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Karen O'Lone-hahn is an author, artist, potter, teacher . Karen shares news about new work, shows, book signings and readings. She also offers demonstrations and how to's in writing and art.
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When is the last time you got a real letter in the mail from someone? Was it just recently or was so long ago that you can't remember? Writing letters seems to be a dying art. Children are not even being taught cursive writing in school anymore. (Really!)
Last year a friend sent me an actual birthday card in the mail and I was thrilled. I do appreciate e-cards because, hey, it's just nice that someone remembers you! But getting a card or letter in the mail these days is like a gift.
My daughter is a writer, artist and musician. A couple of Christmas's ago she bought herself a typewriter at an antique store and then she came home and promptly started to type away a story that she was working on. I thought she was kind of crazy but really enjoyed the sound of the clack clacking of her furious typing.
And then last summer I was at an antique store with a friend of mine and I saw a beautiful 1940 Remington Deluxe 5 in excellent shape with the case and it was only $40, so I bought it. I used it to type a couple of friends letters on it last summer at meaningful points in their life. Remembering how happy I was toget a real birthday card in the mail, I thought my friends would be equally thrilled to get a typewritten letter.
It was a wonderful experience. There is no delete button that makes it easy to rephrase so I had to really slow down and think about what I was saying. I had to be careful with my typing I'm not very good at it. There is something very beautiful and tactile about having to put so much pressure on the keys to make a letter happen and I really enjoyed how messy the letters looked as they struck the paper in varying degrees of ink.
I have saved quite a few letters and notecards over the years. Though the majority were hand written not typed. (Even better!) Some of the ones that I saved were from a lovely man who had an online art gallery called Hustontown and is someone whom who I still call friend. We met in Baltimore at an Outsider Art Festival and he agreed to represent my work.
He not only represented me, but encouraged me and submitted published my work in Outsider Art magazines and even got me included in a book about Self-Taught, Outsider and Folk artists by Betty Carol Selin.
Reading over his chatty letters about his family and plans for my work still brings me a smile. I was in a completely different place in the work I was producing at that time, and re-reading his letters caused me to reflect on that and think about the direction that I'm going in now.
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| Assorted Notecards now available here |
If you've become like most of America now and rely on texting and emails to communicate with people, why not think about writing again? Especially to people that matter to you. I am writing to my daughter more because I want her to have a tangible remembrance of me and the things I have said to her over the years to hold in her hands and reflect on when I'm gone, like the ones I have from my Mom. I sure don't think she is going to hold on to my emails :0)
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12 pack Assorted Notecards now available here
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An artists view of themselves sometimes tends to rise and fall on the amount of praise or rejection that they get from other people. I've been through my own share of rejection and the pain that comes with it. I have told my husband on more than one occasion that I was going to quit being an artist because I was rejected from a certain show or overheard a stinging remark somewhere about my work.
I used to be terrified to approach galleries for fear that they would not consider my work worthy to hang on their walls. I was cleaning out some files the other day and I came across a number of letters that I had saved from gallery owners in New York and Philadelphia who had rejected my early work. I don't know why I saved them, but I had a whole file called "Correspondence". At the time that I received the letters, I interpreted them as a personal affront, because by rejecting my work, they were rejecting me and all I could see written there was "no".
But I'm glad I saved them, because in reading over them again, I realized that even though they were not able to accept me into their gallery, many of them had taken the time to hand write me a brief note of encouragement, which was a very kind thing for busy people to do and it showed that they cared about artists and knew how we were built.
I've learned since then that if a gallery rejects my work it is not something for me to take personally. More often than not my work is just not a fit for what they already represent in their gallery. It's a business thing. Belonging to the right gallery is very important.
I know that in reality I have had more praise for my work than rejection but at times the negatives will still ring in my ears and rock my confidence. I have to shove those words away and think of all the wonderful people who appreciate what I do and who spend their hard-earned money to own what I make.
I am truly humbled that there are such people, because without them, I could not continue to create.
Several years ago I was a member of a group called the
Artist Conference Network which is a coaching community for artists that was one of the best investments I've ever made in myself. I went into it as a very insecure and self deprecating artist who probably would have never taken many of the chances that I have over the years and come out a believer in myself as a creative force in the world.
I think the key for every artist to remember is that every human being is unique and that as a creative person, you bring something very special to the world. Try not to let your perception of the value of what you do rise and fall with the tide of someone else's opinions. There will never be another you in all time to create the special vision that is all your own.
Thank you to all the lovers and supporters of my work. I cherish you
for making it possible for me to do what I do.
