Month of the Moleskine - Day 9

Hi. How was your Monday? What's on tap for today? 

I admit, I didn't have as much to give today as I did yesterday.  I don't know exactly why, but my motivation was waning.

To see the whole "Moleskine of the Month" drawing collection, mosey over yonder.  

On another note: If I was still teaching, today would have been my first day back to work. Though I do miss the regular paycheck and the students, I still feel happy with my decision to stay "retired" from teaching for a time. I'm grateful that I have this time and opportunity to pursue some other options. 

 

And lastly: I have a new idea to share/ask you about later on today or tomorrow.  Stay tuned and ta-ta for now!

Commission is done. Now it's time to party!

Hi! It's been a while. Sorry about that...I have been trying to put all of my effort into finishing up my Tinker commission....And now......It's complete!  What a relief!

Piece #9 features furniture that the home owner, Robert Tinker made himself.  This beautiful table and chair set is all made of root-wood, that was masterfully jigsawed together. This was a tough one to do....Lots of little nooks and crannies to render.

The last piece features a chair I found in the upstairs hallway, that overlooks the study.  The amount of care and craftsmanship put into this house is amazing to me....I mean, even this seldom seen hallway has a beautifully carved fireplace!

I will be delivering the works up to Tinker this weekend so that they can be installed for the opening on April 13th. I'll be there with bells on! Hope to see you there too.

Here are the details:

Opening Reception
Friday, April 13, 2012, from 5-9pm

Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum

411 Kent Street, Rockford IL 61102

All 10 pieces will be on display inside the Tinker house.
Prints and greeting cards featuring my new Tinker works will be available for sale.
The works will also be on display on Saturday, from 3-9 pm in the Tinker Visitor Center.

The opening is in conjunction with Rockford's Spring Artscene, so make a night of it and see art all over town. http://www.springartscene.com/

To get a sneak peek of all 10 of my new works, visit my new website:
http://jenniferjohansson.com/

Ta-Ta for now! 

I Gotta be Me

Hi.

If you've spent anytime on Etsy or Pinterest lately or just follow design/fashion trends, you've probably noticed that the chevron pattern is really hot right now.  Its on clothes, pillows, prints, walls, furniture and floors. Everywhere!

You may have also noticed that yellow and gray are especially trendy colors at the moment.  I mean look at this Etsy search! I didn't search for yellow or gray, just typed in chevron and this was the first page of results.

I like the chevron pattern, and I really like yellow and gray. These are colors that I have used many a time in my work. So I decided to embrace/capitalize on these hottest of trends and create a yellow and gray chevron piece.

This is what I came up with first.........Ugh.

I sort of like the texture that's created with the application of the white gel pen and the playful imperfection of the stripes (I wasn't patient enough to plan or measure). Still, it seemed flat and unimpressive overall.

I decided to add a little dark with a black Micron pen. That did help to give this a bit more dimension and finish, but still, in my view, this piece is a yawn.  What do you think? I looked at it for a day, and decided just to move on for now, and I made this.

"Gotta be Me" utilizes the same color scheme and angularity of the chevron piece, but is indeed more "me".  Is it my most favorite piece I've ever made? No, but it seems more authentic and a whole lot less forced.  I'll probably make a few more like it to really get it right.


There are most certainly some lessons to be had here. We as artists want to sell, and make things that others want to buy, but it shouldn't be our sole reason for creating. Your art needs to make you happy too!  Yes,  it is good to branch out, try new things, and find inspiration from the work of others,  but it's not smart to hop on a bandwagon just because it's hot. We end up making work that seems forced and pedestrian.  And if there are pages and pages of images featuring this hot trend, why make one more?

So friends, do you have any similar experiences/lessons learned from hopping on the bandwagon? I'd love to hear about them!

Ta-Ta for now.