Hello Monday!

Here's to a brand new week! *raises latte*

I'm excited for this week, though it's not much different than the others. I'm just looking forward to what I'll accomplish this week with my art and with my design work. I've been working on a few projects for some time... wedding invitations... baby announcements... wedding website, etc. This is the week that I'm wrapping these projects up. I'm also planning on finishing the backs of my latest wooden block creations. Did you think I forgot? Nope!

Did everyone have a good weekend? Mine was pretty spiffy. Yes, spiffy. Justin & I visited the Tinymeat™ warehouse sale & Sausagefest! We munched on lil' smokies and pickles and chit-chatted with Tinymeat's owner Michael. To fill ya in, Tinymeat collaborates with artists making wallets, passport cases, and business card cases. Do check out their Etsy shop here! It was such a challenge to narrow down my wallet purchases. After going back and forth, I decided to purchase this fun goat portrait done by Ryan Berkley.

I thought this would be a great birthday gift for one of my best friends. Since she doesn't read my blog, I don't think I'm ruining the surprise. Ha ha.

More ramblings about the weekend... I watched the movie Capote. A - m - a - z - i - n - g. Philip Seymour Hoffman is becoming one of my favorite actors.

One thing I enjoy while working on my art is to watch movies. To say the least, I didn't get much accomplish while Capote was on. It's that good.

Lastly, I would like to present to you... my new batch of pendant necklaces creations!

Nurture thy Mind No.3 Pendant Necklace - Weeping Willow - purchase

Nurture thy Mind No.4 Pendant Necklace - Box Elder - purchase

Nurture thy Mind No.5 Pendant Necklace - Cherry Blossom - purchase

They each include drawings of trees that I have come across in Portland. This batch I added a pearl to each chain... for lil' something extra. I'm pretty happy how these turned out. It's going to be a little tough to give them up. He he. Kinda a bitter sweet thing... I love knowing that they are headed to a new home and again I like to think they keep happy thoughts close to one’s heart.

00014 of Standard Movement

After three attempts, my 14th work of the Standard Movement series, titled 00014 is finished! I am more than happy to share this bundle of joy with you on this sunny afternoon.

Bike riding down the Eastbank Esplanade, I discovered a magnificent Weeping Willow. A willow with catkins, might I add. These cylindrical flower clusters are why it took me three tries to make this artwork, I was being a lil' picky of how they were drawn on a page torn from a bookkeeping & accounting study guide, which was once in the hands of a lady named Ava. The drawn raindrops and globe-like orbs faintly blend onto the page.

Within this 5" x 7" filigree frame, on the bottom left-hand corner, I included a snippet of a 1980's Kansas City, Missouri map, once owned by my mother & father. On the top right I included a snippet of a fellow’s charming message that was written in a young lady’s 1976 yearbook, which is also prominent in my 13th work.

You can vaguely see catkins drawn on top of the yearbook signature. They hide around a torn piece of a black and white photograph. I plan on using more remnants of this photo in future pieces. A b&w photograph of what you ask?

It's of an elementary class, adhered pretty darn well to a piece of worn matte board, with no date present. I purchased this photograph along with some report cards from a flea market. I love the idea of using bits of something that was once together, that has created something historical visually, that once had an impact on more than one individual. I like to compare these bits to pixels, which I also love drawing with brown ink sporadically in my artwork.

I also worked in a piece from a hard cover book about astrology that's full of tables. One thing that I think is thrilling about using used books is that at one time in it's life it was owned by someone else and it had a particular purpose. Years later it's now having a new purpose, a purpose that it was not intended to be used. I love flipping open the cover of old books and finding the previous owners name and address written by their hand. I question if they are still alive; do they still live at this address; did they read this book all the way through; did they read this book more than once? I don't believe too many people write their name in their books in this day and age. In today's culture it seems that we go through so much information, that it's easier for us to do away with books after a short period of time. Websites like half.com and Amazon have encouraged this. I find this interesting.