With the proliferation of social painting nights popping up at wineries and bars all over the place, I thought that it would be fun to do a ladies night out in the intimacy of my small studio where a few girls could come to a working artist studio and glaze a piece of pottery made by me on the potters wheel and fired to the bisque stage of 1941 degrees.
I got the studio all set up and marked the premade bowls with a pattern of mine that I thought that the ladies were going to be completing although I had left the option open in my advertising to glaze the bowl with your own design.
To my surprise and delight these ladies came already to go with reference images and ideas for what they wanted to paint on their pottery. There was a slight bit of trepidation as Mary Ellen had not done any art previously. The girls had done some but none had experience with glazing pottery.
They were delightful and easy to work with as I guided them through the steps for drawing onto their pottery and showing them how to work backwards in completing their designs with the Amoco Velvet underglazes, a glaze pen, and wax resist.
I had allotted three hours for the evening and we ran a little over time but that was okay as one of the girls was very involved in an intricate design on her work.We had a lot of fun chatting while they worked and mom and I sipping a little wine. All in all, it was a great evening.
The ladies left their bowls for me to coat with a clear glaze and came back to pick them up a week or so later after my next glaze firing.
As you can see, the results were beautiful and I think everyone had a great time. I know I did and I hope to be able to host one at least once a month. My next one will be held on Friday, January 30 from 7-9 pm. You can get more information, register and sign up on my website .
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When I was a kid I used to see World War II veterans selling poppies for $1 and I never understood why, until I went to Normandy, France in 2012. I went on a whirlwind ten-day tour of Paris, Normandy and Brittany with the singer in my husbands band and her student charges. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime and when we visited the Normandy beaches and I saw the thousands of graves- British, Canadian and American, I was moved to tears.
I hate war like most people, but when I thought about the sacrifice that the men made there and what the world might be like right now if they hadn't, it just took my breath away. Along the way to those beaches and on the road to Mont Saint Michel there were fields upon fields of beautiful poppies.
The wearing of poppies became popular with this poem written in 1915 by World War I Colonel John McCrae, a surgeon with Canada's First Brigade Artillery.In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly.
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
The poppy has been used as a symbol of remembrance of many wars. It rises from scourged earth, a remembrance of shed blood but also a thing of deep beauty and resilience. It is traditionally worn on Memorial day.
The poppies invaded my brain ever since that visit and that is why they are showing up in my paintings and on my pottery. They are a happy flower motif, but also the symbol of bravery and sacrifice.
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| Normandy Cows and Poppies |
In honor of those who died in British service, an artist recently installed 888,246 ceramic poppies in the moat around the Tower of London. The installation is called "The Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" and has raised millions of dollars for British veterans.
Even though the poppy is traditionally worn on Memorial Day, I thought it would be nice to honor those who served with the symbol of the poppy this Veteran's Day.
I invite you to post a tribute to our American service both people living and dead by posting a poppy of your own to my Facebook page.
Draw it, paint it, collage it, make it from clay, words, whatever. Let your creativity shine and show some love for the people who serve and have given us so much! (No stock photos please, but if you would like to attach the name of a soldier you would like to honor please do).
I hope to have at least 100 postings by Veteran's day Nov. 11, 2014 |
| Poppy Yarn Bowl |
Here's where to post: www.facebook.com/risingstarart
My one week course covered a great deal in a short period of time. It was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time as I felt that I always wanted to be working, both because I had paid a tidy sum to be there and because I couldn't wait to try out what I was learning. One of the really cool things that Brian demonstrated for us was how he made what he calls, "butter houses" by throwing a cylinder on the wheel and altering it by flattening, cutting and shaping the sides.
We also learned how to use a shur form tool (which I had never heard of before) to shape and thin a clay body. We learned a nifty way to work with slabs, how to finish a cut piece with a coiled rope of clay, how to make and attach handles with out having to pull them (yeah!!), how to use white slip over a red clay body to draw or paint on it to add interest, make spouts for pitchers, construct complex multifunctional pieces and decorate with terra sigilata.
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Our studio assistants were a couple of crazy talented guys named Brooks Oliver and Don Reynolds whom Brian kept referring to as Brooks & Dunn, which became the running joke. These guys are both very accomplished artists who were always willing to help, were full of knowledge and just lots of fun to be with. If you want to get into the heads of two very interesting people, read Don's biography and Brooks's artist statement.
Brooks Oliver
Don Reynolds
For my next installment: the people I met including artists and their studios around Penland
Some of my most beautiful pieces came out with really odd cracks in the body! :0(
The week of August 23 I had the great pleasure of going to Penland School of Crafts in Bakersville, North Carolina. Nestled into the side of a mountain, I approached the school with excitement, zig zagging up the steep road that would lead to my lodging.
