Monique Art

Tear Jar Exhibition Pieces

2012-02-25T16:18:00.000-06:00

I have completed the pieces for the TearRoom Project exhibition that will be happening at the Museum of Antiquities at the University of Saskatchewan. Exhibition run April and May 2012

New Sculptural Nests

2012-02-25T16:02:00.000-06:00

I am working on a few new nests.

The nest below is made from the decorative ribbon used on furniture. I had a huge amount of it donated and am using a hook rug technique to adhere it to the chicken wire frame. I have not cut or damaged any of the pieces in the construction.

This nest is made from mailing tubes. I am currently using old yarn to tie the poles together. It is a labour intensive task.

This nest is made from old couch springs. It is really intricate when viewed up close. It is complete.

Again thanks to Market Mall for donating the space for the construction of the nests for the Children's Festival.

Another nest from springs

2012-02-12T19:31:00.000-06:00

This nest uses a different spring, this spring is for the back of an armchair. It has been a big challenge to hold these together. Getting the springs required actual dumpster diving. My husband and I arrived a little late to the upholstery store that was closing and he had thrown them in the dumpster. In the true spirit of creation my husband and I jumped in and untangled them from the mess of other things. They arrived at the studio in a huge tangled mess. After much work they are separated and are being retangled in a systematic way.

The final product will have cord and edging from upholstery woven through it. The project is a long ways from being completed. Good thing I don't have to have them ready until June.

New Super Huge Studio Space

2012-02-12T19:23:00.001-06:00

I am artist in residence for the Potash Corp Children's Festival and at the festival I will be creating an installation of larger than life bird nests from various reclaimed and recycled materials. I needed a large space in which to make these and approached a local mall that had some empty store space. Market Mall generously donated the space to me.

Here are some images of where I am working.

Nest from Old Springs - Completed

2012-02-12T19:19:00.001-06:00

I completed the nest from old springs today. I am going to work on an egg (nest egg) for in the nest but the structure of the nest is done. Thanks to Sacher's Upholstery for the springs and to my husband for lugging them into the car and then the studio.

The curator's for my upcoming exhibition saw the partly completed work on Friday and are going to include it in the exhibition at the Affinity Gallery (Sask Craft Council) in April and May. It will then go to Kiwanis Park for the Potash Corp Children's Festival in early June.

Nest from old Springs

2012-02-08T18:28:00.000-06:00

I have begun to work in my new super huge studio space. Market Mall has donated a store space to me as I work on the installation pieces for the Potash Corp Children's Festival. Here is an image of a nest I am making from old spring. I am binding the springs together to form the nest. The springs were donated from Sacher's Upholstery.

More Clay Nests

2012-02-06T18:31:00.000-06:00

Just finished more of the 100 clay nests. These nests are created using scrap clay that my students have finished with. We don't have a pug mill at my school so reworking clay is super labour intensive and the children never do as well with reworked clay, so I decided to use the scrap throw away clay to make these nests rather than rework it. I found things to make nests with, similar to what a bird does. However, working with dried up, overworked clay is less than relaxing or easy. I guess the same goes for a bird, they have to work with what hits the ground. I even scraped clay from the classroom floor for these nests. The rolling of worms with dry clay can be exasperating at best.

My goal is 100 nests as an exercise in production and the link to our currency. In current times it seems that producing more is better than producing quality. Trust me, some of the nests lack some quality. As I worked on this self inflicted stress I realized the nests of various shapes, sizes and quality definitely replicates our world where some homes are just nicer visually than others. I had many real bird nests as models for the nests so there are various types of nest design. I also realized while in the bushes looking for nests that not all nests are wonderfully created, each bird has their own way of doing it. My son joked that the lady bird might be giving her mate grief because the nest is not turning out right and the male bird had represented to her that her could build etc etc.

The exercise of making these also makes me think of the marginal productivity curve which my daughter explained to me. She explained that the quality of the nests would vary based on many external inputs.

A marginal productivity curve is one that graphically illustrates the relation between marginal product and the quantity of the variable input, holding all other inputs fixed. This curve indicates the incremental change in output at each level of a variable input. The marginal product curve is one of three related curves used in the analysis of the short-run production of a firm. The other two are total product curve and average product curve. The marginal product curve plays in key role in the economic analysis of short-run production by a firm.

The nests measure in size from 4 cm to 15 cm across.

Mobile Home - Human Made Nest - Nest in Trees

2012-01-29T21:54:00.001-06:00

I have become quite birdlike over the last two days. While photographing bird nests in trees on 4th Ave with my son, we came across a chicken wire basket sitting on a post. Both of us at the same time said, "it would make a great birds nest". So today we went to the park and built a bird nest with the basket. It was such a fun and fulfilling experience. My husband and son ran around Ambleside Park collecting twigs and I arranged them into a nest. I didn't realize how much I had studied the construction of nests until I built one from twigs. My visual memory bank allowed me to structure it in a very similar fashion to the birds.

