The Day's Ending

by Jo Reimer

The Day's Ending
16 x 20"
mixed fibers, fabric collage, stitching
by Jo Reimer

At the beginning of each year I spend a bit of time like many of you, reminding myself that indeed I accomplished a lot last year, and I think about what I hope to do with the time I'm given in this new year. I set loose goals but I don't obsess about it now that my intention isn't about racing with myself to see how much more and better I can work.  

This year I'm determined to clear out more of the nooks and crannies of my home and pass the things I won't be using to others who might. I started with the shelves of fabric stored in my studio closet, and lo and behold I found two mostly half-done fiber pieces. I was inspired to see what I could do with them. I've always loved sunsets (and sunrises) and these held promise. So I finished them both and they're now ready to sell.

Working on these two pieces for a good part of the last two days reminded me once again why I've fallen in love with the immediacy of painting and collage.  I could have done each of these works tons faster with a brush or glue pot.  And my back wouldn't hurt as it does after hours at the sewing machine.

The Day's Ending 2
14 x 18"
mixed fibers, fabric collage, stitching
by Jo Reimer

Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving... a story and a recipe

Pecan Pie
photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

About 16 years ago we were invited to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter and son-in-law and go to his parents' home for dinner. My contribution was to be my famous (in the family) pecan pie, two of them.  However, we were driving from Portland to Seattle a couple of days before Thanksgiving and I didn't want to make the pies too early, so I gathered the ingredients and a couple of pie pans and off we went.
 
On T-day morning I set to work in the kitchen only to discover that one of the pie pans was one from a local pie shop, a pan manufactured with perforations in the bottom which the shop had used to keep the crust from getting soggy. I had never used this pie pan but thought it might work just fine to keep my crust nice and crip.  One certainly doesn't want to show up at a good cook's house with a pie with a soft crust!
 
I made my pie dough, rolled it out, and lined my pans with the dough and made the usual fluted edge.  I cooked the filling and poured the hot filling into the crust and quickly popped the pies into the oven. 

Yep, you guessed it. 

It wasn't long before we smelled something burning.  The hot filling melted the butter in the crusts and the whole mess was running out the holes in the bottom of that pie pan and spreading across the bottom of the oven. 
 
I cried. I laughed. My family laughed at me, and then rushed to help me recover. We scurried to cool and clean the oven. I returned the good pie to the oven and tossed the ruins of the other one... and showed up with only one pie since we had no ingredients to make another at the last minute.

My reputation as an exceptional pie baker was only slightly tarnished because one thing this family likes better than pecan pie is a good story.
 
I've been asked to bring two pies to my daughter's house on Thanksgiving Day, one pecan and one pumpkin.  I'll use glass pie pans.
 
Here's my Thanksgiving gift for you....

NOVELLA WHITE’S PECAN PIE

1 c. dark Karo                                   

3/4 c. sugar                                      
3 eggs, slightly beaten                   
3 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
1 c. pecans, broken, plus a few halves to decorate the top.
 

Line pie plate with pastry.

Boil syrup and sugar together about 3 minutes.  Pour slowly over eggs, stirring well.  Add butter, vanilla, and nuts.  Turn into pie shell.

 

Bake in moderate oven, 375°,  50 minutes or until done.  Pie will be done when completely puffed across top.

 

Sometimes I toss a big handful of chocolate chips into the crust before I pour the filling in, making this a Chocolate Pecan Pie.

 

Novella was the mother of my childhood best friend as and made the world's best pecan pie. After I moved away and returned to visit there'd be a pecan pie waiting on her kitchen table. The ingredients are not so different than most but the method is slightly different in that the syrup and sugar are boiled first and then poured ever so slowly and carefully into the eggs. That cooks the eggs a bit before it all goes into the oven.

I wish I had a picture of MY pie for you but I haven't made my pies yet.  The pumpkin pie recipe I use is the one on the Libby's label.

I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Collecting Art

by Jo Reimer

The Quilting Bee
by Jo Reimer
25.5 x 23.75 x 2.5 inches
plaster, wax, acrylic on cradled panel

 

The Quilting Bee - detail

Several decades ago I started collecting original art pieces to replace an embroidered wall hanging I had made for my dining room. The art works were small and most were trades with friends that reflected the strong craft interests of the Pacific Northwest... embroideries, weavings, and pottery. These handmade pieces were special, one of a kind, different than the mass-produced decor in stores, and they somehow seemed to have a life of their own.  I was hooked. 

