Entries Tagged as 'art every day month'
Wonder-full Things to Wonder About
June 2nd, 2009, Comments (7)
Hello, you creative geniuses, you! Bunch of stuff to share with you today. Totally random assortment.
First off, some images I've done for an intuitive painting class. I've been focusing on the shape of a eucalyptus branch, which I turned into stencil and stamp using an old yoga mat. I've been doing things a bit more abstract for this class, but I also noticed that the eucalyptus branch looks a lot like a spine, so the last piece plays with that. For that piece, I cut a euculyptus shape out of rice paper, wrote in ink on it and then pasted it in and painted around it in acrylic.
I was thinking about how to incorporate sound into the post today and had an idea. I keep a little bowl in my studio. It is the one surviving piece of pottery I created in a wheel throwing class in college (I was horrible at it, but it was a lot of fun!) Anyways, in this bowl, I keep some shiny, blue glass marbles and on top of the marbles, I have scraps of paper with different words on them.
I like to reach into the bowl on days when I'm needing a little focus, close my eyes, and pull out a word. For the scraps of paper, I used collage scraps and bits of prints that didn't come out properly. You could make your own set quite easily. What words would you choose? Some of the words in my bowl are: trust, create, open, connect, stillness, possibility, and leap!
I thought it'd be fun to pick a word for you today and record it. Feel free to muse on the word, use it to inspire art, or just tuck it in your back pocket. The recording is 1 minute long.
Mmm, I love the word I picked for us today. And I wish you all a wonder-full day.
But before I go, I've also got some links to share with you:
- My pal, Jamie Ridler is starting her next book group this Friday, June 5th and the book is Keri Smith's Wreck this Journal. This is not your typical book and I think it's going to be a total blast. You can still sign up right here.
- The latest Pikaland Good to Know zine is out and I've got some words in it. The theme is about personal style in your art. Very interesting stuff!
- The lovely and talented, Rowena Murillo has challenged herself to do 100 pieces of art in 100 days! You can find out more about her challenge and join her here.
If you're interested in a challenge like that, but the timing isn't right, you can tag November in your calendar to join me in this year's Art Every Day Month challenge!
Dream Boxes and Finding the Light in Your Darkness
March 18th, 2009, Comments (13)
When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.
~Charles Austin Beard
A few years ago, during Art Every Day Month, I used dreams as the inspiration for a series of 3 boxes. I wanted to share them again since they fit so nicely with the dream theme this month for CED!
I made them to be a set of 3 nesting boxes. The sides and tops of the first two boxes are covered with images of vivid dreams I remembered, some recent, some from childhood. The smallest box is painted in black paint, covered with words of warning and closed with a latch. But inside it's all glittery and gold.
A lot of the dream images I collected were nightmares. They span from a recent dream of trying to hold all four kitties as I escape a burning house...
...to the first dream I can remember having, at about age 3. In that dream, I went to a friend's house and saw a large clay alligator on the couch. I sat on it and it came to life, chasing me out the door. As I ran down the street, more and more animals came out the woods chasing me. And then I crossed the finish line to a race and realized they hadn't been chasing me at all, they were just racing, but I won! I woke up scared anyways.
Other dreams on that box include being on a ship with insanely large spiders that could grab you through the wall and swim after you in the ocean. And another dream was about getting a cookie and thinking it was chocolate chip but on closer inspection it was oatmeal raisin...ok, that wasn't a scary dream, but it was funny cause the morning after I had that dream a friend offered me a granola bar that I thought was chocolate chip and turned out to be full of raisins. The dream helped me take a closer look and saved me a from a big bit of raisins! (I hate raisins if you hadn't gathered that.)
In the second box, the dreams get a little darker. There's a nightmare about my former boss asking me to cut open her dog to make dinner and then sew him up again, another dream about a wolf, and a particularly spooky dream of pulling a large slug from my body.
Then box 3 is very dark, enscribed with words of caution to stay away, and other words of hurt, sadness, loss, and so forth. But inside, if you peel back all the layers, if you take the time, pass through the distractions and don't listen to the negativity, inside all of that is something golden, something hopeful.
