This is a photo I took in 1981 or 1982 in the small town that I lived in Austria. I found it recently and thought it would be a great response to the Trees Creative Prompt.
Creative Response #13: Trees
Tag: Creativity
Sketching #13
Color seems to be creeping into my work. I have been seeing these trees that that are completely bare except for lots of puffball pink flowers on them. Not cherries that I have seen before, but they are everywhere. How could I have missed them?
Creative Prompt #13: Trees
What do trees mean to you?
Are they sentinels of nature or something to provide shade? What is the creative inspiration that can be obtained from trees?
See the Creative Prompt page to learn more about this project.
Post the direct URL or deeplink where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It will keep all the artwork together.
There is more information and inspiration on the Creative Prompt Page, which I update frequently.
See * Draw * Quilt * Learn
Sarah Ann Smith of Art & Quilting in Camden has set up a new blog, soon to be a group blog, with the intent of encouraging people to learn to see so they can improve their drawing.
Sarah started the blog on May 5, so you are not too far behind. She mentions The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain book as one of the resources. You can add this to your list of drawing sites to review, in addition to Gabi Campanario (who now posts at the Seattle Times site) and Urban Sketchers.
Sketching #12
When I think of what is the deepest source of things for me I always come back to water. I love looking out at the ocean and over other large bodies of water. I love looking at lakes and rivers from the air. I love the color of water. I tried to create one of those water statues to represent my source.
Creative Prompt #12: Source
Summary: new creative prompt for the week.
The word of the day the other day was ‘withdrawal’, which really spoke about going to a space where you can rejuvenate yourself. This reading made me think of a source of creativity and where that comes from. What is your source of creativity? How often do you draw on the source?
See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.
Post the specific URL or deep link where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It is an easy and good way to keep all the artwork together.
There is more creative goodness on the Creative Prompt Page.
Essay on Notebooks, Creativity and Podcast Influences
Summary: essay on art vs. craft and my rambling journey to find out my truth on this subject.
I have a notebook in my car. It is a spiralbound Strathmore sketchbook. I bought it about six months ago when I ran out of gas receipts on which to write directions, radio ad URLs and to do lists.
It is a bit of a sad sketchbook. Its promise isn’t really realized because it stays in the car. I don’t usually bring it into the house. It is a little bit bent from being jammed in the pocket of the driver’s side door. I don’t use colorful pens, pastels or pencils on the pages. I usually don’t sketch in it. I haven’t decorated the cover. It is utilitarian and serves a function
This sketchbook, by some strange twists in my mind, reminded me of an unsolicited “pep talk” someone gave me about being an artist at a recent art quilt gathering. The well intentioned person had just seen the Eye Spy quilt.
- Finished top with borders
Somehow, this quilt was seminal for me. This very plain (as in non-artquilty) and ordinary quilt for The Child jolted me back into art quiltmaking.
I think I started writing this blog do just that – to record the process, to give myself some accountability and to inspire myself at a time when I was trying to build creativity into the few nooks and corners of a very full life and overstuffed schedule. I realized, that day, in showing the Eye Spy quilt that it worked!!! It took some time, but it worked!!!! In recording my process, I was ready to come back to working on some of my half finished art quilts.
At that gathering, I was trying to explain these feelings to the group and mentioned something I heard Wayne Thiebaud say when asked if he was an artist. His response was that he was a painter and that he would let history judge his work while he went on and painted every day. I love the fact that he has chosen to do his work and worry about what people think later.
Perhaps it isn’t humility; I don’t know the man personally, after all, but success that allows him to think that way?
In any case, my well meaning co-attendee said that I should say I am an artist and think of myself as an artist and then I would be an artist. She related her experience of doing the same thing and how it had changed her life.
I certainly want success with my quilts, but I don’t believe that by making stuff and saying *I* am an artist automatically makes *me* an artist. I don’t think that other people have to say that I am an artist to be an artist either. For me, it just doesn’t seem that easy.
Regardless of what I do I want to be happy. I am happy:
- making my quilts
- discussing and learning about art, design, creativity and quilts
- making tote bags
- layering paper and photos to make scrapbooks
- responding to creative prompts
- being inspired by other creative people
- admiring the work of wonderful, creative podcasters and bloggers
- etc.
Is this enough? For now, yes. Forever? Probably not. I am very cognizant of not wanting to ruin what I have by moving into being a professional artist. This is at the same time I am aware of the desire to expand what I do and publicizing it.
This whole discussion was brought to mind by a couple of episodes of the Creative Mom Podcast, to which I listened this morning. Amy has a very intellectual way of looking at her creativity, which I admire and think I share in some ways. I admire, as I have probably said many times, I am sure, her calm and even, yet enthusiastic tone.Her tone in itself is inspiring because of its poetry. Not literal poetry, but a poetic sound.
Art vs. Craft
In one of the podcasts, a mom Amy knows from schoolo asked her ( December 17, 2008 episode) after seeing her gauntlets, “are you one of those crafters?”
When I hear the word ‘crafter’ I think of plastic canvas and hot glue guns. Every tool and supply certainly has it’s place, but that is not me. I don’t think of myself as a crafter even though I live with the quintessential definition of craft: I want to surround myself and my daily life with practical, simple and beautifully useful items.
