And The Stars Still Scream For You (updated)

This is my submission for the Artist Trading Card Challenge at Be A Voice Arts, that I will be sending this week in the mail. This will be part of a larger project regarding the subject of domestic violence. And there is no actual trading going on, it just refers to the size of the card, which is a 2.5 by 3.5 inch piece. I still need to write a little bit about my DV 'story', and then it's entirely gone from me...





Instead of putting my name on the back, I decided to write, "In Memoriam: Carolyn H. Goetsch", for my mother. Making this tiny, little, piece got me really choked up, I cried, in fact...a few times. The words evoke such meaning for me, and it's yet another example of those "silent screams". Therefor, I feel compelled to use a variation of the words again, very soon. They re-effected me way too much not to do so.

ETA: What I wrote for the ATC
My personal story:

And the stars still scream for her...

Carolyn was an intelligent, creative and extremely compassionate person, in life. She continues to hold a beautiful soul, even in death. Carolyn was my mother, and the guiding force behind my art and my life, now and then. I was so proud to be hers, and am still proud that she was mine, however briefly.

(Carolyn H. Goetsch was murdered in 1989, by her son. He is currently serving a life
sentence for first degree intentional homicide, and reckless endangerment. A ‘life sentence’ in Wisconsin is 25 years.)

-Shana R. Goetsch


Yesterday, I also signed up for the International Domestic Violence Memorial's first mural mosaic project. I think it will be an awesome thing to be a part of. Either way, Wisconsin now represents y'all!

AND I finished uploading more of my 365. series onto flickr. I now have paintings through two-hundred, ninety-nine up, right now. For something a little different, these two, successive, circles are the front and back of one piece...

365.two-hundred, ninety-four

365.two-hundred, ninety-five

I'm coming into the home stretch with these circles. I'll be FINISHED ON THE 14th of JANUARY, 2010. Happy New Year, and watch out for my Big Book of Circles, coming soon!

Tootin'

(my own horn)
On the 'eve' of the new year, I would just like to celebrate the fact that I have appeared in 11 exhibitions over the past 12 months. One out of state (Virginia) and one out of the country (Canada). I'd say that I'm firmly on my way...to somewhere...*airkick*. Now, when I get into grad school, I'll be all set.

There are also many new-to-you paintings and photos on flickr , right now.

Cheers!

Art Fun

My name was mentioned (and spelled correctly) in Shepherd Express, 'Boris and Doris, On The Town'. It's the little victories...

And please check out the Art That Circles The Earth blog for new updates.

Extended

I'm pleased to announce that this exhibition has been extended to include three more receptions!



The Terry McCormick Gallery will also be open on Gallery Day in Milwaukee:
Saturday, January 16, 2010
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

End. This.

A good start, but many miles to go...
Uganda Bans Female Genital Mutilation

This information is courtesy of The Vagina Warrior. She also has a lot of extra information and facts pertaining to this terrible practice on her blog. (In fact, just click on her link, in general, and open your eyes. That would make me happy.)

AND here is a link to my piece on the subject of FGM, from 2008, The (Womb) Wound Must Be Honored on Break the Silence Project.

Update! (Spill)

Ah ha, so I was rooting around for images of that show that I was maybe going to be in, but wouldn't tell you until I had confirmation...I now have confirmation. I was in the exhibition, Going Postal at the Torpedo Factory's, 'Target Gallery' this past weekend. The show was up during their winter open house, so that's good. Anyway, The Torpedo Factory Art Center is located Alexandria, Virginia. So, that means I finally made it across to one of the coasts!

And, I can direct you to the photo where you can barely make my postcards out, but they were officially there! (you can vaguely see them in the middle/right of the photo, and in the middle of the line)

Even slight validation, is such a cool thing.

Terry McCormick Gallery Opening

It was a super good time, awesome art everywhere I looked, good conversations, and food. AND people even took copies of my artist statement with them. What the...where am I? (Cuz it must be NIRVANA!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artinshanaty/sets/72157621713840881/show/

(it's at the beginning portion of this slide show/set)

There is also an update on my "Art That Circles The Earth", traveling mandala project. First round in the first cycle of art making...

http://artthatcirclestheearth.blogspot.com/2009/12/given-and-received.html

Twas a good darn day, yesterday.

Showing...

