Today my sister and Erica humored me by accompanying me to Tom Bishops Chicago International (miniatures show). I wish that I could have taken pictures, but I think it is frowned upon, also it gets so crowded, which is really bad when people are so tightly packed around tables of such small items. The show is on for one more day for anybody in the Chicagoland area, the last day is April 1st. Every table is “ooooh” and “aaaah”. I almost think that the different artists must really see it as a challenge to offer different and unique miniatures, like finding that new object that hasn’t been miniaturized before and then making it, is the grand prize.
As you can see in the pictures I purchased some items. Once again, I dropped a good amount of money on roughly 20 items that all could fit in the palm of my hand…together at the same time. Above you can see the tiny scissors and spectacles. But even greater I left with loads of inspiration, I was taking notes and writing down ideas throughout.
Lastly, here is a picture of some miniature handspun skeins that I made for a swap-bot swap. Handspun corriedale, dyed with koolaid, felted and set. They were so much fun to make.
It appears that you can see movie trailers for Stardust here and a website for the movie here. Claire Danes, Ricky Gervais, I am so excited!
Hello, my name is Robyn, and I am an Art addict, an inspiration junkie.
It has become clear to me that it is dangerous to read magazines, books or the internet. EVERYWHERE I GO, EVERYTHING I DO, I AM INSPIRED BY MEDIUMS AND NEW TECHNIQUES THAT I WANT TO TRY. I hate being away from home because that means I don’t have my art supplies near by. I am not kidding in the slightest.
It’s just no good. I need some self control and focus. Being constantly distracted by the search for something new, means never getting anything accomplished. I need help. I need blinders. I need to be locked into a room with only one medium.
Things I am crazy about right now:
- I want to go camping. Ever since I let go of my weekend job (of 10+ years) last fall, I have wanted to spend an entire weekend camping. Hiking, and exploring, campfires and photography, just slowing down and breathing in fresh air and appreciating the outdoors. Apartment life can be extremely stifling, no yards, or gardens and I sometimes think my apartment is actually a dungeon that feeds upon energy. I have absolutely no natural light inside, while erica’s apartment (who’s right nextdoor and is south facing) is filled with bright light. Once I’m inside my apartment I have no drive to get up and get going, even just for a simple walk around the block.
- Walking to work in the mornings. It’s a mile and half and a quick walk. Puts me in a good mood too.
- Voicethread.com, via jenny vorwaller.
- This American Life, the TV show. I didn’t pull it together to watch it yet, so shhhhhh. And apparently you can watch the episode online, no need to buy cable, yay. Also, looks like the radio show’s website has had an updo.
- Yesterday I saw “Make the most subtle marks possible” as a prompt on the Wreck This Journal site. I immediately thought of when I was working at the middle school and had to carry boxes of colored pencils around with me. I noticed the inside lip of the lid and how the tips of the pencils in their everyday jostle, had bumped tossed around the box and left these soft subtle marks. So I recreated it in my sketchbook by just holding all pencils tip down and lightly dropping them over the page (seen above)
Is anyone else still struggling with the time change. It has been a week and a half and I still wake up and see that it is dark outside and think “no way.” It doesn’t help that it is overcast and raining outside my window this morning.
It just seems like a good day to stay in and snuggle up in a blankie but I must go to work AND be there in 15 minutes. So much for the fantasty of comfort.
Today I sent off my traveling altered book for swap-bot. I am quite pleased with how it came out so I have to share. I bought a used, children’s hardcover book for 10 cents at the library. I cut a square window in the cover and painted over the book canvas with many layers of gesso. Then I used watercolor and salt to create a sky (with the intentions of it looking like stars, but I don’t know how well that worked). I wanted to have a night-time forest-like look and once again, I’m not sure if that is really how it looks, but I still like it. The grass of course is a common theme and style through my artwork and the tree was something new. I used corrugated cardboard and texture was perfect. And then inspired by the felt art in The Science of Sleep, I titled the book in felt and then named it “Stories”
On the inside back cover I created a library card for each artist to sign. The back of the card had the following text: According to Wikipedia, the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” is a proverb that refers to the idea that complex stories can be told with just a single still image.
