Project: Design a Book Cover

This post from my employer inspired me today. Have your kids design a cover for their favorite book. (Or if they're into video games, have them come up with a poster that would advertise their favorite game.) What image would say the most about the story? Is there a specific color that shares the mood of what's written inside? Looking at the covers in the post I shared, you see that simple designs can be more powerful than ones that have a lot of clutter in them.

I'd love to see what you come up with! You can always e-mail me pictures of what you create: elisabeth.preble@gmail.com

Video: Graphic Design - Now In Production

Here's a video overview of the current exhibition about graphic design at the Walker here in Minneapolis:

Project: Christmas tree

'Tis the season....of holiday crafts! It's an excuse to pull out all the glitter and jewels and make something pretty. I just did this project today with a group of kindergartners and they had a blast bedazzling their trees. 

I don't know if you can see, but there was some....unconventional materials used. One little boy decked out his tree with googly eyes. 

Materials:

-Cardstock or some other heavy duty paper

-Markers

-Glitter glue (easier to use and less mess than regular glitter)

-Glue

-Jewels, buttons, pom poms, feathers

I printed out a tree shape, cut it out and used it like a stencil so I could make multiples. Here's the template I used:

I liked having the tree in outline, because then I could color it in and make a pattern. I suggest coloring the tree first, then gluing stuff onto it. 

After coloring the tree, drawing ornaments, adding buttons and jewels was my favorite part: glitter! I like glitter glue in bottles, because it's waaaaay easier to control and there's less mess. For my tree, I made wavy lines then patted it down with my finger. Make sure you let it dry completely before hanging it on the refrigerator. Nothing worse than a masterpiece falling apart on display. 

Ta-da!

10 uses for pipe cleaners

I love pipe cleaners! They're so versatile and can be used in many ways. Here's a top ten list, just off the top of my head, of different uses for those fuzzy, bendy things.

1. Jewelry! Pipe cleaners can be turned into rings, necklaces, pins. No glue needed (except if you want to put a clip on the the back).

2. Creatures! Like balloon animals, but without the threat of them popping or deflating. From simple outlines to complex creations with googly eyes added for more personality, let your imagination run wild.

3. Flowers! From a simple little bloom to a whole bouquet, you can create flowers that will never need water or wilt.

4. Christmas ornaments! "Tis the season" as I write this so it seems appropriate.You can make a candy cane by simply twisting red and white pipe cleaners together, as this example shows.

5. Personalized napkin rings! At my house, every person has their own napkin holder (not made from pipe cleaners though). If you've never tried that, your kids can try their hand at making their own.

6. Pencil topper! Your kids will never lose their pencils again, because they won't want to lose these.

7. Hair pieces (or fascinators, as our British friends call them). Maybe not quite as over the top as this picture, but your kids could make a crown or something like that.

8. Decorations! You can make a quirky centerpiece for your table or fireplace mantle.Instead of paper chains, you can substitute pipe cleaners (which again means no glue!).

9. Gift wrapping! Instead of ribbon or string, try accenting your gifts with pipe cleaners instead. It's easier for little hands to create a bow with that material too.

10. Shoelaces! Your young kids might like this--they could match the color to their outfit. Use the cushy plush pipe cleaners for this.

Do you have any other suggestions to try? Any fun ideas I didn't think of? 

Project: Paper bag mask

What can you do with a paper grocery bag? 

Hmmmm....

There are a plethora of possibilities: use it for putting out the recycling; tinder to start a fire (in the fireplace!); re-use it for groceries; as one little kid told me, "Put stuff in it!" Yes, that is usually what a bag is for. ;) But today I have a use that you've probably never thought of:

A mask! Party time!

Yup, a mask. My sisters and I made many of these when we were kids. This example is far less elaborate than I used to create. I made a lion face once, using orange, yellow and brown construction paper for the mane--taping the pieces to the bag, because glue doesn't work super well. 

Materials:

-Paper grocery bag
-Markers
-Scissors
-Tape

-Construction paper

Optional:

-Paint
-Pipe cleaners

-Tissue paper
-Fabric (you can staple it to the bag)

You can tell that I didn't mark where my eyes would be before I started cutting. If you actually want to be able to see, use a marker to plot out where your eyes and mouth are at the beginning. 

It's kind of hard to find a bag without any markings on it, so you can cover it with paint or construction paper. Or you can work it into your design--I turned the red logo on my bag into a mouth.

For smaller children cut arm holes in the side of the bag, and it can become a whole costume if they're small enough. Being a grown up, I had to cut out quite a bit on the sides to get my shoulders to fit. 

If you're curious, I made the eyelashes by cutting long, thin triangles, bending them in two different spots, then taping each one down. 

For the pipe cleaners, you can just poke them through the bag and twist them to stay in place. They can become antennae, hair, jewelry, eyebrows....there's a lot you can do. 

This was one of my favorite crafts to make when I was a kid, because there's so many different possibilities. And there's so much to decorate if you feel so inclined--don't forget you have the sides and back! 

Video: Burger Grease Art

Well, that's definitely an unconventional art medium!

My artist statement

I just finished my application for graduate school yesterday. There was much essay writing and re-writing that went into it. I applied for a full ride fellowship, had to say why I want to pursue a Masters in Fine Arts, what my art means. And I re-wrote my artist statement yet again. I've been doing that at least once a year since college anyways, but this was impetus to really do a good, thoughtful job. 

An artist statement is supposed to sum up in a page or less what your work means, why you make art and what you want viewers to take away from experiencing it. My goal is that everyone can read my statement and understand my art. I don't want it be overly academic and jargon filled. So for your reading pleasure, here's the latest rendition of what I want to say about my art (and yes, it is less than a page, it just looks like a lot): 

Evoking idealized childhood memories, I focus on the happiest moments, remixing those bright emotions into a shining daydream.  I don’t recreate a specific instance, more reference a romanticized feeling about the memory. I’m not interested in reality—real life is full of complications, sadness and disappointment. I choose to be easily pleased and enraptured, retaining a childlike enjoyment of the little things: a shiny jewel, a pretty bird, fluttering butterflies, a colorful button, bright colors, flowers, glitter, costume jewelry in all its sparkling glory. 

