Sarah Morrigan speaks in pictures and words

Hello people!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 23:51:00 +0000

You have reached my old website that is no longer actively maintained.

Check out http://ladywillow.sdf.org/alleycatmews for a simpler website.

Social media for art-related posts and announcements: https://www.facebook.com/sarahmorrigan.arts

More about me:

Siren Nation show ending; Commons and a Nation

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 12:40:00 +0000

Siren Nation Art Show

Ending this weekend.
Albina Press on Hawthorne, 5012 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

Commons and a Nation

an open-call, juried art show

Friday, December 5, 2014 -- Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Artists' Meet Up: Friday, December 12, 2014, 5-6:30 p.m.
Red and Black Cafe, 400 SE 12th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97214

Featuring the art of: Diana Karan, Alexandria Oesch, Kyle Key, and Alan Skally

Curated by Sarah A. Morrigan

Due to some miscommunication screw-up with the venue, we won't be having an opening reception for this show. However, we are designating Friday, December 12, 5-6:30 p.m. for an informal artists' meet up.

Copyright reminder for social media, blogs, etc.

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 00:29:00 +0000

Art is to be enjoyed by all. In the 2010s, social media "sharing" can be, and is, a powerful way for artists to gain public exposure and recognition around the world, and to exchange ideas and inspirations with fellow artists without limits of borders and distances.

However, artists' works must be respected and proper credit be given if artists can afford to keep creating in this economy. I recognize that copyright laws and conventions are two-edged swords. On one hand, copyright and patent laws were devised to encourage creativity and innovation by providing creators with legal protection and economic incentives. On the other hand, copyright issues have sometimes stifled free exchange of ideas, information, and even social elements of creativity.

To this end, I would like to remind everyone that:
1. Feel free to share any art of mine that you like on social media, blog, or art review website you might own.
2. These images I make available on the web are intentionally degraded to lower resolutions to help save bandwidth and also to thwart some dishonest people from reproducing the artwork for sale (for which I would not receive a dime).
3. Use of these images are subject to the Creative Commons Public License version 3.0 (or later) BY-NC-ND. This means you are not allowed to use them for commercial purposes, or to create a derived product (including unauthorized modifications such as blurring or cropping out identifying watermarks). You are required to properly attribute the author. See https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for the terms and conditions.
4. If you like my art, please consider contributing some money at http://alleycatmews.tip.me/ .

Art has been one of very few ways for me, for a number of personal reasons, to earn money through honest, legal, and ethical means. More importantly, it is one of those pursuits that I can put my spirit into. Therefore, my creativity provides me with much of my income, and I depend on it.

But I also appreciate the power of social media and the new economy of sharing. After all, the more people post my art on their timelines and blogs the more exposure I get, and it is a good promotion that does not cost me money that I cannot otherwise afford.

If you love my artwork and would like to print it out on your colour printer (recommended: print it out on a watercolour postcard stock available at any art supply store) for your own personal use, feel free to do so, but keep in mind that you cannot resell it (giving it away as a gift is fine). I would highly appreciate if you do this, contribute whatever you can.

If you are in business of making and marketing postcards, greeting cards, posters, etc., I would like to hear from you as I am always open to the idea of residual royalty income.

Affordable, personalized art instruction

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 23:34:00 +0000

I am offering a personalized art instruction at an affordable price.

A four-hour session for up to 10 participants is offered for $205. The price is the same whether or not there are 10 people in your group, or if it is just yourself. This means you can have your friends sign up (you handle registration) at as low as $20.50 per person for four hours of intensive training in fundamentals of fine arts.

Subject matters:

Basic watercolor skills
Hand lettering and calligraphy

The price does not include classroom/studio rentals or materials, both of which are your responsibilities (If you are looking for a good space for a class, I recommend TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St., Portland, as the price for a four-hour rental of a classroom can be as low as $32).

This is geared mostly towards adults, though minors between 13 and 17 are welcome with a responsible adult.

For more information, contact me by email or phone.

About me: here's my CV and portfolio.

