There is a lot of Art that doesn’t fit in particular categories — art that makes it’s own category.
So for those individuals who are as unique as their creator, today I am sharing Sunday Evening Art Gallery artwork that, for practical purposes, are Things.
I was watching a very artsy movie the other evening called “The Square” about an Avant-garde Swedish museum that is opening a controversial art display called The Square, a 4×4 square in the cement in front of the museum, outlined by a rope light.
The movie went on to relationships and other bizarre interactions so I stopped watching, but the controversy at the beginning really made me think.
“It’s meant to represent a communal ‘safe space,’ ” the artist explained. “The Square is a sanctuary of trust and caring. Within it, we all share equal rights and obligations.”
I never knew a 4×4 square could be so deep.
Am I missing something here?
An artist can make anything they create mean anything they want. A few sentences of explanation and you may understand it’s a political statement or a state of mind or world of chaos. It’s all up to the artist.
The discussion group in the movie states that they “need to harness social media attention with something other than the uncontroversial and bland artist’s statement.”
The square is nothing more than a 4 x 4 cement square. Another exhibit in the museum was a room with 15(?) piles of something arranged in 5 pile lines.
Why is this considered art?
Most people glance at displays like this and don’t give it a second thought. We don’t understand and don’t feel like understanding.
One of the quotes from the movie is, “If you place an object in a museum does that make this object a piece of art?”
This is still my question about modern art.
If a handful of people get the meaning you assign to your piece, is it still museum-worthy? Will it be remembered and cherished as a reflection of the world at the time?
Last night I went through the blogs I follow and came across my friend’s galleryTiffany Arp-Daleo Artwork. I have showcased her work in both Humoring the Goddess and Sunday Evening Art Gallery.
Tiffany has a unique way of creating abstract paintings — I love them..
Now I don’t spend a lot of time looking closely at contemporary art. I usually love a painting because of the colors or the shapes or a compilation that somehow attracts me.
The first thing I thought when I looked at this pic is: Is that my body? Are those the black spots of hell showing up throughout my torso?
I then wondered if this was a message from Tiffany. Why did she called it Shadows Within? Was this an attempt to tell her readers something? A Cosmic Message? Or if it was just painting of orange and pink and black?
Even though I love all sorts of Art, I rarely have an emotional connection with them. There are billions of paintings or quilts or ceramics that are worth a second look, but rarely does one shoot out a bolt of connection between human and object.
I’m tickled to pieces.
This is why I keep encouraging you to open up to the Creative Magic that’s everywhere around you. Not every creation is for you — that’s why there’s such diversity in Arts and Crafts. But sooner or later something is going to resonate with you and it will be extraordinary.
I had such a magical time wandering through the old world over Europe way. Even with the occasional McDonalds and souvenir stands on every other corner, it was an amazing glance at the past. Brick roads and plazas, statues everywhere — living in idwest United States your mind cannot fathom what it’s like to have ancient art everywhere you go.
For today’s blog, let’s try some pediments, cornices, tympanums, and whatever other words mean decorative pieces above doorways and arches….
Going through some of the photos from my trip to Paris, Rome, and Florence last year for my new Frameo moving picture frame, I came across some kick ass photos of stone architecture.
What the architects of yesteryear created is past amazing. I am not familiar with the styles, but the words relief, frieze, architectural sculpture, and carvings all seem to be proper adjectives for the beauty I found over there.
I’ll never make my way over there again, and some of you might never make it there at all. Sharing these photos provide a realistic insight into what that world looks like from the comfort of your sofa.
Today I want to share with you gates I came across. Hopefully in future posts I’ll share altars, ceilings, buildings, and other wonders of the ancient world. Come walk with me!
Forgive some of the photography — I am an active learner still.
One of the highlights of any Creative venture is listening or viewing the venture in its own surroundings.
All bundled up for the Wisconsin winter, I watched my grandson shoot trap with his local club last Saturday. Visitors must wear some sort of protective sound gear, so I brought along my trusty headphones, complete with FM radio (I love mowing in the summer to classical music… no commercials …)
Digressing early I see …
So as I watched orange clays being popped by various members, I also listened to WPR Radio, which at the time was broadcasting opera from the Metropolitan Opera.
Now I imagine most of you would rather listen to Smooth Jazz or Country or something more familiar to the masses. Normally I would, too. But I hate commercials, and since this was a simple device with a simple FM connection I often turn to public radio.
Saturday the Met was rebroadcasting an Opera from 1985, Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, written in 1912.
I never knew Richard Strauss wrote operas.
Again I digress.
I had happened to tap into the discussion between scenes where the announcer and other guests talk about opera, the opera itself, and the actions to come. It wasn’t the opera per se that caught my attention – it was their enthusiasm and familiarity with the craft that blew me away.
The hostess happened to be on a Face Time call with the three “nymphs” (other characters in the opera), and they all enthusiastically praised the lead diva, the late Jessye Norman, for the way she worked color into her performance.
(According to Wikipedia), The New York Times music critic Edward Rothstein described her voice as “a “grand mansion of sound”, and wrote that “it has enormous dimensions, reaching backward and upward. It opens onto unexpected vistas. It contains sunlit rooms, narrow passageways, cavernous halls.”
Whether you appreciate opera or not, look at those words describing the singer’s craft.
The nymphs used similar language to praise their lead soloist, and I was touched by their use of the words “color” and “dimension” to describe someone’s voice.
I began listening to the opera, and when practice ended, I slid back into my Saturday routine of seeing the grandkids when possible, folding laundry, baking cookies, and getting into some form of Art.
But I think I will wander back to the Metropolitan Opera Artist’s Choice series on Saturdays. Not that I will listen long and hard – it would be more to listen to artists glow and gloat about their trade.
Deep cold outside today — and lots of snow to come tonight. Welcome to Wisconsin.
Today I’d like to share a second round of personal “masterpieces” from my drawing spurt at the turn of the new year.
I would sketch the circle in first, then let the theme take me where it would. How cosmic… But really, I had a basic idea for each theme, but what filled the spaces was (my) magic.
cYesterday I got together with family to (a) celebrate a birthday and (b) watch the Super Bowl, only one of which had a happy ending (I’m a Chicago Bears fan, so really the whole Super Bowl was superfluous..)
One of the family members received some birthday presents, including materials to craft a hanging terra cotta pot with sparkling leaves/stones flowing out of it. She showed me a couple of pics online and I thought, “Wow! What a creative idea!”
I also brought my current bookmark idea to the fold and got some really good feedback from book lovers, and I thought, “Wow! I never thought of that.”
I also sat down with my 7-year-old granddaughter and colored in her new Floral coloring book, and, watching her color, thought, “Wow! She’s good!”
Creativity surrounds us. Every day.
I use the word freely from everything from diamond art to Sunday Evening Art Galleries. Whenever someone makes something by hand I slip it into the Creative Folder. Whenever someone talks about a book they wrote or material they bought to use in scrapbooking I slip it into the Creative Folder.
Some of us make money off our creations — I hope to this summer at a couple of craft fairs. Others decorate their house or garage or back yard garden with their creative thoughts and touches.
I never tire of listening to someone talk about their Creative experiments.
Experiments litter my craft room/library as I learn more and more of what to do and what not to do.
And I’m always learning.
I’m thinking of making a walking circle/meditation circle/labyrinth in my back yard this year. My husband rolls his eyes and tells me all the obstacles in the way of creating a circle of paths and flowers and creative weeds.
