Janet Chilton

Ideas taking form ...

2011-04-18T08:55:00.004-04:00

I just returned from the International Association of Facilitators annual conference where I participated in the visual meetings track.

Being an experienced meeting facilitator with an art/design background, graphic facilitation is a natural fit. During the 4 day conference I got to jam with 6 leading graphic facilitators.

Our job as graphic recorders is to make meeting processes visible. Our work is often messy because participatory decision making is messy. We are creating the visuals that allow people to see ideas flow in real time.

Markers and big paper (4' x 8') are the tools of our trade. We're not there to create pretty charts & graphics, although that may happen.

It's the process that's important. As graphic recorders, we're there to listen carefully, to accurately record what the group is saying and the decisions that are emerging from the process.

Messy and beautiful. Ideas taking form.

I'm excited!

End of an era ...

2011-02-26T18:46:00.003-05:00

The end came in early October, 2010 when I closed the doors on my studio at the Stutz. I spent 5 exhilarating years at the Stutz, but it was time to move on.

During those 5 years I learned many things, not the least of which was the fact that the life of a full-time artist wasn't for me. I really admire artists whose sole focus is their art: artists who spend hours alone each day, honing their craft and making art. Alas, that's not me.

With the closing of my studio at the Stutz, I redirected my energy back to a field that I have loved for more than 30 years: making meetings work as a facilitator leading participatory group processes.

I will always be an artist. I now have a smaller home studio and opportunities to exhibit my work in the Carmel Arts District. I am also one of 20 Indianapolis artists who are creating art for the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra's Notable Arts Collection in the spring of 2011.

Life is good!

C O N V E R G E N C E

2009-06-14T22:03:00.005-04:00

Convergence opened at the StutzArtspace Gallery on Friday, June 5th.

It's an exciting show of contemporary art at the Stutz and I encourage everyone to drop by.

We're open 11am - 2pm Monday through Friday, or by appointment.

C O N V E R G E N C E

2009-05-31T23:37:00.009-04:00

Susan Brewer, Susan Mauck, Carol Tabac-Shank and I will be hosting an opening for our new show this Friday, June 5th from 5-9 pm.

Our show will explore open space and gesture in contemporary drawings, paintings and steel sculptures. I will be exhibiting my abstract calligraphy Spirit Taking Form.

Please join us!

Through June 26, 11am - 2pm M-F, or by appointment
Enter from 10th Street, via Bearcat Alley

the earth laughs in flowers

2009-04-19T11:54:00.004-04:00

so sayeth the poet
e.e. cummings.

It has been a strange journey from plastic trash to numinous flowers. As I have shifted my focus from what is wrong with the planet to what is right, my creativity has exploded.

I am still horrified by the plastics. But I cannot create from horror. Some artists can. I am not one of them. Perhaps I can find a way to meld love and horror.

Check back later.

Seven days and counting ...

2009-04-18T19:24:00.002-04:00

Seven days before Indianapolis descends upon the Stutz for our annual studio tour. Time to pick up clean up hang up light up and chill the wine.

Friday, April 24 5:30pm - 10:30 pm and NEW Saturday hours: 2pm-7pm

Advanced tickets available for $10 at participating Old National Banking Centers and at the Stutz Business Office.

Please join us!

The gathering storm swamped me …

2009-04-05T10:52:00.004-04:00

To be honest, I returned from Cozumel overwhelmed by the knowledge that my beloved ocean is being clogged and polluted by plastics. This swamped me emotionally and I couldn’t create the installation that I originally envisioned.

Wondering if my frozen state was typical of the paralysis that keeps most of us from facing the enormity of our environmental problems, it dawned on me that bonking my patrons over the head with visuals had the potential of freezing everyone else just as surely as it was freezing me.

So I changed tacks. On the surface it appears that the new work that I will be showing at the Open Studio Tour on April 24-25, 2009 isn’t related to my original intention. But it is. Let me explain.

I have been reading and re-reading The Reenchantment of Art by Suzi Gablik for the past 6 months. The thesis of this wonderful book is that modernism has failed us, co-opted by the same corporate culture of consumerism that modernism originally opposed.

