Thursday, 31 December 2009
The delicate art of paper cutouts
Seeing that I can barely cut in a straight line with scissors, I'm awed by the craftsmanship of these artists. I love how the intricacy of paper cutouts can resemble lace- so beautiful!
Bovey Lee, Atomic Jellyfish
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Artist Liz Saintsing gives vintage accessories new life
I've been a big fan of Liz Saintsing's reclaimed vintage accessory line for the past couple of years. Based in San Francisco, Liz designs and screenprints images of birds, insects, sea creatures, and flora on vintage bags, belts, and gloves.
Her products are functional works of art. The attention to detail in each screenprinted design is worth noting, and so is the impeccable condition of the vintage items. Currently, she's working on transferring her images onto lampshades and bedding. I can't wait to see her new designs!
Her products are functional works of art. The attention to detail in each screenprinted design is worth noting, and so is the impeccable condition of the vintage items. Currently, she's working on transferring her images onto lampshades and bedding. I can't wait to see her new designs!
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
A close-up look at sea life
Yesterday, with extended family in town, we decided to take a trip to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The aquarium is located in Newport, Oregon, about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Portland. It is most famous for housing Keiko the whale (Free Willy) for a couple of years before being relocated to Iceland.
This was my first trip to the aquarium, and I was pleasantly surprised by the facilities and exhibits. I guess I was expecting lots of fishy smells and unsupervised children running around with starfish in their hands. The aquarium was, in contrast, much more contemporary and well-designed than I had imagined.
In the 2+ hour visit at the aquarium, we watched feedings of sea lions and otters, strolled through a sea bird aviary, watched a short film on luminescent sea creatures, and oohed and ahhed at the many different fish and sea life in the exhibits.
Here are a few photos I took from our visit.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium is just south of the Yaquina Bay Bridge.
My favorite part of the aquarium was the jellyfish exhibit. I can see why artists like Yellena James are so inspired by sea life!
This is a photo of my brother-in-law in one of the acrylic tunnels. The reflective lighting in there was fun to shoot.
This was my first trip to the aquarium, and I was pleasantly surprised by the facilities and exhibits. I guess I was expecting lots of fishy smells and unsupervised children running around with starfish in their hands. The aquarium was, in contrast, much more contemporary and well-designed than I had imagined.
In the 2+ hour visit at the aquarium, we watched feedings of sea lions and otters, strolled through a sea bird aviary, watched a short film on luminescent sea creatures, and oohed and ahhed at the many different fish and sea life in the exhibits.
Here are a few photos I took from our visit.
Monday, 28 December 2009
New Year Read-a-thon
When: 5 pm on Thursday, December 31st - Ends: 10 pm on Sunday, January 3rd
How much: As much or as little as you want. Set your own goals and try to reach them but don't fret if you can't basically
Anything else: one random participant will win a book or two
Well with a total time of 3 days and 5 hours I'm going to try to read for a total of 10 hours although I hope to read more than that for sure. I just want to set my goal low so I can achieve it.
I'm not doing anything for New Year's Eve so that's not a problem but Jan 3 I'm going to see the Harlem Globetrotters in the afternoon plus it's my daughter's birthday (although we aren't doing a party till the weekend after.)
Here are some of the books I might be reading: (no guarantee)
http://www.bookworminginthe21stcentury.com/2009/12/new-year-read-thon.html
- No Kids by Corinna Maier
- Tell Me a Story 3: Women of Wonder by Amy Friedman (Audio Book)
- Everything Sucks by Hannah Friedman (no relation I don't think)
- Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti
- How to Steal a Car by Pete Hautman
- The Talking Baby by Jeremy & Karina Sweet
Affordable Art Finds, Week Eight
For the past two months, I've been scouting out fabulous finds on original art priced at $75 or less. This is the last of the Monday series, but I plan to post regularly on affordable art. There are many more great works to share!
1. I've always thought it would be fun to illustrate a children's book. This etching from Catia Chien looks like it belongs in a story book. Entitled "J", it's a limited edition of 10 prints. $30.
2. Trish Grantham is a Portland artist that painted an amazing mural in my shop a couple of years ago. I love her recent paintings of cute creatures on old dictionary pages. The Owl and the Elephant ($58), shown below, is painted on a page from the "M" section, which includes words like merit, merlin, mermaid, and merriment. So charming!
