Love Letters

Greetings from Detroit!

Howdy, ya'll!  

It's a gorgeous Saturday morning here in Southeast Michigan, something we haven't seen in what feels like AGES!!!

It's so interesting what sunshine and longer days does for a soul, isn't it?

I feel SO much better now that the long winter is over (for the most part... the forcast is for Tuesday here in SE MI tobe 39 degrees for a high and 24 degrees for a low!)... YIKES!

 

OK, on to business... I thought I'd show you a little of the things I have been working on here lately... 

First of all, I'm taking an Oprah class from Dr. Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection, here is this week's "Weekly Intention":

Here's my journal work for this week:

(I'm really struggling with not being judgemental of this... it's not something I spent a lot of time on, obviously, and now I wish I had!)

 

Here's my "Playlist", my interpretation of Dr. Stuart Brown's list of what constitutes "play", and then my list of what I like to do that is "play" to me:

This class has helped to remind me of how fulfilling it was for me to be making SOMETHING pretty much every day, and how much I enjoyed blogging and ending my posts with "Now, go make something!"... I failed to take my own advice and as a result, just haven't felt like myself... (as my dad would joke, "I'm not exactly sure WHO I felt like, but it wasn't me!")... so, though the demands of grad school are at times seemingly overwhelming, I have realized I NEED to carve out time for PLAY... even if I have to schedule it like an appointment... for my mental health and overall well being, it is as important as any doctor appointment or exercise, or frankly, for me, eating...

MY SOUL NEEDS PLAYTIME!!!

SO,  I've been drawing:

(This is a contour drawing of the top of an armoire in my bedroom)

This is done in an Evernote journal... does anyone out there understand how this is supposed to be used?  I just haven't taken the time to figure it out... I'm starting to feel old... I need a teenager to just show me once and I'll be fine!) :D

 

This is a drawing of some of the gorgeous pattern work chosen for the Sochi Olympics... I thought their graphics were just gorgeous and when I dove a little deeper, to learn more about the designs, I learned there were representations of different sub-cultures in Russia, each with their own unique artforms... and I think the designs were charming and beautiful and SO well done!!!  I just LOVED the colors and the patterns the way they were used to "brand" the Sochi Olympics!

 

 

Do you remember how beautiful and colorful the patterns were?

 

(CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times)

What I'd give for some of the swag these kids are wearing!!!  Hmmm... maybe I need to peruse ebay and see if anyone is selling any of their Sochi Olympic garb! :D

 

A map of Russia from the official site for the clothing and Olympic swag... HOW cool is this!!!

 

These are some class notes from a workshop I took with Peter Thornton, someone I'd wanted to learn from for ages, and he is just a wonderful teacher with a wealth of knowledge and skill, self-deprecating and funny and very warm and human!  We spent a lot of time discussing and examining the concept of CoNtRaSt in our artwork and also spent a lot of time looking at, and studying the letters of Adolf Bernd, this is a link to a Google search I did of images, it is amazing!!!

 adolf bernd painted letters

Here is a beautiful example of one of Adolf Bernd's painted letters... the detail is AMAZING, all done in watercolor, the shades of which are just SO beautiful!...

 

I hope you've taken some time recently to fill up your creative well, and if you haven't, WHY NOT?!?  

I'd LOVE to hear from you if you've had the same sort of challenges and how you've done what you needed to do to take care of yourself!

THANK YOU for stopping by and taking the time to read this post, take good care!

 

Now, GO MAKE SOMETHING!!!

(And be sure to have FUN!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Been away far too long...

Howdy! 

I'm hoping I still have followers who actually stop by once in awhile, but if not, I completely understand! I've been negligent, careless, thoughtless, selfish, and just plain lazy when it comes to my blog. My blog was my baby for the longest time, then SCHOOL got in the way...

 

Bronson School of Nursing, Kalamazoo Michigan

(I lived in a great big, beautiful old house with gorgeous oak trim, with five of my school mates, what a trip!)

 

No, not that school, but a couple years ago I was in school to finish my BSN and now I'm in school to earn my master's in nursing, and it has kind of taken over my life. I never knew what a procrastinator I was until I went back to school! It's fascinating all the little things I can find to do rather than doing my school work! Washing windows, scrubbing out the vegetable drawer in the fridge, giving the cat a bath... no, wait, scratch that! Giving the DOG a bath! Organizing my junk drawer, you name it, I've done it to avoid the work I need to do. It's really pathetic. I keep telling myself "I'll do better next week" or "I'll work ahead so next week won't be so much of a crisis to get my work done". Do you think it happens that way? Well, so far, no it hasn't. Honestly it's my calligraphy pens and paper that keep calling me! So I'm trying to fit in just a little art time everyday, no matter how small, so that I don't feel like I've left the creative side of me in the dust somewhere. 

