Mother and Child

Mother and Child       mixed media wood cut on paper     s.a. cunningham

Bones of Winter

"Bones of Winter", wood cut on paper, s.a. cunningham

 winter bones...bare beneath...creaking swaying...aging...another cycle, waiting to be born again...darkness falls....off to the warmth of the wood stove...secrets told....winter bones.

"Bones of  Winter", wood cut on paper, s.a. cunningham

Dissected prints- Variations on a theme

 

 This image was created as an homage to the iconic image of a an Angel guiding two children lost in the woods to safety.

"Guardian Angel" woodcut on paper.

"Guardian Angel II", woodcut, collage

Here I have started to take apart the print, and replaced the female image with a stylized print, then applied color.















In "UFO" I have taken the same print and dissected it. I cut the image, then created a mirror image and attached them to a paper substrate. What happened was a unique image that created it's very story.

"Guardian Angel III- UFO", woodcut, mixed media

 Here, the same image is used again, but the Guardian Angel was dissected, mirrored and put back together, creating what I think is a fascinating depiction of a female form.

"Guardian Angel - Mother", woodcut, mixed media

So here is what happens when a print is taken apart and put back together again...I love the endless realm of what can happen with woodcuts. The same Image Four Ways...a part exactly the same, yet as a whole uniquely different.

Anthropomorphic Universe

 

 

Another vantage point from the SummerKeys garden.  I rest under this tree and look out over the Islands. Eastport to the left and Campobello to the right. It is a heavenly place to sit and ponder and rest...the body and mind. A sweet little sanctuary that at certain times of the year is just mine.

"Flying w/ Crows Over Popes Folly", woodcut, mixed media on rice paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

not yet titled...oil on birch  11 x 14...."Anthropomorphic something??? 

 

 

This image is taken from a hike my son, husband and I went on this summer. It was a foggy day in Cutler, Maine and we hiked through the forest to arrive at what seemed like the end of the Universe. It was so Foggy and so high, I got vertigo, but my son loved it...he had seen nothing like it until that day...it felt like we were on a different plane. The sky seemed to kiss the earth and hug the water.

"Garden Chair" graphite on paper, conte,      Sherry Ashby Cunningham

"Garden Chair w/ Poppies", Woodcut on rice paper

"Garden Chair", Woodcut, mixed media, on rice paper

I have garden chairs and Pope's Folly on my mind.

The SummerKeys Garden

Garden chair...filled with Wooly Thyme, Nasturtiums and beach rocks.

The Corner Kitchen Garden.

 

This space gets filled salmon and white Impatiens every year. I tuck about 150 of them in and around the different variety of large Hosta, Fern, Astilble and Iris. It is bordered with driftwood found on the nearby beaches of Passamaquoddy. If the flowers planted are arranged like a painting, the edging is like the frame..they must sing together.

 
 

 The advantages of existing in the SummerKeys garden are many, one being that music flows through the garden at its own pace. The church bells ring at noon and again at 6 p.m....the fog horn calls out often too, as do the family of Crows. A day spent in that garden with changing shadows and golden light cast and filtered through fog is a wonderful day indeed.

View from the SummerKeys Garden looking out over Popes Folly. Of the many Islands beyond lies Eastport, Me. and Campobello, N.B. I watch the eagles fly about the nests on Popes Folly...they ride the air currents and hunt for fish...so peaceful here.

 Art openings, art to be done, deadlines. The gardens to be tended and planted. A busy and productive time. The art and the gardens are feeding off of one another this year. It is hard sometimes to change head-space when the other needs to be done.

Into The Calm

"Into the Calm", hand pulled wood cut, mixed media on Mulberry paper, 6" x 8"

I am so fascinated by winged things. It is the symbolism behind it; taking to the air, thought, mental activity. Thoughts are energy....energy easily manifests itself. Positive thoughts help to create a positive environment. Clearing out negative thoughts as one would clear cobwebs by early morning meditation helps to set the tone for a positive day. What a gift. Finding that center helps to face difficult situations with more clarity and peace of mind. Staying calm gives one so much strength. Taking the time to transmute.......I wish for you all Simple Love.