1. I've always thought it would be fun to illustrate a children's book. This etching from Catia Chien looks like it belongs in a story book. Entitled "J", it's a limited edition of 10 prints. $30.
2. Trish Grantham is a Portland artist that painted an amazing mural in my shop a couple of years ago. I love her recent paintings of cute creatures on old dictionary pages. The Owl and the Elephant ($58), shown below, is painted on a page from the "M" section, which includes words like merit, merlin, mermaid, and merriment. So charming!
The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman
Summary: Mark your calendar. It's the Christmas Cookie Club! Every year on the first Monday of December, Marnie and her twelve closest girlfriends gather in the evening with batches of beautifully wrapped homemade cookies. Everyone brings a dish, a bottle of wine and their stories. [Read More]
Although I've reviewed for Atria Books before I missed the offer for this book so I got a copy from the library to read this season. I'm glad I did, it was awesome!
The Christmas Cookie Club is exactly the kind of Christmas story I was looking for. One I could follow along with even if I read a little here and there, something light that I could read surrounded by children and a puppy and something other than a romance story (which most Christmas books seem to have.) Although there is talk about love in this book, it's not the focus.
Not only is this an awesome read, the storyline is based on a real story and will hopefully inspire others to start their own cookie club. I'm not a baker and I don't have many friends but for someone who does, it would be a great tradition to do every year. Especially since they donate a dozen cookies EACH (that's 144 cookies total) to hospice.
The story itself was compelling, even if most people's lives aren't that crazy, I'm sure some people's are. Before each chapter is the recipe for the cookies that each woman makes so you can make them at home too. In between chapters there is also sections with history and information on common baking ingredients such as sugar, salt, ginger, nuts, chocolate and more. These were fairly interesting, some more than others. It was definitely a nice touch.
Links of Interest: The Christmas Cookie Club Website, Ann Pearlman on Twitter, Ann Pearlman's Webpage, Interview with Ann Pearlman on BermudaOnion's Blog, Guest Post by Ann Pearlman on Booking Mama,
Other Reviews: Books, Movies and Chinese Food, S. Krishna's Books, A Patchwork of Books, Booking Mama, BermudaOnion, Cafe of Dreams, My Cozy Book Nook, TexasRed Books,
Buy The Christmas Cookie Club
at Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews
Sunday, 27 December 2009
Crazy for embroidered art
I've always loved embroidered works. Last month, I checked out a book from the library on how to embroider pillows and other small accessories. I actually didn't get very far with any of the projects in the book, but I have been inspired to start incorporating some embroidery in my own art work.
Here are a few contemporary embroidered works that are pretty fabulous. Okay, I'll admit, I'm jealous.
Takashi Iwasaki, Torihatanobori, 18" x 14".
Here are a few contemporary embroidered works that are pretty fabulous. Okay, I'll admit, I'm jealous.
Saturday, 26 December 2009
New works- "Night Lights" and "November"
For the past couple of weeks, I've been reworking two panel pieces. Night Lights is a piece that I just completed yesterday, and it was the third time that I had painted the panel. Originally the work was a drawing of the Space Needle on an original monotype of mine mounted on a birch panel. In October, I painted over the drawing and created You are here (the second picture shown below).
I liked the colors in You are here, but wanted to play around with texture some more. I ended up layering black paint over most of the painting and then using a palette knife to create the repetitive line effect. I then coated the top of the painting with Galkyd, which created a high gloss.
Night Lights was a fun piece to work on, and I don't think it'll see another transformation . . . any time soon that is.
Night Lights was a fun piece to work on, and I don't think it'll see another transformation . . . any time soon that is.
I've been drawing a lot lately with markers, too. Sometimes I prefer working in pens because I don't have to worry about clean-up or dry time. It's also therapeutic to sit for an hour and draw patterns. Here's an 8" x 8" drawing from this week called November.
2010 100+ Reading Challenge
J. Kaye of J. Kaye's Book Blog is hosting the 100+ Reading Challenge again.
Reading 100 books is NOT a problem for me so I figure why not do it again.
I'll link to my book reviews after I read them.
Friday, 25 December 2009
The Turkey's Treat by Marie Sanderlin Metroke
Summary: The Turkey's Treat introduces young Jeff Watson, who has his sight set on the perfect Christmas turkey. But that turns out to be a whole lot more difficult when he has to catch it himself!
