Guest Blog Post on TimeForFrida

I was invited to do a guest artist blog entry on TimeForFrida today. Great way to start 2010!
In the words of blog author, KV Abbot: " The viewer can sense the manner that she moves the pen on the paper. A physical act. An expressive act."

First Night Real Gallery Exhibition

I participated in the First Night Real Gallery Exhibition this past week, showing up to 100 Congress Ave in the early mornings and working on my drawings until 6pm, Tuesday through Thursday.

The flyer:


And here I am working on a drawing next to my work,
right on Congress Ave!


It was a successful and fun event. I love it when viewers get to see the process along with the finished work. Thanks to everyone who came out!

Rhythms of Light

Rhythms of Light

(Private Collection)
2009
10.5" X 18"
Ballpoint Pen on Paper


This is a recently finished commissioned work. I enjoyed developing the little interacting moments in the bottom left, while still making the two larger interacting light images the focus. The balance of the piece was an interesting challenge, and I had fun synthesizing all the elements.

Infynit Hour

Yesterday, I had a live interview and art segment on the Infynit Hour on ChannelAustin about my art. They even put together this video!

Pathway Through The Stars

Pathway Through The Stars
11" x 14"
Archival Ink Ballpoint Pen on Vellum

When creating this drawing, I kept in mind the view from earth when we look directly up at the night sky. We can faintly detect the distant glow of the milky way, but it's impossible for our eyes to take in every detail. However, with this image, it's as if the haze of the atmosphere clears and our eyes are free to travel through the star-scape.

Showing at Valley Hands on Friday!

This Friday (September 11th) it's Arts Night Out and I'll be at Valley Hands creating and selling work! It's down a ways on Pleasant street in Northampton, pretty easy to find. Stop in for some wine & snacks and experience the life of my drawings.

Here's the info:

Watch Art Develop at Valley Hands
FRI Sept 11 4-8pm
Wine, Snacks, & Artists Creating!

A fun and creative way to spend Friday evening.

Meet the artists, pull up a chair & Watch Art Develop right before your eyes!

This month's feature artists include:

Annie Bissett ~ a Northampton based artist and freelance illustrator, began learning the techniques of Japanese woodblock (moku hanga) in 2005 and has devoted herself to printmaking since then. Come watch her work and create! www.anniebissett.com

Colleen Blackard ~ Northampton. My art is meant to share my experience of the universe. I'm creating the absence of light in order to form light using ballpoint pen. Come and watch the process unfold! www.colleenblackard.carbonmade.com

Katie Richardson - Belchertown. I work primarily in glass and metal, though I enjoy experimenting with other materials, too. I'm inspired by nature, people's stories and struggles and the process of making. I hope to enrich people's lives with beautiful and functional objects that delight the eye and remind people of creativity in human nature. Come and be dazzled! www.katierichardson.mosaicglobe.com

VALLEY HANDS

Creative Space

342 Pleasant St NORTHAMPTON

near Oxbow Gallery and Northampton Coffee on the opposite side

near Memory Lane Antiques

413.335.9235 www.valleyhands.com

Prints for Sale!

If you'd like to buy my work, but don't have enough for the actual pieces, you can now buy prints online! Right now I've got The Center of The Universe and Orion's Belt prints for sale.

There are "Add to Cart" buttons in the sidebar tab called "Buy Prints" to make the process easy. I'm also selling them off my website, colleenblackard.carbonmade.com, below the images. Enjoy!

Orion's Belt


The Center of the Universe

Juried Exhibition at Northampton Center for the Arts

Save the date!

My pieces The Sky from Earth and Creation will be on display for the “Works on Paper” juried exhibition at the Northampton Center for the Arts. They announce the winners at the reception. It's on Arts Night Out in Northampton, so while you're strolling around town, stop by!

Northampton Center for the Arts
17 New South Street
Northampton, MA 01060 (Map & Directions)

Show Dates: July 10th, 2009 - August 7th, 2009
Gallery hours: Thursday thru Saturday 4-7pm
Reception: Friday, July 10th, 2009, from 5-7pm

Creation

The Sky From Earth

The Creation of a Universe: Part 1

I've currently started a new drawing on 18"x24" paper, and this time I'm documenting the process. Here's the first part of the drawing, I just did this (both the art and video) today:

The Universe is Infinite...

...and so are the stars created solely by intersecting circles in my ballpoint pen drawings. Here's a journey to "The Center of the Universe"

The Full Image:

Zoom to the top left quarter:




Closer:



Microscopic:




And here's another one...


The Full Image:



Zoom to the top left quarter:




Closer:



Microscopic:




and a shorter one...


The Full Image:



Zoom to the middle section:



Closer, but not too close:

Click on images for even greater magnification.

I hope this adds to your experience of my work. It's the next best thing to actually seeing it in person.

For The Universe

Artist Statement
My art is meant to share my experience of the universe. I’m creating the absence of light in order to form light. I use materials and forms that are familiar, like ballpoint pen, circles and infinity symbols. My hand moves intuitively when applying marks, but I keep my eye open to forms I wish to convey. Through this process, I create an active relationship between the infinitely small world of details, the infinitely large world of detail-created forms, and you, the viewer.

