printmaking | Chiarina Loggia

September 23, 2014
by chiaink 12 Comments

Sidney Fine Art Show – A Languid Dream of Rapture

Ok, it’s not my cleverest title for a blog post but as you will see a most appropriate one.

I am thrilled to report that I have had all three of my submissions accepted into the Sidney Fine Art Show this year. The pieces are described below.

Languid Light – This piece began with some ghost imagery from a previous print and was completed with collage and pencil work to create a multi-layered and textured piece infused with a cool light and warm undertones, invoking a languid, sultry mood. The frame, painted by me, is a cool blue with sides and underpainting of bright red.

Languid Light, framed

December Dream – after pulling the fourth and final monoprint from this plate I decided to let the remaining ink dry on the plate and frame the plate itself as a work of art. With its coppery glow and hint of color I think it makes quite a striking, evocative piece.

December Dream, framed

The Rapture – The final piece is a diptych of two photopolymer gravure etchings of striking statues I photographed in Italy. The prints are collaged on board, with strips of abstract, complimentary imagery added to the sides. The image on the left is of a small statue in a Florentine cemetery. The one on the right is a portion of the famous Rape of Polyxena by Pio Fedi in Florence’s Loggia dei Lanzi adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria. Both images and statues center around themes of life, passion and death.

The Rapture, diptych, framed

If you are in town please visit the Sidney Fine Art Show to view these and the nearly 400 fabulous works of art that will be on display.

Sidney Fine Art Show
Mary Winspear Center
Sidney, BC
October 17-19, 2014

September 16, 2014
by chiaink 2 Comments

Tuesday Tales – Summer’s End

Summer’s End

As we cherish the last few days of summer, there is a crispness in the air that brings on feelings of nostalgia for times gone by.

This piece was created for my first solo show, In Her Eyes, and I talked about doing the photo shoot that produced this image in the lead-up to the show. As I look at it now, I am reminded of the tremendous fun and feelings of empowerment that the shoot engendered. More than that, I am reminded of a friend that I cherish and, hopefully, honour with this piece. The title of the piece was inspired by this Foo Fighters song of the same name. It has that same feeling of nostalgia and remembrance.

That first solo show was over four years ago and it’s been over three years since my last one. Perhaps it’s time to think about doing another.

Summer’s End, an 8″x10″ photopolymer gravure etching on 15″x20″ paper, is offered this week at $250.
Contact me at chiarina@chiarina.com for further info or if you’d like to purchase it.

August 29, 2014
by chiaink 5 Comments

Inspired by Emily

Touching the Wild Inside, detail

The piece above was originally made for my solo show, The Body Speaks. I tweaked the colors and shapes a little and painted its frame to look like stone for its latest appearance in a show at Coast Collective Gallery entitled Inspired by Emily.

Emily Carr is one of Canada’s best known and beloved artists. Hailing from Victoria, BC, she travelled extensively around Vancouver Island, painting its landscape and people in bold, modernist paintings embued with spirit and sense of place. For this show, I didn’t want to emulate her style. Rather, I chose pieces that reflected her love of the natural world and her strong connection to it.

In the piece above and below, a woman’s body morphs into a tree while she places her hand on a stone wall. Unlike Daphne, she is not escaping the advances of an ardurous Apollo. Instead she is reaching out to become one with her natural surroundings, sharing spirit, warmth and strength, and shedding the cloak of civilization to find her true authentic self. One of Emily’s great strengths as an artist was remaining true to herself as a woman and artist, finding her own path in this world. This is my homage to her spirit and my reminder to myself to follow my own unique path.

Touching the Wild Inside

Touching The Wild Inside can be viewed at Coast Collective Gallery until September 7. 2014.

Two more of my pieces will also be in the show, Two In The Wood and The Language of Trees, 2

Opening reception for Inspired by Emily is Saturday, August 30, 2-4pm

August 25, 2014
by chiaink 11 Comments

Bringing Joy

I was recently commissioned to make this photo etching from a photo of this lovely, and happy, couple, to be given to them as a gift.

I am delighted to report that they are overjoyed with the piece. With their permission, I am sharing it with you for the joy it has brought me in the hopes that it may bring a smile to your day as well.

Info about commissions can be found here.

