paczki's playground

Games Well Played

2009-03-29T12:39:00.006-05:00

When I was growing up, every Friday night was game night in our house. My family loved playing games... well most of us did anyways. Not my Mom however. She would always have a good reason to beg out of game night. "You already have 4 players", or "I have to clean up the dishes." At least that got us out of doing dishes!

My friends will tell you I'm very competitive. Can you blame me, after all - who doesn't like to win? I've transitioned from playing a lot of games (in the literal but not yet in the figurative sense) to creating games. Fantasy worlds primarily using 1950's graphics or icons whenever possible.

I had a lot of fun with this box. The image of the Raven gave me the feeling that he is the protector of the hidden world inside. A world where elves hide under the mushrooms raised ever so carefully by the garden Gnomes who would never consider taken the mushrooms to market. I used the map of my neighborhood to symbolize my own secret garden and the fun I'd have playing games with any raccoon or rabbit that might show up. As long as they don't eat my plants, that is!

Learning From The Master

2008-10-26T13:23:00.005-05:00

I've never considered any formal training when it came to my art. My desire to create is more similar to occupational therapy - it helps me deal with the stress of my everyday job. So when my friends suggested we all attend an art retreat, I must admit I felt a bit intimidated. It meant I couldn't simply hide away in my studio and create objects that I had fun with. I was horrified to think that any kind of formal learning would result in subjecting myself to (wait for it) - critique!

The biggest surprise of all in attending the RAEvn's Nest Art Retreat - was that it was really fun to learn new techniques and ways of looking at my art supplies. The class with Michael DeMeng was truly amazing. While his style is not that of my own, learning those techniques and overcoming my fear of paint will help me take my creativity and fun to a new level. He is the master of Ah-sem-blage after all, and I thoroughly enjoyed creating something I didn't have to like - because the journey was more important than the destination.

Race To A Green Thumb

2008-09-10T21:07:00.004-05:00

When green thumbs were handed out in my family, there were definitely enough to go around. I just think I got the celadon thumb - not necessarily the "greenest" of all the choices - but still within the acceptable range of green. So while my Mom, sister and both brothers have the most beautiful, vibrant interesting or well-designed gardens, my gardens fill the space I've provided for them, and make our yard a nice place to hang out.

Gardening, and farming in particular, is part of my family heritage. My great grandfather, after all, was the "melon king" of Milwaukee. Last year my sister passed on to me what turned out to be a journal of my family's planting history, started first by my great great grandmother, and carried on after her death by my great grandfather's sister Flora. I was immediately drawn to the entries written in German, as well as the ones later in the 1960's that documented current events such as the assination of JFK.

I used those journal pages, along with my Mom's obsession with capturing and "moving" rabbits (or squirrels) out of her neighborhood, to create this piece I call Bunny Hutch. I found this German game board as part of a multi-game collection - not too old but a lot of fun to discover.

Composition

2008-09-02T20:31:00.004-05:00

As a virgo, it's not always easy for me to be spontaneous about anything, let alone my artwork. I pretty much get an idea in my head and don't stray too far from what I had envisioned it would look like. This work is different. My only plan was to use the cigar box, and to use the bird. The German theme came on a whim. Instead of displaying the piece as a box as I originally intended, I decided to take it apart and join the two halves together.

This is my favorite piece, the one I don't think I can ever part with. The message is simple - a fun German girl is certainly worth singing about!

Fun Inside My Head

2008-08-25T07:46:00.001-05:00

I wasn't sure what to do with the all the boxes of nostalgia inside my head, until I started to create. I'm thankful every day that I have a partner who encouraged me to do what I love and challenged me to allow a mistake or two. What started out as artist trading cards quickly morphed into an obsession with creating three-dimensional pieces. When I discovered I could incorporate my love of vintage objects, my weekends at the flea markets became treasure hunts for collage. At times I feel really stuck on a theme, but there are so many birds and fish and games inside my head.