Entries from: November 2007
Day 21 – Subway Stories piece in progress
November 21st, 2007, Comments (6)
Another day of working on this Subway Stories piece. Busy, busy day. More later!
Day 20 – Grow
November 20th, 2007, Comments (11)
"Grow" is 7"x8" with acrylic and ink on watercolor paper. I drew the original sketch for this image in my sketchbook on the same page as the sketch that became yesterday's "Traveling Girl." I drew them both while lying in bed in that fuzzy space between awake and asleep. I've found that this is a great time to just doodle and see what comes. Perhaps because I'm tired, my guard is down and interesting images float to the surface. Not all sketches make it into something more, but they're all part of the journey I think. Try sketching in bed and see what comes up for you!
I was so thrilled last night to see my art and the Art Every Day project mentioned on the blogher website in an article by Jen Lemen. I had just been admiring Jen's site and artwork last week, so I was so pleasantly surprised by the mention. Jen's blog and art are fantabulous, so do go see what she's up to! Sacred Life Sunday (started by the lovely Carla, owner and creator of the amazing Zena Moon candles) was also mentioned in this article. I'm not participating in this project at this time, in an effort not to over-commit myself to too many projects, but I love reading the posts shared by participants in this challenge.
Busy, busy day tomorrow and much to share at some point. Sweet dreams!
Day 19 – Traveling Girl
November 19th, 2007, Comments (13)
I did a doodle of this girl on a stack of suitcases in my journal before bed one night. So, today, I flipped through my journal, saw the sketch and decided to bring her to life. I thought about the different ways I could do it with collage or watercolor or acrylics or pencil...and I decided I wanted something colorful, but with sharp black lines, sort of illustration-style. She's about 5"x7" on watercolor paper with acrylic paint and ink. I love her purple suitcase with the tag hanging off it. I think this may stem from my love of boxes which can easily move into containers of all kind which make me incomprehensibly happy. In fact, even though Bridgette claimed her post wasn't exciting, her picture of her basement studio space today thrilled me. All those little compartments and boxes and containers and drawers and doors. Eee! Love it! I get totally befuddled when it comes to creating something like this for myself, but I do adore the look of it. I bought a bunch of things from the Container Store for my office/studio and it's coming along. When we buy a house (hopefully in the spring), I'll work on some organizational pieces like the one Bridgette got from IKEA, but in the meantime, I'll work with what I've got which isn't terrible by any means, just a little cramped. And hopefully less cramped when I'm done with it.
Some people have mentioned wanting to continue doing art every day after the month ends. That's awesome! I say go for it! December is usually a busy month full of family obligations (I've got a big family!), so I won't be making that commitment, but I've had something else in mind for awhile now. I'm thinking in January that I'm going to begin a year of being "creative every day." Yes! Just like my blog name! I do find ways to insert some creativity into every day, but making this my intention for the year will be an affirmation, a sign to the Universe, that hey, I'm here and I'm committed to creating. And hopefully it will help me continue to stretch and grow in ways I might otherwise procrastinate about or avoid all together. I'd make a list in the sidebar for anyone interested in joining in (just like I did for art every day month) and there could be a new flickr group to go along with it.
I don't plan to post a piece of art every day in 2008. I will simply plan to do something creative each day. I may not post every day, but I will post about my creative acts. Anyways, I wasn't planning to talk about this tonight and it just slipped out! I'm excited about it! Anyways, I will do a more thought out post in the near future with more details about how I'm planning to do this along with an invitation for anyone to join in. For now, this traveling girl, is going to relax. I need to get some quiet time in before we head to NYC for turkey day in a few days. Ciao for now!
Day 18 – Morning Kitty
November 18th, 2007, Comments (6)
Today, the Hubster and I spent the day at my mom's house. It was fun and now we're both quite pooped. I started this little guy this morning and put him together when we got home. Another mini kitty collage, I'm calling this one "Morning Kitty." It's about 4"x6.5" with paper collage and ink.