Paint Your Art Out - September/October 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 18:11:00 +0000

http://sirennation.org/event/paint-your-art-out-2/

Opening night – Saturday, September 6
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Olympic Mills Commerce Center
107 SE Washington Portland OR
Show runs September 6 – October 18

Featuring new works for sale by: Paula Blackwell, Tara Murino-Brault, Jen Mitsuko, Ben Gilbert, Jeni Lee, Holly Beckman, James Boscole, Kayla Newell, Cheryl Eugenia, Lisa Wilde, Leslie Peterson, Liz Walker, Joanna Butterfly Chase, Jennifer Cox, Nicole Gartland, Thérèse Murdza, Lisa Griffen, Kelly Neidig, Cynthia Heise, April O’Connor, Katie Veeninga, Alea Bone, Di Pinsonault, Sarah Morrigan, Carolyn Lindberg, Tatyana Ostapenko, Suzy Kitman, Zeratha Monique Young, Rachel Beyer, Alyssa Kubitz, Laura Hippensteel, Lori Rivers Hanson, Anne Mavor, Lea Keohane, Jenn Feeney, Jacyln Evalds, Megan Valle, Nanci Pretzer, Suzy LaRuffa, Jennifer Lothrigel, Robin Lieberman, Consu Tolosa.
Silent Auction featuring live painters: Brett Superstar, Amy Stoner, Lisa Griffen and Consu Tolosa.

Paint Your Art Out is Siren Nation’s annual visual art fundraiser and celebration. This huge art show and sale features NW artists, and opening night includes live art making demos, an art auction, a kids area, a bar, snacks, and music. The show will remain up for the month of September and sold pieces will receive a red dot – a change from the one night event last year!

Third Annual Recycled Rain Show (May 10-June 14, 2014)

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 05 May 2014 23:36:00 +0000

The Third Annual Recycled Rain Project art show will open on Saturday, May 10 with an artists' reception from 6 to 10 p.m. at the historic Olympic Mills Commerce Center, 107 SE Washington St. (in the Eastside Industrial Area). Each artist used rainwater to some extent in art.

I hope you can drop in on May 10 to say hello or see the show at some time during its run through June 14, 2014. You can check out the project's website at www.therecycledrainproject.org.

Preview: https://picup.it/u/84/148/#idViewGallery

Creativity in review!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 02:57:00 +0000

This blog has been online since March 2009, for full five years! Before this, it was on Wordpress. As I look back, I see quite a bit of evolution in my artistic practice.

I have created a downloadable PDF e-book to commemorate the past five years of creativity.

https://db.tt/1CHDxZxI

Prefer EPUB? Here it is: https://db.tt/v0b9ibXH

There are still online portfolios also:

http://www.myartplot.com/users/iriscat (up to 2012)
http://ladywillowpdx.deviantart.com/gallery (2013 to present)

Portraits: holiday season promotion!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 03:38:00 +0000

alley cat mews: Portraits: holiday season promotion!: It's Thanksgiving this week and that means people are starting to think about holiday gifts. Why not go for one-of-the-kind items, inste...

My legacy

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 02:33:00 +0000

Recently I have come to a realization that most of what I do in life, and choices I make, are my subconscious ways to leave a legacy in this world. "Making a mark," as some might say. Political scientist Francis Fukuyama, in his book, The End of History and the Last Man, asserts that the reason for human history is our deep-seated needs for recognition.

For many times over, I have chosen a path that was seemingly insane. I left a life of affluence and privilege, went to schools learning subjects that did not necessarily led to money, and honestly, even when I thought I was a selfless servant of the world, I was trying to become a hero, in building an epic legend with my own life. No one today knows or understands the extent of this, and how this led me to a place in which I am living an extraordinary -- as in truly out of ordinary -- adventure that manifests many of my youthful dreams of the past. Quixotic, maybe.

In the end, what I am doing is leaving a mark in this world, and perhaps while at it, inspire and challenge this world.

A few days before the opening of the Siren Nation Art Festival, this idea came to me in my dream -- a tongue-in-cheek prank to install a "mixed-media conceptual 3D art," which is made of a purple pushpin and a blue string. In this big world, my legacy perhaps may be small, and outright silly at times to some, but I am leaving a mark.

A quiet afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 02:17:00 +0000

Yes, I do things other than cats, every once in a while...

My sixth show of this year: Siren Nation Art Festival opening this Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 06:28:00 +0000

I have indeed fulfilled my goal of six art shows this year, with the opening of the Siren Nation Art Festival this Thursday!