But just the thought gets me all tingly and excited.
There is always two sides to a coin — a perfect side and a flawed side.
Being Creative, you need not choose either side. Think of your work as better and … better. Just getting “it” out there is better than hiding it waiting for it to get better.
There is always two sides to a coin — play and play more.
So in that confusing Goddess vein, here are three of my artworks I wanted to share with you. More to come!
I’ve been hitting my artwork with fervor and enthusiasm, fixing, cleaning up, and resketching my latest art sketches. I’ve also been on a role building up artists for upcoming Sunday Galleries!
Here’s a peek at upcoming guests —
Costa Magarakis
Margaret Macdonald
Simon Beck
Christian Siriano
Cameron Limbrick
I hope you’re looking forward to these and other artists making their way to the Gallery!
I imagine I jump started your heart Sunday with the bright, bloody, curious art of Michael Hussar.It’s (hopefully) not what you’re used to waking up to, that’s for sure.
I’m not used to jump starts. I don’t need my blood pumping and rushing through my veins at lightning speed at 8 o’clock in the morning.
But I came across his art some time ago and it just stuck with me. There is beauty in horror as much as in a field of flowers. Sometimes it’s hard to see the correlation — sometimes I don’t see it at all. But I know it’s there.
Again, it’s all in your perception of art.
Do you have to understand it to appreciate it? Is appreciating it the same as liking it? Do you need to know the personal history of an artist to understand their art?
I believe that knitting a shawl is art. Doing a craft in an evening class is art. Making a suncatcher from a kit is art. But is it high-end art? What makes the dot painting you just completed any different from one by Georges Seurat?
I came across a “famous” artist who is classified as an abstract artist. His work hangs in such institutions as the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, and Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Rome. They are nothing more than 3 lines of small rectangles that stop halfway through line three. Or 13 beige lines starting on the left side of a brown background and stopping half way across.
I could paint the same thing. I HAVE drawn and colored similar things. What makes his work any more museum-worthy than mine?
These are cosmic questions for another time… questions that really have no answers. So back to my opening spiel.
We all have our favorite artists and forms of art. Most we understand, others we like even though we are clueless as to why.
Maybe liking certain art simply depends on the time of day you look at it and where you are looking at it and if you had coffee before you look at it or someone else was talking about it.
They say art is subjective. SUBJECTIVE means based on, or influenced by, personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. That tends to be all of us.
I will continue to try and be OBJECTIVE ( not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering or representing facts) in my art selections so our reactions can all be SUBJECTIVE.
Please keep checking in to see which side of the Ob/Subjective line we wander down next!
Anne Fisher always combines the best backgrounds with the best — and sometimes outrageous — objects to make a fun, simple blog. Go have some fun! Eat With an Artist
For the last 20-25 years, being bored has never been a problem for me.
I was always writing something, sewing beads on something, reading something — the twirly list goes on and on. A lot of the time the craft that busied me one week got left behind the next, but Art in general and Creativity specifically has never really left me.
To be honest, I don’t have it in me anymore to write a 300 page novel; the research and discipline needed just isn’t as crack high as it used to be. But I am still reproofing (and rewriting) a couple of novel series that I may attempt to get published one day.
I’m also trying to read the Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (Gertrude Stein) and the Godfather (Mario Puzo).
I’ve also want to take up drawing again.
Being in a house/cabin with full time fishermen can drive a Creative Sprite like me crazy if I didn’t have something to do. Supplies (both brought and left behind up here) have taken me to a new creative place.
ARTIST FRIENDS: Maybe you can give me an idea as to what to call it.
I’m sketching abstract designs (see Look Out Wassily Kandisky — Here I Come!), all with a common denominator (or two). Otherwise they are their own interpretation of the name of the work. Storm, Saturday, Loss.
I do find the more I work on them, the more coherent they become. Thoughts and ideas that did not appear at first sketch have worked their way onto the paper. And what I thought was a challenge (colored pencils vs. watercolor paints) has turned out to be a gift in its own medium.
I know I preach Creativity in Life ad nauseum, but I encourage you to listen to that little fluttering in the depths of your mind and/or soul and go for it. You will find whatever craft and whatever medium you choose to be addicting, along with frustrating, cerebral, and exciting. What more could you ask for?
Which makes me wish there were more than 24 hours in a day.
Some preliminary sketches:
Add some spice to your life! And be sure to share your excitement with me!
As a blogger, do you feel like you need to blog every day?
Believe it or not, that’s not always an easy question to answer.
I have read a number of blogs who faithfully post every day. My friend Ann does a marvelous job of filling her daily blogThe Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentallywith pictures, videos, and interesting and fun commentaries on all kinds of daily life. My friend Ivor at Ivor.Plumber/Poetis another almost-if-not-every-day poet who shares the amazing beauty of the poetic word and world.
Then there’s blogs I follow where they contribute to the creative world a number of times a week.Purplerays from Udo is an inspirational, bright blog that highlights many spiritual and cosmic truths all the time. Michelle at My Inspired Lifeis also a frequent blogger whose poetry and images always make you feel magical.
There are also those who blog several times a day. They are avid writers and readers and love to share their discoveries with their followers. Georgiann at Rethinking Life shares the best pictures and poetry and thoughts several times as day, and her readers love it. Denise Sierra at Rainbow Wave of Life is a wonderful source of inspiration from both the spiritual and physical realm, and she manages to post these transcriptions a couple of times a day.
So after all these examples and affirmations and accolades I swirl back to my own blog. Sometimes I post every day, other times I let a day or two drift by before I think I have anything Creative to say.
I feel guilty not posting all the time, yet I can’t imagine anyone reading everything I write and post every day. My followers may reflect much interest, yet my site visits and comments do not reflect that. I am envious of those I follow who have thousands of followers; I am envious of those just starting out with something fresh and new and have only a few.
I know I spend too much time emoting about things that aren’t really a big deal in this world. And I know writers write because they really enjoy what they do. Like any creative artist, professional or not, we create because we love to create.
But how do we know what we do is still interesting? Are we doing the same kind of art that we did 10 years ago? Saying the same thing? Painting the same designs? Are we stuck in a comfortable (and for some, successful) rut?
Or are we evolving in our creative endeavors? Trying to be different than we were the other day? Last week? Last year?
And really — is there anything wrong with being in that comfortable rut?
Think I’ll continue to stir that Creative Art Pot for a while and adjust accordingly. Whatever’s in there is smelling good!
Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.
Another weekend of opening presents, watching Christmas movies, too much food, too much drink, too much friends and family and solitary moments. It was all too much, and just as glorious, no matter which way you went.
But I found a blog from 2019 about the Art of Christmas. How delightful! Instead of sending you back that way I thought I’d just copy and paste the delightful art I found.
This will be a busy week for me, as I’m sure it will be for you. Besides the big “T” day, I’ve got lots of things to do between today and next Sunday. Which, except for the cleaning, is good.
But I wanted to give you a sneak peek at what’s in store for you in the Gallery in coming weeks!
Joana Vasconcelos, Large-scale Installation
Romare Bearden, Painter and Collage
Lamps
Michael Peuster, Stone Carver
Hope these pique your interest and love of Creativity in ALL its forms!
I never seem to stop amusing myself with my own actions. I always start out in one direction and wind up completely somewhere else.
I listened to an opera last Saturday as I was mowing the lawn.
