Sue Clancy's Blog, page 58
July 10, 2016
inner youtube-ing
As readers of my blog know I’m working on a pop-up book titled “A Fish Story”. Eventually (when the book is finished) I’ll submit it to the 23 Sandy Gallery – the gallery owner has asked for videos of our pop-up books because of the active movable parts – a juror needs to see it in…action. So I thought I’d better practice the whole “do a video of an artist book thing”. Here is a link to a youtube video of one my artist books titled “Coffee Beans Plus H2o” – used as a practice baby-step. Fair warning: there will be more practice “video-a-book” attempts in the future. Deep breath…here goes…
July 9, 2016
a fish story progressing dangerously
As I’ve been sharing on my blog today – www.sueclancy.com – I’m working on a pop-up book titled “A Fish Story”. In the photos below I’m living dangerously; I’m taking my now-dry pages and binding them carefully so that the parts that make the movable pop-up parts will be hidden – but will still allow for movement. In one of the photos you can see some of the hidden works before it’s hidden. I call the binding “living dangerously” because I’ve spent months at hand making each page so one slip of my knife now, or a mistake with the binding, and a page is dead! Some people sky dive or bungee cord jump or visit with elderly relatives… me, I bind a pop-up book. Whew!
Living dangerously and binding a pop-up book titled “A Fish Story” by Sue Clancy
A few of the dry pages from the pop-up book “A Fish Story” by Sue Clancy
more fish story progress
As I posted to my http://www.sueclancy.com blog a bit ago I’m working on a pop-up book titled “A Fish Story”. Here is another photo of some freshly made (caught?) page spreads; the page at the top has a fishing line that moves, the page at the bottom has a fish that moves. In the photo I’m checking to see that the movable parts still move even after swimming in all that glue!
Two page spreads from an in-progress pop-up book “A Fish Story” by Sue Clancy
a fish story in progress
For several months now I’ve been working on a pop-up artist book titled “A Fish Story”. Here are a few pages with freshly glued down cut paper shapes. In the photo I’m checking to see if the pop-up movable parts still move. The page spread at the top of the photo has an actual fishing-line that moves. The page spread at the bottom has a map that folds out. Not pictured are the months I’ve spent writing the story, designing the book layout, sketching the illustration/artwork, dyeing the handmade papers then cutting (out of that dyed paper) all of the various shapes that make up the book’s story.
Two page spreads from an in-progress pop-up book “A Fish Story” by Sue Clancy
July 8, 2016
the trumpet illustrated
Here’s another flash fiction writing effort – with an illustration by me of course.
The Trumpet (Story and illustration by Sue Clancy)
Billy had very good hearing. He heard someone walking towards him on the sidewalk. But he didn’t look up. He was busy with his toy cars, trucks and animals.
“That’s a Marmota Monax” said an old man pointing to one small brown stuffed animal sitting on top of a fire truck. Billy looked up from the toys around him on the ground. It was Mr. Haan the volunteer librarian at the natural history museum. Mr. Haan held his ear trumpet one end in his ear the other wider end pointed at Billy so he could hear in case Billy said something.
But Billy didn’t say anything. Billy stared.
A little blue bird flew up and perched on the old man’s shoulder and while Billy watched the bird hopped to the edge of the trumpet and began to sing. Mr. Haan smiled through his white beard, laughed, and bent down again to Billy and the toys on the ground. “Yes sir, that’s a Marmota Monax alright.” He looked at Billy while positioning his ear trumpet expectantly, the blue bird happily hovering in the air just above his head.
Billy still didn’t say anything and looked at the device pressed against the old man’s ear. It was shiny and green and shaped like a funnel or maybe like a metal ice cream cone. Billy liked ice cream cones. Chocolate was his favorite flavor. The ear trumpet glinted in the sunlight. “Wasn’t that a cold thing to put in your ear?” Billy wondered to himself. Mr. Haan smelled as he always did at the museum; like old books and blueberries. Blueberry ice cream is good too.