En retrospeta / In retrospect
En prospeta / In prospect

As you see, this time around, I have decidedly taken a somewhat different approach (what?! they are still cats!!). For the previous five shows, I was primarily using line-drawing illustrations that were tinted with a bit of watercolour. For this show, I have done more traditional watercolour paintings.

The art festival's theme this year is "Then and Now."

The Siren Nation Art Festival originally began in the early 2000s, inspired by LadyFest, Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, and Lilith Fair, with a purpose of showcasing women's music talent in a world that is dominated by men. A fine arts festival was later added as an adjunct event, as well as the craft fair.

This is my third time with Siren Nation, first time as part of the (now-defunct) Working Artists Network, LLC booth at the 2008 craft fair at the McMenamins Kennedy School (with Adrienne Fritze and Amy Luck!). In 2010, I made it into the juried fine arts show at Albina Press Hawthorne, and I am back this year after two years of absence.

Siren Nation Art Festival information:

Where: Albina Press on Hawthorne (not the one on Albina Avenue), 5012 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon 97215
When: Opening Thursday, November 7, 2013, 6 p.m. - Ending Tuesday, December 3, 2013.
http://www.sirennation.org/festival-art/

October 4-25: Portland Tarot Show 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 02:49:00 +0000

The Tarot Show

First Friday opening reception on October 4, 7-9 p.m.
Show dates: October 4-25, 2013
Splendorporium, 3421 SE 21st Ave, Portland, Oregon 97202

Themis
Sarah-Andrea Morrigan
ink and watercolour
7.5" x 12"

Themis takes on the "Justice" card in the major arcana, and examines the notion of justice itself. In the commonly used Waite Tarot deck, justice is symbolized by the "Lady Justice" holding a sword and a scale. This is similar to a statue one might find in courthouses throughout the Western world. Historically Lady Justice originated from Roman Iusticia, Greek Themis, and Egyptian Ma'at.

Yet, in today's society the notion of justice is not that of Themis but rather of Mars. "Justice" is no longer about achieving social harmony or uniting the earth with the heaven. It is rather about "winning" over "criminals" (often they also happen to be those who are marginalized, such as Blacks, the poor, immigrants, etc.) by any means necessary, by a highly opportunistic and punitive "justice" system, to perpetuate the discord and conflict instead of promoting concord and wholeness. So-called "justice" is enforced by paramilitary police who are armed to teeth but lack human decency, ethical integrity, or moral compass. This "justice" mentality is further expanded in the international arena, in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba, North Korea, Palestine, etc. via military invasions and economic sanctions that are both designed to destroy lives.

In Greek, there is a difference between nomos (arbitrary laws created by humans) and themis (the divine law that is universal and unchanging). True justice can only come from themis, not nomos that is enforced by guns and prisons.

Themis is the universal order and harmony that holds stars in its course and planets in its orbit. At the very core, themis unites the earth with the heaven. In this painting, a Japanese sword is laying on the ground, in its sheath, signifying that violence is never a means to achieve justice, and a true warrior must learn honour and cultivate their souls to be one with the universal order of harmony. The grass holds droplets of water, held in perfect spherical shapes, held together by the law of physics.

The Greek letter θέμις (themis) and Chinese letters 世界同化，天地同流 (Shì jiè tóng huà, tiān dì tóng liú = harmonizing the world, heaven and earth flowing together) are shown.

Announcement -- domain name change

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 06:40:00 +0000

As part of cost-cutting and streamlining measure, this site is now found at http://art.alleycatmews.tk/ instead of http://creative.alleycatmews.info.

Spring clearance original art sale

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:24:00 +0000

The following items are from my previous (recent) art shows and are for sale. (Note: all items are unframed originals.)

Catnip Dreaming (9" x 12")

From the February solo show Purrsuit of Catness, "Catnip Dreaming" is one of the online favorites thus far. This ink and watercolor illustration is on a 9"x12" Strathmore paper.
$70.00

Kitty is very very sleepy (12" x 9")

"Kitty is very, very sleepy" contemplates on end-of-life, death, and eternity. Ink and watercolor on a 12" x 9" Strathmore paper. From February 2013 Purrsuit of Catness show.
$50.00

Found is lost and lost is found (8" x 8")

From April 2013 The View from Here show. $50.00

Out of mud, brightness (8" x 8")

From April 2013 The View from Here show. $50.00

Ingenuity (8" x 8")

From April 2013 The View from Here show. $50.00

Contact Sarah if you are interested in purchasing.

