Category: Uncategorized

Since I have been posting mostly art projects/lessons as of late, I decided it was time to change things up a little bit.

Here is a wonderful article that I came across this morning, discussing the value of environmental art in a consumer-driven world. If you have a moment, give it a read! The article also mentions the works of a handful of environmental artists. I particularly enjoyed the work of designers and water crisis campaigners Bloo Nation, titled “Waving Wall.” This installation piece “highlights the considerable water footprint linked to the production of day-to-day goods like coffee, jeans and paper.”

Inspired by this article, I decided to create the following:

10 REASONS THAT ART MATTERS TO THE WORLD:

1.  “Art transcends the barrier of language, making both the work and message able to be viewed by a global audience.” -Mandy Barker
2. During times of financial crisis and environmental…

Last night I stood in the kitchen, trimming the sage, snipping dead thyme and bundling dry lavender branches.  It kept my hands busy as I talked with a friend.  In the end I tossed the litter haphazard on a white piece of paper that just happened to be on the table.  In the morning I rose, drank my coffee and prepared to sketch out my day.  And then of course I glanced at the paper, at the textures and colors, the shadows in transit… what could I do but run to get my camera?   A few more leaves crushed, petals pulled from various nooks, colored paper unfolded, an old bird’s nest found …  and somehow my morning became special.

 

At least that’s what I saw as the sky darkened before a storm.

A short break in the kitchen with a few herbs, spices and small squares of Japanese paper.

In sorting through photos for various projects, I came across a cache of purple.  Now I have the urge to buy some purple marbles at the toy store, an eggplant and some grapes from the farmer’s market, and maybe pick up some purple paint chips from the hardware store.  Who knows what purples may appear in the near future.  Maybe I’ll even photograph a purple crayon. 😉

Imagine the troubadours of old as they walked the back roads of … some quiet place, with mandolins or banjos in-hand, a song on their lips and through those songs telling stories.  Not of fantasy or fiction.  They sang stories of lives simply lived.  That is the imagery conveyed by a conversation with Clay Rice about how music influences his visual art.  You see, Mr. Rice is famed for his silhouettes of children, nature and life along the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

He carries on a family tradition, first made notable by his grandfather, Carew Rice.  Most of the biographies I found about the Rices emphasized their artistry with paper, but during our brief chat, Mr. Rice made it clear that music has always been a part of his family’s life, and that songs have always been woven into his work, especially his children’s books.  Read more of our conversation

A short break in the kitchen with a few herbs, spices and small squares of Japanese paper.

… I gave myself permission to play around with the flowers.

Rain!

Although it only lasted a few minutes, the overcast, rainy day gave me a great excuse to make art and relax! AND–as an added bonus, my father-in-law showed me how to make my own yogurt (which, turns out, isn’t quite as complicated as I imagined!)

Although the rain slightly deterred me from my initial brainstormings for a frame, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my father-in-law had a box of branches in his garage! Perfect! So, with a newspaper spread on the table, I attached my crocheted canvas to 4 branches. Here are the results from today’s explorations:

Another successful and interesting nature challenge in the bag! I hope you all enjoyed this challenge as much as I did. Working with yarn in crochet embroidery has definitely given me other ideas for similar projects–and this challenge provided a most excellent chance for me to explore the natural…