...not a burrito...keep readin'!
I have been making my art, but truth be told...I have been making a GIGANTIC mess around here. Folks, I am moving, and it ain't pretty. Deep breaths, I can totally do this. Maintain some sense of decorum? Maybe not...but the move will happen, it has to...first things first. For starters, I just have to get this off my chest. Mackie and Scooter are no help. Now, my good friend Jen said that she thought if they had opposible thumbs they would be helping. Maybe. Yeah, okay I would like to believe this. However, they could at least help cheer me on, keep me motivated, focused on the overwhelming task at hand. What do they do, or what don't they do? Here, you be the judge... Okay...before I get to my art, I just want to write one more thing about moving, because this has kind of taken over my life for the past 48 hours. We don't do the 'big' move until closer to the end of the month, but we are going to try and start moving some small stuff starting next week, some of those areas that are a pain and take time to set up, like the kitchen and our closets...and I am teaching art camp next week so that is why I am torturing myself right now, since I won't have as much time to pack next week. (also...in some kind of weird twist, as stressed as I am and physically exhausted..I actually kind of love throwing stuff out...and all this sorting and labeling appeals to my OCD tendencies and love for organization. Weird.) Back to that last thing about moving. I don't know if it is anywhere else on the interwebs, or Pinterest specifically, but I have a way that I move my jewelry that I have used for years and it's cheap, simple and WORKS...and I want to share it. It's aluminum foil, that's all. I buy cheap aluminum foil and roll my jewelry in in in sections, laid out, pressing the foil down on each section to keep the pieces from moving, and tangling. The reason this is such a big deal to me is I love jewelry. I mean...LOVE. It's kind of my thing. Not fancy jewelry, no m'am (or sir) ...just affordable (even super cheap) costume jewelry. But I love each piece, I usually pick up different accessories when I travel, so there are lot's of memories in those baubles. I am obsessive about keeping my collection organized, it is all sectioned by color...necklaces hanging on the wall (with a mirror in the middle so I can see how it looks!) Bracelets sorted, earrings in small bags color coded...seriously, it's kind of my happy place. I think I started doing this when I was still in college, especially after being frustrated when my necklaces would be all tangled when I moved. (and I have moved many, many times) I would have to sit and try to untangle them, adding to the frustration of the moving process and slowing me down. So I started wrapping the necklaces in aluminum foil, rolled like a burrito, then labeled by color to make it easy to set up my new 'necklace wall' in the new destination. So anyway, it works. If you are moving try it! Ummm....so....yeah, besides PACKING...I did make some art, of course! I completed my daily pieces, still working with the turban/sunglasses/gypsy/bohemian idea...using pencil, Sharpie Marker, watercolor...I think I might play with patterns and textures in future pieces...
Wait...gotta keep it simple...(talking some sense into myself) Okay, so I might not venture into too many materials, I am trying to keep it manageable since there is so much going on the rest of this month. Besides the daily pieces I also worked on two bridal shower invitations for my sister-in-law. I combined a few ideas I saw on-line to create two watercolors that I painted in each of the shower's theme colors, then scanned the images (thanks, Jess!) and put them into Word to add the words. Boy, I can't wait to get that new Mac laptop for my new job...I have a feeling that me and Photoshop are going to be BFFs. For real. Besides the daily pieces and the invitation art, I did take some time on #textiletuesday to start another small piece, another hand-dyed, fused fabric heart with wings. I managed to get the heart completely covered in red beads, each one sewn by hand. I love beading. It is very calming. I am glad that I am taking a little bit of time each week for textiles. For the weekend...I need to make some more fashion illustrations! Oh my, it has been too long! And I want to make at least a few more 'Crazy Cat Ladies' so I can pick out my three pieces for the upcoming show at the Green Room. But now..back to packing up my jewelry. I finished the cool colors, black, gray and browns...gotta tackle my warm colors, white/clear and multi-colored pieces next...well, after a run.
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Here's a hint about my new series...