I'll stop there with that thought, I could go on and on but I need to continue working on some graphic design projects! I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday. Also I hope you have a swell weekend and get around to doing something creative! I'm really giddy about tomorrow & Sunday, I'm going to be spending many hours working on a new batch of miniature artworks for new pendant necklaces! Weeeeeeeeeeee!

Nurture thy Mind pendant necklaces

Both Nurture thy Mind pendant necklaces have been purchased and sent off to their new homes. How thrilling!

I really fancy these petite artworks, I do, I do. The idea that art doesn't have to be displayed on a wall is sublime in my mind. This is true with my wooden block artworks too. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working with flat surfaces like canvases and framing art too. I think I love bouncing back and forth, I love having options. So all in all, making these necklaces has been an eye-opening and positive experience for me and I want to continue to pursue them. So this weekend I'm planning on making at least two... maybe four. We'll just see.

Sandy Skoglund

The Cocktail Party has been hanging on my inspiration board. This installation of Cheetos, mannequins, and people was created in the early 90's by Sandy Skoglund. When I discovered Sandy's work in an art textbook back in high school it had a huge impact on me. Huge. It has encouraged me to think outside of the box when creating art. Her work makes me want to make my own rendition of installation art.

Installation art is a media that I haven't touched a whole lot, but I know it will someday be involved in my art career. I love the idea of setting up 3-dimensional objects within a space with purpose and thought, for others to be able to walk through it as if they were part of it. Now that concept really excites me. I have been brainstorming about my future in installation art for quite some time. You can imagine the amount of ideas that are stored in the ol' noggin.

I picked a few of Skoglund's works that are my favorites. I find it humorous that they have a 80's & early 90's feel. I also included video of the making of The Cocktail Party... brilliant!

REVENGE OF THE GOLDFISH, 1981 Sandy Skoglund, www.sandyskoglund.com

FERNS, 1980 Sandy Skoglund, www.sandyskoglund.com

FOX GAMES, 1989 Sandy Skoglund, www.sandyskoglund.com

RADIOACTIVE CATS, 1980 Sandy Skoglund, www.sandyskoglund.com

RAINING POPCORN, 2001 Sandy Skoglund, www.sandyskoglund.com

AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE, 2001 Sandy Skoglund, www.sandyskoglund.com

WALKING ON EGGSHELLS, 1997 Sandy Skoglund, www.sandyskoglund.com

Miniature street art installation

With a warm breezy night, how could one resist being a little bit mischievous by partaking in some street art installation? Fused and sitting flushed against the cement ground, a 1 1/4" square wooden cube hides from passers-by. On one side of the cube, vintage ledger paper is adhered and coated with resin. Below the resin, a cropped coffee ring from my coffee, drawn pixels and orbs float on the ledger's surface. It's been awhile since I've done any street art so it was very thrilling to interfere with the urban environment. I have decided that the coming warm nights of the summer season, means partaking in more installations. Stay tuned as I document more and more of these non-permission based artworks.

Just a reminder that there are other wooden blocks of mine that are on sale for a limited time. These original blocks can be displayed on a shelf, window sill, or in a shadow box. These little masterpieces would be great idea for a Mother's Day gift. It's just around the corner... May 10th! Did I mention that they are 25% off? Hop on over to my Etsy shop and take a peak if you haven't yet.

Reading in the park

Crazy internet! I planned on posting early this morning but the internet gods decided to fail on me.

Saturday and Sunday's weather was glorious. I very much enjoyed my time outdoors. Especially when I was able to hang out all afternoon on a picnic blanket in the park, reading. I picked out a book from the library called Plastic Culture, How Japanese Toys Conquered the World. It's a very delightful read! I'll follow-up with you all with a summary when I finish reading it.

