Art Community

Stepping out of my comfort zone....joining Grand Valley Art Student League. My friend Sara asked me to join the GVASL so I took a step outside of my comfort zone to nourish myself with art. I know I like being around a community of like minded people - artists.  It nourishes me and helps push me to create.

Strange

"I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you." Frida Kahlo in The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait

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Gratitude Friday

I am thankful for...
1. time at my art table
2. creating several pieces
3.art supplies
4.textures of paint and paper
5. colors

52 Week Photo Project: Week 29

Street Art in Denver

When we were in Denver, we drove past the street art again. I noticed one of the murals had changed. Top photo is before and bottom photo is what it looks like now. I love the changes to it, but just so interesting to see how it transformed.

Gratitude Friday

I am thankful for...
1. Having a poetry night under the moon light sky with my love
2. Waking my love up at 3am to look at the Super Moon
3. Getting time at my art table even if it was to get the pain in my body out on paper
4. Having a beautiful library to spend time in relaxing and reading
5. Breakfast for dinner

Street Art

I posted a photo of Denver street art for Week 23 of my 52 Week Photo Project.  Here is a collage of several of pieces of the street art.

52 Week Photo Project: Week 13

Well this photo wasn't taken by me, but it fulfills my requirement for what I wanted 52 Weeks to be about and that is capturing moments in my life.  This past week I had a chance to do some art and accidently put my hand in  the paint palette. When I pulled it away, I liked the way it looked so added a little more paint and then Michael took some photos of me with my hand in front of my face.

Julius Shulman

photographer Julius Shulman

Michael stopped me this morning before I dived into work to watch a documentary on Julius Shulman via Netflix instant. Oh....I am so thankful he did...it was captivating.

From Amazon: "Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman captured the work of nearly every major modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled it with his unforgettable images."

I will tell you the truth, I didn't know the name Julius Shulman, but as soon as they started showing his photographs...I recognized them. The film and his photography are impactful and inspiring. Extremely glad Michael persuaded me to take the time to watch it. It was well worth every minute and I know I will be floating on daydreams of beautiful architecture all day.

Inner Excavation & The Sound of Paper

Inner Excavation: Exploring Your Self Through Photography, Poetry and Mixed Media by Liz Lamoreux
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked this book up at the library and well that was a mistake - a good mistake. Because it made me want to go out and purchase the book right away so I would have time to fall into it the way I wanted...from the moment of reading the first pages I knew it was a book I need to have available in my studio/home always. It is a book for exploring and that takes time...longer then just having a couple weeks of it checked out at the library. But I am so glad I picked it up there so I knew without a doubt this is a good book and will be deeply personal but playful and fun. I can't wait to buy it and jump into ready to explore myself in a different way. Thank you Liz Lamoreux for creating such a lovely book.

View all my reviews

The Sound of Paper by Julia Cameron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am really stuck. I am scared of creating. This book is what I needed to read right in this moment. Working through some of the exercise has helped me pinpoint some of the fears and I believe will help me start moving forward. I checked this book out of the library, but have put it on my wishlist as I do think it would be a good book to have when needing when having doubts, insecurities and just being blocked in general.


View all my reviews

Green Guide for Artists

Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist by Karen Michel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this book! I checked it out from the library and can't wait to purchase it.  It is a must have for artists who want to use safer, nontoxic, greener materials in their art. It is divided into 4 chapters/sections...

* Greening your Studio: talking about product safety and just being safe in the studio, green paints, mediums, canvas and such
*Green Recipes: making paints, paint recipes and adhesive recipes
* Green Projects: bookmaking, paper-mache, using found objects and other green projects
* Green Artist Gallery - info about each artist in the gallery and examples of their green art, it also has a resource guide

Each section had such great information. Often much of the information was things I didn't know, recipes that I could make right now in my kitchen without much effort, projects and inspiration that made me want to create right away.

The book itself is so lovely to look at just thumbing through it. But it is just so full of good information for artist who want to start using green in their studio.  You might be able to find all the info online, but I would much rather have it in my studio and use because it just a great book.


View all my reviews

Ideas for Organizing Art Supplies

I really want to make some new organization/storage solutions for my office. Here are some things would be fun and useful.....

Source: alissafast.typepad.com via Darby on Pinterest

I want to make something like this...could get cake pans from the Dollar Tree. Just not sure on the candle sticks. Maybe check Big Lots for candles sticks.

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Darby on Pinterest

My can opener is one of those that takes the lip off and leaves a sharp edge. Maybe taping the edge so it covers the sharp edge. After taping, using paper around them to decorate.

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Darby on Pinterest

I know I have seen these at Dollar Tree too. So having a couple on my table with my favorite ribbons or twines in them.

Source: allsorts.typepad.com via Darby on Pinterest

I always see these at the Thrift Store and Habitat for Humanity. They always look grungy but sanding and painting would make it look a little more spiffy.

Source: creatingkeepsakesblog.com via Darby on Pinterest

This looks like a slack hanger but they don't open up so that ribbon could slide on so not sure if this specially made for ribbon - if so - good idea.

A Credo for Making It Happen

I adore Danielle LaPorte.  She really speaks to me in ways that have helped Michael with his business but also helped me with my art.  She now has a book The Fire Starter Sessions. Before she wrote the book - it was an ebook/eworkbook and I have it and it is excellent so I know the book will be great and plan on getting it. But this video she did as a little teaser for the book is excellent and inspiring.

Knowing What to Do

I love that I am exposed to beautiful art by so many talented artists via  Pinterest. This piece is by Jenny Wunderly

Source: pryorfineart.com via Darby on Pinterest

The Look

I started a new board on Pinterest recently for things that I like The Look of it...such as graphic design, package design, logos, illustrations and such.

Here are a few I have pinned for package design....I would probably at least try all these things based on package design. Not knowing anything about them - just liking their package. I have done that with music and books before too - liked the cover art and picked it up to listen/read just because of that.

Source: ffffound.com via Darby on Pinterest

Source: lovelypackage.com via Darby on Pinterest

Source: valeriejar.blogspot.com via Darby on Pinterest

Source: funnel.tv via Darby on Pinterest

Creativity

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.


Ira Glass on Creativity and David Shiyang Lue with the video of typography.   I have a typography fetish.  I play with type and fonts all the time. But really I am posting the video because I love what Ira Glass has to say about creativity.  I feel that often - the disappointment that it isn't what I want it to be but I can feel inside there is more and I know it can be more - just better.

Collage by Alex Cano

Love this piece by Alex Cano

Source: lovelyclusters.tumblr.com via Darby on Pinterest

29 Ways to Boost Your Creavity

Source: thingssheloves.tumblr.com via Georgia on Pinterest

Great List!

Chris Jordan

Art by Chris Jordan - Paper Cups, 2008

Depicts 410,000 paper cups, equal to the number of disposable hot-beverage paper cups used in the US every fifteen minutes.

I really enjoyed looking through the whole series....all the numbers associated with the items creating the patterns.