i art a day.

Over the past week I’ve been pretty much glued to facebook, posting photos and tweeting about this project so if you know me through pretty much any social outlet you’ve seen it already. But, nothing’s official till it’s blogged about, right? I spent most of last week making geometric paper lanterns for a window design competition in Old City Philly, as part of DesignPhiladelphia. Each of the lanterns was printed with a vintage or colorful cheese label image, and constructed with a fancy-pants geometric pattern.

Each person/group was given a window to design, and I chose the Old City Cheese Shop window, because well – I love cheese! The idea started with a strand of christmas lights, then turned into travel and European photos, and emerged as cheese label lamps. Ultimately easy to make, just paper, printer, glue, Ikea hanging lamp and light bulb – it was really very Zen-like cutting folding and gluing each piece. In total I made nine lamps, but the largest ones are my favorites. 

DesignPhiladelphia runs from Oct. 7 – 13 (I think) and true to any competition, you can vote on which windows you think are the coolest! So, if you feel so inclined head over and VOTE! =)

It was nice to really get my hands dirty again. It felt a little bit like college again working late into the night and getting a board ready for a deadline, but this time I actually managed to get everything done on time and was mostly satisfied with the end result. If you’re on N. 3rd street in Philly sometime this week, go check it out and tell me what you think!

Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that I live in the “City of Brotherly Love”, especially over the past few days when the city has left me questioning whether there is in fact more good in this world than bad. With depression mounting I left for ballet class around 6:15, made a quick trip to the bookstore to buy a replacement journal and then headed to class. There’s nothing like a tough workout to focus the mind and put worries aside, but after an hour & 45 minutes in the slippers the frustrating events of the past couple of days washed over me again as I walked, sweating and beat back to the subway. While waiting somewhat patiently for the train to arrive I scanned the ads across the platform and this one caught my eyes:

Sweet, but not exactly par for the graffiti scene in Philadelphia – or the mural arts scene. So after a quick browse over to aloveletterforyou.com I found out that this mural is just one of about 50 murals being painted in West Philly along the subway/el line. “A Love Lettermeant for one but with meaning for all is being painted from 63rd to 45th Street on the rooftops and walls of Market Street by Overbrook native Stephen Powers and the youth of West Philadelphia,” says the project’s blog. A great story about the project was also written over at philly.com.

So maybe there are those people out there who will try to break your spirit or shake your confidence or threaten you. But, it’s nice to see a love letter every now and then to remind you that there are people trying to make this city, and this planet, a more loving, supportive, and soulful (not to mention creative, beautiful, and colorful) place. I look forwarding to taking a ride out through West Philly and back sometime soon. A few more love letters for you:

(top-most photo of the Felties booth by Sqrl&BeeStudio – Melissa Frueh)

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the semi-annual Philadelphia Buyer’s Market as a member of the press for the Handmade Philly blogging community, and what a show! Many of the artisans that I spoke to who had done the show previously remarked that it was a small show, but my mind was blown as it took me 3 hours to walk from one side of the convention hall to the other looking at all of the work.

The Buyer’s Market is a private show, usually only open to those who wish to sell their handmade goods wholesale to industry professionals. It’s not like an art/craft show in that buyers are there to look at and order work in bulk.  The investment on the part of artists exhibiting their work is high (usually a booth space costs between $1,500 – $3,500 a show), with the potential for a big return if their work manages to charm a couple of wholesale buyers. The work ranges from jewelry, wood, mixed media, paper goods, fashion, beauty, ceramics, glass, sculpture, fine art, to housewares.

With over 1,500 artists displaying their work, there’s no way I could fairly summarize everything I looked at and loved. So, instead I’ll be highlighting about a dozen sellers that really caught my eye over a 3 part blogging adventure! Let’s get started!

1. Homemade Circus by Tammy Smith

This whimsical little booth delighted me to no end with circus themed wire lamps, wall hangings with attached brooches, standing sculptures and big top flare. “On an abandoned pier in Brighton, England I found my inspiration. The carnival on the pier had burned to the ground. Only the steel frame existed and hundreds of birds had made it their home…this became the basis for a lot of my work,” wrote Tammy Smith on her website. A little sweet, a little dark and completely delightful. For your buying pleasure more Homemade Circus is also on Etsy at homemadecircus.etsy.com.

2. Dovetail by Margaret & Josh Smith

Simple and elegant ceramics with charming hand drawn designs. Each piece is handmade with several illustrations including bicycles, alphabets, chairs, neighborhoods, ocean life, and poppies. Way cooler than white Ikea plates. Pick up some of your own at the Dovetail Etsy shop: dovetail.etsy.com.

3. Revolutionary Designs, Inc.by Rick & Donna Chrisman

These baskets are so finely made that it’s stunning how consistant the craftsmanship is for handmade baskets and boxes. Working in Arizona, the Chrismans base much of their work on Shaker crafts and designs. Not only are they exceptional baskets, but the wood and oils smell so great!

4. Christine Originals

These shadowbox dioramas remind me of travels and beloved classic movies, with scenes set in Paris, New York, Florence, and Venice among others. There are also color dioramas of nursey rhymes and fairy tales, as well as fantastic still lives (some even light up!). Shown just a tad smaller than actual size – amazing, right?!

Part 2 of the Philadelphia Buyer’s Market review on Friday!

