The past is re-imagined by NJ collage artist.

Hope you’re all enjoying your holiday season so far!  This is the perfect time for my next guest artist blogger, as much of her work revolves around holiday/winter related themes and nostalgia for good times past!  Let me introduce you to NJ collage artist JoAnn Telemdschinow as she shares her work and it’s inspiration….

“Snow Princess”  (c)JoAnn Telemdschinow

My name is JoAnn Telemdschinow and I’m the founder of Imagined Past. I’ve always loved and been fascinated by art, but I haven’t always been sure how I should express it. While I have a background in art history, I have not studied painting or drawing. On an impulse, I started playing with collage, and found I liked it very much. In 2014, I started learning Photoshop Elements. Since then, through magazine articles and online tutorials, I’ve been developing my skills and exploring how to create different effects.

What inspires my collages? Perhaps the most obvious influence is the art and architecture of the past, medieval times, eighteenth and nineteenth century painting, as well as Chinese and Japanese art. I can happily spend hours in a museum! I also love to travel. I recently went to Paris and took photographs of beautiful old streets and buildings, some of which I’ve turned into collages. I’m interested in languages and scripts, both ancient and modern.

JoAnn Telemdschinow in Paris

A collage may originate from an image that captures my attention, or from an idea that I want to express. I often utilize vintage art to build my pieces., although I also use my own photographs. I am also fond of incorporating old texts, such as handwriting, book pages, or advertising, into the composition. I try to use texts that relate to the subject of the piece, either through content or cultural origin. Textures play an important role in my collages as well…old paper, distressed surfaces.

“I Loved You” (c)JoAnn Telemdschinow

What am I trying to convey to the viewer? Well, I myself am deeply moved by beauty so I try to make my compositions visually beautiful. Beyond that, I attempt to express a feeling or atmosphere. My pictures (like myself) tend to be reflective and nostalgic. I also sometimes imply a bit of a narrative, as in I Loved You with its forlorn woman and titular inscription.

I’ve displayed my work in a number of area venues, such as The Gallery at the South Brunswick Municipal building and Inspire Art Gallery & Studio in Dunellen. Recently, I’ve also been honored to receive awards from the New Jersey State Bar Foundation (Chair’s Merit Award, Annual Juried Art Show) and the New Brunswick Free Public Library (Third Place-Adult, 2019 Visual Arts Contest and Exhibition).

“French Roses”  (c)JoAnn Telemdschinow

What do I have planned for the future? I would like to explore photography further and use more of my own photos in my collages. I’m working to promote my artwork through social media and my website.  And I’ll be exhibiting in more shows in the upcoming year. I enjoy meeting and talking to people at shows…perhaps I’ll get to meet you at one soon!

https://imaginedpast.weeblysite.com

facebook.com/Imagined-Past-116908833053318

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/imaginedpast/

http://joanntel.imagekind.com

www.etsy.com/shop/imaginedpast

email: jtelem70@gmail.com      cell: 848-264-2605

Getting “Personaland” with Art

The art world has gone way beyond brick & mortar galleries!  I recently heard about a new, unique online art forum called Personaland & participated in an online art exhibit.  I was pleased to see how fun, original & interactive the site’s creator, Stewart Wilson, has made the site so I asked him to be my next guest blogger so he can tell us how this concept came to be and how you can participate….

Personaland is the destination of my forty year journey of making the Personas – my “wrapped representatives from another dimension here for peaceful purposes.” As I have made these sculptures, the embodiment of human potential, they have guided me. I have made over 31,00 individual figures in human and animal form which has been distributed and exhibited world-wide. During this time, I have founded and been Executive Director of two non-profit arts organizations, Public Image (NYC 1981-84) and Artwell Gallery (Torrington, CT (1995-2011). I have been a public school art teacher. The Personas are about human connectivity and community building and I feel that they were my gurus in my artistic trajectory. Since retiring from teaching, I have attended dozens of meet-ups, conferences and workshops where I have learned 21^st century skills and connected with hundreds of talented people. Personaland has been a quest to create an online cultural platform and community for artists of all media – visual, film. literary and performance arts. Personaland is a welcoming, peaceful, respectful destination that uses the latest in digital technology for positive purposes – screens for good.

