My work at Pittsburgh's GalleriE CHIZ and new studio work

I'm excited to announce that my art jewelry and several of my works on paper will be on display and available for purchase at the fantastic GalleriE CHIZ in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood. I've always loved this gallery for its creative atmosphere and happy vibe. Owner-Director Ellen Chisdes Neuberg and Assistant Director Blanche Baxter are wonderful, and I'm so glad to be among the gallery's artists. Check out the gallery's beautiful mosaic facade--

GalleriE CHIZ is located at 5831 Ellsworth Avenue  Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Here, my art jewelry is currently available for purchase, and my works on paper will also be
available for purchase shortly.   

Right now, I'm working on pieces for Rochester Contemporary Art Center's 6" x 6" exhibition. On Monday, I finished the first of three works,"Astronomy Professor". An update on this will appear soon, as I am almost done with work two of three.


Savannah Schroll Guz, "Astronomy Professor" (2013)
aquatint, oil pastel, gouache, gold leaf, cotton thread, drawing paper
 and ball point pen on heavy grade cotton paper.

Does he look familiar? He's on my sewing machine in this post.  More to come!

My studio is a mess, but it's a happy place.....



I have discovered the joy of using a sewing machine on paper. "The Astronomy Professor"
is getting an application of red thread. He has since been mounted on
a 6" x 6" sheet, further embroidered and hand-colored, and will be on his way to the
 Rochester Contemporary Art Center for their 6 x 6 x 13
exhibtion by the end of next week (with a few other works).

 

I've started a new series of works, intended to be seen together. Additional
pictures follow this one. Is my studio a mess? Um, yes. 




More of my studio mess. Find the schanuzer with the shirt on in this picture.
Nah, it's not a fashion statement, it's to keep the little lad from scratching
himself silly. Long story...involving K9 Advantix, which is some
bad stuff, let me tell you.



I am so, so excited about this new project! It involves
scanned vintage post card pictures, segments of one of my
drawings from 1999, and cut outs from 1920s sheet music.
Things have only just begun with this series....



New swanky things from the studio

Lots of things are happening in the studio this week...here is a glimpse:

"Luna" polymer clay, acrylic paint, protective
sealant, fire-polished Czech glass, and amethyst
beads.



"Traveling with the Blood Tide" is getting a
tentative frame fit, to see how it might be best
to exhibit it....more on this as plans take shape!




"The Dream" is also getting a tentative frame fit for the same
upcoming project....more on this soon!



I'm taking part in the Brooklyn Art Museum's Sketchbook Project. I ordered my sketchbook on Friday night, so it should be here by next week. I'll be completing the "Right/Write When You Get There" themed sketchbook, which, along with 2,499 other artists' sketchbooks, will tour Kansas City, Louisville, Columbus, and Pittsburgh this October. Also, I opted have mine digitized, page by page, so it will be available to view online, and not just in the mobile library. I'm really excited about this!

And...one more art necklace, which I beaded on Monday morning!

"Geisha Girl II" polymer clay, acrylic paint,
protective sealant, glass beads.

"Geisha Girl II" (detail)

After some time in the studio.....



"Flight Patterns" aquatint, oil pastel, black ink, cardstock, and
cotton embroidery thread



Two more works (in-progress!) from the series...more on these
to come!



The underdrawing, originally from 1999 (and quite a bit larger--I've
cut it down into four pieces like this one), is also in progress...
The stars and circular sewing machine thread pattern are new.



I've put together a binder full of my present series for an appointment I
have this week. I used Michael's comic book protectors to mount the smaller
works. 

Bacon and Eggs Abstraction and working with cyanotypes...

In the spirit of fun, I've made a funny little art jewelry piece called "Bacon and Eggs Abstraction". It's a cute little work where the eggs float and cast shadows behind two large strips of bacon, heavily marbelized with fat (made all the more...shall we say enchanting?...by the addition of irridescent painting medium to the fat marbeling and egg whites...so much like pixie dust!) And because, back in October/November, I got that beautiful, gi-normous bead and jewelry-making lot from an auction in North Lima, Ohio, I've started adding beads to my work. With the beads, I offer further visual interest and 'kitsch-ification' of the pin's subject: some dangling bead charms. Actually, it looks pretty neat when it's on the jacket lapel, if I do say so myself. :-)

"Bacon and Eggs Abstraction" (2013)
art pin made of polymer clay, acrylic paint,
varnish, seed beads, and faceted glass beads
Click here to see it in my shop!

"Bacon and Eggs Abstraction" pinned to a jacket.

In 2-D art news, I've been inspired by Cathy Cullis' works, like "House Quartet" and  "Garden of My Mind", and consequently, I continue to experiment with embroidering paper. With "Snow Blankets" (below), I've begun adding cyanotypes to the underlying etching. What's a cyanotype? It's a what is more commonly known as a sunprint. "Cyan" is blue and "type" meaning, roughly, print. I made these cyanotypes back in, I would say, 2007 or so at my parents' house. Michael had gotten me a little packet of them, and I did clover leaves, palm fronts, and doilies. I've had them in a little plastic bag in my studio since then. Now, they're very handy and will figure into the next several works-on-paper that I do (a glimpse of something even newer is just below "Snow Blankets").


"Snow Blankets" (2013) embroidered etching with gouache,
oil pastel, black ballpoint pen, and cyanotype on paper.



This one isn't titled yet and is still in progress....stay tuned! Let the embroidering
begin tonight!



New Totem Necklace and Something Flowing...



"Something Flowing and Ungraspable" (2013)
oil pastel, gouache, and black ink on embroidered etching collaged
with cardstock ink drawing and sunprint
What's the writing? An excerpt from my story, "Flooding the Memory River"



"Star Chart" Totem Necklace
New in the shop!

Check out the listing here.