Lari Washburn

Upon A Fold

2012-01-28T09:12:00.001-05:00

Peter Gentenaar

Mia Pearlman

Daniele Papuli

Helene Tschacher

Valerie Beuss

If you love paper and the art people make with it, go here, to Upon A Fold, and just revel in the endless power of the creative mind.

Hernan Paganini

2012-01-27T09:27:00.000-05:00

Here is the work of Argentinian artist and graphic designer Hernan Paganini. You can see more at his website here. He has done many projects that look very interesting, like the Skin Project, which involved kindergartners developing a shared visual narrative, as well as his commercial and personal work. His Flickr stream is here. There is just something about the way he uses color.

Kristine Fornes

2012-01-23T15:03:00.001-05:00

I came across this artist, Kristine Fornes, on my jaunt into Tumblr and Pinterest this weekend. I can't remember where. The work is hard to see here, so you must go to her website here, to really see the detail of the embroidery. I can't even figure out where she is from, but it is a Scandinavian country! Sweden? If anyone can enlighten me on this artist I would appreciate it. I think the way she is combining embroidery with what appears to be transfers of photos is just brilliant. On her site there is a catalog you can download that looks fascinating.

And Still I Rise

2012-01-19T20:57:00.000-05:00

Nicolas Nade

2012-01-19T10:52:00.000-05:00

Nicolas Nade is a French artist, found over here at Modele Puissance. The top works are carbon paper drawings and the others look like a water -based medium. The way they are made across the spread of a sketchbook is nice. And the color use is interesting and unusual. I like the saturation level and the way they are clear but not bright.

ribboned asparagus salad

2012-01-16T20:23:00.000-05:00

I just had to post a second video on Kinfolk Magazine when I saw this salad recipe. It's not the season for asparagus...but I can start plotting now. See my previous post for more.

Kinfolk Volume Two Preview

2012-01-16T19:54:00.001-05:00

I had a friend to tea yesterday and she told me about Kinfolk Magazine. She said it's her new obsession. And I always listen very closely to her because she knows all the best stuff, has great style, and is always out ahead of the pack. So, I went looking, and found some beautiful videos here. Check out the one on bees and honey! But not until you have toast and honey close by. You can subscribe here. Also, look at the website of the graphic designer for the magazine, Amanda Jane Jones, over here. I love the gentle, simple beauty of what I see here. I think it might be my second magazine subscription purchase this week. Budget is such an ugly word.

Street Art

2012-01-13T09:50:00.006-05:00

via boingboing attribution to Sandrine Estade Boulet for photo

Yarn Bombing/Guerrilla Crochet

Mori Para Poder Vivir, Simeon Cummings, Isabel Paula Sanchez Garcia, Albert Mosoll Vives

see Street Art Utopia for more information

Lest we forget what art is all about, Street Art Utopia, here, posted a gallery of the "106 most beloved street art photos - Year 2011".

Kirsten Hassenfeld

2012-01-12T06:34:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I forage on Pinterest. Kirsten Hassenfeld is who I discovered this morning. I think these installations are paper. Her website is here. These photos are from the artist's website, or from The Bellwether Gallery, here.

Sarah Sze, Still Life With Landscape. The High Line, New York

2012-01-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

I remember the first time I saw a Sarah Sze installation at the MFA in Boston. I really responded to the detail and the intricacy of the work. I realize now that it is because of how she views her work as a kind of drawing. She has a show at the Asia Society in NYC right now, that is up until the 25th of March. Go to their site to see an interview about the work, here. And isn't the High Line Park an amazing scene for her work? What they have done with that project is the essence of re-use, imagination, ingenuity. Take a look at all they do here.

Nora Rochel

2012-01-10T17:27:00.001-05:00

Just in case you don't know this artist!! I didn't until I received The New Artisans, by Olivier Dupon for Christmas. Nora Rochel is a German artist, working mostly in jewelry design, but she is also a ceramicist, illustrator and painter. Her website is here. Who would like to sign up to see if we can get a group discount on some of this fabulous stuff? Ha ha. All the above images came from Nora's website with the exception of the last, which came from Rockin' That Bling, here.

Chris Ofili theEYE The Upper Room 2002

2012-01-07T09:19:00.001-05:00

Chris Ofili

British artist Chris Ofili speaks so beautifully and humbly doesn't he? I love his access to the intuitive. I strive for something pure and direct in my art. Direct from what? From some place that is not verbal, not cerebral. The art I feel enhanced by always comes from this place. I can feel it in the art I make, and in the art I see other artists make. Some kind of sense takes over and directs, and communicates the wholeness of being in this world...the way we are all connected by our experience of living. The older I get the more my most ardent resolution is to live life fully in whatever I undertake to do. Images via google and Artnet.

In the Studio

2012-01-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

I've been in the studio! I'm working on some drawings and poured acrylic pieces. This year I am making at least one work a day as I did in 2010. I find that it keeps me engaged in my process more than any other routine. I always work much more than I think I will once I get started. I wonder why I find it so difficult to get started sometimes?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T17:35:00.001-05:00

Inside The New Artisans

Inside Hand Made Home

Happy New Year! I promised I would give you a peek at my Christmas book stack, and here it is. I've been loving these books, and reading them in between traveling to be with beloved family and spending time at home with dear friends. Today we swept away the Christmas tree and put things back in order. I love the holidays and I love to start fresh in January with my resolutions and my plans. Everything seems possible at the beginning of something.

Eating and Relaxing

2011-12-26T10:31:00.001-05:00

I made these really delicious cranberry upside-down cakes from a recipe over here at Roost blog. I like this woman's approach to healthy, good food. The little cakes are made with almond flour, and they have the perfect balance of spicy, citrusy goodness that I like this time of year. And in my family it is a tradition to bake Sally Lunn bread for Christmas morning. You can find a great recipe in the old Fanny Farmer cookbook. This morning we have been playing with our Christmas presents, which mostly means reading, and enjoying the bright sunshine. I'll post about books soon!

Merry Happy!

2011-12-24T10:43:00.001-05:00

Whatever you are celebrating at this time of year I wish you all a wonderful season of warmth and cheer dear friends! Thank you for everything you add to my life by being a part of this community we share.

My Year

2011-12-23T10:26:00.000-05:00

I do love to take pictures!

108 Bowls: A Water Mala

2011-12-22T10:02:00.002-05:00

I know I could use a little sweet peace right about now. This video is beautiful and calming, and shows a special project done by White Forest Pottery. It is good on so many levels. Raising awareness about the preciousness of water; showing what happens when we love and respect ourselves and what we do in the world; the joy and beauty of craftsmanship. And one of these little forest bells would make a nice gift, too! Maybe for celebrating the new year.

I found White Forest Pottery through 3191 Miles Apart, a great blog everyone already knows about, but gives me an opportunity for one more toot on the Maine Pride horn, as MAV is a fellow Mainer!

Just in case the bells don't tempt you...there is all this and more!

New Work

2011-12-21T11:04:00.003-05:00

I've been working on these panels and the large canvas on the bottom recently. I'm still having trouble photographing them well. It's always been hard to photograph my work anyway because it has so much white in it, and many layers of surface detail. When I put washes into the work it becomes even more difficult to photograph without glare, or the feeling of overexposure. I don't think I know how to focus my *!@!#!***!* camera yet either! Learning is something that requires faith and persistence, right? Do you ever feel kind of pissed at all the things we artists have to learn how to do to get our work seen, when all we really want to do is just make the art? At least that's all I really want to do. Then I remember how grateful I am to spend part of every day creating!