For contemporary artists who are disillusioned with the current state of affairs in our consumer culture, the author proposes that there are 2 distinctly separate options. Confusingly, BOTH are called post-modern yet they are distinctly different. Gablik suggests that this is a dialectic that cries out for synthesis.

On the one hand, many post-modernist artists deconstruct consumer culture to show what’s wrong. Or cynically co-opt it by intentionally creating sofa art. Both approaches attempt to stand apart from consumer culture to illuminate or deconstruct what’s wrong. That’s where I was going with my plastic trash art.

On the other hand, there is potential to love people into changing their behavior by creating an “enlarged ecological perspective, and greater access to the mythic and archetypal underpinnings of spiritual renewal”. This resonated with me as I immediately recognized that this is what I do when I get into a funk: I pull myself out by reconnecting with the archetypes of the natural world.

In my experience, being deeply rooted and connected to creation via the natural world changes the way I see myself as a co-creator of the future. Which changes my behavior.

So perhaps I can help others see what I see and move consumer consciousness forward by “reenchanting” my own art.

This has turned into a delicious adventure.

A gathering storm

2009-01-31T07:15:00.008-05:00

I captured this photo late Friday afternoon as I was returning from a photo shoot on the beach. It perfectly sums up how I feel about the problem of plastics in the ocean: Can we outrun this gathering storm?

Eyes Wide Open

2009-01-30T21:17:00.016-05:00

This week in Cozumel I have gone from overwhelming grief about the problem of plastics in the ocean, to raging fury, numbness and finally a steady resolve to do what I can to highlight this problem.

This is not a problem unique to Cozumel. It’s a global problem that will require each and every one of us to change our thinking and our behavior about how we use and recycle plastics. This problem is as serious as any environmental problem we face because plastics never break down into anything smaller than the tiny bits of polymer that are rapidly poisoning our food chain.

My awakening occurred over the Christmas holidays when I realized that I was trying to avoid a large pile of plastic rope while framing an amazing photograph of the surf on the wild side of Cozumel. As I got closer to the pile of shredded and tangled rope, I realized that it was actually quite beautiful. It looked like a masterpiece of contemporary fiber art: aqua, turquoise, yellow, brilliant blue and black. However, it clearly did not belong where it was.

The pile has grown since I first encountered it a month ago. That cannot be an accident. I watched the beaches near this heap being cleaned for tourists. Yet this pile grows. I was tempted to lug it to the trashcan on the road. Then I stopped to consider that encountering this pile opened my eyes to the problem. Perhaps its presence can quietly do the same for others?

So, after passing through the manic phase when I tried to pick up every bit of plastic that I encountered, I resolved to create a purposeful heap whenever I discovered a large tangle of rope snagged on jagged coral. Today I created three and added to several more. If the weather cooperates, I hope to create a few more before I leave on Sunday.

It’s not much, but it’s a start.

Wild Beaches

2009-01-27T16:19:00.016-05:00

Yesterday my heart was broken. I love the ocean. I love this island. I love its wild beaches and gorgeous turquoise water. Yet what I encountered on a wild beach in a protected preserve overwhelmed me with grief.

Tangled in seaweed at the high watermark was an overwhelming amount of plastic debris. Within a few short hours I had a small car load of plastic: a broken chair, a plastic crate, confetti like bits of broken bottles, a crumpled soccer ball, chunks of styrofoam cups, a brilliant blue rope, a yellow pail, a gazillion bottle caps, a purple clothes pin and a pink dinosaur. All washed up at high tide and stranded on the beach amidst seaweed and seashells.

This problem is not unique to Cozumel. All over the world, visitors arrive on lovely islands, greeted by the groomed beaches of a vacation paradise. Most travelers assume that the wild beaches are equally pristine and beautiful.

However it’s a full time job to keep this ocean detritus from fouling the beaches destined for tourists.

On the truly wild beaches, where there are no industrious workers toiling away at dawn to clear the flotsam and jetsam that has arrived overnight on the tides, you will find this heartbreaking vista.

Cozumel: a never ending fascination

2009-01-17T17:39:00.004-05:00

In another week I’m going back to Cozumel. Again. I just can’t get enough of that wonderful island in the Caribbean.