These are some of the pieces that I will show at the Opening Exhibition of the Terry McCormick Gallery. I also received a request from Evelyn to show some of my Deer Hart (Dear Heart), series at the gallery as well. Those, I have not decided on yet, so I will show you what I am bringing in the line of abstractions. Stay tuned tomorrow night for photos of the exhibit!

Sugar I

Sugar II

Sugar III

Sugar IV

Ball of String Theory I

Ball of String Theory II

Ball of String Theory III

Ball of String Theory IV

Artist Statement

This is my artist statement (more or less) that will be going up on Saturday, with my work, for the Terry McCormick Gallery Opening.


I was very young when I began my love of the arts, starting with dance and stage. After witnessing the murder of my mother when I was fourteen, I began to see painting as a means to heal emotionally and communicate with the world. Viewing art as a key vehicle for change and empowerment in myself and others, I use words and phrases to inject a sense of history and meaning into each piece. Collective experiences, stories, and memories inform everything that I do visually.

My work revolves around the subjects of love, loss, memory, self image, and domestic violence. In it, I utilize the physicality that the medium allows, and the subject matter dictates. My intention is to push the boundaries of how art can be used as a narrative for the messier aspects of life. By physically carving my marks into the paper, I can allude to a tattoo or a mar that has been embedded into the skin. It is a visual metaphor for a scarred experience, or something that one cannot easily be rid of. The inclusion of found objects and collage elements in my pieces represents an everyday experience, and that art can be seen in anything, or anyone, even the discarded.

The use of language as a visual element, as well as a literary device, is very important in my work. Much of the text is taken from pop culture references such as song lyrics, poetry, and found papers. I use the language of word and image to recreate and communicate an experience to the larger community. In my work, I want to provoke a thought process in others. I strive to create a dialogue and a resonating, shared, experience with my audience. The intention is to create a seamless partnership between paint, word, image and object, in order to produce a collection of thematically linked pieces. I see myself continuously seeking to extend the meanings of language and visual communication.

365.series

365.two-hundred, fifty-one

So, I have approximately forty, new-to-you, circle paintings up. 'Where?', you ask? Well, rather than uploading them to two places, I put them directly on flickr. Handily, I have provided this link for you: the slideshow of two-hundred, through two-hundred, sixty seven.

Also, here is the painting that I recently sold. Mailing it tomorrow! See ya, Orange Figure, Leaning...

(all images copyright protected, Shana R. Goetsch)

An Invitation to a NEW Gallery

I'm in this show. This Saturday!

You are invited to the opening of the Terry McCormick Gallery. A reception will be held December 5, 2009, from 12 to 5 pm. Terry McCormick Gallery is located at 2522 North 18th Street, Milwaukee, WI.

Evelyn Patricia Terry, artist, writer, lecturer and curator, started the Terry McCormick Gallery in honor of her friendship with George Ray McCormick Sr., who made his transition in July of this year. Terry successfully organized and facilitated diverse venues for collectors to acquire several pieces of McCormick’s sculpture, carvings and drawings during the past several months, but there are wonderful pieces remaining to be placed.

Terry McCormick Gallery features both folk and fine art. The gallery plans to have at least two openings a year, and will be available by appointment to private groups and patrons at other times. You may call 414.264.6766 or email terryevelyn@hotmail.com with questions or to schedule a time to visit.

McCormick’s artwork includes mixed media sculptures (only a few of his welded bugs remain), carvings, pencil, and pen and ink drawings. Other featured artists are Shana R. Goetsch, exhibiting abstract water color paintings on paper; Ras ’Ammar Nsoroma, exhibiting paintings and creating on the spot ½ hour portraits; and Evelyn Patricia Terry, exhibiting her own art works including collages, drawings, mixed media monoprints, found object brooches, and images from her newest work-in-progress, the “Play the Race Card” series.

more information is available here.

Pretty Link

I recently made it into the PortalWisconsin.org juried online gallery! I'm very proud.

(from their website:) portalwisconsin.org is a nonprofit web site created by the partners of the Cultural Coalition of Wisconsin to support the state's culture, arts, humanities and history.

