12/2/11

color

I love color. It catches my eye, raises my spirits and inspires me. 

10/5/11

Art in Odd Places: DAY 3 RECAP - Art in Odd Places: Ritual

Art in Odd Places: DAY 3 RECAP - Art in Odd Places: Ritual: Here is a recap of what happened last Monday. You can get to know our 2011 festival artists by visiting our website KATIE URBAN "PROCESSIO...

9/24/11

Creative spurt

There has been a bit of a creative spurt over the last few days-maybe it's the impending change of seasons, maybe it's the idea that, as an artist, if I am hoping to give handmade gifts this coming holiday season, I have already painted myself into a tight corner, time wise. Whatever the motivation or inspiration, I have been working on several projects at one time & ideas have been flowing freely.

Creative spurt

9/18/11

Asbury Park summer weekend



(As the sun sets...)
Asbury Park was wonderful this past Saturday. No crowds, fall like weather, sea shells, drift wood, seagulls, sea air, sand, clouds mixed with blue sky and some rain here & there. Perfect for thinking about how to infuse all of the above into my work.
(A scientific explanation for the dark color of sand here...)
(A very nice use of color can have the effect of making garbage look eye catching...)
(The light at the end of the tunnel...)
(...is always love...)
Hope your last weekend of summer 2011 was as scenic, colorful, restorative and creative as mine was. & next time you get the chance, stop by Asbury Park, N.J. Off season, you'll find architecture that's  nostalgia filled , mixed with a wonderful sense of the here & now.

3/12/11

spring is such a nice time to move...

Dear friends, I have decided that we all need to pull up stakes & move-today preferably but I can wait until tomorrow, if need be. The good news is:I have found the perfect place for us all to move to: Marrakech. A blog I sometimes read has convinced me that this IS the place for all of us. See here if you require convincing.
I have found a very nice man in Marrakech who sells and renovates riads (What is a "riad" you might ask? According to Wikileaks Wikipedia a riad is a traditional Moroccan house. (Arabicرياض‎))
Simply looking at his blog you can tell he does a beautiful job. And since we are talking about beauty-which is after all, the reason for this move-there are even wonderful tile companies that make exquisite tiles-think how stunning our riads will be!
I realize this plan is rather sudden. I, myself, only just came up with the idea 1/2 hour ago. But something tells me that if we all sleep on it, this idea of mine will make so much more sense tomorrow morning. Think about it-courtyards, stunning interior vistas, birdsong to awaken you each morning and truly fresh orange juice straight from your own orange tree. What more can one ask for?
XO
G.

3/11/11

Shock.An earthquake.A Tsunami.

This morning we are waking to news of an earthquake in Japan and a Tsunami heading for many counties. I hope my dear friends are O.K. & I hope all will go as well as can be expected .
It looks as if, at the end of this day, there will be a tremendous amount of destruction, and a long recovery.
God bless.

3/10/11

As Saint Patrick's Day draws near...

I have always said:"Everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day."
As the day itself draws near I have begun mulling over creative projects to do to celebrate the day. One I am researching involves the idea of Irish blessings.
You can mull over or meditate upon or allow this one to tickle your fancy:

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

2/17/11

New. Fun. Art.

The blog How About Orange has a wonderful tool called "Odosketch" featured today. I played for just a bit and while I found it limiting (color-it needs more color!) it is FUN. It's the perfect stand-in for  "real" art making if you happen to be home with the flu or it's a rainy day & you don't feel like dragging out all the art supplies . But they do need to add more color choices as all the work begins to look the same due to the limited color palette.
You'll find me under ginaserigraphy & the best part about the whole thing is: when you click on a thumbnail in order to get an enlarged version of the art-you get this animated , from the ground floor up rebuilding of the image -just as the artist created. You even get to see mistakes get made (look at this one for example) and corrected. As a printmaker, I work just like I would when creating a silkscreen-with layer upon layer. Very fascinating ...