I just love it. I hope that the curators that see my nest series next week love it too. It is truly a mobile home. It is really big with the longest twig being 36". The chicken wire basket that it began with is hardly visible.

My son is working on a nest series in photos. He hopes to suspend photos on a wire in a gallery not frame them in frames. The suspension creating a visual duplication of the suspension of the nests in the trees.

Here are images of my nest building and photos of nests by Trint Thomas.

Calculated Risk - Poker Chips

2012-01-21T20:31:00.002-06:00

This was one of my last pieces in the nest series, I forgot to post it last week. I am however, still unsure if I want to make it slightly different or if it is done. A work of art is never finished it simply stops in interesting places. Paul Gardner.

It is called "Calculated Risk" and is super large 32 x 46". It is one of the last in my nest egg series. Inspired by Doug Little's book and life. Doug and his wife are friends of mine. He wrote a book called Losing Mariposa: The Memoir of a Compulsive Gambler
http://www.amazon.ca/Losing-Mariposa-Memoir-Compulsive-Gambler/dp/1550225332

All the little nests are in a row holding onto their nest egg but one is taking off and doing his own thing with a gambling chip (a calculated risk??), the nest has even turned his nest away from others.

I think it is a work in process or progress and I am waiting for the call for what to do next. I do know that Doug's life has inspired me. His book comes to my mind often and it makes me think about what moves people, what causes them to make certain choices and whether destiny is really something to believe in. Was Doug destined to go down this path???

I had never held a poker chip in my hand until starting this piece. (I know you are thinking get out and get a life, stop making art for a while) I was in a second hand store searching for LEGO for my students and found poker chips in a beautiful steel box. I was astonished as the aesthetic appeal of the chips and bought them knowing they would become part of my art at some point. The weight, the texture and the pattern is incredible. I have manipulated the colour on the chip to work with the piece. I placed the nest that I see as Doug on the edge as I think anyone with an addiction is somewhat on the edge all the time, whether actively feeding their addiction or fighting their addiction.

Ps. the shadows make it hard to see the piece but it is so difficult to photograph large pieces of paper, I don't have the space.

The Nest - on blueprints

2012-01-20T10:50:00.002-06:00

I was lucky enough to be given old blueprints. I decided to print a nest over top of it as of course we create a little nest for ourselves in our home, decorating and displaying the things that make use feel comfortable and safe.

The 7 piece series is from the same set of house plans.

New Print - "And it Continues"

2012-01-16T14:36:00.003-06:00

This print was inspired by the maple seeds I was surrounded by when artist in residence at the Bytown Museum in Ottawa. I was astonished at how many seeds fell to the ground in the quest to continue the species. It makes me contemplate all animal existence, including human, and our purpose within the workings of the world.

And it Continues

Ink on Mulberry Paper

20 x 12", 51 x 31 cm

And it Continues Through Flight

Ink on Mulberry Paper

20 x 23", 51 x 58 cm

An Ocean Between Us - The TearROOM Project

2012-01-15T09:43:00.005-06:00

I have been collecting human tears for about 1.5 years. The tears are going to be part of an exhibition this April and May 2012 at the

Museum of Antiquities Link
Room 116 College Building
107 Administration Place
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK

The exhibition will showcase the tears I have collected. I just finished the display for a special set of tears. My friend fell in love with a man from Belgium. They rarely get to see each other. This past Christmas he asked her to marry him. The tears in the jar inside the glass box are tears of joy and sadness at his parting. There is an ocean between them most of the time and the tears in the jar mark that distance.

These special tears are encased in a glass box. I also have tears mounted in deep box frames with marbling behind them. Other pieces in the series can be viewed at the following link

An Ocean Between Us

3 x 3 x 7"

Glass, Steel, Vial, Paper and String

Nests in Trees on Broadway Ave.

2012-01-12T21:47:00.000-06:00

I have permission to put the wire nest in the trees on Broadway Ave. My students will be creating 350 nests at my school, the Extended Learning Opportunities program will be making some and we will make some with the dance production I am involved in.

I am so excited. I counted the trees on Broadway that I want to use. There are about 108 trees, so about three colourful nests per tree. My caretaker has agreed to help with installation and I will be having my students help as well.

Nest Prints

2012-01-10T21:45:00.000-06:00

Tonight I am uploading most of my nest prints that I have created. Most of them are mulitmedia with thread, book pages, pencil crayon, bank statements, ribbon, paint and ink. The main print is a two or three colour linocut. There are lots and lots of them. I have 8 more that I am working on presently and then I will be done with the nest prints. The artwork ranges in size from 9" to 30". Tomorrow I will post the real nests that inspired the artwork. My students from my school helped by donating some nests to my artistic journey and my husband and I climbed some trees. I am nearing the end of this body of work which is always hard. It is hard to give up a concept. However, I am enjoying the thoughts and sketching that goes with beginning and new concept.