More Maine Pride

2011-12-20T08:55:00.001-05:00

These photos are via Design Sponge, and are from a sneak peek of the summer home of Annie Coggan and Caleb Crawfords. It's in Belfast, Maine. Both inhabitants are designers, as is pretty obvious. I think many people come to maine because of the freedom to pursue anything they feel drawn to explore. There is a small population here, and it feels like most of those are artists and farmers! I can't adequately describe the fresh light and sense of possibility that symbolizes Maine for me. I only know that I love it more with each year that passes. It's been 9 years since we moved here from a loft in downtown Chicago. Those first few years I wanted to turn tail and run "home" because the change was so abrupt. But that was not an option, and it made me realize that home is where you live, and that's what I was doing, one day at a time.

Maine Pride

2011-12-19T11:37:00.000-05:00

Sarah Szwajkos is a photographer who lives in midcoast Maine. She creates commissioned portraits of interior spaces for her Personal Spaces Project. Her website is Damn Rabbitt Studios. These are all photos she has taken which are on her website. I like the way she composes in such a natural way. And what a cool idea to take a portrait of a home. I want to know the people who live in these spaces.

Odette New York

2011-12-18T11:17:00.002-05:00

I think I could wear Odette Jewelry every day. I have my eye on that gold bangle...and the pendant...and the rings too...and then I took a look at her Etsy shop and...well you know what I mean. I found her through The Makers Project. Take a look at the Odette New York site here. And go over to her blog from there. The Etsy shop is here. All images here are by Jennifer Causey from The Makers Project blog.

100 Artists

2011-12-17T08:52:00.000-05:00

Here's a thing. My New York Times-loving husband found this in tomorrow's Sunday Magazine online (you can read the article here). Artist Shea Hembrey made up his own Biennial, including 100 artists. Each artist has a body of work, a history, and an artist's statement. Hembrey created this whole work of art in two years! His patron is author Elizabeth Gilbert. You just have to invest the time to read the article and go over here and look at his TED talk (it gets better after the squirrel brains and the BB gun). I can't decide whether or not it's pure comedy or genius...probably both. One thing is for sure, it's about someone with a lot of energy and imagination.

The Makers Project

2011-12-16T10:04:00.000-05:00

Morris Kitchen

Mast Brothers Chocolate

Robicelli's

It was time to revisit The Makers Project, Jennifer Causey's beautiful photo project to document people who make things in Brooklyn, NY. I think her photographs are the best. I love her casual, natural approach and her composing eye. I've chosen food related photos here because, well, 'tis the season. But check out all the makers!

Jennifer Causey

Cardboard!

2011-12-15T16:11:00.002-05:00

Nina Lindgren

Andre da Loba

I love cardboard! Here are a couple of artists I found who are using it beautifully. Nina Lindgren made the vertical village (top image). You can see more of her work here. All the rest of the images are the work of Andre da Loba, found through Beautiful Decay. His website is here. The whimsy, the humor, the color, the inventiveness! I'll never give up another cardboard box again.

TateShots NYC: Terry Winters

2011-12-12T13:25:00.000-05:00

Lately

2011-12-09T10:43:00.000-05:00

Here is what I have going in the studio lately. I've never been into blue, but it's cropping up. I think it's all the Swedish movies I've been watching! I've been playing around with painted cardboard collages. I really like the color play, and to re-use all those cardboard boxes that things have been arriving in through the mail feels virtuous.

Dan Dowd

2011-12-08T16:48:00.001-05:00

Dan Dowd is a fellow Maine artist living in a house he has painstakingly brought to life over the last 10 years. I went to visit him last week. The drive down to Phippsburg, where he lives, is just the beginning of the pleasure of the experience. The road winds down a neck of land, with peeks of the water through the trees. When you get to Dan's house, the modernity of it is so striking, and a perfect juxtaposition to all the old houses and the little stone schoolhouse you pass on the way there. Then you go into the house (a work of art in itself) and look at all the wonderful art Dan has collected, and of course, his own work. Go to Dan's website here, to see his beautifully made work. The top photo here are all his works. He even made a Koi pond. One thing I greatly admire about Dan is how he champions re-use. I'm not kidding. You should see the pile of gorgeous wool blankets he recovered from his local dump! He's a master of that. Most of his work is from things he has captured there. We plan to make a dump foray together soon. I also admire the way Dan pursues his career. He shows often, and knows everybody in the Maine art world.

Listmaking: for giving or getting!

2011-11-30T15:04:00.001-05:00

Quip Cakes notepaper from Bell'Occhio

Pouf via VivaTerra

vintage stool via FurnishGreen

Drawing by Caroline Gaedechens

Sculpture by Barbara Gilhooly

Bag via SriThreads

Box Cushion via Jayson Home

pillow via Jayson Home

Felted "rock" stools via VivaTerra

Vintage Suzani via Jayson Home

Yes, it's a long list. And in these times I'd feel guilty getting any of it, but it's fun to look, and it's not greedy if I surprise someone else with one of these beautiful gifts is it?

Barbara Gilhooly

2011-11-27T10:08:00.001-05:00

Barbara Gilhooly

This is the work of Barbara Gilhooly, an American artist, who works on paper, wood panels, and makes wire sculptures. Her website is here. She also has a Flickr stream here. If you already know her work then just go and revisit her site for the pure joy of rolling around in all that color and pattern. I like her artist's statement because she describes in detail how she makes her work. I am getting more and more interested in the purity of creating a beautiful surface in my own work, so I relate to this approach. I was reading Katherine Kuh's The Artist's Voice yesterday, and was interested to read Georgia O'Keeffe's comment that she was influenced by Arthur Dow because his one dominating idea was "to fill a space in a beautiful way". I think making art can be that simple. And isn't that a relief.

Artist recreates a masterpiece using a single pen

2011-11-22T09:09:00.000-05:00

Mingei

2011-11-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

We went to San Diego for a wedding last week (it's a long way from Maine to San Diego!), and got a chance to go to the Mingei International Museum. These quilts are from the Bold Expressions exhibit. They are African American quilts from the collection of Corrine Riley. I only had my iphone so the photos are not good, but I thought it was worth it to show them anyway. I was enthralled by all the tiny pieces in some quilts, and the pintucking in another one. The designs are so imaginative and fresh they just got my heart pounding. What women will do to make something beautiful out of a pile of scraps, eh? And the last two images are from another exhibit, San Diego's Craft Revolution. I loved these hand made cards. It was a very nostalgic show for me because I saw many of the mediums my mother worked in when I was a child. Copper enamel, ceramics, mosaics, hand printed textiles. It reminded me of what a creative dynamo she was, and how much I owe her.