It was a beautiful Saturday here in the Midwest. Sun shining, slight breeze to cool the body, lots of stay-at-home chores waiting for attention. Especially mowing the lawn.
I often listen to the radio in headphones while I mow these never-ending “yards.” It’s usually either oldies rock n’ roll or classical.
This time I chose classical.
Turning on WPR from Madison, Wisconsin, they were just starting a live broadcast from the Met in New York City of La bohème, an opera composed by Giacomo Puccini.
Now, if you know me (or took a good guess) I really enjoy upbeat classical music, along with smooth jazz, oldies rock and roll, big band, pop tunes from the 80s, and an occasional hairband like Metallica. Opera is about as popular in my repertoire as slasher movies. Like non-existent.
But it was either listen to this hoity toity singing or listen to music with a thousand commercials. So on to La Bohème I went.
You already can guess the outcome of this story. It was beautiful.
The voices, the story, everything was so much more than I was wont to believe. The opera was sung in Italian, so the announcers explained each act before it started. I had a vague notion of the story line, seeing that Nicolas Cage and Cher went to see that opera in the movie Moonstruck.
Now, I think you have to be in a certain state of mind to enjoy something not everyone appreciates. Opera is one of those niches.
But I was a ready listener, and caught all four acts before I finished for the day. I even went inside after the first act to read the synopsis of the opera before I went to finish mowing.
Another world of Art opened to me on Saturday, one I hope to revisit again soon. We all need to give other forms of Art a chance.
After all, Richard Gere and Julia Roberts go to see Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata!in the movie Pretty Woman …
The more I delve into Art, the more amazing it becomes.
Many of my discoveries are distant links from where I started.
For instance, I was on a site, (the origin of which I forget), and found Paola Besana, whose art I enjoyed. Looking him up led me to a website, https://www.maestrodartemestiere.it/en/, MAM – Maestro d’Arte e Mestiere,promoted by the Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art, (Italy), which featured not only Besana, but many other Masters of Arts and Crafts.
Curious, I checked out another artist, Elena Dal Cortivo, who makes handmade reproductions of parchment roses made for the sound holes of harpsichords, mandolins, and baroque guitars.
Her website had more links to makers of harpsicords and and other instruments.
Maker of parchment roses?
Where did this art come from?
And who makes homemade harpsicords?
I think I have found my passion. My life’s work.
That makes me laugh. It used to be writing. I’m still passionate about that – but now it’s more experiencing new amazing forms of art and sharing them with those who also have (probably) not experienced such creativity.
This is how I find so many wonderful artists in the world. People and places that those of us in small Wisconsin towns have never heard of.
That’s why I believe in staying away from horrid headlines and problems I cannot solve and explore worlds that are still brand new to me.
I want to wander through fields of Art that are colorful and inspirational and unique. And I want you to discover them with me.
Don’t be afraid to explore the world. The positive parts of the world.
You have seen the wonder of my Sunday Evening Art Gallery through this blog since I first opened the Gallery September 14, 2014.
2014. Holy Moley. That sounds like such a long time ago.
And I am still finding amazing, unique, wonderful, different artists and their work.
The world is an amazing place. I may not always agree with its politics or ignorance or boldness but there is always room for Art.
I sometimes wish I could just show everyone what the art world is about. But there is so much of it that I don’t understand. Don’t know the history nor the mechanics or the explanation for so many creative things.
But that doesn’t mean they’re not beautiful. Or unique.
Or strange.
As I always say, beauty in art is relative. The Holocaust was not beautiful. Documenting your dementia is not beautiful. Sketching and painting monsters, both inside and outside of your brain, is not necessarily beautiful.
But they are all necessary if you want to understand more of human nature.
Now, I’m not always sure I want to “understand” more of human nature. The positive side is like heaven; light, sunny, colorful. Positive vibes. Acceptance. Understanding. A comfortable psyche and aura.
As for the dark side of human nature, it can keep its distance. It can stay far away — along with thoughts of denial, erasure, and destruction.
Yet we cannot ignore what exists. And many artists have been able to take that pain and confusion and turn it into something that can be brought into this dimension, at least for understanding and explanation.
That’s why art, in all its forms, is magical.
Looking back through all my Galleries, it’s amazing what I have found. From royal crowns to harps to giant flowers to ancient landscapes to carved food to demons and fairies, there is something for everyone.
As Maximus asks in the movie Gladiator — “Are Your Not Entertained?”
I don’t know about you, but I often feel smarter at the beginning of the week than I do by the end. All things considered, life and beyond is easier to think about on a sunny Monday morning.
Although it is neither witty nor brilliant, it is true. The world of Art encompasses an extremely wide variety of imagery and products. For every lovely ClaudeMonet painting there is a haunting Anton Semenov. For every sparkling glass art piece by Věra Liškováthere is its counterpart in the strange and impractical ceramics of Katerina Kamprani.
Each style takes planning, dedication and a creative flair. Artists are artists because they can (for a moment) ride the dragon of individuality up above the clouds — or below in the pits of hell — and come back to tell the story.
My friend at gwenniesgardenworld asked if I liked horror, especially with a lineup such as yesterday’s. I replied that I am more interested in the art side of horror. I hate blood and gore and do not watch those kind of movies. A little psychological horror is okay. But I am fascinated by good horror art. The details, the emotions it evokes.
And I think that’s true of all of us.
There is a lot of emotional art coming from black and horrible places in the soul. The experiences are broken, sad, lost moments in life. Yet the artist has been able to capture that pain and angst and put it into canvas or ceramics and share their emotions.
That’s why I enjoy exploring unique and unusual art. They may not be the most common or popular art pieces ever created, but they do showcase the amazing way the human mind works — and has worked for centuries.
If you have any artists you enjoy that create that sense of awe and fascination and maybe even give you goosebumps, let me know. I have a whole portfolio of artists I’ve yet to showcase, and there’s always room for friends in the folder.
Another week has started in the farms/small towns in southeast Wisconsin. Nature, in her ever moving glory, has dumped most of her glorious hair on the ground to eventually turn into mush and mulch and hiding places for various little things until spring.
Today is the last warm day — the so-called Indian Summer — trying to coax us out of the house and go walking or biking or fetching the dogs one more day before it invites the colder air to come and visit.
Do you, as artists, change your routines when the weather changes?
I know my friends down Australia way are going through the lovely growth of Spring, thinking about picnics and boat rides and art fairs and dinners on the patio with friends.
Their counterparts up here in the U.S. for the most part are waving goodbye to the hot, melting vibrations of sunlight, settling instead for a weak, yet still bright, effort from the sun.
Many of you are artists — even if you don’t acknowledge yourself as one. You arrange gardens, build patios and put up swing sets, paint in watercolors and oils, cut up pieces of magazines and cloth and broken glass and make the most glorious collages.
We all do something with our spare time — how can we not?
But cold weather does put a damper on outdoor activities. Perhaps not a damper, per se — you can still enjoy outdoor activities, walk in the snow and make snow angels — but cold weather does tend to keep one insider a lot more.
Do you do the same activities you did in the blazing hot summer?
Technically I suppose I could do many of the same things inside as outside. Keep my plants growing, paint rocks at the kitchen table, ride an exercise bike rather than a purple 10 speed down the road. But some of it’s not the same without the grandkids or warm weather.
I am fortunate — writing is a year round project. I wish I was as versatile as the sport allowed (short stories, novels, poems, essays, opinion pieces, blogging, research papers, sonnets, tweets). I like to stick to the blogging and novel writing end of the pool.
