June 5, 2015

East  Village Interactive Mural enjoys a 2nd  spring in the First Street Green Cultural Space park on Houston Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue. Bushes blossom white petel flowers with lush green leaves bursting color announcing spring, spring, spring ! The weather has been unpredictable to say the least as temps sore up and down the thermometer as restless a lover wanting attention.

Documenting the piece through all the seasons as well as day and night has been incredibly cool. Night shadows, children calling for their mothers caught on video, day light creeps and crawls along the wall a nature draws redefining, tagging the mural with shadow. An unexpected collaboration with nature. Metal hard drives attached with wires reflect as a mirror the piece, the surrounding environment natural and man-made swing in paces moved by wind or wandering people. the vines left swing and fall painted to reflect the colors present. It does what I 'd hoped interacts with what and who are present.

"Wild is the Air", 2014 (c) Dianne Bowen, interactive mural, East Village, NY associated poem  left side

"Wild is the Air", 2014 (c) Dianne Bowen, interactive mural, East Village, NY associated poem  right side

June 4, 2015

5:30 am a family of hawks now resides in the high tower of the church across from window which has become quite the bird sanctuary of late. Waking at sunrise is amazing, as the sun begins it's path across the urban terrain rising slowing a warm yellow glow appears. It's magic time up here on the 6th floor. So much inspiration had come from this time of day. More work continues to flow. It's lines akin to rivers, trees, land, ariel views of mountains, rivers, roads and the like creating paths through the earths topography, seismology, cartography, brain scans, weather, storms, rain, lightening are all present in the new work. The directions brings more fragility to the recent cut out additions which are weightless as they appear like nets over the paper air currents and shifting weights an accumulation of subtraction. Suspended in mid air a high wire act. blue, silver, pearlized - transparent appear and disappear, glinting catching light, shadows moving as you change position. Transient, impermanent, flux is constant there is nothing stable.

What if ?

May 28th, 2015

Late night studio activities lead to small paper works. While the writting for these comes at a slower pace, the visual works flood my thoughts. Bend and fold, light touches thick paper, curl and glide pencil, paint pen to paper finding the perfect spot to stop and rest. Glinting silver comes and goes depending on light and where you stand.

In the studio, progress;

"Contiental Plates Shifting Weights", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen working title

 

Current paper sculptures #1 and #2 untitled at the moment, (c) Dianne Bowen

May 24, 2015

New work is teaming with life and a new color palette. I'll call them "tubular paper sculptures" for now. The first related heavily to rivers and running water as well as weather and ariel views. The associated writing came rather quickly tho much quieter and perhaps more simple in construction.

"river seeking level, flowing an inaudible tale, whispers past lake stones, thrashing through white water, falling from cliffs into blue abyss"

"River Seeking Level", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen

"River Seeking Level", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen

"Continental Plates Shifting Weights", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen working title,

newest work studio shots sneak peek. in the studio page. cheers!

"born in whirl-wind", detail 1, 2015 (c)Dianne Bowen mylar wall relief

 

Spring blossoms in the studio fresca, 6 floors up !

"Down the Rabbit Hole", 2015 found blue print sketches, vellum cut out, found metal spring, used guitar wire, glow in the dark map pin on archival light weight museum board, 10" x 7" x 6" (25.4 cm x 17.78 cm x 15.24)

Spring we hit the ground running in the studio fresca think tank in the East Village. The interactive drawing mural comes down in April but I'm hoping may stay a little longer. March I simply watched it's progress. On sunday I noticed some peeling which revealed a bright red underneath. Like skin it's reacting to weather condition's and environmental conditions.  (pictures soon). If you haven't had a chance to see the piece, better do it before it comes down end of April. Take a picture of you with it and post to social media, just tag me #diannebowenstudio would be great to see people with it.

