At Arches

The most famous arch at Arches National Park is the Delicate Arch, of which is displayed on some Utah license plates. I do have sketches to tear art it someday. But, this one is a little more unfamiliar. It's both from a photo and in my head. But, a little artistic license never hurts. This piece was recently displayed at the Days of '47 Deseret News Colors of the Land Art Show, July 2005. It is about 18 in x 20 in. It took about 25 hours to make, and I did most of it late at night in May of 2004. I didn't really give it a name until I entered it in a local art show and the nice check-in lady asked "Where is it?" meaning "Is it in your car? In the back room?" But I thought she meant "Where is it?" I said "At Arches." She responded "Is that what it's called?" So, during a Who's on First? like moment, it got its name. Prints available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2004

Mittens

I love the South West. The shapes, hues, color variations, and shadows of this vibrant geography is great for tear art. Ironically, I did this picture of The Mittens of Monument Valley while living in Washinton DC. Maybe I was home sick. I do remember I was watching an all night Red Sox game last fall when I finished it. This last summer I went back to South Eastern Utah and Northern Arizona. I took a lot of photos and made many sketches. For the next little while, you will see several pictures of the Utah/Arizona Desert, including more of the Monument Valley, Arches, and the Grand Canyon. This picture is 15 in x 28 in. Original is available. Prints are available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2004

US Capitol

Staying with the recent Washington DC theme, I thought this one was appropriate. This angle of the capitol is taken from the Senate side, in a parking lot. From this side the Capitol still looked as massive as it is, but doesn't show as much of it. To the right, where the pillars are, is the Senate side (or wing) of the Capitol. This one is smaller than the last two, only 25 in x 18 in. I cut a lot of the black off the bottom because it made it look too dark and unbalanced. It belongs to my friend Travis who worked at the Senate at the time. I also have a copy in my dining room and have sold many prints. I had to purchase both sculpture and bridal magazines in order to get that many shades of white, gray, stone, mauve, etc. The sky was a product of trying, and failing, at making clouds look real, but the highlights from the dark to the light looked really cool when made more gradual. I couldn't figure out how to make the rotunda fit into the whole piece at first. My first couple of attempts were very ornate and detailed, which made it look like an Easter egg. Then one foggy morning I was walking towards the Capitol from the South (Union Station). The fog was really low and the early morning sun gleamed off one side. The shadowed side fell into the fog and disappeared. It was a very cool effect. After stripping the first attempts at coloring the rotunda, again, I dug out the bridal and sculpture mags and made the dark side of the rotunda match my sky. Why it took several weeks, then finally a natural phenomenon to figure that out, I'll never know. Prints Available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2004

Washington Monument

Washington Monument. The center point of the Capitol, taken from a mental snap shot just as you step into the sun from the Smithsonian Metro. If you ever get the opportunity, stand at this point and pretend you are sitting in the tree at the center edge of the Mall. You'll see this. I walked out to the center of the Mall, mentally deleted the tree, and started doing sketches. I sat in the gnarled grass for about 3 hours thinking and sketching in a lined notebook. This is among my favorites because it reminds me of all the feelings, ideas, etc. I had in that busy, creative city. When I was stressed out, alone, freaking out about the Metro getting blown up, or whatever, I could get lost in this. What I loved most about DC was, from our neighborhood, it was only an hour and $1.35 away from the National Gallery of Art in the Smithsonian. The first neighborhood we lived in is in the background, Rosslyn. I wasn't a big fan of Rosslyn. It's across the river, or the Memorial Bridge from the Washington Monument. I guess the sparkly blue paper could be the Potomac, but I don't think it's been that color since Washington actually lived at Mt. Vernon. This piece is about 22 in. by 28 in. The original was sold to Spencer Stokes after being FedEx-ed home from DC. I believe he has it displayed in his office, Stokes Strategies, in Salt Lake City. Among the prints sold, one is in Senator Bennett's media office and in the office of one of my favorite professors at Utah State University. Prints available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2004

Introductions: City Scape

My introduction piece: I call this one City Scape. It's older, about 2002. So, we can start from the beginning. I did this one on the floor of my mini Logan apartment. My new roommates at the time didn't know I liked to cover the floor in scraps, but they were cool about it. This one is 28 in x 22.5 in. Prints available. Copyright, Abby Evans, 2002 ******************************* As I build a proper website for my artwork, I thought this would be a great forum to start from. I will be posting images of my artwork at least weekly so my friends, family, and other interested parties can view them, comment, and enjoy. I will also be including who the owner may be, dimentions, print availability, pricing, ideas to come, crude sketches, and interesting photos that may turn into "tear art." What is "tear art?" "Tear art" (tear as in ripping, not crying) is the complete masacre of heavy magazine paper to use the colors as an impressionist artist might use oils. I appreciate the quality of Vogue, National Geographic, and InStyle mostly. I like many mediums, but this precise form of collage is my favorite. There's nothing better that destroying a magazine and putting it back together better than you found it. I have many pieces, most are quite large. The smallest is among the most recent, measuring 15 in x 15 in. The rest are about 24 in x 30 in, give or take a few inches in any direction. Favorite artists: Van Gogh, as most people often comment, Monet (of course) and Mattise. Maybe one day the Marilyn Monroe of our time, who ever she may be, will hang a couple of my pictures up side down in her NY apartment. I do have two works of art in the media office of US Senator Bob Bennett in DC, the first in the hallway of Lehi High School, and several in the homes and businesses of good friends and family. My mother is my gallery curator, as her house is wallpapered in this stuff. I hope you enjoy this site and visit often. When the 'real thing' is going, I'll let you know.