Over the weekend, on my way back from doing a lil' bit of dog sitting, I visited the tallest bridge in Portland, the St. Johns Bridge. I don't make it around these parts of Stumptown often, so I had to take a snap of it's Gothic towers for my photo collection. Maybe some day it will wind up drawn in my art.

Speaking of drawing, I worked on my 14th work of the Standard Movement series, titled 00014. To be honest I wasn't too thrilled of how it was panning out, even after two attempts. When it came to drawing up the Weeping Willow's catkins, I guess I was a little persnickity of their final look. So hopefully by the end of this week I'll have something complete to share.

It's Friday!

So I'm hoping these photos of my latest work make up for my absence on Wednesday & Thursday.

Sadly I didn't make it back here for my weekly inspiration post on Wednesday. But you can count on it next week, it will be a good one. Nor did I get to my planned post yesterday. It's just been one of those weeks, ya know?

So these lil' wee ones are still in the process of being completed. I intend to do a bit of stencil graffiti on their backs. Possibly doing layers of spray paint upon layers of resin, we'll see. I'll get more in depth about them with you at a later date. My weekend to-do list starts today... well this evening. It's a lengthy one alright. I better hop to it. So I will see you all bright and early on Monday morn!

Spring Sale - 25% off

That is 25% off ALL my wooden block mini original artworks, to make room for upcoming work! Weeeeeeeee! The raindrop magnets even made their way into the sale section.

This evening I'm about to finally finish reading The Effects of Light by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. Only 10 more pages!

Easter Weekend follow-up

Whew... I'm finally getting around to writing up my Monday post. What a busy bee I have been today! Sadly this will be a short one.

Easter 2009 ~ Posing with one of my Nurture Thy Mind necklace drawings

I hope everyone had a swell Easter weekend. Mine was pretty low-key this year, since my family is hundreds of miles away. Plus the fact that I am kinda holiday-ed out. But I did get around to some egg dying with a friend - evidence below. Ha! I mean how could I pass up the original PAAS Easter egg dye kit. Sometimes you just have to let out your inner child, am I right?

I'm such a lucky one to have a mother that sends a surprise package of sweet treats... chocolate, Peeps, gummy bunnies, frosted sugar cookies, etc. Oh my!

00013 of Standard Movement

Hello there!I have my 13th work of the Standard Movement series to share with you today!

This 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" lil' masterpiece includes my signature coffee rings and globe-like orbs on vintage ledger paper. The blossoming bud happened to grab my attention on one of my many walks this week. It has such a sweet smell! Curiosity had me Googling to find the proper name for this thriving small tree. After a good ol' half hour... Ta da! It's a Kobushi Magnolia, and it's native to Japan.

On the left, do you spot some handwriting? Yes, you do see correctly. Randomly yet meaningfully, I included a snippet of a fellow's charming message that was written in a young lady's 1976 yearbook. You ask, do I know these people? No. I am a collector of many vintage paper finds, including old yearbooks that people just happen to pass up. Looking beyond the musty smells of pages, I find myself in wonderment of it's background. I question, was it passed up because of the significant water damage and she felt it was no good? Or maybe this young lady's life ended and her belongings, including this yearbook were given away. Or maybe she flew halfway across the world in search of new adventures and was forced to leave all her belongings behind.

Along with surrounding myself with the delightful sweet smell of blossoming trees, I've been around not-so-pleasant smelling substances. In particular– epoxy resin, polyamine, and lacquer. I've been playing around with them to find the right fit to seal those darn fastidious picture frames. The ones that just don't allow space for glass, like pictured above.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! I will see you on Monday.

Snail mail delivery

I just love getting packages in the mail. One of my best friends from good ol' Nebraska sent me a package a few days ago, I thought I would share the excitement. Hmmm... what could be under all this newspaper?

Ah ha! Filigree picture frames to use with my art! Thank you, thank you! I'm so looking forward to recycling/reusing by painting them milky white & celery green and... seeing them wrapped around my artwork. My favorite are the two touching the bottom edge. They are metal and cloth, I haven't seen ones like these before.