In the winter time, when you’re stuck inside, blowing, tearing wind and snow and ice and nothing but a cabinet full of popcorn and ice cream, you would think your concentration focuses even finer.
It’s not even winter time and I find myself dissatisfied with everything.
Is this another passing phase? Should I find something new to write? Some new type of art to dig into?
Or should I just enjoy the popcorn and ice cream and take a break for a while?
We all try and start the “week” off on a positive note. As the jokes/memes say, it’s only downhill from here.
I tend to disagree.
Sometimes it can go uphill from here.
I suppose, barring unexpected occurrences, most of us can expect a normal UP and DOWN kind of week. It depends on what we’ve planned for ourselves.
I hope you have planned some positive experiences.
I know I know — you can’t plan gifts from God or sparkling experiences from Gaia. They just come when they come.
But you can plan activities that bring you extra pleasure.
Of course, you know I’m referring to Art. Crafts. Writing. Piano lessons. Painting a mural on your garage door. Anything that makes you happy.
There is something about starting fresh on a project/projects you love that plants that sparkle in your heart that eventually flows all through your body. Even if you aren’t over-the-top ingetting back to your Art, once you get there, the world changes.
Your flops aren’t really flops. They’re lessons. Your completions aren’t really the end, but just the beginning.
If you can stop listening to that little demon who whispers that you’ll never be any good, you will be amazed at how finishing the book you are reading or sewing that last piece together can make you feel.
Give yourself a chance.
I have lots of demons dancing in and out throughout the day. I’ve learned to either ignore them or, if need be, let them scream their garbage and then kick them out the door. I am who I am, and all that hoo hah. But I’m always working on improving “who I am.”
For me, that’s perfecting my crafts. Always writing something, always fooling around with Angel Tears. I have a boatload of projects just waiting for me to open the door, but I promised myself I’d stick to just a couple for the time being.
Give Monday a chance. Let it be the beginning of new chances, new worlds, new universes. Well, universes is quite a big quest …. maybe start with something smaller …. like solar systems.
Go for it!
Tell me what your creative plans are for the week!
It was a partly sunny, partly windy Sunday afternoon at my first craft fair for Angel Tears. The crowd ebbed and flowed up and down the walk around my booth. I got a lot of compliments about the beauty of the crystals and colored stones, which I gratefully acknowledged. I perhaps made back 1/5 to 1/4 of my total first-year investment in sales, which surprised me for a first time outing.
It was a great day. A tiring day. A learning experience. Here’s some things I learned:
Give yourself more time than you think you need to set up. For me, two hours wasn’t nearly enough time. I know. What is there to setting up?
Be willing to change your layout on a whim. This spot enabled people to walk up and down both sides of the booth, and I had planned for only one side. Had to adjust so both sides could see the sparkle.
Some customers are chatty, some come up and say “I want this one.” Some just walk by and say “pretty.” Be friendly to all.
Know that setting up and taking down at a fair is a lot of work. I never underestimated the work that went into selling your wares, but I never experienced it, either. There’s a lot more to it than what you see.
Learn how to use your credit card reader (if you have one). My helper and I stumbled a few times in getting the darn thing to work. Embarassing.
Don’t take yourself so seriously. Know the day is important and stay focused, but don’t be a Debbie Downer (sorry Debbie) about everything wrong that happens. Product will blow over. Fall over. You won’t have the color or the shape or scene your customer is looking for. Oh well. It happens.
Related to the above, offer to make a custom order. The customer loves a certain color or scene? If there is a real chance for a sale there, offer to make their request, unless it’s an intricate piece of work. Then it’s what’s there is there.
Bring everything you think you need your first time out, then trim down your supply bucket. In my case, no one wanted a receipt (except electronically), didn’t need extra crystals or pens or, surprisingly a guest book. In my case, it was a snatch and buy business.
Hang your price sign high enough for people to see it. Setting it on a bucket that was holding down water jugs that held down the canopy was not an ideal site.
Have a helper. I can’t tell you how many times the moment’s rush almost got away from me. Maybe it’s just that I’m not a good multi-tasker. I can’t wrap and answer new questions and chat about where to hang Tears and replacing stock and trying to get the reader to work all at the same time. I’m a simpleton in that world.
Don’t sit all the time, nor don’t stand all the time. The small of your back and your hips will take the brunt of the abuse, and there’s nothing more embarrassing than standing up after a long time and moaning in pain.
And finally, have fun with your day. Observe and learn and listen. Learn where people want to put your piece, the colors they like, and which food vendor was the best. An art/craft fair is a wonderful people watching place. Don’t be afraid to make eye contact and say hello to those looking at your wares as they pass by. You never know who will come back and purchase something.
I was a nervous wreck all week, and all day before the fair started. The adrenalin kept me alert and adaptive. But when all was said and done, it was just another day.
I’ve been catching up on my Reader reading these past few days, and have I found some interesting, spectacular, enjoyable art of all kinds from my artistic friends! I mean, WOW!
I can’t decide if I want to highlight all of them in one blog, do one blog a day for five days, one blog a week, give them full spread value, mix them up between my wit and wanton words …
I cannot believe I am so fascinated with the world ofART. I mean — it’s only a way to pass the time, isn’t it? It’s only using a pair of scissors to cut out a design. A bit of glue and fabric on a piece of paper. A few brush strokes on a piece of canvas.
Of course, if you believe that, our relationship is tainted.
Seriously, though.
When one practices what they love over and over again, miracles happen. Little miracles, big miracles. Half miracles. Because it’s the soul, the ether, the cosmic power of life and beyond coming through.
Whew! Big words! Big emotions! Big exclamation points!
I think I’ll showcase them — and others — a couple of times a week. There are sooooooo many people whose work I enjoy, and I’m always making new friends out there, too, whose work is ever inspiring. Just last week I highlightedCarsten Wielandand his creative painting videos — just sitting andwatching him create is amazing.
I should make up a week about celebrating artists. But I’d be celebrating 52 weeks a year. And I already do that!
One minute you are so full of words that nothing but writing a book can be their outlet. Other times you stare at at the screen, typing One Upon a Time 60 times because you can’t think of anything to write down.
One minute you have this great quilt idea, the next minute, as you start collecting materials, you find nothing reflects your idea.
I have two personal friends who have added painting to their creative repertoire, and honestly are very good at that, too.
Maybe it’s the seasons that change our creative move. The need to be outdoors more, alive and singing with the birds and dancing with the bees.
Yeah — I can see me doing both.
But there is a different feel to spring than fall, summer than winter. What excited you last winter often disappears or, better yet, metamorphoses into something new and different.
Do you change crafts as the Earth changes seasons?
We all stick to our basic first love. Of that I don’t doubt. But when I read blogs where artists are trying collages instead of knitting or making miniatures instead of pop up cards, I am delighted. One good friend has turned from crocheting to repainting and redecorating her bedroom.
It’s a great feeling to get your feet wet in self expression.
Even if we don’t know what we’re doing, the enjoyment of learning just for the sake of learning is unmatchable.
Maybe that’s why so many have so many projects going at one time. I’m going to make a collage for my sister! I’m going to paint the landscape behind my house! I picked up this new book at a garage sale the other day; think I’ll start reading tonight! I’m going to sew beautiful trim on a bunch of hand towels! I’m going to … I’m going to … I’m going to …
And here we are. Starting all over again. Or continuing where we left off last week or last month. Give us a little background music, a little work area, and voila! We are off on another adventure.