I think the general essence of the golden interior is true for so many things in our lives. Inside our darkness, is often our brightest light. If we can open up to the possiblity of this and not be so quick to push away, avoid, and stuff our seemingly scary, dark visions out of sight, perhaps we can gently invite them to open and see what glitters beneath the layers?
Have you had the experience of finding your light tucked inside your darkness?
If the Moon Came to Dinner
December 2nd, 2008, Comments (20)
I had the idea for this one when I saw the Inspire Me Thursday theme for this week, "table." I started it yesterday by using fluid acrylics on watercolor paper that was wet. I painted over it with acrylics and a bit of ink. It makes me smile. I'm calling it, "If the Moon Came to Dinner." and it's about 9"x12".
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about AEDM and CED! After I read a bunch of your comments last night, I sat down with my sketchbook and started writing and sketching ideas for the coming year. I'm very excited about using a monthly theme and doing interviews with creative people. If you have any ideas of people you'd like to see interviewed about their relationship with creativity, let me know!
My calendar is nearly ready to go! I got a preview copy today and I'm loving it! I'll post more about them and how to purchase one tomorrow.
I've got a cold, blah! It's time for some soup!
Thoughts about the Creative Every Day Challenge in 2009
December 1st, 2008, Comments (20)
AEDM has come to a close for the year and the year 2008 is quickly coming to an end as well. I'm thinking ahead to 2009 and wondering about how to approach the challenge I created last year, "Creative Every Day 2008" (CED 2008).
I think a lot of folks get a bit confused about the differences between "Art Every Day Month" (which I do every November) and the year-long "Creative Every Day 2008" challenge, so I'm looking for some suggestions about how to make the CED challenge something clearly separate.
I like the idea of using the widget I used for AEDM, for the weekly CED posts and continuing to use the CED flickr group for folks to post images on. What else would you like to see as part of "Creative Every Day 2009"? What would help you bring creativity into your every day lives? Would you enjoy reading interviews with creative people? A monthly challenge or theme? A newsletter? Should I change the name to make the differences between the challenges more clear? I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts!
For me, the CED challenge is much more loose and flexible. I don't post about it every day like I do for AEDM, but I do think it helps keep creativity as a focus as the year continues. Let me know your thoughts by emailing me or in the comments below. And many thanks in advance!
View from the Moon
November 30th, 2008, Comments (16)
"View from the Moon" is about 9"x12" with acrylic and ink on watercolor paper. I had drawn the basic idea for it in my sketchbook over the weekend, but the castle sort of appeared in the paint and I brought it out. I'm having fun with the moon images. I loved that the "Moon Visit" painting came intuitively on the night of the new moon and it looks like the new moon is in the window while the full moon visits the girl in her room. And I like that I did "Moon Walk" piece which makes the moon look like a balloon and I hadn't realized that the Illustration Friday theme this week was balloon. Fun synchronicities always make me smile.
Had such a busy weekend with family that by this afternoon I was spent and took a nap with my kitty Emma snuggled up under the covers.
I'm amazed at how quickly AEDM flew by! I've loved meeting so many new and wonderfully creative people in the process. I hope that if you participated, in whatever way you participated, that you found yourself more aware of creativity in your life. And I hope you'll be able to carry that forward through every month of the year. Thank you for creating with me!
Art Every Day Month, November 30th
November 30th, 2008, Comments (22)
Today is the 30th and last day of Art Every Day Month for this year. Thank you for joining in. It has been such a pleasure creating with you all!
The box below is a widget that I provide each day as an optional place to share a direct link (blog post or flickr image) to that day's creation. If you don't have something to share today, don't worry about it! Share when you can. In the meantime, be sure to check out what other participants are creating! Check out the links from today's post, the previous day's posts and the links in the sidebar for instant inspiration. You can also see lots of great work in the AEDM flickr group. Feel free to share your work there too!
If you use the widget, please link to a specific blog post (or specific image if you're linking to a flickr page or other website) instead of your main blog page or website. If you want to share, but don't have a specific page to link to, feel free to use the comments section of this post to share what you're working on. If you're posting less than once a day, no problem! Simply use the latest one of these posts to share a link to your creation! For some, it's too much to keep up with posting every day, but don't let that get you down. Do it if you can and if you can't, just keep on creating, that's the most important part. If you get off track and miss a few days of creating, don't let that freeze you up either. Just pick up where you left off and keep moving forward. One foot in front of the other. You are making your life a more creative one with each step.
