Tag Archives: resources

A Sense of Belonging

I’m always intrigued by the way artists navigate their world, and find reinforcement in the knowledge that even the most celebrated put one foot in front of the other, slogging away in the studio to define their path, just like the rest of us. Living in the digital age, we have a bevy of available resources that allow us to better understand how others approach their work, while simultaneously uncovering similarities between those practices and our own.

This week I have been reading selected archives from the Penland Sketchbook (blog of the Penland School of Crafts), which led me to the websites of several young artists who have been part of the Penland Core Fellowship program. I was captivated by the work and thought process of Angela Eastman and recommend you treat yourself to some time at her website to see what she is making and to read her well-considered ideas. Bearing in mind the amount of time I devote to placing thousands of hand stitches, I was particularly taken with this quote: “In a society where so much focus is placed on personal gain, I find beauty in the collective efforts of individual marks, and inspiration in the lessons in humility that they teach”.

I have also begun Richard Shiff’s book Ellsworth Kelly New York Drawings 1954-1962 and am fascinated by his discussion of Kelly’s “…use of drawing by chance…” In the ensuing essay, Shiff quotes Kelly: “I realized I didn’t want to compose pictures, I wanted to find them”. What an engaging thought; it makes total sense to me. I am often struck by the unplanned compositions that appear as I randomly place my larger work within a smaller frame to stretch for stitching. Those unexpected configurations can be surprisingly successful and several times I have discarded more than 50% of a piece in favor of the more effective alternative.

Finally, I have been binge-listening to Antrese Wood’s podcast Savvy Painter, recently recommended by my friend and extraordinary painter/draughtsperson Csilla Sadlock, (if you follow only one link here today, make it Csilla’s). Each of Wood’s podcast episodes is filled with down-to-earth nuggets offered by the interviewed artist, who honestly spills the beans about both the high and low points of her/his practice, underlining that hard work and challenges are part of the deal for everyone.

Not ready to show the full piece yet, the images today are detail shots of what I have been working on this week (basting stitches and all). I am finding that all the elements mentioned above (humility learned through a myriad of stitches, being open to chance, and finding solace in the fact that even the most successful artists toss a certain percentage of finished work) enhance my sense of connection and inspire me as I work, comfortable in the knowledge that I belong to a sort of tribe. I’ll bet you can relate.

5 Studio Essentials

I have subscribed to Fine Gardening magazine for a number of years now. It is filled with photos of gorgeous gardens, design ideas, reviews and advice regarding a myriad of plants and planting conditions, all pulled together by a roster of horticultural experts.

But my favorite part of the magazine, the one I flip to first, comes from other readers. Every month I find some tidbit that is so smart and so simple that it completely justifies the price of my subscription. These suggestions are all the more appreciated because they come from everyday gardeners like myself, who are using their ingenuity to find an inexpensive solution to a pesky problem.

That said, I’d like to share a list with you that outlines five relatively simple things (with several sub-categories) that I’d be hard-pressed to give up. My studio is filled with all sorts of supplies in addition to the basics of fabric, thread, paint, and dye; some I use regularly and others rarely. But it’s these items, which aren’t fancy or unusual, that I couldn’t do without.

1. Sketchbook Actually, I have three different kinds, all of which I use constantly.

Garden-variety sketchbooks for daily drawing.

A 3-ring notebook/ log. I add pages back-to-front, stamping the date at the top of each entry. I use this to make basic sketches of on-going projects, to jot down ideas that crop up while I’m working, and for logging hours when needed.

A reference book where I paste all sorts of materials for inspiration. You can read more about this book in this post about color.

2. My Laptop Could any of us live without a computer? More specifically, I have found 2 programs that I use daily, both free and downloadable from the internet. 1. Evernote: This is like a virtual filing cabinet / workspace and is “organization-central” for me. 2. Pocket: Use it to save articles that you don’t have time to read in the moment, but want to be sure to get back to when your schedule allows. One click and they’re all in one place — fantastic!

3. Rolls of Tracing Paper My father, a retired architect, gave me my first roll of tracing paper years ago. I wouldn’t be without one now. You just can’t beat being able to have a length as long as you need.

4. A favorite writing pen This is an inexpensive luxury that makes everyday tasks a pleasure. I am very partial to the Koh-I-Noor Nexus Studio pen (less than $3.00).

and finally…

5. Compression Gloves These gloves work wonders to relieve hand/wrist strain from repetitive movements. They are lightweight and my hands don’t get hot so I forget I’m wearing them, but they definitely make a world of difference for long stretches of hand-stitching or computer work.

You must also have favorite tools in your arsenal that you think are share-worthy. Would you be willing to let us know what they are?

Staying on Track

This has been a week!

No explanation needed

It has included some wonderfully exciting news, and a couple of relatively challenging episodes as well. C’est la vie, n’est pas?

Late afternoon sun

That said, everything seems to be taking twice as long as usual to accomplish, so I’m scrambling to keep up with my task list and have fallen into triage mode. Sound familiar?

Promise of things to come

Rather than spend as much time on Eye of the Needle this week, I decided to approach it as a working break before getting back to more pressing chores.

There’s nothing like lunch (in the sun, no less!) on the porch with someone who really knows how to relax

It’s been a worthwhile exercise to notice and celebrate a few of the everyday things that have the power to keep me centered and on track.

Favorite drawing pens

I know you too must have weeks that get away from you. Are you willing to share how you find your silver lining?

So worth the wait!

Turning the Page on 2014

This past week I have begun to work on my “master plan” for the new year, welcoming the chance to look back over all that was accomplished in 2014, while taking time to re-evaluate and reorganize for the year ahead.

I even took a couple of hours to clean up the studio a bit. Organized chaos is probably a more accurate description.

I am making some tweaks here and there to my work schedule in my never-ending quest to become more efficient and productive, and to find ways to make room to read more, to draw more, and to take advantage of seeing more of the wide-ranging art that will be on exhibit in 2015. I’ve been giving it a bit of a test-run this week and I think I’m on the right track.

One of my goals is to re-prioritize and to bring more balance to the way I divide my work-day between art practice, volunteer commitments and household chores. I’m sure many of you can relate, and if you have any hints to share, I’m all ears.

Meanwhile, it’s good to take stock of what worked this past year as it comes to a close. By way of celebration, I’d like to share with you (and raise my glass to) a few of the resources that have made a real difference to me. Hopefully one or two of them will resonate with you as well.

• Smartest blog: Brain Pickings Maria Popova’s “subjective lens on what matters in the world and why”.
• Best blog on Work Habits: Study Hacks – Computer scientist Cal Newport shares his stellar and very inspiring ideas re: focusing on work.
• Most helpful Newsletter: The Useletter – Amy Lynn Andrews’ “hand-curated email for bloggers, authors, freelancers, online business owners and those who want to work from home”.
• Best Art-related Book read this year: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life by Sharon Louden
• Really enjoyable “Non-art” Book: The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway — If you love to cook, as I do, try this book about “the joy of getting back in the kitchen and turning something seemingly ordinary into something completely extraordinary”
• And finally, the all-time Best Time-saver: Unroll.Me Take back control of your email…I can’t even begin to tell you how helpful this is to me! A huge thank you to my son for telling me about it!

Wishing you a productive and happy new year.
& thanks so much for reading…

View from my studio window Sunset, December 31, 2014