I am still planning, packing and getting ready for what I know will be an AMAZING week at the Educators ArtLab (EAL) at the Kansas City Art Institute and that inspired today's #TBT from my blog archives...
Last summer I was hot off the heels of just over a month of Grateful Dead themed art series (#GratefulDeadArtJLG) and I went straight into a series I called #SurfacesJLG. The series started off with playing around with texture using paints and collage techniques...and somehow ended up with me beading like crazy on hand-dyed fabrics and digital prints on fabric. For the most part now, my I usually draw and paint in my monthly art themes. Truthfully- the main reason is time. Fibers gets me just a little bit obsessed and takes over my life, and all that beading and stitching can take a toll on my hands that's for sure. But it is something that I love, and summer is the perfect time to revisit it because I have more time. This particular blog post shows some of my works from my undergrad and grad school days, back when I first 'discovered' the wild and wonderful world of textiles...and I am looking forward to being back in a 'fiber studio' in just a few days!!
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This is an oldie but a goodie, a little graphic I made with my little bit of computer skills a couple of years back...and just for fun, I am posting a link to an old blog post from 2015 so you can see just how big of an art nerd you are actually dealing with!
Happy Birthday, Gustav Klimt!!! http://www.jenniferlovegironda.com/blog/artnerd Happy Fourth of July out there!! It will be hard to tough last year's festivities...we were in Chicago for the Grateful Dead shows and I may or may not have did a twirl or two in my festive flag garb. This year ol' Johnny and I don't have anything really planned...but I am actually excited about that! So, thank goodness for the good ol' US of A! I'll be quietly celebrating around here, making art and feeling thankful to be an American. Oh...and here are some 'red, white and blue' themed pieces I pulled from the vault! Happy 4th, be safe!!! -JLG A while back, the thought had crossed my mind to 'repeat' a series. See, I did a series I called 'Shadows' back in August of 2012. At the time I was still in my first year of making art every day, and I was still kinda sticking to the suggested prompts from the Creative Every Day site. The prompt was 'shadows' and came across some amazing artists...got inspired...got distracted...and started focusing on 'winged things'...mostly butterflies. I extended the theme to include dragonflies, bees and even some lady bugs. Here is a link to the series and some related info; http://www.jenniferlovegironda.com/gallery1/augustmy-take-on-shadows I enjoyed making those pieces so much, and I even sold many of them. And I am no stranger to butterflies. I have used butterflies in my work off and on as a recurring theme since undergrad. In many cultures and beliefs butterflies are associated with souls, and I often think of those loved ones I miss when I see a butterfly, like that little glimpse of beauty is a reminder of that spirit that has passed. Of course there is the transformation that the caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. I can identify with that, I think we all can- we all hope that we can emerge from our 'cocoon'... our problems...insecurities...heartaches...tragedies...that we can emerge and rise from it all- into something full of beauty, like a butterfly. Not only does the butterfly spread joy and beauty in a metaphoric sense- but it literally does, the beauty part at least. Fluttering from flower to flower, helping to pollinate, serving as food for other species, continuing the circle of life. I want to be like a butterfly, helping the people around me to grow and to find beauty. And of course there is the 'butterfly effect'- that idea that small things can impact things on a larger scale (literally put in the most simple form, there is a TON of reading on this, on chaos theory, science, philosophy...blew my mind!) I liken it to the idea that small acts of kindness...or even the smallest acts of evil...impact us on a larger scale...which is why I do my #AngelDropArt. Which reminds me, I need to get on making some angels, I have my work cut out for me, gotta put some light out there- lotta darkness lately. I digress. So...these are my (random/stream of consciousness) thoughts on butterflies. I started my first piece last night working with graphitone and watercolor in a 5x7 format, drawing 'my girl' that I love to draw. I may work larger later, I may switch materials...but for now, it's a start. More to come! Examples of butterflies in my work since 2012; I am feelin' FAB that my #FelineFabJLG series is all done...but gotta be honest, I'm a little anxious because;
I just posted a fun slideshow on IG and FB and just in case folks were interested in seeing the images MUCH SLOWER (like...you can actually SEE them!) I am posting a link to the images below, as well as a fun booklet/trip down memory lane I created when I made the series...and a general link to that month in my blog, just in case! Happy Friday! |
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