Negligent Blogging!

I have been a negligent blogger I know, but for good reason. I am still trying to brush the dust off of my recent wedding. I have always heard rumors of the overwhelmed bride. However, I didn't believe them...until now. I imagined a life post-wedding to be easier and filled with free time, mine has been anything but! I'm not complaining, more-so making an excuse as to why I have been less than attentive to my own artistic endeavors. But all of that will change, there are some exciting things on the horizon such as new art being made, a possible women's art co-op being created, and renting a booth at the upcoming Crafty Supermarket! So stayed tuned. Until then here are some pictures from my recent nuptials.

Rob Ryan timelapse

Recently I've fallen in love with the work of artist Rob Ryan. His simple yet complex images can mesmerize you for hours. Not only does his work exude the current DIY craze, but is very reflective of the Victorian Era with its ornate nature and hue choices. I truly admire artists that can bring back the past yet recontextualize it with a modern twist. If you're interested in having one of these gems adorn your wall you can purchase one right here.  

However, if that's a bit out of your price range you can enjoy the video below that shows his process or keep up-to-date at his blog.

Stop to see the paper!

So after my recent post about origami, another fellow paper lover happened to stumble upon my blog—and I'm glad they did! The lovely paper blog is about all things paper, from diy projects to gowns made of nothing but. Currently they're having a contest to win a wonderfully handcrafted picture frame (image above) made from newspaper and felt. All you have to do to be entered into the contest is the following:

1. Follow their blog (what paper lover wouldn't want to do that?)

2. Leave a comment

3. Write your own blog about the contest (lend a hand

to fellow bloggers and help promote!)

With this fun and creative contest about paper taking place I thought I'd talk about a couple of other must have/must sees for avid paper lovers.

The book Paper: Tear, Fold, Rip, Crease, Cut, by Ravin Smith celebrates one of our oldest artist materials. It provides a historical look at paper from its creation to contemporary use. Paperprofiles fifty artists and designers that use and manipulate the material in non-traditional ways. Featured artists include: Andreas Kocks, Rachel Whiteread, Robert Ryan, and Thomas Demand. If you're looking for a book that will not only fill your brain with the history of paper, but also introduces you to some "outside of the box" uses by some of the great contemporaries, then this is it! Oh, did I mention the book has an interactive component too?

If I'm going to talk about paper then I should also mention something to contain this historical gem. The book Re-bound: Creating Handmade Books from Recycled Repurposed Materials is chalked full of amazing ways in which to bind your paper. And since going green as become as popular as sliced bread, this how-to book is a double win! The book contains sixteen step-by-step instructions on how to take every day house hold items and turn them in to a masterpiece for your bookshelf.

Last, but not least we can't forget about our wallpaper lovers! I will be the first to admit I'm not a fan of wallpaper in the traditional sense. It's rare now-a-days that I see wallpaper adorning a wall that doesn't look tacky—yes there have been some exceptions. However, wallpaper in the non-traditional sense I'm game. Coming into the home stretch before my wedding I've been scouring some of my go-to websites for last minute diy projects and came across a project forpersonalized napkins that uses wallpaper. I was really attracted to the vintage wallpaper they used that I spent the rest of the afternoon browsing Vintage Wallpapers' website. They literally have hundreds upon hundreds of different styles ranging from the 1930s to the 80s. With such a great paper to start with the creative possibilities are endless!

So whether you're going big, going green, or trying to go back in time take a second to appreciate a paper and all of its infinite potential!

1,000 Cranes!

If there is one art material I love above all else it would probably have to be paper. I think it steams from the half designer in me. Paper stores, lectures on paper, paper conventions—yes there are conventions on paper, I just can't to seem to get enough of it! So it appeared to be rather fitting for my soon-to-be wedding that my fiancée and I would fold what else...paper cranes.

Tracking the exact origins of these colorful, hand-folded little birds can be a bit of a mystery. However, most seem to conclude that the start of origami began around 100 AD. This date correlates with the invention of paper, while there is no strong evidence that one leads to the other. The first documented evidence of origami occurred in 1680 in the form of a poem by Ihara Saikaku. In 1797 the first book on origami, Sembazuru Orikata was publlished by Akisato Rito, The literal translation of the book is "The folding of One-thousand Cranes."

It is an ancient Japanese legend that if you fold 1000 cranes you will be granted one wish; this tradition is known as tsuru wa sennen—the crane lives for 1000 years. In 1960 the custom was revived after the publication of Sadako and One Thousand Cranes. Sadako was a young Japanese girl that lived in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945. In hopes to survive the "atomic bomb disease"—leukemia, she attempted to fold 1000 cranes while in the hospital longing to make it to her one wish, survival.

There are two different versions of the ending of Sadako's story. One is that she only made it to 644 cranes before her death, in which her family finished the last of the 1000 cranes and buried them with her. Or the other more uplifting version as told by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is that in fact Sadako did fold all her cranes prior to her death on October 25, 1955. Because of her inspiring story the act of folding 1000 cranes has become an international symbol for world peace.