Leger Lines - Modern Times

2012-01-08T19:57:00.001-06:00

I found an old leger book while sorting through old books for my book installation that will take place next summer. I am installing 20,000 books in a gallery. Anyway, I found the leger and was amazed at what was included on the expenses lines in 1910. So, I created a modern version with the titles as closely blending in as possible. It was really hard to do to even get it to be close to matching the colour and font. I need a new printer cartridge after this project. I am hoping the curator will include the piece in my April exhibition at Affinity Gallery, I would like the piece to be able to be touched and looked through by people in the gallery. The leger makes me want to call the more recent types of expenses - modern expenses - but really "All times have been modern". People in 1910 thought that their times were modern. This concept has always struck me as interesting in that we all think we are in modern times.

Another Nest Drawn with an Eraser

2012-01-08T16:12:00.000-06:00

Disappearing Nest Egg

39 x 50", 99 x 127cm

Graphite on Paper

I have finished a new eraser nest. It is a large one 39 x 50", 99 x 127cm. It an exploration where I use an eraser to draw rather than a pencil. I coloured the entire paper with graphite, no small task that is for sure. I then created the nest like form using an eraser. It for me mirrors what many people are feeling as our nest eggs are being erased and our retirement dreams are being erased with them. Freedom 55 doesn't seem like a reality for many people in this current economic climate.

As well today my students had an opening of their artwork at a local gallery. Here is a link to the event. Link

37 clay nests

2012-01-01T18:52:00.002-06:00

I have 37 of 100 clay nests done, glazed and photographed.
The nests measure in size from 4 cm to 15 cm across.

Student Exhibition

2011-12-26T18:19:00.000-06:00

My students are having an exhibition opening on January 3rd. Below on the invitation are details and below that what will be in the exhibition.

The tree pieces in this exhibition were inspired by the painting Jack Pine by Tom Thompson. The background in this piece has a very geometrical look to it. The students interpreted this geometric background by using woven strips of paper.

The artwork with birds was inspired by the piece Music Behind by Harold Town. Harold Town utilizes a collage technique to create his pieces in this particular one he used the back of a TV. We used old music manuscripts as the basis for our creations.

Erased Nests

2011-12-25T21:10:00.000-06:00

The series of four graphite on paper nests using the eraser as my main rendering tool are done.

The pieces are about the financial market and how recently many people have lost their savings in a blink of an eye. Like they were erased with no marks left behind.

Flow - Estevan Art Gallery

2011-12-21T12:17:00.000-06:00

Worked out the details for my Estevan Art Gallery exhibition of my series "Flow".

The artwork is up from Sept 1 - Oct 13. The opening reception is Sept 6, 2012.

Empty Nest

2011-12-19T12:26:00.000-06:00

Empty

43 x 143cm

ink on paper

Play Money

2011-12-18T17:15:00.000-06:00

This is an interactive piece that I am hoping to include in my nest exhibition. I found an desk magnet with dollar sign metallic pieces at the second hand store. I have create a small interactive piece of art with it. The concept is that people that visit the exhibition get to play with a piece of art. I know lots of people are tactile and love to touch things and this will be their chance. Due to the magnetic nature of the piece the dollar signs can be put into an infinite number of shapes.

Clay Nests out of the kiln

2011-12-18T17:06:00.002-06:00

I have fired 6 clay nests. As these are a total experiment I afraid of the results. I am using scrap clay that I didn't want to rework one more time in my classroom. So they are made from crumbling dry bits of clay. They are also super fragile.

The pieces of paper under the nests are an idea I am thinking about. The paper have images of hyperinflation in Germany when it was cheaper to burn money than buy wood to burn, when people took their pay home in large baskets, when children make kites from money because it was cheaper than buying a kite or when children played with blocks of money rather than toys because it was cheaper.

I am also still working on the colour of the nests. I am not sure if the off white colour is good or not as most gallery displays are quite white. They look good on a wood surface but not as good on a white surface.

Nest vary in size from 5cm to 15cm.

Nest - Coming Together, Moving Apart

2011-12-16T11:33:00.003-06:00

This print is unique as I created it using scraps from my other printing blocks. I shaped them like twigs and printed them individually bad hand. The print is about the way in our nests (the many forms it takes on, financial, family, career, etc) are constantly coming together at the same time as they are moving apart.