Partners of portalwisconsin.org include:
Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters
Wisconsin Arts Board
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Humanities Council
Wisconsin Library Association
Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin Public Television
University of Wisconsin-Extension--Continuing Education, Outreach & E-Learning

Witness, Listen

I just received this wonderful email...I'll share it because I think that StoryCorps is one of the finest organizations/ideas out there. Conversations, listening, witnessing, sharing. Good stuff, y'all. I'm on it StoryCorps, I'm ON IT. *runs out*

Dear Shana,

Thanks for helping us spread the word about StoryCorp's first National Day of Listening last year. The second annual National Day of Listening – celebrated on Friday, November 27, 2009 – is just around the corner! With your help, we hope to make the National Day of Listening an ongoing holiday tradition, when all Americans set aside time on the day after Thanksgiving to honor a friend, loved one, or member of their community by interviewing them about their lives and preserving that interview for generations to come.

We’d like to ask you to take part in this year’s National Day of Listening by conducting an interview with someone you know and blogging about the experience. Here are some tips:

1. Let your fingers do the talking! Include details about why the National Day of Listening is meaningful for you and how you plan to participate.
2. StoryCorps' Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide has all the information you need to get started.
3. Pledge to participate! Tell us how you plan to get involved, and read about all the other ways people throughout the country are participating.

Thanks again for being a part of this exciting new tradition.

Happy Holidays!

The National Day of Listening Team

A Brand New Day

And a brand new blog! I have started a new blog to document an ongoing process of collaborative mandala-making. It has just started, because the partnerships themselves, have just started. Look for moremoreMORE in the coming weeks. Here's your LINK. Circle the Earth.

Spirit Animal

Hm. There are quite a few new things going on lately. First, I am starting a collaboration piece with a (primarily) collage artist from Virginia. I am interested to see how this will work, since I've never actually met him in person. It could be a dream, or it could be a nightmare. We've decided that we'll get two turns each on two separate mixed media paintings, approximately 18" x 24". We're exploring mandala themes/imagery in this work. The joy of this project will be in the surprise, plus I'll be routinely receiving mail. I also managed two other artists in the meantime, for this traveling project.

Also, I am starting a new deer painting/print (first of this season). It's going to be a self-as-deer portrait. As always, these Deer Hart (Dear Heart) pieces are about love, loss, loneliness and heartbreak. They are also heavily laden with mythical, spiritual, and metaphorical references (the heart, the blood, the hunt). I've been systematically hitting every facet of 'love' that I can think of...including the unhealthy kinds. So, some pieces in this suite have inevitably referenced the subject of domestic violence.

This self-portrait, I'm just starting so I can't really tell you where it will lead. I'm leaning towards it being about self-loathing/versus self-love. We'll see what I get. This is my beginning imagery source, the photo I had taken for my birthday this past year. I think you can see where I'm going with it already...





Speaking of deer, two of my pieces are up right now on JSonline Art City blog. They are featured in an ongoing series about the use of deer imagery in contemporary art. The series was conceived by guest blogger Lonnie Turner, and is entitled Deer Hunting. Check it out, it's just getting started!

Spill

Here are some random submissions for an upcoming show....somewhere I can't mention, so as not to jinx things. *knocks on wood* I'll let you know when I know. It's a whole new operating system for me. I will play the world's little game for a bit, and keep my "giddy" at a minimum. These are 4" x 6", water based mixed media paintings on paper.

Spill I

Spill II

Spill III

Did I Mention...

I designed this lil album cover?



Mr. Eccentric Band Guy needs to remain anonymous, but if you see this anywhere in your travels...just know, it's Shana-made.

You Come

You Come To Bury Me

(image copyright protected, Shana R. Goetsch)

More Watercolor Circles

These are two larger watercolor circles I did awhile back, just had to wait to get photos of them. These are made on 400 lb. paper, which is a lot sturdier than I am used to. However, I used to be used to heavier paper...I found this extra bit while I was organizing.

Got Paid for Work

That's right, I finally got paid for doing some creative work. I am doing some graphic design/brochure work for a friend. She rules. Anyway, here's my down payment! It's really nice to finally be valued.

Light Painting

meh.
These look way better in person because they're too large to scan. Very light watercolors...they're kind of sorrowful, aren't they?

Making a Splash

Page five baby! Check it out.

http://issuu.com/platform58/docs/platform58_issue012/2

How can one go wrong with the Maid of Mer?