July 18, 2014
by chiaink 2 Comments

My New House Guests

After a long stint at INDEXG Gallery in Toronto my first art brownies have come home, and I like them here keeping me company in my kitchen. I think I will ask them to stay.

Have you had artwork returned to you only to discover that you are really glad they came home to stay?

July 10, 2014
by chiaink 2 Comments

What You Build

It has been a while since I have posted about my artwork. Family matters have kept me occupied and away from my computer. It has been a good time, with my son getting married and my sisters coming for an extended visit, but it has ended on a bittersweet note with a lot of departures, including both of my children leaving for parts East as they embark on new adventures. My house, a-flurry with people and belongings for several months, is now a quiet refuge from which I can refocus my creative energies.

When thinking about a piece to present for my Tuesday Tales postings, this piece kept coming into my head, yet, for the longest time, I couldn’t fathom why. It is an older piece, almost five years old, which was part of my first solo show, entitled In Her Eyes. I have talked about that show here, here and here. This is a small image of my son, the photo taken while he was rebuilding our deck, hence the protective glasses. The title, What You Build, alludes to not only what he is doing but to the act, and art, of building a life, hopefully surrounded by family and loved ones. As I thought about the title I realized why this piece kept coming into my mind. With all the recent events and changes in my life I was naturally thinking about the life I had built around and for my children. And just as my son learned the tools and techniques to build a deck I knew that he had developed the tools needed to build his life as a married man, and I hoped that I had helped in that process.

It struck me, though, that I was not only thinking of my family but about my art and this blog. What You Build had been one of many works in a show in which community played a tremendous role. While a significant focus of my blog has been to share and document my art and art process, I now see that an equally important goal for me is to build a community, one that loves to share and revel in the creative force that lies in all of us. And I see that the communication has been woefully one sided and focused on my perspectives. So I have decided to change things up a bit and post more spontaneously on art related subjects, spotlighting not only my own but the creative works of others and welcoming greater imput and discussion from my readers. I will continue to post my Tuesday Tales as new works are created but these posts will be less regular.

So with this in mind, I welcome you, dear readers, to share some fabulous creative work you have done or come across recently.

And today I would like to share this post, Waiting For Michael, about Kate McGloughlin, a painter/printmaker whose work I came just across. Not only is her work wonderful, but the post eloquentfully illustrates the healing power of art.

April 8, 2014
by chiaink 2 Comments

Tuesday Tales – We Are All Made of Stars

Stardust

Starlight

Starglass

These three pieces are from a series of small, four inch square monotypes I made, using the ghost imagery of the previous work to build upon for the next. I created the works using two mylar circles of varying sizes which I inked and placed in different parts of the square whole. I used only two colors, black and yellow ochre in the pieces. The textures were created both by the printing process and the use of talcum powder as a resist. I liked the translucency achieved and from the first monotype I knew I would be creating heavenly bodies in space.

I once had the chance to chat with a Hungarian astronaut who had been out in space. I asked him about the light out there and he told me it was extraordinary yet hard to describe. It had a brightness and clarity that was not perceivable on earth because of our atmosphere, and it filled up space, with the dark areas serving as a wonderful foil to the light. I thought of this as I made these pieces, remembering that space was not dark and empty but a place filled with light and possibility.

I turned these pieces into the triptych below, wrapping the paper around wooden blocks, and called it Stars 3. The pieces are available individually for $50 each or all three for $110.

Stars 3

You can contact me at chiarina@chiarina.com to purchase or for further information.

April 1, 2014
by chiaink 6 Comments

Tuesday Tales – Making My Mark

Bookmarks 1-5

I love bookmarks. I enjoy finding those with special artworks at galleries and bookstores. I find the artwork enhances the reading experience immensely for it begins and ends the reading session with a lovely visual experience. I especially enjoy handmake bookmarks created with care by artists I admire.

I began making my own bookmarks a few years back when I decided to recycle some older, less successful artwork and sell them for a few dollars at my studio tour. They were good sellers, so I slowly improved on them until I finally arrived at the ones I do today. These are no longer cut up old works but instead are images from carefully selected segments of etching plates that I feel work well in the long vertical format. I ink each plate especially for the bookmark with my oil-based inks and I print them on 300lb Arches watercolour paper, using the lovely natural deckel edge for the bottom of the bookmark. This paper is very firm and durable, yet takes the print beautifully under the etching press after being softened with water. The bookmarks are left to dry under a heavy weight overnight, allowing them to return to their beautiful firmness.