I myself am fighting between continuing my next book, making enough Angel Tears for the craft fair in September, figuring out how to put a book online, and keeping the weeds out of my new pop up/out garden. I feel like I’m at the beginning of a mountain trail, but at least I know I have company on my way up.
How about you and your pastimes? Any new ones creeping in?
Now that I am retired I am not as much against Mondays as I was when I punched a time clock at work. If the day has nothing in particular scheduled, I sleep a little later, enjoy my coffee a little longer, and waste a little more time on my computer.
My Sunday Evening Art Gallery folder is filling up fast. Plus I have 2 pages of possible unique artists to explore.
I know no one is as excited or interested in the array of unusual and unique artists I’ve discovered, but I think that’s true for all of us, no matter what our creative outlet.
I’m a unique art fan. I also love writing and crafting (only one particular item). My family isn’t terribly interested in any of the above, which is alright by me. At least I’m not in competition with any of them.
But it’s nice to find others who are interested in the same things you are. I’ve let writing simmer on the back burner for a while now, but I have friends who are writers and poets and I love where they are going with their work. I have friends who have turned from active poets to active painters, and others who are active woodworkers or crocheting superstars.
I believe in shining no matter how good or talented you are.
But that’s just me.
But I digress.
The Gallery folder is filling up faster than I can post. I can’t even keep up with the actualgallery, although it doesn’t get as much traffic as my blog.
The seat of creation has to lie somewhere, doesn’t it?
Here are a few images of artists waiting in the wings:
David de la Mano
Ruby Silvious
Yarn Bombing
Dino Rosin
I hope you all stay around for the ride. I love this stuff! I hope you do too. And stop by the Gallery and see all of the artists I’ve added!
For those of you who enjoy my Sunday Evening Art Gallery entries, I have added quite a number of beautiful images in many artists’ galleries. The depth of these artists (and many more) is just amazing.
Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art. ~Andy Warhol
Since I have crossed my Internet usage limit until Tuesday, I thought I would repost this one from 5 years ago today!
I have often found that letting the artist explain his craft is the most rewarding explanation of all.
So it is with Don Esser: Blacksmith, Metal Artist, and Sculptor.
Since 1976, using hammer and anvil, I’ve been pounding, twisting, and shaping hot metal.
As a self-taught artist, my approach to life and art has always had an element of fearlessness to it. From childhood on, art has always been a natural, joyful part of my life.
There is a fluid lightness to my work partly because I’m enjoying making it and partly because, after so many years, I have learned the language of my materials.
I try to capture the essence in as few lines as possible, with a sense of fluidity and grace that can be achieved working in the forge.
It is a little like stealing fire from the gods and my goal is to put a bit of that sense of wonder into each piece I make.
That playful quality in my work also means that most of my pieces are one of a kind.
People often ask, “How long does it take you to make it?”
My answer is, “36 years of practice, 50-plus years of training, and a lifelong desire to make art.”
Today — Every day — is for sharing. Sometimes I’m not up to it, other days I’m buzzing around like a bee with pollen. Today is a pollen day.
I’d like to share some of my blogger friends’ finished artwork. I enjoy following them, and I really appreciate their efforts to bring beauty into the world. I know I might miss some, but that share is for another day. Take a look — follow the links — and enjoy their work for yourself.
Artist Kazuhito Takadoi uses natural materials combined with traditional Japanese art supplies like sumi ink and washi paper to make delicate sculptural works that tread between two and three dimensions.
Inspired by the rich woodland surrounding his birthplace of Nagoya, Japan, nature is both Takadoi’s inspiration and the source of him material. There are no added colors: everything is natural, simply dried then woven, stitched, or tied.Takadoi cultivates and then gathers grass, leaves, and twigs from his garden to form the meticulous structures that comprise his dimensional creations.He has also developed the embroidery process to include pure white Japanese book binding threads as a material.
Though these organic findings are secured in place through weaving and stitching, they continue to evolve as they dry and mature, changing in flexibility and color.
Duro Olowu is a Nigerian-born, London-based fashion designer. He is best known for his innovative combinations of patterns and textiles that draw inspiration from his international background.He grew up living in both Nigeria and London and spent summers in Geneva, immersing him in multiple cultures.From an early age, his enthusiasm for fashion was inspired by the unexpected mix of fabrics, textures and draping techniques of the clothing worn by the women that surrounded him.He is best known for his innovative combinations of patterns and textiles that draw inspiration from his international background.
His first collection in 2006 was an instant hit with fashion editors and buyers worldwide and an international sell out in its worldwide stockists at the time.Alluring silhouettes, sharp tailoring, original prints juxtaposed with luxurious vintage fabrics in “off beat” yet harmonious combinations are Olowu’s signature.His colors are bright, mismatched, yet coordinated, reflecting the brightness of life and of being a woman.Olowu says, “My idea [was] to create a beautiful feast for the eyes reminiscent of a warm and joyful season filled with international treasures and signature fabrics.”
Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. ~ Calvin Coolidge
I have said many times before that inspiration is everywhere around us…. that all we need to do is OPEN OUR EYES.
This evening I was trying to catch up on reading individual blogs I follow and came across two that really made me proud of the creativeness around me.
Laura Kate is the energy behind Daily Fiber, a blog about projects featuring fiber material. Not only is this woman into creating beautiful quilts, including designing her own, but she crochets, paints, and sews. What made her stand out in my mind was one of her opening blog: I’m taking a break from knitting and painting to do a little sewing.
I love it.
To me, she is a person who hears the song of creativity and follows it gladly. Her spirit is most likely drawn in ten directions at one time, yet wisely she listens to one song at a time while she keeps an ear open for the other melodies.
The Textile Ranger has devoted two blogs to her make-believe mall called TextileTopia and TextileTopia Part Two, filled with real-life artists and websites for readers to click through and enjoy. Her creativity is electric — it makes you want to quilt and sew and make small pieces of artwork and huge murals and garden and stitch and — you get my drift.
I am so turned on by others who are turned on by the Arts. Whether it’s a single pursuit or a confusing cornucopia of ideas and methods that have no direction, letting that creative Muse of yours out into the world does something wonderful to and for your soul.
I’ve been in a rut lately, taking care of some stressful family business, along with the darkness of winter and the adjustment to retirement. I know the best way out of the blues is to play with the rainbow of light and imagination and let my mind (and talent) go where it will.
I’ve got some great ideas for the new year such as making Angel Tears (a hanging cord that sparkles in the breeze), along with photographing some beautiful, falling down barns in my countryside. I hope I can share my adventures with you.
In the meantime, don’t fight the spirit that longs to be set free. Go with it! What have you got to lose?
The most widely acclaimed African American artist of this century, and one of only several whose works are included in standard survey books on American art, Jacob Armstead Lawrence has enjoyed a successful career for more than fifty years.Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1917. The son of Southern migrants, he moved with his mother and sister to Harlem in 1930 at age 13.Lawrence’s paintings portray the lives and struggles of African Americans, and have found wide audiences due to their abstract, colorful style and universality of subject matter.He create paintings drawn from the African American experience as well as historical and contemporary themes, such as war, religion, and civil rights.
In 1940, he received a grant from the Rosenwald Foundation to create a 60-panel epic, The Migration of the Negro (now known as TheMigration Series).