I pluck out the glorious moments of my childhood: the summer days of being a little girl when the world is exciting and full of adventure; the quiet contentment of eating a melting fudgesicle while sitting in lush green grass; the exhilaration of discovering the joys of reading as a young child; the sense of safety when my Dad would sing me to sleep at bedtime; the excitement of learning to ride a bicycle; feeling beautiful playing “dress-up” as scarves and old dresses get turned into a queen’s royal robes; the deep pleasure of learning to make beautiful things with my own hands; the surreptitious thrill of touching a sculpture in an art museum.

I still like to explore the world through touch—if I can’t hold something, discover its tactile qualities with my hands not just my eyes, it doesn’t feel real to me.  I want people to have that same pull when they look at my work. I’m portraying ephemeral and intangible concepts, yet the pieces themselves are weighty and substantial, catching the eye and inviting the viewer closer. I want sensible people to feel the urge to run their fingers across the surface, just to know if it actually feels like it looks. It’s that instinct to engage the world with all our senses that I want to evoke. You know you shouldn’t…but you just want to trace the curve of that jewel, the undulating hills of paint and varnish, the path of a twisting necklace.

In the studio, a sense of youthful playfulness and exploration pervades my art making process, though the more pragmatic side of me knows full well that those rosy memories are past and in fact, never actually were as I portray them. As much as I want to hold onto that idealized time of my life, reality intrudes.

In my recent work, I’ve been mulling over the turmoil that is adult life, the need to let go, and exodus: birds in migration, paint trails meandering aimlessly through the picture plane, jewelry in seeming disintegration, thread unraveling, materials actually hanging off the work as if caught in mid-dissolution. My paintings blur to various degrees over time, contributing to the sense of a dream dissolving as you wake up. The cheap jewelry I use tarnishes and discolors easily, bringing a touch of imperfection and decay to my idyllic daydream. The more layers I add the more blurred out the initial images become, sometimes ending up only as blobs of vague color. This is so much like our own minds in regards to memory: The further back you try to recall, looking through all the layers of time that have passed since, the less details you can remember--only a hazy general outline remains that you can project upon. The present can easily bestow a glossy veneer over the past. It’s mental flotsam building up to cover over the dark parts and leave the shining moments to glimmer through. 

 Can you understand what I'm trying to say? Does it make sense to you? Does it mesh with what you think or feel when you look at my paintings? 

Lesson Plan: Making Peace

One of the featured works,
The Fighter of the Spirit

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) has a plethora of resources for teachers. I've written about the museum before, but not their online presence. The MIA loves teachers and creates so much content for educators to use for free. Each month, they post a short lesson plan about a particular subject or work of art. The current feature is Making Peace; it highlights five pieces from the MIA's collection, and has a activities to go along with the lesson. It's like getting a one-on-one tour and discussion.

Perfect for your self-motivated, tech savy students. You could go through the whole lesson at once, or look at one piece each day for a themed week. The cool part about this, if you're local to Minnesota, is that your kids can read about the art and then actually go see it in person! You can stand in front of this statue, realizing how huge it is, noticing the little details that you can't see in a small image on a computer screen. You could make a scavenger hunt out of finding all five works in the museum, or call ahead for a tour related to the subject.

If you want to get the MIA's Teaching the Arts e-mail newsletter, you can sign up here. (scroll down a bit and you'll see the different newsletters you can subscribe to)

Article: As Enduring (and as fleeting) as the gods

Over on deviantart where I've had an artist page for many years, I came across a short essay about the history of sculpture that I thought you might find interesting. "As enduring (and as fleeting) as the gods" is a nice intro for an investigation into sculpture. The questions at the end are good discussion starters for curious students.

Blogs: A Faithful Attempt and That Artist Woman

I just discovered two art blogs this week: A Faithful Attempt and That Artist Woman, both of which are chockful of art projects and lesson ideas.

A friend clued me in to A Faithful Attempt, which is written by a K-12 art teacher who has taught all around the world. She provides background information for each project, step-by-step instructions and lots of pictures of students' work. Since the author is a school teacher, she uses simple easy-to-get materials that are used in new ways.

A Faithful Attempt had a link to That Artist Woman, which is also an art projects blog. I find the crafts to be a little more detailed and time consuming, which works well for homeschoolers who aren't beholden to 50 minute class times. As on the first blog, That Artist Woman provides clear instructions and lots of pictures. I like the layout of the posts better on this site, because there's more step-by-step images that walk you through the project. She also reviews books and has occasional contests and giveaways for her readers.

I think both of these blogs provide ample artistic inspiration, and I'm positive you can find at least one project your kids will enjoy. Go make some art!

Website: Art 21

I've written about the tv show Art 21 previously, but thought it was worth mentioning again as they recently launched their own website, Art21.org. Before they had a sub-site within PBS' monolithic website, now they've got an independent page with more resources. It's incredibly simple to navigate with four main sections. You can look through content by artist, browse through the numerous videos and educational resources. 

Season 5 is coming out 2012!

My favorite thing about the website is all the videos you can watch (there's over 100 as of this writing!). Some of them are just clips from episodes, but there's a lot of original content that never saw airtime on tv.
The educational section has many resources I think you'll find helpful, especially a glossary of art terms. There's also accompanying educators' guides to give background information on the artists and art spotlighted in the show. It takes very little time to browse around and find information as they've laid it out so nicely.

I recommend Art 21 in general for older teens, as there can be mature themes discussed. Some artists like to be shocking and disgusting simply because they can. Personally, I don't find any artistic merit or educational value in a piece of work titled "Captain Ballsack." It's not edifying or enlightening to me. I suggest just skipping artists like that. Most of the artist interviews that I've watched are entertaining and educational with little objectionable content. Art 21 has helped me learn how to talk about art in an educated and understandable way. I've learned there is no one "right way" to discuss art; what matters is engaging the mind and asking questions and seeking answers.

Art 21 also has blog full of depth and insight, though I find the language tends to be fairly scholarly and the discussions pretty academic in nature. The posts tend to not be very understandable to the reader who isn't well versed in art history.