Each bookmark is unique, just like my prints, for each one is inked with its own, unreproduceable blend of colors. In fact I like to call them mini art scrolls, for they resemble the Asian style of painting on long vertical paper scrolls. The long vertical format is also quite popular with art galleries when announcing their shows on banners. These banners often show a cropped glimpse of the artwork on display inside. When I saw the banners below in front of the Louvre in Paris I was inspired to do the same on a much smaller scale.

Louvre, France

Hence some of the figurative bookmarks below.

Bookmarks 6-9

Bookmarks are in essence my own mini announcements, giving the purchaser a glimpse into my creative world. They make excellent small gifts on their own or add a special touch tucked inside a book. My website is written in pencil at the bottom on the back, leaving lots of room for a personal inscription. The bookmarks above and below are the latest batch I have completed. They are numbered left to right for easy identification. They are 7″ x 2 1/4″ and are offered at $10 each or three for $25. They come packaged in individual, fitted, clear plastic sleeves. Previous bookmarks were shown here. Many have been sold, but if you would like any of those images or more than one of the same image of any bookmark, I can make them to order, though each will have it’s own distinctive , and somewhat unpredictable coloring. Please contact me at chiarina@chiarina.com if you would like to purchase any of these.

Bookmarks 10-14

Bookmarks 15-18

March 28, 2014
by chiaink 7 Comments

Photo Fridays – The End is the Beginning

My First Studio

Endings are just beginnings for something new. This is the thought I hold fast to as I contemplate leaving my art studio.

About seven years ago I opened the School House Studio, forming an artist co-op with three other artists. It was in the Metchosin Elementary School, the old portion of which had been converted into The Metchosin Arts and Cultural Center. The image above is of me standing outside the door to my studio, early on, when we were the only renters and before the building got a facelift.

Since that time an art gallery and other studios have opened, and some have closed, and my studio mates have changed numerous times. Below is an image of an early incarnation of the studio.

School House Studio

In addition to being a place to create my own art, the studio has served as a place for me to teach printmaking and drawing classes, host art events and shows, film video clips, have photo shoots and of course, share a cup of tea with many who have visited. It has often felt like a second home and has been a refuge from the world when I needed one. More images of the studio in use below.

The etching press

Inking a plate

Printmaking class

It is with very mixed feelings that I say goodbye to this studio which has been a huge part of my life for a long time. Just like with a home, I must put aside any dreams for a future there as I move away. But unlike a home I will take with me the community of artists and art lovers that I have become a part of through the studio into my new work space. In the end, it is this community that forms the foundation for my future more than any place.

I will be leaving the studio at the end of April. If you are in the neighborhood do stop in for a cup of tea before then.
I will also be having a huge closing studio sale on April 12 from 1-5pm. There will be tons of artwork, and other art related stuff like frames and tables, for sale. Yes, I am very prolific! There will also be an online sale on Friday, the 11th. More details to follow.

Wishing everyone a wonderful, creative weekend!

March 18, 2014
by chiaink 2 Comments

Tuesday Tales – Morning Tea

Ocha No Asa, center

                                                                                  Fuji cools the sky
                                                                          Reflected in the rice fields
                                                                                            I sip my o-cha

Ocha No Asa (Morning Tea) is an artist book I made a few years back. It is quite a complex piece which depicts one of my favorite subjects, tea, in one of my favorite places, Japan. The tea cups above and below are shaped after some I bought in Japan. These above are placed on a backdrop of Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest and most famous mountain. Its peak was visible from my first apartment in Tokyo, rising gloriously over the cityscape in the most amazing sunsets.

The calligraphy panels on either side are reminiscent of waka, classical Japanese poetry that is visually evocative and often difficult to decifer for the artistic rendering of the words.

Ocha No Asa, center

The front panels of the book, see below, echoes the noren, or divided hangings, found at the entrance of restaurants. The circle is a common symbol found on noren. These panels are meant to open and invite you in for a cup of tea.