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I hope my art world friends and acquaintences are doing well and I promise to make time for your posts! Whatever you do, please don't give up on me and please be patient with me!

Oh! I wanted to turn you on to a magazine I may have talked about before, but it's worth revisiting even if I did...

MAGAZINE

This is a little gem in the publishing world of art magazines... I guess you'd classify it as an art mag. The tag on the magazine is:

 

and the topics run the gamut from issues about writing (including lot of typewriter information) to issues about linens and textiles to issues about my favorite, COLLAGE!!! (Current issue, number 18). So I hope you'll check the magazine out... a subscription for a year is not inexpensive, but the quality of the paper used for the cover and the internal pages is marvelous from a tactile standpoint, and the writing and information contained within is well worth every penny I've spent to get it delivered to me from CANADA... O Canada! Terre de nos aïeux, Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself...  everytime I hear Oh, Canada I hear the Canadian Anthem in my head... I think it's because we watch so much hockey here in the Detroit area, eh?!?)

So, check it out, I think like me, you'll really love it... it's definitely a keeper! I've saved every issue I have, though I'm sad to admit I am missing the very first issue :(

OK, till next time, Bonsoir!

Now go make something!!!

Chicago adventure...

Hello!  My daughter Corey and I traveled to Chicago over the first weekend in May, to see the Sketchbook Project at the Hyde Park Art Center, and it was a terrific trip! BTW, I misspoke in my previous post about the Sketchbook Tour, it wasn't at the Newberry... the Chicago Calligraphy Collective's exhibit was at the Newberry... more about that in a minute!

 

Exterior of Hyde Park Art Center... VERY nicely done!

"Sculpture" done out of old encyclopedias... cool idea, even more interesting in person... 

We were encouraged to sit down and draw and write on a postcard that would be given to the attendees at the next Sketchbook stop, in Portland. 

It was cool seeing my book there... I'd forgotten about some of the images I put in it, and the very best part?  My daughter didn't want to leave it there... she wanted to sneak my book out of there and take it home with us!  And on her postcard, she wrote "Go see Kathy McCreedy's book, she's my mom and I'm SO proud of her!"  That really meant a lot to me, as Corey's a bit on the quiet side and has never really said much about my artwork... (I kept her postcard... it meant too much to me to give it away!).

This is Corey on the steps of the gorgeous Newberry Library in Chicago, where we saw the Chicago Calligraphy Collective's outstanding exhibit... I was SO glad we got to see both the exhibit and the library!

This is a window at the downtown Chicago Macy's store on State Street... LOVE the message on the window and love the bikes painted red, hanging in mid air... I want one of those bikes for my garden out in front of our house!  Waaaayyy too cool!

We also visited the Merchandise Mart, which was not on our original itinerary, and the shops were closed because it was a Sunday... but it was AMAZING!!! The building itself is just spectacular... 

Flowers on the railing at the Merch Mart overlooking the Chicago River...

How amazing is this art deco styled brass mailbox?!?  There were two of them on the first floor of the building.  I wish I'd had paper and a pencil to do a rubbing of that gorgeous trim work!!!

Another terrific sentiment on a display window!

From what we could tell, the Merchandise Mart is where the folks in Chicago with lots and lots of money go to pick out their tile, fixtures, cabinets, etc. when they redo their kitchens and bathrooms... or perhaps their decorator goes there to pick up samples.  Either way the displays were stunning.

This is wallpaper in a display case that evidently has gold leaf running through it... that is an entire bowl filled with gold leaf, and in person it was beyond stunning. I'm sorry the camera couldn't pick up the true effect of what could actually be seen. (I'm thinking this is what photographers refer to when they talk about how a digital camera makes things look "flat").  

This is a tiny sample of the brass trim around the elevators at the Merch Mart... this same sort of trim is around every display window, and along the top of the walls where they meet the ceiling... and if you look closely you can see that in the elevator well there is similar brass trim up on the ceiling, underneath the trim on the outside wall.  I cannot even begin to imagine what that brass trim would cost in today's dollars. 

This little gem of unusual architecture is near State Street and Madison, across from a clothing store I think was named Zara, that Corey HAD to go to... imagine my delight to see this building that is totally surrounded by a huge skyscraper!  The windows in the three archways were made up of ripply glass that must have been original, and the mullions in the windows were curved, something I've never seen before!  I believe the building is being used as a restaurant now.  You can see where the roof at the top meets the new construction above it.  How terrific that the house wasn't torn down, as it is a real treasure and a real treat to glance up and see such a delightful little find!

