Open Studio Lamentations & Celebrations

Last month I got the idea to have an Open Studio this May 19th & 20th.  I've been working on it nonstop since then.  It's way more work than I remembered, way more than the one other time I did this. It's been interesting and if nothing else it's the best spring cleaning my studio has had since I moved in 19 years ago. 

Joy Kreves Studio, 54 Montague Ave., Ewing, NJ 08628  www.joykreves.com

I'm showing a large variety of work from the past 5 years or so, in the multiple media I work in:  ceramics, painting, linocuts, art jewelry and mixed media.  The studio show comes on the tail of an artist profile Pat Summers wrote about me.  It was an interesting process to work with her on that.  Pat tried to visit my "Digging Dandelions" show a few years ago at The Bridgton House, but did not succeed in finding the Inn that is located immediately next to the  Milford, NJ-Upper Black Eddy, Pa bridge.  This encouraged me to put up some of the dandelion linocut rubbings and paintings left from that show in which I explored these primitive reptiles of the floral world. Dandelions worked their way into my newest artwork finished just in time for this show too,  a large mixed media wall assemblage titled "Hand of Nature".

Waterfall Detail, HAND OF NATURE, ©Joy Kreves 2012

I also just completed and hung up "Nightingale's Song" which is the 2nd ceramic painting in my series of "Landscapes Bronzed For Posterity". 

Detail, NIGHTINGALE'S SONG, ©Joy Kreves 2012

I've put up my entire recent series of twelve "Earth-Brain Events" which are small lamentations on the dramatic climate change that we and our earth are experiencing.  Four of those were shown recently in a show at The Princeton Brain & Spine Care Institute's ArtTimesTwo Gallery but the rest are making their debut. 

FLOOD LAMENTATION from EARTH-BRAIN EVENTS ©Joy Kreves 2012

During this furious spring cleaning I discovered that I have several rolls of generic white drawing paper I didn't know about, and I re-discovered two old drawings.  Those were done on parts of two giant rolls of paper I'd bought from my college drawing professor.  It was the best paper I ever used, made in France, with one creamy white side smooth and the other with a slight tooth.  I tried to find more of it at some point, but he must have bought it on some closeout because nobody could match it. It was perfect paper; it held up to heavy erasure drawing, hung tightly onto the graphite powder I was using liberally then, and it was heavy with enough body to make a great deckled edge tear.  I haven't drawn much since.  Perhaps that is because I have to mourn the absence of that paper each time I draw now.

In spite of my climate lamentations and paper mourning, I think my studio looks pretty upbeat, though.  My work basically celebrates the earth's bounty.  For example, "Hand of Nature" is an environment that is part of my ceramic waterfall series, and it includes two of them!  Much of the  "MyMuse" art jewelry incorporates ceramic beads I impressed from my spring loves of dogwood flowers and maple seedlings.  

MyMuse Pink Dogwood Necklace ©Joy Kreves 2012

I hope studio visitors will see that I am really having a blast and will join me in celebrating this richness that our earth provides as they browse my creations. 

Viewers interested in attending can see additional information on the EVENTS page page of my website and can contact me through the CONTACT page there:  www.joykreves.com .  Another option is to contact me on my facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/JoyKrevesArtStudio .  Please click "Like" on that page if you do!