...and a shameless plug for my article in the new Art Hive Magazine, of course! But first...the new series. The Creative Every Day suggested theme for July is 'Summertime'. I peeked at the site as I was finishing up my June series, the smell of melted crayon permeating throughout the kitchen. Summertime? OMG. What in the world am I going to do? Well, I knew that I wanted to continue to work with female faces because, frankly, that is my favorite thing to draw/paint. Ever. And I knew that I wanted to stick with a fashion-inspired series...another one of my loves. Lastly...I am going to be traveling during July, so that is another thing to keep in mind, portability of supplies. I was actually leaving for the NYC/NJ trip the next day as I stood there contemplating what to do. I decided to sleep on it. When I was getting settled down to go to sleep that first night in Brooklyn...I saw my sunglasss sitting on the table and thought- that's it! Sunglasses! Then I started to think about summer time accessories...hats...special occasion jewelry...hats...then I saw a gypsy/bohemian lady somewhere (probably Pinterest...my ECU friend Laura Sutton always post the best pics in this style and my inner gypsy soul is always drawn to those images, she has a great eye for art and style)...then I started to think that this gypsy-vibe also went with the traveling and moving I will be doing this month...and of course my love for baubles and sparkly thangs...and...well...the theme was decided. The first four images were just fun girls with big ol' sunglasses...but since July 5th I have included a turban...makes me think of some sophisticated lady, young at heart, loves to travel, off at some resort of exotic location being fabulous. So I am not sure how long the turban will stay in the images...but for now it is all about turbans and oversized sunglasses. As for materials, the first eight images have been drawn with either pencil or Sharpie Marker in a Moleskin Sketchbook, which I am noting because that will explain why the color in the images is not pure white. (also...not scanning the final pics before posting, just photographing them in my sketchbook so I can keep them together) The size of the images is manageable, only 7.5 x10 inches right now. I am trying to keep the size and materials fairly simple right now since I have lot's going on this month. Which isn't to say I won't revisit some of the images and re-create with additional materials...but for now, keeping it portable...because after all, it is summertime, right?
Okay...last thing to mention....the new Art Hive Magazine is available to view on-line! Hooray! Physical copies are being distributed right now, but if you have a moment, please check out my article, there is even a fun Instagram challenge you can participate in! Click on the picture below to go directly to the newest issue! Why helllloooo there. Got a minute to chat, er...ummmm...read? Good, because I finally have a moment to sit a update my blog. So here goes. Have I mentioned I love summer? I think I professed my love for summer in a previous post...just want to reiterate that feeling. One perk to the teaching gig is having summers off. But I am by no means 'off' from my twenty-four hour a day job, which is maintaining my sparkle and making a go of this art thang. I digress. The week before our trip to NYC and the wedding in NJ was a busy one. I made a quicl slideshow to show some of the week in pictures, but I didn't do captions and I don't know if the pictures were very self-explanatory. So here is a brief explanation of some of those pictures... Well, for starters...Art Hive Magazine was in the news! Hooray! Co-Owner, Angela, was on the South Florida Business report talking about how the magazine started, what we do, who we are...you know all the good stuff. She looked amazing and did a great job...all that acting and modeling experience helped out, no doubt! I hope that the news station knows that they picked up a new demographic thanks to this story- the 13lb. cat demographic! Next up in the slideshow...John, Jessie and I headed over to Ink and Pistons to ear cover their one year anniversary event for the Art Hive FB page and blog...and to see my work, of course! Hooray! The weather has been pretty bad around here (still is!), but they lucked out- no rain and a great turn out to celebrate their awesome establishment, see art, check out some hot rods, eat from the food truck and there were even some folks getting tattoos! ...next in the slideshow...some pictures that don't really look like anything else on my site...and with good reason- this was totally new for me! Jessie forwarded me an email from a guy that wanted a commission for his father's upcoming birthday. Of course I said, 'Yes! I can do it!'...and then had a mild nervous breakdown when I realized just how intense it was going to be...a 16x20 version of desiderata in the Middle Ages 'Illuminated Manuscript' style painted with acrylic on vellum. It was tough, but I did it! And not only did I surprise myself, but the client liked it, too! And I earned some money for my trip! Hooray! The last part of the slideshow shows me finishing up the last pieces in my June series, 'Childhood'. For the last part of the month I was working on these pieces all at once rather than one at a time due to the materials and techniques I was using. I did gel medium transfers on the canvas boards, using my favorite childhood character from coloring books and I even used my own drawings that I had changed over to coloring book images...then I did a little painting here and there with acrylic paint, mostly backgrounds and large areas...then...the fun part. I used a heat gun to melt the crayons I had been using all month, switching the angle of the heat gun, standing up the canvases to create