Hi, Christine here. I've always been a fan of the mid-century modern look in everything from furniture to housewares to artwork. So I was thrilled recently when the Crafty Ninja gave me a Charley Harper print for my birthday. Charley Harper is best known for his stylized animal images...
...but after attending an exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum, I was taken by his travel series. And it is a print from that series that I received. Hooray!
I love the chartruese paint glob trees and the teeny car motoring along at the top.
While the art that I make resembles in no way the artwork of Charley Harper, I still find inspiration it in, be it in the color choice or the simple detail. Do you have a favorite artist that inspires you in ways other than style? Tell us about it in the comments!
This was the first year I have attended the Bead & Button Show and I can honestly say that I think it was the best venue I've ever been to. Everything about it was great--the classes I took, the organization of the show, the market event, the hotel and the surrounding restaurants--all amazing. The riverwalk in downtown Milwaukee was also really great and I wouldn't mind returning to the city sometime just to be able to explore more. It seems like a pretty cool town.
I took one class called Exploring Resins with Susan Lenart Kazmer and not only did I learn that she has her own non-toxic (!) resin product, (coming soon), but I also learned several very cool ways to use resin that I hadn't thought of before. The other class I took was from Lisa Nevin Kelly, called ShaBangle. As you can see, it was a wire-work class and Lisa was very good at teaching such a great project and making it accessible in only three hours. Both Lisa and Susan were wonderful teachers and not only did I learn some great new techniques from both of them, they both taught those of us in their classes a lot about tools and materials.
But it wasn't all work and no play (okay, there wasn't any work at all, but don't tell my boss that). I also had the great fortune to hang out and dine with such amazing artists as Robert Dancik and Beverly Gilbert and I just tried to soak in as much of their creative goodness as I could. And of course, there was the shopping! I didn't actually buy a ton of beads (I know, I know) but I did buy some cool tools from Lisa Nevin Kelly, some bezels from Susan Lenart Kazmer, a beaded bracelet kit from Kelly Wiese and a super-cool nail-studded glass heart from Zoa Art (see Tony's Tortured Heart series on the home page).
If you've ever thought about attending this show before, but haven't been sure if you would like it or not. Go! You'll love it. There are SO MANY classes to choose from and the shopping experience is incredible! If she doesn't find out that my time at the show was all fun and good times, I'm hoping my boss will let me go again next year!
This morning as I was getting ready for work, a segment on Good Morning America caught my attention. Apparently a Wall Street Journal article had sparked a nationwide debate after a Midwestern company garnered unwanted attention for its dress code: Pantyhose were required dress of all women at all times (even under pants!), but ties were not required of the men. The article speculates, “As for fairness, it's hard to say whether ties or panty hose are more uncomfortable. One male reader of this newspaper, after making a bet with a female co-worker, attempted to discover the answer by secretly wearing pantyhose under his business suit for several weeks. He claims ties are worse.”
Personally, I disagree--and I'm speaking as both a former ballet dancer (tights are to pantyhose as a noose is to a scarf) AND a former waitress who had to wear a uniform of a starched white buttondown and, yes, a tie. But, after a wave of relief that my company’s dress code is relaxed (and a wave of cheers for Diane Sawyer admitting that she, like many of us, hasn’t worn hose in years) it did get me thinking that I’ve seen wonderful crafts made with both. And if we’ll all be wearing them less as Business Casual becomes more the norm, then it stands to reason we’ll all have fodder to craft with them more. So I ask you, which makes the better mixed-media projects: Ties Vs. Pantyhose?
Exhibit A: The ever-popular fan favorite Tie Skirt from Alexandra Underhill, as seen in AlterNation:
Exhibit B: Amazingly realistic figurative sculpture from talented artist Lisa Lichtenfels (soon to be featured in another North Light Book by Ricë Freeman-Zachery), made from, yes, pantyhose:
This last weekend I had my creative-energy stores refueled by attending a great annual event we have here in the Cincinnati area called Summerfair. Of course I saw many of the artists who seem to appear each year, including a few that I always look forward to, but it seemed that this year's group of artists was the best yet.
I was amused and inspired by the woodcut prints of Derrick Riley. I don't know that he'd appreciate me calling his robots cute, so don't tell him I used that word, but they were adorable cool.
I also was happy to stumble upon the work of Michael Babyak. His passion is clearly guitars and other musical instruments as a subject matter, but it was his abstracts that really entranced me. I wish he had his "slide" series on his website for you to see. It's similar to the White Series, but a bit edgier.
And then of course, I couldn't leave the fair without purchasing some jewelry, and my favorite booth was that of Greg & BJ Jordan. I had the most difficult time making up my mind! But I think I made a great choice and I hope to see these artists again at other events.
I hope your weekend was inspiring too. Anything you'd like to share?
With more than 150 exhibiting artists, the Woolworth Walk gallery and bazaar in Asheville was one of my favorite stops, particularly for the
quantity and variety of work on display and for sale in one vast place.
It was here that I saw the work of Sarah Faulkner and Dawn Dalto, as well as the work of the third and final Asheville Artist I’d like to spotlight here: Yvonne Hegney.
This former Hollywood set designer has turned her talents to crafting
mixed-media sculpture and pottery. I suspect the results are much more
at home in the mountains of Asheville than they would be in Los
Angeles. But don’t take my word for it: Visit the Woolworth Walk online for your own virtual taste of Asheville: You may just find a few favorites to watch.
What artists have you discovered in your own travels?
