I was watching a show on TV last night and the word oeuvre was mentioned. Have you ever actually used it in conversation? To me oeuvre is kind of pretentious. I think the only time I ever say it is when I’m joking around with someone about my work (which I look on as a hodge-podge and never an oeuvre).
Still, whenever I hear the word, I think of an egg …someone’s personal cosmic egg with all sorts of interesting things contained inside it. But this probably has more to do with the fact that French was always my worst subject, and I recall being ridiculed by a teacher because I thought oeuvre was the plural form of an egg. Writing out oeufs a hundred times certainly corrected that particular mistake. Somehow the two words are still conjoined in my mind though, and that was what I was trying to get across with this digital ATC. I used an egg from a Luna Girl collage sheet and a painting of a model looking at a painting. I just wish I knew who the artist was because I like the counterpoint of the slightly racy-looking model and the elegant surroundings of a painter’s studio.
I guess it’s obvious what this week’s challenge is over at Make a Moo or Two. I scanned these pictures from a 19th century book on playing cards a while ago, and it was fun to get a chance to finally use them. The moo format is different from the size of a playing card of course, so rather than shrink these images, I decided to combine them into a collage.After the printing press was developed, images like these became available to people who previously wouldn’t have been able to afford art, and playing cards became very popular (as they still are). I think this is one reason why we enjoy making and trading Moos and ATCs so much. It’s a way of expressing our creativity and becoming an art collector in the process, which makes this an addictive combination for so many of us.
Last Friday, Ronna posted a drawing of a sheep that she’d done for a Christmas Show in 2006. She did this in response to a challenge that several people have been responding to on their blogs. What you do is go to the “Pictures” file of your hard drive and choose the sixth folder on your screen. Then you open that folder, choose the sixth picture and post it to your blog.
This seemed like a fun thing to try. You don’t know what you’ll get, although you hope it will be something interesting. But even if it isn’t, you go with it anyway.What I got was a photo Jeanne had sent me of a window last year. Coincidentally, we had talked on the phone about ten days ago, and agreed that we should start up our Photoshop volleys again. For a while there we were going full tilt with our exchanges. (We take turns altering a picture in Photoshop and end up with something that’s completely transformed from the original). So I took the appearance of Jeanne’s window as a sign that I should take action now, and then altered the photo to send to her. Now it’s your turn girlfriend!
You know how when you tell yourself not to think about something—chocolate, let’s say—you can’t get it out of your mind? I think that’s what has happened to me with the Olsen Twins.
Out of the blue, and while I was doing some research for a client this morning, I came across Stardoll, a website with virtual “paper” dolls. You can dress everyone from Paris Hilton and Angelina Jolie to Robert Pattinson from Twilight. Before I knew it, I was taking a time-out, and popping Ashley and Mary-Kate into some online wear. How lame is that? Lame maybe, but fun! As someone who was still drawing paper dolls and sharing them with my friends well into high school, I must say the virtual approach is not only way easier, but also delivers instant gratification. So …if you’re looking for a way to avoid work today, why not waste some time on Stardoll?
I found this doll yesterday in the box John’s watch came in, and I have no idea where she came from. Usually I have a good memory for that kind of thing. For example, in my ribbon collection, I could tell you which one Marissa gave me, or Carmi—and when I got it. But it’s like this doll dropped into my stash from some alternate universe.
I took a picture of her and decided that I’d turn her into a mini muse. While I was working on this ATC, John came into my workroom and said: “Oh look, it’s one of the Olsen twins.” I’m thinking my doll is more Ashley than Mary-Kate because of the hair, although I doubt either of them would have much time for art what with the making of millions and continual drinking of lattes. Still, it’s given me a new perspective on the twins. Not that I’d ever thought about either of them before, but who knows? Maybe at this very moment they’re sewing tiny costumes for their Blythe dolls.
A couple of weeks ago, Leslie wrote an interesting blog about the 18th century French artist Marie Élisabeth-Louise Vigée, and posted photos of some of her paintings. I particularly liked Vigée’s Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat, which I realized was the image used for my favorite B-Line Stamp (see above).
