"Nude - Red & Black" for Doctors Without Borders Auction

I am proud to be part of an auction happening 
throughout this month of April, 2011. 
Mosaic art from around the world has been 
gathered and put up for silent auction. 
Check out some AMAZING art and help an 
extremely worthy cause.

  This is my entry: 

Nude - Red & Black

2011

Lin Schorr' Doctors Without Borders Mosaic Auction

Latest Mosaic Art Fall 2010

I took the summer of 2010 off (mostly) to travel to the Southwest,
paint the kitchen, etc. But here, and in the next two posts, I show
you some things I've been working on.

I love the Southwest, especially the earthy art. The first time I traveled there in 1988 I came home with a (sort of nasty) large steer skull. I've had it ever since and had thought of decorating it. But its natural, aged and weathered condition is too beautiful to mess with. So I made a large steer skull mosaic instead. This sold at Jingletown's Holiday Art Walk last year.

Steer Skull '09
Glass mosaic on Easyboard
37" x 25"

A few weeks ago, I was commissioned to create another one to be hung in a home in Arizona. Here it is:Steer Skull '10
Glass mosaic on Easyboard
37" x 25"

I am taking part in an online auction of mosaic art to benefit Doctors Without Borders. The art will be online starting at the end of November and the auction will take place in April 2011. Read more about it here:
Lin Schorr and DWB Auction
This is my entry:

Rooster
Glass mosaic on wood
10" x 10"

And finally, this is my "alternate entry" for the auction. I had second thoughts about "Rooster" after I had finished him. I know millions of people collect rooster art so I wanted to tap into that market. But a simple farm animal? I didnt know if that would be "sophisticated" enough. So I made this nude.Nude
Glass mosaic on wood
10" x 10"

In the end I chose to submit the rooster and give the nude to a friend who I know would love it.

Love

My newest mosaic is called "Love"
It's on the small side - 12" x 40" -
and is made with mirrored glass and
stained glass.
The substrate is 1/2" plywood.
Price: $450.
If there is enough room on the walls I will be displaying this piece, Mardi Gras,
Glamour, Ta-Daaa and First Glance
at 420 Gallery during Jingletown's Open Studios
this June 7, 8, 14 & 15. Check older posts here
to get a look at these pieces.

Stop by if you're in the neighborhood and introduce yourselves!.
Check out Jingletown's website for more info.

"Mardi Gras"

This is my latest mosaic.

It's called Mardi Gras, for now anyway, because of the colors.

I may change it to "Carried Away" or something else might come to me....time will tell.
I plan to show this in the upcoming East Bay Open Studios in the Jingletown Arts District of Oakland, California.I'm showing you three different shots of this because I am finding that it is really
hard to photograph my mosaics because of the glass reflections.
I hope you can see this one's beauty. It is really good in real life! "Mardi Gras"
2008
Mirrored glass and stained glass
29" x 33"

"Hippie Chick Serenades the Moon"

"Hippie Chick Serenades the Moon" 2008 Colored pencil and acrylic wash 24" x 18"

"Glamour"

This is a new mosaic that I finished yesterday.

I chose the name because it has two meanings.One is the commonly-known meaning: "alluring beauty and charm." The second meaning is less well known: "to cast a spell or put a hex on someone."

I think of glamour as also meaning "illusion." After all, the glamour we associate with actors and models IS an illusion - it's all makeup and airbrushing, smoke and mirrors.

I was recently in a situation where I believed an illusion. And so the idea for this mosaic came into my mind - a woman enamored with something that is only showing her what she wants to see.

"Glamour" 2008 Stained glass and mirror on plywood 35" x 16" approx

Ta-Daaaa

This is my newest mosaic.
She's made of mirrored glass
and stained glass and stands
42" tall by 20" hand-to-hand.
For now her name is "Ta-Daaaa!"
I'm not so good with names.

