I spent the evening observing and photographing this beautiful sight in an open space from just blocks my home. What I observed [...]]]>

I spent the evening observing and photographing this beautiful sight in an open space from just blocks my home. What I observed was the penumbra, or shadow of earth slowly moving across the moon.  The moon got dark and then reddish. Because the sunlight acts like a prism and only the red light is bent into the shadow on the moon, we get the reddish hues. The sunrises and sunsets are reflected onto the the moon’s surface.

The moon is called a “supermoon” because it’s closes to Earth (perigee) and it appears larger in diameter. “Supermoons” occur 4-6 times a year,

There are 3 types of lunar eclipses: Total, partial and penumbral. The lunar eclipse happens during a FULL MOON. Because the moon’s orbit is slightly inclined to Earth, most full moons are not aligned properly, and so we don’t get an eclipse during our monthly full moons. Lunar eclipses happen about twice a year, but they are not TOTAL, not always at night, which this one was. They say that we’ll not see another TOTAL lunar eclipse until 2033. There have been only five since 1900.

October 8, 2014 was the second of the tetrad of Blood Moons. The first Blood Moon happened April 15, 2014, the third was April 4, 2015, and the final was Sept 27, 2015.

I created several Arborglyph solarplate monoprints inspired by the various supermoons. Image sizes are 6″x 6″.  Some people claim “magic” happens during these special occurrences. The imagery in these monoprints has a mysterious, magical quality. Is it a bird, a plane, a helicopter, or a creature floating near the moon? 

Arborglyph (1 symbol 34) Blood Moon
© 2014. Linda C Everson SOLD

Arborglyph (1 symbol 34) Blue Moon.
© 2014 Linda C Everson

A Blue Moon is the second full moon in a solar calendar month. The moon really isn’t blue, but you often hear the phrase “Once in a Blue Moon”, indicating something that rarely happens. Even more rare is a real blue moon when atmospheric conditions such as smoke and dust from fires or volcanoes give the moon a bluish hue. 

A symbiosis [...]]]>

A symbiosis of two art forms was the basis for the “Family Album Hieroglyphic” series – my children’s “stick figures” and my photographs. When my children were young, our family took many trips in Colorado and Utah. We hiked through the canyon lands and visited many unusual rock formations, cliff dwellings, pueblos, petroglyphs and pictographs.

At the time, there was a direct relationship between the primitive “stick figures” my children had drawn and the petroglyphs and western landscapes I was photographing. I combined the two art forms and exposed them on to zinc plates which I etched, inked, and printed on paper on an etching press. That was the creation of this intaglio print series “Family Album Hieroglyphics”.

The intense emotions evoked in my children’s “stick figures” validated many family and cultural issues that are commonplace to everyone. Fears, friendship, loneliness, ethnic and gender issues, strife, pets, holidays, sports, and celestial configurations were captured in their simple, yet complex renderings. By combining my children’s primitive “stick figures” and my photographic backgrounds, I created art images that tell multiple stories with a sense of depth and compassion. The “Family Album Hieroglyphic” intaglio prints ALL tell stories and recollect emotions that we can relate to.

“Man, Full With His Memories” brings back recollections of both friends and foe, happiness and hostility. A faceless tree-like figure is imprisoned by hand holding pairs of smiling figures in “Mr. Lonetree Stands Alone”. This print depicts alienation, loneliness, and the need for relationships. “Women, They’re All the Same…” is a common, but inaccurate statement. Although a satirical art piece, my child’s rendition of women’s hairdo’s is humorous. Are women really so robotic in nature?  “Jack Be Nimble…” is spoof on the well known rhyme and Halloween spooks. “Indian Memories” is as haunting as Edward Munch’s “The Scream”, which is one of my favorite works of art and depicts intense human emotion. “Man’s Best Friend, Or Is It?” tells about our preoccupation with our favorite pet, the dog.

I’m fascinated with many other primitive art forms and enchanted by the symbolism and story telling involved. I’ve visited many “prehistoric” or Upper Paleolithic caves such as Lascaux in France and Cueva de la Pileta in Spain. The stories about the discovery of these caves is remarkable too! In Lascaux, the sophistication of the so called “prehistoric artists” is exemplified by the overlapping of animals, use of perspective, and blending of colors. Egyptian hieroglyphics in later centuries was a formal pictorial writing system that also influenced my art.

Stories We Tell is a common theme in artwork throughout the ages!

Arborglyph: (1 symbol 31) Antlers, Ode to the Forests © 2013 Linda C Everson, All Rights Reserved

In the last few weeks 12+ fires have been raging in Colorado. Homes and forests have burned, humans and wildlife have been hurt, displaced, or killed. The spectacular flames illuminate our landscape. See colorful photos and [...]]]>

Arborglyph: (1 symbol 31) Antlers, Ode to the Forests © 2013 Linda C Everson, All Rights Reserved

In the last few weeks 12+ fires have been raging in Colorado. Homes and forests have burned, humans and wildlife have been hurt, displaced, or killed. The spectacular flames illuminate our landscape. See colorful photos and videos of past wildfires.