Wanting to spread the hope that Sadako had, couples began the process of folding cranes for their weddings. This more recent tradition is seen as a symbol of the patience and trust needed to sustain a healthy marriage. A couple that can last the long—and sometimes grueling process, of folding 1000 cranes is seen to be able to withstand anything. Upon folding the last crane the couple can then make a wish.

Jon and I began the underestimated journey of folding 1000 cranes within weeks of being engaged. So one could easily assume by now our task would be complete. However, both of us being artists/designers we have the not-so-wonderful ability to procrastinate. As of this minute we have approximately half the cranes folded...and we're getting married in TWO WEEKS!

Last night we began the process again. Once I start something I'm not really good at giving up, I see a couple sleepless nights in our future. I guess if we can make it through folding 500 cranes in two-weeks we might be able to make through anything. But if you by chance have one wish in your storage bank maybe you could be so gracious to bestow upon us that we might actually be able to finish what we started!

Paying it forward, with art

Since yesterday was "official" Pay it Forward Day I thought it would be a perfect time to talk about the art of giving...art. Two-days-ago one of my past students Marqui Watling gifted me an amazing self-portrait done in the style of contemporary photographer Cindy Sherman.

This piece was created for her digital photography class; the assignment was to take pictures of yourself in a fictional setting. I asked Marqui what her process was for taking the photograph and in typical artist fashion she replied, "I woke up, had lots of coffee, and just started taking picture of myself and friends, until I came to the conclusion to try to reenact old 1950s pulp magazine covers/poses. Thus, I gathered a bunch of outfits from the closet: suits, hats, wigs, etc. because you never know." This experimental approach is very indicative of many artists and tends to be when the best work comes to fruition.

While her photograph clearly reflects the style of Cindy Sherman, Marqui says she finds most her inspiration from the garage punk band The Cramps and the illustrations by renowned pulp magazine artist Rudolph Belarski.

Despite the fact that Marqui says she's still trying to "find her style in the photography world," what she is doing currently captured the attention of many of her past and present Instructors. The first time I caught a glimpse of this photograph was during the AiOH-C student show winter quarter and automatically I was drawn to its saturated hues and implied narrative—not to mention the amazing wig Marqui was wearing. All of this attention landed her a first place prize during the exhibition, which in turn she won the Adobe Creative Suite 5 and personal bragging rights for a lifetime; both of which were well deserved.

Overall, her "combine work with play" approach is clearly reflected in her art and I feel will take her far in her field. This piece not only served as a great addition to the student show but will make for a wonderful addition to my small, yet growing art collection. Thank you Marqui for "paying it forward" to me!

The Art of Gardening

So I've been m.i.a. for the past week plus. But with good reason! I must fully admit I'm NOT a multitasker—horrible I know. My plants have been seeking much of my care: bringing them ALL in at night to avoid the last spring frost, transplanting to bigger pots, watering...the list goes on. So here is an update of what's happening in Gnome Garden—yes, this is the recent name I've given to my little plot of vegetation. And if you're wondering why I'm writing about gardening on an art blog, well if you think gardening isn't an art...try it!

All gnomes have been placed—despite my fiancees protests and pleas. I had every intention of limiting the gnomes that I purchased. However, this last weekend my mother-in-law and sister-in-law added to the list and and these new comers had to find a place in the garden as well.

The heirloom tomato seeds I was gifted from Critter Farm have been planted and I'm counting down the days for them to be transplanted, make their way into the garden, flower, and then produce fruit! It will be a celebration.

My other tomato plants were begging to be transplanted, fencing was placed around the garden to keep out my grass loving dog, flowers potted and THEN drug inside after a bizarre end-of-season frost advisory. Weeds that have grown like wildfire—despite my best attempts to keep them away, had to be pulled!

It's been a rough week lemme tell ya! So if you'd like to give this therapeutic, yet sometimes time consuming form of art a try, yet you think it's too late in the season to start, stop by the Cincinnati Civic Garden Center this weekend. The center will be having their 50th annual Plant, Herb & Hosta Sale and you can buy plenty of mature plants raised with love. The preview party is on Friday April, 29—but it'll cost ya! Or you can wait like me until the weekend and go for free. Good luck and happy gardening.

Documentary: Handmade Nation

I haven't seen this yet, but I'm hoping to order online—but I have to get paid first....hmm.  

Once I get it anyone want to have a popcorn movie party?

High Art vs. Low Art: Are we winning or losing?

So why is everyone creating things with their hands now-a-days? It appears to be all the rage. In a mere five years this June sites such as Etsy have taken off like wild fire! Handcrafted typography and hand-drawn illustration are becoming common place. And many are choosing to knit their own sweaters rather than purchase machine made. But why? This topic was a recent discussion between my mother-in-law and I. Neither of us seemed to come to any strong conclusions, however, I do have a couple theories.

From a personal standpoint I loathe technology, seriously! It took me months before I gave into even creating a blog. I'm not good at texting, I know next-to-nothing about twitter and I'm horrible at facebook. But give me a paint brush or a sewing machine and I'll Martha Stewart the heck out of it— or at least try. But how do you take something such as "craft," which by some would be considered low art and recontextualize it to make it acceptable to the aristocrats of the art world?