Personaland is an online global village for the arts – an internet sanctuary whose mission is to unite us through our humanity, creativity and community. With an invigorating blend of entertainment, enchantment and culture, we are designing novel adventures and opportunities for you. Our global group and individual art shows have exhibited over 100 artists from nearly two dozen countries, We are adding exciting new activities every month, bring greater satisfaction to an ever growing audience. https://www.personaland.com

We’re now accepting artwork of all media – images, music, film and words – for our December global group show “Community.” No entry fee https://personaland.com/submit/community-exhib.php

We have Persona Horseback and Dragon rides to our online individual and global art shows, Art Shop, dancing flowers, wishing well and fun games

What’s your Art History IQ? Play the “Name the Artist” game and contest at the Game Bazaar: https://personaland.com/tent/art-clue/

We’d love your participation!

Stewart

Thanksgiving Greetings!

What am I thankful for? For your support of the arts & my work as well!  Creativity and self-expression are vital for a healthy community & I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to read my newsletters, come to the events, purchase work and just show support in any way you can for the wide variety of artists out there!  We couldn’t do it without you!  So, I want to wish you & yours a happy, healthy Thanksgiving!! 

Warm Wishes,

~Lauren

 

http://laurencurtisart.weebly.com  (Fine art, photography, updates)
https://laurencurtis.wordpress.com  (my Blog)                                
http://www.facebook.com/LaurenCurtisArtTalonArt (Facebook Art Page)
http://www.LaurenCurtisArt.com (commercial & fine art)    
https://ello.co/laurencurtis  (illustration & fine art)  
https://www.behance.net/LaurenCurtisArt (Graphic design & fine art)
https://twitter.com/LaurenCurtisArt (Follow me on Twitter)  
https://www.instagram.com/laurencurtisart  (Instagram)

Want to Become an Art Patron? Visit https://www.patreon.com/LaurenCurtisArt

A Comic Book Revolution

One great thing about the internet is how easily we can connect with other creative and like-minded people!  I recently made a connection via LinkedIn with Bob Coar, a unique comic book creator.  I liked his original perspective on current topics and political issues and also enjoyed the artistic style of the illustrations.  So, I invited him to be my latest guest blogger & share some insight into his revolutionary world of comics…..

Podcasts, Tattoos & Favorite Things

What do these 3 things have in common?  They are all new art exhibits and art interviews happening now…and I’m happy to be involved with all three of them!  Spring brings out the motivation & creativity in many of us so it’s a great time to create new work or get out & experience what’s going on in the art world.  Social media makes this easier than ever, especially with podcasts !  My friend at the XFactory hooked me up with the awesome guys at Know-Shit Podcasts to do an hour long interview about everything from what it’s like to be a full time artist, to the Gothic & Steampunk scenes, mythology, spirituality & more!   I hope you’ll take some time to check it out, & listen in on future podcasts as well, as they have many interesting guests.  Here’s the link to my interview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjFT7TLpCF4&feature=share

As for Tattoos, they are an ancient art form that has gone thru many changes and stereotypes but is now more respected than ever as a true art form and is being honored in a new art exhibit at Atelier Rosal in Rahway, NJ!  Amazing works depicting tattooed people and art by artists who’s work has ended up on a walking canvas as well as images addressing this much maligned but now popular art form. Show runs thru June 7, 2018.  74 East Cherry St., Rahway, NJ.  
https://www.facebook.com/AtelierRosal/

Digital photo collage using actual x-ray images.

I’m happy to have 2 of my “X-RAYted” digital photo collages in this show and the exhibit will also coincide with a huge biker fest in town Sat. May 12.  Here’s the Facebook invite page for details:   https://www.facebook.com/events/1803649219938141/

This town wide, free event will be the perfect place to see tattoo art at it’s best, both in the gallery and on human canvases!

Finally we come to “a few of our Favorite Things”.  This is the latest theme for the new art exhibit at the South Brunswick Municipal Gallery, which opens Fri. May 18, 6:30pm-8pm. It’s a free event, with refreshments served, that features art from many local NJ artists focused on things we feel a connection to, that bring back memories and tell stories!  I’ll have the photo below, “NOLA VooDoo Window” in this exhibit.  Show runs thru Aug. 5, 2018.
540 Rt. 522/Ridge Rd., Monmouth Jct., NJ www.sbarts.org

So, there are many ways you can get involved with the arts this spring, whether it’s attending a gallery show, a biker tattoo outdoor fest or listening to a podcast from the comfort of home…or all three!  Either way, I hope you enjoy these free and creative events…& stay tuned for more to come this summer!

