These are my newest little artworks, perfect for showing your love of nature.
Whenever I step outside, there’s always some small piece of nature that catches my eye. Stepping out my front door, I have planted lots of succulents that just give me a warm fuzzy every time I see them. There are so many little things that we can find in nature that can provide that little thrill, and I’ve come to think of them as nature’s little love notes to us.
So how perfect that I’ve been able to capture some of those little natural gems in photographs and then pair them with a small heart shaped piece of wood? It started with wanting to send a few special little Valentines, and then if I’m going to make a couple, I might as well make more, right?
I’ve only made two dozen of these little hearts, some are already gone – and I’ll be sending a few as gifts myself – so there aren’t too many left, but if you message me I can email what is currently available so that you can give a little love note to someone special, or make it a gift for yourself! At only $25 each (plus tax & shipping as appropriate) they are sure to be gone fast.
Did you know that I have a YouTube channel? Years ago it started out as just something that I tried out, to see if I could shoot and post videos – I know, funny – and now it’s developed into something more.
My husband and I have a friend who has a YouTube channel that had kind of blown up (in a good way) and the idea of seeing if I could build my own channel was floating around in my mind. Then in Spring 2020, I needed to put together demo videos for my suddenly online classes, and I was so glad that I had already played a bit with creating videos. So necessity and dreaming came together and all of the videos I made for my classes, I also published on my YouTube channel.
At this point, my channel is still tiny and I need your help so that I can build it into an income stream – I need YOU to SUBSCRIBE to my channel! Before I can begin to monetize, I need one thousand subscribers, and each one of you counts. Here’s a video that shows you what you can expect as a subscriber.
When I post videos, I’m posting all different aspects of my life, including tutorials on photography and mixed media art, as well as flights in our small plane as we travel, hiking, visiting art museums and galleries, and all the aspects of my life as an artist.
If you’ve got something you’d like to see a video about, let me know, and maybe I’ll post it!
It has been nearly two weeks since my last update and the whirlwind continues.
On Tuesday I delivered a whole bunch of little houses to the Gallery at 48 Natoma in Folsom, then went home to edit rough drafts for the one paper my Elementary Photo students have to write in the course of the semester. When I went to class, I administered a midterm but didn’t do the planned demo because I couldn’t really speak.
I have felt like I’ve been fighting off some virus thing for weeks now and it has finally caught up with me. I will be at the reception Friday night, regardless, but I’m just trying to rest as much as possible until then.
And then there’s the smoke. If you’re not in the Sacramento area you may not know, but the huge fire in Northern California right now is about an hour and a half north of us and weather patterns being what they are, we have been living under a thick blanket of smoke for about a week now. This doesn’t help the respiratory virus that I’m dealing with and I’m not entirely sure what symptoms are from which thing at the moment. At any rate, the air quality is so poor that classes were canceled at Sierra College where I teach yesterday and today, which means I can’t work sick, like I had planned. (It’s just so late in the semester I couldn’t deprive my students of the lab time!) But my smoke challenges are nothing compared to all that some have suffered from the fires in California right now.
If you’re the praying sort, prayers for rain here would be much appreciated.
“Pollinating Dreams” is part of the “Home for the Holidays” show at the Gallery at 48 Natoma in Folsom, opening Friday Nov 16, 2018. (mixed media on wood 10″x11″ by Judith Monroe)
At the same time on the art front, I have been wonderfully overwhelmed by all the positive responses that I’ve been getting from folks when they see the photos of my new little house artworks! I had done some of these sculptural pieces several years ago but hadn’t pursued them much. About a year ago, I had randomly emailed the curator for the Gallery at 48 Natoma and she had instantly responded that my house works that she saw on my website would fit well into this show that she had titled “Home for the Holidays,” noting that it was really a home themed show at the holiday time of year. So I was given a reason to create new works in this vein, which I was happy to do.
