Sketching 13

Collages are super fun to make. Sometimes I just randomly grab images I have collected in a folder and try to make something with them. I really like how this one turned out.

Sketching 12

I really like those lattice shapes. I want to do more with them. They're just really fun to draw.

Sketching 11

More microbiology inspired sketches. I'm a little behind in scanning these--this drawing is from December of last year.

Starting a new business

I finally stopped talking, and took the plunge today, setting up an Etsy shop. I've been batting the idea around for a few years now, never getting to the point where I actually made the effort to put my words into action. It was always something I'd do "someday," or "when I have the time," or whatever. I had plenty of excuses for why NOW was never a good time. It'd come up in conversation, and I'd list out my ideas and plans, brainstorming as I went....but it never led to anything concrete.

I'm really good at making work but not much selling it. I've probably got over 50 paintings and collages sitting in my parents' basement right now (and another dozen or two stalled works-in-progress). I had a full time retail job for four and a half years that sucked away too much of my energy and focus. By the time I'd get home from work, I'd be too tired to do more than poke around in my studio for a bit. I only had time to work in bits and pieces. I was actually pretty productive, but just didn't have the mental energy to focus on setting up my art as a business.

And then last year, I totally fell off the art making wagon. I barely made anything of consequence in 2012. I wasn't feeling very motivated artistically, and it didn't help that my job was taxing my energy levels more and more. You only have so much to go around when you live with chronic health issues. Then, I started dating Colin, which was absolutely life changing...but I had a decision to make. I had to decide where I was going to focus my energy. Art? Or my relationship? I wasn't going to commit to both and then half-ass it. I knew I had to really commit to one and let the other slide (for a time). I chose Colin. Which turned out well:

photo by Steve Coleman

So, we got married in February, and I quit my job right before our wedding. I didn't have a plan for what I would do next, but I knew I couldn't keep working in retail. I didn't have another job lined up, but after talking with Colin at length about it, we decided that would be the best course of action. My knees, legs and feet were hurting all the time. On my days off, I always had to ration my energy and turn down doing anything that was too draining.
When I quit, I suddenly felt amazing. I felt so energetic and alive--it was quite a dramatic change!

After settling into married life, getting our new apartment in order and just adjusting to a new life, I started job hunting. I've been applying to jobs since February, landing a few interviews here and there, but no solid leads. The market is still competitive, especially for the entry level office positions I've been applying for.

In my free time, I've been getting back into making art more regularly again. But living in a one bedroom apartment, I have less art creating space and need to be more intentional about my projects. I've already finished one street art project in the last couple months. It was a simple, small series and didn't take long to make and distribute. I wanted to settle into my next big, long term project, but didn't want to clutter up my apartment with artwork collecting dust. And I was ready to transition away from the assemblages I'd been making since college. I had started feeling like I was just repeating myself; my work didn't feel like it was evolving or going in any new directions. Being without a job and a lot of free time on my hands, I'd been feeling a bit directionless over the last couple months.

And then my older brother sent me over 50 small boards (about 4inx6in) as a wedding present (art materials are always a great gift!). A small germ of an idea started growing, and I realized now would be the perfect time to finally create that Etsy shop. Here was a chance to challenge myself to work in a more simple and pared down style so that I could make paintings with a more affordable price point.

So I've spent the majority of the day setting up my shop and listing items. I feel really confident in what I've done so far. It's time for me to stop saying, "someday" and starting putting my ideas into action.

You can check out my Etsy shop to browse through more pictures of what I have for sale: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AbstractAmbience

Petri Dish Street Art Series

It's been far too long since I hashed out a street art idea to completion....well, actually any art project for that matter. Over the last year, I've been doodling a lot and jotting things down in my sketchbook...but I haven't actually finished much work. This week that's going to change.

A box of a couple dozen heavy duty glass disc things came my way a while back. I knew they were too awesome to pass up (especially since they were free!), but didn't have any idea what to do with them at the time. They've been stuffed away in my parents' basement until just a few days ago, when I was picking up some more of my art materials. That box of potential has been in the back of my mind for a while--I was just mulling over the possibilities of what I might do with these glass objects. 

Behold, the Petri Dish series! 

Petri Dish #2

Colin actually suggested that name, and it's perfect. The glass circles reminded me of looking through a microscope. And I like microbiological lifeforms, especially creating art that looks like those microbes out of craft supplies.
So, in the next couple weeks, I'll finish creating these and send them out into the wide world. If you want one, just let me know, otherwise you'll have to keep your eyes peeled while out and about in the Twin Cities.

Petri Dish #4

Sketching 10

Investigating microbiology organisms more. They're always so colorful in textbooks too.

