Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking, Sewing | Tags: Charlie Brown, Chicago, Christmas, Christmas tree, crafts, hand made, Holidays, ornaments, Real tree, Shopping, Tree
Hello all! I’ve been asked to try to provide progress images of what I’m up to. Here’s a serigraph (screen print), that is in progress:
Here some images of my holiday cards…relief print:
And here is something in progress…tree ornaments! This is a good segue to my next topic: tree debate!
Okay. When I was growing up, our family would sometimes get a real tree at Christmas time…and sometimes not. When we didn’t get a real tree, we used my mom’s FABULOUS silver aluminum tree. I believe that she and a girlfriend bought the tree when they had a tiny apartment in Chicago. Anyway, I loved that tree. Much to my horror, she threw it out one year WITHOUT ASKING ME FIRST. I know…get a life. Whatever. So, I’ve wanted one of those trees for ages. I got a vintage one from ebay last year, and I was SO excited. I think that my mom’s tree was better.., but this one is pretty cool. Okay, so the debate is: the rest of my family is not fond of the idea of a fake tree, never mind a silver one. So, I’m posting photos to get more opinions. Am I crazy, or is this thing kind of cool? Be honest. The first photo is just the plain tree…bare bones:
I know…it has a sort of Charlie Brown sparseness to it. But wait! What if I add some lights?
What if I go crazy, and add some PINK lights? (as we had in my childhood…should explain a lot about me)
I know. My husband is NOT going to go for this. But whyyyyyyyy??? Isn’t it COOL? No? Hmm…okay, I also made some silly, pillow ornaments for the tree. You may hate these as well, but give me your opinions on them:
And now, in the silver tree:
So, what do you think? Creepy? Cute? Blah? Yucky?
I like them! I know. Mies van der Rohe would throw up.
My son, inspecting the tree:
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts...
Okay. This post is completely random, but I feel compelled to do it anyway. My son has some alphabet blocks. They seem somewhat normal. I believe that all of the letters are represented, but I’m not totally sure. The set is old, and some are missing. Anyway, in addition to having letters, the blocks also have pictures on them. Most of the pictures are recognizable:
That’s a flower. Got it.
That’s a duck. So far…so good…
Okay, so this looks like a ship.
But, what is that? Is that also some kind of boat????
Um…I guess that’s a house…but what the hell is coming off of the side? Is that a chimney? Ductwork???
Okay, so what’s that? A horse? Doesn’t it also look a little like a dinosaur at the head????
What about that one? A dog? Really? Is that the best that they could do? This last one is my favorite:
What IS that???? A seal? A cat with no ears? WHAT????
I realize now that I’ve forgotten one that I meant to include. If I remember, I’ll add it to the list. I would appreciate any opinions, as I feel that my visual literacy may be seriously slipping here. Also, if you feel that I have any of them upside down, etc., please let me know…
I’ll try to do a more compelling post next time…
[okay, here is the image I forgot to include before…see? doesn’t THIS look sort of like a seal? But doesn’t it look like it has both flippers, and feet???? Kind of like a seal / bird hybrid? So, if this is more like a seal, then what was that previous block?]
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: bazaar bizaare, boston, craft shows, crafts
So, this past Sunday, I went to the Bazaar Bizarre at the Cyclorama in Boston. SO MUCH FUN! I naturally wanted to buy everything, but I had to restrain myself. Here were some talented people! My favorite booths / people were:
The Spun Monkey – fabulous FELT! Amazing roving! Very nice people. Here is their blog: http://thespunmonkey.wordpress.com/
Raeburn Ink – amazing screenprinting apparel and sewn items. The designer has just written a book! I had to get a super cool cotton scarf with a hot pink screenprinted pattern on it. The t-shirts were amazing too. Here is her website: www.raeburnink.com
I wonder if I will ever make it to a venue like that? I’m sure that it’s super competitive to get in. Most everything was top notch…and unique. No boring Amy Butler baby bibs or anything. Very cool calendars, jewelry, ceramics…ahhh. I was in heaven. Did anyone else go? I think that there is a Bazaar Bizarre twice a year, so definitely go to the summer one!
http://bazaarbizarre.org/boston/
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: answer, Philosophy, Strategy, Thought
So, this post has nothing to do with my art endeavour. It is about me making changes about how I do things in life. For ages, and for some mysterious reason, I felt that our next door neighbors were annoyed with us. Seriously. I am so ridiculous. Anyway, this has bothered me for ages. FINALLY, I got up the gumption to go over and knock on their door to ask them about it. The lady had NO idea what I was talking about. We had a lovely conversation for 20 minutes, and ended with a friendly wave and a “goodbye”. This first part, of me jumping to inane conclusions, is so typical for me. The second part, where I actually try to confront these theories, is atypical. I would normally wonder about this, without actually testing my hypothesis. Trust me, I know how dumb this is. Can you see how challenging I make things in life, when this is my typical strategy for dealing with such matters? Anyway, I wanted to write a post about it, as I felt that it was a slight shift for me in a better direction. No, this had nothing to do with art, but it was a small success for me! I know…so ridiculous!
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: architecture, art, career transition, Printing, printmaking, Screen-printing
Today, someone at my old office sent me photos of a project that I worked on. It was an addition/renovation to a dining hall. It looks really good! The building was pretty much designed before they brought me on, but I had the task of coordinating and detailing the exterior. Needless to say, it was stressful, but I was working with a great team of people. If I remember correctly, there were just three of us doing the drawings! Anyway…why do I bring this up? Well, I can’t help but feel an odd pang when I see the building. I am thinking, “I used to do that”…”I was good at that”…”What am I doing now?”…”Why am I throwing away all that I know, to start again?”