If you're new to Art Every Day Month, check out the before you use the link widget to share your creations.
All who are creative, in whatever way, are doing something very important to the well being of the world.
-Sandra Chantry
Fishing for the Moon
November 29th, 2008, Comments (17)
This is "Fishing for the Moon" and it's about 9"x12" with acrylic on paper. Just the art today as I've got visitors and have to run. Hope you're having a great weekend!
Art Every Day Month, November 29th
November 29th, 2008, Comments (10)
Today is the 29th day of Art Every Day Month. By creating every day, we are creating a beautiful habit for ourselves. You may find yourself feeling like something is missing if you don't create in some way each day. Follow those instincts and keep creating!
The box below is a widget that I provide each day as an optional place to share a direct link (blog post or flickr image) to that day's creation. If you don't have something to share today, don't worry about it! Share when you can. In the meantime, be sure to check out what other participants are creating! Check out the links from today's post, the previous day's posts and the links in the sidebar for instant inspiration. You can also see lots of great work in the AEDM flickr group. Feel free to share your work there too!
If you use the widget, please link to a specific blog post (or specific image if you're linking to a flickr page or other website) instead of your main blog page or website. If you want to share, but don't have a specific page to link to, feel free to use the comments section of this post to share what you're working on. If you're posting less than once a day, no problem! Simply use the latest one of these posts to share a link to your creation! For some, it's too much to keep up with posting every day, but don't let that get you down. Do it if you can and if you can't, just keep on creating, that's the most important part. If you get off track and miss a few days of creating, don't let that freeze you up either. Just pick up where you left off and keep moving forward. One foot in front of the other. You are making your life a more creative one with each step.
If you're new to Art Every Day Month, check out the before you use the link widget to share your creations.
When you have done your best, confronted your fear of committing to color and form, and dared to step over the threshold into the unknown, you will invariably find your own voice.
-Michele Cassou
Moon Walk
November 28th, 2008, Comments (15)
I painted this today after a nice, long nap. We spent the night at my mom's and I didn't sleep well, so when we got home I was so pooped that changed into jammies and went straight to bed. Heh. When I woke up, I went straight to my studio and painted this. I started by putting down some directly on the paper and then responding to it, bit by bit. And this is what came out, a girl taking the moon for a walk. I'm calling it "Moon Walk." And it's about 9"x12". Last night before I went to bed, I drew loads of ideas I had for art involving the moon. This one above wasn't one of the ideas, but I see a theme coming on! As a Cancer, I am a moon girl after all.
I hope those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a lovely holiday and aren't feeling too stuffed!
Art Every Day Month, November 28th
November 28th, 2008, Comments (14)
Today is the 28th day of Art Every Day Month. November is coming to a close, tucking itself in for another year. The month has flown by for me. AEDM always makes it such a full and wonderful month!
The box below is a widget that I provide each day as an optional place to share a direct link (blog post or flickr image) to that day's creation. If you don't have something to share today, don't worry about it! Share when you can. In the meantime, be sure to check out what other participants are creating! Check out the links from today's post, the previous day's posts and the links in the sidebar for instant inspiration. You can also see lots of great work in the AEDM flickr group. Feel free to share your work there too!
If you use the widget, please link to a specific blog post (or specific image if you're linking to a flickr page or other website) instead of your main blog page or website. If you want to share, but don't have a specific page to link to, feel free to use the comments section of this post to share what you're working on. If you're posting less than once a day, no problem! Simply use the latest one of these posts to share a link to your creation! For some, it's too much to keep up with posting every day, but don't let that get you down. Do it if you can and if you can't, just keep on creating, that's the most important part. If you get off track and miss a few days of creating, don't let that freeze you up either. Just pick up where you left off and keep moving forward. One foot in front of the other. You are making your life a more creative one with each step.
If you're new to Art Every Day Month, check out the before you use the link widget to share your creations.
I have no idea of what it's going to look like when I start a piece. Making art is like having a relationship. You want to bring in some ideas, but if you don't allow it to develop naturally and speak to you as it develops, you end up imposing and projecting upon it.
-Nick Bantock