I would like to inspire each of you, in your own unique style, to create an image that lets later viewers create a story from your images. Possibly, a different story for each different viewer.
My favorite books as a child were picture books that had little or no text in them. I was able to pull from my own imagination, a story, from the pages. My hope and concept for this book, as it travels the world, is to return to me filled with many stories. Stories aimed at the wonder and magic of life, stories that can be filled with light and childlike amazement, as well as, the dark and evil nightmares that haunt our dreams.
****************
Thursday is the debut of This American Life the television show. Ask me how excited I am. I am trying to organize a This American Life Party at my friend Nikki’s house. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I am basically asking a friend who never really has listened to the radio show to have guests over to watch this because she has Showtime. I think she’d love the radio show though, I think everyone would love it. If you haven’t listened yet, what are you waiting for?
Published in Uncategorized
.
Keri smith finally has debuted the website for her new book. I am more than excited!
Earlier this week my sister sent me an email with a paragraph from the book she is reading Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. She thought of me when she read the following paragraph in this futuristic book, and after reading it I could see why:
“The taxi dropped them on the roof and they went down to his flat. It was unstylish and old-fashioned; its one luxury was a live grass lawn in the living room. Jill stopped in the entrance hall, slipped off her shoes, then stepped bare-footed into the living room and wiggled her toes among the cool green blades. She sighed. “My that feels good. My feet have hurt ever since I entered training.”
Immediately I thought how putting in grass flats under work desks would reduce the stress levels of most offices. It’s genius I tell you, it would also help cleanse the polluted office air.
My Horoscope from last week: Franklin Roosevelt was elected President of the United States four times, but he never won a majority of the votes in his home county of Duchess in New York. There is something comparable going on in your personal sphere. Your getting more appreciation from outside your circle than you are from inside. Is there anything you can do about it? I think so. You now have the power to raise your standing among those in your immediate environment. Give them a vivid demonstration of what you’re really worth.
I like that, but it scares me to no end. Makes me seriously recognize my desire to only send my artwork to far - far away places.
I’ve been so incredibly busy this week, at work and at home. I feel like I am on “GO” mode at all times. Friday, when I went home for lunch, I sat down on my couch and realized that I had not sat down in my living room all week. My sketchbook, canvases and paintings remained untouched on the coffee table since I had worked on them the past weekend. Things have finally wrapped up at work and I have no plans for this weekend and I am so glad to just unwind and get a lot of artwork completed.
Published in Uncategorized
.
Sometimes old songs come up on shuffle that bring back memories. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Here you can read other peoples essays on songs that have bad memories, songs that have been ruined. I just think it is a great idea, anyway, I found it at 52projects.com.
I had two things happen to me this weekend that always happen in the movies and on TV.
-In a public stall I hear “Robyn, Robyn are you there?” and realize Alyssa is in the stall right next to me without any toilet paper. It was straight out of a seinfeld episode, only I was able to ’spare a square’, or more like a bunch, as I had two rolls.
-I was sitting in my living room when I hear water running and think “did I absent mindedly leave the tap on?” I go to the kitchen and see no water running but I still hear it so I follow the sound only to discover a waterfall streaming from my bathroom ceiling. I hightail it upstairs to the apartment above mine, hoping someone is home. Apparently a pipe broke but “They had taken care of it” and were just cleaning up the mess. Unfortunately my ceiling had opened up and water was flowing so I called the landlord.
I had to chuckle (of course because no harm was done) that these things happened. Is it wrong to be somewhat delighted when these common human experiences, almost cliche occurrences happen to me?
I can post this now because she received it. I’ve made a postcard for my friend Nicole who now lives in Washington. She is always such an inspiration to me, almost muse-like. I miss her tons, but we email often. Check out her flickr and the amazing photos she captures of her world, it must be like living in a picture postcard everyday there.