My monoprint – Arborglyph: (1 symbol 31) Antlers, Ode to the Forest is an ODE to Colorado fires in nature. We  hope that all the wildlife (DEER included) find REFUGE somewhere. The black branching slash through the art represents both ANTLERS and a PATHWAY. According to Shamanic Journey… “The set of antlers grown by the male deer are antennae that connect it to higher energies.”  Because deer antlers can grow back, a DEER can be a symbol of life REGENERATION. May those beautiful forests regenerate quickly.

The DEER family includes various elk, moose, caribou, reindeer, mule, wapiti… & more.

DEER are often associated with gentleness, grace, innocence, sensitivity, intuition, vigilance and regeneration. In CHINA, a deer is the symbol of  longevity and wealth.

May the deer (and all other living beings) in the Colorado fires have longevity … and survive the fires.

Arborglyph: (1 symbol P) The Life of Pi, [...]]]>

Arborglyph: (1 symbol P) The Life of Pi, © 2005 Linda C Everson

Just a FEW WORDS in my artwork that convey all the THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, AND VISUAL IMAGES that I got from that incredible Life of Pi story are:  sink, ship, swells, shelter, sunshine, sharks, selfish, sacred, sacrifice, security, religion, reality, reason, routine, passage, predator, protect, fear, fish, fight, hope, horizon, zebra, zoo, alpha, omega, animal, instinct, illusions, illumination, meerkats, map, world, wet, waves, wind, weary, wish, will, deprivation, danger, delirium, determination, dignity, dolphins, death, darkness, think, threaten, territory, trials, tiger, teamwork, taming, and … TAMING THE TIGER!

The multiple levels of humor and seriousness, life and death, animal instinct and spirituality, god and man, fear and wonder, reality and illusion, self-determination and guidance; are all explored in the book and the movie. You can read or watch Life of Pi many times, questioning, wondering, and gaining more insight.

For a humorous example, the hero, Picene Patel was named after a swimming pool (picene) and in grade school was constantly ridiculed over his name… ‘Pissing Patel’. Cleverly, he changed his name to Pi, a mathematical symbol, which shows you how bright he really was in a challenging situation. His curiosity often got him into major trouble, but also enlightened him with the best attributes of three religions. His beliefs in both multiple gods/one god provided strength for him while stranded at sea for an eternity. Like the Pi symbol whose decimal representation never ends, his lifeboat experience goes on and on…

My use of the Arborglyph – P symbols in my monoprint is reminiscent of both Pi’s name and also the CHI RHO CROSS. I wanted to convey both a sense of mystery and a spiritual element. Interestingly, the Chi Rho Cross was supposedly used by Constantine in a major battle over territory and helped him accomplish a difficult win over his enemy. Another account “credits his victory to divine intervention”. In the Life of Pi, Pi (Picene) is also faced with major hurdles to survive in a small territory that both he and his enemy (Richard Parker the tiger) want to claim. Was it self will power or divine intervention that helped Pi survive? While Constantine saw his Chi Rho symbol in the sky, Pi also saw wonders of the almighty maker through the beauty of the sea and the sky, which was superbly portrayed in the Ang Lee movie. The turquoise waters and the rust colored tiger stripes were gorgeous! It’s a beautiful story told in many ways… a book, a movie, a piece of artwork.

Natural Abstractions II © 2006. Linda C. Everson

The last few days a horrible forest fire has been burning just west of Boulder in Fourmile Canyon. Forest, animals, homes, structures, and vehicles have been consumed by flames. It’s called one of the worst fire disasters in Colorado.

Wild fires in our state [...]]]>

Natural Abstractions II © 2006. Linda C. Everson

The last few days a horrible forest fire has been burning just west of Boulder in Fourmile Canyon. Forest, animals, homes, structures, and vehicles have been consumed by flames. It’s called one of the worst fire disasters in Colorado.

Wild fires in our state are always a potential issue, especially in the forested mountains, where they can spread so rapidly. A little wind, some dry conditions, a spark, and poof… up in flames. Often mother nature causes the problem (lighting). However, sometimes humans are the instigators, most often accidental, but other times because of carelessness (campfires, cigarettes, sparks). The devastation caused by the fires is awful, the regrowth of a forest takes countless years.

The monoprint Ode to the Forests II was done after the Hayman Fire in Colorado several years ago. It was started by a forest employee and 137,760 acres were consumed. Later, I rode my mountain bike on the Colorado Trail through some of the devastated areas. Nostalgia for the former forest inspired the series of monoprints.

Tonight is the opening reception for the exhibit Moore Inspired at the Botanic Gardens in Denver. My ceramic sculpture Reclining Mother was accepted into this juried exhibit through August 1, which displays Colorado artists whose works were inspired by Henry Moore.

© 1968 Linda C. Everson

Tonight is the opening reception for the exhibit Moore Inspired at the Botanic Gardens in Denver. My ceramic sculpture Reclining Mother was accepted into this juried exhibit through August 1, which displays Colorado artists whose works were inspired by Henry Moore. 