“The End of the World” will be on exhibit at the Unitarian Univeralist Society of Sacramento beginning Friday Nov 23, 2018 (mixed media on wood 30″x30″ by Judith Monroe)
Because some of us apparently don’t know how to look at calendars when agreeing to do exhibits.
But it’s all good because they are completely different bodies of work and I’m one of those artists who couldn’t stop creating if my life depended on it. Really. Some of you know that my life actually depends on me continually creating, but that’s a post for another day.
My worktable is devolving into chaos and I am simultaneously frightened and exhilarated.
Sort of like my life.
I have been avoiding – consciously and unconsciously – writing and publishing updates. It requires a certain amount of effort to present a polished professional persona and I guess I just haven’t quite been up to the task for a while.
This morning my phone reminded me once again that I should publish an update and then, instead of ignoring it, I thought, “Yeah, okay, maybe I can do that, but different.”
I’m going to try to just post updates, not necessarily polished and professional, but honest and at least in touch with you all.
So here I am, fighting a cold, furiously creating under deadline and thinking I have no time to be sick. I’m leading a ten hour field trip tomorrow, including about six hours of hiking and photographing, so I’m hunkering down today, trying to rest and eating Zicams like candy, hoping I will have the energy to inspire students tomorrow. At least the weather looks like it should be pretty nice and not raining like it was last year.
I’m actually pretty excited about the show I’m working on. It’s one of two shows that I will have up at the same time because I’m not always good at looking at my own calendar and I just said, “Yeah, that would be great!” About a month ago, it hit me that the field trip class and both shows are all essentially happening at once and it just became do or die at that point. I wasn’t even sure I would get to go to one of my receptions until I got a sub for the final critique session for the field trip class. I’ve never been so tickled to be able to attend my own reception.
If you’d be tickled to be there, too, it’s at the Gallery at 48 Natoma in Folsom on Friday, November 16th, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
And now I have to get back to work, since I’m not done making art for that yet!
I got the nudge to write this some time ago but I have been putting it off. It’s one thing to say that I am going to plunge into the taboo zone and quite another to actually go there. But here I find myself, sitting at my computer and typing…
One subject that has come up lately is the subject of religious freedoms in America. It is a truly wonderful thing to be guaranteed the “free exercise” of our religion by the First Amendment but there is some debate on what exactly that means. I have always understood that each of our rights end when exercising them then infringes on the rights of others. It’s perfectly fine for me to have my faith but I cannot force you to abide by it as well. This is one of the most fundamental reasons that those first settlers came to find a new land and establish a new country.
At this point in time, there are many Christians who want to be able to deny business services to certain people because they say it violates their beliefs to do so. There are other Christians who don’t want to provide certain medical services to their employees, again, because it violates their beliefs. As a fellow Christian, I would beg to differ. As Christians, we are called to simply love God and love others, all others, regardless of whether they share our beliefs or practices. We ourselves have been given free will, the ability to choose whether or not to accept God and the Bible, so how is it that we would feel the need to deny this choice to others? I would argue that we all want to be granted the right to choose for ourselves how to live, and to discriminate against anyone in business would be anything but loving.
“Faith, Hope & Love” Photo transfers and mixed media on 24×16″ cradled wood panel by Judith Monroe. Currently available through Xanadu Gallery.
When Jesus walked on this earth, he hung out with the ones in society that the religious people of the day would not have been caught dead with, quite literally. The lowest of the low-lifes, the outcast and the downtrodden, those were the people that Jesus associated with. These folks were certainly not following God’s laws or living pure lives, yet never did he tell someone that serving them violated his beliefs, never did he try to control what choices they had or what they did. He just loved them and treated them with respect, and by doing so he gained their trust and was able to teach them about God.
Never did he force himself or his ways on anyone. When he did have harsh words and anger, it was actually for those who were following the rules and acting as if that made them somehow better than others. We are supposed to be emulators of Jesus’ life, so how can it be that we would try to control others or force them to abide by some rules we feel they have to follow? Why would we not serve them wherever they are with love and respect?
