finalized
Posted: October 30, 2009 Filed under: art | Tags: acrylic, architecture, art, cut paper, illustration Leave a comment »It seems this blogging everyday is a but harder than I thought. A busy day at work coupled with class later in the evening did not leave me much time for the blogosphere yesterday.
I did keep one promise, though! Here is the finished version of the piece I had started on earlier this week. A much faster turn-around time than I’m used to!
in progress
Posted: October 29, 2009 Filed under: art | Tags: acrylic, art, clouds, cut paper, digital, house, illustration, illustrator, in progress Leave a comment »Wednesdays are the days I post my in-progress work. I didn’t get a ton of work done yesterday, so here is what I am currently working on:
You have all seen these pieces before. I usually tend to work more of a limited color palate, or atleast my colors aren’t usually this far off from each other (color spectrum wise). I sort of want to pull them together somehow and make the piece seem a bit moodier and about something. So, that’s where the digital rendering is coming in.
My guy makes music. He is insanely talented and often makes me feel talentless. Regardless, last weekend he started working on a song, and by yesterday evening, he was done. I told him that I could never work that fast. I think and try and plan too much. He told me he only allows himself a day or two to really work on one song. I thought this was interesting, as if that idea had never occured to me. So, I’m trying that with this piece. I’m hoping to have it finalized by Friday. We’ll see!
around the hood
Posted: October 27, 2009 Filed under: baltimore | Tags: baltimore, church, fall, kids, leaves, mt. vernon, wild thing, work Leave a comment »At a loss, really, of what to blog about today. I did notice though, that despite how drab it is today, the trees are changing color and the grey skies really make them pop. I walked around the neighborhood on my break today and snapped some photos.
There is this church that’s near my work and has this brightly colored door. I love the shape and the color of the door. A bit unconvential.
The same church also had some of their kids do “where the wild things are” and made some wild things. You should see the movie if you haven’t already. It’s a bit dark but very good.
over the weekend
Posted: October 26, 2009 Filed under: art | Tags: acrylic, art, baltimore, collage, cut out, etsy, illustration, sketch, thrift store, weekend 2 Comments »This is the first weekend in a while that I’ve not been out of town or had some momentousness event that has sucked up my entire weekend. I was looking forward to the laziness I often enjoy with the weekend. I went to the farmers market on Saturday and the thrift store later, which yielded this:
They might not look like anything now, but I will soon clean and fill them with my unused cut-outs and put them on an Etsy store. I have been meaning to do this for over a year; It is now that I find time for it. Overall I am disapointed with the selection of frames I saw at this particular thrift store. I had better luck when I was in Kansas City last year. I was going for cheap, quirky frames. Maybe gold and ornate? Not possible at the Padonia Road Goodwill! I need to expand my search. Perhaps inside the city.
Sunday was a good, lazy day. I spent most of it on this couch with this guy (and the cat):
He had just bought that comic and was eager to read it. I had my sketchbook with me so I doodled for a bit:
I also finished that house I scanned in last week. I need to clean up the edges a bit then with start to digitally assemble it with my other cut outs.
Halloween is next weekend and I’m looking forward to it. Some of my friends are having a party, and I’m going to be the Utz Girl. (Image google if you aren’t familiar). Tonight I travel to the iffy side of town to buy a black wig on the cheap.
illustrator : julie morstad
Posted: October 23, 2009 Filed under: Artists | Tags: art, Artists, illustration, illustrator, ink, julie morstad, neko case, pen, surreal, whimisical 1 Comment »So I’ve decided that every Friday I’m going to start posting an illustrator that I like and write a little blurb about him or her. It’s always good to keep looking. We don’t live in a vacuum.
So, without further ado…
Julie Morstad
I first saw her work on the Neko Case album cover of Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. I liked the illustration, but didn’t think about it too much afterwards. I was browsing through Book By Its Cover and saw some of her work up. It was then that I really got to look at it. It’s very delicate and has many intricies.
(the neko case cover)
I like Julie’s work because I enjoy that it’s part whimsical, part psychological, and intricately planned. The images, while surreal, don’t feel frightening. I think that the line quality coupled with the aloofness of a lot of her characters adds to the feeling I get that these are all matter-of-fact scenes and scenarios with a hint of melancholy.
Unrelated: There are two giagantic bags of candy that are sitting in the kitchen of my office. Opened, but it is candy that’s not for me, so I can’t eat it. Tragic.
for sale
Posted: October 22, 2009 Filed under: art | Tags: art, christmas, collage, cutting, illustration, little paper planes, prints, sale, velocity 1 Comment »I kept forgetting to post a couple of links, but I have stuff for sale on the interwebs:
I’m really happy that my stuff is up on both of these sites. Besides my work (of course) they both have some pretty cool stuff for sale. Check it out!!!
