Book Review….Print & Pattern 2

I was in need of a “real-live” book….Yea, Yea, digital books are great, but there is just something comforting about perusing the 303 pages of this design book!! 

I did a book review of the first Print & Pattern book 3 years ago.  I still like to pick it up and thumb thru those pages. 

Here’s a review of my Top Ten prints:



Alys Paterson:  Love her colors and the size variants here.



Amy Butler:  I’ve bought her fabrics before.  I liked this because it only uses 4 colors and it has flowers….I’m a sucker for flowers.



Graziela:  Very German here, love the colors and the simplicity of each figure.



Jennifer Elroy: More flowers, helps feed my fetish.



Jonathan Adler: Again, a limited color pallet, and what fun suns!!



Jenny Bowers:  Now this I gotta try, need I say more?



Marimekko:  Classy & Elegant are those black & white designs



Mercedes Cortes:  Love the simple stripes in the flowers.



Rob Ryan:  La piece da resistance, this one nailed it cuz it’s so true!! 

“You Can Still Do a Lot With a Small Brain”

Well, these are my top 10 for today….but if I were to compile another list in 6 months, I bet I’d have a completely different top ten.  My tastes seem to fluctuate, haha.

You can get the Print & Pattern book here.
Check out this blog that produced Print & Pattern.

Interview with Artist….Janet Briggs

As much as I love to blog and frequent my own blog to see how my latest color-sketch dimensions are really playing out on a piece….I’ve become quite sick of me!!

To infuse this blog with some entertainment and creativity I’ve asked 5 artists from varying backgrounds to be interviewed throughout this month. I’m very excited about their work and their agreeing to be put on the spot here.



To conclude my October Interview series I’d like you to meet a very special Flickr-Blogger friend, Janet Briggs.  When I first found Janet she was participating in so many on-line art classes that she was a walking-talking-artsy advertisement.  She oozed creativity and color.  But where my twin (we share the same birthday) and I differ, is she is drawn to purple and I avoid purple at all costs.  She makes it work, and I make it muddy!

Without further ado, here’s Janet about Janet.

1. What word best describes your art/style?
I'm never sure how to describe my art. If I had to come up with one word it would have to be playful. I hope my art makes people smile and feel good. I'm not a very "heavy" person. I don't dig deep and think about what I'm creating as much as I just do it. I don't plan out my art. I just jump in and start playing.

 

2. What advice/quote do you respond best to?
I love the quote "art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time" by Thomas Merton. That's what happens to me when I'm making art. I find bits of myself I didn't know were there and I can completely lose myself in art.


                                         Georgia (above)

3. How has your work evolved?
I've always loved art but for a huge part of my life I convinced myself that I couldn't draw or paint. When I began drawing again back in the mid-90's it was mostly copying a face from a magazine...I didn't feel comfortable drawing something of my own creation. After taking many online classes and having the support of the online art community I now love to draw and paint. I keep several art journals going at once, and also several collages. Mixed media is perfect for me since I like to play with all sorts of art supplies. Now I'll try just about anything.



4. What interests do you have other than "art"?
Most of my interests are creative in some way...beading, crochet, knitting (at a beginner level!)...I love to read, and I love baking although I'm not an expert at it. I mostly bake to satisfy my sweet tooth. Walking is something I enjoy and this time of year is great for that. Getting out in nature is inspiring.



5. What is your favorite blog post or piece of art that you'd like to share?
I'm not sure I have a favorite blog post although I always have fun with my Academy Awards posts each year. I've been in such an art slump recently that I don't have anything new to share but one of my favorites is Calypso...and I also like Georgia.


                                    Calypso (above)

See what I mean about Janet?  Versatile! Colorful! Talented! Fun! Free-Spirit!  You know….we all have our role models and Janet is one of mine!  Thank you Janet for sharing your work and your art with us today. 

Please check out the links below which will lead you to more of Janet’s work.

website: http://jkbees.blogspot.com 
          or http://jkbeesartopia.blogspot.com
etsy: http://www.etsy.com/people/jkbees?ref=si_pr
twitter: http://twitter.com/jkbees
flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jkbees/
pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jkbees/

Interview with Artist….Lori Vliegen

As much as I love to blog and frequent my own blog to see how my latest color-sketch dimensions are really playing out on a piece….I’ve become quite sick of me!!