I was expecting my digs to be something like camping but was pleasantly surpsied at how nice and clean and modern my double room was. I arrived just in time for dinner on Saturday and stood in line waiting to go through the buffet. My awkward feelings lasted about a nano second. A nice younf guy sporting dreads behind me started a conversation and as we traded information about our chosen courses of study, I quickly felt at ease. The food at Penland all week was delicious. Every meal was buffet and homemade. They have their own gardens and served up lots and lots of fresh fruits and veggies along with some gourmet type dishes that left me dreading getting on the Weight Watchers scale when I got home since I had lost 37 lbs and just made lifetime membership. (Incredibly, I managed to LOSE.2 lbs when I was afraid that I had probably gained 5!)
The class that I signed up for was on throwing and altering forms on the pottery wheel, creating slump and drop molds and using slip and terra sigillata for surface decoration. I was unsure how I would feel about doing a lot of handbuilding since it hasn't generally been my favorite thing but I was eager to learn new techniques that were easily repeatable in my small studio. Well, I did not come away empty handed. In fact, I left Penland with a wealth of knowledgde and inspiration that I couldn't wait to get home and work on. My instructor Brian R. Jones was a heady and intellectual sort of guy from the west coast. I deduced very quickly that this was his first teaching gig in the way that he related to the class and in his lack of time management skills that left us with little time to work during the day and forced us to work well in to the night if we wanted to get anything done. Rather than demonstrating a technique for the time necessary which was generally about 15- 20 minutes, he felt it necessary for us to sit for hours watching him make a piece from start to finish, rather than just demonstrating the technique, letting us go and monitoring indiviually to make sure we were getting it right. In the evenings when we were working on our own, Brian was sometimes in the studio but interacted with students minimally. Regardless of teaching experience per se, Brian is a skillful professional with high standards for the work he creates, a virtue passed on to his students by way of his lengthy demonstrations.
Before signing up for the class, I googled his name to see his work and see if we were kindred spirits in any kind of way. His work is much, much headier than mine and he is very intellectual in his approach to form. Where we did meet is in a love of bright color and crisp white background.
Brian's work
My work
I loved the first excercise that we did with him and that was to drwa the shadow of an object (mine was a teapot) onto some roofing paper and cut it out. From there, we were to take the unknown form and trace it onto a piece of thick styrofoam and cut it out.
Before I knew it, I had created my first drop mold! Many students including myself were somewhat confused by Brians explanation of the process and due to the lack of a "thing" showing what the end product would be, several people were more than overwhelmed. I welcomed the excercise and I thought the lack of information was perhaps by design, orchestrated to get us out of the thinking "now I am going to make an xyz" enabling the process to unfold and letting the shadow and the clay dictate what the "thing" will be. For me it was exciting. I wanted to break out and get back to thinking like an artist and not just a maker of things. Taking it a step further, we laid an extra slab of clay into the drop mold and left a nice size margin around the shape and fired it. My first slump mold was born!
What resulted from the drop mold was a hideous chip and dip. Younger students in the class who could still think art school thoughts created some very interesting scultptural pieces resembling nothing but something born from coils of clay and imagination. In my slump mold, I saw a kitty cat. I decided that's ok, it's who I am…
Abrupt break......In reading over this post, I see that it is awfully long and this just covers my first couple of days at Penland, so in order not to tax your reading time, my dear friends, I think I shall ask you to stay tuned for Part 2 of Creative Paradise at Penland…keep making stuff!
