Tara Jensen

MOVED

2010-09-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO:

TARAJENSEN.TUMBLR.COM

infinity within

2010-08-31T05:32:00.000-07:00

almost september

2010-08-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Peni Pal

2010-08-25T04:30:00.000-07:00

JUST CUZ

new fry endz

2010-08-24T07:18:00.001-07:00

still plugging along at the installation for the upcoming group show "lady like" in October, time to get in gear!

Sorccerszzzz

2010-08-16T12:55:00.001-07:00

SpIrIt HaUs

2010-08-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

New mOOn in LE=oh

2010-08-10T17:33:00.001-07:00

blue is the color painted on my heart

2010-08-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

double dare you

2010-07-19T15:33:00.001-07:00

Constantly deliberating parenthood, a friend suggested I take care of an egg for a week and, of course, it had to turn into an art project. It does give me warm fuzzy feeling looking at these little guys! I like making different funny voices for them saying things like: "gee i'm so small. i'm a small little pea! i'm the smallest baby in the world." Reduced to such a dork over anything tiny!

Bread Life

2010-07-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a quick post about what I spend my time doing when I'm not making art or dancing to bad pop music. Most of that precious "extra time" is spent in Candler, North Carolina making bread and pastries at Farm & Sparrow bakery. If you count my initial stint pouring coffee at a bakery counter then I can say that I've been a baker for about eight years now and that I still REALLY, really enjoy it. Most of what you see here is made by entirely by hand (the bread doughs spend about 6-10 minutes in a very gentle, diving arm mixer, that's IT)and baked in a wood-fired brick oven. I am lucky and honored to work with basic life elements like water, grain and fire. Sometimes i like to pretend i'm a monk or a old peasant lady when I'm working, it just kinda lends itself to that sort of daydream.

funni face

2010-07-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

*SMILE SUNDAY*

dollie

2010-07-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

working on some dolls to help me figure out how i'd like to construct larger ones for the Mean Girls show...i really like something about elongated limbs and odd sized heads....

heavy traffic

2010-06-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

parking my car next to my dream home.....

sketchy

2010-06-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

working out sketches for the show, moving through ideas, remembering the darker elements of childhood...

Lesson Plan

2010-06-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

I gave my first art lesson last week with the young and talented Hannah Bennet. We discussed Pop Art and made these cardboard t.v.s to talk about mass media and social simulacrum. Her work is about the oil spill and our involvement with nature. Mine involves gurus from india, cartoon eyeballs and a neon soccer ball. Go figure.

dancer in the dark

2010-06-15T04:16:00.000-07:00

stove top stuffing

2010-06-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

i made a fake cardboard stove to store all my foam and fabric scraps!

Mean Girls

2010-06-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

I am fortune to be participating in a (sure to be amazing) group show this summer at Satellite Gallery here in Asheville. The show is being curated by Alli Good and will feature a cast of all women artists. The title/concept is "Mean Girls." My interpretation of this idea involves an installation portraying the supernatural and malicious side of children's play.

*******
As a child I remember trying to bend spoons, reading tarot cards and staring into the bathroom mirror repeating the phrase "bloody mary" 45 times in a row to see if the dead woman's face would really appear. My best friend wore a casino chip on a piece of yarn around her neck that she claimed was magical and we spent a lot of time in the cemetery behind her house trying to talk to ghosts and raise the dead. Ritual was a large part of my experience of nature and spirituality. Before any communication with "other worlds" or harnessing of transformational powers there were rules that must be followed, and followed precisely.

A good example of this kind of play is illustrated in Zilpha Keatly Snyder's 1985 young adult book: The Egypt Game. The story involves a group of kids, who, fascinated with ancient Egypt, create rituals involving a secret meeting place, gods, made up languages and costumes. Par the course, their rituals end up releasing a disturbing force in the town and all kinds of manors of creepy things abound.

Another excellent source to examine ritual/nature/magic through is the work of artist Saya Woolfalk.
In her words:"My work considers the idea that symbolic and ideological systems can be activated and re-imagined through collaboration, imaginative play and masquerade. To effect this re-imagining objects, bodies, and landscapes are constructed to immerse us in the logic of another place." Woolfalk's work is incredibly strong and i think it pretty much speaks for itself.