Happy Mothers Day

"Mama Series", Lino Cut on paper, water color

Happy Mothers Day.

Happy Mothers Day

"Grammie", graphite on paper

Happy Mothers Day. This is a portrait of my Great Grandmother done in graphite. I did this for my Mother a few years back. Grammie as we all called her, was the epitome of grace. She was pure love. Her strength was gentle and kind. She was effortlessly patient. In her presence one felt loved beyond all measure...words were not necessary. She has been gone from my life for 31 years now but her spirit is still felt. The comfort of sitting on her lap wrapped snug in a blanket in her rocking chair and watching the birds out of her window still remains a vivid example of what safety and home means.

Finding Grace

                          

detail "Finding Grace", Acrylic on panel

Where does strength come from? Maybe for some the meaning of the word is completely different from mine. What do you think of when you visualize someone that embodies the word strength? In this phase of my life strength comes from a gentle quiet space within. One that is calm and can navigate the world gracefully. It is not always easy.

"Finding Grace", Acrylic on panel

Sketch Book Trees

 

Early this March I was lucky enough to go and spend some time with not family but like family in the Boston area. Spiritual kin I would call them. While I enjoyed Boston since I have huge love for that city, I also really enjoyed having some uninterrupted sketch time. This is the view outside the window  where I was staying in North Andover. I fell in love with the trees there...so airy.

"Birds Nest", graphite on paper

 

 Sometimes it is nice to get back to basics and draw objects from life as you see them. For me it is like using the other side of my brain to do math...I have to really focus and concentrate on it. One of my favorite teachers always said "Make it sing..." as one was working on a painting. That's how we knew the painting was done, when it sang. I'm not so sure these images sing, they are not as delicate as I would have liked...I saw them as more airy. I think you can see my struggle in them to not get carried off in a tangent like my more intuitive work, but to stick to the path. Drawing realistically in graphite is a good exercise for me from time to time, it certainly keeps me humble.

"Poppy Seed Heads" graphite on paper

"Mother's Prayer", Wood Cut, Mixed Media on Japanese Paper

     
I often create a print with the mind that I will treat the print as an one would an under painting. Sometimes as I go along painting I can see or feel more than one color wants to exist and am forced to choose. When I have finished I am left to wonder what would have happened if I had chosen another color...kind of like wondering what would have happened had I gone right instead of left. With the repeated image I have that freedom to explore medium and palette as much as I choose and I love having that choice.  

Detail of "Mother's Prayer" and "Voyage" overlapped to show the echo

   
  

"Bird Spirit",hand pulled  wood cut on paper, mixed media

Here is some of the stuff I've been working on lately. I am working on a series called "Women in the Woods"...I guess you could say woods being a metaphor for life. Again these images build on the idea of a Spiritual Journey. I am inspired by the landscape of Maine, but very often when I am in nature, I escape to my head...

"Talking Trees", Oil on panel

"Going Home", oil on panel

"In the Woods", Oil on panel

"Voyage", Woodcut on Japanese paper

Detail of "Voyage", wood cut, mixed media on Japanese paper, hand pulled

Campobello Bridge seen from Water Street, Lubec, Me., Hand pulled woodcut on Japanese paper

Here is the same image of the Campobello Bridge, but printed directly in black in ink. I love how the same plate creates such a different feel. I will keep playing with this image, using the print more as an under painting and build it up with mixed media.

I have been working on woodcuts lately and have begun to experiment with way the block is inked. These last few pieces are roughly built with the process of white line prints in mind...but then will also used with traditional black ink. This image is of the Campobello International Bridge seen from Water Street, Lubec, Me., which is my hometown.

detail of "Passage". Oil on panel, 9" x 12"

detail of "Passage". Oil on panel, 9"x 12"

"Passage"

This piece is called "Passage". My two friends have recently lost their father due to illness. Everyday can be a struggle to some and I have been thinking a lot about the Spiritual Journey...everyday gives us the chance to start anew again, for some of us meditation helps to clear the path. I am not sure if this piece is done or not, it was intended to have many more layers when stopped to dry at this stage, but I have come to like it in its unfinished stage....as none of us are ever really "finished".