To infuse this blog with some entertainment and creativity I’ve asked 5 artists from varying backgrounds to be interviewed throughout this month. I’m very excited about their work and their agreeing to be put on the spot here.



I’d like you to meet a very talented Artist….Lori Vliegen.  I came across Lori’s blog (elvie studio) a couple of years ago and I was captivated.  She has an incredible way with word art!   Lori also draws very cute, fun, imaginative figures, from pots, flowers and adorable little houses to thumb print people.

1. What word best describes your art/style?
happy-with-a-twist-of-uncomplicated-whimsy




2. What advice/quote do you respond best to?
"always follow your heart"



3. How has your work evolved?
My mom taught me to write my name when i was a little girl, and I've been nurturing a true love affair with the alphabet ever since. I've spent so much time studying the letters, though, that i really didn't have any idea how to combine them with some artwork. So, about five years ago, I began taking a few local workshops and some online classes to learn how to draw and watercolor. I still have lots to learn, but I'm having a blast going through the process!

4. What interests do you have other than "art"?
Spending time with my family, eating a really good bar of Belgian dark chocolate, watching "Downton Abbey", using my camera, sewing, baking brownies, decorating our home, riding my bike, and window shopping in my collection of “pottery barn” catalogs.



Above image from blog post: http://elviestudio.blogspot.com/2012/01/inspiration-monday_16.html

5. What is your favorite blog post or piece of art that you'd like to share?
My pottery barn journal.  You can see a video peek inside here: http://vimeo.com/50724979

Thank you Lori for taking the time to answer my questions and to share your Beautiful Artwork and calligraphy.  Doesn’t Lori’s work make you want to write big colorful words in your journals too!   Or take your favorite quote and display it for all to see!

Please check out the links below which will lead you to more of  Lori’s work.
website: www.elviestudio.blogspot.com
flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elviestudio/
pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lorivliegen/

Interview with Artist….Sheila Arthurs

As much as I love to blog and frequent my own blog to see how my latest color-sketch dimensions are really playing out on a piece….I’ve become quite sick of me!!

To infuse this blog with some entertainment and creativity I’ve asked 5 artists from varying backgrounds to be interviewed throughout this month. I’m very excited about their work and their agreeing to be put on the spot here.



Today I’d like you to meet another Flickr friend, Sheila (who lives in the UK).  I spotted her work in a doodling group on Flickr.  Sheila not only can doodle with world class flair, she incorporates actual figures into her doodles.  I would spot animals, fish, people in many of her doodles.  It was a bit like a seek-n-find!  Absolutely aMaZiNg!!



1. What word best describes your art/style?
These days I think of myself as a mixed media artist but at heart I am a doodling illustrator, dabbling in everything from stitching to paper sculpture.



2. What advice/quote do you respond best to?
There are two quotes which constantly pop into my head, one is by Henry Ford who said “if you think you can, or think you can’t, you are probably right!” and as I am Queen of the Procrastinators the one I have to say to myself every day is “if not now, when?” especially as I realize the years remaining are not limitless and I want to try everything.



3. How has your work evolved?
I began work in the 1940’s as a commercial artist now more grandly called “graphic designer” and it has been my joy and frustration to live through so many changes – “From ‘Letraset’ to Photoshop” could be the title of my memoirs! I have designed packaging, games for Chad Valley Toys, picnic ware and toffee tins to name just a few and then I retired and discovered a whole new world of fabric, collage, beading, felting and the freedom to explore them all via the internet.

Doodling has become an obsession, from simple shapes to imaginary landscapes and to designing my own doodled font, which has probably been the most fun of all.



4. What interests do you have other than "art"?
Over the years I have been involved with volunteering locally and am a Trustee of several local Charities, one of which is Active Arts Castle Vale a group dedicated to raising aspirations through involvement in art. This year to coincide with the London Olympics, there was a local Cultural Games week and as part of the art exhibition I enrolled local women to crochet or knit a Rainbow Reef. The response was overwhelming, we ended up with nearly a thousand pieces and no two were identical.