Belly Dancing & The Hoochie Coochie Dance

These are some of my drawings about belly dancing and harem girls. Besides the mystery and historic "color" of this subject, I love the art of belly dancing because I think it shows off the female body in it's fullness and roundness. We Americans aren't comfortable with full, round female bodies - even though that is what we are becoming surrounded by more and more - let alone sexually powerful females!
There was a time when a full figure meant wealth and so full-figured gals were prized. Since food became so plentiful in our country in the mid-twentieth century, thinness and even skinniness became valued more than curves.
There is a movement now to change this attitude, propelled by the pride that African-American women and Latina-Americans have in their curves. And more and more men are coming out to speak their minds on the subject too - they like those curves.
When you see a real belly dancer, she will not be thin! And once you see her dance, you will have a new respect for it as an art form with an athlete's use of muscle and movement.
In America belly dancing has unfortunately become thought of as a form of stripping. This kind of dance was seen for the first time here at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, which was celebrating the 400th anniversary of Columbus' "discovery" of the New World. Animals and human acts were brought from around the world for the entertainment of the fair-goers. Women from the Middle East in pantaloons and loose blouses dancing to odd never-before-heard music and undulating their abdominal muscles were a scandalous sensation. This was a time when American women didn't dare show an ankle or leave the house without wearing rib-crushing corsets.
Belly dancing became known as "hoochy-coochy" dancing and was incorporated into vaudeville shows and spread across the country, usually as bawdy stripping rather than artistic entertainment.
One of the most historic tales of belly dancing is the story of Salome and John the Baptist in the Bible. The story goes like this: A woman named Herodias had an affair with her uncle, Herod Antipas. They eventually divorced their spouses to marry each other. John the Baptist spoke out against this not only because of the divorce but also because it was an incestuous affair. Herod Antipas put John the Baptist in jail but didn't have him killed because he feared reprisals by the masses who considered him a prophet.
Herodias had a daughter from her first marriage named Salome. At a birthday celebration for Herod, Salome danced for him, his lords and commanders. He was so pleased with her dance that he promised to give her whatever she asked for. She said "bring me the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter". He did so and the rest is history.
Here is a great website to find out more about belly dancing and to hear music, see videos etc. www.shira.net

First Glance, Finished

Okay, here is the finished piece I describe in the previous post.
First Glance 9" x 23 1/2"
and
19 1/2" x 23 1/2"

Art Show in West Oakland

These three pieces are currently showing in the "Women Band Together" art exhibit at the Prescott-Joseph Center, 920 Peralta Street (at 10th), Oakland CA.
www.prescottjoseph.org (510) 208-5651
This show celebrates International Women's Day on March 8 and will run from March 3 through March 31, 2008. The opening reception is on March 8 from 2-4:30pm.
Hope to see some of you there.

What is Sexy?

People often tell me my mosaic nudes are sexy. Since they are basically glass and wood, I always wonder what creates that reaction in people...that feeling.
What is sexy? In humans, is it the way a person looks to us physically? Information we take in with our eyes only? The musculature...the eyes.....shoulders....hips...thighs...and, for some people, feet or hair or other things we won't get into here! Or is it the energy that emanates from the person as a whole? Are dangerous people sexier to us than "nice" people? What does "sexy" mean in that instance then? To be able to look but not touch? An object of unrequited desire? I am just ruminating here because I dont know....do YOU?


I love the old pinup girl art from the 30's and 40's. I think they are sexy because of the voluptuous feeling created by the airbrush technique...and the fact that a lot is left to the imagination, I guess. The strange thing is, I even think Jeeps, horses and tugboats are sexy, so go figure!

Getting started

Hey there and welcome to my blog! I've been an artist my whole life and have made a living as a graphic artist - most recently in the clothing design industry. It's lucky to be an artist and to at least be able to make a living at something related - like graphic art. Mostly I'll be using this blog to display my art. I have a lot of it and I think it's great to have a venue like this to show it off.
I love to draw and most recently have discovered mosaics..... They seem to be real crowd-pleasers! I chose to explore female nudes because our bodies have the beautiful left-to-right hourglass shape but also front-to-back three-dimensional volume. In all my art I love achieving that look of volume. I think the flow that I can achieve using glass really brings out the lines and volume of the female body. Working in glass mosaics - especially mirror - is almost like working in light. A lot of colors and shapes are hidden and subtle unless you view these pieces in the right light. And the look of them changes depending on what angle you approach them. My pieces can be subtle and surprising, much like women themselves, ay?