There’s something about self-portraits that intrigue me—not doing them myself, I mean—but rather, looking at how artists in general perceive themselves visually. That’s why I was drawn to Cate Coulacos Prato’s book, Mixed-Media Self-Portraits: Inspiration & Techniques.
If you’re looking for a catalogue of images by Rembrandt or Durer, you won’t find it here though—and for that reason I think this makes Prato’s approach all the more interesting. I wasn’t familiar with most of the artists in her book, but their self-portraits are fascinating. Instead of producing an actual likeness, most of them took an unconventional and highly personal approach. There are self-portraits done as dolls, a collection of objects, a mask and even a series done from photos taken in one of those booths at the local mall. All of the projects have detailed instructions that are helpful if you want to try the same kind of thing yourself. There are even tips on how to take your own picture. Whether you want to try doing your own self-portrait or not, this book is a great resource, and I’d recommend it to any artist who wants to experiment with different ways of looking at other people.
I’ve always looked on time management as the process of getting things done, so when I expend as much effort as I possibly can to complete a task and don’t finish it, I feel like I haven’t really been working—even though I have.
I was discussing this with John the other day and he suggested that I experiment with time rather than tasks. Apparently productivity experts say that if you divide up your day into segments, you’ll get more done. What you do is assign each task a certain amount of time, an hour let’s say, and at the end of that hour (no matter where you are) you stop and then move on to the next thing on your list.
I wasn’t sure if I could do this myself because I find it hard to switch gears when I’m involved in a project. What I usually do is keep on going until my energy level tanks. Sometimes this works for me, but more often than not it doesn’t …mainly because I’m too burned out to do anything else. For this reason alone, I was willing to experiment with a time pie and discipline myself to stick to it. The interesting thing is that I’m actually accomplishing more than I thought I could. Instead making progress in one area, I’m actually managing to do it in several. I think this approach works because it’s holistic. You may not have accomplished anything big, but there’s more balance because you feel that life in general is gently moving ahead.
I have to admit that I’ve been avoiding the news lately. It’s all gloom and economic gloom, which makes you feel helpless and uncertain of what’s going to happen next. (And who needs that?) But this morning in the New York Times, there was a heartwarming article about Stump, a ten-year-old Sussex Spaniel who won Best in Show at the 133rd Annual Westminster Kennel Club show at Madison Square Garden.
Stump (registered as Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee!) is the oldest dog ever to win this award, and back in 2005, he fell seriously ill with an undetermined illness, but eventually recovered.
What interested me about Stump was that he was definitely the crowd favorite, and won Best in Show even though he’s a seventy year old in human terms. Dog or not, this just goes to show us that excellence is possible at any age, and that your “prime” is right where you are right now.
Nellie van Leeuwen has been hosting the Make a Moo or Two challenge for a year now, so it’s time to celebrate. In case you’re new to the format, a moo measures approximately 1.1 x 2.8 inches (2.8 x 7 centimeters) and you can do anything you want to with it as long as you stick to the size. I decided I’d give it a go myself after seeing the wonderful moos on Godelieve’s blog, and I’m glad I did. Not only is it an opportunity to stretch creatively, but it’s also inspiring to see what so many other artists do with the weekly theme …so Happy Birthday fellow moo-ers, and here’s to Year Two.
If my studio space was a soap opera, it would be called “All My Stuff.” I’m in the process of taking an inventory so I know what I have to work with for my show in the fall. And I have to say I’m embarrassed by all the things I’d forgotten about, and therefore haven’t used yet.There’s that set of rusted stove legs I bought when I was up at Mary’s boat last summer; various (and mysterious) electrical components; a pile of dolls; and tons of scrapbooking paper of course. It’s obvious I’m more of a collector of things than a user of them—at least at this point. But when you think about it, all that stuff is just raw potential waiting to be explored …exciting and definitely quite daunting. But like Emily Dickinson said: “I dwell in possibility…”
I don’t know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but it’s brutal here. Snow, snow and more snow. Not to mention that it’s –23 degrees centigrade outside too. Rather than post one of our many photos of this winter’s ongoing snow crop, I thought I’d share a recent picture John took of Amy, our amaryllis—yes, there is some color in the Great White North even if it happens to be indoors. Amy usually blooms in a pair, but I decapitated her mate when I was aggressively organizing our recycling. This really upset me because it was just carelessness on my part (although her broken blossom did manage to open after I put it in a glass of water). Nevertheless, I was determined to find out whether or not there is such a thing as floral first aid, so I went straight to Wikipedia. It was there I discovered that Amy isn’t an amaryllis after all. Apparently she’s a member of the Hippeastrum family. But I don’t think I’ll rename her Hippy. Amy is much too elegant a lady for that.
