Spring Vacation

The blog will be on vacation until June 4. Happy Spring!

Thoughtful Thursday-Slow Muse

Slow Muse is a terrific blog by artist Deborah Barlow—thoughtful, intelligent, and from the heart. Her interest and sources are wide-ranging. I leave a visit to her blog with inspiration from her words and a list of artists and writers to explore. Here is how she describes it:

Slow Muse is about the raw material that influences a visual artist. The intake comes in from every imaginable corner—the earth, the body, space, books, poetry, ideas, technology, music, cuisine, architecture, wisdom traditions. What ties all of these observations together is my passion for art that makes you stop and pay attention.

What we need more of is slow art: art that holds time as a vase holds water: art that grows out of modes of perception and making whose skill and doggedness make you think and feel; art that isn’t merely sensational, that doesn’t get its message across in ten seconds, that isn’t falsely iconic, that hooks onto something deep-running in our natures. In a word, art that is the very opposite of mass media. — Robert Hughes

I particularly liked her April 14, 2013 post, Paying Attention. It starts with a quote from Susan Sontag—

Do stuff. Be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager.
–Susan Sontag

then goes on to discuss Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom by Rick Hanson, and quote from Agnes Martin— “Painting is hard work.”—and Alison Bonds Shapiro's article, Paying Attention. Deborah closes with this:

This approach to being with whatever shows up (Shapiro references her teacher Frank Ostaseski‘s admonition to “welcome everything; push away nothing”) asks for a kind of detachment that is often counter to the intimacy that develops between artist and artifact. We are, in that role as maker, both judge and jury, creator and destroyer. But there are moments when accessing that detached acceptance of everything would feel like a useful tool to have in my quiver.

Visit Slow Muse

Book Arts Tuesday-Ideation Cards

I love this set of Artist Book Ideation Cards by Barb Tetenbaum and Julie Chen. My set arrived yesterday from 23 Sandy Gallery. There are two sets: categories and adjectives. You divide the categories into 7 piles: Text, Color, Image, Paper, Layout, Structure, and Technique. You choose one card from each and 5 adjective cards. Use these to start a new project or invigorate one in progress.

Purchase information from 23 Sandy Gallery.

Studio Sunday-Flash Drive Key

My key shaped flash drive ready to go for an Indesign 6 lesson with my friend Marcia.

Thoughtful Thursday-Studio Visits

Walter Robinson is an art critic and painter who writes a column for Artspace. He was a contributor to Art in America from 1980-1996 and the founding editor of Artnet Magazine from 1996-2012. I particularly like his most recent column on studio visits.

"I wasn't expecting anything in particular—they were old friends who were just dropping by, after all—so I was amused at their reaction. The first thing the senior member of the pair did was to look around and say, "Hmmm, let me think, who would be good for you?" In other words, some gallery other than theirs.

Now, an artist in such a situation wants unqualified praise, naturally enough. But an art dealer must navigate with more care—because sometimes a mere smile can be mistaken as a promise. Practiced hands at the studio-visit business, these two knew how to put the hard truth out there right away, with as much grace as an artist might expect."

I've only had a few studio visits—to select work for an exhibition—and they were more comfortable than expected. Or maybe I was too tired from cleaning to not take it in stride.

SEE HERE: WHAT ARTISTS REALLY THINK OF STUDIO VISITS by Walter Robinson at Artspace

The Life and Times of Walter Robinson at Gallerist NY

Book Arts Tuesday-History of Typography Animated Short

Ben Barrett-Forrest has created an informative and totally charming animated short, The History of Typography. Thanks to Peter Verheyen of the Book Arts List for the alert.



Ben Barrett-Forrest's Digital Video Blog

Studio Sunday-Drawings

I've been doing some lettering using a half-inch automatic pen and holding it on its edge. I like the variation in the line and thought it would be interesting to play around with some drawings. Last week I spent a few hours one morning taking photographs and decided to do a quick test by tracing a few photos on the light box. I'm looking forward to playing more.