Earlier this month I took myself to see the ballet at the Academy of Music here in Philadelphia, armed with a sketchbook and camera. While the ballet certainly isn’t everyone’s taste, it’s still a very inspiring form of entertainment for me. At points during the performance the music and dance were so intense that I absolutely couldn’t pull my eyes away from the stage to put pencil to paper, and was almost overwhelmed by the performance in front of me. It helped sitting only 5 rows back from the orchestra pit as well.

If the ballet isn’t really your thing (give it a try – it captivated Degas after all) then you should still find some excuse to visit the Academy of Music. This historic building is one of the most moving I’ve been to in my not so fair city. Generally I’m not a huge fan of the Baroque (Roccoco?) but walking into the main performance space really is like walking down the aisle in a different time entirely. It’s not the largest classical theater I’ve been in, but it’s certainly one of the most beloved.

In September I wrote about a couple of artists that really impressed me at the Rittenhouse Fine Art Show here in Philly, and the show was held once again this past weekend. There were several of the same artists as last year (including most of the ones previously highlighted) and a couple of people who caught my eye for the first time this year. Two are printmakers (etching) and one is a very unique mixed-media painter.

Grant Silverstein www.grantsilverstein.com Etchings

Another Difficult Kiss

These etchings immediately brought back to life images from storybooks and historical illustrations, Renaissance romances and plagues. With subjects including myth & allegory, realism, nudes, landscapes, as well as miniature works, Silverstein’s etchings are infinitely fascinating to look at. The detail and style of each print draw the viewer in and invite them to stay for a while, to meditate on the subject as well as the technical mastery of the print. He has also illustrated two published books and has hundreds of prints to date, all of which can be previewed on his website.

Keith Grace www.grace-design.com Mixed Media Paintings

Ad Man Blue

Fun and bright, the work of Keith Grace caught me off guard. After spending a couple of minutes looking over the pieces on display I was unexpectedly hooked on the images. Part collage, part painting, part photography, these pieces are absolutely delightful and appealing to the eye. Perhaps they aren’t soothing in the diluted neutral bowl of fruit still life kind of way, but they certainly elicit a lifting of spirits and ease of demeanor. Grace has also launched a line of prints and products called “Hip Dog Cool Cat” based on his animal works which can be found at www.hipdogcoolcat.com.

Fuchsia & Hero Hat

George Raab www.georgeraab.com Etchings

Mystree V

Many of the prints in George Raab’s collection are extremely large and executed with such expertise that they appear to be vintage black and white images. Some of his pieces have also been colorized for an interesting effect. These large prints are both elegant and eerie, with a cool aura even during the hottest months.

Mystree VI

Over the past week I’ve gotten a couple of new toys to enhance my digital artistic repertoire including a newly refurbished Nikon Coolpix S52 (to replace my S5 that I unfortunately lost in New York last month)

and a Canon CanoScan LiDE 200 to bring my apartment into the 21st century! I’m one of those people that has hundreds upon hundreds of printed images that I need to get scanned one of these days, and it’ll no doubt be helpful to the blogging =)

And of course I couldn’t resist showing you the first shots with the new camera:

Have a great weekend!

A little reminder to anyone and everyone in the Philadelphia region, the craft show which I will excitedly be participating in is THIS SUNDAY!!! The deatils are:

I’m super excited about the whole deal and have been spending my days making a lot of books for the occasion! ALSO, my good friends over at Studio 27.28 will be having a tent sale on Sunday as a compliment to the Fairmount Arts Crawl that’s also taking place. Sorry for the lack of more post today – but I’ve got plenty more books to make!

everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right? well here we are. i’ve decided to start a design/painting/paper/film/art/anything blog to inspect the creativity happening around me as well as the things that i create. above all, nothing can be developed and refined without practice and the goal is to take a picture or find something new to think about or complete a piece everyday. maybe this place will serve as a space for inspiration on days when nothing will come, or as a despository for loose ends.

day one.

last night i went to first friday downtown, which was great because i don’t think i’ve been to one in over a year. some of the work was good, some of the work was bad, some of it was inspiring, and the rest i guess i just don’t remember. it seems like there has been an influx of “urban” art in the gallery scene. work once confined to overpasses and abandoned buildings has been recreated on canvas and hung on white walls in old city galleries, going for thousands a pop. some of these pieces were brightly colored, smooth and exaggerated while others mimiced the walls where the art would be found out in the real world with surly images collaged like newspaper clippings and paint strewn across the surface like the drops from a spray paint can.

don’t get me wrong, i love the aesthetic quality of graffiti (well, good graffiti anyway) but half of the attraction is the illegality of it all, and the resistance of the social norms. it’s a political and cultural statement, that i’m not sure is made when hung in a gallery by the cheese and wine. it’s almost as if the elite are buying the work, making the statements inconsequential…making them void of all meaning. those same people that the resistance is against are the ones browsing through the images. many graffiti artists have an absurd amount of talent, which is why i think their work should be on gallery walls next to the work of any acrylic or oil painter, but maybe the subject should be reconsidered? it’s toss up, what is gained and what is lost by bringing this form of art indoors?

a couple of people i was inspired by:
ken vallario
arcenio martin campos
mike ming

also, it’s not often kelly drive is closed down and it’s super nice out, so while biking up to the art museum this afternoon i got to stop and take some photos of the other side of the street for once. nothing fancy, just a snopshot or two.

hopefully i can get some nice photos this year of the seasons changing. i’m not so much interested in the precision of the photo as i am in the quality of the color.

one more thing: i’m open to thoughts and ideas from everyone else. if there’s something you like (or don’t like) or something you want to see, just drop me a note and tell me about it. thanks!

- jenny