Aboriginal Art

2011-11-04T12:01:00.001-04:00

Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Yam Dreaming, 1995, via Cooeeart.com

photo by Bindi Cole

photo by Bindi Cole ( all via Aboriginal Art Coop Gallery)

Last year when I saw the drawing show at MOMA I was very interested in a large work by Emily Kam Kngwarry (Australia, 1910-1996). I started looking at the way she used dots, lines and color. It got me looking at the beauty of pure surface design, and it influenced me in my paintings and textile designs. I was looking around this morning for more images of her work, and came across this Kngwarry painting, this photographer, and many other aboriginal artists. Some links to visit are:

Coo-ee Art, Aboriginal Art Coop Gallery, Aboriginal Art News, and the National Gallery of Australia.

a new painting

2011-11-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

Here I am again! I have been so absent from this blog; I do apologize. Photographs have been the problem. I'm learning about how to use manual settings for my camera as well as a whole new software package for working with them. So far I've messed up all the interfaces between my camera and computer so royally that it's a wonder I was even able to get this (overexposed!) photo up here. I will get better, but in the meantime the ride is bumpy. I've had little studio time (sigh), but have been working on this canvas collage. It's in the early stages, and it keeps on morphing in my head. I think my next step will be to do some small abstract embroideries on separate fragments of canvas and then glue them into the canvas. I want to add some horizontal elements as well. I feel so full of ideas, and I want so much to make all the creative leaps I know are in the works, but I have to be patient, which I'm not so good at. I just keep telling myself that frustration and uncertainty are just as much a part of creative progress as flow and confidence. I'd be interested in how other people handle this place.

Talk about incredible photographs!

2011-10-28T16:44:00.001-04:00

photo by Mike Mitchell

Photo by Mike Mitchell

photo by Mike Mitchell

Mike Mitchell was 18 years old when he took these photos of the Beatles on February 11, 1964. They just sold at Christie's New York for various large sums of money. It was the first concert the Fab Four did in the US. The auctioneer called this last beautiful backlit shot "the money shot". It sold for $68,000., so I guess he was right. I found this image on line here. You can also go over to Christie's, here, to see how much each photo sold for. I love the Beatles! And I love black and white photographs.

After Class

2011-10-25T08:08:00.004-04:00

Here are some post-workshop photos. I'm still trying to figure out all the technical aspects of converting raw files to jpegs, etc. Currently I have the disk for the card reader software stuck in my computer! So that should give you some idea of where I am. I learned so much at the workshop. I feel that I understand my camera now, and that I can practice with f stops and shutter speeds, etc. I know the basics of how to use Lightroom software, and how to print photos. Lots of intense learning, and in some ways I've taken a step backwards in quality of my photos since I'm not using the auto mode anymore, but I feel excited about the possibilities of what can happen as I continue to practice with manual settings.

Learning

2011-10-17T07:28:00.001-04:00

I love imagery. I always have. Years ago I did some sort of a career assessment survey and was told that my profile most closely matched that of a male photographer. Hmmmm. I have longed to become more skilled at seeing and capturing light. That's what somebody famous said....that we are not taking pictures of things, we are taking pictures of light. This week I am taking a digital photography workshop at Maine Media. You can follow my progress as I post photos each day. At the very least I hope to be able to learn a few things about my new (birthday present in July) camera. I've been trying to just read all the way through the manual! I think I'll be in good hands here.

Flickr Find

2011-10-15T10:44:00.002-04:00

All of these photos are from a Flickr friend At-Swim-Two-Birds. I love the way this artist sees her world. She is endlessly creative, and uses everything around her to make art. Take a look at her sets. Her blog, which you can find here, is also fun.

Rita in Palma

2011-10-13T11:06:00.003-04:00

Rita in Palma

This Berlin-based design company makes "crocheted lady's accessories". Shawls, collars, ankle socks. Ankle socks! I have not seen those as a fashion item for a long time. They wouldn't fit my life style. Not by a long shot. But I do wish I could crochet. I would like to buy an entire wardrobe from another Berlin-based fashion house, Mayer Peace Collection, here. I found both of them via the HandEye Magazine blog, here.

Rita in Palma

Broken Houses by Ofra Lapid

2011-10-10T08:41:00.001-04:00

work of Ofra Lapid via Tumblr

work by Ofra Lapid via Tumblr

I have always loved old, decaying structures for their weathered beauty. I especially like structures that were built originally with great integrity and solid, honest materials. In Maine we see many beautiful old barns and houses that have fallen into such disrepair that they are abandoned to slowly fade and fall apart. This artist, Ofra Lapid, made this body of work by using an amateur photographer's studies to create small scale models, which were then photographed and put into gray backgrounds. I think the stark beauty comes from removing them from their context so they can be seen without interference. Simple and brilliant.

...and another thing

2011-10-07T09:01:00.002-04:00

Martin Puryear sculpture via Donald Young Gallery

This Martin Puryear sculpture was made from Alexander Calder's wheelbarrow. I would like to know how he came by that. Calder's former studio in the Loire Valley (Atelier Calder) is the place to check if you dream of a 3-month-long residency making art in France. And who would not?

Calder's Studio

2011-10-06T15:55:00.005-04:00

Calder in his Roxbury studio via the Calder Foundation

Calder's studio

Alexander Calder working in his studio

During my break for stillness I did not use my computer or watch movies or TV. That gave me lots of time to read! I started looking at books about Alexander Calder, and became enthralled with his work and life all over again. His studios are like intricate sculptures themselves. He certainly surrounded himself with a vast amount of material for his art. I relate to all the different "stations" you can see in his studios. I use this approach as well, in my studio (albeit on a very different scale!). I like to work in one area for awhile and then switch to another table for something different. I suppose there is a kind of rest in moving from one thing to another. I also started looking at the rugs his wife Louisa hooked from Calder's designs. Now I want to hook rugs! Their life was so imaginative and full of their creations. Everything they touched they transformed into art. I bet they never spent a minute watching TV or on a computer. Makes you stop and think doesn't it? And if you want to see all kinds of wonderful old photos of Calder's studios and work, the Calder Foundation (link above) is comprehensive.

Calder at Home by Pedro Guerrero

A Break for Stillness

2011-09-27T10:13:00.001-04:00

Today I will begin a nine day break for stillness and contemplation. The change of seasons is the time for this in my spiritual practice. Slowing down and minimizing contact with the world is one way of being more present to what is larger than myself. See you soon.

Christopher Bettig

2011-09-26T11:02:00.003-04:00

Christopher Bettig via TheMountainLabel

Christopher Bettig via allthemountains.blogspot.com

Christopher Bettig show at Hello Gallery at Candystore Collective

Christopher Bettig design for Vannen Watches

Christopher Bettig for Carhartt Japan and Carhartt Europe

I was looking at Pinterest this morning, and one thing led to another. I saw a photo of an installation Christopher Bettig did at J.Crew on a Pinterest board created by artist/illustrator Lisa Congdon. I went to his website, The Mountain Label, here, and looked at more of his art and designs. Who knew there was a Carhartt Japan?! I wish I could get one of those T-shirts down at my local Reny's.

Nick Cave's Sound Bodies

2011-09-24T08:57:00.000-04:00

Nick Cave via The Daily Beast

Let's think about re-use! Here are what artist Nick Cave calls Sound Bodies. Garnered from the Daily Beast art section.

Erin Endicott

2011-09-21T09:18:00.000-04:00

work by Erin Endicott

Here is another discovery I made through Chelliswilson. In case you don't already know her work, Erin Endicott is a fiber artist from Philadelphia. These works are part of a solo show she had at the White Rabbit in NYC called "The Healing Sutras". You can read her interesting statement about the work here.

