A Great Book for Beginner and Seasoned Artists

My friend, Deborah Forman really knows how to teach artists. Years ago, she was my daughter's art teacher and helped get Brin ready to apply to art school. I was on the search committee to find a teacher for the Westport high school and when Deborah came in and showed a few lesson plans it was hard not to jump out of our chairs and scream YES! She's recently written a book called Paint Lab which is a collection of 52 exercises based on practicing artists work, materials and techniques. The lessons are short and manageable for a quick change of approach but have depth enough to carry you far in another direction if you're so inclined. It's a great book for new or experienced artists and the book includes exercises based on the work of Paul Klee, Helen Frankenthaler, Gerhard Richter, Frida Kahlo, Tom Sgouros, Neal T Walsh and I'm honored to say, Alyn Carlson. It's published by the same folks that are publishing my hat book, Quarry Press and my fabulous editor, Mary Ann Hall edited it. Check it out on Amazon, here.

Quarry also publishes a series of these books for children.

Each exercise takes up only one spread.

Deb used my Landscape No. 23 as her back cover art.

Spring Bling

Photo by Sadie Dayton

Twice a year I get to design a catalogue for Swarovski's Touchstone Crystal and I get a little seasonally mixed up. I do the Fall book in Spring, and Spring in Fall so I am always seasonally challenged. I'm in the last month of creating Fall/Winter '13 and I should be excited about seafoam green, but I'm actually already giggling about Tory Burch's Klimt inspired, turquoise and burgundy line for Fall. But back to Seafoam green, which only comes around about 2-3 times a century; the model shots for the new spring/summer book were taken over two very cold days last November but thanks to an amazing team, with Sadie Dayton shooting and Joji Goto styling we found some sunshine.  Add in piles of bling with product photos by Ira Garber, the incredible retouching of Suzanne Dunkl, and styling by jewelry designer Troy Hines, the sparkle happened.

Photo by Sadie Dayton

Photo by Sadie Dayton

Photo by Ira Garber

Mighty Lighty

After comparing our lists for most important features in the new place Paul and I found light being top priority for both of us. Having gone from twenty five foot ceilings to some I can touch on tippy toes, lighting has been a challenge. In a small, short place, every bulb has to work hard. Lower placement, paint with high luminosity, and as many reflective surfaces nearby seems to be where we are finding balance.

Livingroom has a long way to go before we are truly living in it.

The flex light. So fun from
YLighting.http://www.ylighting.com/droog-flexlamp.html

We had our heart set on this for somewhere in the house.
It's a kit by Logan Hendrickson, taking off on the
classic Potence style design. Pretty affordable in comparison.
I found this on Remodilista. Might be too eensy.

From my peeps in Scandinavia. Found here.
They know about making the most of the little light they have.

Wonderful reflections with only direct light. Found on Stylefiles.

Baby Water World Print Give Away and Sale

Beebee Eau Monde No.1

It seems like it's time for those little babies to start arriving. The daffodil buds are teasing us, the first little peepers are starting to peep in the ponds and friends are becoming mamas and papas. My friend Hannah just announced the arrival of her little Tristan Skye. To celebrate Tristan and all the new beanies, I'm offering some of my Beebee Eau Monde watercolors as prints. Two paintings to choose from, in two sizes. Printed on acid free, mould-made Hahnemuhle German Etching paper, the prints come in 8" x 8" for $75. and 15"x15" for $125. Perfect gift for your new favorite wee one. Plan on a two week delivery time with your choice of shipping separate.
AND to make the arrival of green buds even sweeter, I'll give away an 8"x8" print to the person who brings me the most new blog followers by April 1. 

