A busy week during “The Season”

February is always a busy time around Naples.  It is the height of “The Season”, which means every week there are at least three if not more events going on around town.  The third week of February, I had the opening of my show at FGCU; A demo on Third Street in Old Naples during the “Third on Canvas” event, and a Saturday demonstration for the Southwest Florida Craft Guild.  I had started planning for all of this the summer before, so I wasn’t completely overwhelmed, but overall, it was still a lot of work!.  By the time Sunday rolled around, I was spent.  When I had any free time in December and January, I had created images that I wanted to batik on to scarves for a March event: “Have a Seat III”, at the Patty & Jay Baker Naples Museum of Art.  These were developed from photographs I had taken the previous summer, edited in Photoshop, and then redrawn with a charcoal pencil on to each scarf.  I also had to pack up a box that contained my demonstration supplies: bees wax, soy wax, Tjantings, bamboo brushes, stretcher bars, silk tacks,and dyes in jars ready to go.  A lot of stuff to haul around (Did I not mention the standing easel and two framed paintings to display while I worked?)  A small crowd gathered around me during the cold non-Florida day when I was working outside in front of Gattles on Third Street.  Many of the people were my fans, or knew of batik, which made me really happy.  The next day, after the dyes had dried, I continued to work on the paintings as a demo for the Southwest Florida Craft Guild, an organization of which I have been a member for over 15 years.

Applying soy wax with Tjanting tool to painting

Muffy Clark Gill showing innitial drawing on fabric for batik painting

Close-up of Wounded Warrior III in progress

“Dying Arts” opening at Florida Gulf Coast University

FGCU ArtLab Reception 2.18.10

Feb. 18, 2010.  I have been behind in writing, as I have been busy preparing all of my paintings for the show that debuted last Thursday at the FGCU ArtLab.  This show  is titled: “Dying Arts: Batiks and Silk Works by Muffy Clark Gill and Nuch Owen” has been a labor of love for over a year since interim Curator Anica Sturdivant asked me to participate .  I met Thai artist Nuch Owen many years ago when she first came to the Naples area.  Her skill in painting on silk using Gutta resist is unbelievable, and very intricate. I enjoy her work and respect the talent that goes into creating it.   I brought 8 paintings to the show including “Seated in Silence”;” Hava Tampa Spirit”, and two of my pieces from the FGCU Steamroller project.  WGCU Public Media hosted the reception as a member event, and over 60 people showed up(there were RSVP’s for 107, and it was hard to track a true total).  Quite a few for a intimate gallery setting on the University campus.I really enjoyed talking to the students who were asked to do a report on the exhibition.    The show also featured the debut of my new silk hanging: “Influence”.  I have a web page of the show here:   http://tinyurl.com/ydmhbot.

The show  was part of a busy week that included a talk about how I use my Mac computer with my artwork, and two Batik demonstrations in the Southwest Florida area, along with the opening reception  February 12th for the 7th Biennial National Art Exhibition at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda.  The “Hava Tampa” painting was one of the 138 entries accepted from over 720 submissions.  By the time Sunday night came, I was worn out!

The Final Printed Images

My two prints were part of a group of almost fifty different editions, done by artists and students.  One of the two images held more ink than the other, and appeared a little heavy to me in feeling.  The other seemed just right.  I returned to the studio with the prints and the plate, and colorized my images. To do this, I used watercolor paints, and applied some of the watercolor to go over the darker print and lighten the image.  When they were completed, one of them went on a group display on campus.  Afterwards, I took the images to my framer, Roger Gregory, and we decided that we wanted  to show the interesting patterns left in the paper as a result of the paver rolling over the pavement.  I then decided to finnish the original plate, which I painted in oils to bring out all of the fun little details I had added to the original plate.  I was finished with this project!

One of the two printed images

The 3 Fates Original Plate

The Batik World of Muffy Clark Gill

Muffy Clark Gill working on her Batik painting: "Veranda View"

During art shows, gallery exhibitions, or school demonstrations, people often look at my Batik paintings  and ask me “How do you do such a complex painting process:  or “You must have a lot of patience to create your work”.  This blog is dedicated to understanding why I paint, and my creative process.