******
I imagine the installation to consist of three or four children (large doll bodies) wearing colorful costumes and conducting a secret game in which one of the children is seen to be at the mercy of the rest: i.e. one child facing the corner while the other close in on her, that kind of feeling. Of being turned on, of being betrayed, of something dark and maybe, natural? Made up game pieces strew about, game boards and colorful magical tools around them on the floor. The mean part. The part where an adult is supposed to walk in and doesn't.

,

zebra libra friend

2010-05-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Yay! I finally got started on my second idea for a creature/animal costume. i was initially thinking i would be creating a sea monster, something identical to my beltane costume but in black and white. i cut the foam, sewed some fabric together and a few hours later i realized i was making something more like a zebra or a horse. it's fun to be surprised even if i'm the one making all the decisions.

easy breezey

2010-05-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty inspired by the pattern on this skirt i just picked up at the thrift store. This summer is all about skirts, i'm not a shorts person really. Finally got out my paints this afternoon, feeling settled enough to usher in some new designs and lines.

more new digs and a loaf of bread i made

2010-05-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

new home. oxox

newww stuuu

2010-05-15T16:18:00.001-07:00

working on getting my new studio set up so i can start some new projects. nu nu nu!

becoming something else

2010-05-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

it was fun to wear this costume for may day at short mountain sanctuary.

spirit(ual) friends

2010-05-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

spirit guides are real.

palm pom sunday

2010-04-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

working on a festive line....

model morning

2010-04-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

minori came over and helped me do up these pics for some etsy sales. good music, good vibes. friends are amazing and rare and wonderful. thanks minori!!! you're a dancing queen!

tea shirt

2010-04-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

with the awesome help of ben i was on my way printing shirts for this year's beltane gathering at short mountain. feeling like listening to all that grateful dead in high school is still really affecting my atheistic. could be worse.

afternoon daze

2010-04-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

spent the afternoon working on a new t-shirt design and having fun with a jigsaw. happy monday!

pom pom pushie

2010-04-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

bit by bit this garden grows.

wrk

2010-04-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

i sawed this painting in 1/2 in order to make it work, and i'm still working on it, feeling like part of it is not working.

talking head

2010-04-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

about to walk out under a row of blooming dogwood, but first, these pics. one of a funny foam head i made for video work, the other two were just sent to me from a friend documenting my Firehouse Residency last spring..

posture perfect

2010-03-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

working on a big-ish painting. really enjoying the shapes of the asanas.

yog vid woo woo

2010-03-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

working on some short video sketches for an upcoming yoga video competition. i hope that my seriousness, irony and humor are coming through. i really like taking yoga out of context, meaning, expensive studios, pricey yoga gear and clothes, bottled water, fitness junkies and exploring it through a critical and loving analysis. at any rate, we can all use a little woo woo now and then.

can u say saya?

2010-03-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

i've recently gotten hectic over saya woolfalk, an installation, painting, sculpting, video performance gurugodess. i love her blend of science fiction and fairy tale narratives with bold colors and primal patterns. i can relate to her use of rituals like yoga and sex to talk about contemporary gender dilemmas and i admire her strength to tell a story when all stories have collapsed. learn more here: Saya Woolfalk

TV tyme

2010-03-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

i'm still into making these paper mache/cardboard t.v. sets. maybe a little more conceptual than just a boob tube, i'm seeing them as crystal balls of mass communication. at our house we hang a pillowcase over the t.v when it's not being used.

mamegoma...

2010-03-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of mornings in Japan going to the seven eleven below my hotel. i would buy some kind of steamed bun, maybe a giant cold thing of green tea that comes with an over-sized straw, or some "just add hot water" ramen. sometimes i would get hot coffee or a juice drink out of the vending machine in the loby. then i would go back and watch Mamegoma on t.v.

easy does it

2010-03-08T16:22:00.001-08:00

taking my sweet time....

Verve Magazine

2010-02-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

Verve Magazine voted amongst the top ten women to watch out for in 2010. i don't know if i've ever been in the top ten of anything. awwww shucks. click here for a link to the story: Tara Jensen!

slow little snail

2010-02-18T10:43:00.001-08:00

adding some oils to these paintings. taking their sweet sweet time.

slow motion

2010-02-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

working towards a new project, enjoying the freedom to make stuff without a deadline looming. doing 45 days strait of yoga. over & out.

