My Modern Met | Elizabeth Fram

This year I have finally surrendered to the fact that December is a period of limited hands-on studio work. There are just too many holiday details and business-related organizational tasks that need to get done so, rather than beating myself up over lack of production, I’m going to embrace that approach and actually write it into my plan for 2019.

For one who straddles left brain/right brain thinking rather than falling solidly into either camp, I’m actively working to accept the reality of December in a positive way — not least for the comfortable element of rhythm it contributes to the year’s end. Among many other things, this final week of the year caps off thirty-one days of reflection about the past eleven months – what worked and what didn’t, and of course plenty of excitement as I look ahead.

Mulling over 2018, here are the “10 Best” that I either found or was introduced to this year:

Stonehenge paper – This reasonably-priced workhorse is acid-free, 100% cotton, and comes in sheets or pads. It accepts a variety of media, wet and dry. I like its smooth surface and solid weight.
Saral Transfer paper – As I wrote in my March 8th post, I learned about this product from Michelle Kingdom’s interview on textileartist.org. It’s a great option for transferring an image to fabric. Because it’s available in both light and dark colors, it is possible to use with either dark or light fabrics. The only con is that it is extremely fugitive (a good thing in the long run), so you have to handle the transferred image very gingerly so as not to rub it off too early.
I learned about jazz musician Tommy Flanagan from one of my life drawing mates. Find him on Pandora or Spotify for hours of fabulous background music for drawing, writing, or just plain thinking!
What would I do without podcasts to listen to throughout long stretches of stitching? Here are three that have become my new “go-to’s”:
- But That’s Another Story with Will Schwalbe. Asking the question ‘can one story change the course of your life?’ these one-on-one discussions cover the moments and the books that most affected each creative interviewee (mostly writers).
- Just The Right Book! with Roxanne Coady. As a bookseller with an online book subscription service by the same name, Coady caters to individual tastes. Her podcast is a series of in-depth discussions with authors that are much more than a mere recap of their writings. Try this fascinating episode with author/historian Joseph Ellis: What the Founding Fathers Would Say About America Today
- Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell. If you’ve read any of Gladwell’s books you will appreciate his penchant for above-and-beyond research. This series reinterprets something from the past: a person, event or idea…something, as Gladwell puts it, overlooked or misunderstood.
My Modern Met – A feast of art and design
Sun Star Delde Slide Pen Pouch – This little number is compact, yet I can fit 36 colored pencils in it — and then some. It has a water-resistant lining with a pocket, and the best feature is it doubles as a mobile stand-up holder.
HAND/EYE Magazine – Yes, I’m biased because they recently published my article Paying Attention, but I hadn’t heard of HAND/EYE before the editor contacted me, so I had no idea what I was missing. Because of the brevity of the articles, it’s perfect for dipping into for a quick read and it’s a tremendous resource for learning about the wide scope of though-provoking work currently being made.
The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit – This was the first book I read in 2018 and, aside from art books, it is the only one of the many that followed it that I expect to return to in 2019. It is beautiful literary non-fiction that balances feeling both personal and universally resonate in the connections it draws between us all. I plan to reread it slowly and considerately.

As a parting shot, should you need a boost as you deliberate how to manifest your creative aspirations next year, read Vermont painter Susan Abbott’s inspiring post ‘Choices’.

Best wishes for your creative and productive 2019!

Even though practically every entity I know is coming out with their own tantalizing list of books to read this summer, my reading habits are in flux.
I find I don’t read anywhere near as much, or as fast, at this time of year as during winter. So I’m stowing away most of the suggestions that are rolling in and will return to them in the colder, darker months.

John ©2018 Elizabeth Fram, 18 x 24 inches, Graphite on paper The contrast between the rich, dark background and the strong light on John’s face was striking. This relatively quick study couldn’t do justice to the deep, velvety background that I envisioned, and which would be such a strong component in the hands of a competent painter. I was drawn to the idea of the composition being very long & narrow, say a 1:3 ratio – with the head at the far right side, posing a strong counterweight to the expanse of dark space. In making use of as much of my paper as possible to study and map the characteristics of his head, I wasn’t able to realize the proportions I would have preferred.

During June, July, and August I tend to gravitate toward periodicals for my art reading, catching up on the back issues that have been piling up. My current favorite is Art & Antiques — a much appreciated Christmas gift subscription from my father. The articles are short enough to squeeze in around the warm weather activities that are taking precedence right now, while still maintaining an engaging diversity of scope that carries just the right depth of information so that I feel like I learned something, yet without needing to wade through an overly erudite dissertation. And the best part – of course – is the images are plentiful and lush.

I have memories of A&A as one of the magazines that sat on my grandmother’s coffee table when I was a kid. I would occasionally flip through an issue, only to be disappointed by images of old, dark paintings and old, dark furniture…a memory that could well be attributed more to my age and lack of knowledge, than to reality. But times have changed, I’ve changed, and so has the magazine. My dad definitely made a great choice of gift; I’ve been delighted to see that Art & Antiques is now a vibrant and current art journal — anything but old and dark. I’m discovering artists that are new (to me) and learning about old familiars in a fresh light.

Converse ©2018 Elizabeth Fram, 18 x 24 inches, Graphite on paper Usually I try to compose my life drawings so that the full figure is included, but this time, for reasons mentioned above, I only included John’s head. After lunch I couldn’t resist working on his shoes, also full of character and ripe for an interesting composition when combined with the shadow shapes cast by the strong lighting.

However, if you’re looking for something more substantial to sink your teeth into, a new list popped into my Feedly stream last week from My Modern Met: “20 Books Every Artist Needs on Their Bookshelf”. I have only read 7 of the 20, so I’ll be adding a few more titles to my TBR (to be read) list for the fall.
How about you? Are there any on this list that you would particularly recommend, or that you have been meaning to read?

Meanwhile, I just discovered painter/instructor Ian Roberts, who trained in Toronto and Florence, and now resides in LA. I can completely relate to his writing and ideas, so I treated myself to a Kindle edition of his book Creative Authenticity: 16 Principles to Clarify and Deepen Your Artistic Vision. It’s a series of essays that evolved from a talk he gave to a large group of artists and writers, spiraling outward from those ideas by posing questions and suggesting possibilities, rather than proffering answers.
So far, I’m finding it excellent.

What, if any, seasonal adjustments do you make in your practice and/or reading habits?

Elizabeth Fram

Eye of the Needle

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10 Best Finds From 2018

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