drips and move the melted wax the way I wanted. I also made drips and splatters and in a few pieces put the heat directly to the crayon and just drew right on the canvas with it. Very different from how I usually work, lot's of fun and experimenting...made a bit of a mess. You know what? Kind of made me feel like a kid again...what an proper ending to the series! So that was the explanation of the happenings pre-trip. Then we went on our trip to New York. New York is always a good idea. I love going to New York, I just wish I had more time! In our short amount of time there we visited John's cousin in Brooklyn (our host, thanks Cat!), visited with old friends and one of my fav former students, got a tour of Kenneth Cole from a buyers/designers perspective...swoon!! (thank you, Kerri!) checked an amazing exhibit at the Met (see below), and even left some angels and crayon tags here and there to brighten someone's day. We were only there Monday afternoon til Wednesday mid-morning...it was busy, and fun! Oh...and I packed for the ENTIRE trip (including my cocktail dress!) in one bookbag! I can't believe I did it! I wish I did have a full week in NYC...if I did I would need 2-3 days to truly experience the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I feel so overwhelmed and wonderful every time I enter those hallowed halls. This time was no exception,
For this trip, we had a specific goal...to make a beeline for the Punk: Chaos to Couture show..and we did! It was amazing! I was really struck by the overall setting for the show, how much work must have gone into creating the backdrop for these punk-inspired fashions. As for the clothes- what's not to love? Being Inches away from a Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen...Dolce and Gabbana? Yes, please. There are no words. I wish I had pictures, but alas, not allowed to take pictures in the exhibition. Sigh. But here are two from the Met page, directly linked to that page...please, please, please check it out! Even if you aren't into fashion you can appreciate the music side of the exhibition, or social/cultural ramifications, or just the way they transformed the exhibition space!
...and happy birthday to my little sister, Morgan! I love you!
...no time to write...NYC bound...follow my artistic adventures on IG @artinw_damuse! I can say one thing...that the week has flown by, I have been busy with various art and art related happenings but I have still managed to make my daily nap club meetings with Mackie and Scooter, which I am probably most proud of. Hey, there is always time to nap. And make art. And sparkle. No excuses. Tuesday I initiated my first (self-imposed of course) #textiletuesday on Instagram. For the first TT (of what I hope to be a weekly commitment to do something textile/fiber related, hold me to that!) I invited my super talented friend, Giselle, over. She wanted to learn how to bead. Folks, she is a natural! Behold, the birth of another fiber-fanatic and beadin' babe! It certainly was not all fun and games...there were a few needles that came unthreaded, some fallen beads and, of course, the return of the dreaded #frockblockers...two cats that love to sleep on top of vintage fabrics and eat the lovely embellishments...sheesh. We survived it though...and I got to witness the 'spark' for fiber art in someone else, nothing beats that! After Giselle left I kept working on a project I had started...I was distracted... looking at my beads and random embellishments... all I could think was...(in my best Marty Huggins voice) So...five hours later, my beads, threads, random trims and embellishments, etc are all grouped by color and sorted into plastic bags, etc. I came out of what was almost like some kind of daze and was happy with what I saw. And then Wednesday morning I woke up and cleaned/organized my wee little art space in the kitchen...and that made me (and John!) happy...nice open space to create more work, everything put away. Yes, please. Wednesday it was off to Ink and Pistons to drop off my pieces for the show this weekend (Amanda and JR are so nice!, congrats on your one year!) and the head on over to Jessie's for randomness. Amanda gave me some postcards to distribute....but first...yep. Impromptu photo shoot out on the patio for Art Hive Magazine and Ink and Pistons promoting on social media. Yeah, I know, we are silly. So silly. What happened after the photo shoot goes as following...Jessie attempts to make cauliflower rice...I eat leftover spaghetti squash and turkey meatballs (amazing! more, please!)...Jessie gives up on her culinary endeavor and makes stir fry with regular rice...I post to Art Hive blog and FB about Ink and Pistons and then take a hour and a half nap...Jessie is a creeper and takes a picture of herself watching me sleep...don't ask...then we plot and plan to take over the world! (...not really, we started talking about sparkly stuff and then I went home) Awaiting me at home...a large box from my father-in-law. Inside- magic! Raffaele has been experimenting with transferring images onto wood...and now I know why. He made me a cool wood block based on an image from my website, it is sitting on my art desk as we speak, er...read...er..write. You get the point. Also in the package, a 'drawing box'. It looks like a big wooden book, but it actually opens up and has storage for my 11x14 drawings. I can close the box and use the top as a work surface. Its...kind...of...awesome. Inspired by the 'mail magic' I received...I packaged up some things that I have been wanting to make, spent time collaging and embellishing each package....I shipped those off Thursday morning. Which brings me to last night (Thursday) and this morning. I kind of have...ummm...alot going on. I feel a little overwhelmed, and excited. Not sure where to start.