2/9/11

The magic & mystery of the creative process

I was going to write an insightful paragraph or 2 on the magic & mystery of the creative process-as I experienced it tonight.


But I am bone tired * & so, without further delay:I introduce what can only be called "snow globe cards" for Valentines Day. I've yet to decide whether the static in the plastic is a good or bad element...

2/8/11

Mulling & playing ...

A family member has "loaned" me a collection of correspondence from 1918-1919. Letters and postcards sent home from France .
There is something about handwriting, old paper, and dated images -the history, age & reality that is tied to each seems to resonate=making them the perfect Valentines material.

2/7/11

"Spread The Love" gears up for Valentines Day 2011

"Spread The Love" is a not so covert , anonymous project to ...spread love-on Valentines Day & always. Created in 2009, it's mission is to inspire random strangers to take some love and then pass it on "Spreading love throughout the world, one person at a time" -using artful text , color  & design-in the form of fliers placed out & about . 
Keep your eye peeled as you never know where we'll pop up next. Perhaps we'll be coming to a lamp post near you...
P.S. A simple but sweet idea for a Valentine can be found on today's posting of maya*made . Maya is one of my favorite bloggers-in no small part because her creative philosophy and use of recycled materials is very much in sync with my own artistic values. If you have never heard of her-you will love exploring her blog & the life it depicts along with the many simple & easy projects (& recipes!). 


2/4/11

Make some art from your heART...

As Valentines Day draws near I'll be spending some time this weekend making Valentines. I draw inspiration from the mediums I LOVE working in most: cut paper, printmaking (read: silkscreen & rubber stamps)  and collage.
 I also love looking back over collected ephemera-one amazing resource of mine had always been The New York Public Library's picture collection. (Online viewing is no replacement for seeing the actual items in person-I happen to love working with the librarians to see what topics they might suggest & then sifting through the large folders , along with my fellow seekers-hoping for that one amazing & perfect image of inspiration.) 
If you are looking for creative ways to express your love you will find lots of inspiration on the Internet & in blogs. Some wonderful ideas can be found here on the care2.com site where you'll find ideas for cards,made with origami, some sewing &  a little stitching .
Then there are the envelopes-something I have always loved decorating with silkscreen, rubber stamps and collage(see photo for some recent samples). One brilliant idea is this sewn version.
Have fun creating, experimenting & playing!
XO
Gina

2/3/11

Valentines for dogs in need

DDB-Dogs Deserve Better-is an organization that helps dogs who are left, chained & outside. One of the ways they hope to help is by making and sending out Valentines to the homes of dogs ,  encouraging owners to bring their dogs inside where they can become part of the family and get the care and love they deserve. If you would like to participate you can find their info. here . They are looking for homemade Valentines & dog food coupons that can be enclosed in each Valentine. It sounds like a very worthy cause & it is a great way to use your creativity for a greater good.
XO
Gina

2/2/11

It's February!

It's February and you know what that means! Valentines Day is coming! I love making cards and I love using symbols in my artwork - both of which means Valentines Day is perfect in my book. I'll be posting some ideas for things to make, along with some images of my own.
The above postcard is courtesy of the Helen M. Ondik Archive . Pictured is "Lamalou-le-Haut(herault)-La Tour du Chateau-d'Eau"-or, as I call it now-"Brave man displaying 2 hearts while craftily balancing on a high  stone tower ".©RAES*2011
One old standby for ideas is always MSL. I have always wanted to try the project pictured...

1/28/11

The weekend!

I spent the past 2 days in trudging around in the latest batch of snow=slush=soggy boots & socks. Usually , when it snows, I make sure to take my camera with me everywhere as I dearly love how it transforms EVERYTHING. But this time , I was so busy, I didn't have my  "eye" on all that was going on visually . I did get this one though. 
The weekend is almost here and I am looking forward to getting some work done. I am also searching for old etchings and sketchbooks, looking back as I look forward. 

1/27/11

#1

A first post on a new blog...What to show? What to say? Since it is late, I think I'll keep it simple :