Children's Fiction - Picture Book
ISBN: 978-1432733247
Outskirts Press (April 30, 2009)
I received this book from Bostick Communications and I must be honest and say it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. The idea is to show children that there is more to Christmas than just the fixings but I don't think it necessarily did that. Jeff learns that you can have Christmas without eating Turkey but he gets the tree he wants. I think a book where they have what they want but something happens and they lose it all but enjoy Christmas anyways would carry that message better.
Also since when do grocery stores carry live Turkeys? They certainly don't around here. I did like the illustrations by Victor Guiza, they were very funny, cartoonish even. I liked that the boy didn't listen to his parents and he saw the consequences. However I think a lot more thought and editing should have gone into this book.
Links of Interest: Author Interview at Books and Needlepoint,
Other Reviews: The Bookshelf Reviews,
Buy The Turkey's Treat
at Amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews
The Passion of Christ captured in Michelangelo's Pietá
Michelangelo's Pietá is one of my favorite sculptures. Carved from marble, it took Michelangelo nearly two years to complete it. Commissioned as a funeral monument for a cardinal, it now sits appropriately in St. Peters Basilica, Vatican City.
The sculpture is a depiction of the crucified Christ and his mother, Mary. Jesus' pierced, lifeless body drapes over Mary's lap like her abundant robe. Mary holds Jesus' body with her right arm as she lifts her left hand towards Heaven. Her expression is one of resolute faith, not much different than how she is depicted in other art works holding the newborn baby Jesus.
The powerful story of Pietá is perfectly executed by the skillful hands of an artist who lived 1500 years after the Crucifixion. It was the only work that Michelangelo signed, and he was only 24 years old when he completed the masterpiece. Within a decade after finishing Pietá, Michelangelo created the Statue of David and had begun painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo was more than just an accomplished artist, he had God-given gifts to create a visual world that to this day profoundly touch people's hearts and souls.
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Loving limited-edition scarves by artists
It seems like a natural progression for artists nowadays to move towards product design. In the last few years, I've loved seeing some of the fresh, functional designs from artists, including stationary, wallpaper, tea towels, and lighting.
The latest product to emerge from the design scene is the scarf, which is wearable, collectible, and relatively affordable. I'm absolutely smitten with Plainmade's false knit scarf, designed and screenprinted by artist Chelsea Heffner.
The latest product to emerge from the design scene is the scarf, which is wearable, collectible, and relatively affordable. I'm absolutely smitten with Plainmade's false knit scarf, designed and screenprinted by artist Chelsea Heffner.
These lovely silk scarves were designed by Defyra, a group of four Swedish creatives.
I posted a couple of weeks ago on artist edition tea towels. Artist series scarves, like the ones shown below, can be found on Little Red Riding Hood.
Gifts of the Heart by Karen Boes Oman
Summary: When a terrible storm whisks Grandpa and Grandma off the road on the day before Christmas, it scatters their grandchildren's presents all across Mother Goose Land. Their search for the lost gifts leaves them empty-handed but with hearts overflowing with love. But what will Grandpa and Grandma tell their grandkids when they arrive without presents? A knock on the door leads grandparents and grandchildren on an exciting Christmas Eve adventure, a night filled with music, magic and the best gifts of all - gifts of the heart.
I love this book for these reasons:
- It's a holiday story for my grandparents to read to grandchildren.
- It promotes the idea of giving to those in need.
- It shows that Christmas isn't all about presents.
"'Our coats!' I whispered into Grandma's ear. She whispered back 'Dear, they'll be warming kids here.' 'For I see a need, and so if I start giving coats to the coatless, I'm giving my heart.'"This book is self-published at the moment but I can see a large publisher picking this book up for sure. I know I'd be honored to have my name or company name in the inside cover. I HIGHLY recommend this book to all grandparents who celebrate Christmas.
Links of Interest: Time to Breathe (Author's Website)
Other Reviews: Books, Books, Everywhere, Jen's Book Talk,
Buy Gifts of the Heart
at Amazon.com
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
The art of decorating eggs
There is a scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Veronica Salt throws a tantrum about wanting her own Golden Geese that lays Golden Easter Eggs. This is pretty close to how I react when I see a pysanka (Ukrainian Easter egg). I burst into the "I want it now" tune.
photo source: Luba petrusha
The word pysanky is derived from the Ukrainian word "to write." It is used to describe the traditional wax resist method of decorating eggs. Designs are drawn on eggs with wax using a tool with a little funnel on the end. Eggs are dyed in stages, from lightest color to darkest.
photo source: Luba petrusha
Traditionally a craft at springtime or Easter, pysanky are now made at all times of the year. I think they look so charming hanging on the Christmas tree.