Maine Pride

2011-09-19T20:26:00.001-04:00

by Maine artist and designer Lisa Dorr

Lisa Dorr, Le Bouton Studio

Lisa Dorr, art and designs

Maine has many talented and accomplished artists and designers. Lisa Dorr is one of them, living and working in Vinalhaven. She makes beautiful clothing and the bed coverings pictured above. You can see her designs here at Le Bouton catalog. I first learned about her at Chelliswilson, a boutique in Portland, Maine, where I saw one of her paintings. Barbara, owner and designer, has created something special where she hosts beautifully curated art and fashion showings, as well as offering clothing of her own design and others, including Fog Linen. And right next door is Corey & Co. another little jewel, where Maine designer Barbara Corey makes wonderful clothes and combines them with unique jewelry, shoes, scarves and bags. Maine pride.

Flickr Finds

2011-09-16T10:01:00.003-04:00

notamax via Flickr

Here is work by Massimo Nota, a Roman artist. See his Flickr stream here. And his website is here.

Flickr Finds

2011-09-15T11:03:00.001-04:00

Stefano Nanni via Flickr

I'm planning to post some of my Flickr favorites for the next week. Look at these beautiful works by Stefano Nanni, an artist in Bologna. His Flickr stream is here.

Swans Island

2011-09-13T21:48:00.000-04:00

I went with friends to Swans Island in Northport, Maine today. They make blankets made from the wool of sheep that live untended on islands in the Penobscot Bay. All the dying and weaving and finishing is done right there in an old farmhouse built in 1780. The blankets are so pure and well-crafted. I would love to own one of the brown ones made from the natural wool of rare brown and black sheep. We got a tour of the new dying shed, and a demonstration of how the looms work. I was wishing all my fiber friends were with us. You can look at the Swans Island website here, and the blog is here.

A clean studio has motivated me!

2011-09-08T15:45:00.000-04:00

Having all that work out of the studio really did motivate me! I've done these during the last three days. I think I'll switch two of the pieces in the show for two of these. I had a delicate rubbing of one of my paintings up, but it just did not have the weight it needed. It's kind of nice to have this in-between week to fool around with the show. Next week back to some posts about other artists.

A Show of my work at the Gallery@Spencer Lofts in Chelsea, MA

2011-09-06T20:49:00.000-04:00

My first solo show opens in Chelsea, MA this Saturday, September 10th. I've been working on this show for 18 months. I am showing 26 works. I started the project with the idea of doing at least one drawing every day for a year and seeing how it influenced my work. I completed that promise to myself, and right now I'm just glad to be at the end of it! I've learned so much, and I'm pleased with the show. But now I'm ready to start thinking about new work. I love having my studio bare. Today I made some new pieces and it felt so good to start fresh. Not that I ever really start fresh, but something about having something finished is very energizing for me.

Vicarious Shopping

2011-08-25T10:38:00.001-04:00

I am still trying to deny that I feel the coming of Fall in the air. But there has to be some compensation, and it's the contemplation of new clothes, for me! Not that I'm going to actually buy many, but the urge to see what is out there is upon me. I remember when I was in high school I had a friend who would be taken to NYC every August, along with her three sisters, to shop for new school clothes. How I envied her. I would pour over the latest fashion magazines and wish I could go with them. So here's what I would pick if I could have whatever I wanted.

via New High Mart

Leather bag by Sophie Truong

Cydwoq Boots

via Closet Visit, here

via Closet Visit

via by boe

American Retro via the list collective

Well, enough drooling for now. I'm hoping we will have at least another few weeks of warm enough weather to wear this:

via Lotta Jansdotter, here

Today

2011-08-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

I ate summer vegetables with melted cheese, cut flowers from the garden, and started this linen collage on a panel. I want to put much more drawing into it tomorrow and see where it goes. That's about it. Summer simplicity.

Jennifer Starkweather

2011-08-21T11:27:00.003-04:00

Jennifer Starkweather - Mole Hills - Study 1

Jennifer Starkweather - Mole Hills - Study 2

Jennifer Starkweather - Mole Hills - Study 3

I came late to discovering Jennifer Starkweather. A friend of mine sent me a photo of one of her works last Fall, and I was blown away by the drawing and detail. You can look at her website here, where all these images came from. Her artist's statement is one I can understand and relate to. She is essentially interested in mapping things. Everything from real to imagined places, memories and experiences. I relate to how she describes creating "an annotated catalogue of my daydreams, memories, and ruminations". I often feel, when I am working on a very detailed drawing, that I am on some kind of journey within the drawing. I can see myself walking within the drawing from a bird's eye view. I sometimes think of my drawings as maps where I am designing the layout of a town or neighborhood. I know children draw like this, making landscapes for themselves. It seems like a very human thing to do; to try to locate ourselves within an environment or make up our own environment. I think it's part of comforting ourselves in this large, incomprehensible world. I do like creating an environment wherever I go. I hope it's a good one.

Back in the Studio

2011-08-18T16:52:00.000-04:00

I finally returned to the studio today. I started slow by just working in my current sketchbook. I've really missed the daily discipline of drawing since I am finished with the drawing project. I think I will start the practice up again because it kept me so in touch with my hand and how it works on a page. Sounds odd, but that's how I think of it. Many times my hand does things I never thought of. I imagine many artists have this feeling, but I'd love to know if you do. And one more thing. I love this quote I saw on a friend's worktable: Discipline is remembering what you want.

Just Savoring Summer

2011-08-16T19:20:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. I should be posting about more interesting things. But I just feel this urge to savor the beauty of summer. Already I feel a change in the air, and I want to get every drop of pleasure out of now. I love the softness of the Sheepscot river up at head tide on a cloudy day like it was today, so I made a detour just to see how it looked. I bought some produce at the farm stand, and I made granola. It should be good with a ripe peach and some yogurt for tomorrow morning's breakfast. Maybe I'll get serious tomorrow.

Vacation Time=Wandering

2011-08-11T11:53:00.005-04:00

Wandering in any direction I want to...going places in my mind, in actual fact, in books, online. That is one of the freedoms of a vacation I love the most. So here are some places I have visited in the last few days:

Mari Andrews via NapaArtonF1rst

Mari Andrews, her website is here. Her sculptures , installations and works in paper make me want to go right into the studio and experiment.I found her through sfgirlbybay, a blog we all know and love.

Nantucket garden
via 2 or 3 Things I know

I love this blog! She finds the best photographs and has eclectic taste I find exciting. This summer she has done some great posts that just make you feel bathed in it (summer, that is). Just look at this garden! I'd like to be sitting in it with a cappuccino right now.

I've been reading. Books. Five at the moment...here are three of them.

When we were in Quebec City last week we went to the top of the city, the citadel, and looked down on the famous Le Chateau Frontenac.

I've also been in the kitchen a little bit. Making watermelon and feta salad, and baking bread with flour we got at a gristmill that has been in operation since 1752.

P.S. John just made these, so I had to revise the post to include them. Warm and good.

We took friends up to Acadia National Park, and looked at the "porcupines" from on top of Cadillac Mountain.

And we've been sitting in the garden, enjoying it, rather than weeding it!

Next week it will be back to work, but for now, it is so sweet to do as we please.