The project gallery

2010-01-16T05:14:00.000-08:00

Lovely opening of a new gallery in town, the Project Gallery. I had some pink t.v's included in the show, title/concept: because i said so. details later. coffee now.

stuffy stuffs

2010-01-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

studio odds and endz

2010-01-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

dont belive the hype

2009-12-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

xxxxcept when it's true.

Kitchen Wrk

2009-12-21T07:40:00.000-08:00

Art Partment

2009-12-17T03:22:00.001-08:00

I'll be hosting a opening in my kitchen this Sunday, Dec. 3rd titled Art Partment. I'm on 28 Elizabeth St. Apt. #4 and it's from 4:30 to 8:00 PM. It's also the eve of the solstice so bring oranges and candles if you feel inclined. Videos by paper rad on the boob tube and tunes from west africa on the stereo. byob.

PermAculturE

2009-12-13T18:57:00.001-08:00

spiral patterns, branching and scattered phenomena.

Heady Trip

2009-12-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry these pics are all wonkey. My iphotos quit and i'm just pulling from my camera. anyhow, here's some images of the "heads" completed. Joking around in the studio today I came across a great name for a new show: Lifelong Tripper.

More Honey (bunny)

2009-12-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

Today I'll be hanging the windows at the Honey Pot. I feel so lucky when i wake up and get to make art all day, it just feels right!

Honey Pot Windows

2009-12-03T19:58:00.001-08:00

I'll be doing the holiday windows for a local, asheville boutique called The Honey Pot. Here's some sneak peak pics.

Openings!

2009-12-03T19:52:00.001-08:00

A few photos from my Osaka and Tokyo openings. Hard to know just what to say, I iwll post more commentary soon. The trip has got me thinking about patterns and spirituality in everyday life.

Workshop

2009-12-03T07:09:00.001-08:00

Here are some picture from two workshops I taught at Lamp, in Harajuku, Tokyo. The workshop involved sewing, stuffing and decorating your own little plush creature or item. It was wonderful to sit and sew with women in another country, although there wasn't much talking there was a nice sense of connection and creation.

Tokyo Travels

2009-12-02T03:16:00.001-08:00

I traveled to Tokyo and Osaka Japan this past November to install my show "Lucky Fruit." The trip was my first time leaving the country and I was, and still am, feeling very lucky myself. Now at home back in the studio I sometimes miss getting hot coffee from vending machines and using toilets that warm up and sing.

Party/Studio Sale

2009-10-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hello! This upcoming Friday, October 23rd I'll be having a going away party for all the work that is being shipped to Tokyo and Osaka. This is a chance to come and see the work, learn how i made it and celebrate its completion! The party is located in my studio, Handcranked on Tingle Alley, and runs from 6-9PM. We'll provide edible treats, but it's BYOB. The picture you see if of a HUGE PILE OF MERCHANDISE! Art priced at five and ten dollars a pop, come and get you some!

Spidy Bird

2009-10-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Finished up drawing on the spider and bird pieces today. whew! rounding the bend!

fruit dolls

2009-10-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Working hard to complete this set of fruit dolls, but wanted to get up some pics while I eat a hard earned dinner of popcorn and PBR. (sewing done by Opportunity Thread, more to come on this awesome North Carolina sewing co-op!)

channeling peter max

2009-10-08T05:50:00.001-07:00

had a great night in the studio. i realized: "oh, i make pop art. huh." here's a couple of dimly lit pics!

visual vocabulary

2009-09-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

drawing is the most intimate and direct form of self expression for me. it's from here that i build the visual vocabulary necessary to communicate that which cannot be put into words.

be reasonable

2009-09-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to accept responsibility? Lately I've been stuck in a cycle that involves a lot of self blame. Due to a series of events I've been left with very low income both for my personal life and for the making of this new show. i decided i needed to "take responsibility" for this and the only outcome that led to was feeling terrible about being broke. i know i am not alone, everyday i turn on the radio and hear people crying: they lost their house, they lost their job, they lost a loved one to the war, they couldn't get the health care they needed, the list goes on. but i am surrounded by those who believe your life is a direct manifestation of your will. what is the balance? what is the lesson? i have now absolved to create a budget for any project i undertake and decide before hand if it is reasonable to complete within the scope of my larger financial needs. this may involve saying no to certain opportunities, but i imagine that will be the true meaning of responsibility, because it will involve saying yes to meeting my needs.