So, that's a recap of our three-day mini vacation to Chicago... the weather was really unpredictable and the blisters on my feet have almost healed... and it was totally worth it to have such a nice weekend with my girl!

 

NOW GO MAKE SOMETHING!!! 

(I'm off to go continue working on my son's wedding invitations... wish me lots of luck!!!)

Spring greeting...

Spring greetings! 

Just a quick reminder, the Brooklyn Art House' Sketchbook Project 2012 is on its way to Chicago, May 3rd, 4th & 5th!  The exhibit will be at the Newberry Library, and if you are in that neck of the woods, I hope you'll go see the exhibit... it's FREE and it should be VERY interesting!  

 

Here's a link to a VERY cook sketchbook from the 2011 project: http://www.arthousecoop.com/library/77#page-slide_1

I hope if you take a look at it you'll let me know your thoughts.  I love the addition of what I think must be screenprinting in the sketchbook... I wish I knew a printer who has scraps like the graphics printed in this sketchbook.  I would happily pay for the imperfectly printed images to use in my journals or collages.  Any ideas? (I apologize that I cannot show any images from the book, but it's not mine to access).

I hope you are enjoying spring and find yourself making SOMETHING everyday!

Seth's upcoming book debut!

If you aren't familiar with my friend Seth Apter, you need to head over to his site, The Altered Page, now!

He has a new book coming out very soon and is doing a promotion during the month of March.  Each day in March he is highlighting the artists he has chosen to collaborate with in his book, and it's a great opportunity to learn more about Seth and his work, along with the work of the very talented collaborators!  

Seth is a terrifically talented, humble, & kind man who has an entirely different daytime occupation, but manages to wear his many hats extremely well! He has been one of my most supportive "online friends" for quite a number of years now, and I am always amazed at all the things Seth has managed to create &/or organize.  This is one busy, dedicated artist, and I'm so proud to call him my friend! 

 

Handmade journals, just for fun!

I'm going to show you some photos I took of a handmade journal I made recently, using pretty much all recycled or reused paper... old ledger pages, tracing paper, pages out of nicely done paper samples, pages out of old bicycle catalogs, graph paper, old day planner pages I'd never used, some watercolor paper, and even some paper called TerraSkin (which I'll post about soon), etc... I cut all the paper by hand (why I didn't use a paper cutter is really a good question), and then followed instructions for how to glue a book binding I found on the net.  I found all sorts of great diy videos on youtube!  One I especially liked is done by Charmaine Martinez, click here to see her video.

Instructions for how to make a hard covered journal can be found at the Curiously Crafty blog.

Front cover, cut from paper sample from French Paper Co.

Back cover from same French Paper Co. sample

View of journal from above...

Close up view... page on left from bike catalog, page on right from French Paper Co. sample

graph paper on left, bike catalog page on right...

more paper cut up and ready to be assembled into a book...

I haven't started to write in this book yet, but I anticipate having fun with colored markers, metalic markers, watercolor pencils, rubber stamps, etc.  I plan to make my next journal using only high quality watercolor paper &/or the TerraSkin paper, which really isn't paper at all!

It really doesn't matter what you choose to use, if you decide to experiment and make your own customized journal, just make sure to have fun!  The possibilities are truly endless!  

Now, GO MAKE SOMETHING FUN!!!

 

Final Sketchbook Project 2012 covers, etc.

This is the final edition of the front cover of my Sketchbook Project 2012 book... I love the "Choose authenticity" arrow and I love the white strip down the right hand side that is embossed with "MADE WITH LOVE"... it's cut out of a Neenah paper give away piece from last year's XPEDX paper show.  I put a little Golden Titan Buff acrylic paint, mixed with a little bit of iridescent gold over the white so it wasn't quite so stark.

This is the back cover... I love the hand and the heart...

Here's a couple of close up sections of other pages I hadn't posted previously...

So what have you been up to that's fun and different from your usual work?  

More Sketchbook Project 2012 images...

 

Time is drawing nigh (boy, how often do you get to say "nigh"?!?) for me to put the Sketchbook 2012 project in the mail, in time for it to travel with all the other sketchbooks to various locales around the country.  I thought it might be fun to share some of the layouts with you... I hope you like them. (Keep in mind I may end up adding to some of the pages, tweaking them just a bit.) It has been a departure from my traditional "signature" style of collage, and it's really been fun.  

(BTW, clicking on the images will open them up in a larger window).  

A lot of the cut out images came from paper samples from an xpedx paper show, and were very carefully cut out (note Rocky Racoon's whiskers above left).  

