Oh boy!  I hope this isn’t an early indicator of the level of success for my 2009 art projects.  Del Ray Artisans is presenting “Nocturne:  from Dusk to Dawn” January 16 – February 15, 2009 with a submission deadline of January 11, 2009.  They hope to revive a theme that emerged in the 1860′s as a literary, musical, and artistic expression of the shimmering effects of light between dusk and dawn.  Artists are challenged to interpret the qualities of light when darkness itself is the subject of the night.  The show is curated by Seana Gallagher.

I had this concept of a shimmering chandelier done in all grey tonalities and I picked up Shimmer Silver 12 x 12 paper along with some very gorgeous Hambly Screen Prints (hand silk-screened rub-ons) and let me tell you, THAT material marriage was fantastic.  The problem started with the rub-on process because I wanted to position the chandeliers so they showed strategically between the open windows of my MCS Industries Museum Mat 8 x 10 frame.  And it was then that I learned that stray rub-ons are very difficult to remove – I tried lifting with tape, I tried scraping, I even prayed.

Ignoring that initial warning, I then proceeded to try to attach my clear Crystal Stickers Elements by Mark Richards which DO NOT have an adhesive backing.  So I went back to the Elmer’s Glue pen and Disaster.  Even though the overall effect would have been very “Hollywood” and I had the intention of xacto knife-ing the flames so the whole piece would sit atop a bright background which would have shown through the flame mini-windows.  

Sometimes I think it’s just better to do what you do artwise and then match it to a competititon’s title.  Trying to make art on demand has a constricting and limiting feeling and I start getting all these critic thoughts about whether its “good enough” or “meets the intent” of the show producers – all which ends up with a huge UUUGGGGHHH.