Whatever it is that I’m doing now, I’m a beginner. This is tough to be a beginner, so late in life. I used to know what I was doing. Yes, I had way too much to do, but I knew what had to be done and I was good at doing it. Now…I’m a beginner…muddling my way along…trying to figure out what the heck I’m doing.
Every time I meet up with a friend, they ask me how “things” are going. Good question. No good answer available. I’m trying lots of things: printmaking, painting, screen printing, sewing, felting, etc. etc. etc. But what exactly do I have to show for myself? A very odd arrangement of things in progress… Some things I am happy with, many things I am chalking up to experience.
I have been advised to think of myself as an “artist”. This feels a little premature, and quite a bit of a stretch. So, I don’t know what I am. I know that people spend a lifetime trying to figure out who/what they are. I’m finally stopping to ask myself that question. It took me long enough! I feel grateful that I am able to ask. I wish that I had a profound answer. I don’t so far. I just have a collection of odd things. In any event, I am happy to have this collection of odd things. It may not make sense to anyone else, but these odd things are dear to me…more so than the lovely, praiseworthy building. While the building represents my former life as a “take no prisoners/stress-case” architect, the odd things represent my current self…wondering, struggling, searching and hoping.
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, art classes, arts, boston, craft, crafts, decordova, printmaking, woodblock printing
So, this has been a week of ups and downs. I managed to work on Tuesday, which was great. It was one of those days where the stars felt like they were aligned. Things looked great, I was excited and happy. All good. Friday was the only other day this week that I could work. In contrast to Tuesday, Friday was slow and deflating. I’ve been working on a woodcut. It’s taking ages, and my arm/hands/brain ache from it. I’m hoping to use 4 colors, but I only managed to carve out 1.25 of the four colors. SIGH. Also, I was looking at some of my books, at the work that others do…and I was deflated. Everything was so beautiful! I felt a million miles away from it all. I’ve decided that the only solution to that is to take some more classes. Spending time with an artist, having him/her provide suggestions and feedback…is invaluable. I LOVE art classes. I mean…I REALLY LOVE art classes. I don’t love everything that I do, but there are always one or two things that make me happy. I am still taking printmaking now. It’s been great. We only have two classes left! Where does the time go? Now, I’m already scouring my class options for next semester. If only I had Mondays free! There is a fabulous class at the Decordova that I’d like to take. If anyone has taken any great local (metro-Boston) art classes, let me know!
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, female, movie, who does she think she is?, women
So, this week I went to Radcliffe to watch “Who does she think she is?“, a documentary on women in the arts. I had been excited by the trailer, then my printmaking teacher had mixed opinions of it. So, I went to see it, not expecting as much as I had orginally.
From the trailer, it seems to be very focused on the inequities between men and women in the art world. Some of the facts presented were really surprising: how few women are featured in exhibitions in major institutions like MOMA and the Tate Modern. I’m not up to speed on “who’s who” in the art world, so I would not have noticed that by myself. It did make me wonder a bit. As these institutions need to draw big crowds in for revenue, it is likely that they are less inclined to show lesser known artists. But why are female artists lesser known to begin with?
There are many possible ways to think about this. I did like that the film did not try to answer that question, as if it was a simple thing to answer! The film focused on the lives of several female artists. For me, the conclusions that I drew were not any sweeping generalities about female artists, but that we are each unique. Each artist was unique, her situation was unique, and her journey through the art world was unique.
I suppose that the only overarching thought that I had, was that we need to really change the way that art is viewed by society. I think that the vast majority of society feels that it is “non-essential”. I can understand this, if you are just trying to put a roof over your head, or get food on the table. But, I think that there are many people who are not in such a place, yet they still view art as unimportant. I think that until we can hold onto art in our educational systems, and make it have significance for all students…not just the artistically inclined, we are going to have a hard time making progress in this realm. This stands in the way of artists, both male and female.
Any thoughts?
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, autumn, colors, craft, fall, photography, studio
Ahhh…don’t you just love fall? I’m posting just a few photos of some of the vibrant local colors. I know…we all have pretty fall photos. I’m posting these anyway.
Things have been a bit of a struggle lately. I am really having a hard time not having a “studio”. I feel really disjointed. My stuff, while organized into bins, feels scattered. I have so little time alone to do any work…I’m not so good at working with an audience. I feel inhibited. I’m often not happy with what I’m doing, and I feel so self conscious when someone looks over my shoulder, or remarks on my project. I’m a serious introvert, so this kind of work environment is really stressful. I know…stop whining! I’m embarking on a new phase of life! Still, it feels like I am waiting for some kind of sports injury to heal before I can actually get into the game.
I also know that if I was Picasso, not having a permanent place to work probably wouldn’t obstruct my genius. Unfortunately for me, I’m no Picasso. My artistic endeavour is a tiny sapling, easily stunted by an unfavorable environment. I wish that I had a kind gardener, to help me on my way.
I’ve started a mini art quilt. It’s tiny. It’s also not quite as exciting as I had envisioned it. I’m going to try to keep at it, until I’m happier with it. When I finish, I’ll post it! Comments are always welcome…Happy Halloween!
slightly wonky 