Video: Daniel Eatock's Felt-tip Prints

This installation is currently on view at the Walker Art Center through January 22, 2012. I thought it was such an interesting way to make a "drawing." Your kids might like to try to recreate it on a smaller scale.

Author: Mary Ann Kohl

MaryAnn F. Kohl has written some of my favorite art activity books. She has published over 20 titles, from books focusing on American artists to a more global perspective. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to read all of her works, but the few that I have are wonderful. Each project is explained well with a short lesson about an artist or art history to go along with it. MaryAnn is a former school teacher with years of experience. She and I have the same view about teaching kids art: "Art is a process, not a product."  I highly recommend her books if you're looking for some inspiration in your art lessons.

I love this book. So inspiring!

And not only does MaryAnn write books, she also founded her own publishing company, Bright Ring. There are free online resources on Bright Ring's site: excerpts from some of the books, a list of project ideas, links to other websites and blogs, and supplements to Discovering Great Artists. They have a Facebook page as well with links to crafts and funny status updates, for those of you who are in to social media. And MaryAnn also has her own blog. There are a ton of projects posted on there with lots of pictures. She also links to other art blogs for more creative idea resources. This woman has a pretty prodigious output, I must say.

Resources: National Gallery of Art

I'm learning that major art museums usually have awesome websites with tons of free resources. The National Gallery of Art (NGA) is no exception. I don't even know where to start, because there is just so much awesome to write about. They have an excellent site that is very easy to use (would I really recommend anything else?). There's no superfluous icons or visual clutter, it's just simple and to the point. Everything is easily accessible from the front page, you don't have to click through multiple links to get to the good stuff. And the site is definitely full of good stuff.

I'll begin with what first led me to the site: the Children's Video Tour. This page contains 50 short videos about various paintings in NGA's collection. Unfortunately you can't link to any of them specifically or re-post the videos on another site, but I can understand them not wanting to strain their bandwidth that way. I've watched a handful of them and found each one to be engaging, piquing my interest in the painting discussed.

There's more to watch on the Videos and Podcasts page. The videos here are more documentary-like, longer in length, focusing on individual artists, exhibitions, and other areas. You can also listen to various podcasts as well, which include lectures on a wide range of topics, conversations about particular artists, art movements or works in the collection, and insight into the inner workings of the museum.

You can choose from a plethora of online tours, arranged according to artist, art works, and themes. These would be a helpful addition to your curriculum, giving a fuller understanding of art history. The tours are educational and informative without going over your head.

Speaking of educational, the Education page is probably what will pique your interest the most. The Children's Video Tour, NGA Kids, Learning Resources and Classroom links are handily grouped together under the Resources heading. NGA Classroom has online lesson plans and curriculum guides, ranging from art fundamentals to more specific subjects. The Learning Resources page is "a place to borrow, browse, and download more than 300 resources." What's really nifty is they have a free loan program for teachers and homeschoolers! You can request a catalogue to find out all the materials available to for borrowing. If you don't like teaching art or don't think you can do a good job of it, this is for you. Seriously, it's free and from one of the best museums in the country, how awesome is that?!

And NGA doesn't neglect homeschoolers, they have a page specifically for you! There's a little bit of redundancy here, as all the sections I've reviewed are listed on the Homeschool page as well. But I thought it was worth mentioning, because you can bookmark that one page instead of half a dozen.

Your kids might like this last section, since it's aimed specifically at them: NGA Kids. This page is really interesting in that you can make "interactive art online." I found it to be a bit of a visual overload, not as easy to find links as the rest of NGA's website. However, there are a lot of fun activities to be found here, and your kids might like playing around with all the different games.

Another good website to bookmark for further browsing.

Fun: Draw a Stickman

This is perfect for all of those who have told me they can only draw a stickman when it comes to art. Draw A Stickman is a cute website with a simple premise: draw a stick person and something will happen. I don't want to give it away, suffice to say it made me smile.

Project: Deconstructed Square

I saw this project in the October 2011 issue of Arts and Activities Magazine, and tweaked it somewhat. After making it myself, I have some suggestions to make it work better for you.

Materials:

-Cutting mat

-Glue stick (though I think spray adhesive would be much easier to use)

-Exacto knife (I ended up using a pen knife because its shorter blade makes it easier to use and less likely to cut too far)

-Ruler

-Sheet of colored construction paper

-Black construction paper cut into a square (use cardstock instead, it rips less and is easier to cut)

I would suggest this project for kids who have experience with cutting fine details. It was fairly easy for me, but I use an exacto knife frequently for my art making. You could use scissors instead for a simpler design. The point of this craft is to deconstruct the black square as much as possible without taking any paper away. I started cutting without any sort of plan, it would have made more sense to sketch patterns in pencil or chalk first.

It's better to not cut the pieces completely out, but leave them connected just a little bit so you can fold them over as you work. I prefer squiggly shapes, but geometric patterns would make for easier cutting.
When the square is as deconstructed as you like, glue the black cutout to the construction paper in the color of your choice (I chose red for dramatic effect). I used a glue stick, and it was hard to get all the little edges coated. Spray adhesive would be much easier--you can spray the black paper and just set the colored sheet on top of it.

Ta-da!

My picture looks like some sort of creature. I like how it turned out. I think I'll make one more:

Used scissors and spray adhesive--much easier!

Magazine: Arts and Activities

Ask your library to carry it!

I was hanging out at the American Craft Council Library (yet again) the other day and discovered "the nation's leading art education magazine," Arts & Activities. I'd never heard of it before, but after reading this month's issue, I think it's a great publication. They have projects with step-by-step instructions, the grade-level that it's aimed at, skills and knowledge students will gain, lesson plans to go along with it, and follow up ideas to try. It spans pre-K through high school, so I'm sure you could find at least one project to try.