Andromeda Galaxy

Andromeda Galaxy
Archival ink ballpoint pen on mylar and paper

This image was all about layering. I drew an image on paper and overlayed it with mylar. I then drew on both the front and back of the translucent surface to create different tones. This process was more like aquatint, so it was helpful that I've had some experience with printmaking. Three layers took three times the work, so I really got to know this image. I was happy with the illusion of space in this drawing. In person, it really feels like it's pulling you in, much like the gravity of our larger, neighboring galaxy Andromeda.

Orion's Belt

Orion's Belt
24" x 30"
Archival ink ballpoint pen on paper

This drawing was loosely based on a hubble deep space image of Orion's belt. I chose this recognizable image in order to ground the viewer with a familiar constellation. This way, one can enter a familiar image, but see it in a completely new light.

The Sky from Earth

The Sky From Earth
15"x30"
Ballpoint Pen on paper

This was the first star image I created. I spent a month drawing microscopically on this one, and every inch transported me far off into space. It was, to say the least, an intense yet calming process.

The Center of the Universe

The Center of the Universe
33"x42'' Drawing
Ballpoint Pen on Arches paper

This drawing took two months to complete, but was worth it. The process of drawing with only circles was challenging, but it was responsible for the organic quality of the image. I was pleased with the glow it created by letting the paper show through.

It shows how the universe is made of light, and that there is no dark, only the absence of light.

The Universe Within

The Universe Within

This was one of the first star images I created. I used bic ballpoint pens to build up the image of stars within a mountain scape. It reminds me of lights on a hillside, however, these lights come from within.

Tornadoes

"Panic"
conte crayon drawing on Arches paper
8'x10'


"The Storm"
Ball point pen on Arches paper
4'x3.5'

Artist Statement

Thunderstorms are a prominent theme in my life. In Texas, you learn to fear Spring, while at the same time reveling in its excitement. The weather is perfect for thunderstorms. Storms are weather with personality. They roll in, rumbling and flashy, clapping thunder and blinding you with lightning. They have short lives, pounding your house with heavy rain for about thirty minutes. Then they quietly slip away, almost embarrassed of ever demanding your attention. Now you’re left with the aftermath: flooded backyards, streets with rivers on each side, and wriggling, unearthed worms that didn’t get the memo that the storm’s over. Sometimes, you even get a rainbow to top off the entire event. These are the good storms. The bad storms are what make me happy about my choice to leave good ole’ Tornado Alley.
Safe in Massachusetts, I can reminisce about the bad storms with a sense of accomplishment at having lived a little. If I were still in Texas in the Spring, you can bet my artistic expression would have nothing to do with even the tiniest twister. The bad storms are what damage property and ruin lives. They come in the same way good storms do, loud and boisterous, but give you something to fear. These are the storms I’ve cowered under a mattress in the hallway for, the ones that made me pray. The ones that make you afraid to hear the N.O.A.A. weather radio alert, and relieved if it’s “just a test.” It’s when the sky really does turn that electric shade of green, and the hairs really do stand up on the back of your neck. You react with primal instinct, and something tells you to get the hell outta there. It is impending doom. You know that it’s nothing personal, nature’s just gonna take you out, and that impartiality is what really does it.
Right here, right now, I love these powerful storms. I’m just as perverse as a storm chaser who films tornadic devastation for sport, but I hope the unsympathetic nature of my artwork will communicate the dread that comes when the computerized voice says, “Tornado Warning.”

Branches

Tree Branches
Oil on Masonite
12"x14"

This was the first successful painting of this semester. I chose not to follow this path for my division 3 project, and instead, I'm creating drawings, but I think this direction is a good one for me to follow when I decide to focus on painting again. I love the idea of painting shadows. The ethereal way the branches form and then disappear into shadows on the wall really appeals to me.

Teddywear-our first sale

Even though not directly art related (although I did design the graphics), I just had to share the news....

WE MADE OUR FIRST SALE!

This summer my sister and I started a t-shirt business for teddy bears. Since Build-a-Bears are such a craze these days, we thought that kids would want souvenirs for their teddies. Because of this, we're marketing them to local tourist shops, and had our first sale on Congress Ave. today. If you're visiting Austin, check out the store and maybe buy one for your teddy!

Here's our product:

The Last Moment

The Last Moment

14" X 11"

PastelIt was a great day for thunderstorms...in the distance. We got some nice rain in the afternoon, but the huge anvil heads, like this one, passed us by. But what a view. I only had about five minutes to run into the house and grab my pastels before this one disappeared. I tried my blue paper this time, and I think that caught the light of twilight well. The grey appeared to grow out of the muted blue in the way the clouds do when you can't quite tell whether or not you're seeing sky or a storm. I tried some bright colors for the light on the clouds this time, rather than my usual white or light yellow. It was so fun to add those hints of pink!