"Down The Rabbit Hole", 2015 marks me return back to paper and interest in 3 dimensional elements in my work and expanding more into the environment weather through installation or more formal sculpture. Exciting time as ideas are coming like a sumani in season danger, beauty, possibility oh my!! Dorothy is out for a walk about in the woods again. A friend of mine Patti Kelly gave me some of her sketches she'd done over the years on carbon paper. She draws over it millions of times and her lines have always had a connection to mine so she gave me some scraps. I used them as our lines began to converse they grew into a more structural form, they rose like smoke upward, architecture was coming into play, the "collumn" became foundation as spirals of various materials wound and sprang around and upward shifting weight as it grew almost like jack and the bean stalk I climbed with it and into it.

The new series of work continues in this vein now also including paper and drafting film wall reliefs. My writing comes as I work tho it does stand on it's own. Perhaps a small chap book of all the note and code poems will be my next book? I've been thinking about it for a few months. Something small, 5" x 7", simply titled.Stay tuned that's in the works for this coming year and will be a small limited edition run. Email me if your interested in reserving a copy. diannebowenstudio@gmail.com

New series of wall reliefs bring in new textures as well as color. Green has made it's appearance !!!
The writing also shifts it's weight for these..

There is a new direction in these works as I go back in some ways in materiality, I move forward as if walking with old friends having a chat. The excitement mounts as the game is afoot ! 

"Across the plain where the bison roamed, arrogance on steel wheels speeding by leaving tracks of blood, remember when the plane was a vast horizon of green and blue?"

"Across The Plane I" 2015 detail (c) Dianne Bowen, acrylic medium, watercolor, pigments, gouache paint pen, oil pigment stick on cotton vellum

"Across The Plane II" 2015 detail (c) Dianne Bowen, acrylic medium, watercolor, pigments, gouache paint pen, oil pigment stick on cotton vellum

"a line floats across the surface, to become, nothing, a gesture constructed to simply be, wiped away in glided movement, elegant, and deliberately, nothing"

"holding my breath counting to five, releasing air, weight and line, releasing myself into the flow, arms wide bare-chested, inhale filling sails of vellum rounding off the wall, puckering from strokes of water, a blue we have never known, appearing and disappearing with changing light, sunrise to sunset"

"Constructed Gesture In Blue" 2015 detail, (c) Dianne Bowen acrylic medium, watercolor, pigments, gouache paint pen, oil pigment stick on cotton vellum

"Constructed Gesture In Blue" 2015 detail 2 (c) Dianne Bowen acrylic medium, watercolor, pigments, gouache paint pen, oil pigment stick on cotton vellum

daily diary in the studio, think tank east village

I've been working with paper again. Recently I bought a few sheets of various hand made papers and a beautiful yellow-ish natural papyrus. While helping a friend sort through her work she gave me some old sketches she'd made on carbon paper. Yes, that old wonderful blue carbon paper used to transfer drawings. Lovingly rolled and popped in my bag, this was going to be an impromptu collaboration.  After 2 weeks of planning and playing with the papers I finally got to work to make my first paper piece of 2015 I've tentatively titled "Down the Rabbit Hole".

I wanted the piece to harken back to  earlier book sculptures I'd made while in Ravenna, Italy as my mind has been going back there recently. The idea of careful excavation of frescoes, pieces of mosaics unearthed with the gentle care of using one's pinkies I thought. Peeling back fragile layers, time, history, cities, systems, ancient, extinct, present..? This began the journey.

"Down the Rabbit Hole", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen (working title) found spring, used guitar wires, mylar cut out, found sketches on carbon paper, museum board, glow in the dark dress pin

"Down the Rabbit Hole", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen (working title) found spring, used guitar wires, mylar cut out, found sketches on carbon paper, museum board, glow in the dark dress pin

thinking out loud

Weather conditions of late have been both influencing my work and mimicking life. Abu - Abu !! I cry out internal voice straining. Push through, never give up keep going. My body strains to keep up with my mind. I went to see the Matisse cut outs and stained glass piece he created for the chapel in Vence. It wasn't just his work I wanted to see but I wanted the experience of being around the work with the knowledge of his illness during that time. It takes a brass set to keep ones self intact during such an assault on the body. Now really understanding the depth of it I can pull inspiration without falling into it. Use what is needed and let go the rest. And so it goes I tell myself every morning as the sun rises warming my face. So I see we're here again are we? Then let's get to it and see what the day brings. And so goes, and so it goes, and so it goes.