Jewelry ideas

I've been asked by many different people whether I make jewelry. I never really felt any inspiration because most of my ideas had already been done and much better than I could do. But I've sketched out lots of ideas. I drew some recently that I decided to try to actually make.

I get a lot of my inspiration at work

Cardboard is plentiful at my job, so that's the material I chose for my first go at it. It's easy to work with and if something doesn't work out, it's not a huge loss.

Attempt 2

Attempt 1

I wore this one at work the next day.

I figured out that I need to paint both sides--more mileage out of the same piece! Also, I'm going to coat these in resin so they're more durable. I wore the second necklace all day at work, and it held up really well.

It was really fun playing around, and I'm definitely going to make more! 

Sketching 9

I drew this in church last Sunday. There was a lady sitting in front of me wearing a really cool crocheted shirt,  and I just had to make sure I remembered the part of the pattern I really liked. I never know where inspiration will strike, that's why I always carry a small sketchbook with me.  

Sketching 8

I think thoughts of summer were swimming in my head when I colored this in  a while back. And now it's hot here, so I'm wishing it were cooler again. Oh how fickle we Minnesotans can be when it comes to our weather!

Collage 3

More collage fun! 

Collage 2

Same collage, two different color choices. Sometimes I just like to see if the composition holds up if I take the colors away. Color can distract from poor layout. I actually like both of these a lot--the colored one for the bright popping hues, and the sepia one just has a completely different feel even though it's the same image.

Collage 1

A pen pal friend of mine sent me a small sketchbook to fill up and send back to him. It's kind of like what I did with the Sketchbook Project a couple years ago, except this is just for one person. I haven't gotten very far on this book though--life has gotten surprisingly full of late, in a good way.

Anyways, this is a collage I put together earlier today (it's page 19, so it's not like I've been completely slacking off). I usually make pretty detailed, complex collages, so it's fun to try to make very pared down, simple ones. I've always enjoyed creating these--I find it very relaxing, especially all the time it takes to cut out all the pictures. People sometimes just assume it's a print or something I've put together in Photoshop, because I can make the edges really seamless. Nope, all done by hand. I've just given myself a lot of practice over the years cutting very delicately with scissors and exacto blades.

Sketching 7

These drawings were definitely influenced by the sermon I was listening to at church that day. It's two different visual interpretations of what I was mulling over as my pastor spoke. I think it's pretty obvious what was being talked about.

Sketching 6

I've been playing around recently with incorporating elements of microbiology into my work. I get my best inspiration while sitting in church actually.

Sketching 5

Another page from my little sketchbook that I keep in my purse. The markers I use bleed through the pages a lot of the time, which sometimes influences what I draw on the next page.

Sketching 4

The blue scribbles in the background are words--actually a prayer. When I talk to God, I have a hard time staying focused sometimes, so I like to write down what I'm thinking to stay on track. However, there are times when I don't want any legible writing left for anyone else to be able to read. It's a private conversation between me and Jesus. But I do want a record of it in some form to jog my memory. So, I write across the page normally, then I turn my sketchbook and write going another direction. I keep doing this until it's illegible and I've gotten everything off my chest. It's very cathartic actually. I might not even remember later what exactly was on my mind, but I remember that I talked to God about it and He knows what I scrawled across the page.
I don't usually go back and add anything else, but I was sitting in church doodling the other day (like usual) and saw the outline of this shape.

Sketching 3

Another fun doodle. 

Sketching 2

This is a relaxation exercise for me. I scribble over the whole page really fast, then go back and color it in.

Sketching 1

Here's a peek into my sketchbook. I just drew this the other day. I'm trying out some new ideas, just figuring out how I might incorporate micro-organisms into my work. Also, I'm trying to be more loose when I draw and letting things be more organic and less uptight.

Fresh inspiration

This is a magnified view of a bacterium. Sort of looks like a doily, doesn't it? I've always been interested in microbiology actually--I like looking at diagrams of cells and other micro organisms because they're so visually appealing to me.

My sister, Hannah, recently shared this pink image with me, and suggested I might want to look at other magnified images like it to inspire me. I Googled a bunch of different diseases and found some interesting images. Horrible illnesses, bad bacteria and viruses can be quite beautiful when seen under a microscope. They're obviously some sort of coherent structure with their own symmetry, but organic and natural enough that it's not too geometric. It's natural not man-made. I'm intrigued by that balance between structure and randomness.

My work in the past has been slightly influenced by this background interest in microbiology but only subtly. I've been thinking about genetics and inheritance off and on for awhile, but I didn't feel like I could convey those ideas in the way I wanted to. As I've expanded my repertoire of art making materials and played around in the studio recently, I feel like I'm getting closer to the heart of what I want to convey with my art.

I think this is going to be a more overt inspiration from now on. More to come....