Vacation

2011-08-09T15:51:00.007-04:00

We went to Canada for a few days, to Quebec City and to Montreal, for a short vacation. I loved the buildings in Quebec City. They are so solid and clean and pure. They have beautiful doors and windows. The people seem to celebrate summer with such intensity in the form of flower boxes! I could see how scouring winter is in this city, and it comes through even in broad summer. We tried to focus on that beauty and ignore all the tourist traps! In Montreal we went to museums and ate ice cream. For some reason we could not find the interesting neighborhoods and outdoor cafes we had imagined.

Here are some lines from Magic Doors, a photo essay by John Pearson that somehow seems appropriate.

Of magic doors there is this:
you do not see them even as
you are passing through.

Our destination is never a place
but rather a new way of looking
at things.

The universe swims in light.

Everything is alive and alight. Man

too is the recipient of inexhaustible

radiant energy.

Our life is our most

luminous art form.

This is the real secret of the arts.

Always be a beginner.

Piet Oudolf and the Dutch Wave

2011-08-01T18:38:00.005-04:00

Our garden right now.

Looking at other gardens while sitting in our garden!

via allenbecker.gardeningguru

Millennium Park, Lurie Garden, Piet Oudolf, via Chicago Tribune

Our garden right now.

It's been all about gardening lately. I've been absent from this spot because I've been weeding and watering (just a little), and planting and staking and fretting and learning. Mostly learning. For the past few years we have been buying plants from Andrew Fiori of Campo di Fiori, (website here) at the farmer's market on Saturday mornings. It was only last week that he mentioned he was a student of Piet Oudolf. We went straight home and started googling. We uncovered a trail that we have been unknowingly following since our days living in downtown Chicago. Oudolf is the father of the "new perennials" movement, or "Dutch wave", as it is also called. Look at what he has done in gardens all over the world here, on his website and here in his own garden. Some of his high profile works are the High Line garden in New York City, built in the bed of the old elevated train (video here), (the High Line website did a great slideshow of his work over here), and Millennium Park's Lurie Garden in Chicago. In the nineties Oudolf started to combine formal garden style with meadow garden style; to include many more informal, grassy perennials which would bloom late and add more structure to the garden, especially in winter. I think he must have been the inspiration for the median strip planter gardens we so admired on all the major downtown Chicago streets. They brought a refreshing element of wildness into the city. Tall grasses and unique plants made me feel I was in the country. I now understand the roots of this design. When we moved to Maine our goal was to recreate this grassy, meadowy feel in our back garden. He's written several books,which you can find online. The Telegraph in the UK did this article on the top ten plants of the "Dutch wave". I also found View From Federal Twist, a great gardening blog whose banner features an Oudolf favorite...a funny Dr. Seuss-ish Rudbeckia. I dare to also include a shot or two from our garden!

Bob Dylan - Forever young (with lyrics on screen)

2011-07-21T07:25:00.000-04:00

Phaidon Press

2011-07-20T21:24:00.000-04:00

If you love art books and blogs that keep you well informed about what is happening in the world of the architecture, art, design, food and photography, head over to the Phaidon Press blog Agenda. From there you can look up all the books they publish and browse to your hearts content. I have fond memories of happy hours with beautiful Phaidon Books, and I'll bet most of you do too.

Sophie Truong has a new Etsy shop!

2011-07-18T13:07:00.002-04:00

Sophie Truong is a wonderful artist who works in several mediums, and she just opened an Etsy shop to sell some of her brand new work...handbags and totes made out of the most beautiful buttery soft leather and some in stitched linen. Just to tease you I don't have any photos of them here, but you can take a look at the shop over here. And go to her blog Stitch and Tickle here. She has a way of finding the most interesting and timely things to blog about. I always count on her to enlighten me. The above are just a tiny peek into her world, with some photos of her work and studio at The Boston Center for the Arts and her home studio (and her little dog Oops).The works made from teabags are from a solo show she had a year or so ago. She works in fiber quite a bit at present, stitching and wrapping on felted wool and other fabrics. The envelopes on top were made from recycled plastic shopping bags, and the little girl figures are made from lobster bait bags! Another form she works with is wire and linen. Those little lanterns are so beautifully made. She makes jewelry too, and that stack of quilts are waiting to be altered. As you can see, she is an artist deeply engaged in creating. I'm planning on keeping a close eye on her Etsy shop because I would love to own just about anything she makes. Congratulations Sophie. You amaze me!

Process

2011-07-13T11:21:00.000-04:00

I've been working on finishing up paintings and drawings for a show in September. This last one has been sitting on my easel waiting for me to decide if it is finished or not. I had the idea of overlaying a net of ochre circles over the top of it, so I made the "sketch" you see above. I decided I will not add the ochre. Not sure, but I like the purity of this painting without any more detail. I've been getting into very painstaking work, too, like the top drawing. Very meditative. There is a dialogue going on in my head the whole time about what to do next, but then the answer comes after awhile, and I think it's working here. That's the pull of making art...I don't know what to do next, but I have to keep asking and experimenting with the answers I get. I don't have the satisfaction that comes with knowing how to do my job, but I do have the thrill of the challenge.

It's Henry David Thoreau's Birthday

2011-07-12T16:21:00.003-04:00

I read his journal almost every day. I find comfort, grounding and refreshment in his writing. I am in awe of this gift he left the world. The way he savored nature is a north star to me. He writes of sitting under a bridge in his rowboat looking at a moth; of ice skating on the river at 10 o'clock on a February night; of eating watermelon while huckleberrying with friends; of finding a stray kitten; of his neighbor who gets pleasure out of each task he does around his farm. I like the way he is never sentimental, but yet writes of deeply moving experiences. He was so true to himself. I get the feeling that others took him to be "difficult". Each entry in his journal, even from the very beginning when he was 20 years old, is so rich with insight and careful observation. If I could be one tenth as engaged in life as he was, I would count my life a success.

Jose Lerma

2011-07-09T21:12:00.002-04:00

Jose Lerma

I just found this artist while cruising around on Flickr. His website is over here. He is Spanish, living in Brooklyn, and Chicago. Somewhere I read he was also a professor, but I can't find out where. He has a show coming up at Andrea Rosen Gallery, here. I like his work where he combines painting and drawing. He seems to explore many forms and to have a varied vocabulary. Maybe I'm the last person on the planet to discover his work!

Homage to Cy Twombly

2011-07-07T09:03:00.000-04:00

Cy Twombly via Time Magazine

One of my touchstones died the day before yesterday at the age of 83. I first saw Cy Twombley's painted wood sculptures at the National Gallery in Washington DC, and was knocked into a whole new understanding of what sculpture, and art, could be. That is the power of art isn't it....creating a paradigm shift. The way he made his scribbly paintings and drawings gave me permission to scribble too. I heard on the radio that he went to Italy to live nearly 50 years ago to get away from the hype of the American art scene. He just wanted the freedom to create what he was led to making by some deep devotion to his own voice. Time Magazine online did this nice photo essay, where these photos came from.