Some of my friends and I were talking about how easy it is for us to isolate ourselves as stay-at-home moms and artists. Even though most of us are empty-nesters now it seems there's always a laundry list of things that need to get done and the day just Wyses by without having seen anyone. It gets lonely. Yesterday we found a way to end her isolation and work at the same time which is absolutely wonderful. On a day that was kind of iffy in terms of the weather it was supposed to rain at about 1 o'clock and come down torrentially there is some apprehension about going outdoors to do some playing air painting. But being a daring women that we are we opted to head out anyway at about 1030 in the morning and met at a local park where there is a beautiful spring house and pond which is great fodder for outdoor painting. Not be much of a landscape artist myself it was a challenge for me and I have to admit not something internally interested me. But but I did enjoy and appreciate with the company and talent Of my three friends. Jeanne Hills from Wallingford Pennsylvania is an art historian the editor of my book Millicent and the faraway land and a very talented artist in her own right. She was working on watercolors and shows a nice shady spot for herself she managed to knock out two beautiful little paintings in the time we were there until about two at 2 PM. Mary and Kathy and I seem to cluster in the same spot Across from the Springhouse Maryann I concentrated on the Springhouse and the pond will Kathy was painting some trees and clearing two are right. Mary was working in acrylics she is a fiber artist by nature but also loves to paint and studied with Al Staszetsky in the past Kathy is a tremendous oil painter her sense of Her sense of color and painterly brushstrokes and traditional style really take my breath away. It was really because of her that we were out there yesterday both because of our isolation but because she had been told by a painting instructor that she needed to get out more and try landscape as she is primarily a trompe l'oeil and portrait painter. Me you know what I do. As I said landscape is something that doesn't tremendously interest me to paint I have done it on occasion because I've been inspired by a beautiful place and somehow I think miraculously I'm going to become one of those amazing landscape painters who can capture the beauty that God created however that's not the case. Whenever I start to paint the fact that I am. Humble self-taught folk artist quickly emerges as I see my friends around me painting with reds and blues and yellows and oranges and a landscape that I mostly see you sheets green I really and up feeling inept. The other thing for me is that I've really fallen in love with pottery and the immediacy of it. i still love to paint but I'm not sure on the painter anymore. We have decided to do these painting sessions on a regular basis our next one is going to take place at a winery that has beautiful historic buildings and well yeah wine tehee. We can make a nice afternoon and early dinner evening out of it and do it on a regular basis to keep ourselves working for call and to limit our isolation
I love painting on my pottery. I am beginning to marry my painting skills with creating my handmade pottery more and more these days. I have a particular kind of clay which is made by Laguna (MC65) stoneware that I like to use, because it is very white, almost like porcelain, but not as difficult to work with. Stoneware also has more practical applications. The white clay becomes like a canvas for me. In my latest video, I am demonstrating how I use Amaco velvet under glazes to paint on my bisque ware. Once I have completed the painting, the entire object gets dunked into a clear glaze which gives it a nice shininess and crackly finish on some pieces.
This latest piece dons a couple of happy sunflowers. Enjoy….
Here it is, the footage you've been waiting for! My last post was all about my experience as a guest juror for the Newark Arts Alliance exhibit entitled "Mad About Red". I mentioned that the local PBS station WHYY was doing a blurb on their magazine show about it and interviewed…ME :0)
They did a very fine job of producing and editing the piece and I hope you will enjoy it. The segment is at the end of the show so if you don't want to watch the rest of the show (though it is interesting) just scroll through.
This week I had my first experience as a juror for an art show being held at the Newark Arts Alliance the month of February. I was thrilled to be asked to do it even though I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
I went on Sunday to jury the more than 50 pieces entered. The show is called "Mad About Red" and the interpretation of the color red was left up to the artists. It is an all media show, so I was choosing among fabric pieces, knitting, collage, photography, painting, drawing and mosaic among others.
I found it was very difficult to weed out what to include and what to "reject." I hate that word because as artists, we are so intertwined with our work it is sometimes hard if not accepted into a show not to take it personally.
Be that as it may, I had the job of curating the show and I had a wonderful time of it. There is a great variety of works and many very interesting interpretations of the theme.
WHYY Channel 12 is doing a piece on the show and interviewed me as a part of it. I think the show is "Delaware Tonight" though I may be wrong on the title. I do know that it will be aired on Friday, February 14, at 5:30 and 11:00 PM and again on Sunday at noon. It will also be on the website on Monday. I should be a big star after all those airings :0)
The NAA show is open to the public now and hosts a free February 14 second Friday reception from 6-8 PM.
Jurors Statement
I was quite honored to be asked to jury for Mad About Red and very excited coming in to see what interpretations of the theme awaited me. I found that jurying is a difficult job when faced with a room full of beautiful works created by talented artists from many media.
It was wonderful to have an audience with each piece instead of viewing them from slides. My methodology for choosing work was based on quality, presentation, color, interpretation of the theme and harmony with other works.
I approached the curation by moving pieces around and choosing anchor pieces for each wall-larger pieces which by sheer size and impact would serve as gravitational pull for the works surrounding them.
From there I looked for relationships of that would create a flow from one piece to the other, evoking a mood of color or texture from one wall to the next.
As a self taught folk artist, I am humbled by the range of technical skill in the execution of many of the pieces. I was bowled over by the impact and emotion of some and savored the sense of “story” in others.
I loved the fact that this was an all media show and enjoyed including the variety of fabric pieces and jewelry in it.