Up and away!

On Sunday, my love & I drove over the Oregon boundary, and away we sped into Washington. We thought we would do some investigating, we haven't spent much time in that adjacent state. In the past year we've been to Washington only twice, both in Vancouver. In my mind that doesn't really count, since its just a little hop, skip and jump from Portland. So you can see we were a teensy bit curious. This past Winter, I visited with my parents' neighbor about her trip to Mount St. Helens. She had loads of gorgeous saturated photos that she had snapped. After flipping through her photo album, I mentally wrote this mountain on my west coast visit list.

We drove northbound on I-5 to Woodland, where we grabbed some Mount St. Helens info and chit-chatted a bit with a kind lady at the tourist info hotspot. She suggested to go further north, continuing on the interstate, and then exit near Castle Rock. Apparently it's more scenic than the other route. She was right, it was amazingly scenic. We stopped by Salt Lake Visitors Center and got down with our nerdy tourist selves. We learned about the forces and events leading up to the eruption back in 1980 through various exhibits, including a walk-in volcano model. It sounds pretty fun but, to be honest, the little kid in me was a little disappointed.

The weather was perfect, rays of sunshine danced through the tree limbs. I was reminded of how swell it is to have a moonroof. We saw waterfalls, we saw many bad ass motorcyclists, we saw an unbelievable amount of trees, and we saw expansive views from many viewpoints along the way. We decided that next time we have to do the cheesy tourist helicopter ride. I can only imagine all the amazing views of the blast zone we'd have.

We brought all three cameras, the Lomo, Rebel, and PowerShot to capture e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g... including Coldwater Lake.

Coldwater Lake was ultimately my highlight of our trip. It was tucked away below the national volcanic monument. Photography has always been a love of mine. There's just something about capturing time and nature, I like to think I'm capturing the wind blowing and the solitary feeling of the mountains and lake. The water was beautiful shades of turquoise. I immediately wanted to dip my hand into it, but I held back thinking that it was probably chilly, for the mountains were covered in marshmallow-like snow. After walking barefoot on the dock, talking with my love, and getting pretty comfortable with the overall temperature in the air, I dipped my hands in. I was then reminded of why I was so cautious in the beginning. The COLD sent shivers up my spine. I wanted to lay out there beside my love and read for hours, but the day was coming to an end and we had to head back into Oregon.

The lovely photography pieces above are up for sale in my Etsy shop. I'm going to sell the two together as a package, because... well I love them both and couldn't narrow it down to just one! They will be mailed in shiny protective cello envelopes, backed with matte board & enclosed in a sturdy bend-proof mailer. Their price is pretty inexpensive, just $18. Hop on over to my shop: www.atealeaf.etsy.com

I hope you Portlanders out there are enjoying the sunshine as much as I am!

I finally have begun!

I have some very exciting news! Drum roll please... I have finally begun to create my very own personalized jewelry. This has been something on my mind for a very long time and it's happening. "Sometimes we need a reminder to build ourselves up and not tear ourselves down." This thought was swimming in my mind when I created these petite mixed-media works. I feel like jewelry pieces could keep one's happy thoughts close to one's heart. This is definitely the beginning of something great. I currently have made three, one for myself and two in my Etsy shop... ready to find a new home.

A creative motivated mind

What motivates you?

I was asked this simple yet broad question this morning. With believing that motivation and inspiration work hand and hand, I decided to write about this topic today for my weekly inspiration post. Hopefully Yoshimi (my cat) isn't anymore of a distraction. She has been very rambunctious & kind of a nuisance: racing around the apartment, batting at paper, and finding new ways to chew on electrical cords.