Back to my love of papers and films, while working on the large outdoor piece which is fortunately within walking distance I work as I enjoy most, multiple pieces simultaneously. It's how I view drawing really, my process is the same. Original books and book sculptures have been on mind. Re-visiting works to help move forward. A friend gave me her old blue copy paper she had been using for years to transfer drawings from paper to paper. Her work has fluid full round lines which I've always loved. An unexpected kind of collaboration, appropriation one might say? I decided to mulch the paper recycling it into a hand made paper to create a sculpture. The pieces are small, table top size really, intimate in scale. From micro to macro I go again in thought and scale now.

Drawing is like taking a line out for a dance, sometimes it's a heavy metal slam dance, sometimes it's as slow structured as a waltz, and sometimes it's a virgina reel and I'm just switching hands and partners, pencil, paint, paper, wood...

Daily Diary thinking out loud

The second layer of drawing in the snow at the mural has melted. Paint now only a memory in color of the previous mark settled lightly on the surface. It's dry form almost like lunar mountains through the Hovel telescope. Everything is in flux, my mind is brimming with so many questions I can't keep up. The mural project has proven to be a perfect vehicle to stretch out into the world literally and figuratively. Mark making, drawing, what is a line and how do we understand or perceive what it is to draw is still my main focus of exploration currently I'm in the midst of changing hands and partners as the virgina reel brings me back to various papers and films, pencils, wires, shadows, glinting light, a gently flow, languid fluidity. I've also gone back to working on my collection of original artist books with a dimensional approach, "sculptural or temporary micro installation" books. Ripping our perceptions apart, what is a page, a line, how does a word sit within the confines of such an object, what is such an object ? So many questions, my fascination gets the best of me and I loose track of time or even days.

I've been sorting through my flat files and materials looking at the various papers I've collected over the years. Inspiration is coming as I look backwards picking at peripheral thoughts I'd tucked back in the drawers for later.

Daily Diary, East Village Interactive Drawing Mural, snow day #3

Tossing and turning from a restless night the sun rising slipping in through my curtains. Light slightly altered from a stained glass piece sitting on my windowsill. My indoor studio time yesturday was more task oriented than I'd planned. Working on the mural even through blizzards and chilling temperatures, my "Studio Fresca" as I've named it has been a blessing in so many ways, allowing for experimentation with how my installation pieces react, respond, grow, evolve, effect and interact with the surroundings and spontaneous audiences. As a public work set outdoors, I've become fascinated with how all of this ties together in a cyclical kind of relationship. How art influences or affects simply by it's presence. I play a kind of call and response game of challenge. Making marks, drawing in one form or another, leaving it and coming back to see what kind of reply has been made. The work like it's surroundings is in constant flux. Using reflective metal hard drives creates the ability for the work to see itself and track movements, weather, light, time all are changed and recorded in a temporary way. This is akin to the idea that we could be the reflected images of the universe allowing it the ability to see itself through a different perspective.

The day and night are completely different worlds. The piece is ominous, salacious almost sinister and aquatic at night. Voices become more haunting, light and shadows move as ghosts, traffic blares yelling, honking horns flashing lights and sirens a chaotic storm of sound and light. While day is more calm as shadows slowly fade in and out, more as air currents occasionally kicking up a squall at sea. It's more mischievous, playful in a salacious catch me if you can? Are humans not exactly this way? Human nature- Natures nature- natural nature..? A twisted tale I'm trying to excavate, locate and decipher.  Pouring and splashing blue paint on the snow created a layer of drawing and color to be excavated after it dried. I pulled up a piece with the underlying snow to examine. Science and Art have always good friends as Di Vinci had stated. A relationship  with similarities. Both inquisitive, methods, theories, pondering what if? 

