Here are some photos of my artwork at Nostalgia on McCalla.

As the months progress, I'm sure this wall will evolve, but the idea currently is to display artwork made from salvage- particularly mason jar paintings, older works that have been in past exhibitions, and fine art prints.

Some of the older items will have reduced prices, and I'll be able to run sales on other items from time to time, so check in often. I will also begin featuring limited editions of fine art prints there very soon.

FYI, Nostalgia offers layaway, which is very nice.

To end, here is one of my most favorite new mason jar paintings on slate, No. 66.

I am proud to announce that beginning today, I will have artwork up on a wall at the new Nostalgia on McCalla.

After showing all over Knoxville for several years now, shoveling artwork from place to place, setting up booths at markets, etc., I've decided I need a permanent place to showcase some of my work.

I chose Nostalgia for several reasons.

One: I could paint my wall white. Accessible white walls are hard to come by for an artist in Knoxville, at least one that is open to the public on a daily basis. That leads me to

Two: Nostalgia on McCalla is open Monday through Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 12-5pm. It will be great to have a space dedicated to my work, where I can send people each day of the week.

Three: While there is some overhead, a lot of Nostalgia is booth-owner run, so costs are kept to a minimum.

Time will tell if this white wall in particular will be good for my artwork. Also, to be clear, I still intend to have regular shows throughout the year in other locations, featuring my most recent work. My booth at Nostalgia will feature mason jar paintings, salvage artwork, fine art prints, and older original works.

If you are an artist interested in a space at Nostalgia, there are several spaces left near mine. I'd love to have other artists show near me, so act now. They're going fast.

On that note, I'd like to invite you to Nostalgia on McCalla's Grand Opening. It's from 11am to 10pm this Saturday, Jan 19. I will be there from about 7pm to 9pm. Hope to see you there!

Nostalgia on McCalla
1401 McCalla Ave
Knoxville, TN 37915
(right down the street from Barley's in the Old City)

Happy belated New Year! 

Many unforeseen events (aka life) happened at the end of 2012, and so writing here was put on the backburner more times than I liked. With the new year and some new opportunities on the horizon, I hope to stroll through the blogosphere more often. I know you're glad. I am.

I've made a few pieces so far this year, and I'm sharing some of them today.

Aubrey paint pen and sharpie on window sash $235

I'm continuing to work on the window drawings which has been really enjoyable.

Aubrey (detail)

For me, first finding each image is the most fun aspect of these pieces.

I find most of the images in magazines, but Google Search takes this process to a completely different level of wonder and delight. For example, for Aubrey I searched "Aubrey Plaza fashion ads" (because over Christmas "break" I watched what feels like 100 episodes of Parks and Rec) which led me to Miu Miu's short film It's Getting Late, which led me to Spotify to listen to Zola Jesus, which pointed me to Polica, which just so happens to be a sound I've been in search of for some time.

Oh, the magic World of the Wide Web.

 

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Elle paint pen and sharpie on window sash $235

Last year, I watched The September Issue, a documentary about Vogue, where Anna Wintour discusses the phenomenal impact photographing celebrities instead of models has had on the fashion industry.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I had never intended to draw celebrities, such as Aubrey Plaza or Elle Fanning (above), but when you're looking at fashion as an inspiration, I suppose it's inevitable. While I'm more interested in the image than the fact that they're famous, I did choose photographs based on if I like the celebrity or not. Something about this feels... I don't know... too easy?

 

I struggle when things come too naturally, wondering if it's worth making if it's too enjoyable. Should work cause some amount of tension if it's challenging in the right way or is making art about finding the least resistance?

 

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Elle (detail)



 

I'm ready to expound on and expand these drawings. Green Room (below) is the start of using the whole window and more "scenic" subject matter. The image is from an Anthropologie catalog. 

Green Room paint pen, sharpie, and acrylic on window sash

I'm not satisfied with the outcome of this one, but I'll keep toying around with the idea to see if I can improve. I have high hopes.

 

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Below are images from my show at the Tomato Head in West Knoxville. Some work from the end of last year, the drawings on windows above, and some new fabric pieces are there until Feb 3.

Please go take a look because (my) photographs don't do many of these pieces justice.

Below are photos of six drawings I have up at the Tomato Head right now. They are drawn with paint pens and sharpies on the front and back of window sashes. Each exposes the wire in the back for hanging, and the windows are each about 24" at their longest dimension.

Valentino (my favorite!) Sold

As you can probably guess, my subject matter is models/ the clothes they wear.

CL Sold

They're titled after the model, the designer, or a detail about their clothing. 

Naomi Sold

I'm anxious to make more of these and try some other subject matter as well. (I've all ready begun drawing mason jars on glass.)

Lanvin Sold

There is a sense of delicacy to these pieces, not only in the femininity of the subject matter but also the materials used. They are glossy, the metallics shiny. These qualities are off-set by the older, salvaged wood frame.

Flowerburst

Note the captions to find out which ones are still for sale, and please let me know if you're interested in purchasing one by emailing beth@bethmeadows.com.

