Previous letters from the homeFront (Close when finished)
(4.08.05-5.29.06) Thank you for visiting leafHouse.com. The site hasn't been updated in a while, as I've been sending in graduate school applications and putting up a solo show at the International Gallery in Anchorage. I've had a moose hanging out in my front yard lately that requires attention as well... I'm starting to work in a larger format than I ever have (26 x 40") on the printmaking press. Viscosity monotypes have been complimented lately with pronto plates, embossings, and letterpress work. Each brings another level of depth to my current work and additional ways to speak in my artistic language. The newest pieces will be posted online soon, so visit often to see the latest. As always, questions and comments are welcome in the phoneBooth. Please enjoy your wanderings through leafHouse...
(7.22.04-4.08.05) Thanks for visiting leafHouse.com. The site has been renovated quite a bit in recent months and I've come back up to Alaska, so it must be time for a new letter from the homefront, right? Spending the second half of winter in Anchorage and returning to a printmaking studio (UAA) has been great. Being back in a studio environment was just what I needed to get going on a major series again. Somehow I managed to create over a hundred pieces last semester and about 40 of them are at a complete state. It's been a sea change with regard to approach and execution compared to my uni days. Believe it or not, bartending has probably been one of the biggest influences on my work ethic and will stay with me forever... Browse the new galleries and let me know what you think. As always, questions and comments are welcome in the phoneBooth. Please enjoy your wanderings through leafHouse...
(12.22.03-7.22.04) Well, I've been over here in the Czech Republic for almost two months now and I'm loving it! I'm pretty sure this is where I'm going to retire. I've been able to paint more than anytime in recent memory, and it's been like trying to ride a bike again. Making art has never been hard, but sometimes it's easy to get an "artist's block", where you basically try to overthink everything you are doing. Letting go and allowing the artwork to be in charge is the only way to go. Some of the pieces coming out lately have been surprising to me- I'm exploring styles and techniques which I have never used before. Glazes can be the most fascinating medium, bringing new depths to a work. (I always hate to call them "works", since making them is really the most natural thing- not at all like labor. Well, sometimes you gotta dig in and put the old "nose to the grindstone", I suppose...) I've been going to various areas in Czech and been enjoying myself way too much. As with most of my travels, the more I get to know a place, the more I realize that all the folks on this glob of matter we like to call Earth are really, truely the same deep down. Wow, I'd best sign off before this hippie-pinko-commie talk gets too deep. As always, questions and comments are welcome in the phoneBooth. Please enjoy your wanderings through leafHouse...
(3.15.03-12.21.03) Welcome to leafHouse.com. This site has been through quite a few changes in the last month. The new format is intended to ease navigation within the site for visitors. I've been here in Carlsbad, CA for almost five months now- sunny days aplenty. I must say that Venice Beach is one place that will always be on my list of top spots to see at least once in a lifetime. (Some others on the list? New Orleans Mardi Gras, Sistine Chapel, Amsterdam, the Alcan Highway- in case you were curious...) The Online Portfolio section is complete- to see it, visit the Rosetta Gallery. Also, the Phone Booth bugs should be worked out now, so feel free to send an e-mail and let me know what you think or if you have any problems getting around the site. Enjoy your wanderings through the leafHouse...
(10.30.02-3.15.03) Wave goodbye to the meese, it's time to get back to the sunny confines of southern california! The beaches are looking quite inviting after being smack dab in the middle of nowhere for the summer (though let's not forget the merits of that...). I'd say alaska and california are as close to polar opposites as you can get... The trip south was easily the best time on the alcan so far- it was like wild animal kingdom out there, and visiting three natural hot springs didn't hurt, either. The site is changing a lot, and new additions are still coming. As you probably noticed coming in, I have added a Graduate Portfolio for schools interested in seeing my work online. The phoneBooth has been remodeled to allow all visitors to the site easy e-mail access. Also, copperDownloads now contains four of my pieces which are free to download and print at your convienience. As always, those of you who are visiting the copperleaf for the first time, visit the siteMap to get your bearings and see the newest additions...
(8.15.02-10.30.02) Wow, it's been awhile since I've been here to my little copperleaf... just been wandering Alaska this summer, trying to finish the "to do" list that seems to get bigger every week. So much to see. The salmon have been running and the weather is cooling off. The first stars came out a few weeks ago, now that the sun isn't up all day anymore. Pretty soon, the aurora borealis will be out. (Now that's a light show done right!) I've been gathering and creating work to put into the site and have begun the next wave of additions. Those of you who have visited before can check the siteMap to see where the goods are at. Enjoy your wanderings through the Copperleaf....
(11.06.01-8.15.02) First of all, let me just say that it's really nice to be back here in the US and working on art again. That said, I must admit that being overseas has really brought more focus and depth to the pieces I am currently working on. I think it finally hit me the morning I was standing alone with the work of Gustav Klimt in the Osterreichische Galerie (Vienna). I got there just in time for the doors to be opened and went straight up to see the room with all of his gold period stuff. (Ya know, The Kiss and all those) Absolutely unreal in person. The entire trip was slightly surreal, like walking in a postcard from a place you'll never see. Alright, that's certainly one way to put it... Anyhow, the whole experience was amazing and I had a great time. Pictures from the trip are now on the site in the photoGallery. Enjoy your wanderings through the copperleaf...
(6.10.01-11.05.01) Let me welcome all of you here to my site and thank you for the visit. This site features the work of Joshua Watts and is intended as a forum for all of his creative endeavors. We just went online, so there are many changes taking place all the time. Please feel free to contact us in the phoneBooth with any questions or comments. Enjoy...