You Are Invited

The back of the postcard is done. (See the front in the previous post.)



details...

Elizabeth Gilbert on Creative Genius

As I compose the postcard to promote my upcoming show, I have been listening to Elizabeth Gilbert (Author of the brilliant bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love) speaking at TED. Twenty minutes well spent. Over and over. I urge you to check her out.

Here's the front of the (7 x 5") postcard. Working on the back now...

The Gaping Void: Preparing for an Art Show

Today I'm taking stock of my work for a solo show I have coming up in April - counting, listing, touching up, scanning, and packaging my paintings and collages to ship off to the framer. It feels amazing, and a little frightening, to send all of these coddled babies out into the world.

But there's no better motivation to make more art, in my opinion, than to create space for it. Nothing is more energizing to the creative spirit than a great big gaping void!

And there's no better motivation to get more shows, it seems to me, than to have a body of work ready to hang at a moment's notice.

Not only that, but once you've written one show proposal, writing another will feel a lot easier.

For a lowdown on what a proposal entails (or might entail, depending on the venue), listen to Alyson Stanfield's podcast on the subject - it's less than five minutes long and brimming with information - quick and dirty.

To break it down even further, step-by-step, I highly recommend Cay Lang's inspirational and informational book Taking the Leap: Building a Career as a Visual Artist. Probably the most worthy investment I've made in this area.

The paintings on this post are all freshly scanned 17" x 14", gouache and ink on heavyweight bristol paper. Click on the images to see them bigger. If you're interested in purchasing information for any of these, email me directly. I'd love to hear from you.

Tune in for more reflections on show-prep – I'll bebringing you along for the ride.

Drop Everything - Inspiration and Juicy Links

Cheryl

Constance

Patience

Grace

Natalie

Hope

I heard a speaker say once that the way to shift the focus of your work toward the dynamic projects you yearn to find time to tackle, is to just go ahead and do it. Make those projects your top priority. The other stuff can be squeezed in around the edges, as necessary.

The point is: chores on the calendar are like gasses released into a room - they expand to fill the space allotted to them.

For instance, I have a web design client waiting for a comp, another client for whom I'm working as a web marketing consultant, also waiting for word from me. I have a show in April for which I need to get many paintings framed. I'm on track with all of it, in spite of the fact that Wednesday afternoon I dropped everything because the light was just right on the corner of my desk.

My eye had wandered to one of a series of papier maché angels I have around the studio. I've been meaning to photograph them and put them up for adoption online.

There's no time like the present.

I made these ladies in a fit of recycle/salvage-art passion and they've been faithfully praying over me for years now. But life is good these days. My angels are ready to go out into the world and watch over someone new.

So I pinned up a backdrop and conducted an impromptu photo shoot, and today I'm taking time to share the results. (Prices include shipping, by the way.) (ps. they also make good Christmas tree toppers, since they're about ten inches tall and hollow underneath their dresses.)

Not only that, but I'm also going to share a few of my latest online discoveries. Oh there is so much inspiration to be found on the web!

• Lier at Ikat Bag made the most incredible toys for her kids. Check out the Donut Shop here (be sure to scroll all the way down - the best images are at the bottom).

• Illustrator/designer/quirk-meister: Mike Perry - worth a look.

• CraftyStylish has a great post by Diane Gillead on Weaving on a Cardboard Loom. Lots of photographs and step-by-step instructions make it look so easy, I want to try it. Add it to the list...

• Check out Another Shade of Grey for a unique eye for the delicate and extraordinary. Lots of eye candy on this blog.

• For entrepreneurial resources & inspiration from a female perspective, spend a little time with Ladies Who Launch.

More from the Archive

Years ago, I acquired a small, old-fashioned suitcase, a squarish hard-sided cosmetic case with leather re-enforced corners and a matching handle. I thought it was charming, and stared into it for quite a while before deciding what belonged inside. Eventually, I knew: markers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, a few watercolors, and a stack of stiff paper cut to roughly postcard sizes.

I called the case my Postcard Kit and took it with me everywhere, pulling it out whenever my hands were free, often times when my friend's hands were free as well. The Postcard Kit became a portable art party, not to mention a source of secondary income. Many of the little one-of-a-kind artworks I made and then stashed in the Postcard Kit were sold along the way, but I've held onto a few...


Cassandra




Key West Feral Chicken




Do-It-Yourself




Portent




Reflection




Plans