Same with this page spread... the flowers on the left were cut out and applied over a very busy page that I made even busier by writing all over it, and on the page on the right.  How cute are the little bumble bee men on the top of the right hand page?

This spread is a little goofy, but it's meant to be humorous... the bike and the wording "slow your roll" were recycled from a bicycle catalog.  I prefer the spread on the right... I love the ampersand and the pink flower to the left of it.  

In this spread I love the porcupine, and trust me, he took forever to cut out!!!  Those quills are sharp! :D  

I absolutely LOVE paper and the quality of the samples from companies like Finch, Appleton, French and Domtar are superb!  Both the paper quality and the image quality are absolutely first rate in my opinion!

I love this spread... the face on the left is just so cool, with the colorful image of the world superimposed...   The flower on the right side was another of those really labor intensive cutting jobs!  

This is a bit of a silly layout... have you picked up on the repeating stripes that appear on a lot of the pages?  The stripes came from a printed catalogue from UofM's School of Public Health that was really nicely done.

more images placed in no particular place... just for fun!

The cougar images that appear here and there are from Domtar's line of papers called, appropriately so, "Cougar".  It is a gorgeous paper that takes ink just beautifully.

I really like the spread on the right page... the colors work really well together. The spread on the left made me think of the movie Babe, which is one of my all time favorites!  Babe... "a little pig goes a long way".

This is one busy spread... the two little old ladies in the bottom left are my great-grandmother and her sister... they reportedly loved nature so I put them outside! :D

next to last pages...

The back cover is on the left and the front cover is on the right. I think the  front cover in particular needs some love! Perhaps I'll have to make some sort of title for the book that mentions how much I love letters!

I hope if the traveling Sketchbook Project 2012 comes to a city near you that you'll take the time to go see the books!  

Sketchbook Project 2012

 

                                    

Is a really neat way of sharing your artwork with the world... here's some more information on the project, hosted by the  Brookly Art Library:

 

Join the community. The Sketchbook Project is a collaboration that unites a unique community of creative people from across the globe. Exchange tips and techniques, share visual inspiration or just make a new friend.

Share your story. The Sketchbook Project is an opportunity to express yourself to a global audience. Participants can upload a bio and share future projects, personal links and stories with other creative people.

The Digital Library travels far and wide. With hundreds of thousands of visitors and climbing, the Digital Library is an amazing platform to share your work with a wider audience. Choose to have your book professionally digitized and we'll give it a home on the Web.

The Brooklyn Art Library is your home. Our storefront exhibition space will archive your sketchbook and make it available to patrons from all over the world. We're open every day, so please come and visit us soon.

After the tour, all sketchbooks will enter into the permanent collection of The Brooklyn Art Library, where they will be barcoded and available for the public to view.

                                       

I thought I'd share preliminary pages from my sketchbook, which still needs a lot of work in order to be completed... (The large expanse of orange on the left is the inside of the cover of the journal)...

 

Here's the first page of my sketchbook... if you click on the image, it will open in a larger format...  This is in someways the most random collage work I've ever done... there really is no rhyme or reason for how it's put together or what images I chose to use... I simply used whatever appealed to me at the moment, given what I had on hand...

 Next spread:

This little book needs to be completed by the end of January, if I want it to go on tour with the rest of the journals, so I have to get busy...

I'll keep you informed of the progress...  It's a really neat project and I'm pretty excited to be a part of it... usually I'm scrambling to finish things two days before the deadline, but not this time! 

Now, go make something!

Mixed media journaling

Hey there!!!  My new year's resolution is to post more often!  It's been a crazy couple of years, but I'm done with my degree, I'm healthy again, and it's time to rededicate myself to pursuing my true passion... MAKING ART AND STUFF!!!  So here is a sample of a couple of facing pages from a journal I made using 90# cold press Arches watercolor paper. These are a couple of my favorite pages so far...

The color was put down using Golden liquid Acrylic paints with some Super Loaded Matte Medium added to it, which helps keep the paint from getting sticky, and leaves a great surface on which to write. The word JOY was written with acrylic ink and a folded pen, and the white letters were written with a gel pen.  There's some metallic marks on the page which doesn't scan in well at all, and the little spotted areas were made with a rubber type of shelf lining that leaves that sort of impression.  Pretty nifty, huh?!?

Not all my journal pages are this well put together, if you know what I mean, but I sure would like them to be! And truthfully, I could do more to "dress" this up, but I'm not going to mess with it any further... 

So Happy New Year, friends!  I hope you have set some gentle resolutions for yourself, the kind you can keep with JOY in your heart and the kind that will help you learn new techniques and grow as an artist.