Death of an Artist

Posted on April 4, 2014 by lksukany

Yes, this may be a grave post, but as artist, I think about death. I don’t think about death necessarily in a depressed or creepy way, just about the thing itself as well as the customs and rituals around it.

I wanted to make my will and pick out my burial ground and headstone. The only thing I really have to leave to anyone is my art (paintings, drawings, prints, and books I’ve made with M). I think I would want my family to pick out what they want and the rest to be donated.

I found family buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Paris, AR and thought that could be a good place – it would connect me to someone and somewhere from a historical perspective. Honestly, I don’t know anyone who actively visits gravesides, so I don’t think it really matters where I’m buried because I don’t think anyone will visit the place.

Here were some family headstones I found.

Like Father – Like Son

These are a little different – I like the last name in relief.

Overall they are pretty general tombstones, except for the Mausoleum!

I looked on Pinterest for headstone ideas – and there were themes of figures, angels, baby angels, pets, etc.

Human figures in a cemetery are creepy.

Pet animal statues are confusing – is it your PET’S grave or a pet on YOUR grave?

Angels make it look Catholic, which is great.

Baby angels are okay, but not my cuppa.

No – I just can’t even imagine this.

I thought a bench would be nice – so people could take a rest when on a stroll.

Of course there are many new and modern ways to be buried.

Just for fun – some artists graves.

The Grave of Nicolas Platon-Argyriades [Platon] (1888-1968) – Ceramic artist and Potter – and his Wife Paque (1903-1961)

Michelangelo Grave

Vincent Van Gogh Grave

Leonardo Da Vinci Grave

Art Museum Picnic

Posted on April 1, 2014 by lksukany

M and I took the kids for the lunch hour on Friday.

M brought a picnic lunch, and everyone enjoyed the goodies (peanut butter and jelly sandwich, banana, and kettle chips).
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We had to keep a lookout because the geese kept invading our picnic!

The kids found a resting duck on our way into the museum.

Once into the Arkansas Arts Center , we went to Carroll Cloar’s exhibit. The kids seemed very interested in Cloar’s work and when asked how they would describe it, they said “cool.”

Looking at art is a great way to spend the lunch hour!

There was even a kids area – which I thought was “cool.” While Al helped ZZ with the magnets, SS made his own composition.

Two things I learned while viewing art with kids was #1 When holding the two year old, I focused more on colors and shapes because I wasn’t sure what else to point out in the painting.

#2 Going to see art with your kids is a really good thing! Also, people will look at you approvingly and admire your genius family.

What a good looking bunch!

Inspiration & Studio Session

Posted on March 17, 2014 by lksukany

M picked me up for lunch and we went to the Arkansas Arts Center Carroll Cloar Exhibition. When we first walked into the gallery, it smelled really bad, and I couldn’t place what the smell was. It wasn’t until we got to the Carroll Cloar studio installation that I realized the smell was old paper. If you have ever made your own paper and your paper pulp got moldy, you know that smell can be painful. M took a picture of me in front of Cloar’s studio, and I thought I was smiling, but apparently I was just looking at the camera.

There were so many beautiful patterns and colors. The compositions were also very pleasing to look at.

I got inspired and decided to forego house chores and to-do maintenance list (mostly involving my stinky dog Ein) and worked in my studio.

I put in an old black & white movie – The Sky’s the Limit (1943), a romantic musical comedy film starring Fred Astaire and Joan Leslie – and got to work. At one point, I found myself wishing that Fred Astaire’s name was spelled with an E, like Esterre. I don’t know why.

I finished my chicken painting studies.

I want to do a large landscape painting with chickens in the foreground, so I gessoed over an old painting. It was a failed painting that I never finished.

I always feel super great when I work in my studio. It’s the same feeling when I’m playing music. I feel alive and immersed in the present. I feel awake.

Artist Interview: L.K.

Posted on March 12, 2014 by lksukany

Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Lauren Sukany. I work as a professional during the day and then I go home and work in my studio. I am an artist and I mostly paint, draw, and print.

Why do you do what you do?
I am a creative person who uses art, writing, and music to make sense of the world.

What art do you most identify with?
Paintings. I understand paintings (brush stroke, color, and composition). I also respond emotionally to music.

What’s your background?
I am from Arkansas. I graduated from an arts/science magnet high school; I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in printmaking from Missouri State University; I received my Master of Arts in painting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. I have been in a band with my spouse since 2006. I have worked with the Adobe Creative Suite and graphic design in a professional setting since 2010.

What has been a seminal experience?
Responding to God’s calling for me – salvation and living in His will.

Explain what you do in 100 words.
I paint on canvas (oil and acrylics), draw (charcoal, graphite, ink, colored pencil), work with printmaking (etchings, drypoint, woodcuts, linoleum cuts, monoprinting, lithography), papermaking, work with fabrics, play music (vocals, guitar, banjo, bass guitar, drums, accordion, concertina, cello, melodica, glockenspiel, piano), work in graphic design and layout (adobe creative suite), and I also write short stories. My process begins with research and experience. Once inspired, I sketch or write my ideas and work with the appropriate medium to complete the work. Upon completion, I photograph and document the work. I place on my website and social media.

How do you work?
I work with a to-do list and deadlines.

How has your practice changed over time?
I am less concerned with “being deep” or creating something “no one has ever seen or experienced before” and am able to focus on what I want to accomplish in the studio in what period of time (day, week, month).

What work do you most enjoy doing?
I think I am a printmaker at heart, so I really enjoy series of things (writing and completing a series of songs to go in an album, creating a theme for a series of paintings or drawings, etc.).

What themes do you pursue?
Figures, daily life, making the mundane of daily life extraordinary or whimsical or at least interesting. I don’t think I even think about doing this. I just see people talking and I imagine that there is more there, and that is what I render – their “secret” selves.

What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?
Straightening my mothers shoes. Coloring at my grandmothers house. Coloring in my aunts basement in St. Louis. I remember crying a lot.

What’s your scariest experience?
I am a parasominiac, so that can be very frightening at times.

What’s your favorite artwork?
I have a deck of Edward Hopper playing cards that I have become very fond of over the years. I just love the greens he uses.

What role does the artist have in society?
To attempt to move ones soul.

What is integral to the work of an artist?
Living a fine line between routine and spontaneity.

Art Night

Posted on March 10, 2014 by lksukany

I started a monthly art night in October 2013. This picture is from the February 2014 meeting.

The Art Night group meets once a month and is an extremely relaxed event. No one has to RSVP to come, Everyone is welcome to bring a friend. There is not a set meeting time, but “anytime after 6” is fine to come, and can leave anytime (even after dinner). Dinner and hot tea is provided. The dinner and dishware is set out, and people can help themselves and put their dishes in the sink when done. I really wanted to encourage people to be able to to come after work, and not worry about food. M does all of the cooking so far, and even makes dessert sometimes.

Everyone is encouraged to bring something to work on. The whole point of the art night is to encourage each other to stay creative in some way in our day-to-day lives whether a professional, student, or stay-at-home person. There has been sewing, origami, coloring book and colored pencils, gouache painting, Valentines making, wedding decor crafting, oil painting, photo editing, figure sketching, and needlepoint,

Conversation naturally happens from the time of arrival to departure. We share and discuss interesting ideas, inspiring books, work stories, family stories, beliefs and spirituality, and even controversial topics. It is great to meet with these artists and to be encouraged to continue trying to understand how to live in this world as an artist.

Paper Opera

Art, music, and stories.

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