Coming Together, Moving Apart

43 x 143cm

ink on paper

Eraser Bird Nests

2011-12-14T18:56:00.001-06:00

Made a new nest. This is graphite on paper and that is it. I covered the entire paper in layers of graphite (it is darker than it appears). I then used an eraser to make the nest disappear. It was inspired by a piece I saw while in Vancouver. As a printmaker I often think backwards and this seems to be more of the backwards thinking. I am making four of them. on the next one half of the nest will show, the nest a quarter of the nest and the final one nothing of the nest will show.

Out of the Darkness Comes Light

30 x 40 cm

Colorful Nests in Trees

2011-12-05T18:48:00.001-06:00

Here is a sample of what I will be doing at the Potash Corp Children's Festival as Artist in Residence. Prior to the festival I will be creating 300 or so wire nests in beautiful colors to install in trees in the park. I am creating the nest with my students. The caretaker at my school is helping with the organizing of the wire, which is great. It is a huge job just to prepare the materials.

I am also hoping to install nests in trees along Broadway Ave as a compliment to my exhibition at the Affinity Gallery. I like to have my students participate in my exhibitions.

The children's festival will be having a tent where people visiting the park can make their own nest.

Black Friday - Bird Nests

2011-12-04T19:35:00.000-06:00

Before I go any further in this post I have to tell you I am not much of a shopper and rarely read the sales flyers that fill my mailbox. Black Friday and the behavior of people on that day astonished me so I am creating a series of 100 wire bird nests. 100 being the base of our currency. People on Black Friday went to the store hours early to find things to put into their nests (homes) to make that home more of what they wanted to it to be. Some of them did this without knowing the consequences of that day. I won't go into detail but we all know the reports on the news.

The black nests will contrast the white clay ones I am making. (See previous post)

So, the Black Friday moment in time inspired me to make 100 black bird nests from wire. My husband is quite enjoying this as I am actually sitting in front of the television to do this and he gets to see me for a little more each night that he normally would. He is helping me separate the black wire from the other colours and I create two nests per night in front of the TV. I rarely watch TV so this is a huge thing that I am sitting in front of it. Opra came and left TV and I never saw an episode. I usually make art when I am not doing the necessary things to make life run or working, so TV is just not something that I do. So, two nests a night will be 50 nights in front of the TV.

Clay Nests

2011-12-04T19:24:00.000-06:00

As part of my nest series I am creating clay nests. The plan is to make 100. I have created 4 which are drying and I hope that they dry well so that I can fire them soon. I am so excited to work with clay, I love it. The act of rolling the twig like shapes is almost hypnotic. I am have looked carefully at real bird nests so am finding the creation of clay ones easy. I plan on glazing them white as a contrast to my series of 100 black nests made from wire. (See next post) Nothing is finances is black and white it is more of a grey, so I am creating 100 black and 100 white nests, between the two is the grey area. I have not planned to create 100 grey nests but you never know. 100 being the the base of our currency is why 100.

A friend of mine is moving to a new house this weekend with her children and I thought of her while creating this. Birds move in twigs to create their nest, feathers, grass etc to make it soft and comfortable, we move couches, chairs, pictures and the various objects that we surround ourselves with. A line from the movie "Eat, Love and Pray" where she talks about being an active participant in every part of the life she created, making choices about everything that she brought into her life, as she touches the things in her home, kept coming to mind as I placed each twig.

Nest-Nest Egg- Empty Nest - Affinity Gallery

2011-12-01T18:41:00.000-06:00

The series Nest - Nest Egg -Empty Nest will be exhibited at the Affinity Gallery, Saskatchewan Craft Council from April 20-May 27, 2012. I am thrilled to be able to share this series with the people of Saskatoon.

Cube Gallery installation in Ottawa

2011-11-30T23:24:00.002-06:00

Here is an image of the installation in Ottawa at Cube Gallery. What a beautiful look with 65 different artists all producing works that are the same size, 12 x 12".

100 tear jars handed out on the UofS campus

2011-11-30T23:19:00.000-06:00

On Friday Nov 25 I handed out 100 tear jars on the U of S Campus. It was great fun to share the project with the students. I am curious to see how many tears will be returned. The tear jars will be added to those I already have. Below are a few of the tear jars I already have.

4 exhibitions up at one time in Canada

2011-11-30T23:10:00.002-06:00

I have four exhibitions up in Canada they overlap by a few days. I have two prints at Open Studio in Toronto, 8 prints at Cube Gallery in Ottawa, 3 prints at Rouge Gallery in Saskatoon and 1 Photograph in the West Vancouver Library Gallery in Vancouver.

Large Bird Nest made from Wire

2011-11-29T21:15:00.000-06:00

For the past week or so I have been testing my bird-like skills by building a nest from bits of wire. The nest is about 80cm across and is super heavy. I am currently building a second one that is larger. The act of making this nest has made me contemplate how we arrange our homes, what we bring into our homes, what we decide to display in our homes and what things we discard from out home space. I read the book "Home" by Witold Rybczynski years ago and it has profoundly influenced my nest series. The concept of "home" has always intrigued me and has been something I wanted to explore. His book Waiting for the Weekend has also influenced my work countless times.

