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ALTERED BOOKS - Donation Piece

4/25/2021

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Double Bind, April 2021 (front right view)
I created this as a donation for the Altered Book show/fundraiser at MOCA which runs from April 24 through May 23, 2022. This piece came together despite my best efforts to over-think and complicate it. The pink is lighter and brighter than it appears in the photo. It was designed to hang on the wall, like a painting. Getting good images of this piece was challenging, since it was finished mere moments before being delivered. Procrastination seems to be the name of the game for me these days. Things are ready when they are ready, and no sooner.

This piece remains untitled. It evoked different ideas, thoughts, insights and feelings as it was pulling itself together, never really settling on any one, but rather incorporating them all, in a multi-layered or point of reference sort of way. A friend saw it and asked me about metaphors, meanings and what it meant. I hadn't really thought about how to describe it, since I sort of felt it. It was interesting for me put it into  into words to see what I thought.

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Double Bind, April 2021 (front left view)
Q. So is the book a metaphor for the ‘heart contained’?
"Often times, I see an image (of a piece) in my mind and decode it later. The book was that way. I saw it in pieces, which came together at the end. In this case less is so much more. I am not sure about the metaphor. Maybe the book is habitual patterning or the binds of societal norms and the hand extended is an invitation to the unknown. I think it all comes down to curiosity and courage, the quest for self-knowledge and the risks that it implies. One can choose to remain blissfully unaware of choice and plod on programmed by convention. Or, one can cower in fear and hide behind rhetoric when faced with new and unexpected situations. Or, one can choose to look deeper, to bite into life, to savor the unexpected.

How would you describe the taste of an apple to someone who has never had one? Wouldn't it be better just to hand it to them to taste for themselves? Is the apple sweet? Is it sour? Is it crisp? Whatever the experience is... that is reality, the totality of life in action."

Q. What do you hope the viewer experiences?
At first, that feeling that you get in your head, when your mind sort of flips and thought is suspended for a moment. That brief pause that feels the knowing but can't quite pin it down.

Then, whatever comes to mind. I see so many things in it, from the arising feminine, to courage and curiosity, to theory over experience, to the contrast of the academic knowledge of life to the actual experience of life, to the willingness to move beyond the rigidity of belief. Ask me again tomorrow and I will see something different. I think it is like a Rorshack test.
This piece is also somehow invisibly tethered to this thought/quote... "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Ultimately, I doesn't matters what I see in a piece or what I intended. What matters is the observer's experience. How it makes them feel and what it says to them when viewed thorough the unique lens of their existence.

The links below contain more information about the show, in case you want to see the other pieces in the show and/or bid on them.

Info to visit in person:
https://marinmoca.org/exhibitions/event/131/
Info to visit & bid online:
https://www.bidsquare.com/.../rayne-madison-untitled-220243
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Flower Power!!!!

4/21/2021

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Happy Earth Day 2021!!!

Plants have the power to heal the earth and its inhabitants. They provide for us in myriad ways asking for nothing in return. So, this Earth Day, I am making seed bombs to commemorate the day. Please join me if you are available. Details are below, as are instructions for making your own seeds bombs!
Come celebrate EARTH DAY with SweetFrau!
Sweet Frau will be making seed bombs at the Petaluma Art Center (by SMART train) tomorrow from 3-6PM as part of their Earth Day activities. The event is co-sponsored by 350 Petaluma. See you there!

Links if you want to know more...
https://petalumaartscenter.org/news/climate-action-adds-up
https://350petaluma.org/

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How to Make a Seed Bomb (pdf download)

how_to_make_a_seed_bomb.pdf
File Size: 447 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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The Love Bunnies Hit the Street

4/4/2021

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The Love Bunnies hit the streets of downtown Petaluma on April 4, 2021 to coincide with the Easter Sunday. Six locations in high traffic areas were chosen at random.
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Kentucky Street Parking Lot.
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Putnam Plaza.
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Water Street.

The Love Bunnies were created to inspire joy and spread the language of love!
160 Love Bunnies were created, each with a bright brilliant heart and
the word love, translated into a different language, on their  back.
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B Street and Petaluma Blvd South.
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Kentucky Street.
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McNears Park.

Handmade and homemade in Petaluma.
The Love Bunnies are made from cast painted plaster with paper appliques.
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Love Bunnies amassing the night before...
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The Love Bunnies, in Progress...

4/3/2021

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A few weeks ago I started a project I have been calling the Love Bunnies. The thought underlying this project is that symbols carry meaning and transmit energy. Symbols are often universal and are used to communicate ideas or concepts beyond language.

With spring in the air, I had rabbits on the brain. I was seeing them everywhere. So, I decided to create little rabbits to leave around town, as positive tokens, on Easter Sunday. The Love Bunnies were created to inspire joy and spread the language of love! 160 Love Bunnies were created, each with a bright brilliant heart and the word love, translated into a different language, on their  back.