As I could afford I bought small works, originals that showed the hand of the maker. None were purchased as investments but because I knew the maker and liked the work and wanted to live with it.  I traded with other artists.

It's still like that for me. I've bought a few larger pieces which I loved then and still do, but most works I own are fairly small. When we moved to a home with big walls I hung handmade quilts and un-quilted tops which filled the big spaces quite well and reflected my growing interest in making and collecting quilts. 

I seldom change out the pieces that hang in our living spaces. Once they're hung they stay there because I like to live with the work. Some of the early purchases have been stored because my taste has changed somewhat, but I do love covering the walls with original art and setting my table with handmade ceramics. 

A couple of years ago I hosted an Open Studio and I took down all the art by others that hung in the public rooms of our home and put up my own art. I liked that a lot. It was fun to see what I had made and to talk about it with visitors.

Some pieces by other artists have crept back onto my living room walls and as I look around I realize that there's a theme going on: it's all about landscape. 

I made the two tree plaster pieces which hang over the fireplace. (My son wants them but he'll only get them over my dead body.)  One of Randall Tipton's pieces, Deep Forest Shallow Pond, is about trees and water. A large painting by Hannah Greaver over the sofa is beach grass at sunset. I've had that one 20 years.  A newish plaster piece by Deanna Lautenbach is a tree silhouette, a gift from my husband. A small pastel by Marla Bagetta is behind my husband's chair.  The quilt that hangs in the entry is one I made about 15 years ago... it's about trees, as are the three small quilts in the back hallway which depict 3 different varieties of Japanese maples that lived in our back garden. I can't get enough of these favorite pieces; they've aged well and are important to both of us.

So what is my advice to you about art on your walls?

• Build your collection slowly and carefully.
• Buy one very nice piece rather than three or four small works.
• Don't be concerned about whether the artist has a 'name' or not. If you like his/her work, buy it, thinking about your personal connection to the piece, not about increasing value. Most doesn't increase in value.
• If you like an artist's work but don't see a piece that appeals to you in the gallery, call the artist and ask if you can visit her studio to choose a piece.
• If the price is too steep for the piece you want ask the artist or the gallery about payments over time, but don't push for a discount.
• Sometimes an artist will do a commission. Know what you want and communicate clearly with the artist but leave him the freedom to work from his heart.
• If the work is unframed you might ask the artist for his suggestion about what type of frame and for a reference to a good local frame shop.
• Keep the frame simple so the work shows off well.

Consider starting a collection for family members, for special occasions. A work of art makes a personal and welcome gift. My daughter and grandchildren have nice collections started to which I will add over the years.

Please read this excellent piece on why we invest in artists by Rebekah Joy Plett.

Questions, comments and advice for others  about this topic are welcome; please leave a comment below.

If you want to add a piece of my artwork to your own collection you can click on the link below, "Available Work" to go to my Flickr album where many pieces are shown. Most art that I feature on this blog is available for purchase whether I've indicated so or not.  Just ask.

AVAILABLE WORK

Marking the day

by Jo Reimer

Two and Six
Collage on cradled canvas
5 x 5 x 1.25"

Today, September 26, is my birthday. These little collages seem to be a good way to mark a special day, don't you think?

Seven and Four
Collage on cradled canvas
5 x 5 x 1.25

Having several numbers as collages gives me lots of ideas of how they could be used, especially as sort of a calendar to mark the days.

Available Work, including the above pieces

 

Making New Friends

by Jo Reimer

back row: Randall, Celeste
front: Jo, Cathleen, Annie, Carol

Last week Randall Tipton and Carol Marine invited a few Oregon artists for brunch and to meet one another. Carol and her family recently moved to Eugene, OR after their Texas home was leveled by fire.

What a fun time we had getting acquainted.  By the time a couple of hours had passed you'd have thought we'd been friends for ages.

Celeste Bergin lives in Portland and loves to paint en plein aire.
Cathleen Rehfeld lives in Hood River and also paints plein aire and teaches at  the Columbia Center for the arts.
Annie Salness is a studio artist who lives just a few blocks from me but our paths hadn't crossed.