When Emma was a little girl, she used to refer to “thinking” as thimpking. I try to remind myself of this when I’m tempted to take myself too seriously, which happens way more than it should, quite frankly.
Lately I’ve been frustrated because I’m in the middle of several projects where there’s no end in sight. I know self-help books tell you to congratulate yourself after taking even baby steps toward a major goal. But I’ve never been much good at that I’m afraid. My all-or-nothing nature can’t relax until things are neatly tied up …or not so neatly as is often the case.
Still, you do have to take a break from striving once in a while, and that’s where playing with pixels comes in handy for me. I can often finish something in Photoshop in one sitting—and it’s become a form of art therapy for me.So what does thimpking actually look like? Not sure that I know, but I took a stab at it anyway. (Oh, who am I kidding? I just needed an excuse to fool around!)
Those dropdown menus where you have to click on your title always irk me because I don’t feel like a Ms, a Miss or even a Mrs., so I don’t see why I have to choose one of them before I can continue on.
However, if you’re ordering tickets from the Royal Opera House in London, England there’s a lot more flexibility when it comes to describing yourself. Under “title,” you have a choice of over 125. You could be a Countess, a Baroness, a Marchioness, a Princess or even a Queen ...not to mention their male equivalents. My one quibble with this fabulous list is that there is no Empress included. I mean, if you can be a queen, why not an empress? I also couldn’t help wondering whether or not people enter in fake titles just for the fun of it. I’ve always loved “The Emperor of Ice Cream,” a line from one of Wallace Steven’s poems, and I’d be tempted to go that route if I was booking opera seats myself. I know the Emperor would be too busy taste testing the sweet stuff to be bothered with a mundane task like ordering tickets, so the Empress would have to do it for him.
When I was looking through my photos to find buildings—this week’s Make a Moo or Two theme—I thought about something Jean Luc Goddard once said. He believed that great movies wouldn’t be made until film was as cheap as paper and pen. That’s kind of the way photography is today. When you have a digital camera, you can just keep taking photos until your card fills up. Sooner or later you’re bound to get something you like, and occasionally you may even come up with a great photo.What I found from looking through my files is that most of the pictures I’ve taken are of my family, my dog, my friends and nature. But I did come across one of the Boston skyline (top) and another of some buildings in Seattle. Both photos were taken in 2006 when I happened to take separate trips to the U.S. I remember at the time being excited about seeing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans within a few short weeks of each other. Next time I do this I want to bring home water in jars from both places and use it to paint with.
My friend Brenda Shackleford has several pages featured in L.K. Ludwig’s True Vision: Authentic Art Journaling, so I just knew I had to read it. Whether you keep a journal or not, you’ll be inspired by this fascinating book.
It’s packed with wonderful art, great quotes, and exercises you’ll want to try right away. I particularly liked the sections on incorporating automatic writing into your work and how to use patina on paper.But the best thing about True Vision is that it makes you believe your journal can be anything you want it to be. Since journaling is something you do for yourself, it’s a voyage of self-discovery, and there’s not much point to the process if you’re pressuring yourself to produce pretty and finished-looking pages. If you feel this has been holding you back from exploring your real self, Ludwig’s book will give you an enthusiastic push in the right direction. (And you might want to check out her blog too).
I feel like I’m stranded on a plateau lately with my work and I don’t like it one bit. This is partly to do with what is going on in my life right now. Because I’m pulled in so many directions, it’s difficult to settle down and think clearly.
