Celebrating my 50th year as an artist, I left out a big series that I started in 2002; Book of Light, pages has more than 200 mixed media collages. Book of Light, page 24 is one of my favorites, composed on paper I made.
© Kathleen O’Brien, “Book of Light, page 24”, watercolor, drawing, rose petals, collage, 2002
Post Script was a series of 12 small collages. I set them up as a kit for me to work on while my daughter was hospitalized in Chicago. Having an art project to work on kept my worry somewhat tamed.
© Kathleen O’Brien, “Post Script 1”, watercolor, drawing, sage petal, collage, 2003
The opportunities offered by Kentucky Arts Council are renown for artist support. For several years I displayed my art at their Kentucky Crafted Market, a wholesale and retail trade show. The first year, 2004, I was awarded Best New Exhibitor. I am appreciative of the many programs that were on their roster. For instance, in Platinum 10, ten of us worked with New York consultant, Keith Recker on product development. I served on the Jury panel for the Craft Marketing Program and advisor. More about other programs in blogs to come.
© Kathleen O’Brien, Kentucky Crafted: the Market booth, 2004
My “twin” Larry McFall is an inspirational composer. His Brushstrokes album of nine compositions were the catalyst for the set of nine collages. Once again, music provides the direction.
© Kathleen O’Brien, “Brushstrokes”, watercolor, drawing, petals, collage, 2004
Based on studies of the cycles of the four seasons and four directions learned from my elders in the 80’s I created a large body of works of the same name. It was a traveling exhibit, shown at Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Women’s Institute and Gallery in New Harmony, Indiana and Berea Arts Council in Berea, Kentucky.
© Kathleen O’Brien, “4 Seasons-4 Directions” Exhibit Postcard, details of several collages, 2004
© Kathleen O’Brien, “Nine White Flowers”, watercolor, drawing, petals, collage, 2004
© Kathleen O’Brien, with owner Lena Feiner at the “4 Seasons-4 Directions” Exhibit at Women’s Institute and Gallery with “Nine White Flowers”, watercolor, drawing, petals, collages, 2005
© Kathleen O’Brien, “Best of Luck”, watercolor, drawing, 4 leaf clovers, collage, 2005
Wanting to have feather shapes which were torn from Japanese paper to use in a collage led me to a series using the negative shapes. The sheet with torn shapes was glued over collaged drawings. The first one, Light, As a Feather was featured in On the Edge exhibit at Peninsula Fine Art Center in Newport News, Virginia.
© Kathleen O’Brien, “On the Edge” Show, “Light, as a Feather”, drawing, torn paper, petals, collage, 2005
© Kathleen O’Brien, “Everything Moves in Circles and Everything Tries to Be Round”, drawing, torn paper, poppy petals, collage, 2005
Most of the year 2006 was devoted to organizing a national art show and conference, Connections: We Are All One, for the Society of Layerists in Multi-media. It involved art displays in many galleries and spiritual centers with progressive dinners and weekend workshops.
© Kathleen O’Brien, “Home of the Ancestors” installed at the Cathedral, 2006
In addition to creating Home of the Ancestors for the event, the other art I created was Each Day in the Year of the Fire Dog. One postcard for each day of the year with messages and stamps that related to the time and place and cross-cultural celebrations. 365 postcards front and back = 730 miniature artworks. Each image is being repurposed into one of the monthly 30 page eBooks in the Atlas of the Year eCourse. There is a DVD of all the images and it has been shown only once, so it will have more exposure in the eCourse.
© Kathleen O’Brien, “Each Day in the Year of the Fire Dog”, introductory postcard, 2006
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