Diana Trout's blog

Art History | Lyonel Feininger

The Art Institute in Chicago was one of the top hits on the list when we visited The Windy City* last month. I had an opp to contemplate Feininger.

Carnival is a whimsical wonder as it recalls Feininger's cartooning background. I love the yellow houses as a backdrop and it really looks as though the background has been painted on a wall.  

Above is one of his comic strips. Who says fine artwork has to be in museums and galleries? I love crazy gadget/machine drawings. And anything that puts a smile on your face is really fine.

There is a joy in Feininger's artwork that seems to burst forth, barely contained. Note the little birdie on the above still life. And let's use some air quotes around "still life" here because it hardly seems still to me.

I so enjoyed rediscovering Feininger's work. I hope you like it too!

*One possible reason for Chicago's nickname "The Windy City" : Long-winded politicians and the frequent political conventions in Chicago have been suggested as the source of the nickname. (from Wikipedia.

 

Jessica Curtaz, First Friday Artist

A few weeks ago, I visited Gray Gallery in Chestnut Hill. It's a tiny space; one room in an historic house and the exhibit was very exciting. I hope to bring each of the artists to you. The first is Jessica Curtaz. I was immediately taken with her highly detailed work. I leave this to Jessica ...

"I am interested in everyday objects that have repetitive patterns, for example; hydrangea blossoms, chain link fence, pine cones and cable knit sweaters. I play with these objects, increasing shadows, completely removing shading and overlapping imagery. I am interested in where the boundary is between representation and abstraction.

I have a background in science, I worked in research and development for five years, and I approach my art work the same way that I did science. I experiment. And each piece that I do leads me to the next thing that I want to figure out.

There don't tend to be grand moments of inspiration, it's more of a steady walk down a path. One cobblestone leads to another. 

There are though, the moments when I realize that I am afraid to try something or go in a certain direction, that something feels risky....and when that happens I always know that is what I need to do next."

The experience of looking at Jessica's work filled me with a feeling of movement and repetition. It was pretty thrilling. I hope you enjoy this peek into Jessica's world. And check out Gray Gallery too. Owner and Art Professor Carole Loeffler has some very exciting exhibits planned. 

Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes, 1st Friday Artist

Here's Michelle: "Lately, my inspiration seems to be anything in the sky - birds, the moon, rooftops - I just love looking up and creating art that reflects what I see.

I'm definitely a mixed media gal: my work all originates with my camera, and then I leap forward from there. I collage, paint, and combine all my components digitally to create each piece, and I hand-make a line of art and housewares that feature my designs. 

I like to tell stories within my art, and my very favorite thing is to hear the memories or feelings that my work inspires. Seeing someone smile or hearing them relive a happy childhood moment because of something I created is so incredibly rewarding." 

Michele's website
Follow Michele on Facebook and Instagram

It's a pleasure to have Michelle here today. Her blend of media and story is fresh and sophisticated. And very personal to anyone who views it! I love looking at her work because I can invent my own story. Thanks for sharing your work with us, Michelle!  

Michelle is part of MamaCITA. They have a show opening next Sunday, Feb 8 at Cheltenham Art Center on Feb. 8, Cheltenham, PA (just outside of Philly). Look here for details. 

In My Art Journal

Week of January 4, 2015. Loads of inspiration from Creative Jump Start with stencils from StencilGirl

Pouncing on spaces of time between planning for fiscal responsibility in 2015. 

Round square and circles, those shapes of endless possibility.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone.

Gratitude

Gratitude is a simple thing. Humble. The act brings us down to the most basic element of humanity. If we can be thankful, everything else seems to take care of itself. If we are grateful, we have shifted the focus from self-centered to global. 

I forget to be thanksful, we all do.

I wonder, if we all remembered to be grateful more often, could we find ways to make our worlds and our world better and then have more to be thankful for? Do you think it works that way?

I am so grateful to you. Each time you look at my blog, make a comment, say "hello," I am gratified. Thank you. 

Love you all, Diana

Beatrice Coron, Artistcellar & Me

And a giveaway! 

UPDATE: 9/28 ... Congratulations Kim! You won the giveaway. Email me with your snal mail. 

I've been an admirer of Beatrice Coron's work for some years now. It was a bit of a thrill, really, to play with her images. These stencils are so cool. The stencils are available here on Artistcellar's site and here at Artcellar's blog is the list of artists participating in the hop plus a bunch of great ways to use these stencils.

I decided to reference Beatrice's papercutting work and use traditional Mexican papercutting techniques to create a Dia de los Muertos banner. I love these stencils! They are beautifully detailed and lighthearted. Here is the YouTube video. The supplies are listed below. I'm giving away a set of these stencils so leave a comment to throw your name in the hat!