I will make a list, cause I am weird like that.
...these cats are getting outta hand!
...oh my is right. I really feels like summer break now, and I kind of...well...LOVE it! Yay! Well, I kind of have several projects in the works...per my previous post...so this will be a shorter blog but I did want to take a minute and write about the new series I started yesterday...I call 'em, 'Crazy Cat Ladies'. I thought of these pieces because I want to show them at a really cool group art event. There is a show coming up in July called, Caturday Saturday at the Greenroom Nightclub in Fort Lauderdale and I didn't make any pieces for it last year and I didn't want to miss out this year...so I am starting early! Hangin' with some cool cats Now, let's just get this straight. I am not hatin' on crazy cat ladies, I myself and probably one cat away from being one myself. I use the term lovingly. When I started thinking about the pieces I wanted to make I was checking on-line to see what was already being done, if anything. I came upon this site, http://www.crazycatladies.org. I checked out the site and saw some good information on there about cat hoarding, etc. which is a serious problem and not funny at all, but I definitely think these pieces could at least draw attention to the bigger issues. So my idea for my pieces is to continue to look for inspiration from fashion magazines and my Pinterest Boards (poses, styling, faces, etc) and then combine the images of my ladies with cats...cats resting on their heads, shoulders, peeking out from behind them, etc. High fashion meets feline fierceness...cat couture... I will select my three pieces for the Caturday Saturday show from this series, I hope to make lot's of them! When I was making the first three pieces, I kept thinking about the whole animal hoarding thing...and then the importance of spaying an neutering...and how terrible it is that everyday animals are euthanized ..Mackie and Scooter came from an animal shelter and I can't imagine not seeing their furry faces when I wake up...so I want to try and figure out a way to get some of my pieces out there to raise awareness, or funds, for a local animal shelter. I tried to find contact information for the site I found, but could not find anything. Still researching but if anyone out there has any leads please let me know. ([email protected]) Alright...time to get this day started! Gym, lunch with one of my favs, a nap with Mackie and Scooter, creative everyday pieces, a commission and some more 'crazy cat ladies'! ...I am in the middle of my last pieces of the series...gonna work on these all at once because I am doing lot's of layering with crayon, crayon resist, photo transfers and maybe some bootleg encaustic techniques...also working on a commission using gouache on vellum and some 'crazy cat ladies' that I started today and and really excited about...all of this madness will be on my Instagram account until I have time to sit and blog, http://instagram.com/artinw_damuse
In the meantime...thought I might post something fun. When I was little, I loved my coloring books. Now, lot's of artsy folks hate on coloring books...but I liked 'em, and I still do. I changed over some of the images from my series this month, please feel free to download, print and, well, color'em! Grown folks, kids, whatever! Here is the link to the PDF of images. Have fun...and stay tuned for updates on my creative chaos! ...do you like art? sparkle? cats? fashion? random inspiration? if you answered yes to any of these questions....you just might like my pics on Instagram. Go ahead, check it out!
http://instagram.com/artinw_damuse |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
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