May and June shows!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 07:04:00 +0000

First of all, thank you everyone who came to the Afru Gallery to see the just-concluded View from Here show! It was great to come back to that space, previously known as the Launchpad Gallery, since the last time I showed in a group show (The Fear Show, 2010).

As if this isn't a big thing for me enough, I have two juried shows that I got in, that are coming up for May and June 2013! These will be the third and fourth shows of the year, after two full years of break from my artistic career.

The ¡Muros Abajo! show is a very timely as the U.S. Congress is slated to begin hearings and debates on the comprehensive immigration reform bill. As an artist and an immigrant rights activist, this show will be my first attempt at a political art, or an art-as-activism. It is presented by the Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC), one of the long-time organizers of the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PARC) and a partner of the former Liberty Hall (aka Workers Educational Resources Center). It will open on the May First Friday.

The Portland Recycled Rain Project, opening June 1, is a brainchild of Sara Sjol. This challenge show is based on the idea of using collected local rainwater for various forms of art production.

Interestingly, all four of the shows I have had this year have been in Southeast Portland!

Free for all downloads: Scribus templates for postcards, Avery business cards, and more

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:59:00 +0000

http://db.tt/tc6Bx8XV

When I first began creating Scribus templates in 2009, they were mostly made for myself out of necessity. I posted them on my blog and soon many people from around the world started downloading them. You will find some of the all-time favourites and some new ones.

Avery 8879
Avery 8371
VistaPrint business card
Nitroprint business card
USPS standard postcard template (very popular!)
Scribus blank US letter-size template

Bid on my art - ending this weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:47:00 +0000

http://www.ebay.com/sch/alleycatmews/m.html

Current Show: "The View from Here"

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:44:00 +0000

Where: AFRU Gallery, 534 SE Oak St, Portland, OR
When: Friday 12pm - 4pm
Saturday 12pm - 4pm
Sunday 2pm - 6pm
Until Saturday, April 27.

Art show announcement on QQ weibo, just in case.

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 01:08:00 +0000

http://t.qq.com/p/t/199629015061694

Getting ready for the show!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 01:06:00 +0000

Show information by artist: http://s.coop/view
General show information by curator: http://launchpadgallery.org/view
Gallery information: http://www.afrugallery.com

Afru Gallery, 534 SE Oak St, Portland, Oregon
Opening Friday, April 5, 6 p.m.-midnight
Gallery open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until April 27.

Art sale on eBay this week!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:16:00 +0000

All items starting at 99 cents plus S&H, or "Buy It Now" for $100 each.
Art on eBay this week

Against Nature (political art for immigrant rights)

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:43:00 +0000

Ink and watercolour on Strathmore paper
Original size 9 inches x 12 inches

“Against Nature” (2013) is a political commentary on the arbitrary, abstract and artificial nature of international borders and how political, military and economical interests of the remote powerful create a system that is both oppressive towards the ordinary living and breathing people and defiant of the laws of nature. Nationality laws, immigration laws, and any other means to control borders are product of modern human system, and wild plants and animals simply do not know their existence. Likewise, the idea of dividing the planet earth into various countries and exclude the “foreign” is against nature.

To allow the message to have a universal appeal, it depicts a fictional border between two fictitious countries, which can be any countries you can think of. The sleeve of a naval officer and that of an army officer represent the inherent systemic violence that borders generally represent, and how they are often drawn in a remote war room or national capital, or on an international negotiating table.

This work is dedicated to the immigration reform and immigrants’ rights movement, countless DREAMers, and multitude of undocumented immigrants.
This item is on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330900657811

Share this art. Immigrant rights activists and community organizations are welcome to reproduce it on their websites or in their publications provided that they observe the Copyright and Licensing policy.

April show: The View from Here

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:26:00 +0000

The View from Here

April 5-27, 2013

Purrsuit of Catness feline journeys :: Complementos para Firefox

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 23:15:00 +0000

Purrsuit of Catness feline journeys :: Complementos para Firefox

Purrsuit of Catness: February show at TaborSpace!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 06:34:00 +0000


Take Your Stand

Purrsuit of Catness

February 1-28, 2013

TaborSpace

5441 SE Belmont Street, Portland, Oregon 97215

Guide to the exhibit