November's Surface Girl

Surface. Acrylic, charcoal on canvas

Upcoming show at First Cup

Acrylic on canvas

In five months I'll be displaying and selling some of my art in the First Cup Coffee House on Woodstock Blvd. Five months might seem far away to some of us, but I'd like to give myself a head start. This is one of the pieces that will likely be hanging on the walls in May.

Portland Watercolor

I looked out my window and saw this

Menu Art at the Bula Kava House

This past August I was hired to re-do the menu at the Bula Kava House, located at 3115 SE Division Street in Portland, OR. If you haven't tried kava yet, consider checking it out. You might love it, you might not, or you might simply enjoy having a new experience.

Collage Self-Portrait... Still In Progress

Paper collage

I tend to work on my personal art projects with bursts of intensity that last for a few hours, and then I abandon the projects for... a while. The amount of time I abandon them for usually depends on whether some third party is expecting to see progress or not (if they are, I keep working), or on how many nitty gritty details I still have to complete (if there are too many, I procrastinate). That is why this particular project is still unfinished: no one is expecting me to finish, and all of the work I have left is nitty and gritty. My progress certainly slows down increasingly the closer I get to finishing. I am supposedly almost done with this self-portrait, but I still have some details to work out– mostly I need to add subtle shadows and correct some lines and curves. It could take a while before I finally decide to call it done. In the meantime, enjoy this work-in-progress!

If you like before and after pictures as much as I do, check out this link to see what it looked like before. Or scroll down.

I finally painted something

Disillusion (2013).  Acrylic on cardboard.

Three works-in-progress

At this point in time, everything I have been working on lately is as of yet unfinished. I could wait to share these until they are completely finished, but I don't know when that will be, and I do love a good before and after photo comparison. Don't you? Here are some things I am currently working on:

Collage self-portrait. Remember those useful little fashion magazines I mentioned in an earlier post?

Water color and ink on paper. So far.

Water color, ink, and acrylic on paper, as seen out of my window in February.

Ink Up

When I moved into a new house a few years ago there was a painting on the wall that was a combination of water color paint and ink pen. I found myself staring at that painting whenever my head turned in its direction. I loved how the stark lines of the ink pen contrasted with the softness of the watercolor, lending unexpected structure to a red brick building and separating the edge of a flag from the soft sky. I decided it was time to experiment with mixed media. That summer I headed into my backyard with my brushes, pallet, cotton rag, and conviction, and set to work.

Ready to see some magic?

It's magic wallet time!

The wallet is magic because it opens from both sides, and depending on which side you open the x straps and the = straps appear on different halves, as shown below:

It is also magic because you can simply place your paper money inside of the wallet...

close it, and open it from the other side. This causes the straps to "grip" the money...

and transfer it to the inside of the straps...

where it stays secure until you decide it's time to go wild in the grocery store.

Until that time comes the money will simply shift from side to side every time you open your wallet. It's cooler in real life, you guys. I realize that explaining the magic wallet with photos and written instructions may be a bit underwhelming. *Sighhh* oh well.

Here's the outside:

The eagle was supposed to be on the inside, but I wasn't paying close enough attention to what I was doing when I made it- woops! The materials in this wallet include paper, cardboard, and PVA (polyvinyl acetate, or, in simpler terms, glue).

Glorified Postcards: Collage Magazine Re-appropriation!

Collage can be iffy. I like the idea of combining various images in such a way that they make a new world or a completely new picture. I like the idea of this, but I've always run into trouble when I've attempted to put all of those ready-made images to use: they might not be the exact size I am looking for, a person or animal may be looking in the wrong direction or may display the wrong expression, etc.

I decided not to use the images as they are presented to me. Instead, I looked for colors and textures and made my own shapes and sizes from these "raw" materials.

Fashion Magazines are amazing resources for paper collage! I have been holding on to the idea of making some sort of collage for the past four years, and for some reason I have ignored my inclination to do so until recently. The thing that finally pushed me into following through was most likely my attempt to clear out a too-large collection of old fashion magazines. I felt certain they'd come in handy someday, and I'm glad that I just proved myself right or I'd have to admit that they were a complete waste of space for years.

Portland Waldorf School Annual Shield Benefit

Every year the Portland Waldorf School auctions off a collection of wooden shields that have been decorated by various artists. This year I am back in Portland, so I am lucky enough to participate! 

Discovery (2013) Acrylic, metal, yarn, glue on wood.

I was super excited when I received my little wooden shield, and I didn't want to mess it up. I thought, "why not make a couple of sketches so that I can settle on my favorite idea and continue from there?" Bad idea. I just wanted more shields after that. I ditched my sketches-- actually I hid them from myself so that I wouldn't be influenced by my own designs while painting. I wanted the image to emerge organically without involving too much conscious analytical thinking... however, I rediscovered these "forgotten" sketches soon after I started painting because, like a genius, I'd hidden them in one of my several paint stashes. This particular stash also housed my paint brushes so I guess I wasn't trying very hard. 

In any case, I proceeded to ignore my sketches (by placing them face-down) as I painted and re-painted my shield. I plucked the silver leaves off of an old sculpture of mine. What else do you do with art after it is made and everyone has looked at it? Besides, the old sculpture-- a large foam arm and hand that extended from the floor, was painted purple with hints of gold, and sported silver leaves-- was partially destroyed by wear and tear and my cat's jaws and claws.

The benefit takes place at the Portland Waldorf School this Friday from 6-8pm. You can RSVP at http://portlandwaldorf.eventbrite.com if you feel so inclined.

Welcome To My Blog

Hello world!

Welcome to my blog. You can call me Binta. 

Last spring I did a series of paintings for my senior thesis, and with these paintings (and a few before them) I departed from my usual naturalistic style- that is, instead of attempting to copy something real that I was looking at, I worked from my imagination alone. I focussed on painting the human form, and I tried to avoid getting caught up in the details of the form. 

Have you ever drawn something and really liked it, then tried to recreate the drawing and found that your second attempt just doesn't quite measure up? This happens to me all the time. This was my first painting in the series, so of course it was my favorite:

My inspiration was largely fueled by this verse:

Verse from Goethe

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element.

It is my personal approach that creates the climate.

It is my daily mood that makes the weather. 

I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. 

I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. 

I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. 

In all situations it is my response that decides 

Whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, 

And a person humanized or dehumanized. 

If we treat people as they are we make them worse. 

If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them to become what they are capable of becoming.

         Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749-1832