Monday, August 30, 2010

For Your Inspiration: Another RED Day







by Dennis Jarvis on Flickr
Why is it I'm thinking I want to get away? I've just spent two weeks away. Perhaps it is the very long list of deadlines I have to meet over the next month. I don't deal well with the pressure of deadlines. I'd rather run away and hide. Of course it would be nice to do it somewhere far away and beautiful. With my sketchbook. And paint. And fabric. And machine and thread and beads and more paint and maybe even all the rest of the stuff in my studio. (grins)

Friday, August 27, 2010

Artist Spotlight part 1: Diana Trout

I'd like to introduce you to another artist whom I admire, the lovely and talented Diana Trout.


Lyric - Have you always known you wanted to be an artist? How did you come to where you are now in your artistic development.

Diana - Oh boy, this will be a long answer. 
In a word, no. Apparently, I loved art as a child but my parents were pretty busy since there were five of us kids and my mom was sick. I remember being given a paint by number set. I loved the paint and hated the numbers. I wound up doing my own thing which led my mother to believe I wasn’t much of an artist. I spent a lot of time in our small town craft shop and used to spend all of my allowance there.
We didn’t have any art in school (mid to late 60’s, catholic school) but we did have plenty of music - all that choir practice! I love music, so decided that was my calling; all through high school and collage, I played guitar and sang in coffee houses. It was a good part-time job! 

D - And so it went. I went to several different commuter colleges, bouncing from one major to another and paying for it myself. Eventually, something snapped in my head and I went to art school and took a few classes. After building a portfolio, I applied to Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Everything I did there was magical and I immersed myself completely in painting and drawing the figure. That was it: 35 years later, I’m still sticking with it.


L - I agree - PLAY takes practice. It’s good to think through your work but it is so helpful to take the time to be free. 



L - We have so much in common! Large family, started out and paid our own way through college as musicians. You were lucky to find art early… it took me a while. It's never too late right?
L - Stranded on a Desert Island - what's in your art shoebox?
D - My watercolors, definitely and embroidery/sewing kit. I could make my own paper and find fibers there to stitch on. There would probably be berries for ink and sticks to draw with and I could make charcoal sticks easily enough. Better have some matches to start that fire, though. How long would I be there, exactly?


L - Hey we should hang out there together. I could teach you how to make a flint and steel fire and set a game trap for food. Let’s keep it easy though and just spend a few wonderfully isolated days with our art and plenty of food before the yacht comes to pick us up.
L - Your journals have an intriguing balance of rawness and beauty. I have trouble getting too tight in my work. Any hints for staying loose?

D - Oh yes, that is difficult! Practice is the solution, though. It’s a funny thing that adults need to practice re-learning how to play but we really do! Thank you for noticing the “raw/elegance” aesthetic, Lyric. It really is something that I’ve consciously nurtured for a long time.


I hope you've enjoyed meeting Diana as much as I've enjoyed getting to know her. Diana's blog is titled Hububbery. Go visit her there and say hello. 


You've got to love a woman who uses the word Hububbery.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Monday, August 23, 2010

Work In Progress


I've been traveling most of the past two weeks and have two more days to go. All fun. All good. 

Lots of time on airplanes and in a car. More on that later. 

I had the best driver in the world which was absolutely lovely. Got some hand work done.

 One more for the "Family Ties" series.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

On The Road: Airports


working my way through Riven Phoenix's DVD drawing lessons
And playing with my new Japanese Brush Pen.

Doodles on an airplane.

Las Vegas.

In the air over the colorado plateau.
River systems look remarkably like trees.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Review: Judy Coates Perez

It’s amazing how time gets away from me. July flew by. 
Judy Coates Perez has produced two DVD Workshops with Quilting Arts and I’ve already told you that she’s one of my favorite artists. Both are simply done and straightforward. I think they were early on in the line-up of QA’s DVD’s as the set is spare rather than the fun studio background in the current DVD’s. No matter because the techniques that Judy presents are solid and informative.
In Painted Cloth for Mixed Media Judy takes you step by step through the creation of a mixed media painted cloth. She shows you how to adhere various collage papers to cloth, then apply wonderfully juicy layers of color. Then another layer of lovely painted design is applied so that your first two layers just peek through. She ends up with a wonderfully rich and complex piece of cloth that can be stitched into used for a quilt top or formed into any fun accessory you choose. Judy’s style is at once both beautifully simple and richly complex at the same time.
So - Leave a comment here or on one of the other spotlights on Judy and Monday I’ll let a random number generator choose the lucky winner of this DVD! Tell me if you’ve ever used paper on cloth. How is it to sew through? If you use it for something like a tote bag how durable is it? I’m having all sorts of fun accessory ideas after watching Judy’s workshop.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Two Favorites

