not an easy theme to express without doing the obvious, but after a bit of thought, I decided to do a version of what's known as a black line print using some of my own re-occurring themes that fit the bill.

To begin with, a black line print works slightly differently than a regular relief print, taking advantage of the fact a lighter ink really can be printed on top of a darker ink (Light after Dark).  This goes against the traditional format of color block printing which starts with lighter colors and building up with darker colors on the successive layers.

For my image, I chose to use the egg, an often used symbol in my work related to new life I thought it would be a wonderful use of the theme as well, since life begins after the egg is opened and light finally hits the newly emerged being after being in the dark.   Additionally,  I used another thematic symbol in my work – sunflowers.  For me, there is no significant deep meaning, other than I love how they follow the sun (light) and it's the only thing I can seem to grow in the inconsistent Minnesota summer.  However, one source says that "the way they move their massive heads to meet the sun make them a flower of spiritual attainment, flexibility, and opportunity. They are also symbolic of good luck, wealth and ambition." Using the seed, a seedling emerging from the ground and a snippet of the full grown sunflower,  again addressed the theme.

I haven't fully decided how the prints will be finished up.  I'm considering both an addition of gold leaf and / or beeswax.  The beeswax would be a nice way to seal the prints as they will be traveling via the U.S. Postal Service.  Each one must be arrive with the post mark to the University of Jacksonville in Alabama.  But that part of my decision making will be determined after a bit of experimentation. 

I don't always work from themes, sometimes, I just get inspired by something someone says, or am influenced by what's happening around me.  Sometimes it's my life experiences and sometimes from dreams I have.  I would like to pursue more of that, but I've only been successful with one work of art from a dream.  It was a powerful dream and extremely vivid with the color red. 

I like the looseness of never being trapped into a particular genre or style of art.  For me the exploration of ideas and media is part of a great journey, although I highly admire artists who have mastered the media they work with.


Feel free to comment about your process or about anything you see here.

Contributing Member of the MAG Blog – Dawn Rossbach

I've included some photos here so you can see part of the process of hand pulled relief prints.

A carving block and two Japanese cutters.

Transferring the image to the block.

Mixing oil based relief ink.

Rolling ink out with a brayer to a fine consistency. 

Rolling the ink onto the block.

Detailed image of print.

Multiple prints that are in the second stage of the print cycle.

Multiple prints.

Sources cited:
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/flowers-and-meanings.html

Artist commentary: Where do you go?

Where do you go to see art and meet artists?
The members of the Menahga Arts Guild are working toward making
that location closer to home. My answer four years ago would have been
New York City. In 2007, I had my first New York City solo exhibit at
the SOHO20 Gallery. It was exciting, exhausting, and in the end,
empowering. New York is a great place to see art, talk art, and meet
other artists; I pined for New York for an entire year after that.

.

 Tiffany Besonen's Curved Pine Installation, 2008

(Mixed-media Installation: Sewing patterns,

beeswax, wire, Minnesota winter woods)

http://tbesonen.blogspot.com/2008/02/site-2-semicircle-tree.html

A year after the NYC show, I pulled the same sculptures out of their plastic boxes,
dragged them into the winter woods on our land, and created outdoor installations
with the connected pear forms. They seemed more at home there, and were so
close for me to revisit! Next, I proceeded to document the changes of the seasons
for a year on the blog. In 2009 I wrote, "What I know now is that I was responding 
to the constant demand upon us all to do and have more without appreciating 
the abundance multiplying around us."

Today, I am more content in the local and excited about the possibilities
for the Menahga Arts Guild. Of course, it is healthy to change perspective by
occasionally traveling or showing work elsewhere, but there is something so
empowering and nourishing about discovering, appreciating, and encouraging
the arts locally.

T. Besonen is one of the Menahga Arts Guild's founding members, has taught art 
in rural Minnesota public schools for 17 years, and has shown her art throughout 
the Midwest and in New York City.