© 1968 Linda C. Everson

Henry Moore’s wonderful sculptures are on display in the Botanic Gardens until January 31, 2010.

Henry Moore’s use of organic forms in his Reclining Figures influenced my creation of Reclining Mother while doing ceramics in college. I was attracted to the primitive and archaic attributes in his forms and surface. Although my sculpture is ceramic, my earthy and reticulating glazes were influenced by Moore’s use of surface on wood and rock.

 The ‘hollow’ or negative spaces in Henry Moore’s figures were significant in my own sculpture as well. These enclosures lead the eye back into the embryonic figure. Although reclining, my ceramic figure has movement. My sculpture is small in comparison to Moore’s monumental figures, but it still is a non-representational ‘mother earth’. Moore’s sculptures were tied to the earth as well.

See more information on Henry Moore lectures and tours at the Botanic Gardens.

Today, April 22, 2010 – 40th anniversary of Earth Day! I personally pay homage to Mother Earth by using nature in my artwork in an abstract manner. When I hike or travel, my camera is a constant companion and I take photos of nature and ancient architecture that I use in my [...]]]>

Today, April 22, 2010 – 40th anniversary of Earth Day! I personally pay homage to Mother Earth by using nature in my artwork in an abstract manner. When I hike or travel, my camera is a constant companion and I take photos of nature and ancient architecture that I use in my monoprints.

I was traveling in Israel recently and couldn’t resist a photo of myself with the lovely hanging tree in the art quarters of Old Jaffa. This hanging tree could have many interpretations and is quite an inspiration. Margaret Mead said in 1978

“EARTH DAY is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord…

Respecting Mother Earth “rests in all our hands”.

One of my favorite art books is The Language of Antonio Tapies: Surface and Symbol. Both surface [...]]]>

Artists are often asked what other artists inspire them. Yesterday I was interviewed on www.blogtalkradio.com/annette-coleman in the Artist name names, what artists inspire their work episode. I thought I’d share my thoughts about inspiration in my blog also.

One of my favorite art books is The Language of Antonio Tapies: Surface and Symbol. Both surface (texture) and symbols are a major element of my artwork as well. Antonio Tapies is a Spanish artist who does prints, mixed media paintings, assemblage and sculpture. In the 1950’s he did Matter Paintings in which he used sand, dust, and other materials that suggested fossils, cracks, and fissures. Matiere painting refers to use of texture. Tapies also often used letters, graffiti, and calligraphy- like symbols in his artwork, possibly because he came from a family of bookmakers. In my Arborglyphs series of monoprints, I also use calligraphy-like symbols. Tapies once said, “Art is not decorative, it is a philosophical system or language that contains a total vision of the world”. I like his use of the word “language”. Although my Arborglyph symbols have no specific meaning, they often ‘seem’ to evoke a memory of something in the viewer’s eyes.

I was also inspired by a video about him at the Tapies Foundacio in
Barcelona, Spain. Tapies was filmed walking in his garden, home, alleys and pathways, where he observed what he called “glimpses” of the fairly mundane things. Texture on the cobblestone, scratches on an ancient door, shadows in the garden, or flickering light across a rugged wall. All these so called unimportant close-ups of the world played an important role in his abstract imagery, and I also make the same close-up observations of nature.

If you look at his artwork and at mine, your would probably not see many similarites, yet our visions are fairly similar. We both like surface and texture, both make use of symbols and language in an abstract manner.

Water on the moon! The quote below makes it almost sound like a piece of art:

The water findings came through an analysis of the slight shifts in color after the impact, showing telltale signs of water molecules that had absorbed specific wavelengths of light.

The moon is so intriguing, but humans [...]]]>

Water on the moon! The quote below makes it almost sound like a piece of art:

The water findings came through an analysis of the slight shifts in color after the impact, showing telltale signs of water molecules that had absorbed specific wavelengths of light.

The moon is so intriguing, but humans will not visit it again until after 2020. So far only 12 men have walked on the moon. Interestingly, there was this communication between Houston and the Apollo crew:

Watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-o has been living there (on the moon) for 4000 years. It seems she was banished to the moon because she stole the pill for immortality from her husband.

Meanwhile, we can dream and ponder the mystery of the moons in our artwork. While the reality of science is important, the Man in the Moon still holds some fascination. The waxing and waning of the moon in appearance makes room for multiple interpretations. Psychologically, pareidolia is term used for seeing vague/random things in something as significant (ie… images in the moon).

In our Solar System, the number of moons seem to vary from 146 – 170, with Jupiter having the most (approximately 63). One of my Arborglyph monoprints alludes to FOUR MOONS. In this monoprint I inked / printed 4 ‘found’ metal surfaces (collagraph plates) that vaguely resembled “faces” or “phases of the moon”.

Arborglyphs: (4 symbols 1 2 3 4) Four Moons Rising

 © 2002 Linda C. Everson, All Rights Reserved.