This nest will be included in my exhibition in conjunction with the Northern Saskatchewan Children's Festival.

I have 5 other large nests that I plan on building and will work on them in the approaching winter months.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Completed

2011-11-27T17:55:00.001-06:00

After many failed attempts and lots of frustration the tower of bird nests is complete. I love it. I now want to create an inverted one with the nest on the bottom being the smallest because human's have sort of messed up the order of what they want. This concept is inspired by a conversation with my husband. Young people want all the things from the top for example fulfillment when they don't have shelter yet, haven't really worked yet or have stability or security. The young people are wanting recognition and mastery of a subject but haven't done some of the things on the other layers of the heirarchy. The sides of the glass boxes are open intentionally to symbolize that moving from one layer to another is very possible.

Bird Nest from Lottery Tickets

2011-11-20T16:04:00.000-06:00

I have constructed a bird nest from lottery tickets. The inspiration was an article in MacLean's Magazine where they said that many people do not have any sort of nest egg for retirement and are planning on winning the lottery to cover retirement expenses. I cut lottery ticket purchase forms into strips to create the nest.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

2011-11-20T15:00:00.003-06:00

I am working on a new project that will see bird nests encased in glass etched with the words that describe each layer of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. The nests will get progressively larger and be stacked in a pyramid shape. I bought a dremel today and will be etching the glass with it. I cal see the dremel becoming part of many of my projects.

Maquette of the entire pyramid of nests

More Nests

2011-10-23T18:10:00.000-05:00

Once again I altered some prints of nests, to create 2 new pieces. I am loving the alterations of prints, using ribbon, thread and paint. The prints are only held onto the stiff back paper with stitching of some sore. It is so fun to use thread in my nest pieces.

Long and Winding Road and Nest Eggs #1 (The Red Thread)

2011-10-09T14:08:00.001-05:00

Here are two new pieces that I have finished on this Thanksgiving weekend. The scanner doesn't seem to give the red thread the correct colour, but you get the idea. I have hand-stitched the nest. The nest below used ribbon and stitching. The concept of the financial market being held together by a thread and therefore some family budgets being held together in the same way. My daughter asked last night why is the nest red, and I said of course that the "in the red" of the financial world is the reason.

Nest Eggs #1 (Red Thread)

9x9"

Long and Winding Road

9 x9"

Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools - 100th Anniversary Gala

2011-10-07T23:14:00.001-05:00

Quite a while ago I was asked to create a very special commission piece for the 100th anniversary of the Catholic School division. I created a linocut for each person that will attend the gala dinner tomorrow night. At the gala I will be explaining the printing process and destroying the printing plates that the prints were created from. I will also have my printing press on display as well as the tools used to create the block. A personal goal of mine with the process is to create an understanding of the difference between a print and a reproduction. A print being concieved of as a print from the beginning and a reproduction often beginning in another medium.

I also did the graphics for the event in partnership with my son and created 10 panels that outline the history of the Saskatoon Catholic Schools. Below you will find the print and the panels.

CSEA Teaching Award - Fredericton

2011-10-06T21:47:00.002-05:00

I recently found out that I won a teaching award from the Canadian Society for Education Through Art (CSEA). I decided today to not attend the awards in Fredericton for a few reasons. One, it is really far from here, two, connections are bad because I am booking so late, three my friend Wanda Underhill has a big event at her new gallery and four I have been away from home too much lately. And of course money is always a factor. Plus, I want to make some art. Here is one of the images that they will show on the powerpoint when my award is announced.

Bird - by Liam Grade 2

Hanging by a Thread

2011-10-05T20:42:00.000-05:00

This is a new piece of mine. I used my print of a nest and my sewing machine to create a very interesting textured piece. It is part of my series that comments on the current economic crisis. The piece will be included in an exhibition at Open Studio in Toronto in December. I love the paper that I printed on. I bought it in Budapest and just love the texture. A similar piece will be included in an exhibition at Cube Gallery, Ottawa in December.

Christmas Smalls Show VII

2011-10-03T19:29:00.000-05:00

New upcoming exhibition. Today I got word that I will be in an exhibition in Ottawa in December. I will be including several nests and a few tulips.

Details below

Christmas Smalls Show VII
Nov 29-Dec 31, 2011
Group Exhibition
Cube Gallery
1285 Wellington St. W. Ottawa, Canada

Curated by Don Monet

New Nest

2011-09-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

I painted this nest on raw wood. Loved making it. Painting on raw wood is a little like investing in the stock market, one wrong move and the thing is ruined. I however was successful, no major mistakes.

