The Naked Onion

New Year – New Outlook

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 | LIFE, MAIN, STUDIES, STUDIO 566 | No Comments

ok. stay tuned.

CREATIVITY 39 – HONORABLE MENTION

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 | STUDIO 566 | 1 Comment

CREATIVITY 39 - HONORABLE MENTION

PENNY COLLINS NAMED HONORABLE MENTION WINNER IN THE  COMMERCIAL ILLUSTRATION CATEGORY FOR THE 39th ANNUAL CREATIVITY AWARDS

TOLEDO, OHIO – OCTOBER 1, 2009 – The 39th Annual Creativity Awards, today named Penny Collins of Adventures in Advertising /Diversified Apparel Sylvania as the Honorable Mention winner in the Commercial Illustration Category.

A full list of 39th Creativity Annual Awards winners can be found at:

http://www.creativityawards.com/past_competition.html/winners39/CAA39 winners.pdf.

This year, judges from some of the United States’ most prestigious design firms evaluated the work produced by their peers and students.

The 39th Annual Creativity Awards received thousands of entries from 37 countries and 37 U.S. states. The competition showcases work from around the globe in the Annual Book published after the close of each year’s competition and sold in bookstores around the world.

Ms Collins was surprised but grateful that her work is being recognized by one the world’s most prestigious competitions. “Many talented artists work and live in Northwest Ohio and I’m honored to be counted among them.”

About The Creativity Annual Awards:
Established in 1970, The Creativity Annual Awards is based in Louisville, KY and is one of the longest running independent international advertising and graphic design competitions in the world. A print, web, advertising and media design competition, each year the judges choose the best from all over the world to be reproduced in the 400-page Creativity Awards Annual Book.

MAIKO

STUDIO566 UPDATE

Monday, June 22nd, 2009 | STUDIO 566 | 1 Comment

1. Dramatis Personae received another recognition: 4th Place in the International Christian Art Competition (Stephen Sawyers’ baby).

2. I was accepted into the TYPE BASED GALLERY:

http://www.typebased.com/gallery/penny-collins/

(You can give me stars and commentary!)

3.I have 4 pieces at the ART PAD GALLERY, LLC in Columbus, Ohio.  They will be showing until December 2009.

4969 North High Street, Columbus Ohio 43214
614.888.8966
Open 12ish-6ish pm  Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (or call for appointment)

http://www.artpadgallery.com/Home_Page.html

That’s it for now…

Maiko

Monday, June 22nd, 2009 | STUDIO 566 | No Comments

I spent this entire weekend with my neglected girl. I believe she is finished (some tweaking aside, I mean).  Here she is.  I have been staring at this one non stop for hours on end.  At one point I totally dorked something and had to go back and redo, but frustration builds character, right?

I am not sure what I am walking out with this – a Maiko being a Geisha in training (Maiko’s have the white make-up).  I wish I had as much talent, intelligence and class.  I am not sure if this piece reflects the bittersweetness I tried to communicate.  In fact, I only know I was attracted to the concept of the Maiko and the painted mask. “Dance Girl”….

I lost some hours of my life on this – but I have looked at it so much I have no opinion of her any longer. Perhaps some distance… then I’ll be ready to commit. *snort*

CHASING THE DRAGON

Saturday, May 30th, 2009 | STUDIO 566 | No Comments

And so…

it begins.

I did What? I’m sorry… I guess.

Friday, May 29th, 2009 | LIFE, STUDIO 566 | No Comments

I have not touched  the Maiko since last Sunday in my studio.  There have been a couple of things I haven’t touched since last Sunday in my studio.  Now, I’m chasing the dragon.  The dragon I chase is now priority.

Not a swell time today.  But that page has turned.  And now… I must sleep.  Tomorrow, I begin again.  Bridge burnt.  Anguish extinguished.  Cooling embers will glow but eventually die.  I like the river without that bridge anyhow. 

For the first time – I think I’m tired of that favorite old novel I’ve been reading.  I prefer a different story.  Although it’s an older story – it is new to me. 

I’m tired of running after ghosts.  I can’t touch them anyway.   

Maiko – I hear you.  I do.

Life’s BIG Distractions

Saturday, May 9th, 2009 | LIFE, STUDIO 566 | No Comments

The Geisha Girl in Training remains unfinished.  The whole theoretical point of starting her was to distract me from my distraction.  Illustration has a wonderful way of pulling me away from here and putting me in a zone.  It not only focuses me, but it also has a wonderful quietude that allows my thoughts and feelings and process to not be my own. 

I always work to music.  Those familiar with me know it is usually Pink Floyd’s WISH YOU WERE HERE cd or some BEATLES pick – usually the first tho.  FLOYD and most of my BEATLES picks are at the studio without me.  I received a new song today.  A small gift, in fact.  No one goes wrong when they give me heart-felt gifts of music.

Not my usual fare of heavy crying guitars… or hypnotizing Waters.  So perhaps that is what was causing my eyes to keep drifting toward the window. 

I started yet another project to distract me from the distraction that was supposed to be the distraction.  This one was going to be a small typography project.  I even pulled elements from another piece figuring I would relax and play and have something to show for it.  I should have known better.

Sometimes I think too much.  I would never believe I felt too much until recently.  As for processing — sometimes my mind just cannot wrap around things and I choose to coast – or “wait and see” – I am enjoying the ride.  I always do. I always do.

Interestingly enough – the piece is a jazz sort of piece.  It has faint hints of another thing I once held close which has since gone its way.  The music is French sounding.  Which, I must interject the SAD CLOWN OF LIFE as I do when discussing anything French.  Of course it could be Italian – but I know of no SAD ITALIAN CLOWNS OF LIFE… except maybe Fredrico Fellini.  I do not travel much, it could be French Canadian for all I know.  There are a lot of sad clowns in Canada (mostly at the casinos).