I was impressed by Arts & Activities for several reasons: 1) The projects aren't dumbed down or overly simplified, yet they're explained well and help convey ideas and information about art history--it's not just random "craft time" but has a purpose. 2) I usually am annoyed by ads in magazines, but the ones in Arts & Activities actually caught my attention. The advertisements were for materials that I would use or products that I could see being beneficial in teaching art. 3) The articles are written by teachers for teachers, so the information is coming from real world classroom experience, not just a lesson outline that may or may not pique students' interest.

Their website has a lot of free resources as well: curriculum guides, videos, and online extras that build upon articles from the monthly magazine. You can get the magazine in print or digital form.

Art Tip #8: Use the library

The library is awesome--it's a wonderful resource.

One reason I'm so well-read (besides currently working at Half Price Books) is that I've grown up at the library. Seriously, when I was younger, the librarians knew me and my siblings by name. We'd bike over there in nice weather and hang out for a few hours, use the internet and max out our library cards. (which by the way, if you didn't know, you can only have 100 books checked out at one time...and we had 3 cards maxed out once.) Beyond the obvious resource of books and magazines, libraries also have CDs, DVDs, local publications (like Vita.mn, which I love), notifications of community happenings, and free events. I don't know how many magic and puppet shows, storytimes, and musical groups I got to experience as a kid, but it was a lot. It was free entertainment, I had fun and I usually learned something too.

During college, I could always find resources for my research papers quite easily at the library. Sometimes I didn't even have to buy certain books for class, because my college library kept them on file! I could just check the book out for reading assignments and save a ton of money in the process.

Today, I rarely get to the library, but my Mom and siblings bring home wonderful things for me all the time. I've watched documentaries about the origin of coffee and being a Marine, stayed up to date on what's happening in the arts without paying the pricey magazine subscriptions, discovered great art books (like Art Attack) and new music...all for free.

I also make regular use of the American Craft Council Library to further my artistic knowledge and find inspiration for my art making. They have tons of magazines and hard-to-find books along with a helpful librarian eager to grow your art know-how.

Sadly, most people only view their library as a source of free internet these days and books are getting pushed aside to make room for more and more computers. That is a great service that they offer, but it's hardly the only reason you should step foot in there. You might as well go to a coffee shop if that's all you want. There are so many free resources and services the library provides that people don't even use!

So, make the library your friend. And like any good friendship, you have to see each other often.

Video: Off Book - Street Art

Off Book is a web only series from PBS. Each video is under 10 minutes and discusses different aspects of modern art, from online culture to light painting to typography. My favorite so far features the street artist Swoon whose work I really love:

Video: Highpoint Editions - Decade One

The Highpoint Center for Printmaking currently has an exhibit on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Here's a sweet little video about Highpoint and the exhibition:

Another blog!

I'm going to do a little self promotion here and toot my own horn. I've tried to keep Art Helpline focused on art (duh) which makes up a pretty big majority of my passions. Mainly what I post here are resources I find that I think would be beneficial for you in teaching your kids about art. When I tag posts as "real life" it's in relation to my doing art or struggling/triumphing/whatever with being a creative, art-making person. However, I do have a life and actually am interested in other subjects as well. So, this week I started a more personal blog over at elisabethpreble.blogspot.com. I won't be trying to teach anybody anything or posting links from around the Internet (if I do, it'll just be stuff that I find interesting), it's just a place for me to share about my life for any interested readers. So, if you want to tune into my stream of consciousness, go ahead and take a look. If you're just here for the art stuff, that's fine too.

Book: Art Attack

Another book has been added to my must-own list: Art Attack: A Brief Cultural History of the Avant-Garde by Marc Aronson. The title sounds way more pretentious and overtly academic than the book actually is.  "Avant-garde" simply means "advance guard;" in relation to the arts it refers to work that's innovative or cutting-edge, that pushes the envelope of what's acceptable. Art Attack gives an overview of the last 200 years or so of art and world history.  I powered through the entire book in one day, I enjoyed it so much. The whole thing comes in at just under 175 pages, yet it's full of great information. What could be an overwhelming and confusing topic, the author makes accessible and interesting. Art Attack is aimed at curious teens, but it's so well written, I could see it being used in a college classroom.

Each chapter begins with suggestions for music to listen to or a movie to watch to give the reader a better feel for the time period discussed. I pulled up Youtube and easily found all the suggested composers' works. Listening to the different music styles really helped each section come alive. Most chapters took me under 10 minutes to read, which fit nicely with the length of the accompanying musical selections.

Art movements aren't discussed as abstract concepts but through stories of individual artists. I really appreciated how the author shows what happens in the arts isn't separate from world events, but affects and is affected by what happens in the wider world. So often art books can present artists as working in a vacuum  when really they are so influenced by and are responding to what's happening in the culture around them.

Art Attack leaves the reader with some great questions to ponder: When what is avant-garde becomes acceptable, where can you go from there? When it's normal for everyone to push the envelope, how do individuals stand out? This book was published in 1998, but the issues it discusses are still relevant today, especially with the continuing growth of the Internet. One quote that really stuck with me: "The avant-garde is, and is meant to be, disturbing. Is that because it forces us to see the shocking world in which we already live?"

Articles: Why I Make

American Craft Magazine has a section on their blog called Why I Make. Each article is written by an artist about what inspires them to create. Some of the reasons are pretty simple (ex: therapeutic release), others go much deeper (ex: creating a lasting legacy). Browsing the articles brings to mind why I make art. If I were to sum it up into a short headline, I think it would be something along the lines of: As an Act of Worship.
Whenever I work on art, I feel like I'm doing what I was created to do. Eric Liddell's quote from the movie Chariot's of Fire really speaks to me: "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." I've paraphrased that for myself: God made me with a love for art. And I when I create I feel His pleasure.

Motivation or the lack thereof

I wrote about this on Facebook the other day, so I'll expand on it further here on this lately neglected blog.

I'm an artist, on top of working 40 hours a week at Half Price Books. I create art prodigiously -- I have over 100 paintings sitting in my basement that I've made over the last couple years. I usually have anywhere between 20-30 pieces in various stages of completion at any given time. I catalog each painting by having it photographed, archiving the information in various places, uploading the image to three different websites, and keeping track of where each piece ends up once it's out of my possession. I can tell you a story about every painting I've done.
And not only do I create, but I fill my mind with art through various ways: visiting art museums and galleries, reading voraciously (blogs, magazines, books, articles), making connections and having good conversations with other artists. I have a lot of artistic input and output, to say the least.

