The Cheese Stands Alone

accepted: Digital photo 16×24 ©2014 Christie Thomas

This was the only piece accepted at this year’s Ohio State Fair. I am super glad that I got this in, but I was very disappointed that my butterfly print collage didn’t make it. I was joking with a friend that perhaps it wasn’t “dark” enough, and perhaps if the butterflies were bloody the judge might have liked it better. So, after I went through the stages of rejection: disbelief, sadness, confusion, & self doubt, I made it to humor. Then I took it to the frame shop and treated myself to a super kick-ass frame with non reflective glass and everything! Take that fair judge! 😉

rejected at the fair… 20×30 hand cut linoleum block printed butterflies, chine-colle, watercolor, metallic pigment, watercolor board, rice paper, origami paper, watercolor paper May 2014 ©Christie Thomas

A Mother’s Love

I decided to crank out something made by hand in addition to my photos to submit to the fair. This ended up being a lot more than my original idea, but I guess that is how my artwork usually progresses. Somehow, my idea of wanting a minimalistic piece (kind of like a Japanese print) never stays that way, like it is too simple or I just didn’t work hard enough on it. I think the only reason it stopped here is because the deadline was a few hours away. All the butterflies are linoleum block prints. I cut 6 different plates and used them in a variety of ways. There are printed butterflies on rice paper, watercolor paintings, and chine-collé. Some of them were brushed with iridescent powdered pigments before drying. They were all hand cut and glued on top of watercolor on board. It is 20×30″. I am really happy with it. It still needs to be framed. If you are not familiar with chine-collé, it is a process in printmaking where additional thinner pieces of paper, sometimes hand cut to fit certain shapes, are added between the plate and the final piece of paper. Glue, paste, flour, or just pressure keep the papers attached.

A Little Help From My Friends, Please?

Hi Everyone! Sorry I have been absent lately. It is the end of the school year. It is a pleasant time I like to call “hell”. In addition to the myriad of activities I am involved in at my children’s school (which I really love, but all at the same time is craziness) the deadline for the Fine Arts Competition at the Ohio State Fair is in a little over a week. I collected some photos I might like to submit. It is $10 per submission so I only want to do a couple. I was hoping you could let me know the photo(s) you prefer and help me narrow my choices! Thank you in advance for your time and consideration!!!

 

 

Love Comes Naturally

We got to see this beautiful, sweet baby boy cow born yesterday. He needed a little assistance from the vet since many people were surrounding the mother. I can only imaging that is a bit distracting. The vet said she would have been fine alone, but with all the commotion she stood up after almost delivering him, creating a bit of an unnatural situation. But with a little help, out he came, then his mom immediately tended to his wellbeing, licking and loving him. He nuzzled her back and the love was just so sweet and beautiful. It was by far the best part of the day. Miracles happen every day. I don’t know his name yet. Maybe it is Augustus? I know the mother loved her baby. I know I fell in love with him.

 

My Feet Hurt

This is the view from the skyride at the Ohio State Fair. We spent 10.5 hours at the fair today. Whew! I love the fair so much! There is so much to see and do, and then some. Today my friend won 2 blue ribbons and a white one for cooking contests. We ate yummy food, rode rides, bought socks, shoes and fudge. (I wore inapproprite shoes even though I know better). We saw and petted lots of animals (a myriad of chickens, horses, & cows). The best part of the day was seeing a baby cow born. I have photos, and will post tomorrow. I am writing this on my phone, in my bed, by a fan, Olympics on, kids reading, and my feet are like throbbong cartoons. So if this looks weird, I apologize, its very different blogging on a phone, but I really would like to keep my streak of a daily post longer than a couple of days. More to come tomorrow!!

I Love the Fair!

Here is my daughter flying through the air on a spinning ride at the Franklin County Fair. I love the fair. I love all fairs. Tomorrow we are going to the Ohio State Fair. We already spent 7 hours there on opening day last week. I can’t spin (barf), but my kids love it! The amount of great things to do at the Ohio State Fair is unbelievable. If only I had an air-conditioned jumpsuit to wear. This year I even have a painting in the Fine Arts Building. It is really exciting! There is some amazing art from some amazing Ohio artists at the Fair. My Dad would be proud. Here is a photo of my painting. “F is for Flower”.