Beebee Eau Monde No.2

Interview with David Howard

Karen Carpenter as Pope Joan in Top Girls

For the last few years I've focused on my painting, and acting has had to take a back seat. I miss it. The particular type of community, trust and intimacy that is part of working on a theater production, I've never experienced anywhere else. A characters personality, relationship to others on stage, and their history can usually be seen in what they wear. Costumer, David Howard, is a master of stitching together a fabricated version of a characters soul. Energy off the charts, quick but incredibly thorough, diligent with homework, always a pro, David is genuinely kind from the beginning to end of a show. He manages being a professor of costume at URI, a resident designer at the Gamm Theater, and is often the glue that keeps us all together back stage and onstage. Here are David's answers to my usual interview questions and some samples of his wonderful work. To learn more about David's work and the upcoming production of Anne Boleyn, you can go the Gamm Theater site here.  

 What inspires you lately? Lately, I am caught up between Tudor history and modern looks. Two very different shows have my mind pulling in very different ways: it is strange. So, Hans Holbein and Alexander McQueen. Super Heroes and Daniel Mytens. I find myself inspired by a number of fabrics I already have and need to see the light of day, as they have been yelling at me to be used.

What was your first memory? One of my first memories was being fed eggs and crackers by my mother (1 year old, perhaps) and projectile vomiting. Never been able to touch eggs since.

Can you describe the best thing you saw on your last walk? The best thing on my last walk…I haven't had a good walk in a while, unless you count the walk I took around the Armory when I couldn't find an open door.

What are the five things that would make a perfect day of work?1) That you have enough material, and if not, Lorraine Fabrics still has more on the bolt. 

2) The serger doesn't break down

3) That I remember to clean as I go

4) It is awesome if something changes in my mind just enough to make the garment better…and it ends up working

5) I have enough time to eat something yummy

Can you describe the best pair of shoes you have ever owned? I own a lot of pairs of shoes. Sadly I only have 2 or three pairs that fit me, since most are purchased for productions. I did find (and still have) a great pair of grey sued and black leather two toned spectator wingtips that I got in Cleveland for $15. I used to wear them once and a while, but there have been many productions where they have found their way out of retirement.

What are you doing this weekend? This weekend: Well, we are starting up our first week of shows for ANNE BOLEYN at the GAMM, rehearsals and building clothes for METAMORPHOSES at URI, and classes began on wednesday, so it is a pretty packed work weekend. I did get around to cleaning my studio and packing up some of the extras from ANNE. I will try to take advantage of some sales this long weekend (gosh I hate shopping). Get my syllabi in order. I am going to try to get my laundry put away. Still some beading to do on ANNE. Researching LED lights for META.  

 All photos are of Gamm Theater productions, shot by Peter Goldberg 

Studio Practice

Paul and I share a space in a factory mill in Fall River.
We are so lucky our floor mates are more family than friends.

For the last few months, my daily to-do list has been a little overwhelming, with the selling of the church and looking for a new place. During the week, when I'm Ms. Virgo Listmaker it all seems to work. The battle with anxiety, sadness and self doubt seems to hit me the hardest when I stop. And most particularly on Sundays, in my painting studio. I've been able for the most part to keep the place pretty sacred. I've promised to keep the space free of the computer, only make calls to and from the studio and checking emails (yes and occasionally Facebook) only on my lunch break. Stopping and emptying myself to paint today seemed especially challenging and it took me a few hours to figure out why. Art + Commerce. We're preparing for an art and antiques sale at the church the weekend of Feb 9-10, and I'm sorting through old drawings, paintings and lots of collectables, trying to put a value, a real price tag on it all. I've always said it's almost impossible to sell your art at the same time you're making it. Two totally different parts of your brain that seems to fight with each other. Recognizing it today made me fall in love with my studio, my process and work in a new way. A few postings back I wrote about the illustrator Tove Jansson and her wonderful children's books. This quote is such a good reminder for me to keep certain "creeps" out of my studio. -
"It's the right evening for a tune, Snufkin thought. A new tune, one part expectation, two parts sadness, and the rest, just the delight of walking alone and liking it. As he settles in to compose, he is disturbed by a small creature, a "creep", which rustles out of the undergrowth, declares its admiration for the famous Snufkin, asks him a lot of questions and demands attention and comfort. Meanwhile, the tune, which until then was forming itself out of the noises of the forest and brook and the slow revelations of the season, disappears. Snufkin has to wait for it to come back".
-exerpt from "The Spring Tune" part of the Moomin series
The photos are my early valentine to the place and tools I have a crush on. 