When I think of artist, I think of Wayne Thiebaud, Georgia O’Keefe, Michaelangelo, and Dorothea Lange. That is not me either.
I wonder where I fit into this creative landscape of color and creativity? I don’t know so I guess I will continue what I am doing and follow in Wayne Thiebaud’s foosteps by letting history decide.
Sketching #10
Ok, girls and boys and I am finally caught up with all of the prompts and I have an idea for an upcoming prompt! Is it fair for me to do prompts ahead of time? Hhmm.. I think that if it gets done, it is all good.
There is an interesting contrast between white space and color in this drawing. I am wondering if the door needs some more detail. Not sure now, but can always go back and add it later. I’ll have to look at some doors and see what I think.
Please contribute. Summer is coming and it will be a great time to be creative.
Sketching #11
Somehow this story that I seem to be creating is really important. I don’t feel like I am a good enough artist to really do it justice like some of the artists in recent books I have read, but I keep plugging away.
I did a series of the creative prompts all at once listening to music and it was really a different experience. I really got into a creative zone and that felt good.
Creative Prompt #11: Light
What you see or how heavy you are?
See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.
Post the URL where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It is a good way to keep all the artwork together.
There is more information on the Creative Prompt Page.
Sketching #5
This drawing is kind of the culmination of a series of flower doodles that I did in a journal I used in the middle of last year. I got on a flower kick and just couldn’t stop drawing them.
I don’t feel very proficient at some of the technical aspects of the drawings, but it is fun to try and work out the little problems. I am kind of glad I am doing a bit of a series, because I can work out and improve some of the aspects in the later drawings.
I have an idea for a flower/picnic quilt and think that the flowers may be studies for the flowers I will use in that quilt.
I know that all of my sketches are out of order. As a inherently organized person, this is driving me crazy. I can’t, however, with good conscience back date them, so here they are in all their glory.
I think I may be caught up except for Beacon and I have an idea for that one. It is a technique, though and not an image. I really have to check, though to make sure.
Sketching #7
Here is the response to bold. I apologize to everyone who had trouble with this one, because I did, too.
The story continues….
Sketching #9
Orange was the creative prompt to which this drawing is a response. It doesn’t feel very creative just to draw a bunch of oranges. I like how they fit with my cartoon story.
Creative Prompt #10: Beacon
A lighthouse is a beacon.
Beacon of hope.
See the Creative Prompt page if you want more resources or have questions about this project. See other creative prompts and their responses by clicking on ‘Creative Prompt’ in the tag cloud.
Post the direct URL where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It is a useful way of keeping all the artwork together.
There is more information on the Creative Prompt Page.
Pamela Allen Class Continued
Summary: this post follows up on Saturday’s post about the Pamela Allen class.
I realized that when I am in a class with Pamela, I do think outside of my own quiltmaking box. I also realized that if I just listen and do what she says I succeed. I also feel a bit freer in my work. I really have a strong feeling that I need to make a much larger piece in Pamela’s style.
Pamela gave us tips and I interpreted them as:
- make lots of art because not all of it will be good; small is good
- your first idea will be crap, so don’t cling to it
- put the big shapes down first
- move things around; try a new view
- if you are bored by your piece everyone else will be as well
We talked a lot about art quilts at our dinner out together. I feel strongly that all quilts need to have a good design. Block type quilts have a basic structure which helps with good design. Most art quilts do not have a basic, inherent structure and some go astray because the quiltmaker doesn’t care, doesn’t know how to initiate and then evaluate a design or doesn’t have the technique foundation. I think it is easy to find out about these things. There are a lot of good principles of design type books, such as Pentak and Lauer’s Design Basics. The basic thing concerning technique in art quilts is that they don’t fall apart upon hanging. Pamela doesn’t have the classic quilt background that many quiltmakers have, but she has learned what she needs to keep the quilts structurally sound and then applied her art and design training. This is the best of both worlds and this is where I really want to be.
You can see from the gallery above how she inspires great and different work. Diane is a wonderful silk painter. She normally paints a whole cloth piece on silk and then quilts it. Her blue trees piece is really different from her normal style and really, truly wonderful. Kristen is very busy with her family and doesn’t have tons of time to sew, but made some fantastic pieces that her children would enjoy. I love that space alien monster! Kristen’s pieces are also cheerful and imaginative and wonderfully creative. Mrs. K’s sauguaro cactus/Suspicion Mountains piece has a calmness to I that I love. I hope she finishes it and hangs it somewhere where it can inspire other people. Everyone really did fantastic work and I am sorry I didn’t take more photos.
We made a creative mess. Mess is the wrong word; we had supplies and we needed to use them. When you only have 15 minutes to make a piece of art, the fabric will be flying and it was. I brought my scraps which kept ending up on the floor. People would stop by, pick up some bit of fabric and ask to whom it belonged. It became quite hilarious. We really couldn’t have done the workshop without Mrs. K. She brought tubs of fabric which allowed us to actually have backs and batting and such things. I seemed to conveniently forget those supplies when I go to Pamela’s workshops! DUH!