Back at it

 So, all 102 drawings have made their way off my walls. Doing the work of scanning, retouching and getting them ready to share en masse! Exciting!!

Was going through my old notebooks a few weeks ago and found this... proof that I've been making art about houses and America since at least age 6.

Work Comes from Work

I put all of my drawings up on my wall after I finish them. Mostly to keep them safe from ink spills, paint splatters or my own clumsiness. It's nice, because they are all in a huge group hanging over my bed, so I get to see them every night before I go to sleep. This is new - I used to not keep my own art on the walls. I had thought it would be too self-referential, too self-involved. But I've found that when working on a body of work like this that self-referencing is actually very important. Having all the drawings grouped together gives them a chance to speak with each other. Each drawing informs all other drawings. Sometimes an experimental piece leads to a whole new group of drawings that never would have happened had I not been staring at that experiment 24/7. Much easier to get into the creative "flow state" when I am surrounded by my  previous attempts. 

All of this reminds me of a quote I read the other day by John Cage, "Work comes from work". Couldn't be more on point for me right now. It is as if I have started an avalanche. It all started with one drawing. Then came another, then ten more, and on, and on, and on. For my life in this moment, it has become the main priority. My Work > everything else. 

Geologists

Just a little sneak peek at yet another wall full of drawings in my house. This is the Geologists project which has been in the works for over a year now. Delicate ink drawings of geologists and graphs. 

Moving Images

Trying my hand at a little traditional hand-drawn animation. Got a vague narrative bouncing around in my mind, and getting going on the first animation sequence. Something extra to go along with my most recent body of work, to give it an extra layer of depth and meaning.

While working on this, I've been marathoning Breaking Bad. Might I say, it is INTENSE.

Back in the Studio

Many, many life changes since the last blog post. Most importantly, I am finished with school and have been hiding out making drawings like a madwoman. I've fallen back in love with an old flame, india ink. This is my studio, also my bedroom, also my living room and dining room. Because, quite literally it's a studio apartment. There are a good 50 drawings on the wall, along with a few bits of inspiration.

More updates and excitement will be on their way as I ramp up the social end of my art making practice... Too often I just want to hide out in here and work, but I'm sure that other people will be interested in the process of how I do what I do and where the inspiration comes from!

Post-Modernist Strategies!!!

Just a quick post today of something interesting I found. One of my favorite paintings, The Swing, by Jean-Honore Fragonard has been re-worked into a installation by an artist named Yinka Shonibare. He turned this painting into a piece that seems to criticize the excessive luxury that the original implies.

Last semester I wrote a paper on which focused on stategies of artmaking in the postmodern art world. Using old works of art to create something new is one way of doing this. This is illustrated perfectly here, if only I had found this a month ago!


Jean-Honore Fragonard, The Swing (1766)


Yinka Shonibare, The Swing (after Fragonard) (2001)

Post-semester nap week!

Just finished up the semester on Thursday. Finally! Now I can focus on my own projects for the rest of the summer, including some things I've been itching to start.

One of my final projects ended up turning out better than I expected. We had to do a final project in my Psychology of Women class that challenged gender stereotypes. Cooking, and being "in the kitchen" is stereotypically a woman's job. But, that's not the case anymore. I know plenty of men who love to cook, and do it on a regular basis.

When it comes to kitchen items or items involving food, if there is a person pictured - it is usually a woman. These plates offer an alternative to that, honoring the men who love to be in the kitchen!

Check out the entire series over at my etsy shop!