I've finally learned to love cleaning my brushes.
And I buy more expensive ones less often.

Sometimes the rags are just as beautiful as the paintings.

I work with natural light but a few paper lanterns make
the place cozy the last hour of the day in the winter.

A doctor friend gave me a pile of white surgical gowns
that make great painting smocks.
A little eccentric looking, but they cover everything nicely.

Oil bars, gigantic crayons, really.

Lots of enamelware and cigar boxes 

My favorite Swedish teacups my friend Pat gave me and a pic
of my pal Bruce, patron Saint of Art Elves.

I have also learned to embrace "setting the table for the muse"
Getting all those white empty surfaces
ready gives  me a little flip flop of excitement. 

What I Did on My Summer Vacation Part 2

Hannah Noah, newly weds, Santa Cruz, CA

It wouldn't be summer without a wedding. Our trip to California was in part, to see my dear friend Hannah, marry her wonderful Noah. I asked Hannah this spring how I could contribute to the rustic, elegant, bespoke event she was planning. She requested something I'd never done before- a paper cake that a cupcake could sit on top of. Paper hats, collages, even clothing I've done but never a cake. She left the design, color and style completely open to my inspiration. Checking out her beautifully curated Pinterest wedding board, I got a feel for what she was attracted to. For materials I settled on an old Benjamin Moore color chip set. Inexpensive, abundant and perfectly graduated colors to build my version of an ombre cake. Photos by Paul Clancy

Thank you Mr. Benjamin Moore

I started with trimming hundreds of paint chips
 to create flat bottomed "petals"

I then stitched them together, carefully butting
the edges of each petal.

I arranged them in four tiers, starting with a
 small light cream top (big enough to hold her cupcake)
then a soft green and blue layer,
then two deeper blue/green layers
 and ending with a large "chocolate" bottom.

I also made hundreds of white, cream and chocolate
" mushrooms".  A simple circle, with a slit to the center.
 Pulling the corner on each side of the slit together,
I glued them with a dab of hot glue.

The cardboard base of each layer I made
fashioned after a basic hat box design.
Using templates that were available
(cereal bowls, odds and ends) I traced
two circles the width I wanted each layer.
I added a 1/2 inch to each circle and cut out.
 Then all around each, I cut tiny slits from outer
 edge to traced circle and cut.
They became the tabs I used to glue it all together.
Straight strips of cardboard cut
to the size I needed with
penciled guides for gluing became
the walls of my cake layers.

Even though I carefully packed and shipped the
cake unassembled, there was a little repair
I had to do when I got there.
The hundreds of mushrooms hid lots of sins.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation Part 1

Great summer. 

Writing a posting after being AWOL for 2 months feels like putting on new school shoes after a summer of flip flops. A lot of family visiting, some great projects professionally to work on with Paul, setting up a new sewing room and going to the San Francisco area for a beautiful wedding and to see old friends kept us going at a lovely speed.

First I'd like to introduce you to a new client that had us shoot some of the most beautiful, well thought out gardens I've ever walked through. Kathy and Chris Tracey of Avant Gardens in Dartmouth, Massachusetts hired me to design their logo last winter. Logos are one of my favorite things to create and the process with them was one of my favorites to date. They can design and build a garden for you, sell you some of the most rare, uncommon and delightful plants, inspire and instruct with their blog, and offer you a walk through one of the loveliest nurseries you'll ever visit. Client crush big time. 

Below are three collages of some of their work Paul and I captured. For general info their site is http://www.avantgardensne.com  To see more of the photos you can visit my flickr site here.