Daily Diary, Interactive drawing mural, East Village, NY

Snow day #2 in New York City. As the city gets back to it's rhythm the snow still falls tho more manageable than the night before. Winter sun is so different. An eery yellow...  surreal brightness to it. There is a strange dark disturbing glow that has always attracted me. The gates were closed in the park tho not locked. The layer of drawing in the snow from yesturday had been completely covered by new snowfall. The idea of vanishing layers tugged at me like a child wanting attention. This morning after coffee I'd decided that I'd take the spray paint but also a little can of cobalt blue to the park. The second layer would be made with the spray paint with the addition of throwing some blue paint into the snow similarly to the original work I'd used for the initial ideas. Splashes of blue in oil were now splashes in the snow. Thicker in consistency, they rest on the top layers of the snow. Thick enough one could if they were inclined, simply pick it up from underneath.

These vanishing layers, black and blue would leave no print for the human eye. They swing into the surroundings C'est la vie ! Tomorrow is only a promise.

"Wild is the Air", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen, snow day #2, second layer of drawing in the snow

"Wild is the Air", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen, snow day #2, second layer of drawing in the snow

"Wild is the Air", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen, snow day #2, second layer of drawing in the snow

"Wild is the Air", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen, snow day #2, second layer of drawing in the snow

Snow day; drawing in the snow East Village Mural daily diary

"Wild is the Air", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen, detail of spray paint drawing on snow

Yesturday a blizzard hit New York City. Perfect timing I thought to go do some work on the mural. The park was silent, pristine and empty. Usually a loud siren somewhere but not today, just me, the storm and the drawing. Perfecto !

I paced a bit to and fro thinking about the next move. That morning I'd come up with a loose plan. Using black spray paint I'd follow the lines from the work out into the snow and see what happens? My "what if?" moment. Playing with the wind I'd allowed it to have it's two cents. Holding the spray can close to the ground for clear lines and farther to allow the wind to dissipate the paint mist.

My intention in thought; the paint a mist sprayed onto the snow would vanish to the human eye as the weather changed just enough to change snow to water. "Changing states" it would be released from the snow and allowed to gather or flow into or away from it's current origin or perhaps simply seep deeper still into it's current location? A line which appears, disappears, simply changes states like glass; never really still..

"Wild is the Air", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen, detail of spray paint drawing on snow

"Wild is the Air", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen, detail of spray paint drawing on snow

"Wild is the Air", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen, detail of spray paint drawing on snow

"Wild is the Air", 2015 (c) Dianne Bowen, detail of spray paint drawing on snow

Daily Diary East Village Mural, January 15, 2015

A new year begins ! The mural is beginning to shed it's vines as the winter weather takes hold. The reflection from the metal hard drives adds beautiful playful movements in light across the surface dipping into areas of sky and ground.  Three of them came down with the vines which lay a pile of blue, black, white and yellow on the ground.

The light and shadows of January have changed position and intensity. Now rising from the bottom left of the work. The wrought iron fence in the foreground slowing climbs the piece as the sun rises and descends as it sets. Ominous feeling I took a picture of my shadow with it.
Shadows from the far foreground now begin to create a third layer of interaction. The trees beyond the fence are now visible as they cast their shape across the more minimal left side.

I've edited several video clips which show the diversity of the work during the changing light, seasons and weather conditions. A theatre noir at night and subtle quietness of the shadows appearing and disappearing over the course of day.

Dianne Bowen, documenting interactions of light and shadow, December, 2014

 

December 20, 2014

The outdoor interactive drawing is going really well. I visit at various times of the day to observe the changes. The cold affects my ability to do work for any length of time. I've finally made the first videos to document the piece at night. It's quite beautiful in a haunting way. The hues of blue are incredible. The shadows and movement in sync are fascinating to me. I am the observer.
I've also caught close ups of several elements on their own. 