I found it interesting that the color red is associated with love and with Valentine’s Day, and one might expect at least one submission of perhaps the word love, or hearts or lovebirds. But there were none.
So, RED. What is it? Just a color?
No, look around the room.
It is mystery in a doorway.It is flowers in bloom. It is frightening.It is angry.It is warm.It is tactile.It bleeds.It punches.It shoutsIt.....
Thank you to all the artists who entered even if your work wasn’t chosen for this show. Keep putting your work out there and keep blessing the world with who you are and sharing your unique voice. We all need to hear it. ~Karen O’Lone-Hahn
Many people have said to me that they would like to learn how to paint, but that they can't even draw a straight line without a ruler. Well, guess what? Neither can I- and I have been an artist since I could hold a pencil!
Making drawings and paintings is not about making straight lines unless you are going for a certain type of realism and in those cases, often a ruler IS used.
Drawing and painting is about SEEING. It's about observing objects and shapes and seeing through them. It's about dissection and observation. It's about coordinating hand to eye.
Sound intimidating? It's not. If you can draw a circle, square, rectangle etc., then I can teach you to paint. I have a method of teaching which will help you break down what you are seeing into simple shapes and connect them to become the objects before your eyes.
I can also teach you simple ways of mixing and dealing with color that will have you creating and finishing at least one masterpiece (or more) during my 9 week painting class which I teach at The Art Studio 310 Kiamensi RoadWilmington, DE 19804.
This is a photo of one of my previous students at work on a painting. She walked into my class with zero experience in drawing or painting and completed 2 1/2 beautiful still life paintings during last semester.
If you would like something fun, laid back and rewarding to do with your long winter nights, then consider joining my Acrylic Painting class.
The class meets on Weds. evenings starting on Jan. 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The cost is $155.00 for residents and $165.00 for non-residents. Materials can either be bought from me at $35 or on your own from the supply list provided when registering.
You may register online at The Art Studio of New Castle County or by calling : (302) 995-7661
Feel free to give me a holler with any questions. Hope to see you there!
Did you know that Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe is one of pop art’s most famous images and contains 50 images of the actress from her publicity shoot for the 1955 film, Niagara? How about the fact that The Scream by Edward Munch actually has four different versions? By knowing a little more about the art that you love you will be able to impress your friends and have more to talk about when you have visitors. This is because it is easy to get your favorite works of art in your home by purchasing a reprint of the original. You can frame the art that you love without having to pay enormous prices at auction as well. In addition, the art that you display in your home can say a lot about you and your family. Learn more about the ten most popular fine art reprints by reading the infographic that follows. Created by Coastal Printworks, provider of provides Museum Quality T-Shirt Screen-Printing, Digital T-Shirt Printing and embroidery.
New Years Day. The one day of the year which causes you to stop and reflect and (if you're ambitious) make a plan for the 364 days to come. I don't generally spend a lot of time looking backward. It's too easy to get stuck there. I am usually more future oriented but I thought that this year it might be advantageous to take a look at where I've been to help me make a plan for where I am going.
In my private life, I had a very good year which might seem like a strange thing to say given that my husband had a near fatal car accident in March, my father in law had 2 strokes which nearly killed him in May and I had a health scare of my own just this December. I say that it was all good, because we are all thankfully ok and going through each of these experiences caused me to draw even closer to God and to rely on Him for my strength.
Here are highlights of what's gone on in my artistic life.
January 2013- Had a blast with a bunch of crazy artists at Atelier 273 Toulouse Lautrec party
February 2013- Visited the Salvador Dali Museum and the Morean Art Center in St. Petersburg, Fla.
April 2013- Mini Retrospective at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington, De.
May 2013- Bellefonte Arts Festival-funkytown!
June 2013- Featured Artist/Author at Palette and Page in Elkton, Md.
July 2013- Got my own kiln!
August 2013- Spent a day collaborating with other artists
September 2013- Became Philadelphia Area Arts and Crafts Examiner for Examiner.com
October 2013- Started teaching painting at the Art Studio, Wilmington, De.
November 2013- Held a very successful Open Studio
December 2013- A busy, busy, busy month of sales on etsy and local shows including some custom made challenges.
These are the happenings for the year. I had a lot of successes in terms of my work and grew a lot both as a person and an artist. I had quite a few accomplishments, but the one I am most proud of is having lost 33 lbs. to date on Weight Watchers. I still have a little ways to go, but that will be listed on next years blog-
Wishing you all good health, peace and prosperity in the coming year!
Some great ideas to plan for a successful artistic 2014. Reprinted wth permission from Alyson Stanfield, Arts Business Coach.
