2014 is my year to quit lurking and become an active participant on Illustration Friday: http://illustrationfriday.com/
In this image Mylo is lost in the weeds but is still continuing his SEARCH.
Tag Archives: cat
There is NEVER enough space!
Is it time to rent studio space?
I’ve never been accused of being the most organized or tidy person, but as my work grows in size I find my actual living space to be on the verge of extinction. There are paint brushes in my bathroom sink, half finished canvases stacked in my living room, and don’t even get me started on my computer/polymer clay/shipping room.
So when should I say enough is enough? Is rented studio space in my near future?
This isn’t the first time I’ve considered it. In fact, I’ve sat down on several occasions and written out the pros and cons of having a space dedicated to art production. The PRO list is quite long. It includes the implied structure having a separate “work place” would give to my work schedule, being able to turn my house into a home rather than a work space, and oh so much less cat hair imbedded in my work.
Number one on the CON List is cost. Do I really need to add monthly rent to my list of expenses? Would I move only my paints and clay offsite but keep my computer work and shipping at home? Would I forever being traveling back and forth between home and studio to pick up forgotten items?
It’s all food for thought but, as summer art season grows closer, it will be put on the back burner once more. So — if you fall in love with a piece of my work at a show this summer season please excuse the stray cat hair or two. It comes from my models and only serves to increase the value of the work 🙂
You can see a selection of my work at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SilentMyloStudio
Having Some Fun with Art History
Art History Three: DINE-er Jacket
Like most artists, I like to think that my work is completely original. With the exception of long ago assignments in art class I’ve never set out to create a copy of another artist’s work; but there’s a difference between copying and finding inspiration in the work of another. About a year ago I started a small mixed media piece based on a Van Gogh self portrait. In addition to my rendition of Van Gogh’s painting I also referenced Warhol’s multiple images and Parmigianino’s Madonna with the Long Neck. Next I tackled Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, keeping the Warhol multiple image format. My latest piece, and the largest of the three at 30″(h) x 24″(w), pays homage to Jim Dine’s Pop Art Robe’s of the 80’s and 90’s. Unlike my other sources of inspiration, Jim Dine is still very much alive and creating and exhibiting new work.
While each of these pieces found their inspiration in the works of others, I’ve included enough “Kurek” in them to assure that they could never be viewed as “copies”. They are instead original works that are having a bit of fun with art history.
You can find my originals and prints in my Etsy shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SilentMyloStudio?ref=si_shop
Art History One: Van Gogh Meets Warhol Meets Parmigianino Meets Kurek
Art History Two: Moanin' Lisa
Starting Anew
For all the grumbling about Mondays one thing is for sure, they give us the opportunity to start anew. Last week was NOT a good week for me as an astist. I spent a good portion of it working on projects that focused a spot light on where my abilities as an artist stopped. I was so frustrated by mid-week that, had I run across an underground tunnel labeled “For Failures Only”, I gladly would have crawled in.
Thankfully, that was last week, and I used this Monday to start on a new series. Simpler and more dependent on line drawing than my big, color saturated mixed media works, these paintings are on paper, are far less time consuming and will appear in my shop (in print form) by mid-week.
As for that tunnel — good thing it was only a figment of my imagination 🙂
You can find prints of the new work along with others in my Etsy shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SilentMyloStudio?ref=si_shop