To paint, or not to paint?

Art in the new millennium.

I find myself in a strange place & time these days. It’s like the beginning of rock & roll for the visual arts. I went to school, learned the basics of my craft, & then history was rewritten. 

Now we’ve got so many tools available that it’s tough to decide where to start. We’ve all plugged in, & who knows who could be the next Jimi Hendrix…..or Peter Frampton. Where’s my wah-wah pedal!? How much distortion is just enough? 

Should I work on painting like a photographer or Photoshopping like a graffiti artist today? Or maybe I should collect debris from the beach & hammer it together in the garage, that might be more environmental…..then again, perhaps it would be better to document the debris on the beach & blog about it. I could go back to basics & draw…..or should I use Illustrator?

The possibilities seem endless. I probably need to work on focusing. I’m going to yoga now.

On Curating & Treasury East.....

I've discovered that I have a passion for curating.....

Mid Retro
 

Last Friday Etsy launched it's "Treasury East" as a beta feature. It offers the opportunity to create collections of handmade & vintage items listed on Etsy. The collections do not expire, & are rated in terms of "hotness", based on visits. With "hotter" collections gaining greater exposure.

On the (ocean's) Edge.....

I couldn't stop myself, & created these three! 

Feel free to visit them.....& discover what other items each of these unique shops offer.

I have always loved arranging things ~ work spaces, collections of things around the house, plants in the garden, have enjoyed jobs working as a merchandiser.....

True Art

.....& really enjoyed discovering & gathering these items together. In the process I've met several interesting & talented people. It feels good to help promote their work, which in turn inspires me. 

My latest discovery is Solsticehome's amazing blog.

I look forward to updating these "Treasuries" with new finds as time goes on.

Art & Garden Links

My last year of college I had an assignment to research artists that had inspired me. I had a great time delving into the library & pulling all that inspiration together helped me to focus.

Collecting links for this blog was similar, though things have changed somewhat over the years. I found that while there are a tremendous amount of images & information available on line, there is not always one link that represents an artist well. For example, William Morris, whose amazing work is very well represented in his coffee table books, & has inspired me for years has retired, & his website doesn’t do his work justice. I couldn’t find a site for John McQueen either, but did include the links that I could find for both these artists.

Other searches led to new discoveries. While searching for a good link to Constantin Brancusi’s work, I discovered But Does It Float, a site dangerously full of inspiration where I could easily become lost for quite awhile.

Others have become more accessible over time. Years ago I discovered the designer Andree Putman while rooting about in the ASU architecture library, & have since found that her books are hard to come by. I was pleasantly surprised to find her fittingly elegant website.

More links on the right. Enjoy!