Monday's Inspiration: Ryan Woodward

This is one of the most perfect animation pieces I have ever seen.

Honestly, I am in awe of the way almost each individual frame captures a sense of the movement of the next. It's simple and gorgeous and incredibly real. Ryan Woodward, the artist, is amazing.

If I could learn how to capture movement in stillness like this, my art would be everything I want it to be. I want to be able to tell a story like this.

I find myself talking about the artistic aspects to this because my emotional reaction isn't happening in words.

There's a making-of video!

Check out Ryan's website here and also some great advice for parents of artistic children.

Monday's Inspiration: The Past

University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History

This year, I've been working to overcome my creative block and other issues keeping me from making art. Part of that process is taking myself on weekly "artist dates" where I do something special for myself, usually in a way that relates to my creativity, but not always. Last Friday, I decided to go the Museum of Natural and Cultural History at the University of Oregon, my first alma mater. Lately, I've been wondering how I can combine my love for anthropology with my love for art, since I have degrees in both.

Stone lamp, found near the John Day Reservoir, Gilliam County

As I walked up to the museum, I was asking myself how this week's date related to my art. I had the answer pretty quickly, thanks to the work I've been doing recently to figure out what most speaks to me aesthetically. The museum's main exhibits are a series of near-life sized dioramas, showing Oregon's different regions –the coast, the valleys, the Columbia plateau, and the great basin– and how Oregon's first peoples lived traditionally.

10,000 year old sagebrush sandals

In the exhibits, I saw my favorite colors, greens, blues, browns, grays, black and white. I saw the beautiful textures of natural materials. I saw the enigmatic faces and symbols of rock art, found almost everywhere in the world - a universal human heritage. The experience was both restful and inspiring.

I'm going to be asking myself how I can incorporate the essence of this experience into my artwork in a way that is respectful of the sources, creating without acting in a way that amounts to cultural appropriation. One of the themes of the museum is to remind visitors that the descendants of the people whose lifeways are depicted are still here, something that is indelibly etched in my thinking as a result of my studies in archaeology and anthropology for my first degree.

If you happen to find yourself in Eugene, a visit to the museum is well-worth the time and the small admittance fee.

Monday's Inspiration: Trina Schart Hyman

One of my favorite childhood picture books. Possibly THE favorite.

With a childhood where I learned to read before I learned to remember, there were a lot of memorable and much-loved books. This one, Jane, Wishing, by Tobi Tobias and Trina Schart Hyman stands out as one of the first I actually remember reading at our local library. I read it again and again and again.

It wasn't just the story (and that was just marvelous) that held my attention -and my imagination- but the marriage of pictures and words that happened within those covers more beautifully than in any other book I remember reading in those early years.

Jane wished she had long red hair, thick and waving, down to her waist...

Ms. Hyman's work was my first experience with the idea that an artist could have their own distinct style. Before any other artist, I learned to recognize her work wherever I found it. The varying lines, the gentle curves, the rich details, the expressive faces, the soft colors - all unmistakably hers. 

Rich detail - so much to look at!

To this day, I am deeply inspired by her style of illustration, and some of the things I like best in my own style are inspired by hers. Gentle, expressive faces, soft curves and lines, plants and animals.

My better half says that my own drawing style is distinctive to him - that he could recognize my work wherever he saw it. I like the idea that like Trina Schart Hyman, I have my own visual thumbprint. If I ever manage to make it so beautiful and skilled as hers was, I will be a very happy artist. 

Monday's Inspiration: This

An important question to ask...

I usually reserve "Monday's Inspiration" posts for people, places and art that inspire me and inform my artwork. This week, I'm doing something different because sometimes I serve as my own inspiration.

St. John's Booksellers is one of my clients. More than that, Néna, the owner, is a very good friend. I've designed her window displays and her print material for over a year now and I've gotten to hear a fair amount about the challenges of running a brick and mortar store in today's economy. I have to say, it takes a huge amount of dedication and courage to run a bookstore and go up against the big guys in the business.

One of the thing that's struck me over and over again are Néna's stories about having a customer come in, ask about a book -accessing Néna's many years of experience in the industry and her incredible base of knowledge when it comes to books- and then decide to go buy the book somewhere else. Even telling her that they can get it cheaper on Amazon. It is maddening.

I've wanted for a while now to help her address the issue of people using her store as an Amazon showroom. While I have nothing against Amazon in general, I very much value independently-owned bookstores as vital community resources and neighborhood anchors. And if we don't actively value our neighborhood bookstores, they're going to disappear.

With this window design, from the brown paper to the question and the answer, I think I've pretty much summed up why we should be shopping local and supporting our neighbor's businesses. When I first had the idea, I was worried that it was too confrontational or that Néna wouldn't like it. She liked it and decided that we should run with it. It went up on Saturday night.

The reaction, in just two days, has been phenomenal. It has started many conversations. A picture of the window, posted on Facebook, has been shared over 90 times. It's been described as "scary, provocative, and witty" "right on and badass" "like the Ghost of Christmas Future, pointing at the grave..." and more. Every once in a while, I have a design idea that hits a sweet spot - something that communicates a powerful idea very simply and directly and in a way that can't be ignored. When I do, it serves as a deep well of inspiration for whatever comes next.