Below is the link to the night video in full.

"Wild Is The Air", 2014

Detail of Metal element.

"Wild is the Air", detail metal element

BEING THERE

December 7, 2014 East Village Interactive Drawing Installation Mural (that's a mouthful)

 Winter, dusk brings evolution to my interactive drawing. Gusts billow metal, vine, light, and shadow, sounds repeat a new composition in progress.

A storm the night before shook my windows in the frames, billowing curtains from cracks in the wall and windows improperly installed. Falling asleep with hope it would continue the next day so I could catch it causing the mural piece to move with frantic play. The light is perfect in the later afternoon. The light is white turning warm yellow aging like parchment. The shadows deepen. The vines catch larger fallen limbs sway gently rocking them back and forth as a mother rocks her child. The light creates 2 dimensions of shadows; one of the trees and nature closest to the work, the other the urban wrought iron fence and gate in the foreground surrounding the park. This adds an eery play in light and shadow cast over the work moving just slightly off... I wonder as I watch and film, what if?

It was very active today and my friend George who sit's in the park carving things from fallen branches quietly whittles on the bench beside me.  George is an oldschool East Village character with many stories, a crazy life and a sense of humor to match. We chat as we work, and sometimes simply just smile with a knowing glance a moment of being alone is cool. No words needed. Today I noticed a group of younger college age people exiting shuffling and snapping pics as they left the park waving to George. He said "I was just explaining that your work makes sounds, music, it's a musical instrument at least to me of course. You know I was here a few days ago and I heard it. It was cool I really like to watch it." I asked what did it sound like, to me a drum symbol perhaps?" He smiled and said, "Ok, maybe to you, but I can't say exactly and laughed. I know it was like that but not that and I was looking for you to tell you it was making lots of noise."

I've filmed a good assortment of short clips to use for a longer video documenting the piece. It's taken on a life of it's own, it's progress or evolution while predictable to some extent is yielding so much more than I expected.

"Wild is the Air" indeed, being there....

"Wild Is The Air", 2014 daily diary, Filming in the late afternoon, (c)Dianne Bowen

"Wild Is The Air", 2014 daily diary, Filming in the late afternoon, (c)Dianne Bowen

I've gone for a walk

November 25, 2014

In mulling through notes and photographs of the outdoor piece before heading over to do a little work I thought of calligraphy. Gestural language marks, extinct languages, pictographs, the way the light creates these forms naturally, moving across the surface. Natural Graffiti an inaudible language of transient mark making. Taking a photograph in October when the light is very dramatic, I caught an example of this thought aiming the camera up through the work. It takes on a vertical composition like Japanese or Chinese. I think of reaching towards the unknown for answers for conversation with the universe all around me.

Knock-knock.....

It's me again

"wild is the air", 2014 (c) Dianne Bowen, detail current work in progress, East Village, NY

November 22, 2014 I had several of my cellular pieces included a show "The Right Amount of Wrong", curated by Lovina Purple at the ISE Cultural Foundation, 555 Broadway, near Prince Street in Soho, New York. The show closes on December 19th so if you're in New York City I hope you can drop by. The most repeated quote at the opening I heard, "This is a really strong show, best I've seen in awhile including Chelsea". Not to be biased but I'd agree. Lovina did an fantastic job, all the work was really strong and as we spoke during the artists talk it became more clear the many ways the artists were conversing. From materials, concepts, color, technique the room was a lively conversation indeed.