And yet, lately, I feel like I'm in a rut creatively. Do I make because I have something to communicate, or am I just repeating colors and patterns because it's habit? Am I still asking myself questions about what I'm doing? Am I pushing myself beyond the familiar or is it just comfortable catharsis? What do I do with all this knowledge I've gained? How can I share it, encourage and help others with what I know? Does anyone care what I have to say, is it helpful or am I just blabbing into the ether?
These are some of the things that I've been thinking about recently.

As a Christian, I am called to pursue excellence in my endeavors. I can't be satisfied with the status quo, with being merely competent. I strive to do my best, because God says I'm working for Him and not others' approval or accolades. It may seem silly to you if you don't believe in God and the Bible, but for me, it's freeing yet a weighty responsibility. I believe God has given me artistic skills and passions that I've worked to hone over the years. If I don't question and critique my work, pushing myself intellectually, I feel like I'm not doing justice to what God has blessed me with. Art calls to me, and when I create I feel God's pleasure.

I guess I haven't been feeling a lack of motivation so much as a bit of discouragement. Part of me wants accolades and praise from others. It's discouraging to apply to gallery after gallery and get nothing. To show my work and not sell anything. To set up showings that fall through. To put in a full day at work, then come home and have barely any energy (or none, depending on the day) to devote to my true passion.
I know you have to put in time and sweat to become successful, but it's just hard to see if I'm going anywhere right now.

Resources: The Private Life of a Masterpiece

My Mom brings me home many treasures from our local library. The only reason I'm so well read up on all the art magazines is because she checks them out every month for me. I've watched many art documentaries she's found with her keen eye. One of her latest finds that I'm quickly coming to love is from the BBC: The Private Life of a Masterpiece. I'd never even heard of this show before my Mom brought it home.

Each episode is about one work of art, some famous (Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper for example) and others not so much (ever heard of Paolo Uccello?). So far, I've watched six episodes and thoroughly enjoyed them all. They're educational and entertaining, with much pertinent information about the time periods and artists. There's no recycling of stock images as some shows tend to do; also, you don't stare at talking heads forever instead of seeing the art in question. You get many close up shots of details that you normally couldn't see, even if you were standing right in front of the piece. The scholars and critics that offer commentary are insightful and help you see the art with fresh eyes.
Each episode is around 50 minutes long and there are 29 total in the series. This is a very good show and I highly recommend it.
Here's a clip from the episode about The Last Supper:
 

Resources: American Craft Council Library

The American Craft Council (ACC) moved their offices from New York to Minnesota in the last couple years. A loss for NYC but a big gain for the arts in Northeast Minneapolis. The ACC publishes my favorite magazine, American Craft, six times a year; they also put on several American Craft Council shows around the country, from California to Minnesota to Maryland.
But the best part about the ACC moving to Minneapolis is their library came with them. It's free and open to the public 10am - 5pm, Monday through Friday. I love browsing through all the art magazines, some of which I've never seen anywhere else. The library has over 6,400 books, 7,000 exhibition catalogs, 700 volumes of periodicals and a substantial collection of artist files (from letters to images of work to artist statements). Obviously the main focus of the library's holdings is American craft, with an emphasis on works after 1940.

I suggest browsing the Craft Council's very simple and easy to use website. It's probably one of the best website designs I've seen in a long time. They have a great list of links to art magazines, museums and art centers, other craft organizations and schools.

You can search their catalog online or talk to the librarian to help you find what you're looking for. You can call the library at (612) 206-2330 or send an email inquiry: library@craftcouncil.org.

The American Craft Council is located on the second floor of the historical Grain Belt Brewery at 1224 Marshall St NE, Suite 200, Minneapolis MN 55413. There's free parking in a lot right across the street.

(sidenote: there is a long running debate about the difference between "craft" and "art" in artistic circles. Everyone seems to have a different definition. Personally, when I define "craft" I think of something that historically is meant to be functional first and aesthetically pleasing second. When I think of something created to be "art" it seems to me that aesthetics are more considered than any function. Another way I define the two terms: craft = domestic, made for use in the home, whereas art = gallery, created to be viewed and not touched. For example, a hand crafted teapot has a practical use but is also beautiful to look at and can be displayed as a work of art. The traditional studio arts (painting, sculpture, drawing, etc) are made to be put on display, but don't have a functional purpose beyond bringing beauty into the viewer's life)

Wallowing in a pit of excuses

As is apparent, I haven't written a blessed thing on this blog in almost a month. I'm guilty of the very thing I'm trying to help people get out of: making lame excuses for not being creative (in my case, writing about being creative).
I haven't been completely slacking off: I work on my art  almost every day; I was interviewed twice about being an artist this last month (you can read one of the interviews here); and I read voraciously, about art and many other subjects. But when it comes to writing I struggle. I probably use similar excuses that some do for not trying to make art: "I'm not talented at it, there are better writers out there; the same stuff has been done before; I don't have enough time to do something good, I have more important things to do, I'll do it later." And blah, blah, blah.
So I'm taking my own advice (and ripping off Nike): Just do it. Stop making excuses, and just write/make art.

Essay: Faith and the Art Major

I was backing up all the files on my laptop today, and I came across some papers I had written in college a few years ago. (it's still feels weird that I'm out of school and it's been over three years since I graduated) One of my art history essays caught my eye and I thought I'd share it with you. My writing and thought process has matured since 2007 but I'm just going to leave it as is. This was a good reminder for me today: it's easy to get focused on coming up with new and interesting ideas for my art making, and forget that I create because I'm made in the image of the Creator God. If I make art only to please others and receive accolades, it only leads to emptiness and despair.

My feelings about art and my feelings about the Creator of the Universe are inseparable.

