Ochoco Forest - mapping series

by Jo Reimer


Ochoco Forest
14 x 18
Collage on Canvas
by Jo Reimer

The Ochoco Forest and its neighbor, the Malheur Forest, is located in central Oregon. The area is one of immense beauty and teems with wildlife especially migratory birds which call it home.

And there are BIG trees, all over Oregon.

I was lucky to have a map large enough to cover the lower part of my canvas and from there it was a matter of finding the right combination of greens and browns in my paper stash to make the statement I intended.

Small Town Oregon... mapping

by Jo Reimer



Small Town Oregon
Collage Painting
14" x 18"

Like many of you I often being my day with quiet meditation and writing in my journal, morphing from what has been into plans for the coming day in the studio. I explore ideas about current work during this time and jot down sketchy ideas about what I'll do with my studio time. 

I'm continuing to explore ways to use my connection with maps in my artwork and am finding even more excitement in working through this series.  This journey via my old maps just gets more interesting.

I've shredded maps; I've cut maps with scissors; I've torn maps; I've drawn the lines of highways, roads, and streets on paper and canvas; I've used maps as the substrate upon which I paint; I've glued maps onto just about anything that will hold still...  

....and the ideas keep coming.

Small Town Oregon began as an atmospheric landscape painting in acrylic.  It needed something more interesting than soft color so I asked the What If questions and decided to lift the maps of small towns upright as though the maps were being projected onto the sky.

Before I go much further I'll write a statement about the series so that it become clearer in my mind, not that this will be the final statement. It'll be refined as I work, but simply stating some of my intentions should help me leap ahead. It's one of the things I remember from Journalism 101... answer the questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How... and and my own mantra, What If...  what could I do next because of what's been done.

Mapping New Work

 

by Jo Reimer

I've collected road maps since our initial trip west, many of them free from gas stations along the way. Some are tourist maps of cities, some AAA maps, some hand drawn. Maps have been a large part of my life, and maybe yours, too, though we now rely on Google Maps and the maps in our smartphones and our GPS. I still print out maps because I'm so used to the paper map.

So... one day I decided to shred an old map see how I could use the strips creatively. To me the strips of map are the roadway, the directions for how to get somewhere, the path I traveled, and because I make an effort to make art that reflects my own life history and emotions it seemed appropriate to investigate where my map collection would take me on canvas and paper.


Crossroads
22" x 17"
acrylic and collage on paper

 

 

 

Crossroads was the first in the series. Here I laid down strips of map to indicate a matrix of roads leading away from a city somewhere west, near the water.



From Franklin to Oneida
22" x 17"
acrylic and collage on paper

From Franklin to Oneida, 22 x 17, grew out of imagining the chaos of traveling through unfamiliar landscape, following a straight highway and suddenly coming upon a small town out in the middle of nowhere and wondering why people settled there in the first place.

Sea City
10" x 10"
acrylic and collage on paper


The design for Sea City came about from looking at an actual map of a coastal city and adding the main streets to the painting as strips of maps, though not cut from a map of this actual city.

 

Toward Mill City
5" x 20"
collage on board

Toward Mill City veers away from strips of map to using larger torn scraps of map to indicate the city and the straight shot of freeway driving between one town and another.

Wetlands
20" x 20"
acrylic and collage on board

As I was painting Wetlands I imagined looking down on the landscape from above, seeing a small town nestled between the rivers and creeks that flow through a rather wet landscape. Homes and businesses were built above the flood plain but were controlled by the flow of the water, while nearby the freeway soared above the landscape, bypassing the town altogether.

From San Antonio to OKC
6" x 24"
acrylic and collage on board

From San Antonio to OKC uses larger portions of the maps of two large cities as well as painted papers and slices of maps. 

As you can see, I continue to experiment with ways to use my maps. I've only scratched the surface as I search for more ways to use the idea of maps, travel, journey, and exploration.  I have lots more ideas and since this work is moving along so fast I'm confident that I'll have many more pieces to show you in the future.

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