Lowering the ear trumpet, putting it in the pocket of his brown tweed jacket Mr. Haan smiled again “That’s a very nice Marmota Monax you’ve got there” he said pointing again at the stuffed animal. Then he continued walking down the sidewalk laughing, his blue bird flying after him, landing on his head, flying high again, perching on his shoulder, then up in the air, singing loudly the whole while.
Billy watched Mr. Haan thinking “What did he say? Something about a Mom-otter-moan-axe? What is that? And why did he keep pointing to Mister Groundhog?”
illustration by Sue Clancy to go with a flash fiction story “The Trumpet” also by Sue Clancy
July 6, 2016
de wine inspiration
As readers of my blog and facebook posts know I recently had an art exhibit opening at Burnt Bridge Cellars http://www.burntbridgecellars.com/ a winery in Vancouver Washington. The wine inspired some new art… You see, during the opening party the sunlight streamed in through the large windows opposite the tasting room bar. In between talking with people I enjoyed watching the sunlight play on the wine as it poured from the bottle into the glasses. So over the next day or so I experimented with paper marbling techniques in an attempt to “catch” my memory of the light on pouring red wine. Eventually I had a pleasing-enough pattern design. Here is my pattern – and here’s a photo of a scarf I made with it that I’ve titled “Red Wine Pouring”. You can get that scarf – or view my entire art-apparel collection here: http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/sue-clancy
A pattern design by Sue Clancy inspired by red Wine being poured at Brunt Bridge Cellars.
Scarf with a pattern design by Sue Clancy titled “Red Wine Pouring” http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/sue-clancy
June 28, 2016
finding artistic inspiration
People tend to think of “wealth” as things they have yet to acquire rather than things they already have. Similarly people think of “artistic inspiration” as some grand life-changing event rather than a learned-and-practiced way of looking at ordinary life.
I had an art professor in college who would talk, after class was over, of various practical aspects of the business of being a professional artist. He would say “If you can’t find artistic inspiration, something utterly fascinating to you, something you are curious about exploring using art techniques, in your own room, in your own yard, in your own life – then you won’t last long as an artist. So collect every inspiration you have, keep careful notes of what piques your interest no matter how small, protect and pursue these interests passionately, and you’ll have a life-long career as an artist.”
Here’s a fascinating pattern I found in my backyard – which I’m “keeping” for some unknown-at-this-moment future use.
A fascinating pattern I saw of small white dew “dots” on larger green clover “dots” on a darker green-brown ground.
June 27, 2016
wine plus art again!
This Friday July 1st at Burnt Bridge Cellars http://www.burntbridgecellars.com/ the winery will be pouring some of their SF International Wine Competition award winning wines! Wahoo! Congrats Burnt Bridge! Oh yes and 20 of my fine art pieces will be hanging on the wall! So after we each get a glass of wine we might look something like this:
First Luncheon Of The Ladies With Red Hats by Sue Clancy
June 24, 2016
designed by sue clancy
My first official “Signature Collection” of scarves, pocket squares and tops has just gone “live”: http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/sue-clancy – and I’m excited! By allowing my artwork to be “licensed” you get fun stuff to wear and I get to play with pattern creation (the patterns I make on paper for use in my fine art, and my fine art itself) in yet another fun way; by designing apparel!
I’m collaborating with VIDA, http://shopvida.com/, a new kind of fashion ecommerce company that connects artists like me all over the world with producers to bring our artwork to life. For every product sold VIDA will provide the gift of literacy… you can see more about that on the website link above!
Here are some teaser pics of a couple of my designs – there are many more images of my new designs at http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/sue-clancy :
Pattern design by Sue Clancy for VIDA http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/sue-clancy
Pattern design using artwork by Sue Clancy for VIDA http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/sue-clancy
June 22, 2016
books music and Ivan
Due to popular demand from my friends who live in far-flung places but knew about my current exhibit (a prior post re – https://sueclancy.com/2016/05/31/fine-art-and-fine-wine/) – here are a few of my artworks currently on exhibit at Burnt Bridge Cellars www.burntbridgecellars.com via Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com :
