The Suction Cup Spreading Whimsy and Hyperspace: Meet Susan Gainen | The Suction Cup

First Hummingbird in Hyperspace

Thank you, Kate Renee, for this blog post.

The Suction Cup Spreading Whimsy and Hyperspace: Meet Susan Gainen | The Suction Cup

Nanoscapes' magnets: for learning, for fun or for money?

In my third year of image-a-day painting, I use these daily exercises to explore new patterns and designs, new materials, and new techniques.

Gels and TerraSkin since June 2013

Since June 2013, I've been gleefully exploring Golden Brand Gel Mediums (glass bead gel, tar gel, self-leveling clear gel, mica gel, black mica gel, fiber paste, and molding paste). Combined with TerraSkin, the tree-free paper that opened the door to Hummingbirds (and Friends) in Hyperspace, I've been on a three-month wild art ride.

Hummingbird in Hyperspace
on TerraSkin

Next up: magnets

Armed with 2x2-inch primed aluminum squares (thank you Jason Najarak), round magnets from Michael's (thank you, Layl McDill), a glue stick, some leftover Mod Podge and Golden gels, I expected to whip up some magnets to sell at the Saint Paul Art Crawl.

Not so fast.

Every good thing has a learning curve.

Making the cuts

What I'd imagined to be a great use for leftover watercolors or cut-up greeting cards, turns out to be an exercise in painstakingly careful cutting to match the aluminum squares. Not just snip-snip-snip and done, but not-unpleasant-but-not-very-fast cutting and matching, reminiscent of quilting.

Finding the right glue.

As much as I love a good glue stick, even my favorite archival stick was not a good match for this project. Call in the acrylic team (Mod Podge and gels), spread the glue, match the corners, press the paper to remove the glue ooze. Wait for the glue to dry.

Glaze the top and sides

Luckily for me, one of my prime artist directives is Painstaking Exuberance, loosely defined as relishing work in tiny spaces with tiny tools. Even Self-Leveling Clear Gel can't be troweled onto a tiny square so I used wooden skewers as applicators. I had also hoped to put glass bead gel inside some of the tiny shapes, but that will add an extra step. Maybe someday.

Glue the magnet to the back

Separating the round magnets from one another isn't as easy as I thought it would be. That, of course, is the reason that they are called "Magnets." Use a skewer to spread the glue on the tiny magnet. Carefully remove the glue that oozes out. Wait. Wait some more.

For learning, for fun or for money?

I've only made three of these, and I can't put a "price-per-hour" on them at the moment. I've learned a lot, so perhaps I will charge myself my hourly art-teacher rate and imagine that I've taken a class.

Susan Gainen at the Saint Paul Art Crawl: October 4-6, 2013

Gold & Brown Jungle Cat
From Hyperspace

Join flocks of  whimsical small friends and exciting geometric abstract nanoscapes at the Saint Paul Art Crawl. I will be in the Lowertown Lofts Apartments, 240 5th Street East, Saint Paul, MN 55101.

Art Crawl Hours:

Friday October 4 (6 to 10 pm)
Saturday October 5 (noon to 8 pm)
Sunday October 6 (noon to 5 pm)

Lowertown Lofts Apartments are a short stroll from the Saint Paul Farmers' Market. If you are a late market shopper, you can drop right in on Saturday and Sunday.

Ax-Man Gizmo 10th Gear
Juried in to Tieton 10x10x10 Show

Small Friends from Hyperspace

Come and see the Small Friends from Hyperspace that I have made with TerraSkin, a tree-free paper that I found at Wet Paint in Saint Paul. TerraSkin is made from 76% calcium carbonate, and paint puddles and dries instead of being absorbed as with traditional watercolor paper. One look at the dried puddles and it was clear that Hyperspace had come to Saint Paul.

The Hyperspace friends include a large flock of Hummingbirds, a few Hippos, a Safe, Skein, Sore, String or Team of Ducks (those are the collective nouns for ducks in the air, which I believe should include Hyperspace), and more.

Who? Me?

