I'm at a peaceful crossroads at the moment, in between groups of projects. Recently completed 7 cards for a Valentine's swap, 6 pages in a traveling journal, and these Yup'ik-inspired drawings of dance fans/dance masks.
While looking through The Living Tradition of Yup'ik Masks by Ann Fienup-Riordan I was inspired to draw these. I just love the imagination, materials, shape, including asymmetry, of the Yup'ik masks. Can't help but wonder if it's genetic? Of course the materials (watercolor, pencil) aren't traditional at all. The second image is simply inverted (thanks, scanning software), but works just as well if not better.
Makes me wonder about taking some of my traditional hand-crafted pieces digital, just to see what's possible. Turns out playing with computers CAN be as fun as playing with art supplies.
What I consider to be my normal artwork is extremely detail-oriented, planned, and somewhat precisely executed (previous posts below show seed bead work). In order to expand the other side of my brain - the right side as they say - I am practicing watercolor. It started when another blogger mentioned loving her watercolor pencils, which piqued my interest. I bought a set for myself - and love them, too! Although the first picture below may look detailed and precise (I indulged myself here), when adding water you only have limited control, especially as a beginner. The paint, water and paper pretty much have their own party while you swirl and blot and try to participate. 
I copied this picture freehand from a traditional watercolor print, which was painted based on a photograph. After sketching with the pencils on watercolor paper, you are forced to let go during the water painting part. It's so fun. To stay right-brain oriented, I have committed only to practicing watercolor, never perfecting (kind of like yoga). As long as I don't get too uptight, it will always be fun! 
Ever the multi-tasker, I am also practicing Chinese watercolor. A few years ago my parents brought me a traditional Chinese watercolor set from China. After watching a bunch of how-to videos online, I started practicing from books. It looks so easy, but even the simplest shape is hard (for me). Still fun and relaxing to just practice.
I hung my recently finished wall art Spirals at the top of our spiral staircase. Just realized that - about the staircase, haha. Inspired by Celtic spirals, including Triple Goddess (in both summer and winter sun spiral direction) and equinox spirals. Stare at this for a while, then you'll start seeing spirals everywhere. The winter solstice is upon us, where will you be?
This week I had the chance to attend another SoulCollage workshop. Very fun (meaning: outlet for creativity) and relaxing, with some wonderful people. So amazing to meet random people and feel such a friendly connection. This is one of the cards I made.Last month I took my first class in circus! At the Kinetic Arts Center, or Oakland Circus and Fitness, you can learn various circus, uh, talents? In the intro class we learned rope climbing and acrobatics (not military style rope climbing, think pretty, glittery ladies twirling and writhing hundreds of feet up!) and static trapeze (as opposed to flying trapeze). It was incredibly fun, I can't wait to do more, like maybe aerial or tight rope! All those Pilates classes finally payed off - would have been lost without some ab strength. Yay Circus!
This is one of the larger beaded projects I've done. A 12" wreath, completed just in time to hand deliver to my mother for her birthday, during my trip to Anchorage. My next wreath won't be so ambitious, although I am pleased with the results. In any case, I have a gourd waiting to be decorated - can't wait to get back to that. The weekend I was in Anchorage was also the annual gathering of the Alaska Federation of Natives. My parents and I went and browsed through dozens of skilled artists' and artisans' showcases of beautiful Alaskan artwork of all types: skins, bones, tusks, beads. So much skill and talent I can't begin to describe them here!
I just realized this wreath fits perfectly with my 2nd picture for this blog: my homework from Helga's Art Challenge #1: Everything Circles. Too late to enter for any prizes, but it's just for fun anyway. I hope to catch up by challenge #4 and get a chance to win some art booty.
From a sister blogger, I discovered a really cool blog with regular artistic challenges: Helga's Weekly Art Challenge! This challenge was to use an inchie on a small collage (mine are 4" x 4"). I started with some re-sized photocopies of sea life (from my college biology book) and a somber cherub from an old Daniel B. Merriam calendar. I love these images together, plus the gold and reddish washes, and ended up making a total of three. I believe only 1 can be entered per contest, plus I missed the deadline (fooey!!), so I'm just doing what I can at this point. I will mount them in a row for a tiny, bat-ridden if not weird, Halloween-ish tryptic.
My "regular" artwork is very planned and detail-oriented, so I find collage or altered art extremely challenging - but in a good way. If nothing else it was worth it to learn about inchies which, as far as I can tell, have taken off like wildfire in the artistic community. Anything and everything that is 1" by 1" qualifies. There are so many fabulously creative inchies and artwork with inchies - use your favorite search tool to find hundreds of pictures of beautiful inchie art.
While looking through The Living Tradition of Yup'ik Masks by Ann Fienup-Riordan I was inspired to draw these. I just love the imagination, materials, shape, including asymmetry, of the Yup'ik masks. Can't help but wonder if it's genetic? Of course the materials (watercolor, pencil) aren't traditional at all. The second image is simply inverted (thanks, scanning software), but works just as well if not better.
Makes me wonder about taking some of my traditional hand-crafted pieces digital, just to see what's possible. Turns out playing with computers CAN be as fun as playing with art supplies.