More on Elvira Mateu

2011-07-05T09:50:00.001-04:00

Elvira Mateu

Elvira Mateu via Pinterest

Elvira Mateu

Here is the stunning work of Elvira Mateu. I did a post on her awhile back; she certainly deserves another look. She is from Valencia, Spain, and this is her blog. You can see much more of her work on her Flickr stream, here. She seems very adventurous and playful in her approach to making art. I'm tuned into that lately because I have been not at all playful in the past few weeks.....something about too much work to do and not enough time to relax. I should take to heart this poem called "Play" by Justin Good on my studio wall:

Even on a Monday morning,
when eternity is buried
beneath a week's worth of duties,
children and dogs can be there
in a moment,
at the toss of a ball
or a curious shadow
that looks like a man.
This is not their innocence,
but their ageless wisdom,
the evolving joy of organic choice,
the opening of possibilities,
when time is measured
by the rhythm of the cards,
or the blocks or the notes.
This isn't the opposite of work,
but the unfolding of the world,
through the funniest joke
or the spontaneous game of catch.

Being on the clock,
we seem to accept
that alienation
is the price of maturity,
and we march off to the future,
where we speculate
the Present will be secured.
As if some value deeper
than Reality,
was worth our sentimental sacrifice,
of ordinary everydayness
to the religion of Progress.
What kind of a culture would forget
that creating an opening in Time
should be the goal of all economics?

When you find yourself in Play,
an improbable balance is attained
between freedom and definition,
and between challenge and control,
the self can breathe.
Suddenly you are Here,
grasping the purest wealth,
your unalloyed attention sparkling.
Everything makes sense
and is also up in the air where,
as you can now so clearly see,
it really belongs.

Nellie Mae Rowe

2011-06-23T15:53:00.000-04:00

I came upon the work of Nellie Mae Rowe a few months ago. She was born in 1900 and lived in rural Georgia her whole life, and was a self-taught artist. She was a "twice-widowed Black woman of modest means who worked for three decades as a domestic" and drew from her imagination, dreams, and everyday world to create her art. The Museum of American Folk Art published this beautiful book, by Lee Kogan, in association with the University Press of Mississippi in 1998. Rowe said of her work that she was creating "something that hasn't been born yet". What is it that so inspires me about this work? The imagery is so immediate and fresh. The subjects are so real. The color choices are honest. Maybe it's that I get a sense of her wonder and joy at being alive. Life was not easy for her, and yet she held on to her creative life and made it shine and give her what she wanted. Bless her soul, as my southern Grandma would have said!

My Cooking Diary

2011-06-17T16:45:00.003-04:00

From My Cooking Diary via Cool Hunting

My Cooking Diary ( over here) is an online diary created by Sharon Hwang and Mike Matas to catalog every meal they ate on a nine day trip along the west coast from Vancouver to San Francisco. It's got great drawings and beautiful photographs. Mike Matas worked on the iPhone and then started Push Pop Press and developed the first full length interactive book for iPad using pinch-and-place navigation. The book is "Our Choice", the sequel to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth". He did an amazing TED talk about the book here. Some people are just so full of good ideas and creativity it makes you take heart!

The Weepies - Be My Honeypie [Official Music Video]

2011-06-14T15:42:00.000-04:00

Cool Hunting

2011-06-11T19:23:00.005-04:00

I went searching for an app called "Cool Hunter" and found this video on Ian Hundley talking about his quilts, and this soothing video of Venice Beach posted on The Cool Hunter today. I remember reading a New Yorker article a few years back about this new thing called "coolhunting". Well, judging by all the stuff you get when you google those words that term is pretty well embedded in our culture and language at this point in time. When you check out The Cool Hunter, PLEASE look at the hilarious video on Iceland (posted 2/28/11). Talk about promoting a country!!! And then there is coolhunting.com, here, which brings me full circle to the place where the app came from.

Fresh

2011-06-09T09:07:00.001-04:00

All I want is to be out of doors! Either in the garden or in the meadow. The garden is full of alliums, iris, solomon's seal and peonies about to burst open. The meadow is covered in buttercups and wild iris. Yesterday I watched as a woman came into the meadow and just filled up two gathering baskets with blooms. It was a bold move in a nature preserve but somehow I couldn't blame her too much...they are so gorgeous just now. My dratted camera does not do them justice (maybe the photographer, too). I am in the market for a new one...and I would love advice from any of you who would care to give it. I've done some research and like the Nikons, but have also heard great things about the Leicas and Lumix. Help!

Tamiko Kawata

2011-06-07T17:14:00.001-04:00

Tamiko Kawata via Another Shade of Grey

This work by Tamiko Kawata is made of safety pins. Her website is here. I always love art made of everyday objects. She also has some drawings on corrugated cardboard that I admire. Her show at the Muriel Guepin Gallery in Brooklyn is opening on Thursday. You can see what the show is all about here. Also, if you want to see a few more of her works go over here to ARTslant and scroll to her name under the "artists" button.

Feedback

2011-06-04T09:39:00.000-04:00

Last week I took some drawings to a gallery and got some feedback. It was helpful. It was painful. It was that he could not see what I cared deeply about in the drawings I showed him. So I started thinking about what I care deeply about, and realized that I love exploring surface quality. So this week I just explored the shit out of surface quality. And here is some of what I did. It made me think about why I make art. I make art to understand something that can't be understood. I make art to do something when nothing can be done. I make art to feel something enough to heal it. I make art to make something from nothing. I make art to give something when I have nothing to give. I make art to be in this moment more fully. I make art to express the joy of living in this one moment with no idea what will happen next or what any of it means. I make art to find out what I think. I make art to make something of beauty that I hope someone else will be enriched by just a little bit. I make art to share God knows what with the world. And there are lots of other reasons I make art that I am too ashamed to admit. Anyway, I keep on making art, and I guess that's good.

Poppy Play

2011-06-02T20:12:00.000-04:00

June is so full of beautiful flowers. I want to capture them, but I just can't seem to make my camera work properly lately. So frustrating. It may be time for a new camera. But in the meantime I get to play with photos to make them a bit more interesting, if not the way I'd really like them.

The Boston Drawing Project

2011-05-23T14:28:00.008-04:00

The Boston Drawing Project

Alhambra, by Kathranne Knight

If you don't know about the Boston Drawing Project, located at Carroll and Sons Gallery on Harrison Avenue in Boston, you should. Go over here to look. Most of the work is in flat files that you can look at just by walking in the door. I love this concept, and there is quite a list of participating artists. Kathranne Knight (drawing pictured above) is one of them. Look at her work here.

Marlene Ekola Gerberick

2011-05-18T09:24:00.001-04:00

I went to a studio exhibition of artist and poet Marlene Ekola Gerberick last weekend, and she was kind enough to let me take some photos of her studio and work. I have long admired the integrity of her work and vision, which is beautifully depicted in the environment she has created in her studio. Marlene has exhibited her work extensively in the United States and internationally, especially in her ancestral home, Finland. You can find more about her by googling, although she does not have a website. I once had the pleasure of being in a show she curated, and benefited from her clarity and thoughtfulness. When I first moved to Maine Marlene gave me this wonderful insight about living here: "Maine throws you back on yourself." That has certainly proven to be true.

