Always in Progress

I can't think of a time where I don't have at least one painting or project of some sort in progress. Even if I neglect my studio for a week or two it's nice to know I have something to get working on right away. That being said, I have several things in progress right now and here are some images from tonight.






Necklace!

Posed photo = awkward smile.

So last night I made a necklace! I can't wait to make more, I thought of jewelry designs all day at work today. This one is made with a wooden round chip and a chipboard button. I sprayed it with a clear gloss sealant, but I would like to try resin at some point.


Letterpress

Laura is my Fest Friend for life and partner in crime for the upcoming Punk Rock Postcards project. I got this lovely letterpress card the other day that she made! I have such amazing and creative friends. Check out her work here!


Left and Leaving

Red Rock Canyon, NV

Sometimes the thought of going to live in the middle of nowhere sounds so great. Then I realize that after about two days I would miss being around, ya know, stuff. So I enjoy being able to visit beautiful places like Red Rock then go back to the hustle and bustle of the city.

I'm Alive!


Red Rock Canyon.


I survived Vegas! We spent a good amount of time out in Summerlin and Henderson going to casinos out there in addition to the typical stuff on the strip. Freemont Street was neat as usual. I got tattooed at Downtown Tattoo while I was out there! Pictures will be up as soon as I have good ones of the tattoo and other various vacation photos soon.

In regards to the upcoming new year....I don't really do resolutions because let's be honest, who sticks to that? BUT I really need to "get my shit together" and the new year is a perfect time for a fresh start. I'm looking forward to what 2011 brings and what I will accomplish.

Happy New Year everyone! If you're in Chicago make sure the check out The Copyrights/Cheap Girls/Sidekicks/Love & Squalor at the Fireside Bowl 12/31/10.

Oh Hi

Well a few days after the Late Bar gift fair I got a pretty bad cold and it's still kinda lingering. I haven't been working on anything, just been hibernating and drinking whiskey hoping that will finally get rid of this cold. I opened my Xmas presents from Sarah today and she sent me some awesome supplies! Buttons, palette knives, canvas, and so many random goodies!

I've been scanning some sketchbook pages. These are my glasses. NERD POWER. I made some buttons with this drawing and they look damn good, I'm going to make more and probably have 'em in my Etsy shop at some point.

Hope everyone has a good holiday, I'll be partying it up in Vegas! I can't wait for sun and 50 degree weather.


Embroidery Inspiration



I absolutely love Joetta Maue's work. I keep her blog in my reader feed and love seeing the progress of her projects. There is an amazing quality and delicacy to her work that makes me so happy and inspired. The amount of work she does is astonishing and makes me feel so lazy! I am looking forward to doing some embroidery projects soon, it's been awhile.

Click here for the original blog post.

Photos from Late Bar

Taking over the dance floor

My set-up



I got some lip balm from the lovely Natalie and absolutely love it! I went with the Rose scent; make sure to check out her Etsy shop here.

Another Boring Title

I'm running out of ways to say "hey lookit here at some shit I'm working on". So yeah....here ya go.

The Ramblings of a Frustrated Artist



Recently I checked out my first episode of CraftyPod and host Sister Diane was interviewing Scott Belsky, founder of Behance. They were discussing his book, Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality. I was intrigued and am now reading this book and at only halfway through I already am amazed with what I have read. I am particularly struck by the Action Method and thoughts on accountability. I know far too well how easy a project can be started and then the project plateau happens. I think my fear of failing gets in the way too often and this needs to stop. I am looking forward to finishing this book and taking all these valuable insights to putting them to work. I highly recommend checking this out, especially if you are a creative professional.

Don't Forget to Write

Hey y'all! I've actually been updating this thing so if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to the RSS Feed over on the right side of this screen here. Easy Peasy! I love my Google reader and check it everyday, it's the best way to keep up with such a variety of sites that I love.

I've been scheming with a friend I made at Fest to start a Punk Rock Pen Pal postcard project, so stay tuned for updates!

Felt!

A felt piece I'm working on for the Late Bar craft fair.

Almost Done

Getting ready for the Late Bar craft fair. It's going to be on Monday December 6th, more details and flyer once I get them!


Nerding It Up.

Well, this is my current to-read pile. If you don't see me for the next week or two you know why. I got everything covered, Russian Lit, graphic novel, comics, craft....


Around

Looks like I'll have to start taking photos in the morning if I want to get any sunlight. I hate that it's so dark when I leave work!

Pieces I am working on tonight. I love these 3"x 3" canvases.



Some recently freed up wall space let me get some paintings off the floor and hung up. I used to holes already in the walls and it created a great salon style wall.


Whew

It's been a crazy couple of weeks! Fest/Florida at the end of October and then a road trip to Indianapolis to see Banner Pilot and the Dopamines last weekend. I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things at home and working on some projects I have put on hold due to lack of time/energy.

For some video from these shows check out my youtube page here, and for pretty crappy photos taken with a 4 year old digital camera go to my Flickr page.

Hopefully I'll have some updates on some art projects soon. I have an idea for an installation that I've been wanting to do for quite some time now and want to start looking for a place to show it and perhaps present an idea for a solo show.