Well I might just have your answer.....By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art. Feeling bad that I had spent seven years in college to become a "fine artist" and currently I'm spending more time using felt and fabric rather than oil paint and canvas, a fellow M.F.A. graduate introduced me this book. While trying to avoid being too melodramatic this book has seriously been my recent art savor. I felt like what had been creating would have been mocked by my professors in college, but after reading this book I feel as though I can make a valid hybrid of all the things I love—although I'm still working on the hybrid/conceptual part.


I remember the first time I read it, saying to myself "Yes! That's exactly what I was thinking." The book emphasizes on personal experience, which for myself was the reason I was doing what I was doing. The act of doing it was far more satisfying than the final outcome. I gathered joy from each stitch; the materials I use remind me of my mother, the process is rather slow and methodical and the final outcome doesn't have to be anything more than what it truly is. The book looks at thirty-two contemporary artists and designers who are doing the same thing in an attempt to "get closer to their own lives and to the lives of others" by means of using their hands.

The "why" for each of these artists slightly varies, but every action has a reaction. 1990s was a time of "more is more" with computers, video cameras, and Adobe programs being more readily accessible. The time it took to "make" something was cut in half; not to mention the tools they were using made the craft of the final outcome almost flawless with little-to-no effort. Yet, in the end this all leads to mass production. What fun is it to be an artist if you can't get your hands dirty or you're being stripped of your "individuality"? So artists began to rebel.

Kiki Smith might of put it best when she said, "We are all the same yet everyone is different." So the question may not be "why" is creating something with your hands become so popular...but when will we all be doing it and run into the same problem of no longer being a unique snowflakes?

Design*Sponge

While some may find themselves combing over every word in the NY Times or Wall Street Journal to stay up on current events, I find myself skipping over such daily reminders on how the world isn't the utopia I wish it could be. When I scour over the Internet I'm usually looking for things that pertain to gardening, art or raising small farm animals such as goats or chickens—but the last part is for another day. It's also rare that I visit a site more than once a week with the exception of one...Design*Sponge.

I ran across the Design*Sponge website about a month ago when looking for ideas for yo-yo pillows—a huge undertaking that I'm now regretting taking on in the first place. The article I found was great, so I thought I'd stick around for awhile and see what the rest of the site had to offer. After two-hours I was hooked! It was everything I had ever looked for in a design website.

After finding out the website was created in 2004 by writer Gracie Bonney, who was once a contributing editor at Domino Magazine, no wonder why I was addicted. I still get teary eyed knowing that magazine is no longer in existence. Along with Ms. Bonney there is a long list of who's who in the design world that contribute to the site addressing topics ranging from diy projects, product reviews, to holistic living.

I find myself checking the site periodically throughout the day to see if one of its 6-10 posts has been published yet. I also become tragically bummed-out when the weekend rolls around knowing no posts will be added until Monday. One night of the evening news and I'm good on current events for the week, ten posts on Design*Sponge in a day and I just can't seem to get enough! Pathetic? Perhaps. Yet it's my way I like to stay "up-to-date."

Crafty Supermarket!

This past weekend was the Crafty Supermarket at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center.  When I first found out about it—a mere hour before they opened the doors—I jumped for joy and called every girlfriend I thought would be interested.  It was going to be like esty in real life!  After a very small nudge to my soon-to-be mother-in-law and a reminder from my soon-to-be husband not to spend too much money we were on our way. 

I didn't know what to truly expect.  I had been to "craft" shows long ago with my mother who loved to do tole painting, but this was going to be different.  This was going to be my kind of crafts.  The first vendor we stopped by made handmade books from recycled materials.  It was love after the first page turned...until I flipped the book over and saw the price tag "Gasp, 30 bucks!"  far more than my ten-dollar budget would allow.  Don't get me wrong I fully understand why the 8.5x11" book was priced as such, anything made with such love and care doesn't come cheap.  But I thought to myself I could surely make something like this on my own.  

Here comes the problem, having an art background I found myself looking at each object I touched saying, "I could do that and possibly for much cheaper."  Then I began to notice a pattern, a lot of booths had pretty much the exact same thing as the booth two doors down.  The options were: handmade soap, handmade books, or stuffed owls—when stuffed owls became so popular I don't know.  But take what I say with a grain of salt, I am filled with 110% bias.  I'm like an insider who knows the secrets of the trade and with that I can say that I understand why the price tags for things were as such.  If it were I making some of those things I'd be charging the exact same if not more.  

On an exciting note one booth did stop me in my tracks and cause me to go back and take a second peek.  Lori Brown of The Morninglori Vine handcrafted the most amazing "curiosities" I've ever seen!  These little creators were clever, well crafted and filled with personality.  I wanted all of them!  But alas, as they say "that and a buck will get you a cup of coffee"  ten bucks just doesn't go as far these days!

 

While I didn't leave the Craft Supermarket with any bags-in-tow, I did see some clever ideas and felt rather inspired to actually begin my own etsy account.  We'll see how it goes until then I might just save my pennies to actually buy my very own "curiosity."