I made the Bunnies using plaster in silicone molds. The rabbits were then hand painted and later the heart and translation appliques were attached. Below are some of the production photos.
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Love Bunnies awaiting distribution!
2-April 2021
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Making the distribution display unit.
3-April 2021
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Love Bunnies awaiting distribution!
2-April 2021
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Love Bunnies amassing while waiting for their siblings to dry.
31-March 2021
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Love Bunnies distribution display.
3-April 2021
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Love Bunnies distribution displays loaded up and ready to go!
3-April 2021
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NEW Installation - The Museum of Sonoma County in Santa Rosa!

12/2/2020

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I installed a portrait version of The HUman element in the front window of the Museum of Sonoma County this afternoon. The installation is part of the Open and Out program, which put artists to work and brought art out into the open in downtown Santa Rosa.

Many thanks to the City of Santa Rosa for this opportunity and to Jessica Rasmussen for coordinating and assisting in the installation of this "mur-all." I also wish to express gratitude to all the lovely people who participated in the project. I literally could not have done it without you.

I am growing this project. So... get ready for it... here is the pitch... If you would like to donate time, materials or funds. Or learn more please visit the shop & support page for additional information!

Thank you!

links:
https://museumsc.org
https://www.sweetfrau.online/
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The HUman element with the lovely Jessica Rasmussen after installation.
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NEW Installation - at the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum

12/1/2020

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Sweet Frau Strikes again!

I installed some bright, fun, seasonal signage this afternoon at the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum. There are five signs in the series. So, time permitting, we may see a few more.

Hoppy Holidays! & Season's Tweetings!
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Blocking out the New "MUR-ALL" & making Holiday Signs

11/30/2020

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So, my studio kitchen has spread into the rest of my apartment. While it is loads of fun working on multiple projects, space can be an issue.  Why not use the rest of my tiny place to the best advantage?
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24-November Blocking out the new HUman element "mur-all" in the living room. (Finish size 4ftx8ft)
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26-November Two of the five signs (24"x48") that I was hoping to finish for the museum in progress in the living room.
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27-November Two of the five signs (19"x38") that I am am hoping to finish for the house. The cold weather is hampering the drying time. So... I put on a sweater and extra socks, threw the heater into the bathroom and closed the door, creating a temporary drying room for a few hours.
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27-November Retouching the files and printing the element cells. Keeping them organized and clean in the bedroom.
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28-November Two of the five signs (24"x48") that I was hoping to finish for the museum drying outside on our communal deck (thank you for your patience my neighbors) after receiving their final top coat.
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30-November Pasting up the boards in the kitchen. Letting the finished pieces dry in the living room while I work on the top section.
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Bertrand Comes through in a HUGE way!

11/25/2020

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I inherited a used wide format printer, which is named Bertrand, about two years ago. Being impatient, I took the printer home and began to use it immediately, without investing adequate time to learn about or calibrate it. Consequently, I have been frustrated with intermittent quality issues from time to time.

Yesterday, after spending about an hour trying to research the source of color banding in the prints, I gave up the task and tuned into Netflix for solace. This morning, I thought I would try again. I spent six hours researching, reading, cleaning, calibrating and experimenting. And, the results were well worth it.

Thank you for your patience and all your efforts Betrand!
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The five new designs for the Petaluma Art Chicks small holiday signs (18"x36") printed in full-color with absolutely no banding. Bertrand... you are freaking awesome, buddy! Thank you!
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OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS!

11/18/2020

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I have received a request to participate in a window display for the Open & Out project in Santa Rosa. The Museum of Sonoma County is featuring works, from several program participants, from December through March. What a freaking awesome opportunity to share The HUman element project with passersby and museum visitors.

Now it's time to get to work. I have two weeks to put together a new mural using a different format. Frantically fun and fabulous!

Thank you to everyone for including this project which is so close to my heart.
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A HAPPY HALLOWEEN INSTALLATION!

10/31/2020

 
The Human element. I installed The HUman element "mur-all" this morning. It was amazingly easy to do alone and in costume. Dressed as SweetFrau I put up the three panels quickly and easily. And, had an awesome and inspiring conversation with Juan, who works for the City of Santa Rosa and is an aspiring photographer. He showed me some of his images they were great. He seems especially talented with portraits.

The mural is located in front of Miso Good Ramen at 507 4th street near the corner of 4th and B.
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  • HOME
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    • Public Projects (interactive) >
      • The HUman Element
      • Superhero Unfolding >
        • Coloring Pages
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      • Love Bunnies
      • Flower POWer
      • Spectacular Steeds
      • One Nation, Indivisible.
    • Inspirational Signs >
      • Petaluma Art Chicks >
        • Art Chicks Around Town
      • VOTE with LOVE
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