Springtime

2011-05-15T09:09:00.001-04:00

e.e. cummings

"sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love"

(all the merry little birds are
flying in the floating in the
very spirits singing in
are winging in the blossoming)

lovers go and lovers come
awandering awondering
but any two are perfectly
alone there's nobody else alive

(such a sky and such a sun
i never knew and neither did you
and everybody never breathed
quite so many kinds of yes)

not a tree can count his leaves
each herself by opening
but shining who by thousands mean
only one amazing thing

(secretly adoring shyly
tiny winging darting floating
merry in the blossoming
always joyful selves are singing)

"sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love"

Roger White

2011-05-11T16:28:00.002-04:00

Roger White, watercolor

I like these abstract watercolors by Roger White. These images came from the Rachel Uffner Gallery, here. I'm always attracted to an artist who just draws with paint, and especially watercolor. I came across this artist through Brian Ferry's Pinterest board on his blog which you can look at over here.

Candy

2011-05-10T13:53:00.001-04:00

Ceramicist Maria Overbye's work, via girl from the corner table

Maria Overbye's home via so-mee blog

Maria Overbye's home via emmas designblogg

Just some pure home dec eye candy for a quiet Tuesday afternoon. The best candy is usually from artists, as in this case. This is the home of Norwegian ceramic artist Maria Overbye. You can look at her work here. Most of these photos are from emmas designblogg which you can see here. Other photos from so-mee blog, here, and girl from the corner table blog, here.

Lately

2011-05-03T21:50:00.002-04:00

I have been working on some larger paintings and drawings lately. I've been a bit distracted because we are working on some house projects and gardening season just kicked off with shoveling 5 yards of compost onto the beds this week. I'm sure this is what everyone deals with...balance. I love my home and garden almost as much as making art, so there is a constant weighing going on in this corner of Maine. I'm pretty sure it's no different where you are.

Nourishment

2011-05-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

This is a book that nourishes me. If you've never read it, it's about how we can learn to control our consciousness to be happier. The interesting thing about the flow state is that we are happy when we are deeply engaged in something that completely takes our attention so we can't think about or worry about anything else! That activity has to be challenging enough to keep us engaged, but not so challenging that we give up. That's my interpretation at the moment anyway. You can listen to Csikszentmihalyi on this TED talk.

Fantasy

2011-04-26T08:59:00.000-04:00

via Decor8

via Emma's Designblog

via Tumblr

via thedesignfiles

Just fantasizing about what it would be like to have a great cafe nearby. These are some places I wouldn't mind dropping by a few times a week. Sadly, in Maine the concept of hanging out in cafes isn't as thoroughly embraced as I think it should be. I keep hoping somebody will create the perfect cafe in my town. Perfection to me is: comfortable seating arrangements that allow for privacy or society; character; art; music that is carefully tended; cleanliness; good coffee drinks of course....and that certain vibe that allows you to be a part of the scene without having to be active. What are your cafe requirements and where are they being met?

Anne Truitt

2011-04-25T10:41:00.003-04:00

Artist Anne Truitt wrote Daybook, which is a favorite of mine on the process of making art and balancing that with real life. There is one quote from that book that I think of often, and it guides my work. It is: "I would be a fool to sacrifice joy to fun." Many times people talk about making art as "fun", but that is not my experience. I experience joy. Sometimes. And that is very different from fun. And I think that's what Truitt was teaching. These are works on paper by Truitt that I grabbed via Little Paper Planes. You can go over here to Anne Truitt's website to see more of her work.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-21T09:54:00.000-04:00

photo via Per Agelii

photo via Camilla Engman

Swedish Sculptor Per Agelii has invited 10 artists to decorate concrete Easter eggs to be installed in the gardens of Tjoloholms Castle in Sweden. I read about this on artist and illustrator Camilla Engman's blog. Then I went over to Per Agelii's blog and found more photos. You can see a list of participating artists at either place. It's a beautiful garden, and a great breath of fresh Spring air and fun...which I'm really in need of at the moment!

Art For Japan

2011-04-19T13:32:00.002-04:00

Fiber artist Sophie Truong (see her blog here) has organized Art For Japan, a one evening art show and sale to benefit various relief efforts in Japan. The show is Friday, May 6th at Gallery 535, 535 Albany Street, Boston. Fifty artists have donated work in a variety of media. You can go to this Facebook page to see who is participating (more work will be posted continuously so keep checking back). Sophie has done a fabulous job of developing and organizing this benefit. If there is any way you can attend the show it would be wonderful. The above two works are my contribution to the show. They were inspired by Japanese Boro.

Time for Tea

2011-04-15T11:55:00.003-04:00

Last night we watched a fascinating and beautiful documentary on Chinese tea. Les Blank's film "All In This Tea" is about tea expert David Lee Hoffman, and his search, in provincial China, for authentic organic tea made on family farms using traditional methods. It's spellbinding because you see Hoffman disappearing down misty mountain paths in search of tea, and all the beautiful tea-making equipment, from gathering and drying baskets, to delicate teapots and china cups. You can look at some interesting (albeit long) YouTube films on making Chinese tea here. And there is a little clip of the 2007 film here. Hoffman established an import tea business, Silk Road Teas, where you can buy the teas shown in the film, although he has since sold that business and gone on to pursue his love of organic gardening and composting. You get a nice peek into his Marin County home and garden in the film. I also found an extensive blog on tea, Tea for Today, over here.

Open Studios

2011-04-13T12:38:00.002-04:00

Artists love to see other artist's studios. Especially me. When I lived in Chicago I never missed an opportunity to go on studio tours. Artists have a way of creating unique spaces. I just got this book Open Studios with Lotta Jansdotter, and I love it. Lots of great pictures from studios in Brooklyn, Stockholm and Tokyo. I like the fact that the studios are real. They look lived in and worked in, not all neat and perfectly tidy like you see in some books and magazines. I like order and I like my studio fairly neat, but I also tolerate mess because that is part of my creative process. I have my studio at home now, and it is very different from when I rented a space. I clean up more often after I work, and I have to resist the call to do chores, but I like being able to go in there any time I feel like working. I get a surprising amount of art made in those little snippets of time I don't consider my official studio practice time!

A Break for Contemplation

2011-04-04T20:13:00.000-04:00

In the spiritual practice that I follow it is suggested that we take a nine day period at the change of the seasons to spend in a quiet, more reflective mode. So I will not be posting or adding to my Flickr stream for the next nine days. I'll be back after a refreshing break! Be well.

The Sketchbook Project Show in Portland, Maine

2011-04-03T12:24:00.005-04:00

Kathryn Clark's Sketchbook

Remember back in January when I made a sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project sponsored by The Brooklyn Art Library and Art House Co-op? ( look over here for more about them) Yesterday we went to the first show of the tour of the more than 10,000 sketchbooks! It was held at Space Gallery in Portland. The place was packed with people excitedly looking at sketchbooks. I think most people first found sketchbooks of artists they know, as I did. I got to hold and examine my friend Kathryn Clark's beautifully executed sketchbook (take a look at her blog here). It was when I was actually holding it and looking at it that I understood her theme for the first time. She did a powerful depiction of the impact of foreclosures in cities in this country. The show was organized by theme, so you could ask to look at two books at a time within one theme. It was very well run given the complexity of the show. It was also a bit frustrating because there were all those stacks of sketchbooks and not enough time to see them all. It was impossible to document or photograph the sketchbooks properly, so I just did the best I could to show you a little bit of what it was all about.

I did it.