Day 17: A “Subway Stories” Piece in Progress
November 17th, 2007, Comments (7)
This is a piece in my "Subway Stories" series that I've started, but it isn't finished yet. It's 10"x10" on panel with collage and acrylic so far. It's a process making these...prepping the wood with gesso, sealing the collage elements with medium, collaging the papers on the wood, then drawing and painting in the scene. Once I'm done painting, I'll go back and write the thoughts of the figures within their bodies with ink and then seal it all with varnish. Not yet though. I had fun playing with this today while in my jammies. Maybe I'll get some of the cradled gesso board for future "Subway Stories" pieces to save a step? We shall see. I've got a trip to the art store coming up this week as I'm running low on some things and I've got a great coupon too. 
Lots of AEDM-ers have been buying up new art supplies and it's been making me jealous! Hehe...good thing I was planning a trip. I think I could spend all my money on books and art supplies. Fortunately, I usually restrain myself and the art store is kind of a pain to get to, so that saves me a little. The hubster and I went to the grocery store and did a major re-stocking of the kitchen and shortly we'll be off on a little "date" of dinner and a movie. Ok, we're off! Hope you're weekend has been fun and creative!
Day 16 – New Moon Bird part II
November 16th, 2007, Comments (15)
I started this one earlier in the month and finished it up today. I did some work on it with charcoal, sealed it up, and then tried something new with this resin stuff I bought awhile back. I did my best to keep the room ventilated, covered my mouth and nose and wore gloves. I mixed the resin with a hardener (they came together in separate bottles), did a pour over the piece and then let it sit for a half hour. Then I blew on it to pop any remaining bubbles that had surfaced, put a box over it (to prevent dust...and more importantly, cat hair from getting on it while it was sticky) and put it on a shelf to dry. It's past the point of worrying about dust now (according to the directions, this part takes 7 hours), but to fully cure it's supposed to sit for 72 hours! Sheesh! I don't think I'm patient enough to do this sort of thing regularly, but it does look very cool. I've admired this process in a few different galleries and it can look really amazing with collage underneath it. The resin becomes like this thick sheet of glass over the piece, making what's underneath even more vibrant. On the box of materials, it says it's like 50 coats of varnish. One big problem with it, is that it's really hard to show what it looks like in a photograph. You can see a bit of the shine in the reflection in the lower left corner above, but that doesn't quite cut it.
Maybe you can see it a little better in this side view? Anyway, I think it's super cool in person and now that I've tried it out, I may give it another go at another time. But I've got other projects to tackle first.
I've been busy, busy adding art and prints to my store. I wish it wasn't such a process, but it's getting done, bit by bit. I'm getting back into a flow with my business. I haven't quite found the balance yet. Business is getting done, yes, but I still need to fit in more exercise and do things around the house and finish cleaning my studio (which is coming along nicely...and slowwwwly). Sometimes I feel like that turtle in the comcast commercials. Well, better to get it done slowly than not at all, right? Right. Right-o. Right-a-roonie! Have a wonderful weekend!
Day 15 – Another Cloudy Day
November 15th, 2007, Comments (12)
We're half-way through, AEDM folks! Woohoo!
Here's my art for the day. I was inspired by the colors of an abstract painting (if I can find the link to it, I'll put a link here later) to use the colors that are in her cape/cloak thing, but I think this was mainly inspired by another cloudy day here. It's about 9"x12" with acrylic on watercolor paper.
Day 14 – Self-Portrait
November 15th, 2007, Comments (10)
So, I couldn't post this earlier because we had company, but here's my art for the day. I usually do a self-portrait at some point during AEDM, so tonight was the night. It wasn't pre-planned. I made the collage and then decided to try a transfer method using a transparency. It didn't really work, but there was a little bit of a transfer, so I went back into it with water-soluble wax pastels and here's the result. Oy, I'm pooped, so that's all for tonight. Toodaloo!