Just thought I'd take a quick moment to share with you two of my very favorite blogs. 
Favorite because of the valuable information they provide to artists.

Gwendolyn Magee writes
It is an absolute gold mine of organized links.
She has gathered links to articles on subjects such as
and


Joanne Mattera writes

She reviews fine art shows and opines on various works of art.
My favorite are her Marketing Monday posts including:
and

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Sisters: The Shape of Love

I'd like to introduce you to three of my favorite people in the whole, wide, entire, planet.
Maybe the galaxy.


I get to go spend time with them next week and I am beside myself with excitement.

I'm the oldest. Lisa came along a couple of years later. We shared a room our entire childhood. There were times we were best friends and other times we merely coexisted. Pretty much amicably. 

She got married soon after I did and never traveled much so our grown-up relationship depended on a few phone calls here and there. I've always admired her for her bravery, endurance, and her faith. Now she's making up for lost travel time - can't wait until she finally gets to come visit me.

She has the most beautiful voice. She's always been very talented. She could draw, back when I only secretly wished I could. Then again - she practiced and I didn't. Of course she learned to draw. She has always been beautiful. 

She has a smile a mile wide, lets her hairdresser do anything he feels like doing, and loves being just a little bit insane. I love her.


Amber is ten years younger than me. I don't think she was out of elementary school when I went away to college so I didn't really get to know her as a friend until much later when she got to come visit, then live with us for several months.

I've always seen her as someone who thinks and feels things very deeply, who seems to know what she wants and is willing to work to get there. And the things she wants are beautiful - making the world a better place.

She plays piano amazingly well, sings, dances, and just this week earned her masters of music education.




Lindsey was only 6 years old or so when I moved out. She's always been a little nuts - in a good way. Very silly, very confident, very outspoken. Fearless. I think it comes from having nine people doting on you from the time you were born. (Parents, Grandma, five sibs - yup - two brothers in the middle.)

I remember coming home for a visit after a couple of years living across the country (this is pre-e-mail) and being sent to pick her up at school. This gorgeous blond was sitting on her violin case on the curb. I didn't even recognize my own sister. I tried not to cry.

She plays violin, designs and creates beautiful jewelry, and still makes me laugh.


These women are people I admire, respect and love. They live much, much, too far away. Of course I was the first one that took off across the country - far from home. Now we are scattered from coast to coast. Nobody in my family lives closer than 7 hours from each other. 

We've had two "sisters" trips in our adult lives. We always sing. The three of them are involved in musical theater. I'm the hack among 'em but if I do say so - we sound pretty cool. Sometimes we sing goofy camp songs. Sometimes English madrigals. Last time we learned some early american folk songs. I'm bringing along some Andrews Sisters charts.

We always spend a day dressing up and playing with our cameras. This photo is the basis for one of my favorite pieces. Some time soon (which for me is any time in the next five years) I'm going to work up a very long series of artworks based on our relationships.

So you'll understand if I'm a bit distracted. Kind of like a puppy dog with two little tails to wag I'm so giddy with anticipation. I'll try to post some pictures. I am truly blessed to have these women in my life. We talk and skype all the time now but we only get to see each other every few years. It's not enough. 

51" x 51"
2005 by Lyric Kinard

Psalm to By Beloved by Eunice Tietjens
can be read in its entirety here

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

For Your Inspiration: Upcycled Sweaters



It's hot 'O hundred degrees outside and what am I thinking about? Recycling wool sweaters. I've got one or two woolies all washed up and nicely shrunken and eventually I'll get around to making a purse or something from them. In the meantime - here are some amazingly creative upcycled sweater creations for your inspiration.


Mixed Metals Necklace


Recycled sweater purse (orange)