2011-03-30T17:01:00.002-04:00

I've put down the paint brush and the pencils. I've documented and put them in a big folio. All 44 textile designs! Whew. Tomorrow I will mail them out to my agent, and she will take them to the Surtex show in NYC in May. I discovered this time around that I like textile designing much more than I thought I did. The difference with these designs is that I didn't think so much about what anybody else would like. I just focused on what I wanted to say, and the kinds of designs I would like to find in stores. So, who knows whether that strategy will be effective or not, but it sure was more fun. And as I send my babies out into the world to make it on their own, I needed a little reminder that I am ok, and they are ok. Funny how comforting something so small can be.

New Cookbooks

2011-03-28T21:00:00.002-04:00

These are two new cookbooks in my ever-expanding library. This time of year I make a big change in my diet toward lighter, fresher foods. In the winter I want comforting, hearty food, but when we start getting longer days my body craves bitter greens and fish and fruit. The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg is a wonderful reference for any creative cook. It is a compendium of knowledge about food flavor and flavor pairings. It allows you to intuitively match food flavors. I just made the most delicious beet salad with roasted hazelnuts and blue cheese. I just used the food pairing ideas from the book rather than a recipe. Brilliant! Harvest to Heat by Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer, focuses on how chefs are working with their local farmers and food artisans to create innovative, high quality dishes. The forward is by Alice Waters, the foremother of this restaurant concept. I also looked at this very eye-opening talk by Jamie Oliver about why we need to teach kids how to eat and cook. It was Leslie, of A Creative Mint who led me to this TED talk. Look at her blog here.

Resources

2011-03-24T09:28:00.004-04:00

Here are some spots online to keep in touch with what is happening in the contemporary art world. I've grabbed a few photos, below, which include the link to that site in the caption. Another valuable resource is artobserved.com, because it has an extensive list of art-related links including other art sites, artists, collectors, museums and galleries, and art films. I started my research here, at artsplash/contemporaryartlinks.blogspot.com. Needless to say, you can keep linking from all these sites all day long.

Alex Hubbard show in Oslo at Standard via contemporaryartdaily.com

Michelle Armas via arthound.net

"F" is for Friday...and a Fresh Look

2011-03-18T13:42:00.002-04:00

Literally. Yesterday as I was traveling to my favorite meadow for a walk in the glorious sunshine I noticed a road going off to my left that I'd never seen before. What made me see it then? Was it that I was really looking at how the snow was melting around the tree trunks and creating pools of dark contrast to the landscape? Maybe. Because what I was doing was really seeing because I was really looking. You laugh. But I think it may be like the practice of meditation. The point of it is to be still. Not to try to do anything. And in that stillness you really connect to something sweet. I think looking, really looking for more than a few seconds, is the key to seeing. Of course seeing is very important to me. The capacity to see things in new ways is one of the most important tools I have as a painter. I've collected books on this subject too! Here are some that I have found to be very rich in insights about seeing.

The Art Spirit by Robert Henri

If you've ever stood in front of a painting by Robert Henri you will know what his book is about. He captures the spirit of his subject. He said "There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom."

Secret Knowledge by David Hockney

David Hockney did an extensive research project to explore his theory that at a certain point in the flow of Western art, artists began to employ the use of a camera lucida, and other optical devices to create their paintings and drawings. John Berger's classic Ways of Seeing is about how we look at paintings.

The Pleasure of Beholding by Eulalia Bosch

This is another book about looking at art. Here is a quote from the book that gets to the heart of the matter: "To contemplate, to behold something, is an activity in which the space and time of the senses are mixed with the space and time of reflection. Sensations reveal ideas, and a fleeting intuition comes to be embodied in a shape, a colour, a glimpse of that which the work seems to suggest".

Designing

2011-03-17T17:15:00.002-04:00

Here is what has been keeping me busy lately. I have a deadline for sending my textile designs to my agent by April 1! I have done lots of work on designs throughout the year in sketchbooks, but not so many final designs. Um. Yes, a deadline always works for me. These designs will go to Surtex in May. My goal is to have about 25 new designs to send. I know I'll make it because I'm good under pressure, and I really love to design for textiles. Anything I do from the heart usually works out ok.

Ayumi Horie

2011-03-16T10:39:00.001-04:00

Ceramic teapot by Ayumi Horie via michaelklinepottery.blogspot.com

Ceramic artist Ayumi Horie has organized an auction to raise money for Japan. Artists are signing up, and being invited, to donate work for the eBay auction Handmade for Japan. The auction was slated to take place on March 18th on eBay, but I was in touch with the organizers (handmadeforjapan@gmail.com), and they said they have had such a huge response by artists that they may delay the auction a week to include more art. Isn't that heartening! You may remember that Ayumi Horie was the artist who created Obamaware back in 2008.

Ceramic bowl by Ayumi Horie via michaelklinepottery.blogspot.com

The Art of Living in an Imperfect World

2011-03-15T09:41:00.002-04:00

The heartbreaking events that are continuing to unfold in Japan are tragic and frightening. What is happening in Libya is tragic and frightening. So much happens each day in this world that I find unfathomable. I sometimes feel dizzy and sick with the anguish of not being able to do much to help suffering people. Blogging about art and life seems so trivial. Those feelings are urging me to think about ways I can help. I think the biggest way I can help is to try my best to be responsible for the thoughts I put out in the world. I can really look at my thoughts and try to make them positive and loving. I believe this to be something concrete that I can control. I've found that it really matters when I judge or become impatient or harsh with someone in my life. They feel it and, as a result, suffer. That is something I can change. Doing something to put another person's needs before my own is another way I can help. Forgiving and forgetting....that can help. Comforting someone in my life by really listening, or with homemade food or a peaceful space, are things I can do. Making art that is true to myself can have an encouraging effect on others. I can do that. I can focus on something beautiful in life each day and wish that for everyone. These things seem very abstract in the face of all the need in the world right now, but I believe they are what will ultimately promote healing in the world. This kind of mindful living is the highest form of art to which I aspire. May I be granted the courage to continue to pursue that art.

And may we all find courage and joy in the normal, everyday beauty that is also part of living in this imperfect world.

Feeding Myself

2011-03-14T18:04:00.001-04:00

from African Textiles by John Gillow

On a regular basis I make a little excursion purely for the purpose of feeding myself fresh ideas, images, sounds, whatever I feel I need. Last week I went over to the Bowdoin College Library and swarmed over the art stacks for hours. I focused on these African textiles after awhile because their artistry just made me want to weep! The design is so imaginative and subtle. The color use is so unique. The craftsmanship, so beautiful. All these images are from one book, African Textiles by John Gillow. I apologize for the image quality...I was snapping away with my iphone (may the copyright Gods forgive me) and the light was not ideal for that. The light was very pretty to read in though...clear morning sun beaming over my shoulder as I bent to my task! Also, I apologize for so many images, but I could not help myself.

P. S. I am so making myself some summer tops based on those blouse designs!

"F" is for Friday...and Fun Weekend Breakfasts!

2011-03-11T13:57:00.007-05:00

Jennifer Causey's photo on her blog Simply Breakfast

One of the best parts of the weekend is getting to have breakfasts that are a bit more fun and imaginative than the weekday ones. We alternate between blueberry-banana smoothies and oatmeal most mornings this time of year. But Jennifer Causey, photographer, has much more varied breakfasts it seems. All documented over here on her blog Simply Breakfast. If you have not seen her fantastic project, The Makers, which documents all manner of artists and artisans in Brooklyn, NY. Take a look here. Happy weekend breakfasting!