I am sure most people would imagine coffee houses – art – loves both coming and going or unattainable or unavailable – and a cycle of life continuing on regardless of our opinion of it.  An art house film noir movie.  With subtitles.  And a  personification of death.  You get the picture.

I love violas and lower strings.  I love low instruments to begin with – but I love those strings because they have the sound of human voices.  THAT makes me feel inside. I guess I don’t *see* so much with music.  I tend to feel music.  Since I am usually either concetrating on things, images are sort of floating by deciding to stay for later or depart. 

I have never thought of what I “see” — the only song that ever held me like that was AMAZING JOURNEY with the London Symphony.  Today, I consciously had to force myself to be still.  How restless.  I can easily “see” people “seeing” a coffee shop here – but I feel a person who is just a person.  On their ordinary journey – going where life is taking them.  God are ordinary people complicated and yet simple.  Complicated and simple at the same time. How terribly dichotomous we all are.  But then there is an odd glitch in the continuum. 

I’m not sure what the glitch would be.  God knows there is enough of them in a single lifetime.  I am hoping the glitch is something causing a person distraction.  I shouldn’t be the only soul unable to sit still.   It feels like a gaslight reality. Reality is always there for the taking… until we take our last breath.  The trick is – getting to the last breath without a single regret.  Is that possible?

Oh my god – I’m on an Ayn Rand everyman tangent.

So I see myself … actually… I started to see myself in something quaint – it feels quaint.  But you know what I see?  My life sort of unrolling slowly before me. 

It is interesting that we are all on our own paths at our own pace.  But regardless of our thoughts, beliefs, our yearnings and seekings, our loved ones pass on, and we do too.  Maybe that’s the underscore of melencholy I am carrying through this music… that knowledge that we are all going to take our last breath eventually but we try so hard to not think about it, fight it or build a faith so strong that we try to convince ourselves that we have no fear…

Anyway – the song brings my life to some point, with some *thing* or some *one* standing in front of me… and the page turns.  I’m not sure this song is necessarily the end of the story.  Why yes, I *am* projecting – why do you ask?

Helplessly hoping her harliquin hovers near by – awaiting a word.

This stream of consciousness was brought to you by the LETTER O and the number 2

and the letter:

Life’s Little Distractions

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 | LIFE, STUDIO 566 | No Comments

Isn’t it odd how a person can just be walking down the proverbial sidewalk of life and suddenly (almost 30 years later) up pops something to distract them?   I am easily distracted as is, altho I confess, the distractions usually come in the form of educational articles, Hollywood gossip or internet memes… or some ingenius yet devious project to poke fun at someone.   The meme is the most distracting.  Lately, however, I have been genuinely distracted.  I have been chuckling more too.  Go figgur.

My current class isn’t really setting me on fire.  But it is a lot of work.  During my homework sessions I track Memes.  My next class is one I have been actively avoiding for 25 years: Art History.  It finally caught up with me.  I may have to give up Meme hunting for a while.

My current illustration project is collecting dust between my sessions with it.  It doesn’t even look me in the eye it feels so neglected.  I speak with my muse now and again… today?  My muse sardonically quips that he is wearing nothing but a smile and grabbing a nap.  One would expect a muse of mine to quip such things – actually – I would think a muse of yours truly would say he was grabbing something other than a nap.  Are muses ever really male?  Is it like Jung’s Anima/Animus?  Or is it always a big boobed red-headed woman?  Wait… that’s me.

Rodney is one of my all time favorites to survive Wright State in the 80’s.  God love us all.  Actually, most of the people I know who survived Wright State in the 80’s are some of my all time favorite people.  They knew me when…

So — here is RODNEY:

Aunt MAgnolia

I think I am going to put on a smile and grab a nap.  Perhaps I’ll grab something else while I’m down.  But first:

People are Funny

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | LIFE, STUDIO 566 | 2 Comments

People can be really odd birds.  After 7 years of recovery and meetings and shares, I tend to turn off the whole “The problem you have is____________.”  Usually the problems I have are dead on what they say – they are observing me, after all.  Encouragement, Strength, Hope – HP bless us, everyone.  I spent the day illustrating a friend of Lady Rodney’s.  The carnivale makeup made me absolutely CRAVE the dress ups and fall overs. 

Sister Christian Your Time Has Come

Sister Not So Christian

I have been told that I live out “on the fringe” – I present myself as part of the “counter-culture” etc etc etc.  I wouldn’t know.  I live Recovery.  I do what I do to simply survive – be it physical or emotional or psychological or whatever.  I am not sure what the “whatever” is.  But I am sure I do it to survive.  It’s been a long road and I have been blessed with comfort and laughter.  I have to count that as a blessing.

Angels in the Belfry

Friday, April 3rd, 2009 | LIFE, STUDIO 566 | No Comments

The Love of Money

I realize this isn’t spectacular.  In fact, I pieced it together from crap I had laying around.  Even the skeleton is from a woodcut I saw in a book.  I was going to put him in the middle of my church’s stage.  But he doesn’t fit that picture.  I put a top hat on him because a praying skeleton, apparently, looks classy and should have a top hat.  The background I threw in just to make him stand out – it was downloaded somewhere for something auspiciously important, I’m sure.  Isn’t this rivetting?  The pic isn’t even really called “The Love of Money.”  It just seems like it should be called something like that.

So I now I have a very lonely piece looking like he is asking God for forgiveness, but it is too late.  Well, it looks too late to me.  But who am I?

Wistful II