How Did I Miss This???

I attended an AP Studio Art Summer Institute this past week put on by the College Board (basically, I received training to teach Advanced Placement Studio Art for my high school) . . . one of the discussions was how to push students beyond cliche or trite subject matter in their concentration (or focus) pieces . . . The instructor pulled out a book called Skulls -- which started as a blog, in which this guy literally created a skull everyday, often from ordinary, everyday things.

Love the concept!

Great Reference for Artists Books

Cover-to-Cover: Creative Techniques for Making Beautiful Books, Journals, and Albums by Shereen LaPlantz is a great reference for artists in the paper arts. Actually, not all the books are made of paper, opening up amazing possibilities. I've referenced this book quite often, and would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in creating artists' books.

Museum Curatorial Debut!

As the Scholarship Chair of the Arizona Artists' Guild, I have the wonderful opportunity to "curate" the scholarship exhibition. This year, it is at the West Valley Art Museum -- so I now have museum curatorship to add to my resume!

The show opens tonight, from 5-8 pm.

I will be giving out the awards to four scholarship recipients around 6:30. Each winner received a $1,000 scholarship towards continuing her art education. This year, artists from each of Arizona's three universities are represented.

Here are some pictures of the show:

Summer Arts Camps for Kids

This summer, I will be teaching arts day camps for 6-12 year olds . . . so I will get my fill of the little guys before going back to hormonal 15 year olds. I'm excited about the classes -- they are all themed, and will run for 2 hours every day for a week. Here are a couple of examples:

Pop Art Party will be a class where all the artwork made will have a party theme and will celebrate the Pop Art movement . . . think Andy Warhol wigs and Keith Haring's dancing dogs!

Diagnosis: Sculpture-itis is all about using everyday objects and transforming them into art. I did this one two summers ago, and had a blast!

These classes will be held at the West Valley Art Museum located in Surprise, Arizona. For more information, visit this site: http://www.wvam.org/youth.html

Pop Art Party will be held at Palm Valley Elementary in Litchfield Park through the West Valley Arts Council.

http://www.westvalleyarts.org/programs/camps.html

Blueberry Girls

Happy Mother's Day -- to mothers of daughters . . . Here is a beautiful little poem/wish that should be shared:

http://webcontent.harpercollins.com/images/om/sz/blueberrygirl-mothersday.htm



Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman, with illustrations by Charles Vess

Sunnyslope Raffle Winner!

Congratulations to Nancy Ausdahl, who won this linoleum print in a free raffle I held at the Sunnyslope Artwalk April 18th! Nancy proudly lives in the Sunnyslope area.

The lino-cut image is based on a cherub water fountain statue in the backyard of Andrew Mellon's former home (of Carnegie-Mellon University, and Mellon Bank/Financial) in Pittsburgh. The grounds of the Mellon estate were designed in the 1930s, and are now maintained as part of an arboretum. The mansion is now an administrative building for the all-women's Chatham College. It still houses America's very first indoor swimming pool in America in the basement, which I swam in several times. :)

New Dresses

Newest work in my studio . . . Spring Break was productive.



I have been playing with paper dolls in my studio . . . They are a theme I have played with before (Not Your Doll series), and have a million new ideas for new work, variations on this theme. I am playing with text, and with dresses. I LOVE that one of the women who came through the studio during Art Detour said my work is beautiful . . . "with teeth."

The paper doll dresses will intentionally be clothing that is representative of women's roles (wedding gown = wife, nurse's oufit = caregiver, etc.) . . . Right now, I am evolving the concept to have text that states "I am not the dress," and would like to push it into the positive realm with "I am . . ." (I am a welder, I am a nurse, I am a size 2, I am a size 18, I am a sister, I am a feminist, I am a dog-lover, I am an optimist, I am a pessimist, I am an independent thinker, and on and on and on . . .) I'm excited to see these develop!

I am not your paper doll

I am not the dress

I am an artist . . .

DOs and DONTs of Collecting Artists' Prints

Here is a REALLY good article on Phoenix Art Space about collecting prints . . . If you are interested in building your collection, you should make note of their list of DOs and DONTs:

http://www.phoenixartspace.com/articles/180

In addition to galleries that specialize in the sale of famous artists' prints, and local printmakers (like myself), your local museums, colleges, and universities are sometimes a great source of original fine art prints. The West Valley Art Museum had several original artists prints for sale last summer (or the one before?) as a fundraiser for the museum. The prices were VERY reasonable . . . if I would have had the money, I would be the owner of a Victor Vasarely (sometimes thought of as the "Father of Op Art" -- google him if you are not familiar). My alma-mater, Allegheny College, was also auctioning some of their acquisitions a few years ago to pay for renovations to the art department wing of the campus center.

Date Night: Bisbee After 5

Matt and I went to Bisbee, Arizona 's 2nd Saturday Artwalk known as "Bisbee After 5" to check out the arts scene. Bisbee is an old (copper) mining town that is now home to many artists, bed & breakfasts, hippie-types, and an annual run up a large set of stairs. (My favorite Bisbee t-shirt: "Keep Bisbee Wierd.")

Bisbee galleries are attempting to create a monthly event (like First Fridays here in Phoenix) to draw tourists and locals alike. What makes Bisbee's art walk different? Besides the charming buildings and interesting people (Matt people-watched while I perused the art), one can actually visit all the spaces within the three hour time frame.

My favorite space, hands-down, is SAMPOE Gallery . . . a dynamic husband-wife couple whose individual work is very different, yet play off of each other very well. Poe Dismuke creates kinetic sculptures from found objects (mostly wood and metal) that remind me of marbleworks (a toy my youngest brother used to play with). His sketches are quite wonderful too. Sam Woolcott paints in bright colors with bold strokes, working in both pastel and acrylic. Her pieces include some plein-aire work from the beautiful surrounding landscape.

Here is an example of Poe's kinetic sculptures intersecting with his sketches. He was makes me want to create sculptures from found objects again . . . I am in love with the materials, and how they are arranged. Someday our home will be filled with works by the likes of this duo.

http://www.sampoegallery.com/

Another highlight on the tour . . . TWIST gallery. TWIST is kind of etsy-like . . . I might see if my prints/cards will sell there, as the owner is fantastic. She was asking if I am represented by any galleries (which I am not) . . . I am excited by the prospect, and will have to make sure I follow up.

Matt and I plan to make this artwalk a "Date Night" again, perhaps with other couples (our cousins live in town with their spouses, so it could be some fun bonding time) . . . You should go, even if you end up going stag. I totally would! :)

Coachella Widget

Oh, Coachella, how I miss you!

Talk about inspiring . . . the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival grows every year. Just look at the amazing line-up of musicians! Also, Sheppard Fairey (the artist that is under fire for copyright infringement with regard to painting an Associated Press photo of Barack Obama without permission, also known for his "OBEY" series) is one of the featured artists! Although I am unable to partake in the festivities this year, I am keeping a close watch on the happenings with this Coachella Widget. :)

http://www.coachella.com/