Tear Collecting

2011-09-17T17:14:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of the tear jars I am going to be exhibiting in my show next March in Saskatoon.

March/April 2012
Museum of Antiquities - University of Saskatchewan Campus
Room 116 College Building
107 Administration Place
Saskatoon, Canada

Curated by Tracene Harvey and Anneka Drinkwater

For more information on the exhibition, collecting tears and or participating go to TearRoom Project.

Book Installation

2011-09-17T13:55:00.000-05:00

If you were to drive by my house you would think that I am moving somewhere. The carport is covered with boxes. Inside the boxes are books. Hundreds of books. I am doing an installation of books next summer for an art exhibition. I am using books pointing backwards (spines in) to make an comment on the current change towards books without pages. The concept of turning a page is changing as the digital book becomes more popular. I am going to take the books and make them into manageable cubes so that they can be installed easily along an entire wall in the gallery, with no spaces between the books. I am getting the books from the library discards. They are the really super old, nobody wants them books, or the damaged ones (spines broken, covers missing, water damaged). It doesn't matter to me if they are damaged for the concept that I have. Some of the books have that really old smell that is so unique to used bookstores and libraries. I am not even close to the number of books I need yet and I also need to McGuyver some way to hold them together in small groups. It should be an interesting challenge for the winter as will be the storage issue. I have faith that both will work out.

Bulb - Altered Book

2011-09-17T13:47:00.001-05:00

This is an altered book so those of you that really love books might cringe when you see what I have done. I got this book at the World Tulip Summit in Mount Vernon, Washington State in 2010. The book is abut the history of bulb growing in that area. I was intrigued with the number of times the same word "bulb" appeared. So I used it in the following piece of artwork. I cut strips from the pages that had that word and placed a print of a bulb behind the cut outs. Orginally there were so many strips with the word bulb that you couldn't see the print so I removed enough so that you can tell it is a bulb but it is not fully visible. This piece will be part of my exhibition (Evince) next summer.

Nest - Protection

2011-09-17T09:37:00.001-05:00

This is a new piece. The image does not give you all the subtle details of grey and white. Nor the super small lines that are within the nest. The title is protection and one side of the canvas is purposely darker to symbolize the things that our "nest" protects us from.

Love Locks Sculpture - Canada - A Time Line

2011-09-16T10:41:00.002-05:00

I put together some documentation about my Love Locks sculpture for a proposal and put it into a sort of timeline. So I have uploaded it. The sculpture has been such fun to create because of the public participation element and because it is about loving each other.

Another Nest called "Balance"

2011-09-14T20:18:00.000-05:00

So I created another nest this one called "Balance". It is huge 60 x 72". It is a triptych. I had to photograph it on the easel because I don't have a wall large enought to display it. I had so much fun making it. I had to use my entire body to move through the long twigs that make up the nest.

The series has a new display location and date

May/June 2013

The Meewasin Valley Center Gallery, Saskatoon

Another Nest - Shelter

2011-09-12T09:18:00.000-05:00

Here is another nest for the series Nest - Nest Egg -Empty Nest.

Nest - Nest Egg - Empty Nest : Exhibition at Rouge Gallery next May

2011-09-09T14:33:00.003-05:00

As part of my Artist in Residence with the Potash Corp Children's Festival I will be exhibiting my series Nest - Nest Egg - Empty Nest at Rouge Gallery. I will get more images on the website as soon as I can. Bought new canvas today to paint more nests.

Artist in Residence - Northern Saskatchewan Children's Festival 2012

2011-09-08T20:00:00.001-05:00

I will be Artist in Residence for the 2012 Saskatchewan Children's Festival, June 3 - 6, 2012. The focus will be on my new series Nest - Nest Egg - Empty Nest.

More on projects that I will be doing with the children will be posted in future months.

http://www.saskatchewanchildrensfestival.ca/

TearRoom Project - Museum of Antiquities

2011-09-08T19:54:00.000-05:00

The TearRoom Project

March/April 2012

Museum of Antiquities - University of Saskatchewan Campus

Room 116 College Building

107 Administration Place
Saskatoon, Canada

Curated by Tracene Harvey and Anneka Drinkwater

I am collecting human tears. If you would like to participate contact me.

Photo credit: Trint Thomas

"Surrender", and 3 photos by Trint Thomas

2011-09-05T22:09:00.002-05:00

You bet something new for me!!!!! My son and I spent three days taking photos of the Lighthouse Park Area in August to submit to a group show at the West Vancouver Memorial Library. My piece "Surrender" was accepted. It was a wonderful three days spent in the parks on the north shore of Vancouver and with my incredibly talented and creative son. I found this white feather on the rock and all I could think of is that the animals in this world have to surrender to us because they have no way to fight back. The call for exhibition asked for work that dealt with: the the fragility and diversity of the parks, hence my calling to "Surrender".