This time I won’t be scuba diving, but working on a project that I plan to exhibit at the April Open House at the Stutz.

For 2 weeks in December I photographed the ocean surrounding Cozumel, with the intention of capturing source material for new paintings. I am still utterly captivated by the blue, green and turquoise water.

On one trip to the unpopulated north end of the island I was mesmerized by the unending variety of color to be seen in the ocean. Some of the photos that I captured that morning stand by themselves as exquisite abstract works of art.

But something else happened that day. On a pristine, completely uninhabited, undeveloped beach that could only be reached by boat we found piles of plastic flotsam tossed up onto the beach by the ocean.

The ocean had flung our trash back in our faces. This trash will never break down into anything less than the minascule plastic polymers that are already poisoning our food chain. Appalled by this awakening, I knew that I had to do something about it.

Doing more research, I discovered that the problem is much worse than fouled beaches and turtles tangled in cast off plastic bags. There is a huge area in the Pacific ocean, larger than the state of Texas, where the plastic congregates. For more information, please read: Plastic is Drastic: World's Largest 'Landfill' is in the Middle of the Ocean.

So, I’m going back to Cozumel to work. Not because the problem in Cozumel is any worse than anywhere else, but simply because I have friends there who want to help. We’re going to be cleaning beaches and finding ways to tell this story through art, writing and photography.

I’ll keep you posted.

Yes. We. Did.

2008-11-07T09:18:00.002-05:00

"Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence." Lin Yutang

Punta Sur & the 5 Blues of Cozumel

2008-07-29T13:56:00.009-04:00

Back to work after an incredible 2 weeks scuba diving in Cozumel.

I've been captivated by the blue water of the Caribbean, specifically the water surrounding Cozumel where locals claim there are 5 distinct blues.

I've been trying to capture them, but not like the lady I heard about who boarded a boat one morning with 5 glass ball jars in a quest to collect all five!

Rather I've been using my camera, painting plein-air at different times of day from the balcony of my room overlooking the ocean in Cozumel, studying satellite imagery and playing with a plenitude of blue paint: phthalo blues and greens, cobalt blue, cobalt green, cobalt turquoise, ultramarine and cerulean.

Creating color charts to guide my work in the future. Brightening them with yellows, lightening with white and neutralizing with burnt umber and a variety of reds.

This is deeply satisfying work. If you're in Indianapolis, please come see Punta Sur, my newest painting which plunges deeply into this magical blue space.

Summertime Blues, is a group show at the StutzArtspace Gallery on Bearcat Alley at the Stutz. The show opens Friday August 1, 2008, from 5-9 pm.

New color class began today

2008-05-16T18:18:00.003-04:00

I really enjoy teaching adults. And I especially enjoy teaching practical color theory in a color mixing class that I developed last year. This foundation course is based upon the Michael Wilcox School of Color, Ltd.

I'm teaching the class in the new StutzArtspace Classroom located just off of Bearcat Alley on the ground floor of the Stutz. This is a new non-profit teaching space for artist/instructors who are residents of the Stutz.

I have always loved color and studied color theory informally for more than 30 years. My art education in college was seriously lacking in instruction about practical color theory. After college I created a small study group with several colleagues to study color, but we only succeeded in learning about the physics of color and the theoretical research of color pioneers such as Faber Birren and Josef Albers.

Eventually I stumbled onto the work of Albert Munsell and the Munsell self-study educational tools. About the same time I found an early self-study workbook by Michael Wilcox, who eventually founded the School of Color, Ltd. These two programs unlocked the secrets of paint color mixing for me, which I now pass on to my students in a very hands-on 4-day color mixing workshop.

If you are interested in learning more about my color classes, please send me an email or register for my color class email list in the guestbook on my website.

Open Studio Tour at the Stutz April 25-26, 2008

2008-05-16T18:07:00.006-04:00

The Open Studio Tour was exhausting and exhilarating as usual. The annual studio tour was one of the main reasons I decided to locate in the Stutz in 2005 and each year seems better than the last. I finally figured out how to manage the crowd, including my friends and patrons who enjoy spending time socializing in the studio.