Return of the Lazy Blogger

I admit it!!  I’ve been lazy…well, when it comes to blogging anyway.  But I have an excuse…I really do!  It’s because other art related stuff has been taking up my time and I’m really happy about that!  OK, so other social media networking has been a big time suck too…don’t you ever fall into that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. time warp where you start out promoting your craft and get caught up in the home page posts of friends, cute animal videos & political drama when you realize, CRAP!…I just wasted an hour on fluff?  Yeah, guilty as charged but I have honestly been really busy with for-real art stuff too!  So, to catch you up, here’s what’s been happening in my creative world so feel free to post comments about how you deal with the bombardment of social media & how it effects your work.

TEACHING IS FUN!  Being someone who is not a fan of public speaking I didn’t know how I’d feel about giving art lessons but when it’s one-on-one or a small group, I found it’s awesome!  So I have a cool group of students of various ages (even one across the pond that I do Skype lessons with) & it’s so awesome to pass on creative knowledge and see people really get into it & see how their work progresses during the lessons!  Aside from art lessons I also give creative marketing lessons as I have extensive experience in sales, fund raising & marketing from previous art & non-art jobs I’ve had over the years before making the leap to full time artist!  My goal is to give at least one class a day (5 days a week) & I’m pretty close….so if you want to hone your creativity or know someone who does, drop me a line here & I’ll get back to you!

Dream Of Trees 2, oils (c)Lauren Curtis

ART SHOWS ARE FUN TOO!  Especially when stuff sells!  I’m currently in a 4 artist show at the Merwick Care & Rehabilitation Center in Plainsboro, NJ & the above painting pre-sold!  And I sold both pieces that were in the last show I did at Gallery U in Westfield, NJ.  Now I’m preparing to submit work to 4 new exhibits so fingers (& nails) crossed. (If you know me at all you know I have crazy Ripley’s Believe It Or Not length nails!).  So hopefully my next blog will be about some of the new shows my work will be in…

YAY! COMMISSIONS!  As a full time freelance artist nothing is better than getting hired to create art & design work for clients!  Luckily I’ve been hired to do illustrations for books, graphic design work, and one of my favorite things, pet portraits, for a variety of clients across the US & abroad.  This has not only kept me busy but helps pay those bills too so the more work the merrier!  Keep it comin’! Here are just a few examples of the work I’ve been doing lately that has caused my lack of blogging…

pencil illustration for a children’s book (c)2017

Commissions welcome so message me for details!

So, you see?  I haven’t been lazy with my artwork, just with blogging….I’m trying to get back in the swing….so can I ask you a favor?  If you can read, comment, follow & like posts it’ll encourage me to keep at it and to start getting interesting guest bloggers again so it’s not just all about me….there are so many fascinating people out there creating awesome work that I’d like to share so drop me a line if you’re interested & help end the blog slacking!  Thanks for reading…till next time…which will be soon, I hope…..fingers & nails crossed!