My son had three of his photos selected for exhibition. I am so excited to be in an exhibition with him.

"Surrender"

12 x 18"

West Vancouver Memorial Library

November 5 - January 8, 2012

Opening Event: November 6, 2011

Lighthouse Park http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/lighthouse-park/

Here are the three photos that my son took that are in the exhibition as well.

Ink Transfer - text on nests

2011-09-05T20:26:00.000-05:00

The other thing I have been working on is text on top of nests that were created using an ink transfer technique.

Economic Transfer

ink transfer and pencil on paper

22 x 30"

Home

ink transfer and pencil on paper

22 x 30"

Nest Egg - Home

2011-09-05T20:02:00.003-05:00

Here is another piece in the Nest Egg series. The detailing in the stenciled letters on the background is not visible in the photo. I so enjoyed creating this today.

detail shots of stenciling of text

Nest Egg - Security

2011-09-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

I just finished a very large painting with the main image of a nest. On the piece I have included the words nest and security. I just love it. It is a bit of a break away from my normal style in that I was splashing and splattering paint on the canvas. It was fun and sort of freeing from my normal style.

Nest Egg - Economics

2011-09-03T22:46:00.001-05:00

The following four pieces are part of my Nest - Nest Egg- Empty Nest series. These pieces use bank statements to enhance the nest and create a dialogue in the viewers mind between the titles and the numbers that appear in the nest spaces. The nests are red as most people in this time in history live in "the red", living in the black seems to be a thing of the past for most people. My daughter is studying economics at university and the vocabulary she uses intrigues me. The medium used is ink, bank statements and pencil crayon on paper.

Budget Line

Ecomonic Growth

Income Distribution

Stocks

SaskCrea8

2011-08-30T12:41:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-27T18:28:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-22T23:17:00.000-05:00

This is another concertina sketchbook for my Evince series.

Nest Egg - Concertina Sketchbook

2011-08-22T23:10:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-19T19:25:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-11T18:43:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-11T18:43:00.000-05:00

"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

2011-08-11T18:42:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-09T21:24:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-08T17:17:00.001-05:00

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.

"Crossing the Line" - Another in the series

2011-08-08T16:55:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite pieces in the series. I just love the soft leather of these gloves. The orginal gloves are orange with a brown cuff when you turn over. They are absolutely gorgeous. I love the concept of one colour for the world to see and another that is just your own.

Copper Coloured Gloves

2011-08-08T14:12:00.000-05:00

"Moments"- another in the "Living Inside and Outside the Box" series

2011-08-07T23:56:00.000-05:00

Here is the last one for tonight. The coming together of hands in prayer or in joy can be powerful.

Looking Forward - New Print in the series "Inside and Outside the Box"

2011-08-07T23:43:00.000-05:00

Here is another print in the series. My daughter was model for most of the glove pieces.

"Living Inside the Box" hot off the press

2011-08-02T15:28:00.000-05:00

Here is the third one in the series.

Holding On and Turning the Corner

2011-08-01T23:04:00.000-05:00

Two new prints, hot off the press. These pieces were inspired by my trip to Hungary where I toured a glove factory. The first two completed in the series of 10 are "Turning the Corner" and "Holding On". The colour on the gloves is created using a technique called Chine Colle. It is a piece of paper adhered to the paper and then the print is created over it. I like to challenge myself so not only do I need to get the ink correct but I also have a registration (lining up the print) challenge like no other. It is really really hard to do but I was quite successful. Here they are. I am off tomorrow to look for black paper and a few other colours to add to the collection.

They are part of a larger collection called "Living Inside and Outside the Box". This series was inspired by a visit to the Gant Glove Factory in Pécs, Hungary. It was in watching the unnamed artists create gloves through handstitching, stretching of leather and matching of colour that I began to think about how there are so many places and times in life where we have to fit into the box make things exactlyhow they are to be and at other times we can live a little outside the box. I am a school teacher (elementary Fine Arts) and sometimes feel that I live inside and outside the box of creating. I am somewhat limited in what I can create because of the profession that I am in.

"Love Locks" papier mache sculptures and metal sculpture

2011-07-30T17:33:00.000-05:00

First Columns in Ottawa Citizen Newspaper

2011-07-30T09:12:00.000-05:00

Video Interview Ottawa Citizen

2011-07-29T13:33:00.000-05:00

Here is a clip from the Ottawa Citizen. My interview is the second one in the segment.

Eco-Column Interview

It's a Family Effort

2011-07-28T10:51:00.000-05:00

Below is an image of a sign that was created for the Rideau Canal Festival. It was a group effort between my son and I. We run a company called Tipping Point Graphics. He is a very talented designer and layed out the graphic for the park on the sign in the image.