This year I had a preview party from 5:30 - 6:30, which gave me a chance to spend time with friends before the crowds arrived around 7pm. Several friends used my corner wine bar as their homebase as they ventured out to see the work of the other 60+ artists who have studios here.

Here's a shot of my studio (same angle as the messy shot) right before people arrived. My very gracious brother-in-law tended bar for me all evening. I wish I had gotten a photo of my very own "Cheers" bar in action!

For those of you who couldn't be here this year, I missed seeing you and hope to see you next year!

Slammed!

2008-04-23T08:35:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend I got slammed by a bad cold. How does this happen? Going along just fine, nice little critical path of things to do before the Open House and WHAM … a scratchy throat, then that little bugger takes a dive straight for my lungs. Within 24 hours I knew that bronchitis was on its way.

I knew I was pushing too hard but I loved what I was creating and couldn't stop. But getting sick 6 days before the big show was decidedly not on any of the checklists.

Fortunately, I already had an appointment scheduled on Monday morning with an acupuncturist who is also an RN and he had a plan. He set some needles, put me on the most amazing homeopathic remedies and nipped it. In the normal course of things I would have been flat on my back by now, but thanks to Tom Hammett I'm still functioning and still pretty much on track with that checklist.

The art went up yesterday and the studio looks fantastic! I really believe in the work I’m creating right now and I’m excited about having thousands of people see it. We anticipate 8-10,000 visitors in the building for the Open House this coming Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. It’s one of the big art events of the year in Indianapolis and one of many reasons why I chose to locate my studio in the building.

The building is an old Stutz Bearcat automobile factory, recycled into alternative studio/office space in the early 90s by a visionary developer who is also a painter. The Open House started out with a couple of artists and a plastic swimming pool filled with ice and beer, inviting their friends over to see their art. This weekend there will be more than 60 artists opening our studios to the public.

Exciting times. I’ll post some pictures soon.

Behind the Scenes: 10 days before the spring studio tour at the Stutz

2008-04-14T20:49:00.006-04:00

Ten days to go before our big spring studio tour at the Stutz and I thought it might be interesting to post a few before and after pictures of the studio.

The past few days I've been working ridiculous hours and my studio looks like it. This is a shot of the part of my studio were I exhibit my work during the open house. I also love working in this space. Tonight I'm sorting through the sumi drawings, choosing the best to frame and hang for the studio tour.

When I create these drawings I create literally hundreds of images and most end up in the recycling bin. Less than 10% make the cut and only a few of those will be framed for the studio tour, although others will be available for sale unframed.

These drawings are magical to create. And people tell me they are magical to experience. In between the magic there's a whole lot of tedious work, as you can see from this picture of my workroom.

Here I'm sorting, selecting the best images, and cataloging them by linking the drawing and it's photographic counterpart on the computer.

So I'm taking a break to post this, but now it's time to get back to work!

More later.

Preparing artwork for the web

2008-04-07T13:07:00.006-04:00

Ay yi yi!

Well, this website stuff is entertaining. I know just enough to be dangerous.

Actually, FolioLink (the web hosting site where my website is based) is terrific. The templates look great and are easy to use. It just takes time! Lots of time. But everyone at FolioLink is extremely helpful and I'm very happy with the results.

I'm still photographing and working with photoshop to get the images right so bear with me. There is a great article on FolioLink about preparing photos of your artwork for the web. There's a steep learning curve but once it's right, it's easy.

I've also been learning about how to protect my artwork on the web. Evidently con-artists are snatching images from artists online portfolios, duplicating them, transfering them to canvas, painting over them and selling the art as originals on Ebay. Who knew?

There are several options, such as watermarking your images with photoshop before you post them. However, it seems that protecting your art by managing file size and format is the first line of defense.

OK, back to work. I hope you find this information as useful as I did.

So it begins ...

2008-03-30T09:47:00.006-04:00

With this post I am joining the world wide web of bloggers.

This weekend I am also creating a website to showcase my artwork. So far the whole process has been entertaining, enlightening and relatively painless.

My website is still under construction, but you can get a sneak peek here. Once this link stops working you will be able to find me at www.janetchilton.net

Cheers!