I am a voracious reader and collector of art/craft books and never come home from an exhibition without bags stuffed full of new gadgets because it’s not as if my house is not already overflowing with stuff I am going to use next week to try a new ‘direction’!



5. What is your favorite blog post or piece of art that you'd like to share?
Probably my favorite piece is the animated video that my daughter in the Netherlands made using my doodled alphabet. It was her first attempt at animation and I think she made a great fun video. It is on my blog, posted on Sunday 5 Feb 2012



Isn’t Sheila just fun?  Wouldn’t you want to see how she decorates?



To do this kind of work…..with needle, thread and beads on fabric….stitching & stitching & stitching…. takes an extraordinary amount of patience.  What beautiful creations she has made with fabric!



Thank you Sheila for taking the time to answer my questions and to share all your Beautiful…Creative…Versatile Artwork.

Please check out the links below which will lead you to more of Sheila’s work.
Blog: http://2smart-clothencounters.blogspot.co.uk
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostinstuff/

Interview with Artist….Rachel Awes

As much as I love to blog and frequent my own blog to see how my latest color-sketch dimensions are really playing out on a piece….I’ve become quite sick of me!!

To infuse this blog with some entertainment and creativity I’ve asked 5 artists from varying backgrounds to be interviewed throughout this month. I’m very excited about their work and their agreeing to be put on the spot here.



I’d like you to meet a very talented artist….Rachel Awes.  A blogger friend.  I was not only drawn to Rachel’s fun, whimsical artsy style, I totally love the quotes and the thoughts she puts in her drawings, as well.  I’m so glad she’s agreed to share her thoughts and work with us today.

1. What word best describes your art/style?
i..just..want..to..love..people..up



2. What advice/quote do you respond best to?
From SARK; about being as true and as you, as you can be.  And then show it to us all.



3. How has your work evolved?
From abstract and more effort and slower TO more defined and easier and so fast that i can't sometimes keep up with my own feet. I seem to increasingly need more naps!




4. What interests do you have other than "art"?
Psychology. Walking/running/swimming. Being in nature. A great book. Time with friends. Time with my family. Movies. Looking for agates (a swirly rock found in northern minnesota). Writing. Praying. Thanking everything of beauty. Bowing. Napping.



Above photo courtesy of Carissa Paige. This book is now in Rachel’s etsy shop.  You can pre-order now. The book will be available by December 1, 2012!!!

5. What is your favorite blog post or piece of art that you'd like to share?
Hard to pick a favorite but I will choose "the world waits" because it's one of the deepest invitations I want to extend to people's hearts. I also must add the blog post that is airing october 1, 2012. A book i have been working on for four years and is a culmination of all the love I can think of spilling into the world is in this book and I announce it on this day. endorsed by authors/artists SARK and KELLY RAE ROBERTS,...I am so thankful.

Thank you Rachel for taking the time to answer my questions and to share your Beautiful Artwork and Book.  I believe Rachel’s art and words make this a better world to live in.

Please check out the links below which will lead you to more of Rachel’s work.
Etsy Shop: http://rachelawes.etsy.com
Blog: http://allididwaslisten.blogspot.com
Facebook Page: 
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/all-i-did-was-listen/110783468961315
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rachelawes/rachel-awes-art/

Interview with artist….Julie Leuthold

As much as I love to blog and frequent my own blog to see how my latest color-sketch dimensions are really playing out on a piece….I’ve become quite sick of me!!  Haha.  I use this blog as a learning tool, and since I’m in colored-pencil-sketch-mode I’m sure the variety and inspiration that others stop by for has been a little waning.  I stop by to learn, you stop by for inspiration. 

To infuse this blog with some entertainment and creativity I’ve asked 5 artists from varying backgrounds to be interviewed throughout this month.  I’m very excited about their work and their agreeing to be put on the spot here. 



