Mail Art

envelope art by Mark Hill

Mark Hill, the illustrator, has a fun project going on. If you send him your address, he will send you a random envelope that he has "doodled" on. These are wonderful. I got mine in the mail this week.... of course I'm going to do one to mail back to him (when I get back from Artfest, right now I've got no time). I've done stuff like this for friends and family, but never for complete strangers. Great way to promote himself. And I love getting stuff in the mail!

Miniatures

So, this past weekend there was a show opening at the Art Gallery of Lambeth in London, Ontario. I have work on display there most of the time... they have a nice little space, a studio where they hold classes, and they always promote their shows and openings. It's about a two hour drive from where I live. Not too bad if the weather cooperates. This photo is from this show, before the opening. I thought since everything was so small it might end up looking really cluttered. I really shouldn't have worried. It looked great.

March Mini Invitation

The artists that show here are a really nice bunch of people. The work is always really interesting and there is a nice variety of stuff. Even have a little boutique. This show was miniatures. They did this last year too, and I had a few pieces in that show as well. It's interesting working small... things go faster (for me anyway), but I can do twenty and only have 2 or 3 I'm happy with. This year I decided to go totally abstract. They actually used one of my images on the invitation. Another interesting concept... their invitation was the actual size of the image, with the info about the show printed on the back. It looked really nice. So now I've got actual size reproductions that I can hand out to friends. I kinda like that.

Artfest Trades

With 3 weeks to go before Artfest, I've been busy trying to get my trades together. It's not been an easy task... I'm busy at work, and in my free time I'm trying to juggle housework, cooking, shuttling around my kid, redesigning the website for the gallery I participate in and, of course, trying to create some art. I have a half finished painting staring at me as I type this... so many possibilities that I'd love to explore, but the list of things to do keeps growing. I fear this one is going to have to wait until I get back.

Just the same I've been having fun working on these trades. This is the first time I'm participating in something like this (but I hope not the last!). A few people have posted photos of stuff they've collected from previous years... I hope the stuff I'm making won't pale in comparison. I feel honoured to be able to participate. 

I'm making bookmarks for the general trade. I took some small pieces I've been working on, scanned them in and added the Artfest logo. Contact info on the back, just in case someone wants to keep in touch. I laminated them to give them a bit of extra weight, and put on a colourful ribbon to jazz them up a bit.

I read that usually people make something special for their room-mates in the dorm. I'm in a room with 3 other women... I guess spending 4 intense days creating can be a real bonding experience. I'm really looking forward to it. So for these people, I'm making a wire necklace, and a bookmark with a special touch. 

Now, I'd better to get back to work.....

Artfest Trade: Book of Faces

So, I completed my submission for Penelope Harris' "Book of Faces" group project. It was fun. I rarely just sit and draw anymore... my creating time is so limited I usually jump right into painting. Here it is.

The first two are sketches from photos, the third is a self-portrait (which doesn't really look like me, but then they never do, but oddly all look kinda the same) and the forth is an old drawing that I just like, and I happened to have that sketchbook open in my studio the day I decided to participate in this project. I can't wait to see the finished book. What a great idea!

Up and coming: Artfest

So, I've signed up for Artfest. I think this is going to be completely awesome. It's been eons since I even considered doing something like this, just for me. Someone else always comes first. Well, that's how it is when you become a mom. It's what you sign up for. But suddenly I not only have the time, but also the money and a hubby willing to do all the familial duties and carting around for a week. How did I get so lucky???

Now all my plans are made: classes signed up for, dorm room booked, flight, hotel, car etc. all looked after. So, next? Time to get involved. I signed up for a trade: a book of faces. I haven't done life drawing in a year or so, I never really concentrated on faces, and line drawings are not really my thing. But in the spirit of trying something different, I signed up anyway. Hopefully it won't be a complete disaster. There are other trades going on that look really fun, but I can't commit to something I don't honestly think I'll have time to complete. I do have a full-time job, after all (along with a pile of other commitments I barely have time to live up to).  I'll have to figure out something else to do as an Artfest trade, as this seems to be one of the highlights of the retreat, at least according to what I've read on other blogs. If I'm going to do it I want to jump in with both feet. This is going to be so much fun.

A New Box of Crayons

When I was 7 or 8 years old, a favorite uncle gave me a box of crayons for Christmas. This was not just any old box of crayons. This was the giganto-pack, the largest size box of Crayolas you could buy. It had everything in it. The regular spectrum, of course, but also a bunch I had never seen before. Neon colors, silver, gold... everything I could possibly even think of wanting. And it had a built in sharpener on the box. I loved those crayons, and it forever cemented my relationship with my still favorite uncle.

The feeling I got when I opened that box is the same feeling I get every time I start a new art project. The sense of possibility, of limitlessness. It's why I keep going. After 20+ years of struggling and slogging, through the successes and the failures, the rejection, the praise and the criticism, it's that feeling I'm after. It's what keeps me going.

Here I am about to embark on something new again. I'm a bit behind with this whole blogging thing, but I follow enough of them that I see their worth. They can be inspiring and informative, a place to document experience and frustration. Here I will document my struggles and my process, and of course, my finished art and the thinking behind it. I hope to become part of that big online art community out there. It's been so inspiring for me, I think now is the time for me to share my crayons.