I’ve been working feverishly in the studio this weekend on my super secret collaboration– I can’t wait to fill you in on the details… But, for now, here are the latest mail goodies. I bought these used letterpress type blocks from the type junkie. I may stamp with them– I’ve been thinking of ways to get more hand worked imagery in my collages.
I’m spending the evening in the studio working on new images and sorting through photographs. Since I’m not ready to share the new work… or tell you about the super exciting, top secret collaboration in which I’ve been invited to participate, I’m hoping a bunny photo will suffice for a blog post. This rabbit was in the NC State Fair a couple of years back. Aren’t those the craziest markings?
More goodies in the mail! Another old book I bought off ebay. This one is the Patent Office Report of 1868, Volume III. Hundreds of pages of gadgets, contraptions, dreams, plans, schemes, machines…
Saturday I hit the jackpot. I got 3, yes 3, really cool things in the mail all in one day and boy does that feel good! It reminded me of being at summer camp and the excitement from getting good mail…
The envelope and postcard are from Thailand and I’m the proud owner of Thai fisherman pants. The pants aren’t in the photo– I’m wearing them, they’re orange. You can see Thai fisherman pants at thaidreams.etsy.com.
I ordered the butterfly to photograph for some new collages. It’s an Idea blanchardi. Lovely!
And I got a check from Artspace (also not in the photo). One of my shibori scarves sold in the gift shop.
Life is good.
It’s a quiet Friday night in the studio. I’m doing some last minute printing & framing for pieces that will be hung tomorrow in Chapel Hill.
Just touching base– I’ve got a busy weekend in the studio ahead of me.
I’m getting ready to hang my exhibition at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Chapel Hill next weekend. More details on this coming soon! If you’re going to be in the Chapel Hill area, mark your calendar for the reception: Sunday, Sept 23, 1-3pm.
I’m also continuing work on some NEW series that I hope will be ready by November!
[Image above: detail from Five Birds with Nest print available from my etsy shop]
Yesterday, one of my luna moth prints, Insect Machine #7, was on the etsy front page with some other lovely moth inspired art!
Update: I was thrilled to be in another treasury selected for the front page the same week:
I’m getting ready for a solo exhibition at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Chapel Hill (North Carolina). They sent me a draft of the exhibition brochure and included an apropos quote:
“The machine does not isolate man from the great problems of nature but plunges him more deeply into them.” - Saint-Exupery
I spent a week at the beach (Emerald Isle, NC) a week ago. One day was stormy and the ocean rough. That evening my sister-in-law Cathy and I went shelling and we hit the jackpot! I’ve never seen so many seashells.
I’ve been scanning and photographing and thinking of new series for these images (and those hundreds of photos from yosemite). My usual process is to pick a dozen or so favorite shells to work with right away. I’ll scan or photograph the shell, then spend a good bit of time isolating the image from the background– careful work at this stage really pays off in the long run. My favorite book on image selecting, isolating, compositing techniques in photoshop is Katrin Eismann’s _Photoshop Masking & Compositing_.
Wow! Guy Kawasaki rocks! I had the pleasure of hearing Guy Kawasaki speak in Boston a couple of weeks ago. Guy talks about innovation, marketing, new business, and being open to new ideas. It was one of the most memorable talks I’ve ever attended. I’m sure my summary wouldn’t do Guy justice– please watch the talk at one of the links below and check out his blog. But, I will mention his first bullet, as a thought to reflect on today: make meaning
Guy’s blog: How to Change the World
Holy cow!!! I am totally thrilled to be mentioned on my favorite design blog, designsponge:
http://designsponge.blogspot.com/2007/07/weekly-wrap-up.html
design*sponge always has the most remarkable objects; Grace Bonney has an outstanding eye. I’m truly flattered. Thank you Grace!
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
One of these mornings
You’re going to rise up singing
Then you’ll spread your wings
And you’ll take to the sky
–George Gershwin
I’ve been a bad blogger; it’s been a really relaxing, slow-paced summer. Yosemite had the most awe inspiring landscapes. I came home with hundreds of photographs of water and rocks…
Yosemite, here I come! I will be out of touch with regular life for about 10 days. No phone, no email, no television — sounds like heaven! I’m busily packing my camera equipment, camping gear, hiking boots, and Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit. Well, I’m not really packing yet, mostly just throwing stuff on the bed. The pile keeps getting larger and the pack is looking smaller… Check out live views of Yosemite!
I’m taking a welding class Friday nights at the local community college. We’ve met 3 times; once to get the supply list (I now own an auto-darkening helmet, leather jacket, and red wing boots) and twice to really weld. I’ve learned to cut metal with an oxy-acetylene torch– very fun! Lots of sparks, flames, heat! The course covers basic stick welding and so far I’m learning to make regular, uniform welding beads on a plate– no fancy welding together of disparate plates, yet :) After 4 hours of class, I come home tired, dirty, smelly.
I’m not sure how the metal fits in my art. For now, I’m enjoying working with it and trying to be more open (in many ways) to letting the process lead me rather than have strict ideas about my path.
Please don’t laugh at the length of my reading list. I’m a slow reader. Reading puts me to sleep. Any reading list is ambitious for me. So here are the *two* books I’d like to read this year:
Landscape and Memory by Simon Schama (isbn 0-679-73512-7) - This book was included in a Michael James reading list for a class somewhere. I didn’t take the class, but the book description was intriguing: “Schama presents a wide-ranging meditation on the role of nature in Western civilization from ancient times to the present… He argues persuasively that Europeans and Americans have been shaped by nature as much as they themselves have shaped nature. Schama discusses the impact of sacred or mysterious rivers, forests, and mountains in forging the Western imagination.”
Art in Theory, 1900-2000, edited by Charles Harrison and Paul Wood (isbn 0-631-22708-3)