This question made me think more about what motivates me to do art. Two distinct reasons have been rolling around in my head like marbles... community and experimentation. There were many many reasons why I moved to Portland from the Midwest. One being, I knew there was a strong creative/diy/artsy/designy community here. Being around these folks' creative energy and the fact that they enjoy the same thing that I have since I was 4 is, well... pretty friggin' awesome, I must say. I wasn't getting this artsy energy nearly as much back home and I felt my motivation to create art was dwindling. Oh sure, I went to art gallery openings and had art discussions & critiques with friends, but it just wasn't enough. So being involved with Portland's creative community is part of the pie. Sharing my final works with people and (hopefully) making their day brighter definitely motivates me to go full steam ahead.

Next, experimentation. Playing Sequence (the board game) with my friends on Christmas, three of us subconsciously made patterns with our unused game pieces. Eventually we noticed this, pointing each others out while we chuckled. I think it's so important for me to have different media to work with and to see the different directions to take it in. Playing around with those game pieces led me to think about drawing the patterns and ellipsis that I include in my artwork. Maybe that's why I love collaging so much. The experimenting is so very limitless. Sometime in the future I can see myself doing installation art and this encourages me to experiment more and more.

Well I'm going to stop there. I've got a proposal to write. I may be working on designing a consultant's business identity package. Weeeeeeee!

So I'm very curious... Artists, Crafters, and Designers out there... What motivates you? What reasons are rolling around in your head?

Tori Amos album art

Eep! Not only is this an alert sound on the classic Mac OS, but I said it as well. I didn't get around to writing up my weekly "what inspires me" post yesterday. The good thing is, I'm writing up about it now! One day late... well almost two days, not too bad, right?

I'm pretty stoked to do some show n' tell about Tori Amos with you all. I've been a fan of her music for... let me think... seven years now. It's funny that I'm writing about her, to be honest, in the last year I haven't listened to her much. I own her latest album titled American Doll Posse... and have maybe listened to it only twice. Writing up this post has been good for me to get back into her music (I'm actually listening to that album right now). Four years ago I had the pleasure of seeing her perform live. My jaw dropped seeing how she jumps back and forth between four keyboards & pianos. My oh my, she's got talent.

Not only has her music influenced me, but I absolutely love all of her albums' art. They are visually stamped in my brain, if that tells you anything. They are very representational of her and the lyrics that she whimsically belts out. Since I've imported all my music into iTunes, my CDs rarely see light these days. They are all tucked away in storage. This last week I pulled them out so I could scan them to share. Pulling things out of storage always takes longer than I anticipate. I'm the type of person that likes to pull everything out, I love to reorganize and easily get nostalgic over pieces of paper... in this case, album art. Before I start listing a few of favorites below, I first wanted to show you the huge Tori Amos print that hangs in my living room- framed by my good friend Steve. This print is from her '98 album, From The Choirgirl Hotel.

The image below comes from the same album. The CD booklet folds up into three sections. I love how it looks like a miniature Tori was laid on a photocopier. Dramatic shadows- love, love, love!

Speaking of a miniature version of Tori, her album Under The Pink has been the most influential to me as an Artist. Below you can see a tiny version of Ms. Amos (on the right) laying among twigs, wings, syringes, eggs, and microscope slide. I love the combination of nature & scientific elements and how they make a path spiraling inward. Someday I hope to see a larger version beyond the 4 3/4" CD booklet, even if I have been spoiled with my humongous framing. The Under The Pink booklet also includes a closer image of Tori and her root-like hair, which I happily scanned and posted below.

After looking over these images and falling in love with them, I've wondered what the artist's or designer's process was like, from the brainstorming step and to the development one. But maybe I would dislike it if the steps were broken down right in front of me. Would this spoil the mystery and amazement of these photography pieces?

00012

My 12th piece has been completed! I drew snake grass that I found on Sauvie Island. Off to the right you can see an old map of Omaha.

Breathing Fidelity drawing

Monday, Monday, Monday... hey, let's go back to the weekend! Over the weekend I had a chance to snap some better pictures of my work titled Breathing Fidelity (original) which is for sale in my Etsy Shop here.

