07.17.09
Posted in Artwork at 7:00 am by deRomilly
The younger the better (to a certain point — I think I’d want to be able to communicate at least a bit while doing it!)
Back when my godson was three, he was fascinated by my rubber stamps. Although precocious, he wasn’t always careful to follow my rules, so I bought a set of inexpensive texture stamps and a set of cheap stamps and washable ink and paint just for him.
Sit down with your chosen small one , lots of colors of paints, stamp pads, crayons, and markers, and LOTS of paper. (Cover the kitchen floor and do it there — it’s a LOT easier to clean up than the dining table! and much more space to spread out in, too.)
Follow the child’s lead — at 3-5 they are generally naturally experimental – often we’ve forgotten the simple joys of making a mess by the time we hit high school. Assume the art supplies will end up trashed and purchase accordingly. They should be good fora year or so of this kind of use — weekly. You might be surprised – 10 years later I’m still using those cheap kid’s texture stamps!
What I learned from the three year old:
- Using all the paint colors on a foam stamp does NOT necessarily equate to a yucky mess.
- Mixed media is fun – I’m relearning this this year on my own…
- Colors that “clash” can create wonderful art together.
- FUN is the most important part of the creative process. Yes, there is work involved in the professional side, but even when it’s difficult, if some part of the project doesn’t trigger your sense of fun you won’t produce your best work. And yes, I do find this is just as true when I’m working with dark subject matter!
Little kids, when given permission to make a mess, create masterpieces. Borrow a friend or relative’s toddler if you need to — let them have a day off while you and the child create — just remember to warn Mom and Dad that their child will be coming home completely covered in paint (and be prepared to be just as messy yourself). Then go forth and have fun!
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06.08.09
Posted in Artwork at 7:00 am by deRomilly
At my day job I spend my day staring at a computer in a private office in an office space consisting of mostly male programmers. The office is nice. A cubicle for a writer is difficult, to say the least. And I love the fact that I can work directly with the developers if I need to. But it’s isolating: it’s the nature of the job. You can’t write with people talking to you all the time.
So what do I do at home? Well, I teach bellydance and am a member of a wonderful troupe, a decidedly NOT private endeavor. This is good. I get to be social three times a week at least – no, I HAVE to be social, which is good for this natural hermit. And I make art. I design needlework patterns (by the way, the business license went through last month… we’re getting there!) And I draw and paint.
I love to take the stitching and the blogging and the design-work to the coffee shop by myself. The fact that there are people around me is inspiring. But what I really enjoy is that for the most part, they ignore me. I can feel like I’m a social being and a hermit all at the the same time. And sometimes, just sometimes, someone will catch sight of what I’m drawing and ask me what gallery I’m in. OK, it’s only happened once, but it made me feel very good – like maybe this art thing COULD become more of my life.
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02.04.09
Posted in Artwork at 7:00 am by deRomilly
I’m a sporadic journaler, or have been. Much like I’m a sporadic band sampler-maker (more on that in another post!) I have kept and abandoned journals and diaries of all kinds since I was 10.
My first was a little locking diary that my grandmother gave me. I remember it was red, and I got angry with it very quickly because it only had five lines per day, and they weren’t far enough apart to write in anyway. That attempt lasted about five days. (I was determined.)
When I was twelve, that grandmother – my special friend – died and I was very lonely. I don’ tknow what made me realize that I could journal in a spiral bound notebook — or that I could address entries to my Nini — but I did both. The letter-writing campaign helped me through my grief and the tribulations of Jr. High School.
I’ve been sporadic about it since — lots of writing — my journals were always words. I had sporadic sketchbooks of bad drawings as well, and steno pads full of novel notes — oh, and later a day planner which I still use for organization and calender-keeping.
Then in 2007 I took Sharon Boggon’s Studio Journal course online, and suddenly all of this had a point — sketchbook and sporadic journal have been consolidated — the “novels” none ever finished — will probably remain in steno pads and three-ring binders so that they stay together. Not to mention that writing fiction no longer appeals quite so much.
Then over the past year I discovered “art journaling” in a real way, rather than in the “oh look at those gorgeous pages in that artist’s journal, but why would I want to make that kind of art it’s not my cup of tea” kind of way. I still don’t think the making a beautiful page method will ever apply to my stuff — my art is more about playing with neat techniques and trying things out than getting deep into my soul — but i reserve the right to go wherever I feel like it in my journals — from bad art to bad poetry and up to great on both of those. 
And I’m shamelessly stealing techniques from the mixed media and art journalers. And by using the art journaling techniques such as Kelly Kilmer teaches in her Prompt a Day class (yes, I’m taking the February course…) and combining it with the splash and go method Ricë Freeman-Zachery propounds in her “journal spanks” prompts that just say that it’s YOUR book, just USE it! And combining it with Sharon’s “composting” method, I have to admit that my creativity has increased recently.
So if I’m missing from the blog for a post or two, don’t panic, I’m probably just stitching or painting! (Or shimmying, but that probably goes without saying! TWO count ‘em TWO shows this month!!!)
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01.21.09
Posted in Artwork at 7:00 am by deRomilly
I meant to post this earlier — but the best laid plans and all that!
Last week we had rain. But we also had some sun – and what is the result of that combination? Rainbows! One of my favorite things.
A double rainbow, in fact.
One that got BRIGHTER as it was fading!
I was not only inspired, but put at peace. (Which probably explains why I didn’t post…)
I’ve been a rainbow fan forever ~ Past Worthy Advisor of Southgate Assembly #71, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls
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01.19.09
Posted in Artwork at 7:00 am by deRomilly
I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of artistic blogs you can find just by poking around the internet a very little bit…
I am developing a new understanding and respect for, some of the mixed media techniques currently in vogue. For a long time I would look at them and think, but everyone’s work looks the same! And I realize that this is the case with most techniques — I think as artisans we are sometimes worried about taking the next step into experimentation.
I’ve often said that I don’t understand why people aren’t willing to try things with their needle and thread — they say afraid, and don’t have enough courage to step outside their comfort zone — after all, it’s not like death is a likely result from what we do! But in looking at the new techniques in collage, and many of the needlework books, for that matter, and the push to “quick and easy projects,” I think I’ve finally come to an understanding — it’s not really the failure itself that scares us — it’s the waste (or perceived waste) of time that accrues with a failure in something as time-consuming as learning goldwork or beading – or quilting- or experimenting with putting all of these together.
We are all so busy with our lives that the idea of a failure that took weeks or months to discover can overwhelm us. I have felt it myself recently – the discovery that I need to rip out so much of the model for Tramatina caused that kind of stress — and the reactions I’ve gotten from people who see me working on ripping it or who have read the post simply confirms this. “Why would you want to keep going if you have to pull so much out?!”
The fabric collage and paint techniques, by removing the sewing may provide me with a way to experiment with textures, colors, and symbols without the time constraint. It can’t completely replace sample stitching, but it’s another tool for the toolbox! And it’s fun and much quicker!!!
Some of the many mixed media artists I’m watching for inspiration and ideas these days:
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