The panels portray the migration of over a million African Americans from the South to industrial cities in the North between 1910 and 1940.
He was credited with developing a unique aesthetic known as Dynamic Cubism, which would be attributed, not to European influences, but to “hard, bright, brittle” Harlem.
Artist Trading Cards for International Artists Day
Today I went wandering around the Internet looking for images for an upcoming Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog about Reflections. During this search I came across so many amazing images.
Amazing isn’t even touching upon the truth.
If I once thought there was competition to get my writing out into the universe, it is mirrored tenfold in the number of creative images artists, photographers, graphic artists, and other creative muses out there.
The world is an amazing place. Artists abound in so many ways, with so many ideas. I am blown away.
Google a phrase, an idea, then go to images or to the websites that pop up. Read the articles. Look at their pictures. Their backgrounds are as diverse as grains of sand. But each of their creations are unique. There are hundreds of versions of an image such as trees or ice or dreams. The visions are endless.
Just like the Sunday Evening Art Gallery gallery I just posted yesterday. You have nightmarish paintings by Zdzisław Beksinski sitting next to paintings of lovely Indian women by Raja Ravi Varma, which are down the hall from unusual Chairs, which is some ways from Rita Faes who takes remarkable photos of flowers, who is way down from Pumpkin Carving King Ray Villafane, who is quite a bit away from the famous, beautiful Fabergé Eggs.
See what I mean? Such varied talent, such amazing work. Everywhere.
Whether you paint leaves or embroider geometric designs or make stained glass, your work adds nothing but glitter to the Earth’s aura. Every time you write a poem, every time you carve a pumpkin or paint a watercolor landscape you add to the positive vibes of the world.
Just like these artists I came across online who did miracles with bottles or mirrors or paint drops, all you need is a dream and some imagination and the urge to do something fun.
Last week I told you that, for various reasons, I will not be going to Paris next fall to write. Which is just fine.
Just as I accepted that fact, my creative muse swooped in and brought me an idea a new book (which I’ve told you about). Her chatter, at first, is confusing and mind blowing. So much information, so many ideas, and with her Irish brogue it’s sometimes hard to understand everything.
But she also brought a new awareness to my aura’s circle. I believe that, of all of things I’ve written, this upcoming book will be the one that really works.
Do you ever feel that way with your latest creation? That of all of the things you have worked on, all the things you’ve made, that this is the one that is going to take you to that next level?
Do you listen to yourself when you hear that?
Now, “the next level” can be different things to different people. It could be the start of a whole new art collection. A whole new style or technique or genre. It is usually something you’ve been working towards for some time. A contest entry, an art competition, being published. The next level is something every artist strives for.
I finished my blogs about How To Write Your First/Second/Third Book which I will be posting soon. And I am happy to say I am following my own advice.
I have a story line kinda worked out. When I solidify it I will write my synopsis. I think I’ve decided which point of view I’m writing as. And I have a lot of research to do on characters and settings, for that’s the kind of book I now want to write. I am missing one character I know I need but have drawn a blank on who it is. This is common, too. You don’t always have to have all the details, all the Ps and Qs before you start. Your creative muse will sooner or later bring you the piece you need to finish your puzzle.
When you get your idea and really begin to work on it, you can’t help but get excited about it. Excited about the research, excited about its development, excited about how you will start it and how you will finish it. All mediums are the same when it comes to that tingling feeling that “this is IT.”
So what are you working on/researching this marvelous Monday?
And I’m talking to you silent readers in the background who are starting something and finally are ready to talk about it….
Vanessa Davis is known for her elaborate, theatrical, detailed and highly creative makeup designs and looks she creates on herself and others. The self-described “makeup and mixed media face-artist” is known for her skull-inspired designs that exceed every day and trendy skeletal face paint.
Davis creatively and continuously finds ways to create her unique looks. Colorful koi fish, a rising phoenix, a butterfly’s wing, and even a sleek, neon hologram are just some of the many ways the artist has brought nature and color into her skull motif.
So, why the skull? For Davis, the decision was a personal one.
“I am fascinated how skulls are portrayed in fashion, art and tattoo art. I noticed that the successful makeup accounts specialized in either a particular style or subject, so I chose skulls, which also works, as my heritage is Mexican and English.”
Vanessa transitioned to a full time designer and influencer on social media and has partnered and collaborated with brands such as 20 Century Fox, Disney, Warner, MAC, Makeup Forever, and others.
That young minds and old should be focused on more important things like finance and politics and how to earn a living.
Well, art is a miracle of the mind, heart, and soul, too.
I’ve been finding a lot of new and unique artists to share in futureSunday Evening Art Gallery blogs. And with each piece of art comes an overwhelming sense of self. Of accomplishment. Of caring and sharing.
Here are a few of the artist I’ve already featured. Take a look at the thought, the fine detail, the foresight these people had in just creating something:
Here is a sampling of some of the artists to come:
Pegi Smith
Matt Molloy
Vanessa Davis
Just think for a moment all the work that went into each creation. All the thought, emotion, and precise movements it took to get their art just right..
Art is all around you.
If ever in doubt, just open your eyes. Hereare a few views of art made by a more “cosmic” artist … be sure to take in this sort of art when you can …
Edgar Degas (1834 – 1917) never reconciled himself to the label of “Impressionist,” preferring to call himself a “Realist” or “Independent.”
Nevertheless, he was one of the organizers of the first impressionist exhibition in 1874, and remained influential in the group, but his own work was deliberate and controlled, painted in the studio from sketches, notes, and memory.
Like the Impressionists, Degas sought to capture fleeting moments in the flow of modern life, yet he showed little interest in painting plein-air landscapes, favoring scenes in theaters and cafés illuminated by artificial light, which he used to clarify the contours of his figures, adhering to his academic training.
He is especially identified with the subject of dance; more than half of his works depict dancers.
His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and for their portrayal of human isolation.
Though his work crossed many stylistic boundaries, Degas’ involvement with the other major figures of Impressionism and their exhibitions, his dynamic paintings and sketches of everyday life and activities, and his bold color experiments, served to finally tie him to the Impressionist movement as one of its greatest artists.
Degas summed it us thus: “A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people.”
More of Edgar Degas‘ magnificent art can be found around the Internet.
A lovely, crazy, wild, serene, inquisitive, jovial, restful, whirlwind, boring, or otherwise refreshing weekend.
I thought I would take a Monday evening to show off some of the beautifully intricate and unusual and amazing art I’ve come across since I started my Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog.
I cannot tell you how much each one of these artists have taken my breath away with their talent, their determination, and their creativity. Hope you appreciate the galleries, and if you are interested, come on over to the main Sunday Evening blog and see a lot more of their magic. Follow if you wish — just peek in now and then if you don’t. But no matter where you go, keep an eye out for the unusual, the beautiful, the world of art.
The elections are over, candidates came and some went, everyone believing they know what’s best for my/our community, our district, our state. One falls and the other takes up the march. In the end, the stalks of corn whistle and whine and sing the song of tomorrow.
I just started watching “The Agony and the Ecstasy” about Michelangelo. It begins by covering his amazing sculptures such at St. Matthew, the tomb of Juliano, and the Medici tombs, including the tomb of Lorenzo. He was 24 when he carved the magnificent Pietà of St. Peters, and 26 when he started to carve famous statue of David.
And he was 33 when he started painting the Sistine Chapel. That huge, vast, empty ceiling.