A Beautiful & Powerful Art Exhibit

“Beautiful and Powerful Statements” is an art exhibit featuring the arts of calligraphy and re-purposed materials.  It opens Saturday, January 28, 2-5pm at Nails in the Wall, the Gallery at St. Luke’s, 17 Oak Ave., Metuchen.  The exhibit includes nearly 70 pieces in many media, from photography and video to fabric, ceramic and glass as well as all manner of re-purposed materials. Work from all over the U.S. and as far away as Israel is included in this show, along with the work of New Jersey artists. The approach to calligraphy was a very broad one and was open to any work that was text-predominant. That has allowed us to include not only work with elegant traditional calligraphy in many diverse languages, but other pieces that are very powerful and direct. “Anatolia” by Woodbridge, NJ artist Gozde Ture includes a quotation from the Orkhon Inscriptions with calligraphy in the Goturk alphabet that speaks about time. Ruth Schreiber’s works, from Israel, while connected to the Hebrew Scriptures, employ a “fantasy writing” using porcelain and other images. And California calligrapher Beverly Womack creates her work using layers of materials and images. The photography-based altered prints of East Orange artist, Onnie Strother, on the other hand, use bold text to speak directly to their viewer, and Georgia-based Craig Wilson’s almost stream-of-consciousness words dance all over the page. The art from “repurposed materials” makes their statements by way of the material itself…employing everything from actual bees and beeswax as Montclair artist Art Paxton does in “Buzz”, to the steampunk-related cast-offs used by NY artist and teacher Seth Apter, and another Steampunk influenced 3D piece by Lauren Curtis, as well as a piece by  Metuchen artist Amy Brooks in her work “Post-Truth Apocalypse”. “We were sought to incorporate in the show work featuring calligraphy or text that made, individually and collectively, a powerful statement. We were also interested that the work accepted using re-purposed materials had an inherent, accessible beauty. We were constantly weighing those two interests as we reviewed the work and decided what would fit well in this show, so that each piece really was appropriately “Beautiful and Powerful, “ noted Gallery Board Member Robert Hopkins. The Opening will be carried by Facebook Live, beginning around 2:30pm. This will be especially helpful for the artists who live great distances. It will allow anyone who wishes to log on to the Nails in the Wall Gallery FB page and interact with the visitors present at the gallery. Nails in the Wall is in the midst of its fifth year presenting international, interfaith exhibits of high-quality fine art. To learn more about the gallery, visit www.nailsinthewall.org or call the Director 732.322.6512.  Link to the Facebook invite:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1765730973753205/

I’ll have this large, 3-D Steampunk style box in the show.

Yule Blessings, Season’s Greetings & Hope for 2017

Happy Holidays! Blessed Yule! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Joyful Kwanzaa! Happy New Year!  I think that covers it but if I missed anything, then happy merry for that too!  Now more than ever we need to be accepting and appreciative of our own cultures as well as the cultures & traditions of others!  There is beauty in diversity…it would be so dull if we were all the same, wouldn’t it?  (If you don’t think so then that’s your call but really think about it….what foods do you like?  Bet at least some come from other countries….  What movies, books, art, etc. are you interested in?  Doubt they all come from a homogeneous source!)

Sure, times are scary, the unknown can be scary, but what’s the most frightening is hatred for what we don’t understand and what that can lead to!  As an artist I’ve gained so much by studying art & mythology from across the globe…it’s lead me to travel, meeting great, new people, trying delicious foods and to creating unique art.

So I wish for all of you to have a Happy Healthy Holiday, whatever you celebrate or don’t celebrate…and a diverse, fun, peaceful New Year!  And now I’d like to share some holiday/winter themed photographs I’ve taken recently as well as through the last several years.  Enjoy the slide show!

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all images (c)Lauren Curtis

Myth, Music & Art Collide

Don’t you love it when 3 of your favorite things combine into one, very cool thing? This happened when a new freelance art client contacted me to commission me to create a new CD cover for his Jazz project, based on ancient Greek mythology!  Musician Jim Gailloreto discovered my X-RAYted art series online and messaged me about designing the cover for his PYTHIAD jazz CD & asked me to create a unique x-ray piece for it and do the design work as well. This was an exciting project as I listened to the music and loved it, especially since it is based on the myth of the ancient seer & mystic, the Pythia. Gailloreto’s music, accompanied by vocalist Cheryl Wilson, conveys the mystery of this visionary woman, The Oracle of Delphi,  who could foretell many things to those who dared to ask….

artwork (c)2016 Lauren Curtis   CD music & concept (c) 2016 Jim Gailloreto

Here’s a bit of what Jim has to say about this fascinating musical project:

“The Pythiad” is a nine-movement vocal work for Jazz String Quintet; an interdisciplinary ensemble that blends improvisations with traditional string quartet.

The music and words combine to weave the stories of nearly a dozen lesser-known Greek heroes and heroines.

Vocalist Cheryl Wilson and the string quartet are exceptional. Coleman Gailloreto (our son) wrote the lyric and the story held within is magical.

Go to this link to listen.

https://jazzstringquintet.bandcamp.com/album/the-pythiad-featuring-cheryl-wilson

Words from the soul of an author.