I’d like you to meet a very talented artist….Julie Leuthold, my flickr friend.  I was drawn to her work immediately.  She has a wonderful way with color and has many varied pieces of art.  From watercolor flowers, to yoga girls & blue jean girl series and her latest mixed media paintings.  I’m so glad she’s shared a few of her amazing pieces with us today.



I asked Julie a few questions which she agreed to answer for this post.



1. What word best describes your art/style?
The word that nearly everyone says when they first see my artwork is....."It makes me HAPPY". I refer to my artwork as "Hidden Joy". I hide the word "joy" in each piece. People love looking for it.



2. What advice/quote do you respond best to?
The one word I try to live by...."Be Kind".



3. How has your work evolved?
I started painting in watercolor about eight years ago. I am self taught. My father was an artist, I think I inherited his talent. Recently, I moved into acrylic and multi-media. My new creations are quite unique. I use a variety of patterned doodles with pen and paint, stones, crystals, gesso and as many ways to get different textures. People often say it reminds them of Gustaf Klimt, which of course is an awesome compliment.



4. What interests do you have other than "art"?
I love to walk outside in beautiful Bellingham, WA. Whether it be on the trails through the parks or along the waterfront. I just love to walk and talk with my husband or friends.



5. Where can we find your work?
Julie has begun selling her work.  If you’d like to find out more about a piece or to see if something is for sale please go to her flickr page.
Shared art at www.flickr.com/julieleuthold

If Julie’s art doesn’t give you inspiration then I don’t know what will.  Check out her flickr photostream to see what I mean.

Thank you Julie for taking the time to answer my questions and to share your Beautiful Artwork
 

Inspiration Outing

Went to the International Quilt Festival this past weekend with a friend.  Had a blast!  All this textile talent under one roof gets me so inspired.  The collage picture above was just a few of the pieces exhibited.  They restricted our photography in some areas.  Shoot!!

I’m from a family of quilters….well… some quilt and some just appreciate the art.  It’s been a part of my life since before I got married.  I’ve witnessed a huge growth of this textile art in the last couple of decades.  When I was in my early twenties, living on my own in Houston I went to my first Quilt Show.  None of my friends were into this sort of thing, so I went solo.  Other than the children accompanied by parents I was probably the youngest one there.  Hours later I walked out, with my head in the clouds.  That week I signed up for my first quilting class.  I made a grandmothers fan by hand.  Funny too, it was my grandmother that quilted it for me.  I really don’t like the quilting part.  I like the the designing part (The top).  I’ve made a handful of other quilts since then that I’m pretty proud of.  Mostly proud because I FINISHED THEM. 



Above are some quilts I’ve done in the last 10 years.  I started out with scrap quilts.  Made five, and gave three away plus one for my daughter that’s still in my stash.  Then a series of applique quilts (made 6 gave 4 away).  I tried some wall hanging landscape pieces (made 5 gave 4 away) done in layers.  What really honed my rotary cutting skills are the last 4 quilts done in squares (kept only one).  All of these are very simple…simple…simple.  Someday I will expand on my quilting……when I have more time! 



I made a few fabric names too!  They were fun to make and didn’t consume too much time.

I think one thing that has helped me in my drawing since I have worked with quilting.   Is color selection!  Trust me, if there were color errors to be made….I probably made them.  The errors tended to be on the “too loud” fabric side, next to another piece that was just as vibrant.  What I have since learned is that Color…. bold colors have got to be balanced with neutrals.

This quilt show was a wonderful inspiration outing!!  Or Artist’s Date!  You just never know what will inspire you and it’s always good to see different forms of art….if ya ask me.

Where do you find additional inspiration for your art? 

Insert Inspiration Here

Every now and then I need to Organize my Thoughts and my Finds and post what’s inspiring me lately. If I really get my act together I might just do this quarterly!! But that’s IF!!

DRAWING:

*image posted with permission

Andrea Joseph- If you haven’t spotted this lady yet, you will be in for a treat when you visit her blog or flickr site. She can do the most amazing drawings, with a pen. Yep, a pen!!! Your standard bic pen! Who’d have thought?