Barely There

Barely there, yet she encompasses every line, every movement, and every thing.
For she is the center from which all things come.
She is not without a face, she is in every face.

Barely There elbow-orange

Barely There elbow-pink

Barely There inside elbow-pink

Barely There knee-orange

Barely There knees-tan

Barely There knees-yellow

Barely There shoulder-grey

Barely There thigh-tan

Barely There thighs-maroon

Barely There thighs-pink

These are some brand new nudes. I tried something different, wherein I simplified. The economy of movement with watercolor. These ten are the whole series, Barely There, which were painted two days ago. thigh-tan is interesting because it is the smallest, and so I made it the closest cropped shot of the bunch. I think this one is interesting because it illustrates that these lines can be anything, a hillside, horizon, and yes, even a body part. They are one in the same, land and body.

So yes, she's 'barely there', in terms of color and line, but her body also spans the whole breadth of these images. In essence, these paintings show that 'she' is in fact, the whole of the world; her body, the continents. She may seem diminished in some ways, but she is still portrayed here as 'everything'. It's a good metaphor for women in society today, I think (but maybe I'll have to check with vag to be sure).

Mighty is Her reach...

Make That Four...

I just now, was made aware that I have participated in an international group exhibition in BC, Canada! How's that for exciting...I've shown internationally! The Postcard Readings exhibit opened this month in one location and will be up for the rest of the month in another gallery in Trail, BC. WHOOP! 4 shows, one month, and it ain't even done yet.

just to remind you...this is what is currently showing in Canada.

(I'm still painting, don't worry...just behind on the 'showing' aspect of this little show and tell. I'm about to make some collages up in here, in fact. And I'm applying for another free show that looks promising....gotta be there by the 31st though. I just love juried exhibits with no entry fee. LOVE.)

Official Tally: ArtWalk-2 exhibits total, one solo exhibit + Guildess-group exhibit + Postcard Readings-international group exhibit = Shana's October EPIC WIN

The Show

Since I was at the Jazz Gallery with John (RAA pres) getting it set up, and no one but Elmo came in (twice)...I made a deal with John, we left a note on the door, he went with me to the Bittersweet show, and then I went with him and got drinks. He drove, he paid...but I did buy him an ice cream cone at McDonalds. All around, not too bad of a night, but I definitely need more 'unmarrieds' to hang with.

Here's John thoughtfully posing for me, in front of my piece....

a random shot of people milling around...

scary Hide House building shot...

I'm going there again today, maybe I'll get a few more photos.

Studio One

What have I been doing lately? Well, I have been painting some larger circles in watercolor, on a different kind of thinner paper. I liked, and disliked that it was easier for me to tear. (said paintings are on a pile towards the back of this photo)

Almost ready for grad school applications. It's a humdinger this year...5 schools total. I'm getting all of my ducks (pieces) in a row. Pray for me people, PRAY.

And tonight I bring the piece in for the Guildess show, Bittersweet. Love-knot will be up next week for Gallery Night and Day! It's half of my duo, based on Alfred Noyes' epic poem The Highwayman. Poor lil Bess, this was her piece.

I also have a few other submissions in the works (as usual). It's just a waiting game now, and again.

Wish me luck in all of my upcoming artistic endeavors! (and cross some fingers, please)

ArtWalk 2009 Continued...

Here's my 'pick of pics', but please check out the video in the previous post.

It all started at church...

My photo display in photo form...

I sat in a pew for a bit. It was creepifyin'...

I got very overwhelmed looking at this, honestly. I almost lost it and started tearing a little. I think it's because this was a depiction of the third time he fell...

But people came and looked at my stuff!

Some more looking...

More highlights of ArtWalk

a Mariachi band!...

When I was at the Jazz Gallery, Sue was having some fun. (Then I yarnbombed these trees, which was fun for me)..

Aw, loneliness. I hate it. (She was included in the fun just a second or two later, so don't worry)...

My favorite site, regardless of the what that judge thought. Christian and Ximena (pictured)...

Day two (today) at St Casimir...

The next three shots are for Vag, whom cannot see the previously mentioned video...

This church was gorgeous and intimidating...

See what I mean?...

My dad came to The Jazz Gallery to check out my art...

Here he is at St. Casimir's with my godmother...

He's doing the "not too shabby" look here...

Excellent.