One of the best things about being a freelance artist is creating illustrations for novels. I get to work with imaginative authors to bring their visions and stories to life, and often, clients become friends along the way!  This is the case with Hawaiian author Samuel Omega Salt.  He hired me in 2014 to create many pen & ink illustrations for his spiritual, intriguing auto-biographical novel and we are now working on part 2.  I found his story so interesting that I invited him to be a guest blogger to share what inspired him to write his novel, “Preacher’s Kid”…

Bio 

My Father was an ordained Missouri Synod Lutheran minister, who served God  faithfully until his untimely death. Through Christ our Lord he gave me my  foundation built on the rock which I stand. The confidence of believing what  cannot be touched or seen, taken solely on faith.

Both sets of Great Grandparents came from the old world – Germany. Pre –World War I. My only claim to fame is my Grandmother on my Father’s side was  born on the ship that brought her to this large melting pot called America. 

Wait a New York minute, that’s a fib. I am living proof miracles can, do and will  happen. From birth according to Mother, I came close to death as an infant on  numerous occasion. An as a young teen, I played chicken with a train caboose. I hit that caboose broadside doing over 100 mph. I literally walked away from that  major collision on my way to church. All of this and much more is in volume I  PK  Preacher’s Kid.

I moved to Hawaii in December 2003 from the original 13 Colonies, Atlanta  Georgia. Lost my southern accent to the Hawaiian W, which is a V sound.  Havaii.  Ewa is Eva. Little tidbit from your uncle Earl. Hawaii is where all  rainbows come from and the Menehune like to play tricks on you. 

I also lost my sister Ariel in January 2016 and the death of my Father is still very close to the surface. Adding fuel to the fire, not just writing about the previously stated, I also have to tell the story of Izzie. The second person I have  ever fallen madly in love with. Maria being the first. Many a day tears blind me from seeing the keyboard clearly and the shadows of melancholy over power me. Don’t be disheartened, I will recover and forge ahead. I’m currently  working on volume II and talking to a new publisher. 

“PK: Preacher’s Kid – Volume One” book cover

Synopsis

Facing his own image in the mirror and not recognizing his reflection was the last straw. A haunting figure broken on the inside and his attire skintight, gut sticking out from under the sweatshirt and overlapping his belt and pants. You would never guess he once was a star athlete half a life ago.  Zac found his way to Dr. Phoenix Redgrave’s doorstep, emotionally dead, fragmented into a million pieces of emptiness. His last chance for atonement and survival back to humanness.

Choices, two sides of the same coin. You can call it heads or tails — choose… and accept the consequences of one’s choices that may changes one’s path and the decisions one makes thereof. A wise man once said, “Think before you act and before you speak.” Choose wisely.

(c)Lauren Curtis

Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul out of troubles. Proverbs 21:23  Tree of Life Version.

Don’t talk so much. You keep putting your foot in your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow! Proverbs 10:19 Living Bible

Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth. Proverbs 18:2 The Message

An all— America boy — your garden variety male specimen growing up in the Midwest. Zachariah Wolf is a ‘PK’, a Preacher’s Kid’. The son of a pastor means your life is always under a magnifying glass. What really happens behind closed doors is out of sight from the prying eye. From birth Zac struggled with an under-developed esophagus causing mucous to block off the air passage Zac would gasp for air. He also has a learning disability later deemed as dyslexia. This caused his mother to resort to extreme abusive tactics of discipline from as far back as he can recall. Can you memorize a prayer with your head in a toilet?  Now I lay me down to sleep…

As Zachariah grew into adolescence, the abusive relationship with his mother did not affect his athletic ability and achievements. The doors of opportunity opened as he gained popularity, he took full advantage with a full ride scholarship.

The escapades of young manhood did not escape him in college life.  Zac strutted like a rooster around campus moonlighting between two older chickadees. In reality, the women were the foxes in the coop. One got his virginity, both trained him to their pleasures of womanly wiles….

(c)Lauren Curtis

To read the full story you can find the book at amazon.com | Barns & Noble | iTunes | Google play

Title of the book is PK Preacher’s Kid volume one by Samuel Omega Salt 

Please write a review of the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

http://www.amazon.com/PK-Preachers-Kid-Volume-One/dp/1682131254

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pk-samuel-omega salt/1122651492?ean=2940150950245