Wellness Wednesday
November 14th, 2007, Comments (6)
As I was pondering what to write about for Wellness Wednesday earlier this week, I remembered a list I created recently of things that make me truly happy. Then yesterday, Jessie wrote a great post about figuring out what she wanted for her life by examining what brings her satisfaction and I decided I wanted to focus in on this. As silly as it sounds, I think sometimes we forget what makes us happy. It's different for everyone and at times it gets easy to get into a routine that is more about the status quo and less about who we are and what we love. I guess, I just figured that I would automatically include those things I love in my everyday life, but it's not always that simple. Sometimes, you need to consciously think about what brings you joy and then make the effort to include those things in your day to day life. Sure, not everything you love may fit into one day, but making room for joys small and large is a surefire way to bring more happiness into your life.
Just thinking about it isn't always enough. As with many things, I recommend writing it down. But you could also make a collage about it with images that represent what makes you happy or write a poem or a song about it. Just get it out of your head. Something about putting it out there is magical. I like lists, so I tend to write these things down. So I'll write: What brings me joy? And then start to list things such as: cats and kittens, snuggling, hearing my cats purr, laughing with the hubster, laughing in general, beautiful sunsets, crossing things off my to-do list, making art, inspiring others, making babies smile, hot chocolate on a cold night, soft fleece against my skin, the smell of aveda shampure, little boxes, birds, traveling to new places, libraries, reading, and so on and so forth.
Making a list like this is enough to make you smile, but then go back to it and look closer. How many of these things are in your day to day life now? And how can you infuse more of these joyful things into your life? Sure I may not be able to travel to new places everyday, but I can include more art-making or make a point to see the sunset this week or play with my collection of small boxes or make a point of going to the library for a half hour and I could even make a plan to visit a new city and put up some pictures of the places I'd like to visit to inspire me.
I surprise myself sometimes with how sometimes what brings me the most joy isn't the most easy thing in the world. It takes effort to take out those art supplies and then clean up the mess afterwards, I have to push myself to get out for some exercise, and this cleaning and purging thing going on in my office is a LOT of work! But the joy at the end, the satisfaction, the way I feel during and after I get past that point of stuck-ness is so very worth it. I guess that's why it's important to remind ourselves now and again why we need to push ourselves a little bit...because the joy on the other side is wondrous and we deserve that. And as a bonus, that joy tends to radiate to those who come into contact with us too, causing a ripple effect of joy that knows no bounds.
Back with art later tonight. I'm so excited for Project Runway tonight! Wee! And a big thanks to all you AEDM-ers out there for all the wonderful support and inspiration. I can't get around to everyone every day, but I do check in on all of you and I'm so inspired by your creations, your energy, and your experiences. And that fills me up.
Day 13 – She Sewed All Their Clothes
November 13th, 2007, Comments (11)
I had fun with this one! It was a total experiment. I have a couple vintage magazines that I used images from and then using gel medium I did a transfer onto patterned paper. Then I glued the patterned paper onto a sturdier paper for backing and did some more collage, added a few touches with colored pencil and I even threw in some stitching with blue thread, stitching across part of the page and then letting the thread come down in another part. It wasn't intentional or conscious really, what I was doing and choosing, but in the end, this piece reminds me of my grandmother who has Alzheimer's (who I seem to be making a lot of art about lately.) For awhile she would always repeat to us that she had sewn all her children's clothes. It was one of the few memories that stuck and it seemed like she was clinging to it for dear life. I haven't heard her say that for awhile, although sometimes things will come out that surprise us. The sweaters are significant because my grandma used to knit all her grandkids sweaters and we each got a specially hand-knit Christmas stocking. I chose the letter "w" randomly, it just seemed to fit somehow and of course after the fact, it's clear that the "w" stands for my grandmother's last name which starts with a w. Go figure. The subconscious mind works in mysterious ways which is why I so love to do collage work. The seemingly random usually has a story to tell.
It's about 7.5"x11.5" with collage, colored pencil, transfers, and thread on paper. I want to do some more experimenting with transfers, but I need to do some laser copying. A trip to the copy store is in order. I was super productive today, I was way overdue for a day of tackling business stuff and it felt good to sit down with a list of goals and check them off. I feel a productive week coming on. Hallelujah!
I've got a new post up on the Blue Tree blog about a cool connection I had with an art buyer and lots of new prints available for sale.