Andrea Joseph's Art Blog

Andrea Joseph Flickr illustrations

PAINTING:

*image posted with permission

Leah Giberson- Oh my goodness, I have been totally suckered into thinking her paintings are photographs. She does the most absolutely amazing still life’s. Usually they are of houses, cars, RV’s or even pools. Fascinating!!

Leah Giberson Etsy Shop

Leah Giberson Flickr Photostream

ABSTRACT COLOR:

Thaneeya McArdle- She uses every color known to man. She knows what she’s doing and has a wonderful way of making ordinary things look EXTRAordinary.

Thaneeya's Website

Thaneeya Flickr Photostream

INTERVIEWS:

I am naturally curious about other people. Especially people that I can learn something from. It’s nice to get a look at the personality behind the art. What and how the artists do their work and their inspirations. Because I think we are all influenced by each other. There is no new thing under the sun (with the exception of technology). I guess it’s just the way we use it or present it.

Stephanie Levy Artist Interviews

ZENTANGLES:

Caroline’s picture Indio

Where do I begin with all the zany zentanglers out there??? Oh My!! I think this is such a good way to practice, to steady our hand with our chosen tool (pen/ pencil or brush). It’s unbelievably relaxing and for me it s.l.o.w.s. my mind down! Which can be a very good thing, indeed. Just ask anyone that lives with me.

And for the more COLORFUL zentanglers out there……I bring you Bostinstuff.

Check out their photostreams for more amazing work by both Caroline and Sheila.

TYPOGRAPHY:

For all you ART JOURNALERS out there, who isn’t influenced by dynamic type fonts? I see what these ladies can do and I drool!! Really!!

Martha Lever

Besottment by paper relics

Tammy's Art Journaling post

Dawn Sokol's Art Journal pages

Lori at Elvie Studio

Aimee at Artsyville

BOOKS:

1- My Stroke of Insight- This book was recommended to me by a Local Art Instructor. It’s about a 37 yr old Harvard trained Neurosurgeon (brain scientist), who had a stroke in her LEFT HEMISPHERE. She talks about all the beauty and peace she felt during and after her stroke. During her stroke, she had to call 9-1-1 and once she recognized the 9 she punched it…..and kept punching it, because she had no sense of time (left hemisphere) and finally realized she had to cover up the 9 on the sheet of paper to move on. She gradually regained her full use of her left-analytical hemisphere. She now could chose to let go of negative judgments or memories (left hemisphere) that she didn’t want to have a hold on her anymore. Worth every minute to read this book. Especially if you’re curious about how our hemispheres interact. Loved it!!

2- The War of Art- I heard about this book thru Mandy at Messy Canvas. There is so much good stuff in this book and I recommend taking your time to read it. Read a chapter at a time. No need to read it all in one sitting. If you take your time, you can let the ideas simmer for awhile. Very thought provoking.

Quote from this book: “I believe in Angels. They work for God- it’s their job to help us. Wake us up. Bump us along. They shout “Evolve! Evolve!”……Angels are like muses. They know stuff we don’t. They want to help us. They’re on the other side of a pane of glass shouting to get our attention. But we can’t hear them. We’re too distracted by our own nonsense. Ahhh, but when we begin. When we make a start…..When we commit & face our fears------ A crack appears in the membrane.”

QUOTES:

Raise your hand if you’re inspired by Quotes? Actually, it would probably be easier to count the hands of people who aren’t!

It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not. -James Gordon

Maybe being brave is no more than staring down the “less than” feeling and stepping up to the “I am worthy” feeling. -Terri St. Cloud

Tension is who you think you should be, Relaxation is who you are. -Chinese Proverb

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma- which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is seconday. -Steve Job

YOUTUBE:

And last I want to leave you with this youtube video from John Cleese on Creativity. It’s about 10 minutes long, but he talks about some very do-able principles. Lots of insight and funny too!

Thanks for staying with me to the end here. I am a bit humbled to say the least. But at the same time these people excite me. To think that someone can actually draw like that, paint like that, or write like that. Wow! Hope you found something that inspired you as well.

Digital Credits:

• Picture frame for VISUAL STIMULI courtesy of Scrapgirls Freebie.
• Label Maker used for names on the above pictures, purchased from Scrapgirls Here.