(Madeleine L’Engle, Walking On Water, pg. 16)

            “To try to talk about art and Christianity is for me one and the same thing, and it means attempting to share the meaning of my life, what gives it, for me, its tragedy and glory.” (L’Engle, 16) To be an art major, an artist requires one to believe in something beyond one’s self. As a Christian, I know that God is the ultimate source of everything good and beautiful. For me, there is no thought of how to integrate my faith and being an art major—they already are. An artist’s work comes out of who they are, how they see the world. Some of the most basic aspects of being an artist directly parallel what it means to be a Christian. As I learn more about what it means to be an artist, I learn more about what it means to be a Christian.

            First, and most important of all, I have to remember that it is not about me. I need to remember not to get so wrapped up in the process that I lose sight of the purpose I create for. “There have been some who were so occupied in spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ….It is the subtlest of all the snares.” (Lewis, 71) Artists and Christians can both focus so much on what they are doing that they lose sight of why they are doing it. There is a conversation overheard in The Great Divorce that illustrates this perfectly:

            “Light itself was your first love; you loved paint only as a means of telling about the light.”

                “Oh, that’s ages ago….One grows out of that. Of course, you haven’t seen my later works. One becomes more and more interested in paint for its own sake.”

                “One does indeed. I also have had to recover from that. It was all a snare. Ink and catgut and paint were necessary down there, but they are also dangerous stimulants. Every poet and musician and artist, but for Grace, is drawn away from love of the thing he tells, to love of the telling till, down in Deep Hell, they can not be interested in God at all but only in what they say about Him. For it doesn’t stop at being interested in paint, you know. They sink lower—become interested in their  own personalities and then in nothing but their own reputations.” (Lewis, 81, emphasis mine)

If I lose sight of Who I am ultimately inspired by, it just becomes a self-based thing. Why do you think so many artists fear their work being stolen or destroyed? They are wrapped up in self-glorification. “They are all holy when God’s hand is on the rein. They all go bad when they set up on their own and make themselves into false gods.” (Lewis, 93)

            Secondly, as an artist, I am called to seek and show the divine in my every day life. As a Christian, I know that “the divine” means God, our Creator, Sustainer and Savior. As both, I know that I can’t separate the divine, God from who I am; it is an integral part of me. As H. R. Rookmaaker says,

            “I am often asked what one has to do if one wants to work as a Christian….We are not human plus an extra called our Christianity….To be a Christian artist means that one’s particular calling is to use one’s talents to the glory of God, as an act of love toward God and as a loving service to our fellows.” (Rookmaaker, 33)

A Christian artist shows others the glimpses of God she sees around her. Emmanuel Cardinal Suhard of Paris, in his classic book Priests Among Men, said, “To be a witness does not consist in engaging in propaganda, nor even in stirring people up, but in being a living mystery. It means to live in such a way that one’s life would not make sense if God did not exist.” I am not called to merely reflect back the world around me. I am to be a mirror of God’s glory, and that should be evident in my works of art.

            Just as I am not to simply regurgitate the world around me onto canvas or other art media, I am called to technical and conceptual excellence. Artists are required to make quality work, as a Christian that is even more so. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (emphasis mine) We never see the mediocre artists from the Renaissance or Impressionism for that very reason. Why do we still look at works by da Vinci today? Because he was a talented artist, yes, but also because he worked hard to make his art fantastic and excellent. “The amount of the artist’s talent is not what it is about.” (L’Engle, 23) No good thing is ever accomplished by those who are lazy and do not work hard at it. Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer, in his book Art and the Bible, held technical excellence as the top standard a work is judged by. “If the artist’s technical excellence is high, he is to be praised for this, even if we differ with his world view.” (Schaffer, 43)

            As we have seen, it is absolutely essential that faith is wholly part of being an art major and a Christian. There must never be a separation of the two. I must be an integrated human being. Just because something is not necessarily “Christian” does not mean my faith should not be a part of it. As Joe Smith, Chair of the Art Department at Northwestern College, has said, “Don’t say, ‘I am a Christian and then an artist.’ You are whole people, so don’t separate yourself.”

Works Cited

L’Engle, Madeleine. Walking On Water. North Point Press. New York. 1995

Lewis, C. S. The Great Divorce. Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. New York. 1978

Rookmaker, H. R. Art Needs No Justification. Intervarsity Press. Downers Grove, IL.1978

Schaeffer, Francis A. Art and the Bible. Intervarsity Press. Downers Grove, IL. 2006

Project: The Sketchbook Project

Last year, I had the fun of participating in the Sketchbook Project created by the fine folks at Art House Co-op. They create "massive, international art projects that tie thousands of artists together--and anyone can participate."
The Sketchbook Project is a simple idea yet leaves a lot of room for creativity. Each person picks a theme for their book. They then receive their 32 page sketchbook and instructions in the mail. You're free to rebind the pages, and any form of 2-D media is encouraged (as long as it doesn't smudge or flake off). I chose to fill my book with collages. You have several months to complete the project, and then you mail it back to Art House. Each book is cataloged, sent on a world wide tour, and then archived at the Brooklyn Art Library in New York. You can see my whole book here.

You have to create an account on Art House's website to participate, which is free and simple to do. However, there is a fee for every project, which covers the cost of the materials and helps keep the non-profit Art House running. For an additional fee, you can have your sketchbook scanned and posted online (which is what I did).

This would be a good project for an artistic, motivated teen to take on. Depending on how detailed someone wants to get and what materials they choose to use, it can take several months to finish. The first handful of pages fly by, and then you realize you still have to fill the rest of the sketchbook. It can feel a bit overwhelming at first, so it's good to plan out how many pages you want to complete in a week. The creators of the Sketchbook Project where smart to have people pick a theme for their books--it helps for coming up with ideas for so many pages (for example, one artist filled her book with drawings of birds).
It's extremely satisfying for me to look through the images of my sketchbook now. I think, "I made all that? Yup, I did." It was a fun and challenging project, which I will probably do again in the future.

Doily Ninjas!

As a city girl, I enjoy street art. It's like a treasure hunt sometimes--you're waiting at a stoplight and notice a cool sticker on the back of the one way sign; a trash can has a mural painted all over it; someone covers a wall in stickers of birds. Now I'm not advocating graffiti (and some people don't differentiate between the two, but I do). There's a difference, at least to me: graffiti is destructive and malicious (ex: gang tags), whereas I see street art more as trying to beautify or say something about the surrounding urban landscape.
I've tried my hand at street art before. I'm an advocate for non-damaging projects--I like doing things that people can pick up and take home with them. The Doily Street Art series was about 50 quick paintings I did on cardboard. It was really fun to scatter them around Minneapolis, and hope that someone was happy to get a free painting.

My project this year I've dubbed the Doily Ninjas. I received about 100 of these human shaped wood pieces from a manufacturer who had a client decide midway through that he wasn't going to pay. I've had a lot of fun painting them in vivid color and crazy patterns. I'll be deploying my brightly hued ninjas around town this summer. They will also be left at pit stops around the USA as my sisters and I embark on a two week road trip in the next couple days. Hopefully my street art army will bring a few smiles as they pop up in different locales.

Art Tip #7: Get a different view

Get a different perspective on things.

My 16-year-old, showering adverse, video game playing, Funyun eating, Mountain Dew drinking brother, Andrew, is my go-to art critic. Seems a bit strange, doesn't it? At first glance, yes. But I love asking his opinions about my paintings. Why? He's the perfect impartial art critic. Andrew doesn't care about impressing me, he doesn't give a rip about color theory, he's not concerned about who my artistic influences are...he just tells me what he sees and his honest thoughts. He's not afraid to tell me something looks bad.
A typical exchange goes something like this: "Art Critic Andrew, what do you think?" (said in a sing-song voice as I bounce into our computer room where my brother is bathed in the light of the Internet) Andrew glances at the painting in my hand, "Nice colors. It needs something in that corner." Me: "I thought so too. Thanks." And I head back around the corner to my "studio."
Seriously, it's that fast. He's got a great eye for detail and an instinctive sense for balanced compositions. We don't need to discuss art theory or go into long winded discussion about my material choices (though I don't mind doing that!). Andrew gives me a different perspective on my artwork. He helps me step out of my own head and look at a painting with fresh eyes. He's obviously not ignorant (I drag him to art museums as frequently as I can) and appreciates art. He's smart and has an inquisitive mind, so he can ask me questions I wouldn't necessarily think of.

The worst thing for an artist is to never hear criticism. Receiving nothing but compliments and head patting only serves to make you lazy mentally and creatively. Surrounding yourself with people who repeat your own opinions is very dull and unhelpful. It's hard to deal with at first, but critiques (even the harsh ones) help you see and deal with your weak areas. Andrew's not afraid to point out that I've used the same colors in multiple paintings, or that a piece definitely needs more fine tuning. Make sure you have at least one person who's not afraid to tell you like it is.

Art Tip #6: Don't give up

Don't extinguish their passions.

One of the saddest things I encountered when I was in college: students who were majoring in a subject because it was "practical" and not because they really wanted to study it. I heard many fellow students confess that they'd rather study something else, but Business/Psychology/English/Graphic Design was "more practical" and would get them a job. Um, okay? One of the main reasons that many weren't majoring in what they really wanted to study was their parents. "My parents won't pay for my education if I study something else. They say I won't get a 'real' job." Well-meaning advice that leads nowhere. If your kid is truly passionate about something, encourage that pursuit! To them, it is practical, because if they love it, they'll work at it with all their strength.

I had many people tell me I should study graphic design in college, so I could get a "real job." I was asked often, "What are you going to do with a studio arts degree?"
Guess what? I don't like doing graphic design! I'm not interested in sitting at a desk all day, making stuff on a computer. I don't enjoy doing computer programming, web design or working on tight deadlines. I love making things with my hands, getting paint all over my face, taking months to turn layers of random things into objects of beauty. If I had been a graphic design major, I would have probably dropped out. But I studied what I truly loved, and I kept at it even when I felt like giving up, because I knew it's what I truly want to do. And my parents didn't try to get me to choose another major "more practical" than studio art. I appreciate so much what they said, "Pick something and stick with it." They told me to work hard and excel in whatever field I chose.
Graphic designers are a dime a dozen these days--you really have to be amazing and multi-talented to stand out (like my friend, Reed). I have always wanted to focus on the studio arts, and I will have a career in it because it's what I truly love. My parents encouraged me to pursue that passion, rather than focusing on practicality alone.

Field Trip: Walker Open Field

The Walker inaugurated Open Field last summer, and it was a huge hit. Unfortunately I never let you, my lovely reader, know about it until it was pretty much over. This year I thought I'd give you a little heads up so you can work Open Field into your summer plans. It's free, it's fun and there's something for everyone.
I wrote about one of the Open Field activities last August. I'm not sure if they'll be doing the Scavenger Hunt again this year, but I hope so. 

My favorite event was the weekly Drawing Club, held right outside the Walker's doors:
"Come doodle, sketch, or paint during weekly sessions hosted by local artists to add to a pool of collectively created artworks. Art supplies are provided on large tables in shaded areas of the outdoor Open Lounge. Start a new drawing or select one in progress from the table. Slide it back into the pool, pass it around, and alter, edit or amend it until the group declares it complete. All ages, abilities, and aesthetics welcome."
I tried to go as often as I could, because I had so much fun. They provide all the materials--you provide the artwork. All kinds of people show up, you're outside enjoying the sunshine, you get to take part in a community art project, and you might make a few friends along the way. It was cool to go back every week and see drawings I'd worked on before be changed and transformed by others' ideas. At the end of the summer, they put all the completed pictures into books and those are now in the Walker's permanent collection.
So you could make a day of it: Have a picnic on the hill overlooking the Sculpture Garden, followed by some artsy fun with Drawing Club, then cool off from the summer sun afterward as you wander a few galleries. All for the price of parking for a few hours in the Walker parking ramp, which is quite reasonable (bonus: it's a short walk back to your vehicle at the end of the day, and your car doesn't sit and bake in the sun all afternoon).

This year, they've changed Drawing Club to Thursdays 2pm-7pm, which is nice, because the Walker is free after 5pm on that day. The rest of the week you do have to pay to see the galleries (which can get a bit pricey when you have multiple kids in tow).

Understanding Art History part 1

Any student of art history quickly realizes that every author has a bias and a spin they want to put on things. This can range from benign to fairly insidious. The author who merely wants to draw a bit more attention to a forgotten artist is one thing, but there are writers who filter the history of art through feminist, racial, sexual, revisionist lenses.
Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't focus on female artists or those of other races, but we shouldn't embrace a re-written, politically correct time line. The reason there are so many white males in our western art chronology is because that's who was mainly making art and having an impact on the wider art world. It's pretty likely that there were a lot more women creating art than are in the textbooks...but they didn't have the influence of their male contemporaries until recently in history.
It bothers me that some try to minimize certain artists' accomplishments and influence simply because they were white and male.We should rightly embrace new discoveries and artists that were forgotten but have recently been re-discovered. But we shouldn't discard those who really did have an impact simply because their race and gender isn't popular today. Re-writing art history in the name of tolerance and diversity is robbing students of a true understanding of what actually happened.
Another modern day trend is making too big a deal about an artist's sexuality in relation to their work. Yes, there were and are homosexual artists. But some writers can make sexuality the overarching focus of their study of a particular artist, even if that didn't affect the work in a major way. Authors interpret every single detail through a sexual lens, even when the artist themselves have said differently what their intentions were. Georgia O'Keefe is one such artist whose work has been over-sexualized by later critics. When they've been recorded, reading an artist's own words about the intentions for their work is very important.
Don't simply take someone's word for it merely because they've managed to get a book published containing their opinions.

Understanding art history, intro

Art history is an overwhelming topic. You have objects from thousands of years ago up to the newest "it" artist of the moment creating work right now. As I've written about in the past, it can be confusing trying to figure out where to start and what to cover. There were the popular artists of their day who are now relegated to the footnotes of history (ever heard of William-Adolphe Bouguereau? Didn't think so), and the unknown painters toiling away in obscurity during their lifetimes only to rise to great prominence during later generations (Vincent van Gogh, anyone?).

What I want to accomplish with this forthcoming series of posts is to help you see art history, not as stale information, but as individual artists and a series of overlapping and interacting art movements. Think of ripples in a pond: the first wave sets off the rest and one leads to the next. You don't have the Expressionists rejecting the ideals of the Impressionists without first having Impressionism.

So come along with me as I walk down the winding road of art history; it's going to take us to some interesting places.

Art Tip #5: Inspiration book

Create an inspiration book/box/folder/bulletin board.

Every artist hits a creative wall from time to time. Some will tell you to just work through it, and eventually you'll get your "art mojo" back. But it's really hard to make anything when your mind is like a blank page. Just figuring out what art supplies to fiddle around with can be frustrating when you have no ideas at all.

My solution is an inspiration folder. Anytime I find an image that really strikes me--I like the colors, or the idea behind it, or it always sparks fresh ideas when I see it--I tuck it into a small folder that has a bunch of clear page holders. Pictures from the newspaper, magazines, fliers, brochures from museums, random stuff I find. I never know where I might find that next inspiring image. When I get stuck in an artistic rut or am at a loss for new ideas, I just page through my inspiration folder. Something always catches my eye and renews my creativity.

Article: Homecoming for 300 year old Native American shirt

Some cool local art news: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts just acquired a 300 year old Native American shirt that's originally from Minnesota. You can read the full article here.

The MIA has a growing collection of Native American art that's definitely worth checking out. One of my favorite pieces (which is currently not on display) is a beautiful little statue of a woman by the famous sculptor Allan Houser.

Article: 10 Outsider Artists

Another fun article from Mental Floss magazine: The Glorious Works of 10 Outsider Artists. 
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/47127

Article: Feel Art Again-- A Sunday Afternoon

A short post from the Mental Floss Blog about George Seurat's famous painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte":

Several months back, a reader named Joseph suggested George Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” for, aptly enough, a Sunday afternoon. Since ‘Feel Art Again’ runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, though, I figured today was as good a time as any. And, with the snowy forecast for tomorrow (at least here in PA), a cheery weather painting is just what we need. So, I’m proud to present “Un dimanche après-midi à l’ÃŽle de la Grande Jatte” by Georges-Pierre Seurat.

1. George Seurat devoted two years to “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” spending afternoons in the park sketching figures. He completed approximately 60 studies for the 2×3 meter painting, and even reworked the original. He was most focused on color and light. Unfortunately, the pigment zinc yellow, which was new at the time, has darkened to brown over the years, changing the appearance of the lawn and other parts of the painting.

2. Seurat’s interest in the study and emotion of color might possibly be traced back to his childhood home. With his parents and two siblings, he lived at 100 Boulevard Magenta.

3. Near the end of his life, Seurat secretly cohabited with Madeleine Knobloch, a young model. In February 1890, she gave birth to their first son. Seurat died of uncertain causes in March 1891, shortly before the birth of his second son, who died soon after birth. Supposedly, Seurat had only introduced Knobloch and his son to his parents two days before his death.

4. After his death, the contents of Seurat’s studio were classified at his parents’ request. They offered the contents to the Louvre, but were refused; the contents were then divided amongst Knobloch and some of Seurat’s followers.

5. “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” isn’t just Seurat’s most famous painting, it is also one of the most famous and frequently reproduced paintings in the world. Like Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” Salvador Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory,” and Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” Seurat’s painting is often reference in pop culture. Stephen Sondheim wrote a Tony award-winning musical about it; the Looney Tunes, the Simpsons, and Sesame Street parodied it; it appeared in “Barbarella” (1968) and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986); and Nancy Cameron posed in front of a copy of it for the January 1976 issue of Playboy.
6. In 2006, the painting was recreated in modern clothes in Beloit, WI. The recreation took place on a Saturday afternoon on the bank of the Rock River to promote the “Saturday in the Park with Friends” event. Arranged by Friends of Riverfront, the event was a bigger hit than expected. Check out the photo collection on flickr to see how close to the original they got.
A larger version of the painting is available here.

‘Feel Art Again’ appears every Tuesday and Thursday.