Friday, May 25, 2012

getting to know francine turk


 it is my honor, and slightly giddy pleasure to introduce to you the lovely francine turk. francine is a prolific chicago artist whose sigh-inducing mixed media work is being revered all over the world, featured in blockbuster movies and my beautifully hunted dreams.

emotive figures, wondering thoughts captured in feathery script,
grave rubbings and a whole lot of history inhabit
francine's work with grace and raw feminine power.

i hope you enjoy getting to know the inspiring woman and artist
a bit deeper with this interview. 


things you love: 
my german shepard,
buehrle (named after mark buehrle, white
sox pitcher). baseball, food, books, matisse
paintings, the color fuchsia, leather pants,
cocktails with friends, live music, black and
white photography, fresh flowers, bubble
baths, my bed, traveling, interior design,
textiles, furniture, fashion, paris, NYC, LA
and the list goes on and on…



things you love about yourself (go ahead,
brag a little):
 
i am forever trying to become
the best person i can be. i am resilient. i
love my creativity and my ability to express
myself.


what are you working on at the moment:
a new series inspired by high fashion and
urban graffiti

what inspires you: 
everything. LIFE. i get
crazy inspired when i travel. the feeling i
get when i’m in a place for the first time.
i am a very visual person so i am inspired
when i look at books, blogs, art, fashion,
magazines and all visual materials.

something you've learned the hard way:
there are no short cuts. hard work and
determination always pay off.


would you please recommend a book: 
to kill a mockingbird (harper lee) is my very
favorite book ever. i read it every year.

favorite natural food to snack on:
watermelon

when i say feminine you say…
grace kelly


something you need to do less of:
 
sleep

something you need to do more of:
create

your perfect day:
everyday that I’m alive
and healthy is a perfect day.


thank you, francine for kindly sharing your life, energy and creativity with us!

for more of francine's work, please visit her website at http://francineturk.com


images via http://francineturk.com used with francine's permission.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

playing with fire

  
'you will hear thunder and remember me,
and think: she wanted storms. the rim
of the sky will be the color of hard crimson,
and your heart, as it was then, will be on fire.'
- anna akhmatova






a longing.

silence & incense;
the murmur of tea
being poured
into clay bowls,
almost a prayer.
the smoke. the vapor.
breath.
days.



Friday, May 11, 2012

a sea of egg shells. an unfinished poem.


'went to bed with an unfinished poem
in my mouth
and could not kiss.'
-vera pavlova

this is what happens
when i have work in progress.





 taking a break from the egg shells
to work on this new piece. 
a thrifted framed canvas. 
bathed in layers of white.
texture hinting at original painting 
beneath. the minimalist in me
wants to leave it at that.
pure. simple.
pages from the journal
of a week without a tea pot
beg to join in.
the architect in me
wants to leave it at that.

what happens next?


Saturday, May 5, 2012

vintage finds. progress.





thrift stores make me giddy
with the thrill of discovering
hidden treasures.
found this week:
large vintage ornate frames.
and a couple of perfectly weathered antique books.
the frames, complete with
good quality wrapped canvas,
tease me to start painting
right on top
right away.



progress on the art prize piece.
the overhead shot makes it easier
to see what needs to be shifted,
adjusted.
4 coats of paint
on each egg shell
yet to be done,
still, what makes me nervous
is the negative space.
no clear idea
of what needs to be done. 
oh, and i need more egg shells.
  


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

a day's work.



"but tomorrow, dawn will come the way i picture her, barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor. she will look in at me with her thin arms extended, offering a handful of birdsong and a small cup of light. 
-billy collins

“hello, sun in my face. 
hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields...
watch, now, how i start the day in happiness, in kindness.”
-mary oliver

sketch on my chalk board wall

from memory.  latest completed piece.