"Cellular Secrets Popping Sound", 2012 (c) Dianne Bowen with associated note poem oils, pigments, china marker, light fast wax pencil pigment sticks on canvas

"Deep Sound II", 2012 (c) Dianne Bowen, pigments, oil, oil stick, china marker on canvas

"Red Is A Hunger", 2008, (c) Dianne Bowen, pigments, copper pigment, recycled tire treads, guitar wire, coriander seed, light fast pencils, cut outs archival pen on paper,associated poem; Red is a hunger, licks it's lips, curls a smile

Nomad

SOLD
Studio photograph, Framed and ready for delivery. Didn't have that much time to sit with this and contemplate but long enough I get let it go.

 

Last week I wandered around Chelsea to catch a few shows I had missed the openings. I thought I'd beat the heat while I had the chance so an early walk about was perfect and inspiring.  Recently I'd taken to a little early morning walk in Tompkins Square Park where I can sit quietly with nature and just simply walk, write or think alone.  A gift in a city of non stop chaos on many days. On the walk back to my studio an empty store window caught my eye. Panels of glass seemed kicked in cracking the glass with white spray paint graff text over it. This combination was incredibly intriguing to me so I whipped out my cell and snapped a few shots close up and changing sections of the lines from the text in an abstract composition. These are perfect to include in my on going series "foundlings" which I'd been working on for several years. They are impromptu, random, encounters with what I term "found drawings". Using photography to capture these combines photography and drawing in both medium and concept I think arguably I'm sure.

"Foundling" Ave A, East Village NY, July, 2014

East Village Studio, July 7, 2014

 July 15, 2014
 Recent work inspired by a line in a poem by poet Alyssa Yankwitt, "This Is How We Spill Our Grief". The two smaller recent works come from this line. Her words stuck in my head wandering around for weeks after I read her poem. It took a little time to know where I would begin or what surface?

The two piece's were created in July, 2014, one on artist board and the other on mylar. Hope you enjoy them ! Here are some studio shots.

This Is How We Spill Our Grief, 2014, July, oil, pigments, gouache, pencil on mylar roughly 21" x 30"

This Is How We Spill Our Grief, I, 2014, July, oil, pigments, guoache, china marker, on raw wood artist board, 8" x *"

                                                                     SOLD

The winter in New York City was long, dark and fraught with many storms. Cold and rainy as winds whipped through windows, and all manor of cracks and crevasses it could manage. I've been very ill since last summer which has led me to slow down my pace and focus on my health and recovery. Thankfully I'm a tough broad as my father would say and will recover.

In the east village studio which I fondly refer to as "the think tank", my mind was dulled by the meds. It was hard to think clearly and put things together. A line, a very simple line from one side of the surface to another was a feat. It became impossible to work as my head simply couldn't wrap itself around exploring or defining any ideas possibilities. So I waited ... and waited...

and waited...

every day growing frustrated

waiting for my body and mind to heal to recover, to recognize the image in the mirror.
to recognize the person who spoke from this body that was mine I no longer recognize. I search for
pictures to remember what I looked like, where my thoughts were going.

searching for me, searching for something recognizable.

This was the hardest part, the body failed me, but my mind failed me too. The horror indeed.

Now almost a year later, I see myself again. There you are, I thought staring in the mirror.  It's been so long I've missed you !

The new work is coming very fast as my mind returns to it's frantic wonderful active self again. Puzzles, fireworks, the joy ! I've several series I'm working on at the moment in a  variety of mediums. From site specific installations to drawings, mixed media and video incorporating my note and code poems simultaneously. Collecting words, sounds, colors, motion, textures, all delicately woven quietly as I slept. A line in a poem by my dear friend poet Alyssa Yankwitt has inspired several works on mylar and wood panel artists board. "This is how we spill our grief". It's subtlety, the act of "spilling" something for me is a languid motion, which could be quick or slow. It's how we perceive the passing of time, how we understand time in relation to all things in the bigger picture of life.

Some images will be posted shortly as I get back in the swing of things and my computer gets up and running again.  Enjoy your day where ever you wander !

Falling into Fall

New work begins, as the art season kicks into high gear, stay tuned lots coming up !

"Falling Loose Exhaling Empty",  2012 (c) Dianne Bowen