Supplies:

Deli Paper (you could make a fabric banner as well. Use muslin and fabric paints)
paints
old credit card
stencil brush
glitter
Danse Macabre stencils
Stencil adhesive
Scissors
Glue Stick
Ribbon or cord

Have fun! I can see taking these alot further. Some white accents? Sequins and more glitter. If you are doing them on fabric, using some quilting or embroidery. Don't forget to leave a comment. International shipping is fine :) Yay! I'll pick a name on Sun, 9/28. Good Luck. 

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Danse Macabre & Artistcellar

TEXTures Stencil Blog Hop & Giveaway

Tutorial - Fabric Stencilled Phonecase

Danse Macabre & Artistcellar

Bloghop this week with Artistcellar's latest stencil series from Beatrice Coron. LOVE! Take a look below; the blog schedule with links as at the bottom. I'll be back on Thursday with a tutorial on what I was inspired to do. All of the bloggers are giving away a free set too. So hop around with us and leave a comment. 

 

I love Lisa's take on The Artist ... 

September 20th – Lisa Cousineau, Artistcellar www.artistcellar.com/wp
September 21st – Jill K Berry – jillberrydesign.com/blog
September 22nd – Janet Ghio – www.janetsartplay.blogspot.com
September 23rd – Cheryl Sleboda – http://blog.muppin.com
September 24th – Sarah Trumpp – www.wonderstrumpet.blogspot.com

You Can't Draw

Or can you?

It's hot and humid here and most extraneous thoughts are just blowing in and out of my head. I had an interesting discussion with a friend the other night though. We wondered (again) why people "can't draw."

Here's one story of why I thought I couldn't draw:  

One Halloween, when I was small (4 or 5) my mother asked whether "someone" would make a drawing of a witch on a broomstick. The idea was that she'd have my dad jigsaw it out of wood, put it in the window and backlight it. OOOOO scary ;). I was jumping up and down: "I'll do it, I'll do it." 

The job was given to my 14 year old brother. And so it begins. Chipping away at our natural confidence in mark making. I could go on but the real point of the story is that we all have these stories. Lots of them. That's at the base of why we "can't draw." 

What's your story? Can you think of one? It's helpful to start writing - pull out your journal and write. See if any memories come up. 

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sheesh

Birdies Again

First Friday Artist, Alyssa Holman

Alyssa is a 11th grader who contacted me last year to ask if I'd mentor her on her travel journal project for school. In this journal, Alyssa documented her trip to Africa. I was thrilled to work with this insightful and talented young woman. Today, she shares some of her art and thoughts. Here's Alyssa

Found at the Beach 

All the items on this spead were either bought or found while I was at the beach, or remind me of the beach. The colors in the spread represent the sand, and the image on both sides that says "Cherries" is a local fruit stand. 

What is Africa?

This spread to me represents the difference between tourist Africa and "real" Africa. As a tourist, all you see is t he the wealth of Africa; Cape Town is a luxurious city quite comparable to San Francisco. When you travel outside the city, you begin to see "real" Africa with the poor villages and the animals.

Faces of Africa 

I created these pages using a picture I took in an African village that I produced multiple times and layered. The children jump out at you from the page, and this is exactly how I felt while visiting the village. All the kids run up to you, eager to learn about you.

 

Alyssa has been inspired by Sabrina Ward Harrison, Dan Eldon amongst others. Her graphic visual style captivated me from the first. Alyssa's thoughtful insights are inspiring. She's sees to the heart of the thing.

It was fun to watch her thoughtful use of technique. I enjoy the graphic quality of her artwork and her composition is always so strong! All of this strengthens her message.

It's always such a revelation to see through young people's eyes. Thanks Alyssa!

Enjoy your 4th of July weekend, friends. 

Way Way WAY Back Machine

What is that lurking in the bottomest slot of the blue bookcase? 

Evidence of a zine addiction. 

Capacity by Theo Ellsworth was wonderful. More of a well-illustrated story than a zine. I treasure mine. My other #1 favorite was Pisces Rising by TL Getz. 

and a bit further down in the pile

Academic Excellence. Have an excellent weekend, my dear friends. I am busily shooting and editing videos for Watercolor Wildflowers. I've finally cracked the code to my new video app and the new iMovie app. App AAAACK! (Oh Goodie! This posts goes into the Unruly Posts category. I love putting things there. Much betterr than Etc. or Miscellaneous. Unruly is a very good thing to be. Except for hair. Especially in the summer. But other than that, unruly RULES :) That was a run on sentence in my mind. I just threw in some periods out of a sense of respect for you. 

Good grief. I better stop writing now