Jesus did not consider his rights to be more important than others, but instead he actually gave up his rights to help all of humanity, to sacrifice himself out of love, not because we followed the rules or because we deserved it. If we are to truly follow his lead, we should also be humbly and lovingly serving people, offering them whatever help we can, not because they are following some set of rules but because this is how we share the love of Christ.
Last time I wrote about how I know when a piece is done, probably not really giving an adequate answer for many people, but basically, I just know when I know. Which brings me to the piece I think I just finished. Mostly. I’m pretty sure, but maybe it will get a little more. I’ve actually got a couple brand new pieces on the tables right now, getting ready for painting live at church this next weekend, but I digress…
So now that the piece is mostly done, the next question is, “What does it mean?” Now this is not often a question I get when I have created a lovely landscape or a beautiful butterfly, but when I create more unusual imagery like dead things and nests with roots and snails with wings, people want to know what in the world is going on in my brain. Fair enough.
Most of the time I can give them an answer, too. But every once in a while I am also wondering what in the world just came out of my brain and why. You see, I have learned to create artwork in a sort of semi-conscious state, just sort of letting things flow and come together as opposed to planning and figuring everything out beforehand. Anyone who has spent much time with me can tell you that I often do not plan a lot of things. I like being spontaneous and really only make reservations for things like motel stays because I learned a long time ago that if you don’t, especially traveling on the Fourth of July holiday weekend with a dog, that you can drive really a long way before you find a place to stay, and then it may not be a place you ever want to stay in again. But again, I digress.
“Revelation” by Judith Monroe, photo transfers, ephemera, acrylic, wax pastel and dried pressed pine needles on cradled wood panel (42×42″) $2700
My artwork has a tendency to come together without too much conscious thought and then afterwards I have to ask myself what I was expressing out of the recesses of my brain, or what came flowing from the Spirit. And so it happened with this piece I have pretty much just finished. But I couldn’t quite put my finger on it this time, and I started asking other people what they thought it meant, because it obviously means something. I started with the people I live with, and the best I got was from my daughter who said it made her feel safe. That was pretty cool, partly because my daughter doesn’t think I’m insane, but because safety is a big deal for her.
So I decided to do what anyone in our digitally connected world would do and I went online to see what people would say. I posted the image and basic question on Facebook and Instagram and I got a lot of great feedback. The main topic of conversation was what the antlers on the house meant, and several people felt that the antlers were protection and some expressed a sense of comfort from that. One person pointed out that antlers often symbolize spiritual authority and regeneration and can be a reference to God. I dug around some more and sure enough, in traditional Christian symbology, a stag is a symbol of Christ.
When I first created the image and it had just the antlers on it, I had felt the antlers were like a crown and I had connected it in that way to God and Christ. This is the kind of thing that can happen, I find myself using an old symbol in a new but congruous way, which is why I trust in my subconscious method of art creation. I guess you could say that this is a picture of my house, since our Christian faith is an important part of our lives. Or you can make up your own story for it, I’m fine with that, too.
I’ve been so preoccupied this month with creating artwork, that I have forgotten to keep all of you updated on it! I’ve been working on a new Specimina set for the 20/20 Show at Kennedy Gallery in Sacramento. It’s been an exciting thing, coaxing these little gems into existence, and I’ve been documenting it along the way, so you can watch for a video of the entire process soon. You can see most of the bits and pieces of the process by viewing my videos on my Facebook page.
I’ve just finished the varnish, and all that’s left is putting on the hanging hardware, signing and then scanning them all. I’ll be delivering them all next week and then I hope to see you at the opening reception on Thursday May 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. This will be your chance to get first pick, so you won’t want to miss out on that night! There will also be a reception on Second Saturday May 13, from 3 to 10 p.m. that is always lots of fun. The Kennedy Gallery is located at 1931 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95811 Phone: 916.400.4272
In this series, I’ve focused more on the little things than I think I have in the past. I am continually collecting natural treasures: the remnants of a bird’s egg, a dead moth caught on the car grill but not too damaged, a cedar cone. Things that probably most people would walk past without a second glance, but that I am utterly fascinated with. I see these things as tiny messages, meant to be reminders of something much bigger, so I photograph them, store them, and incorporate them into works of art that pay homage to the item itself and to the bigger things they point to. I call this ongoing series of artworks “Specimina” or “Specimens of Faith.” Hidden in these works are layers of mixed media, including ephemera, photo transfers, color pencils and acrylics, a careful viewer may also find layers of meanings that speak to both our physical and spiritual worlds. May you enjoy the voyage of discovery as much as I do.