33. What were you doing when you were 33?
I was working in downtown Chicago and had been married for three years and had a two-year-old when I was 33. The little painting I did was more a passing fancy, and the writing I did would not explode in earnest until ten years later.
Some people are just gifted. Some people are just magic. Some people have something we will never have.
I don’t think the competition back in 1508 was as extreme as it is these days. There was no Internet, no Facebook or no blogs. No telephones, no printing presses, no TV or Xeroxes. Oh, I’m sure there were many sculptors back then. Sculptors and painters. But to have your work noticed and remembered and studied and worshipped — that’s a totally different story.
I have no idea how to sculpt anything, no less chisel a man out of marble. I may paint my pithy version of an alien landscape, but I have no idea how to paint people and ceilings and landscapes.
He did.
He knew how to create art from blocks of stone and angels from paint at the same time people lived with thatched roofs and bathed once a year.
When you stop and take a look at the history of art — really take a look at how such marvelous creations were created in such sparse and simple times — you cannot help be be amazed.
You don’t have to be “into” the arts to appreciate the talent and stories that echo through the hallways of time. A calling was all that was needed; a calling to an artist who had the talent, the patience, and the dream of making something bigger than themselves.
You may not have the fame or endurance of the masters of old, but you do have the talent and the inspiration. Throw yourself into your art, and let it flow through you and onto your medium.
Don’t compare yourself to artists like Michelangelo di Ludovico Buonarroti Simoni or Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn or Marc Zakharovich Chagall. You are your own magic, your own muse. You hear music others can’t hear. Follow that calling.
And take a look at some of the artists of the past. Learn about their art, their history, their passions.
Maybe you will see yourself reflected in their creativity.
Erwin Perzy, a surgical instruments mechanic, accidentally created the first snow globe in 1900 as a result of an experiment to try to improve the brightness of the newly invented – and then not very bright – electric light bulb.
He was inspired by the shoemakers of the time, who to get more light from a candle mounted a glass globe filled with water in front of the flame. This gave them a light spot the size of a hand.
One day he found a white powder, semolina, used for baby food.
And he poured it into the glass globe, and it got soaked by the water and floated very slowly to the base of the globe.
This effect reminded him of snowfall.
And this was the very first, the basic idea for inventing a snow globe.
Though Perzy—who patented his globe in 1900—didn’t invent the snow globe, he and his brother are responsible for catapulting the souvenir into the position of tchotchke primacy it holds today.
Alright, all you lovers (and merely friends) of Art….
Yesterday, my SEAG blogwas about Infinity. As you can see, most of of the images are abstract, i.e., art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead use shapes, colors, forms and gestural marks to achieve its effect (per Tate Gallery).
Now, I am a landscape scenery kind of aficionado — a fan of surrealistic fantasy scenes and purple skies. But I want to feel comfortable around abstract art. I may not understand it, but I often get a “feeling” from it.
From those of you who appreciate abstract art…what it is about it that you like? What part of it do you understand? What does it MEAN?
Although it may look to the contrary, abstract art is not just someone spatting paint on a canvas. There is a reason, an emotion, a question the artist is trying to convey.
How can you learn to appreciate it, though?
Through the Gallery years I have shared what I thought was creative modern art. I read about the artists, got an idea what he was trying to convey, and shared their work so that you could get a different taste in your mouth.
But I’m sad to say I don’t quite get it. And I’m not making fun of abstract art. I’m just trying to understand it.
I suppose it’s like poets writing free verse poetry. To me it sounds like creative writing broken up into stanzas. There are only a few poets that write like that that I truly feel are sticking to form. But I love what I read, so the style doesn’t always mean as much.
So all of your modern art affectionados — how do you look at abstract art? Or minimalism art? What do I look for? How do I understand it?
Korean artist Kang Dong Hyun constructs hollow animal sculptures from a system of metallic branches.
Hyun creates animal-shaped, metal figurines that look as though they are formed from delicate tree branches and twigs.
His works often have a high concentration of these sprig-like elements constructing the animal’s face, which allow the distinguishing characteristics of his house cats, birds, bulls, and elephants to take form.
In one particular piece a lion’s full facial features are brought to life through his network of sculpted twigs, a furrowed brow projecting a look of worry or remorse.
When placed outdoors, each sculpture takes on a new life of its own as the sun hits its reflective surface.
You can see more of Kang’s interpretations of the animal kingdom at My Modern Met.
Things are swinging around here lately. It seems like I haven’t felt like writing lately, except for my blog.
Me. A writer. Not writing.
I seem to be getting more into the Art thing more than the Writing thing. I’m finding more and more artists that I want to share with you, and finding less and less creativity in the short story department.
Does that mean I’m still a Writer?
Should I change my title to Art Director?
Some people live and die by their title. I can remember working in downtown Chicago in the 80s….people were respected (and paid) by how many windows they had in their office. Pity the fellow who had a beam going down the middle of the window. It wasn’t nearly as respected as one who had a whole window. The CEO at the time had four windows — a corner office.
You can see whose title meant the most in those days.
I’m sure it’s the same today. I don’t work downtown, so titles aren’t as cutthroat as they are in the city. Yet I’ve seen ledgers with Vice President of Marketing, Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Director of Marketing, Assistant Director of Marketing — what does that all mean?
Back to my title.
I consider myself a writer. Do I dare consider myself an Art Director?
According to Wikipedia, an art director…… is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vision. In particular, the art director is in charge of the overall visual appearance (I do that) and how it communicates visually, stimulates moods, contrasts features, and psychologically appeals to a target audience (I do that too!) . The art director makes decisions about visual elements used, what artistic style to use, and when to use motion (I do all that too!).
It’s funny how so many of us are judged by our titles. I was a IDCAS who did writing, yet I didn’t get the acknowledgement of a writer until they called me Digital Writer. I’m sure those chains hang over other artistic branches as well.
I believe we should be any title we want. As long as we don’t lie about things like past jobs or education, what does it matter what you’re called? Of course, I don’t really need a title. I just do what I do and like what I do.
I am the owner of Sunday Evening Art Gallery. I also choose which artists to showcase, the layout of the site, who to promote. That makes me an Art Director if anything does.
I could also call myself Art Gallery Marketing Manager, Gallery Curator, Museum Director, Art Gallery Administrator, Art Gallery Museum Director…..
Ellie Davies has have been working in UK forests for the past eight years, making work which explores the complex interrelationship between the landscape and the individual.
Davies notes UK forests have been shaped by human processes over thousands of years and include ancient woodlands, timber forestry, wildlife reserves and protected Areas of Outstanding Natural.
As such, forests are potent symbols in folklore, fairy tale and myth, places of enchantment and magic as well as of danger and mystery.
Against this backdrop, Davies’ work explores the ways in which identity is formed by the landscapes we live and grow up in.
The forest becomes a studio, forming a backdrop to contextualize the work, so that each piece draws on its location, a golden tree introduced into a thicket shimmers in the darkness, painted paths snake through the undergrowth, and strands of wool are woven between trees mirroring colors and formal elements within the space.
Born in 1965, Carol Long was raised on a farm in Stafford County Kansas.
.Working from a family farm studio in Kansas, Carol reproduces the beauty of her surrounding environment into her pieces using floral and insect motifs, combined with flowing lines, merging into leaf and plant details
Pieces are made by a variety of methods such as throwing, slabwork, extrusions, and hand building, along with pulled handles and attached multiple pieces that are textured with presses, slip trailing, stains and glazes.