This is one of those times.

Monday's Inspiration: Etsy Artists

Blushing: a treasury on Etsy

Recently, I've been working on building up my store on Etsy, and spending time promoting other artists' work as well. There's a community aspect to Etsy that is very appealing. I'm finding that building treasuries (curating lists of various items, usually built around a theme) is very inspiring.

There are so many wonderful creative people out there, doing amazing things. When I build a treasury, I deliberately go looking for amazing handmade items. My most recent treasury, Blushing, was built around a soft warm pink like, well, a blush. Note the awesome flamingo from Cart Before the Horse!

I hear my dream kitchen calling...

It's poor etiquette to include one's own items on a treasury, so none of my pieces are pictured here, but I get so much out of seeing what other people are doing and feeling inspired by it. Take the kitchen treasury, for example. I stayed with a soft, near-neutral color palette, one that my friend Alison has really taught me to appreciate. While I don't really do any of the arts involved in making these items, the overall effect of the restrained, serene palette makes me want to put myself on a color diet for about a week - picking a simple palette and then seeing how many things I can do with it.

As a consequence of being a part of the amazing creative community on Etsy, I find myself learning and growing and stretching, and I value those things more than I can say.

Monday's Inspiration: Vandy Hall

Egyptian Fizzgig (and model) by Vandy Hall

One of the best things about being an artist is that you tend to just naturally develop a circle of creative friends. One of my best friends, Vandy Hall, inspires me every time she turns around. A few weeks ago, she came down to my house for a visit and art retreat. One of the pieces she put together, Egyptian Fizzgig won an award at Orycon.

And I got to watch her process unfold, which was just awesome. It was so good to see someone so talented going through much the same creative process as I do: move some paper around, do a little drawing, stare at it all for a while. add more paper or color, stare some more, wander around and think, add another detail, do some research, think some more... It makes me feel like I'm doing something right too.

In addition to her obvious fine art skills, she knits, she felts, she juggles, she does acrobatics, she does metal casting, and on top of all that, she is a professional glass-blower. Check out her work at her Etsy store!

Monday's Inspiration: Lisa Swifka

Artwork by Lisa Swifka

One of the things I love about mixed-media art and collage is that there about a million ways to create artwork in that style, all beautiful and unique. Another amazing artist that I've discovered lately is Lisa Swifka who blogs over at A Whimsical Bohemian. I am particularly inspired by her use of layering, color, and type, and the way she mixes her original art in with found elements.

Lisa is organizing an art blog event called Our World, Our Art for early 2013. I am really hoping to participate; it sounds amazing.

Click here for some more gorgeous examples of Lisa's artwork.

Monday's Inspiration: My Husband

Me And My Bear

I am a very lucky woman. I've been blessed with health, creativity, determination, and the ability to pursue my dreams. And as if those weren't riches enough, the universe brought me a partner who loves me, supports and encourages me, and if anything, believes in my dreams even more than I do.

Barret (or Bear, as his nearest and dearest get to call him) has serious amounts of his own creative talent and drive. The range of his interests never cease to amaze me. He collects vintage radios, is interested in Victorian and Edwardian architecture, loves antiques, is an amazing cook, and can fix just about anything he puts his hands to. He replaced the brakes on our car, a simple bit of repair work that still has me gobsmacked. He's a reader, a gamer, and one of the sweetest, kindest men I've ever met. No wonder I said "yes" when he asked!

Bear inspires me on a daily basis to do more, try new things, and to believe in myself.

Photo by Vandy

Monday's Inspiration: Emily Hughes

Emily Hughes - "A knight's gotta make a living"

As a long time fan of good illustration, it is SO exciting to watch the next generation of illustrators coming up. One such is Emily Hughes, who blogs over at Emily's Rather Large Adventure and who recently completed her illustration degree.

Emily's work reminds me of a bit of the children's books I loved growing up in the 70's, but at the same time, it's fresh and original. She uses soft, natural color palettes. Her lively lines really bring her work to life. Even in illustrations where the characters are standing still, like in Norwegian Wood, they are vividly alive, caught in an instant between movements.

I need to learn to capture that sense of motion in my own drawings and illustrations.

Monday's Inspiration: The Windmill Farmer

Joaquin Baldwin made this wonderful piece of animation. This is so beautiful, I cried tears of joy. The colors are so soft, the textures so rich, and the visual composition of each shot so perfect. Much to learn from it, I think, for collage.

Monday's Inspiration: Lisa Kaus

Lisa Kaus collage in Somerset Studio Magazine

Every Monday, I'm going to try to share something or someone that inspires me.

While looking for mixed-media collage inspiration online, I came across Lisa Kaus and her lovely body of work. My reaction can be summed up in one word: BLISS!

Ms. Kaus's style is light and colorful, lyrical and sweet. Her work has appeared in Somerset Studio and other publications. One of the things about her artwork that appeals to me most is the orderly nature of her collages, such as "Joy Within". She calls this style "Gridlocked" and teaches workshops on it. Taking one of Lisa's classes has been added to my list of dreams.