Click on each name above to access their blogs and treat yourself to seeing some mighty fine art.

What's Going On?

by Jo Reimer

What's Going On?

 This piece is 30" x 10", collage on canvas.

Strips of words, painted papers and a few appropriated images from current publications show the chaos of society... the layers of conversation, opinions, stress, and moments of calm which reflect today's life. 

I used acrylic medium to adhere the papers to canvas which had been coated with heavy gel medium. I went back in with a tacking iron to make sure all was firmly glued in place.

Available Work

Summer Day, a painting

by Jo Reimer

Summer Day
acrylic, ink, paper, 12 x 12 panel

I've been having a grand time taking half-done paintings and seeing how I can resurrect them. Like this one.  I loved the hot colors but simply couldn't seem to figure out how to make anything of it.  Finally I simply started playing, adding and subtracting elements. This is the result. It looks great in a simple black frame.

Available Paintings

Numbers and Strips, a collage series

by Jo Reimer

NUMBERS, a series
Collage
5" x 5" x 1.25"

As summer winds down I realize that it's time to return to blogging. Taking nearly three months off was good for me but since I enjoy writing and have actually made some art I figure it's time for some show and tell.

Working with the idea of strips, bands, stripes, slices led me to experimenting on a smaller scale, working on 5" x 5" cradled canvases. I discovered some things that might interest the collage artists among you.

Canvas isn't the best surface for collage. Save canvas for paint. Because it's a rough surface, even gessoed, the papers don't adhere well unless I really slather on the gel medium. Thin acrylic medium doesn't work at all. The solution was to glue thin paper, sort of an underpainting, to the canvas, working it into the fibers of the canvas. Then I could glue my strips of paper to the new surface using just about any permanent glue. It would be better to use a wood panel or gessobord, stiff paper, or simply a block of birch as a substrate.

As I worked with small strips of paper, applying glue to each little strip, and then carefully placing it, messing up my manicure and frustrating me with the time it took, I thought of a better way. 

• Using my old Xyron 850 adhesive laminating machine with it's 8" wide double sided adhesive I fed sheets of my collage papers through the machine. The results gave me paper with a peel-and-stick backing. Now I can cut the strips however wide I need them to be, peel off the protective backing and stick them in place. Easy-peasy.
• Another kind of adhesive backing is a product called Gudy-O, available through Talas, but the Gudy-O isn't as easy to manage as the Xyron, though it's still available. This particular Xyron machine is no longer made but a similar product is the Xyron 900.
• Perhpas some of the iron-on interfacings intended for fabric could be used for collage.  If you try the fusible interfacing let me know how it works with paper. If I try it I'll report my findings.

Ever A Good Thing
Collage
5" x 5" x 1.25"

 

Available Work

Garlic Scapes

by Jo Reimer

Garlic Scapes

I was compelled to buy these curly garlic tops, called scapes, at Farmers Market a week ago. So beautiful and strange! I put them in a water glass on the kitchen counter and they've continued to grow. I'm told that they're great in recipes but I can't bear to cut them, and before they straighten I must sit down and draw each one. Read about them here where there's a recipe for Garlic Hazelnut Pesto.

I've decided to be easier on myself and not obsess over posting on my blog this summer. I'll try for once a week but if I don't accomplish even that know that I'm more than okay and probably enjoying a quiet summer in my back yard.

Available Work

Writing on the Wall... collage

by Jo Reimer

Writing on the Wall
10" x 30" x 1"
Collage on Cradled Canvas

Since I've stockpiled a number of cradled canvases I decided to experiment with presenting collages on the canvas even though I prefer a smooth surface for collage since the papers are more likely to form a strong bond.

The first step was to add a smooth coating of gesso and then a coat of gel medium to prepare the surface. The gel medium ensures that areas which don't immediately bond can be fixed later by ironing that area. The heat melts the medium on the substrate as well as the medium on back of the papers, sealing them together forever. I only needed to do that in one area across the bottom.

I drew the shape of the canvas onto my paint table paper and designed the compositon in that area rather than working directly on top of the canvas.

The paper in the middle area is what I call "writing that can't be read", sort of code writing. This was done by a friend and photocopied onto washi paper.

I love collage!

Available Work