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Artists who Inspire

Art Journal Preview – “Text Book”

By Inspiration Book

On Monday, June 2nd at 6:00 at the Creative Access Arts Center at 500 S. 8th in Boise I will be sitting on a panel discussion about Art Journaling with four other artists, Pam McKnight, Lisa Cheney, Beau Van Greener and Jeanette Ross.

Kathleen Keys will be leading the discussion. If you are in town you should come on down, and bring your own art journal to “show and tell” with the other artists after the panel speaks. That’s when it should get really interesting!

Here’s a preview of one of my art journals, “Text Book,” which is a Travel & Leisure magazine I folded and then drew patterns all over using Sharpies.

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Tomorrow I’ll preview a completely different kind of art journal which I keep with ideas for painted rugs. Prepare to be floored.

HeARTy Birthday, Pat Oleszko!

By HeARTy Birthday!, Inspired By

In case you ever start to take yourself, or especially your art, too seriously you should spend a little time with New York’s inflatable art vamp, the Grande Dame of ribald performance art, Pat Oleszko.

She’s a complete loon.

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Pat has cut a sassy swath from burlesque dives to NYC’s Museum of Modern Art, with her unrepentant comic, and social critiques using film, performances, and installations.

She has even performed “Shakespeare in the Bark.”

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Here she is as “The Pasta Madonna” from the Roamin’ Holiday: A View From a Broad.

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And here as “The Glad-He-Ate-Her” from the Roamin’ Holiday: A View From a Broad.

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Go see lots more at her website and then, lean out a window wherever you are, and shout out “HeARTy Birthday, Pat Oleszko!” because today’s her happy day!!

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Blog-clog

By Everything Else

I’m going to try something new. No, I didn’t see it one time in a cartoon, but I am looking for a little mental animation to help me unclog my blog. Or, to at least unclog my mind when it comes to my blog.

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One of my favorite ways to pretend I’m working is to explore other artists blogs, and to compare and contrast everything — the look, the frequency of postings, the content, the goofiness, the works.

Not surprisingly, I like all kinds of domestic-artistically oriented content, and I like smart, irreverent writing, but the blogs that keep me coming back tend to be the ones with the most frequent, often daily, postings.

A great example is the blog of Lisa Congdon.

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Lisa’s really good about posting a new painting, or a lettered quote, or an update of her sewing adventures — pretty much every day.

That’s probably why she has fortygazillion followers.

Well, I want all four of MY followers to know that the “something new” I’m going to try is to be just like Lisa Congdon, and post a little something every day.

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“Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” — Copykat

My plan is to post one photo of whatever I’m working on with a few words, every day. Some days I may have a lot more than that. Some days I may just have a photo. But I will have a little something every day.

Blog unclogged.

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Confluence

By Inspired By

I’ve been working on a woodcut for a collaborative print which I’ll be producing with three other artists at Wingtip Press. Our piece features a bird’s eye view of the Boise River which runs through each of our very differently patterned blocks and ties the four pieces together. Each of us chose a theme appropriate to the river — cottonwood fluff, a nest of goose eggs in the tall grass, trees along the river’s bank, and my block which has an overall pattern of feathers.

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The process of creating the block has been really satisfying as I had forgotten how much fun it is to carve one, and then be able to make multiple images. I literally had not carved a block since I was 9 years old!

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While all of this was going on, I got together with a new friend I met a year ago but had not been able to reconnect with until now, and who I’m sure I’ll be sharing more information about in future posts — Betsy Balch. Betsy designs scarves which she produces and sells, and I have one of her beautiful cashmere “bandana” designs (which is frankly awesome with my painted cowgirl boots!).

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Betsy loaned me one of her favorite inspiration books (which I will also be covering in a future post) called The Printed Square which is a picture book of vintage handkerchiefs like this one:

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Now, I don’t know about you, but my mind can’t help but make one of those “SET” combinations I’m so fond of out of all of these things. And then, throw in the Boise river too, and what have we got? We’ve got confluence!

Confluence: the coming together of 2 or more streams, people, or things; their place of junction; assemblage.

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I LOVE this kind of thing! Birds of a feather coming together my peeps. Birds of a feather!

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Go to Your Studio and Make Stuff

By Everything Else, Inspired By

I’m sure you’re familiar with this sentiment, and maybe even with this poster by Fred Babb…

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which pretty much sums up the time that I have spent NOT working on this blog in the past few days, as well my excuse for what will probably amount to very spotty blog posting in the next couple of weeks.

I have a crapton of work to do for my public art piece for Treefort which needs to be done by the first week in March and I am simultaneously selecting, arranging, and hanging the TVAA exhibition “Metamorphosis” opening at the offices of Boise State Public Radio on March 7th. Plus I have a little project called “See Spot Walk” which needs my attention. Just sayin’.

So to inspire you to go to YOUR studio and make stuff in the hope that time will fly by for all of us, here are some photos from the studio of Marilyn Frazier.

We had Art Friday at her home last week and Marilyn let me take some pictures to share with you…

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These are some papers which have been painted and stenciled and which will be used as book covers or on boxes.

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You can always find a sharpened pencil in Marilyn’s studio!

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Each of these books is handmade by Marilyn. She paints the papers, and sews the bindings choosing the beads the way you would decide which necklace best complimented your dress.

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Lots of little boxes, some covered with painted papers.

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Work in progress.

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The view from Marilyn’s studio out to her garden and the chicken and duck run. The very happy chickens’ and ducks’ run. Marilyn is a vegetarian.

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More beautiful books completely handmade by Marilyn.

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Just in case you were wondering what you should make once you get to your studio.

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My plan is to continue dervishing (I just decided to make that the adjective, whirling is so tired) away in MY studio and I will blog visual updates as I’m able.

Meanwhile I’m trying to convince Lula to take over the blog for me — just until I can get through the next few weeks.

Does she look convinced?

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Well, we’ll see you when we see you!