Point Break

2009-09-29T05:55:00.001-07:00

Process. I am about halfway through the production of an upcoming show and am starting to break down. Something conceived to be so simple, paper mache, paper cuts, little fruits and pictures, has turned into a mountain of neurosis and suffering. Writing this I laugh a little at how clever I've become at turning good things bad.

Talking with a friend yesterday I commented how different my outlook would be if instead of assuming that people were inherently mad at me and that my work was never good enough, I took the position that the people I interact with are here to help me, that they are compassionate towards my pain and that the work I make with my hands is a reflection of love. This is why I love artwork, and the labor of baking, because it takes something so simple to show you how and where you are stuck. Yesterday all i could do was thrash around in it. Today, maybe something else is possible.

Paper Cutz

2009-07-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Tried my hand at some paper cuts today, hoping to get more detailed and better with the curves.

Chicken necks

2009-07-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

Today i painted a dead chicken head. It was inspired by Braden and Mindy's story about killing a chicken. I just don't think i could do it. Becoming interested in growing food.

Womens Work: Two Artists Talk About the Female Experience | Seven Days

2009-07-16T21:22:00.001-07:00

Women's Work: Two Artists Talk About the Female Experience | Seven Days

Better late than never, here's a link to the Seven Days article Wylie and I were in.

Oil First

2009-07-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today i made my first oil painting EVER! I bought most of my supplies from the hardware store. i applied 3 coats of primer onto raw canvas drop cloth and cut it down to sizes i wanted. it was so much fun to do something i'd never done! I can't wait to go back tomorrow! Thanks for the advice Clark...

Stu Stu Studio

2009-07-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures of my new, AWESOME studio. It's right downtown on Lexington, but you get to it from the back on Tingle alley. It's home to Hand Cranked and also the studio of Suzie Millions. I was in there for 10hrs. today. how the time flies when your having fun.

Bye Bye Birdie

2009-07-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

From spiders to birds, today some snakes appeared at the end of the brush...

Little Miss Muffet

2009-07-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

Recent spider fixation. I miss Wylie Sofia Garcia!

TRY Angle

2009-07-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

Recently fell in love with some triangles. A joy to draw.

28 Days

2009-07-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month since my last post! In the meantime I've moved to Asheville, NC and have a great new studio with local art stars Suzie Millions and Lance: no last name required. I'm working part time as a baker and getting ready to begin some final works for an upcoming show in Tokyo, this time at the boutique/gallery Lamp. These pics are from a recent drawing using prismacolors.

Spider Woman

2009-06-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Working on some designs and themes for my next show at HaNNa in November. Thinking giant spider and web with some large drawings....keep you posted.

Swiss Missssss

2009-06-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

John and I were recently interviewed by the Swiss artist group, the Pol 5, on the effects of the economic recession on our lives.

Heavy Flow Opening

2009-06-09T06:32:00.001-07:00

Heavy Flow refers to a density of information, dark energies and the most challenging days of the menstrual cycle. The embodiment of such subjects is the Witch. A gatekeeper between nature and society, the Witch does not fear her ability to create and destroy life.
Here you may visit Penny and her two sisters, Black and Blue. Known throughout the land as midwives, clairvoyants and twisted troublemakers, put an intension in their cauldron and watch it manifest.
Come explore the show at the Firehouse on Church St., Burlington, VT. Opening June 5th through June 20th. Closing party/studio sale Sat. June 20th!

Jabba the

2009-05-16T16:51:00.001-07:00

Ace, Missa and I got the hut up today! Hooray! too sleepy to say more, stay tuned....

Thursday Quickie

2009-05-14T18:55:00.001-07:00

A quick stop in the studio today, finally recovering from flu and headcold..geezzzz. June 5th Opening impending. Ace, Missa and I will be building the hut this saturday!

Long Arms

2009-05-11T18:35:00.001-07:00

really into this long arm, long leg form. kinda whale like, kinda menacing, very huggable...i see lots of these in my future...