Other new work:

Color Block #1

• Some (not all) of the Ax-Man Gizmo paintings are on blank note cards;
• A parliament of watercolor and Lost Cave Painting of Saint Paul owls ("parliament" is the collective noun for owls); 
• A new family of cats whose Prime Directive is to say "Who me?" when found to have made mischief;
• Cats celebrating Halloween;
• New excavations from The Lost Cave Paintings of Saint Paul;
• New abstract cards (Color Block #1);
• Autographed copies of  Meet the LLLamas at a special Art Crawl price;
• and lots, lots more!

And favorites, too!

Wild Parrots of Saint Paul
Lost Cave Paintings of Saint Paul
and original nanoscapes.

See you at the Art Crawl!!  I will be painting!

If you miss the Art Crawl, drop by The Art Shoppe at Midtown Global Market to see more of my work.

Ax-Man Project Gear 10: Exhibition Finalist

Ax-Man Project Gear 10

The Ax-Man Project Gear 10 is a finalist in Exhibition Without Walls' Your Choice On-Line Juried Exhibition.

Eighty-seven photographers, digital artists, and graphic designers submitted 473 images. Twenty-five were selected as finalists, and if you click through the images, I promise that they will take your breath away.  

My entry, Ax-Man Project Gear 10, was inspired by a Gizmo I found during an early-summer Ax-Man run with Layl McDill, my WARM (Women's Art Resources of Minnesota) mentor. I now know that the Gizmo is a tool that people use to measure wire diameter. 

The Original Gear 10 Watercolor

I used it to make post-card sized watercolor paintings that I scanned and then (gleefully) manipulated in Photoshop. See all 10 here.

Gizmo from Ax-Man: non-stop inspiration

As a lucky participant in the Women's Art Resources of Minnesota (WARM) Mentor-Protege Program, I get to spend time with my mentor, Layl McDill, an extraordinary polymer clay artist.

Third Gear Painting: Posterized

Third Gear Painting

Two weeks ago our monthly meeting/field trip took us to Ax-Man, a surplus store on University Avenue in Saint Paul, and to the Bell Museum on the University of Minnesota Campus.

6th Gear Painting

We went to Ax-Man because I'd had a tiny moment in the workshop of a very talented guitar maker where the walls were covered with (to me) unknown gizmos, gadgets, and whatsis that cried out to become painting templates. While Ax-man was short of guitar-making tools, it was long on pieces that inspired me to go home and paint.

From the Ax-Man came the Gizmo, and from the Gizmo came "10 Gears." Each began as a post-card sized watercolor that I scanned into Photoshop and manipulated to make digital magic.

Gourds & polymer clay: new techniques

It is important to learn something new every day, and my head if full of new stuff from two classes that I took on Saturday and Monday.

A Gourd Pin

Gourd Art and Kristen Treuting

"Water Movement" is a three-artist show at Vine Arts Center. Kristen Treuting's unique and beautiful gourd art is part of this show, and in her workshop, she let us loose with wood burners, lovely inks, and glue guns to create our own gourd art. Thanks, Kristen. (Note to cat owners: Some cats find gourd pieces very enticing. Hide your work.)

Polymer Clay and Layl McDill

Layl McDill is a gifted, visionary, and whimsical genius with polymer clay. Last night she conducted "Clay Play" with Silly Millies for mentors and proteges in this year's WARM (Women's Art Resources of Minnesota) Mentor program.

Canes and Canes

Tulip Fingers

Having had a deeply disappointing encounter with polymer clay years ago, I had always been curious about how to make the intricate designs actually work. Layl showed us that "noodles and blankets" were the secret, and the designs and figures that we all made were vastly different from one another, and all wonderful.

I can't wait to incorporate these designs into my paintings.

NOTE: Layl McDill is my WARM Mentor in the current Mentor-Protege cycle. I am deeply grateful for her enthusiasm and encouragement. If you check out her work, you'll know that she will never, ever tamp down my whimsy.

Lost Cave Horse in Minnesota Watercolor Society Spring 2013 Show

Lost Cave Horse

The Cave Horse, one of the Lost Cave Paintings of Saint Paul, was accepted into the Minnesota Watercolor Society's 2013 Spring Show.

The Cave Horse and the Cave Toucan were excavated from the Lost Cave  on Christmas Day 2012. The Cave Paintings are available from the small friends' website and on cool products at zazzle. 

The show will hang at the Minnetonka Center For the Arts, 2240 North Shore Drive, Wayzata, MN from April 4 to May 2, 2013.

The framed Horse is for sale at the Show for $300.