Several of the Specimina pieces in various stages of completion. (There are twenty-five in all.)
Okay, deadline met, artworks shipped. I’ve been healthy for a while again and I am grateful. I think it’s good to look around at what we take for granted and stop to thank God for those things. Yes, I know that it’s not Thanksgiving time and that the world seems to be in a bit of a mess, but there are still things to be thankful for. You all, for instance. Thanks for caring enough to read this. I sometimes take you all for granted but I really am grateful. I believe that art is not just about making stuff but about communication, which means I need an audience, which is you. So you are an integral part of my art-making and I appreciate you, especially when you purchase things and fund more art-making, but even when you just communicate back so I know that you’re actually there and interacting.
One of the things I’ve been photographing for upcoming work.
Since you’re there, I’d like to know what you think. What do you like about what I’m doing? What do you wish I did more of? What do you want to find out about when I write these updates? I really do love to get feedback and I really do want to have a conversation. What do you care about? Where do we connect, either physically or online or metaphysically? Truly, write me back, I want to hear from you.
After I finish a deadline, I usually need to take a little time to recuperate and re-set. After I got these last sets of artworks shipped off, I had another type of chore I had to attend to: prepping my tax stuff. Like most of you, this is not my favorite thing and it can be a few day’s worth of work, but I am proud to say that I got down to it, only procrastinated a little bit, and got it done. My tax guy (a.k.a. my husband) is happy with me, even though he wishes I had gotten to it about a month earlier. Ah well, he was well aware of my production deadline and forgives me.
And now I have another new project to work on. I was invited to submit work to an popular annual show here in Sacramento called the 20/20 Show, which will be on exhibit at the Kennedy Gallery during the month of May. Each artist has twenty 8×8″themed artworks on display, pieces fly off the wall in an art feeding frenzy and a good time is had by all. I am honored to have my Specimina series selected and now I am prepping to start on that new set of work. I actually need to produce twenty-five works so that the first few that sell can be replaced on the wall.
So here’s another chance to interact with me – tell me what you like best in my Specimina work, which can include my Butterflies, Memento Mori, Floral & Cabinet of Curiosities. I’m going to be creating new things but I’d like to know what you like, too. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
“Tete-a-Tete” will be part of the 20/20 Show in May.
First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who responded to my last update; I am overwhelmed by all of your love and support. Second of all, I just want to say that I am sick of being sick, three out of five weeks sucks and I think I’ve had quite enough of all that, thank you very much.
So after a season of slow production in the studio, I’m needing to crank it up a bit. Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale has been patiently waiting for new desert pieces and I have finally gotten that set of work finished, woo-hoo! Now I just need to photograph and ship them out, part of the not always glamorous life of an artist, right along with paying bills and working on taxes and prepping for classes. Sometimes it feels like there are not quite enough hours in a day, but I know I’m not alone in that.
Then last week I got a call from Lanning Gallery director Isabelle in Sedona, asking if I can’t get more pieces down there for next month when I’ll be one of their featured women artists? What can I say but okay? Now it’s time to really hustle and get this next set of pieces created and out in a couple weeks. I’m literally praying I can pull it off, and if you’re the praying type, I’d appreciate you putting a word in for me, too.
So this update is pretty brief, but I’ve got work to do. I’m sending all my art to Arizona right now, but I’m sending love to everyone today.
Artworks in two stages but all headed to Arizona soon.