Dior

Spray paint on bedspread in window sash 30 x 27.75"

My work is finally completely hung at The Tomato Head on Market Square in Knoxville. Please plan to eat there this month so you will see it. It will also be at the Bearden location in January.

fabric on window sash 30.25 x 27.75"

I really enjoyed making the work for this show. You will get more of a grasp on why I made it if you read my artist statement below, but I wanted to mention that this work is very new and different for me. I had painted the pool paintings a while ago, but the most recent work in the show is drawings on window sashes and fabric collages.

I'm moving away from the narrative paintings I've been making for so long. I started some this year, but they have became difficult to finish. I'd like to work on them over time, adding to them every week or so, but now, I'm focusing in on using other materials (fabric, etc.) and drawing on glass.

Drawing is so much more immediate for me. A pen feels closer to my hand than a paintbrush does. I've loved painting, but there has always been an element of difficulty with it for me, an unease. Drawing is more like breathing.

fabric and flagging tape 38 x 30"

Below is my artist statement for the show. I typically labor over writing these things, but I wrote this one quickly because that is how I've been making my work lately- avoiding lulls, trusting instinct. It's a little cheesy, which is good because it means I'm writing about something I love.

A couple of summers ago, my sister bought me a subscription to Vogue. On most days, my mailbox is typically pretty boring, so when I open it up once a month to find that magazine in its plastic packaging, it’s like a mini Christmas.

My first run through the pages is quick, as I ooo and ahh over what I love and furrow my brow at what I don’t. The second time through, I dog ear pages- things I wish I owned, images that are alluring, figures I want to draw, color schemes I want to use. The third time through, if there is a third time, I read articles.

These pieces are influenced by what I am looking at in this and other magazines- gold and black combinations, envy-inducing models in perfectly tailored garments, fluorescent colors, patterns. They are also inspired by my growing network on Etsy, the online marketplace I sell my artwork. Etsy is a place where one can not only see trends in the creative, fashion, and design world but also learn what people are actually liking and buying.

I am intrigued by why people like what they do, why certain things become trendy, and what makes something classic. I’m in awe of impeccable and good design and what people are willing to pay for it. As I observe these things, I want to participate as well. Right now, I am making these pieces to be a tiny part of this large creative industry, to filter all that I am seeing through my brain and hands to make something new and inspired.

Next week officially begins my art show at the Tomato Head in downtown Knoxville. I say officially because they asked me to hang two weeks early due to the opening of their new location out west, so some of my work is there right now along with work by Dean Yasko who graciously agreed to fill a wall since some of my paintings were still in Nashville. Next week, his work will leave, and more of my work will go up.

Dean is currently studying sculpture but dabbles in two-dimensional work as well. He is the type of artist that I admire but am not naturally, revolving his work around found-objects, allowing the process of making art to be visible, and finding that process to be as valuable as the final product.

If you have the chance, please go there over the next few days to see these pieces. Then, when he becomes famous, you can say you saw his early work in real-life.

The pieces I'm showing are from three different series that all fall under an intrigue with modern female fashion, not only the garments but the industry as well.

One of these series is the paintings of swimming pools I made a couple of months ago that you may read more about here.

The second series features pieces made using stretched fabric. I've painted on some and others I've cut patterns into and layered up. 

The third are drawings of magazine photographs on old windows. I used paint pens and sharpies to draw on both sides of the window, creating layers. These were a lot of fun to make. 

As I mentioned before, some of this work is there now, and more will be added within the next week. It will be at the downtown Tomato Head December 5 - January 5 and at the new location out west January 6 - February 3. Hope you can stop in.

 I will post some more photos of this work once they're available.

My Etsy shop turned two years old this month, and to celebrate, I'm taking 20% off all items listed there. All you have to do is add items to your cart and then, upon checking out, click the link on the right that says something about adding a coupon code. Then you'll type in HAPPYBDAYWBH.

This is quite the discount for higher priced paintings but also great if you're in the market for smaller mason jar paintings. Just in time for the holiday season. This will only last through Monday, November 26, so make your purchases swiftly. Thank you!

At the beginning of the year, I was inspired to begin a series of drawings called Cat Ladies. The idea was to mix images I saw in fashion magazines with portraits of female friends who love their cats in an effort to modify the stereotype.

I made two and then stopped.


Cat Lady I acrylic, india ink, marker, and charcoal on chip board 32 x 40"

I had ideas for more, but while the first one was inspired directly from a magazine photograph, the second was more concocted. I realized if I kept making them, my natural aversion to photorealistic painting would take over and I'd begin fabricating the scene and situation more and more- straying from sleek, moving toward crude.

This wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. I really like the outcome of the second (below). I liked making it more than the first, but it didn't fall in line with my original intent which sparked a small and nagging thought.



Cat Lady II acrylic, india ink, and marker on chipboard 40 x 32"

If I wanted to create gorgeous and sleek scenes, I needed to photograph them. So I wondered: How could I instantly become a talented fashion photographer and have access to elaborate interiors and gowns and dresses worth thousands of dollars? Hmmm.

While I pondered this, other ideas and projects took over, and the short-lived Cat Lady Series moved to the backburner.

Maybe I'll pick it back up again someday. I can envision being a fashion photographer in my 50s. By then I'll have a multitude of cats to use in my photos! Purrrfect.


Sidenote: Cat Lady I was inspired by a photograph in Vogue. Cat Lady II was inspired by a photograph by Luke Wilkins.