Somewhat unrelated, but one of my dreams is to some day own a cutting mat that is this size:
I would love to have a huge desk that is COVERED by a self healing cutting mat. Too bad they are very expensive. A girl can dream, I guess.
house, not a home
Posted: October 21, 2009 Filed under: art | Tags: acrylic, art, assembly, cloud, collage, cutout, house, illustration, paint, paper 2 Comments »Drew this today… a blue print if you will. 
Since my senior year of college, I have been preparing surfaces to paint on. I then use what I’ve painted on to cut out shapes and to use them in my work. I like this for a couple of reasons. I can control the colors used in my work yet can still do collage. I also like to paint, but am not a strong drawer. Painting on large pieces of paper satisfies my desire, but has a practical application. It also leaves me room to experiment with different papers, mark-making, etc..
I have recently been interested in using old sketchbooks and drawings pads. I found a few that were from Life Drawing and had tons of charcoal smeared on the pages. I thought this could work as a good ground, so I used a matte medium to prepare it for acrylics. I like that you can still see a ghost of the drawing underneath.
Both of these are to go along with what I’m currently working on:
The composition will definitely change and I’m going to go in digital to add some line work with it. That’s the beauty of digital assemblage I guess.
neko case and the new yorker festival
Posted: October 19, 2009 Filed under: music, Travel | Tags: neko case, new york, new yorker, songs, writing Leave a comment »
Okay, so Baltimore isn’t New York (which sometimes I’m really glad about), but I only live a 4 hour bus ride away. One of my best friends (who is obsessed with the New Yorker) alerted me that Neko Case was to be appearing at the New Yorker Festival on October 17, so that coupled with my dear friend’s arrival in New York City was enough for me to go.
I really like Neko Case. More than just a casual fan and listener, her music really speaks to me. Her whole attitude and the way she handles herself and her art are something I look up to and aspire to be.
The talk started out a bit shakey for me, as Neko and Sasha Frere Jones (the interviewer and host) sort of figured out what to talk about. The beginning of it was a bit specific- talking about a concert in New York that I hadn’t attended, and some show that she played with Elvis Costello that I hadn’t seen. Eventually, they got the meat and potatoes of the whole thing, and it was pretty interesting. I didn’t realize that although booked as a solo act, Neko Case has as much as a band as anyone else – they just don’t want to be in the spotlight. The members are very much a pack that write together and help to shape the songs. Neko said that she liked that whole group dynamic – when someone isn’t feeling themselves one day, the others can pick up the slack. It’s nice to work with people you believe in that much.
Another topic that was heavily discussed was the idea of filming and the role that social media and YouTube take on in music today. For example, minutes after a concert, videos can be uploaded to YouTube, you can tweet about the concert and share your experience. Her point was that it makes the concert less special when you do that and share with the world. Being a fan of social media, I relish the fact that others can share concerts and what they are doing but that doesn’t mean it’s without consequences. Her point is well taken, especially with the idea that something like filming is more focused on getting the shot rather than the feeling of the music at that time.
She and her band ended up playing 5 songs – Maybe Sparrow, People Got Alotta Nerve, Middle Cyclone, Margaret and Pauline and Vengeance is Sleeping. (Not in that order.) Middle Cyclone is an all-time favorite, so I was pleased with that selection.
Overall, I really enjoyed the talk. I wish that the meaning behind the songs (which I suppose is secondary in a lot of ways), or the inspiration to write certain songs. I guess it’s because I have such a reverence for her lyrics that I wanted the inside scoop on them. I could have asked her a question about it in the Q&A, but I couldn’t form a question that didn’t sound too loaded or too long winded. I was hoping to see her after she finished the talk, but she didn’t linger. Saddness.
blogging on a bus
Posted: October 17, 2009 Filed under: art, god bless the tigers, music, Travel | Tags: acrylic, collaboration, collage cut out, dodos, steph 1 Comment »Alas, I have already failed myself and have not posted an entry every weekday as I promised to myself. Yesterday was a very busy day at work and then I was not by my computer’s side all Friday evening. So, I’ve tried to make myself feel better and have downloaded the wordpress app for my iPhone, and am now blogging on my way to New York City. Tonight I am attending an event at the New Yorker festival. Neko Case will be having a conversation (with music!) with the New Yorker’s Sasha Frere-Jones. I’ll write about that on Monday.
In the meantime, I woke up to an email from Steph, my collaborater with the Dodos poster. I am excited for how it’s looking so far, so I’ll show it off:
