Photo Friday: Flowers in Greece by ArtQuirk

 

It's been a few years since I was in Europe, but this print—Flowers in Greece by ArtQuirk on Etsy—reminds me of how lovely it can be to stroll around a city (in my experience, it was Rome that I saw places like this, but it's nice to know that Greece is just as lovely!).

***
And now for a little link love:

Send some support Jennifer's way and make a peanut butter pie for Mikey today.

I love coconut macaroons, so I think turning them into tart shells is entirely brilliant!

We usually eat our beets warm, but this Chilled Golden Beet & Ginger Soup looks like a great way to enjoy them on a warm August day.

Need a new apron? This looks like a fantastic diy version that's even adjustable.

I love this Song Lyric Wall Art project (via Poppytalk) so much that it might just inspire me to get making again.

***
I'm sure that you're all as excited as I am that it's Friday. On my weekend agenda: haircut (yippee!), the Iowa State Fair (where I'll be staying far, far away from the fried butter on a stick—too far!—though of course paying my respects to the Butter Cow), making strawberry rhubarb jam (in my effort to try making one new thing a week in my kitchen), and probably a lot of reading. Have a good one!

Map Maker, Map Maker...

 When I received a note from Lauren telling me about her map creations—"As a child there are some things that have stuck with me through to adulthood: maps, sewing, and thinking about color"—I knew I had to learn more because that was a combination of interests that I had never heard before. Lauren says that she "removes maps from their original contexts to reinvent them, creating aerial landscapes with wax, ink, watercolor and tea. Often times, my maps are made through free association. Other times I use antique maps as an inspiration, rediscovering places that were then, newly explored." So with that as our introduction for the day, let's here more from Lauren herself.

Name: Lauren Montanaro Norster
Site: silentlanguages.etsy.com

Why do you find maps so interesting to recreate?
Maps and globes are something I've been able to stare at and become lost in since I was quite small.  I find them to be beautiful and intriguing, and recreating them or inventing my own allows me to travel somewhere while in the drawing process, creating my own world.  I also like to incorporate pieces of my day into maps, making them a way of recording time and memories.

Is this your full time work? If not, what do you do during the day and how does this work help you balance that?
No, although I've been spending a lot of time creating art - I've challenged myself to draw at least 50 pieces for the month of November!  I went to school for Elementary Education, and right now I'm working one-on-one with a 12 year old home schooler.  Teaching is definitely another creative outlet for me, and she's an artist too -- so we have that in common.

Explain the process of making one of your prints so we can get a sense of what goes into them.
Usually I'll start off by looking through one of my many map books, searching for a line or some topography that catches my eye.  Then, I put layers of paint down, and start to mix my own lines with the lines of the map. Sometimes I'll use multiple maps as references, sometimes only one, or sometimes none, working just with whatever strikes me. I like to work small, with lots of detail, so even though the pieces are small, a lot of time and thought goes into them.   

Where do you find your inspiration?
Aside from other maps, I find that a lot of inspiration comes when I least expect it -- I'll notice a shape I like in rocks while I'm taking a walk, or be inspired to draw maps involving stars while watching a show that takes place in space.  Whenever I'm stuck, checking out new posts on my blog reader is always inspiring -- seeing new work and creativity always helps!

What's one item on your holiday wish list?
I live in Maine, and really could use a new pair of snow boots!


Lauren has been so kind to offer free shipping to anyone who mentions "Things We Make" in the etsy check out, so hop on over and see what else she's made. Also, for the month of November she's challenging herself to make 2 drawings a day, so definitely stay tuned to see what she's creating!

Inspired Image: from the Illustrator behind Double Merrick

Merrick is an England-born illustrator based in France who runs a shop called Double Merrick. This month they are announcing a new limited edition print called "Birds"(scroll down to see it!) that I love the spirit of. I also love the typewriter print, also shown below, but I'll stop talking and let you hear from Merrick herself about why she chose today's Inspired Image.

Hello, my name is Merrick Angle.

You can find me at my online shop, Double Merrick.

This image comes from a set of building blocks my daughter and I bought from an amazing old junk shop near us. I carried it around in my pocket for ages, I finally scanned it when I got fed up of stabbing myself on the corners!

It inspires me because of it's boldness and simplicity.

I particularly love dodgy old printing, especially when one of the colours is slightly off. The contrast between the wood and these spooky, disembodied eyes is also fascinating.

It makes me feel revved up to make things and curious about the world.

The 3 words it conjures up are eyes, eyes, EYES!!

I love ending the note on these illustrations! So with that, I'm heading to the Jersey Shore (not the area where the show is filmed, at all!) to get my fill of salt water taffy and family. Enjoy the weekend everyone!

June Print of the Month: Bliss by The Wheatfield

June is a month filled with birthdays in my family, so this print of the month is actually going off to someone special in my life. I would love to have this on one of my walls—I just love the bright yet soothing color combination and the cheerful design—but I thought it would also make a great gift.


This is just one of the many prints, which is called Bliss, I am loving from The Wheatfield by Katie. Her prints are inspired by "simple country pleasures, such as hiking in the woods, bathing in the creek & napping in a sea of prairie grass" and many of them remind me of Liberty fabric. Here's a little more about Katie:

My name is Katie Lombardo and I'm an illustrator wandering about the country. I'm originally from a farm and love all things rural. I'm inspired by vegetables, herbs, animals, weather, astronomy, trees, and so much more. When I'm not making art, you can find me canoeing down a river, hiking through the woods, or camping on top of a mountain.

I'm happily leaving you with this image for the weekend as I know it will help me stay sunny during the thunderstorms and rain we have in our forecast for the weekend. I'm convinced that a wet forecast just means I get to stay inside and quilt and bake, so I'm embracing this as nesting time! Enjoy the weekend everyone.

Q&A with Illustrator Judy Kaufmann

I'm really enjoying these bold, yet somehow also serene, illustrations from Judy Kaufman. I had no idea how transfixed I'd be by her answer to my question about where she finds her inspiration—I bet you will be too, so pour some coffee or tea and relax with a little light reading. Who knows, by the end of this point, your imagination might be ready to take you on a little journey.


Name: Judy Kaufman
Location: Barcelona
Site: etsy, twitter.com/jukaufmann


How long have you been illustrating/drawing and why do you like the medium?
I've been drawing since childhood, and seriously illustrating from 2003. That was the year when I took the decision to get into this medium and also to move from the city where I was born (Santiago de Chile) and come to live to Barcelona, an amazing city for illustrators and designers. I definitely like the medium when there is originality into it. I hate to find same illustration style everywhere, so of course I like when I see a lot of different styles from different people on the same city and at the same time. Makes me think about how inspiration work ...

What inspires you?
As I always say, I get the inspiration from what I don't understand, what I don't know, what I don't know how to do, what I am not. From the interest that I feel about all things that are outside of my life. That's where my imagination picks the inspiration. On the other hand, I have a bizarre and explosive inspiration when I go to museums and galleries and I get involved with different colors and formats, whether I like or not what I'm seeing.

How do you usually work- do you have an idea in your head and you sketch it out in one fell swoop or are you more likely to come up with an idea and tweak it over time?

Once, I  read an interview done to Francis Bacon that really made me a lot of sense, he was always talking about the accident, the fact that you never can think a specific idea and take it to the end, there always going to be something (here the accident comes) that appears as a detail, but will change the perspective and the message of the artwork. Obviously between art and illustration there is a large gap and does not always work like that. But to answer your question, I never know finally what it's going to be...

Is this your full-time work?
This is not my full-time work, I work in the morning for a small design studio and I keep the afternoon for my freelance design and illustration work. I work at home with a lot of different materials and techniques, I feel lucky to have a really nice space where I feel free to create.

Where do you do most of your work?

Here is a picture of my desk (at home). The table was made by Marc, my boyfriend. It is an old door painted that has a sort of sunk to leave the pencils. I love it because is comfortable and It's perfect to separate the computer with the drawing area, That's the "serious" place where I work because I also can draw in the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, the bus, in a conference or anywhere where I can get a pencil and a paper...

Illustrations by Claudia Pearson

Yesterday I posted about Claudia Pearson's year-long series of illustrated recipes—check out the image she created of a dish called Fuschia Mash—after seeing it on Poppytalk. Since then I've been exploring Claudia's work and am loving a few of the prints she has in her etsy shop. Above is her "All in a Row" print that reminds me of my old block in Harlem.

And here are two more of her food prints, which I especially like. Above is "Buy Local" and below if "Food for Thought". Nice inspiration for this week as I'm getting ready to eat the last of my winter CSA veggies lingering in my fridge.

Central Park Flower Cards by Sloe Gin Fizz

I got some extremely wonderful gifts over the holidays that I am just now starting to use and enjoy. I finally got a Silpat and pie weights, which have found a welcome home in my kitchen. I received a pair of delightful earrings by Sofia Masri (which I have been pining over for what feels like years- happy girl am I!), some wonderful books, and these tags and cards by Nicole of Sloe Gin Fizz. I saw her work at Renegade over the summer, but I'm even more excited about the products now that some of them are mine to use.
I'm actually thinking of using the tags in some sort of creative way as decor in my guest room/sewing room, so we'll see what happens with that nugget, but I'm eager to start sharing these cards with my long distance friends. They are of flowers from Central Park in NYC, where I spent hours walking each week when I lived there, so I love that they help unite my past and my present/future. Nicole's etsy shop is filled with many wonderful illustrated prints, so do check them out if you're in need of a little visual inspiration.

Scandanavian Heart Ornaments

I am completely obsessed with these Scandanavian Arctic Heart Ornaments. The shape, the colors, the texture, man oh man they make me happy. Created by the very talented Jaqueline Bos, who also does some incredible illustrations.

P.S. Learning about talented people like Jacqueline is one of the many reasons I love my job at ReadyMade. Ooh, which reminds me that if you are looking for an excellent girly DIY holiday gift to make, check out these velvet floral headbands and these fancy embellished tights over on the RM blog!

November Print of the Month: Pattern Block by Yellow Lion

We recently had some of Yellow Lion's prints in our office and I was so taken with the texture and the colors of them that I knew I had to make one of them a print of the month. This one is monochromatic but filled with interest and it reminds me of quilting or embroidery stitches, with a touch of American folk art. Here's a bit about the maker:

I am a mama and a graphic designer working in Chicago with a love for screen printing. I learned the process about a year and a half ago and am so grateful for the wonderful break from the computer! I did tons of photography, b/w and color, in college and sadly don't have access to a darkroom anymore. So the methodical screen printing patterns suit me very well.

I absolutely love creating art and am glad for the chance to get it out to the masses. Nature serves as my inspiration and I love making things for my home.

My parents are in town, so I'll be spending the day with them tomorrow (and giving my seminar at Metro Arts Expo on buying affordable art- come by at 10 am if you are in town!) and I hope you all have an equally great weekend.

Stitched Happy Wedding Card

Just back from a most amazing weekend in New Orleans for my good friend Katherine's wedding. This is the card that I made for her, that uses fabrics that are in the quilt that I'm making for her. I attached the rectangles to the card using Mod Podge, let them dry, then stitched around each layer. I would up cutting out the cake, and Mod Podging it to a new card so that it's slightly lifted off. I am really pleased with how it came out.
We ate really well—fried oyster po'boys, cafe au lait, gumbo (seafood and chicken andouille), sugar coated beignets, eggs sardou—and I totally enjoyed bridesmaiding on Saturday and helping Katherine get ready for the ceremony (which included activities like embroidering the bag that held the glass for the Jewish ceremony and holding a large mirror as she had her hair done), and dancing for hours at the reception. It was completely Katherine and Jonathan, and also completely New Orleans. I will share pictures once I have them ready!

Inspired Image: Nicole of Sloe Gin Fizz

Hello, my name is Nicole Ray.

You can find me at Sloe Gin Fizz

This image comes from Andy Kehoe. It's called "Desolation Afflicts the Greedy".

It inspires me because it has such a strong narrative quality, but conjures a different story each time I look at it. I just discovered this artist in the past year and looking at his paintings always makes me want get to work!

I particularly love the contrast of the very decorative, bright blue feathers against the rich, earthy painting of the landscape. And the slightly creepy, but wise owl eyes.

It makes me feel curious and reminds of landscapes in the Western US. But it's cleverness also makes me chuckle.

The 3 words it conjures up are moody, humble, patience.

I met Nicole at Renegade Craft Fair and love the style of her prints and cards. Here, take a look at a few...

Check out more of her work at her etsy shop (where I've already started keeping a holiday gift file- I have decided that it's never too early to start keeping track of gift inspiration!) and have a wonderful weekend!

Online Family Art Journal from Iowa City

There is nothing better than getting an email with this much enthusiasm: "I came across your site from Mod-Podge Rocks (Amy is so cool over there!) and was so excited to discover a cool, fellow Iowan blogger! I thought I’d invite you to come visit our family’s art journal, because hey, you never know, you and your readers might be interested in our FUN art work! "


The email was from Jill, who along with her three sisters and their mom, blog together about their creative pursuits. And they hit art and craft fairs to man a booth together. First of all, they look like they are having a ridiculous amount of fun, and secondly, I just love the idea that art is how they connect with each other.

Here's more from Jill about what they are up to:
"We are a unique family of artists in Iowa City, Iowa - a creative mom and daughters, who have families of our own. Our mixed media artwork is full of hope, humor and whimsy. It celebrates womanhood, living with intention, family and faith. We use a variety of materials in our work, including acrylics, vintage and new paper, found objects and embellishments. We have so much fun looking for thrift store treasures, and use old frames and scrap wood to showcase our work. We also recycle wool sweaters and other vintage fabrics which my mother makes into wonderful art dolls."
You'll have to check out their blog and their etsy shops (Jill is at Paper Prayers and her sister Laura can be found at Green Girl Designs) for more info because this is just a peek, but I couldn't help but let Jill's voice infuse some energy into my blog on this October Tuesday.

You can find them at Iowa City’s Iowa Arts Fest, Davenport’s Riverssance, plus they do the Spring Art Market in Valley Junction in May and the Beaverdale Holiday Boutique which is coming up!

Inspired Image: Michelle of My Zoetrope

Hello, my name is Michelle Cavigliano (aka My Zoetrope)

You can find me at

website: www.myzoetrope.com

shop: myzoetrope.etsy.com

blog: my-zoetrope.blogspot.com

This image comes from Betsy Walton

It inspires me because of the stories that it does and doesn't tell and the dreamlike stasis it invokes. The textures, patterns, neon colors, and symbolism are all so amazing!

I particularly love everything about it! But I guess if I had to choose one thing, it would be her sense of patterns and the way that there is a lot going on, but everything is still really clear.

It makes me feel creative and inspired.

The 3 words it conjures up are pensive, growth, and solitude.

Michelle is an illustrator from Brooklyn who just posted her 2010 calendar, which features work from her "friends forever" series.

Here's more about the series from Michelle: "I created this series after feeling those frustrated and sad feelings from trying to keep in touch with good friends that I have made over the years. You finish school, you move to a new city or country even, and time and life makes it harder to keep in touch. I wanted to create a series that celebrates old friends, from grade school through college and through the last 8 years of my life after college. Hooray for friends!"

I completely agree with that sentiment and I wholeheartedly second her hooray for friends! That last image isn't from that series, but I like it, so decided to end with it. Happy weekend everyone! Oh and don't forget to enter to win a $30 gift certificate to Galit Barak's etsy shop- who needs some pretty new crocheted metal jewelry? You do!

Q&A: Jess Gonacha

I am very excited to share today's Q&A with you. I've been a big fan of Jess's work for a long time and this year I've gotten to know her work pretty well through her calendar. (You can pre-order one for 2010 here!) I love her use of bright, bold patterns and colors and that everything she makes seems to have a positivity about it. Here's more from Jess:

Name: Jessica Gonacha Swift
Location: Just outside of Atlanta, GA, in the suburbs
Website/Blog: www.jessgonacha.com, www.jessgonacha.blogspot.com, jessgonacha.etsy.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/jessgonacha
Twitter: twitter.com/jessgonacha (@jessgonacha)

Tell me a little bit about what you make and how you started making it? I make a variety of things-- paintings, illustrations, prints of paintings and illustrations, calendars, coasters, necklaces, repeating patterns... Basically I've just been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember, and I'm always looking for new surfaces to cover with my designs!

For someone who hasn't seen your work, how would you describe your style? My style is colorful, quirky, uplifting, a little bit whimsical, and happy, I think.

Did you have any teachers who became mentors along the way? Ummm, not really. When I was in art school I had a teacher who I loved, and we've sort-of kept in touch, but my education was very traditional for the most part, and my work has changed a lot since then. My main teacher these days is the blog world, I think. So I guess I have a whole bunch of mentors if I think about it that way!


How has your creative process changed as you've been able to increase your interaction with customers online? Or, if it hasn't changed, what does being on twitter and having an active etsy profile add to your creative process? I've started thinking more about products, I think, since I started selling work online. I try to make things that I would personally want to buy. I like interacting with people online and getting feedback about what I'm doing. Sometimes my customers will suggest things for me to make, which is great! I love getting input from other people, and knowing that people are out there looking at my work is very motivating.

Where do you find your inspiration? I find inspiration everywhere-- out walking in my neighborhood is when I get my best ideas, but I can also easily be inspired by books, movies, an interesting color combination somewhere (on a sign or a website,) interesting looking people, a pattern on a piece of clothing in a store, conversations.... it's endless!

Is this your full time work? Yes! I'm so grateful to say that it is.

What's the best part of your day? I really love breakfast time first thing in the morning. I make a smoothie and drink some coffee while checking my email, reading through my favorite blogs, and posting on my own blogs. I love the feeling of a fresh new day in front of me.

What's a favorite item that you've made or that you're working on? I'm pretty crazy about the necklaces I've been making the last few months, featuring my repeating patterns. They're all different, and I love looking at them hanging all together!

What do you hope customers experience when they purchase your work? I hope my work makes people happy. I think most of my work has an air of positivity and hope in it, so I hope people take that away when viewing it. Mostly I just want to make people smile and feel like they made the right choice in purchasing something from me.

Q&A: Stephanie Levy

The hands down best part about this blog is getting to know all of you creative people out there. I love nothing more than to get emails from people who I don't know, yet who are making lovely things that instantly make my online world seem like a more complete place. Today I have a little Q&A from Stephanie Levy, an American artist who lives and works in Munich. As soon as you are done reading about her work here, you must head over to her blog to see a tour of her street! It just about makes me want to up and move to Europe—or at the very least start growing vines along the exterior walls of my house!

Where do you live? Munich, Germany

Tell me a little bit about what you make. I make mixed media paintings and collages on paper, canvas, and wooden supports. I especially love to use images of interiors or still lives in my artwork.

How did you decide to start the line? I started reading the blog of an art college friend of mine, Anna Maria Horner and I became fascinated by the interaction taking place between artists and designers all over the world on the Internet. Last year, I decided to start my own blog and Etsy shop, and it's been exciting to create artwork and have immediate feedback. I love that I can use the Internet to promote my own work, rather than waiting to be "discovered."

Did you have any teachers who became mentors along the way? Instead of having teachers as mentors, I would say that I am now most inspired by my peers who are also working artists. I try to visit my online artist friends as much as possible on their blogs and on Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

How does your creative process work? I usually start with a line drawing which I make based on an image I find  - in a magazine, in a catalog, or from a photograph I took. After this initial drawing is made, I use it to start the painting. Sometimes I use multiple drawings, but most often just one. Then I try to find colors, papers, and patterns that "fit" the drawing. I play around with the structure of the composition for a while, and when I am satisfied, I glue down the collage elements using acrylic medium and add details with acrylic paint.

Where do you find your inspiration? I do my best to notice color combinations and patterns in my daily life, sometimes it's great just to go downtown and walk around. There are always inspiring things to see in the storefronts, on the streets, etc. Perhaps living abroad helps make even everyday things seem a touch more unusual and exciting.

Is this your full time work? Yes.

What's the best part of your day? I do like working in the mornings, but at the moment I usually have at least one child at home during the day. This means that most of my work gets done at nights or on the weekends. I prefer to paint using natural light, so I paint every moment I can when the children are sleeping during the day, or on the weekends when my husband takes the children to the playground.

What do you like to do when you're not working on your art? I also love to cook and bake, take walks, go to movies, go out to dinner with friends, sit at cafes and read or watch people go by...however, having two small children limits some of these activities, so I try to make the best of it and go on an afternoon picnic with the kids when the weather is nice :)

Dreaming of Spring

Oh snow. So if you're in the northeast (or the south from what I hear) I'm sure you're very familiar with the sentiment. I mean it both to say "Isn't winter supposed to be over by now?!?" and "Oh snow, it's just so delightful and pretty when I don't have to be outside in the freezing cold." I was looking through my Etsy favorites today hoping to find a bit of inspiration and I remembered that I'd stuck LilyMoon in there a few weeks ago. And this tree, which captures the magical feeling of the start of spring, spoke to me, for obvious weather-related reasons, but also because of the dream-like sentiment of the style. I love that the tagline of the site is "make believe" and it comes through her designs, which she prints on paper, journals, canvas and even buttons and pendants.
But here's the real reason why that sentiment stuck with me today: I was at a family wedding over the weekend and I was carrying a small carpet bag-esque clutch. My sister complimented me on it, which made me realize that I think it came from the stash of clothes and accessories we used when we played dress up. It made me so happy to think that she and I seem to have grown into the very women we pretended to be years ago. To which I say, keep on making believe!