Here are a few of my favorite pysanky currently available on Etsy.
Love Bird, Pysanky Panky, $30
Geometric Design Dyed Egg, jenben84, $25
The word pysanky is derived from the Ukrainian word "to write." It is used to describe the traditional wax resist method of decorating eggs. Designs are drawn on eggs with wax using a tool with a little funnel on the end. Eggs are dyed in stages, from lightest color to darkest.
Traditionally a craft at springtime or Easter, pysanky are now made at all times of the year. I think they look so charming hanging on the Christmas tree.
Here are a few of my favorite pysanky currently available on Etsy.
Mrs. Claus Explains It All by Elsbeth Claus
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (November 2008)
Children's Fiction - Picture book
Summary: Millions of letters pour into the North Pole every year. Amid the requests for presents are questions from curious children who want to know more about Santa, the elves and the reindeer. For the first time ever, Mrs. Elsbeth Claus takes time out of her busy schedule to answer some of the popular questions in this book.
This is the perfect gift for kids who are visited by Santa Claus and who have many questions about how it all works. How does Santa get into my house if we don't have a chimney? What is Santa's favorite kind of cookie? Where do elves come from? Can all reindeer fly? These are just some of the questions answered my Mrs. Claus herself in a book written for children.
I like how the kid's questions look like little notes written on a piece of scrap paper. Also the illustrations by David Wenzel are amazing. Very lifelike and wonderful to look at with detail. This would make a great book to read every year with your children.
Other Reviews (NOTE: most of these reviews are from 2008, any giveaways are closed): A Book Blogger's Diary, Book Journey,
Buy Mrs. Claus Explains It All
from amazon.com (or check your local store to get it in time for Christmas!)
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Capturing night lights using motion photography
Last night, while we were on the road, I decided to take out my 35mm digital camera and snap a few motion pictures. I played around with different effects, like moving the camera around during exposure. I included below some of my favorite shots plus the exposure settings.
f/2.5@1/5 For all the photos, the ISO was set at 400 and an 85mm lens was used.
f/8@.6s The bright lights in the middle of this photo are the lights of a police car.
f/10@1.0s I moved my camera in circles during the one second exposure of this photo.
f/10@1.0s This photo and the next are of Christmas lights. Festive!
f/10@1.0s
Motion photography, especially at night, is a lot of trial and error with shutter speeds. Fortunately, with digital photography, camera settings can be adjusted rather easily after viewing photographed effects. Just make sure that your camera is set on manual mode or shutter speed priority. Normally camera shake occurs at one thirtieth of a second (1/30) or longer. Other variables that impact blur effect includes subject's movement, photographer's movement, and panning of camera. In the last two photos shown above, for example, I was panning (following the subject with my camera) while I was in a moving car.
Motion photography, especially at night, is a lot of trial and error with shutter speeds. Fortunately, with digital photography, camera settings can be adjusted rather easily after viewing photographed effects. Just make sure that your camera is set on manual mode or shutter speed priority. Normally camera shake occurs at one thirtieth of a second (1/30) or longer. Other variables that impact blur effect includes subject's movement, photographer's movement, and panning of camera. In the last two photos shown above, for example, I was panning (following the subject with my camera) while I was in a moving car.
Horrid Henry's Christmas by Francesca Simon
Stars: ****
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (Dec 2009)
Children's Fiction
Ages 7-12
Ages 7-12
Summary: Horrid Henry sabotages the Christmas play; tries to do all his Christmas shopping without spending any of his allowance; attempts to ambush Santa Claus (to get more presents, of course); and has to endure the worst Christmas dinner ever!
I was afraid at first that only the first story would be about Christmas but I was happy to find out all four stories are Christmas related. The stories are also in a timeline of sorts. Each story getting closer to Christmas Day when the final story happens.
The author channels a small mischievous boy incredibly well!
Buy Horrid Henry's Christmas
on Amazon.com