Today's article is short and sweet because you should be enjoying the day. But . . . tomorrow it will be time to get back to work and start thinking about how you want to start the New Year.
Here is an idea for finishing up 2013 and preparing for a prosperous 2014. I'm fairly certain that Santa uses a similar process to keep track of the many deliveries he must make today.
Identify Your Projects
Spend a couple of hours this week assessing all of the projects on your plate.
Projects are undertakings that require multiple steps to complete. You can't finish a project in one sitting.
You might not be actively working on certain projects, but they are on your radar. You want to stay on top of them.
Here are some examples of projects:
- Overhauling your website or blog
- Creating a new series of work
- Moving
- Organizing an exhibition
- Planning an opening
- Arranging an event
- Marketing campaigns
- Writing an article or book
- Teaching classes or workshops
- Scheduling travel
It's likely that you have 10-15 projects or more at any one time. Each exhibition is a separate project. Each article is a separate project. Each teaching gig is a separate project.
This first step is simply to capture all of your current and future projects in one place. You can do this on paper, in a document, on Evernote, or in a project-management system.
It doesn't count to do it in your head. You must write them down.
Add The Tasks
After you have a good idea of your major responsibilities for the year (and beyond), you can add the tasks associated with each project.
Remember that a task is a single action, which might be dependent on an earlier action. Be sure you drill down your tasks so that each one requires only one step.
Add deadlines to your list.
Click here for the entire article Alyson Stanfield is an artist advocate and business mentor at ArtBizCoach.com. This article was originally published in her Art Biz Insider, which is sent weekly to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your subscription now and read more articles like this athttp://artbizcoach.com |
It's that time of year again, and this very busy artist has a lot to deal with. The problem with being someone who works and creates daily in a small space is that eventually it gets to the point where you just have to stop and clean it all up. That time for me usually comes once a year when I host my annual Holiday Open Studio which is this weekend November 16 and 17 from 10-5 both days. If you are in the area and would like to come, I'd love to see you. Just click on my home page for more info.
Cleaning up my studio always takes me at least 4 days. At one point, I literally couldn't walk through it. It gets very overwhelming. I have clay and painting materials, packing and shipping materials, finished paintings, greenware, finished clay pieces, paintings in progress, canvas, paints, glazes, my wheel, stacks of paintings and boxes of clay pieces going from show to show and on and on.. you get the picture...
Every year, I don't know if I will get everything done in time or if I will be able to recover from the smell of the stink bugs that cause me to have to vacuum every nook and cranny of my 12' x 20' foot space. Vile creatures!!!
These photos show where I am right now. I'll keep you posted on how the cleanup progresses. Its really quite remarkable. Usually, by the time I am done, people often come into the studio and ask if I work in here. Oh, if only they knew….Stay tuned...
We bought my studio from Amish builders in Gap, Pa. about 6 years ago. They are built as sheds and come unfinished on the inside so what you do with it is left to your imagination. It is 12 ft. by 20 ft. and I got the fancy doors put on it (for an extra charge) and extra windows for maximum light. We also bought the optional window boxes, as I wanted it to have a warm feeling for customers when they came to visit. My husband and I finished the inside with insulation, drywall, cathedral ceilings and vinyl flooring.
It has served me well, providing me with a wonderful space to create new paintings and pottery, hold open studios, and have collectors drop by. It has also been great just to have a place to escape to, especially in the winter time when I am feeling hemmed in. I have enjoyed it in the form it came in with a white exterior and red trim and window boxes but felt it was time for it to get a new do this summer. (The smaller building is my husbands shed)
One of the beautiful things about having a college kid home during the summer is the availability of cheap labor :0) My daughter came home at a time when it didn't make sense for her to look for a
summer job, so she did a lot of projects around the house to earn money. Having the wonderful artistic
sense that she does, she and I went to pick paint colors to give the studio the pizazz to match my work.
She worked hard and did a great job and now I am just delighted to look at my studio when I go outside everyday. It just looks so happy against the green surrounding it and is a place that I am even more proud of to bring clients and friends to see my work!
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| Celeste demonstrating |
What could be a better way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning than hanging out with a bunch of women artists creating art? I had lots of fun yesterday morning creating a mosaic stepping stone for my garden. As it happens, my awesome hubby Al is in the process of installing walkways on either side of our decks so the timing couldn't be more perfect for this type of project.
I was invited to this soiree' by my friend and multi -talented artist Dragonfly Leathrum. There seems to be no limit to this woman's talent. She is known all over the region where I live for her many murals in downtown Newark, Delaware and elsewhere, as well as for her beautiful stained glass work, paintings and oh, her ART CARS! When I was first getting to know her she was driving her famous "Turtle". Going to Dragonfly's house is like stepping inside a giant art work. Drop on over to her facebook page to have a look at what she does. You will be made happy.