Lights Out

2009-05-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

soft sculpture + blacklight = happy artist

tarot time

2009-05-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

i'm working on a tarot deck for the witche's hut, which is set to open on june 5th! super fun and time consuming, come to the opening and get a reading!

Table Settings

2009-04-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Working on some place setting for the witch table~ more to come soon!

Lights Out

2009-04-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

Black light has arrived in the studio!

Heady

2009-04-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

working with paper mache, foam and primer to make 3 giant witch heads...super fun!

SK8/CRE8

2009-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

pics from a skate deck i did for an upcoming event at the firehouse to benefit the BCA arts mentor program, opens this friday the 17th...check it!

shrunken heads

2009-04-14T07:49:00.001-07:00

using "shrinky dink" to explore what you might find in a witches cabinet...

Bear Pond

2009-04-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday JB and I installed the first in a new series of artist windows at our local bookshop, Bear Pond. (Where JB also works.) It's a little variation of Frenemie Glen, called Snack Shack. If you live in the area, stop by and check it out! It will be up till mid May.

New Digs

2009-04-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Yay! I've been accepted as the Firehouse's Artist-in-Residence for the next three months and moved into my new digs this past weekend. Very spacious and light, I already feel my work is improving!

Theyreeeeee back

2009-03-30T08:07:00.001-07:00

What a treat today to wake up to the mailman delivering me back all the goodies from my japan show! They were packed so well in big, pink, bubble wrap...it was like opening christmas presents, but it was my own art...fun, strange and sweet. I even got a little journal and some sweet postcards!

Dry Spell

2009-03-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

just a few new drawings to look at. jb and i are about to head to fort can to do some wheat pasting...we are bringing some lotion this time after a hard earned lesson of prune-y witch hands!

Pile Buddy/Thimble Need

2009-03-22T09:22:00.001-07:00

I've been designing these little "piles" of small, soft objects that, when amassed, create little creatures. Each piece is hand printed with an original screen print and then sewn and stuffed. I now understand the importance of a thimble.

Strange Brew

2009-03-22T09:10:00.001-07:00

I've been spoiling myself this morning with an endless cup of coffee and the NY Times. The whether is so strange outside, sunny, windy and snowing all at the same time. Good day for following a black cat or making a tent out of bed sheets. A few adjustments on my record player and now i can again listen to one of my favorites, More is More, by fellow vermonter kurt weisman, art by paper rad.

Spring Colorz

2009-03-18T20:01:00.001-07:00

LaNdScaPe

2009-03-04T17:19:00.001-08:00

I got outside today with my new sculpture/blanket/mask thingy and had a blast taking such colorful photos. Something feels exactly right in seeing my stuffed creations in an organic landscape.

Tokyo Showkyo

2009-03-03T08:10:00.000-08:00

Here's a few little pics from my ongoing show in Tokyo. It runs till the middle of March! I've heard things are selling well and i'll be curious to see what ends up back on my doorstep, my little international travelers!

The Day After

2009-03-02T09:05:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking a good title for my next show would be: The Day After and it would be a post-apocalyptic world of color, animals and women. Somethings gotta give!

Tablet

2009-02-25T06:47:00.001-08:00

I've been obsessed with these little tablet shapes in all forms! Tonight I'll turn this into a silkscreen and print it on little stuffed tablets. Akak!

Dirty Pillows

2009-02-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

Here's some photos of a new sculpture I'm working on. 68 little bits!

Printing!

2009-02-21T12:49:00.001-08:00

I spent the morning printing some fabrics in the studio. Super fun! Now I'm ready for a N.A.P!

Wall-y

2009-02-16T20:17:00.001-08:00

Having fun with the walls and some "sweet" 70's color.

Face Lift

2009-02-12T11:52:00.001-08:00

Toying with Photoshop is fun!

Free Style

2009-02-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

I started sewing like crazy after visiting Jen Stark's page and seeing her amazing paper art. I also picked up some old-school markers and paper for my birthday today. Cheers to drawing at the kitchen table, a cherished activity! oxox

Etsy Etsy

2009-02-08T19:06:00.001-08:00

I started up an Etsy account for the Frenemies this week. We wound up on the "front page" only three days after we stared! Help get me back in the studio by purchasing a Frenemy, just click on the Etsy bar to your right. Enjoy!