Her work continues to evolve as she experiments with new ways of expressing the tiny beautiful intrinsic qualities of nature that we often take for granted.
Philippines-based illustrator Kerby Rosanes is a master in the world of proves that doodling can be so much more than scratching unintelligible scribbles on paper.
Using Uni Pin drawing pens, Rosanes is able to transport viewers to a world of designs, characters, and drawings that present a mesmerizing view with every angle.
Rosanes admits that he gets on an “illustration high” when he merges animals with his “crazy doodle monsters”, but he loves the results of every fusion.
Rosanes is a self-taught artist, honing his talent with every design. Growing up, he could not afford to take art classes so he learned to draw himself.
Rosanes believes that artists should pursue something that is close to your heart. Breaking into the creative industry is not easy. So don’t let every negative comment pull you down.
I have a story or two to tell you, but it will have to wait until Sunday or Monday. Gotta have turkey with the grandbabies — twice — and I can’t miss the love.
So for now, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving — give thanks for who you know, how you got where you are, and the lessons you learned along the way. Be thankful that you are able to dream and imagine and create. Give thanks for those who have passed — be thankful that they came into your life and gave you so much of themselves. Give thanks for sunrises and sunsets and Tchaikovsky and Monet and Harry Potter.
Eat some turkey, have extra gravy (it’s only one day!), and know that I’m thankful for all of you. For your writing, for your art, for your stopping by and saying hi. Somehow I feel we’re all friends in here.
“Things” are everywhere! And so many artists create so many things that defy categories. That’s what makes this unique art.
Last night I went through the blogs I follow and came across my friend’s gallery Tiffany Arp-Daleo Artwork. I have showcased her work in both Humoring the Goddess and Sunday Evening Art Gallery. 
Going through some of the photos from my trip to Paris, Rome, and Florence last year for my new Frameo moving picture frame, I came across some kick ass photos of stone architecture.
Another Saturday, another chance to play in my Sunday Evening Art Gallery Galleries, another Saturday I’d like to share with you, my fun friends!
Deep cold outside today — and lots of snow to come tonight. Welcome to Wisconsin.
Yesterday I got together with family to (a) celebrate a birthday and (b) watch the Super Bowl, only one of which had a happy ending (I’m a Chicago Bears fan, so really the whole Super Bowl was superfluous..)
There is always two sides to a coin — a perfect side and a flawed side.
I feel like I’ve been on a role lately!
For the last 20-25 years, being bored has never been a problem for me.
As a blogger, do you feel like you need to blog every day?
Winter Landscape, Caspar David Friedrich
Adoration of the Magi, Albrecht Dürer
Christmas in Paris, John Delonas
Adoration of the Magi, Peter Paul Rubens
0Christmas Card, Salvador Dali
Be Home for Christmas, Thomas Kinkade
Christmas Morning, Thomas Falcon-Marshall
Adoration of the Magi, Sandro Botticelli
Christmas Card, Andy Warhol
Merry Christmas Grandma, Norman Rockwell
Snow Scene at Aargenteuil, Claude Monet
Charlie Brown Christmas, Charle
I never seem to stop amusing myself with my own actions. I always start out in one direction and wind up completely somewhere else.
The more I delve into Art, the more amazing it becomes.
Curious, I checked out another artist, Elena Dal Cortivo, who makes handmade reproductions of parchment roses made for the sound holes of harpsichords, mandolins, and baroque guitars.
This is how I find so many wonderful artists in the world. People and places that those of us in small Wisconsin towns have never heard of.
I cannot solve and explore worlds that are still brand new to me.
You have seen the wonder of my Sunday Evening Art Gallery through this blog since I first opened the Gallery September 14, 2014.
I don’t know about you, but I often feel smarter at the beginning of the week than I do by the end. All things considered, life and beyond is easier to think about on a sunny Monday morning.
Another week has started in the farms/small towns in southeast Wisconsin. Nature, in her ever moving glory, has dumped most of her glorious hair on the ground to eventually turn into mush and mulch and hiding places for various little things until spring.
Happy Monday! Or is it? 
It was a partly sunny, partly windy Sunday afternoon at my first craft fair for Angel Tears. The crowd ebbed and flowed up and down the walk around my booth. I got a lot of compliments about the beauty of the crystals and colored stones, which I gratefully acknowledged. I perhaps made back 1/5 to 1/4 of my total first-year investment in sales, which surprised me for a first time outing.
Okay okay!
It’s funny how creativity ebbs and flows.
Now that I am retired I am not as much against Mondays as I was when I punched a time clock at work. If the day has nothing in particular scheduled, I sleep a little later, enjoy my coffee a little longer, and waste a little more time on my computer.
There are no added colors: everything is natural, simply dried then woven, stitched, or tied.
Takadoi cultivates and then gathers grass, leaves, and twigs from his garden to form the meticulous structures that comprise his dimensional creations.
He has also developed the embroidery process to include pure white Japanese book binding threads as a material.
Though these organic findings are secured in place through weaving and stitching, they continue to evolve as they dry and mature, changing in flexibility and color.
More of Kazuhito Takadoi’s marvelous creations can be found at http://www.kazuhitotakadoi.com.
He grew up living in both Nigeria and London and spent summers in Geneva, immersing him in multiple cultures.
From an early age, his enthusiasm for fashion was inspired by the unexpected mix of fabrics, textures and draping techniques of the clothing worn by the women that surrounded him.
He is best known for his innovative combinations of patterns and textiles that draw inspiration from his international background.
His first collection in 2006 was an instant hit with fashion editors and buyers worldwide and an international sell out in its worldwide stockists at the time.
Alluring silhouettes, sharp tailoring, original prints juxtaposed with luxurious vintage fabrics in “off beat” yet harmonious combinations are Olowu’s signature.
His colors are bright, mismatched, yet coordinated, reflecting the brightness of life and of being a woman.
Olowu says, “My idea [was] to create a beautiful feast for the eyes reminiscent of a warm and joyful season filled with international treasures and signature fabrics.”
Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1917. The son of Southern migrants, he moved with his mother and sister to Harlem in 1930 at age 13.
Lawrence’s paintings portray the lives and struggles of African Americans, and have found wide audiences due to their abstract, colorful style and universality of subject matter.
He create paintings drawn from the African American experience as well as historical and contemporary themes, such as war, religion, and civil rights.
In 1940, he received a grant from the Rosenwald Foundation to create a 60-panel epic, The Migration of the Negro (now known as The Migration Series).
The panels portray the migration of over a million African Americans from the South to industrial cities in the North between 1910 and 1940. 
The self-described “makeup and mixed media face-artist” is known for her skull-inspired designs that exceed every day and trendy skeletal face paint. 
They say art is a waste of time.
Hope you had a lovely weekend.
~Michelangelo
Alright, all you lovers (and merely friends) of Art….
Things are swinging around here lately. It seems like I haven’t felt like writing lately, except for my blog.
Against this backdrop, Davies’ work explores the ways in which identity is formed by the landscapes we live and grow up in.
Originally inspired to be an artist by her mother, she has also received inspiration from her three children, which explains the carefree whimsy evident in her pottery.
More of Carol Long‘s pottery can be found at http://www.carollongpottery.com/. 
I have a story or two to tell you, but it will have to wait until Sunday or Monday. Gotta have turkey with the grandbabies — twice — and I can’t miss the love.
Humoring the Goddess 