First Columns Decorated by Children

2011-07-28T10:49:00.000-05:00

I am back at my hotel waiting for some signs to upload to the printers ftp so will post pictures of the first decorated column. The family was so much fun.

Love Locks Again

2011-07-28T10:48:00.000-05:00

My papier mache love locks sculptures are beside the canal again in Ottawa. Here are some images. The bright coloured padlocks below are for the little people to decorate in the workshops that I am giving.

"Love Locks" Sculpture, Ottawa Locks, Canada

2011-07-27T22:49:00.001-05:00

You bet the "Love Locks" sculpture is back again, in Ottawa, Canada!!! The sculpture looks fantastic along the Ottawa Locks. Come down and attach your lock. Here are some photos. Thanks to Westmount Moving for bringing the heart to the locks today.

I am also doing an art installation with the children that come to the Rideau Canal Festival. We are decorating 100 columns with environmental and historical images. 100 columns represents the 100 years of Parks Canada. I am also doing 100 silohettes of padlocks with children along the Ottawa Locks. It will be a busy few days. The images below are of volunteers helping to paint the columns. Thanks to Randall's Paint, Ottawa for the donation of mistints for painting the columns.

Book Making

2011-07-26T08:14:00.001-05:00

Just finished the box for a large concertina sketckbook, it measures 18 x 12". It is a tulip field inside the book and a collage of some tulip prints of mine on the outside of the box. The box is tied with leftover ribbon from the event with the dignitaries from the Great Wall of China, the ribbon was used on the padlocks of my Love Lock sculpture in Ottawa last year.

"Love Locks" Sculpture is Blue Again

2011-07-26T07:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I repainted the "Love Locks" sculpture blue again. It will be installed today on the Rideau Canal.

Thanks to the following sponsors for getting the heart here from Saskatoon and for putting on more loops to hold more locks.

More gloves, more life inside and outside the box

2011-07-17T22:02:00.000-05:00

Three new proofs for glove linocuts today. I am having so much fun with this glove concept.

"Love Locks" Sculpture in Ottawa, Canada July 26th

2011-07-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

Starting July 26th the Love Locks Sculpture will once again be in Ottawa. It will be blue again and ready for people to attach a "love lock" to. Here is a link to the sculpture and its adventures in Saskatoon Link Here is a link to the sculptures progress last year in Ottawa Link. Thanks to all of those that have participated in the creation of this sculpture.

Living Inside and Outside the Box

2011-07-16T21:57:00.000-05:00

All kinds of new stuff happening. Here are the links, explanations are on the webpages. I will also put a few images below.

Living Inside and Outside the Box

Nest/Nest Egg/Empty Nest

Progress

2011-05-29T18:51:00.000-05:00

Here is a new image of progress on the snowboarding piece. There are many more layers to go but the underpainting is going well and the phototransfers seem to have worked.

Painting Progress

2011-05-09T12:27:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of images of the painting in progress.

Photo transfers

2011-05-04T22:45:00.000-05:00

I worked on Mandi's hand today and got the phototransfer images ready to go. The poem I am putting over the trees is.....

Kissing

Come hither, womankind and all their worth,

Give me thy kisses as I call them forth.

Give me the billing kiss, that of the dove,

A kiss of love;

The melting kiss, a kiss that doth consume

To a perfume;

The extract kiss, of every sweet a part,

A kiss of art;

The kiss which ever stirs some new delight,

A kiss of might;

The twaching smacking kiss, and when you cease,

A kiss of peace;

The music kiss, crochet-and-quaver time;

The kiss of rhyme;

The kiss of eloquence, which doth belong

Unto the tongue;

The kiss of all the sciences in one,

The kiss alone.

So, ‘tis enough.

Edward Herbert, Lord Cherbury 1583-1648

CD illustrations and graphics

2011-05-03T21:26:00.000-05:00

I am working on the illustrations and graphics for a Mike and Ally Music. Here is what I have played with tonight. This is of course for the actual CD not the cover. The album is called "Welcome to the Treehouse". I will be created the illustrations using a linocut technique and possibly incorporating some paper marbling.

First Day on the Blog

2011-05-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog to those out there in cyber space. This blog will be your link to what is going on in my studio. I will try and post images as often as I remember to.
I am currently working on a large scale piece of my son the snowboarder. The piece is inspired by the painting "The Kiss" by Francesco Hayez. See link.

I am using a similar positioning with my son and his girlfriend as a symbol for how the modern athlete has taken on the role of hero that long ago was the warrior. I intend to do a six part series on this concept. The image uploaded is the underpainting that I did today. The atmospheric perspective in the background is the goal for this week.

I am also working on a 500 edition print for the Catholic Schools 100th anniversary celebration. I have created 7 different printing blocks and am printing the pieces on mulberry paper.