SaskCrea8

Upcoming Exhibition

AFFINITY GALLERY/Saskatchewan Craft Council

813 Broadway Ave, Saskatoon

October 07 to November 06, 2011
Reception: Thursday, October 20, from 5:00 - 7:00pm
Curated by Leslie Potter and Stephanie Canning

 

Imperious Intimacy- Passion's Promise, Reason's Reality
Ink on Layered Mulberry Paper
8 x 38"

$325.00

Artist Statement

other images in the series LINK

Time Heals
Ink on Paper
8.5 x 11"


$185.00


Artist Statement

other images in the series  LINK

Harvesting the Light - Bird's Eye View

If you are a book lover this post may disturb you. I have taken a book and altered it using a sharp knife. I took a book and isolated the words that I thought were important to vision and to light. It was an interesting process in that on each page that I cut I had planned on which words I wanted to use but then sometimes had to alter my vision due to overlapping and incorrect placement of the word I wanted. I then glued the pages together to create solid mass of pages.  I have no idea how I will display this but it will be in my Evince exhibition in the summer of 2012 that deals with the printed word.

The Vessel, the Vial, the Poison

This is another concertina sketchbook for my Evince series.

Nest Egg - Concertina Sketchbook

Today I completed a new concertina sketchbook/altered book. It is part of my Nest-Nest Egg-Empty Nest series. Artist Statement link.  I created a linocut print that is printed on a sketchbook and the book is hung rather than read.  Each nest is hand painted and coloured.  This piece is to symbolize the wallets that men used to carry with lots of photos in them and the plastic photo holder folded out. With the advent of technology we now see people's images on their phone or computer, a very different experience.

Text Message Relationships

In this pieces of art I took the classic play "Romeo and Juliet" and gave it a different look. I found "Romeo and Juliet" text message version on the internet. I was unable to locate the original source but loved the very modern version.

I have watched my children text messaging in their relationships and was inspired to create this concertina sketchbook version of the text message version. The cover of the book is very ornate (using seed beads). The ornate cover is in direct contrast to the 140 characters that a text message allows. Texting is anything but ornate. The random swirls on the cover are intentional as well. I had contemplated making them a formal repeating pattern but again texting is anything but predictable. My children have several conversations going at one time and several parts going at one time which can make the messages a jumble of ideas, just like the swirls on the box.

nest-nest egg - empty nest

The third thing I am working on is Nest -Nest Egg - Empty Nest. I am so loving the movement in the nests.  Tonight when it is dark  I will work on the eggs.  The eggs are going to be printed on old bank statements.

Artist Statement can be found on webpage for this series and also below.

Nest – Nest Egg –Empty Nest

Monique Martin

2011

Mixed Media on Paper

Circular nature of a nest – the circular nature of life

The nest is used as a metaphor for our own home in a number of ways: investments, capital, parents. Due to the fact that it takes money to have a home and raise a family, it is no surprise that people use the term “nest egg” to describe their investments and capital.  The common phrase empty nesters describes the situation when the children have left the home, and the parents now have more freedoms, either in terms of time or money. It may result in an improved financial situation due to the fact that there are no children to take care of. 

The nest egg has come to symbolize a financial largesse that has been grown by the family for future use.  In this series, the nest egg is being re-defined as investment in the human capital; the raising of a solid citizen who will go out and make positive contributions to society.  An empty nest is a full nest.  The children have grown, they are to be able to go out in to the world and add value. 

The financial nest egg is being challenged in this work.  The 80-20 rule, or Pareto Principle, is a micro-economics model that developed out of studies of Italian society in 1906, when an economist discovered that 80% of the land was owned by 20% of the Italian population.  The 80-20 rule became a common used reference in many situations, and stills referenced today in modern economics.  After the financial meltdown of the American housing market and the impact on the global market that followed, the nest egg was damaged severely.  The spectre of the 80-20 rule was raised.  People who were poised to retire comfortably were invested in a retirement fund was blindsided by the market crash, and plans changed.  The nest was empty.

The 80-20 rule has a role in how sickness can throw all plans off track.  The retirement fund is established, the person has a vision related to how life will play out, and then becomes sick, and the plans are changed. 

 

My Personal Poison

 "My Personal Poison",  is part of my Evince series that reflects on Romeo and Juliet and the poison that was taken or not taken.  The piece uses a real vial that I was given, contents unknown, and have attached over printed vials.

Each of us have a personal poison that can cause damage to us, it might be a career, a person, a relationship, a lack of self worth, personal tragedy,  health, a lack of confidence etc. We all have a personal poison that we need to contain to survive.

Slow Emergencies

This is a snapshot of a work in progress called "Slow Emergencies". I love the term slow emergencies. It describes so many things in life; career, relationships, financial situations, it is a catch all phrase. I am creating this piece spontaneously in my kitchen. I have attached a very large sheet of paper to the wall and when a phrase, a thought, or a pattern feel powerful to me I add it to the piece. I have only been working on it a few weeks but I love it. It seems to be looking like a bird right now but I think that will change as it evolves. The coloured pieces are tiny seed beeds that I add.  I am going to look through old sketch books at some point and include some of the thoughts that I have written down. Some of my most profound thoughts coming to me on trains. I love trains and the creative flow that they create in me. 

Life in Pieces

This piece is created using scraps of leather from a glove factory in Hungary. The pieces are created from the leather  left over from creating the thumb hole. The scraps reminded me of tulips and I loved them right away. I thank Gabor and Tibor for getting the scraps to me to make this piece of art. Each person that sees the piece is unable to not touch it. The leather pieces are mesmerizing and so so soft to the touch.

"Crossing the Line" - Another in the series

I love this piece because the box is so interesting. It is the impossible box and sometimes I think I live the impossible life, being and elementary school teacher and an artist. Sometimes the two just don't seem to work together.