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| Dragonfly (L) Celeste Kelly (R) |
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| Smashing things up |
The workshop was being led by mosaic artist, Celeste Kelly. Interestingly enough, she and I have been part of the same artists organization, the Newark Arts Alliance, for many years and only yesterday met each other! I don't know how that happened. Or rather didn't :0)... Celeste was kind enough to offer her time and talents to showing us ladies her skills for a very minimal cost and the donation of an extra paver for a kids camp.. ..
We started by filling trays from a smorgasbord of broken pottery, pieces of glass, mirrors, plates (which we got to smash up ourselves) tiles, and small sculptures. Everyone seemed to bring a different paver type to create their mosaic on and Debbie Hegedus (another heavy hitter on the Newark art scene) brought a birdbath type thingy.
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| Debbie Hegedus |
Celeste demonstrated for us how to cut the glass (which was surprisingly easy if someone tells you how to do it) and cut the pottery into pieces with caliper type tools. She stressed trying to keep the distance between your pieces the same when gluing them into place and also recommended buffing edges with a machine that she had brought. I think most of us were to anxious to see results to stop and buff edges. Artists!
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| Cutting glass |
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| Laying out the pieces |
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| Variety of pieces in progress |
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The beginnings of my piece
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Some people seemed to have a design or pattern in mind. I think most of us went free form and let the pieces dictate the design. I started out with a pattern in mind and ended up with something completely different..
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| Me |
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| In progress still |
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| All done except for grout |
I will be finishing this with grout today which will change the look completely. I used a red paver as the base since that is what we are putting in the walkway but the grout will be a deep green. Head on over to my facebook page in a day or two to see the finished result.
All in all, the morning was a special treat. Its nice to step out of your comfort zone once in a while and try your hand at new things. I am so lucky to be an artist and get to spend time with amazingly talented people. I have read stories about artistic rivalries, jealousies and competitions. That is something I have never experienced with the company I keep. The community of artists that I belong to have never been anything but kind, helpful and supportive of one another which has always been a huge blessing in my creative life.
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| Dave (who promptly vacated the scene) and Karoline Wiliczek |
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| Dragonfly (hostess with the mostest) and guest |
If you would like to learn more about my creative friends, check them out here :
I got something exciting in the mail the other day. It's a Mystery Build kit. Cool! Here's why it's exciting. I paid $43 for the kit which covers the contents, shipping and entry into the Mystery Build Art Contest. The challenge: create a work of art using only the box and the contents in it. The theme of the contest this year is "Re-Invent a Work of Art" The work of art can be anything (which I am not sure I agree with) but it can be one of my own, a famous work of art or the Brooklyn bridge if I think it is art.
Every participant gets the same items in the box. The only thing that can be added to the project is liquids, like paint, or oil, or water. Other than that, nothing can be used that adds anything to the materials or leaves something behind (like a staple).
I have to document my process through video or photographs which show me using the materials and creating the work. I am sworn to secrecy. I can't post my process before submitting my piece or tell what's in the box. How fun is that?
I can't wait to get started. I have a good idea of what I am going to do and I think I will get started on it tonight. I have until Oct. 20 to submit my creation to vie for $15,000 in prizes! I am so up for this! Wish me luck!!!!!
Here are some previous winners:
Artist:Majbritt Payne
Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock
Theme: Interpret a Movie Title
Movie- One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
Artist: Leslie Stancil
Title:Hugo and the Mystery Clock
Theme: Interpret a Movie Title
Movie: Hugo
Artist: Sara Hartman
Title: Tea Time
Theme: Interpret a Story Book
Book: Alice in Wonderland
I will be performing a live pottery throwing demo at Paradocx Vineyard this weekend. If you are in the area, drop on by, have a glass of wine, listen to the concert featuring Rory Sullivan and watch me throw dirt around.
If you are not in the area, and even if you are, check out my first demo video made for your viewing pleasure!
Full Name: Lisa Joy Meyer
How old are you? 19 years old. Birthday? April 29th
Where do you live? I live in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. :)
Pets, siblings? I have one cat named Smokey. He is full of personality and lets us know everything he is thinking! I have an older sister, Nicole. She has a degree in culinary arts and has been happily married a little over a year now. My younger sister is Isla. She is almost 13 and loves horses and youth group.