But there’s more to it than that. For a while now I’ve been feeling I need to stretch myself creatively, and I’m really not sure where to go next.
Take Photoshop for instance. I haven’t been able to spend much time on it recently, so I made an attempt last night to do something different. This basically involved using the blur tool to smooth out the banding in the Leonardo drawing above. I could feel myself resisting the process though. Quite frankly, I’m fed up with effort, I just want results. P.S. John came into the room as I was finishing this post and read it over my shoulder. His advice? To get off the damn plateau, just jump.
Do you feel you need permission from something or someone to do your art? I think I must unconsciously believe this because there always seem to be a number of hurtles to clear before I finish a piece. This is probably a mixture of wanting it to turn out right, and thinking that the more I play around with it, the more likely this is to happen.
John finds my creative process amusing and decided that he wanted to shoot a video of me putting this assemblage together. Aside from the fact I need a manicure and sound like I’m on helium, it was kind of fun talking about how I put May I? together—mainly because it sounded straightforward and was anything but. I know I’ve said this before, but I'll say it again: if we really knew how long things were going to take us, we probably wouldn’t bother.
Last week at Make a Moo or Two the theme was frost. I know all about that because the weather here has been cold and frosty for weeks (not to mention all the snow). I didn’t have time to rise to the challenge, though, because I was too busy. Fortunately I seem to be back on track now with the latest Make a Moo theme: circles.The first thing I thought of was a color wheel, so I used one that I’d scanned from a 19th century book on color. My original plan was to incorporate an artist into the image. That effect didn’t quite work out, so it looks more like a target than anything else. But at least I managed to come up with something circle-ish.
You know you lead an exciting life when your idea of fun is watching a Mac and Cheese bake off on the Food Network while sorting all your paint into categories. That’s what I did late Friday night, and I must say I found it extremely satisfying. I love organizing and reorganizing my art supplies. It’s become a ritual before I actually get down to producing something. (And I love anything to do with food—just as long as I’m not the one who is actually cooking it.)
While I was looking through my paints, I came across these two drawings David had done as a little boy. Before he was two, I gave him a set of Crayola markers and a stack of blank business cards that he drew on endlessly—when he wasn’t busy decorating the walls inside and out, that is.I wish I’d put a date on the back of these drawings because I don’t know when they were done. I do know he was writing his name before he turned four, so I’m guessing that he did them sometime around then. Since drawing was only one of David’s many interests, I was surprised when he told me a couple of years ago that he always knew he was going to be an artist. I think if I’d known that was where he was headed, I might have tried to “educate” him about art. In retrospect, it’s probably a good idea that I didn’t because David naturally found his own way and blossomed.
My friend Andrea loves this print and asked me if I could do something to brighten it up because it had faded over time. Her husband really dislikes the picture and I have to admit that I’m not that crazy about it myself. But Andrea is a sentimental soul. It used to hang in her parents’ front hall, and now she has it in hers.
At first I wasn’t sure whether or not I could do anything with the print in Photoshop. Not only was it faded, but it also had water damage and a greenish cast. Because of the size, I had to scan it in sections and then piece them together. After that, it wasn’t that difficult to fix up.
To correct the damaged areas, I used the Clone and Spot Healing Tools. To enhance the color, I used Hue/Saturation, and gave the print more light with Levels and Brightness/Contrast. To remove the greenish cast, I played with the Color Balance, and then finally applied Curves.
There’s something satisfying about giving an old photo or print new life simply by using Photoshop. It’s an intuitive process really. You just keep playing with different things until it all comes together.
Next I’m going to fix the wood frame. It’s had some rough handling over the years and will be a bigger challenge for me than refreshing the print. Because there’s no “undo” command with hands-on stuff, there’s no room for mistakes. (Wish me luck).
I was watching a show on TV last night and the word oeuvre was mentioned. Have you ever actually used it in conversation? To me oeuvre is kind of pretentious. I think the only time I ever say it is when I’m joking around with someone about my work (which I look on as a hodge-podge and never an oeuvre).
