Collages of Tony Fitzpatrick

Tony Fitzpatrick's collages are so intricate and full of endless things to look at and imagine. They are like children's storybooks to me. I can go inside there and just wander around and make up my own stories about each image. I would like to be in Chicago, going to see his new work, which opened last night at Firecat Projects, which is his former studio in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago, and now a commercial gallery, kicking off with this show.  Read more about it  here. 

Go Outside!

Words to live by. My favorite author, Henry David Thoreau spent most of his life outdoors it seems. He writes with such passion about nature and the refreshment it provides. I have been so cooped up in the studio lately...trying to accomplish so many things. I forget to go out and experience the world with all my senses.  I went for a walk in the meadow yesterday afternoon after the rain stopped. I heard the brook rushing, saw the moon rising and the sun setting. I felt so much better, and vowed to do it more often. Go outside and play.

Developing Ideas

I'm working on a new set of textile designs and these little shapes are coming through to me as a possibility for expansion into a couple of designs. I used them in this drawing that I reworked yesterday. All of my drawings and sketchbooks from the daily drawing project I've been working on since last January are coming in handy right now. I'm never aware of how much processing I'm doing in my drawings until I start designing or working on larger, more resolved work. Then it becomes clear to me how valuable keeping a sketchbook (or three) going at all times is to my progress.

I Really Like Alabama Chanin

I think Alabama Chanin (these are photos from her online journal) is doing a wonderful thing. First, she is a creative woman who has made a life that is ethical and conscious as well as beautiful and satisfying to her and her employees. And then she has made decisions to size and shape her life according to her own needs and beliefs and values. This is real luxury...having the life you want that does not hurt or exploit others or the planet. Making the world a better place by the example you set. I like the tone and voice she uses in her books and online journal because it is real....well okay, these models are pretty amazing. I love that short haircut too...maybe my next look?