Whats your favorite thing about where you live? I love the diversity and beauty of this area. After a long day, I can take my camera out to catch a sunset. Within a short drive we have rolling farmland, lots of woods, and rivers and lakes all around. I can choose from any number of wonderful locations on a given day. It's so rejuvenating to be out in nature, enjoying the landscape and the wildlife. On another note, major cities like Philly and New York are within a reasonable distance. Cities provide a whole new subject matter for photography.
You want to be a photographer, why? Life is full of amazing moments. I love the ability to capture those moments. When I am able to do that effectively; make my subject look its very best and share that with others, that brings me so much joy!
What excites you about that? Photography is exciting not only to capture what we see, but also what we can't see. When I capture a photo of a bird mid-flight, it takes my breath away to be able to see each individual feather spread. Or to take a macro shot of a Bumble Bee collecting pollen. A flower has thousands of perfect little sacs of pollen on it. The details are so incredible!
Favorite subject matter… I love taking photos of anything in nature. From landscape scenes to the little details in leaves. I also love photographing old architecture and setting up still life scenes using some man-made and some natural items. I don't think I can pick a favorite! :)
Why did you want to intern? First of all, I wanted to intern because it is a wonderful experience that I know I will learn and grow through. I see the value in learning from someone who has gone before me. She understands where I am at and how to get to where I want to go with my art. Secondly, I wanted the hands on experience. It is one thing to have people tell you how and what you should do with your marketing. But to have someone showing you and then letting you actually do it is a very important part of growing. Lastly, I wanted to do this internship with Mrs. Hahn because she is a fun, patient person who cares about my success and who is extremely successful and gifted herself.
What do you hope to gain from the experience? knowledge on how to market effectively. The opportunity to work with an experienced, established artist who is able to guide and teach me. I hope to meet people at shows and make some good connections. It's hard to put into words exactly what I want to gain from this experience, because it is the little things as well as the big things. There are so many benefits to being able to see an artist working behind the scenes and having someone to answer any questions that come up.
What are your strongest assets? One of my strongest assets is a creative vision. I see the potential in different scenes and am able to compose the subject matter well. I have a thirst for knowledge. I have read as many manuals, photography books/guides, magazines, and online information about photography as I can get my hands on. This has been so valuable in training the way I see and create my art.
What is your impression so far of the life of a full time artist/creative person? Fun, busy, demanding. It is so awesome to see someone living out their passion and creating art on a daily basis. The flip side of that, however, is all the work and effort that goes into marketing. Marketing can be exciting and fun. It can also be tedious and time-consuming. So my first impression would be that you have to be passionate about what your doing. If that passion is there, then the life of an artist is a wonderful, fulfilling experience.
What skills and insights have you gained thus far that you feel you will be able apply to your future as a photographer? I am learning that selling art well is as important as making art well. I am learning SO much about how to market effectively. I am also learning about all the important details that save time and thus accomplish more.
If you won the lottery, would you still choose the artists life? Absolutely! It would just give me more freedom to travel and create more art.
If you could live in any country, where would it be? why? To be honest, I'm not attached to any particular area. I love traveling around and would love to visit places all over the world. For me, it is more about appreciating the unique and beautiful qualities about each location.
What is the best compliment you've gotten so far about your work? One of my mentors helped me prepare for a photography trip to the Grand Canyon. We critiqued photos from tons of different photographers to see what worked and what didn't. When I got back from my trip, he critiqued my photos. After looking through all of them, he said that my photos were better and more well composed than all the photos we had previously viewed.
Do you have a website? what is it? Yes I do, it is: lisajoy.zenfolio.com My website is still in the exciting beginning stages. I will be adding photos often, so be patient with the limited selection. :)
Anything else you'd like to say? I am so blessed to be able to live out my dream of being a photographer and to have all these wonderful opportunities like the internship in my life. I am very excited to see what this next year holds for me!
Welcome Lisa! I am just as excited to have you working with me!
A shared bit of inspiration from my friend Lisa over at Lovin' the Good ole Days. Uplifting, even with Stallone's bad acting :0)
Lovin' TheGoodOleDays: Come on, Get Back Up: Day after day, we juggle our schedules, finances, priorities, and responsibilities to do what needs to get done, just to do it all over agai...
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It looks awesome. It's unfortunate that you posted it on this blogs-blogs-blogs thread because I don't think many people will see it.
We do a weekly castteam blog blitz - new one every Tuesday. You will find it titled "CASTTEAM BLOG BLITZ" with the most current, recent Tuesday's date on it.
Last week's was titled September 3rd blog blitz.
Please add you future posts so that more people will stop and visit.
Thanks
Thanks for letting me know!