Treffinger Daily: January 2012

Sunday, January 29, 2012

'Unraveling'

'Unraveling', Monotype on Stonehenge paper,
22x30, $425
If you are interested in purchasing this print please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

I am still doing monotypes at Don's studio. I finished
this one today. It was fun to do, I just played and it
worked. Of course it has no more story telling quality
than any other abstract I have done. Oh well.

I am having a heck of a time getting photos of these
prints. For one the whites of the paper are not coming
across white and for some reason I don't feel they are
as sharp as I'd like them to be. The other issue is the
color of ink is more subtle than it shows here.
I am not going to come unraveled about it though. I
won't be posting them on my website until I get decent
photos, but I want to get them on the blog.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Blue Hero Series

'Blue Hero I', Monotype on paper 30x22, $425

'Blue Hero II', Monotype on paper 30x22, $425

'Blue Hero III', Monotype on paper 30x22, $425
If you are interested in purchasing any of the monotypes
please email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

After many months of not creating I was beginning to
wonder if I was an artist anymore. I have had many good
reasons for not being creative, building a bedroom one
of the biggest. My friend and fellow artist, Don Gray asked
me over to his beautiful studio to do monotypes. I believe
he was doing an art 'intervention'. Get this artist creating!

I have not worked with monotypes very much so I am
fumbling my way along. With each monotype I learn more
and get more comfortable with the medium. The approach
is completely different from working with any medium I am
familiar with. Also the creative process is one step removed.
Not only is the art created on a piece of glass and pressed
onto paper, the resulting image is a mirror image of what is
placed on the glass. And then I never know what the ink is
going to do. I like the process as it forces me into the space
of letting go of control, my favorite creative stance.

I am also fumbling along because there is a birth of abstracted
storytelling that I want to express in my my art and I have
no idea how to go about it. This series is helping me find that
expression.

The Art And Meaning Project

The Art and meaning Project is a series of responses from various artists to the question: "What meaning does doing art have for you? In other words why do you show up in your studio, or wherever, and pick up your tools day after day?"

This is something I have thought of doing for a while as
a book, but now I have the blog and, who knows, maybe
it could become a book. I am very excited about this. I love hearing the answers. Showing up for their creations is
often an irresistible pull for artists. Many of us at any given
time ask ourselves why we are doing it. All the answers have a different response. Most of us can relate to at least some part of every response.

I want to hear the artists' answers. If you are an artist
and would like to contribute please email me. I will not guarantee that I will post everyone's answer, I need to
see what you have to say first and if it contributes more to the project.

THE ART OF KATHERINE TREFFINGER

ABOUT THE ARTIST
www.katherinetreffinger.com

I spent my childhood in Sausalito, California in the 50’s. It was a magical place, teeming with artists and creative expression. Across the street from our house was one of the coffeehouses where the “bohemians” came to listen to music, and writers such as Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder and Jack Kerouac read from their work.

It was a time when San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Sausalito were home to the abstract expressionist and Bay Area Figurative movements. My missing toys were found in the neighbor’s sculptures. I was often on tiptoes, peering into the windows of nearby studios and coffeehouses. I thrived in the wondrous mystery of this world.

Later, as an adult I had the good fortune to befriend Joseph Raffael and spend time in his studio. This was before I realized I wanted to be an artist myself. I was greatly influenced by his enthusiasm, dedication, and his ability to create beauty.

In hindsight, there was nothing else I really wanted to be than an artist. I paint and draw because I love to … and because I have to. I am primarily self taught.

When I stand before an empty canvas or piece of paper, I am lost, unaware of what to do. In fact, my most satisfying work comes from staying ‘lost’. Navigational confidence is seldom productive for me. Each piece becomes the recording of a unique introspective exploration.