A little info about this work: Raindrops evolve into delicate snowflakes while coffee spills and orbs float around them. This original art of mine measures 5"x7" and is behind glass, which has stencil graffiti of a honeycomb pattern.

Blythe dolls

When I was 5 or 6 years old I was given a porcelain doll with long brown locks for Christmas, or maybe it was for my birthday... I'm not for sure. I remember being excited to get her but that's as far as my interest with dolls went. I was more into creative artsy activities and definitely a Legos kind of girl. She sat propped in a rocking chair on the shelf until she made her way into a garage sale years later. I'm surprised she stayed as long as she did in my bedroom. To be honest, I was rather spooked out by her beady eyes staring at me in the middle of the night. So why am I now having an interest in Blythe dolls? For those that don't know, these dolls have very large eyes which definitely are eerie. Their captivating eyes are color changing from blue to green to orange to pink. The more I've thought about these mysteriously strange characters, I've realized that that is part of their attraction. The chances of me owning one are very slim, the price ranges for NEO's are from $80 to $3,000. Below are some great Blythe finds. Thanks to the following for letting me share them!

Chocolate and Toffee Pixie Hat

AmandaRuth's Etsy Shop

Oona via via jemmielina's Flickr

CherryMillie via jemmielina's Flickr

Handknit Bobble Hat

PetitTricotage's Etsy Shop

Doll Sized Acorn Necklace - Green on Brass

via Art School Dropout

felted helmet

Bigsmudgeuk's Etsy

Vintage Handkerchief Eden Halter Dress

silkenstone's Etsy

Etsy shop news

Good evening to you all. Whew, it's 10:00! I'm wondering where all the hours of the day went. With trying to keep my eyes open, I have an Etsy shop announcement to make.  For those out there requesting the owl to come back, here is the lil' guy. AND he has a milky white frame around him...

A Bit Befuddled print with frame

(click image to purchase & to see more info)

Also, there has been a request for some original artwork of mine to be available for purchase in the shop. So here I present to you "Breathing Fidelity" and it also comes with a frame... of avocado green goodness.

Breathing Fidelity original artwork with frame

(click image to purchase & to see more info)

The Virgin Suicides

78, that's the page I've made it to thus far... of The Virgin Suicides. Recommended by a close friend back in Nebraska, who has also recommended The Bell Jar. Do you ever have those moments when you are fully engaged into the world of reading novels? I think I have reached that point for the first time in my life. Thanks to Multnomah County Library and cold evenings, I'm currently reading three books: The Effects of Light, The Bell Jar, and alas The Virgin Suicides. I've been this way about art and design books in the past and now novels have taken their role. I think I'm becoming a book worm, seriously. I look forward to when the day grows to an end, throwing the tea kettle on the stove and sitting on my comfy chocolate suede couch, sipping and reading. Speaking of tea... over the weekend a friend and I made a drive up (in rush hour traffic I might add), to Ikea. I purchased two sets of these darling mustard colored coffee cups and saucers, they are perfect in every way. I'm a little persnickety when it comes to mugs.

image source: Barnes & Noble

Anyway, back to the Virgin Suicides, I had watched the film years ago... visually it was beautiful, with warm colors and sun bursts. Now absorbing the story in another media... the words of Jeffrey Eugenides is so extraordinaire. I am fearing the melancholy ending, I know it's not very pretty. I remember turning my eyes away from the television and asking whoever I was with to tell me when that scene was over with.

image source: Amazon

The soundtrack lives in my music library, I highly recommend listening to it. Anything that has to do with French music duo, AIR grabs my attention. On a side note, I hopped on over to Wikipedia and learned that, "The name AIR is a acronym for Amour, Imagination, Rêve which translates to Love, Imagination, Dream." Interesting.

Lastly I discovered a nice Flickr group tributed, take a look here. I'm interested to hear your experiences relating to the film and novel, feel free to comment about them.