01.30.09
Retro Friday, revisited
“Ebony Branches in Blue” hand colored photograph (c) Lynne Medsker
A few weeks ago I posted some older art images and declared it “Retro Friday”. Here we are again with a perfectly good Friday to show off some old stuff. (This is what happens when I spend too much time working on marketing, communications and promotion…no new images to show you!) WAY back when (okay, maybe not that long ago) when I was beginning to pursue art again as an adult my first steps started with my camera. It didn’t take terribly long to expand on that topic and add in some alternate processes and films, Polaroid transfers (hmmm, something for another retro-Friday?) and hand-coloring black & white photos.
Hand colored photo of leaves (c) Lynne Medsker
Hand color photo of an old Dodge (c) Lynne Medsker
Hand color photo of a window/flower box (c) Lynne Medsker
Hand colored photo of a tree (c) Lynne Medsker
It’s a bit of a lost art now that it can be done more quickly & precisely (with a lot less mess & fumes) and then be printed at any size, in any quanitity you’d like by digital means. Although I’ve embraced the technology there is some undefined quality to the actual hand-painted photos that is just more appealing to the senses, at least for me. Maybe it just invokes some hidden memories, hard to say.
Along with using the photo oils, pencils and other techniques (did you know you can stain photos with tea, coffee or even kool-aid? That’s where the blue background on the first image came from!) I also scanned some black & white images, adjusted the opacity and contrast, then printed them onto watercolor paper and painted them with watercolors.
"No Trespassing" watercolored barn photo (c) Lynne Medsker
"Stormy Day" watercolored photo (c) Lynne Medsker
"Bottles" watercolored photo (c) Lynne Medsker
Totally different look & feel than the ones that were painted directly on the photos!
To be honest, these were brought to mind for a couple of reasons. First because I was contacted by someone looking for a photographer/artist that still did hand coloring. (We’re scheduled to shoot the photos next week and once we decide which one to color I will have a perfect excuse to get out my supplies and do some painting!) The other reason I was thinking of these is that I signed up to teach five different workshops this year at Sugar Creek Art Center in Thorntown, Indiana. One of the workshop topics? Yup, hand coloring photos! That particular workshop is slated for Saturday, August 1st. I’ll be sharing more details about it (and the other four workshops) soon.
Until next time…
Lynne
01.27.09
Indianapolis Home Show reminder…
Earlier today I dropped off my art for the Broad Ripple Art & Design booth space at the Indianapolis Home Show. I will be displaying both mixed media work and digital collage, like “Art & Nature #9″ shown below.
"Art & Nature #9" Digital Collage (c) 2008, Lynne Medsker
The show opens this Friday, January 30th and runs through February 8th. For more details about the show view my original post. It will be a great indoor activity during the cold winter weather. If you happen to visit on Monday, February 2nd be sure and stop in and say hello!
ReUse/ReOrder Exhibition Opening
I received an e-mail about this exhibit and wanted to pass along the information. I am excited to go see this! Although I don’t use recycled objects in all of my work, I have incorporated them in several pieces. Working with the Landfill Art Project has brought the topic to the front of my mind again.
ReUse/ReOrder
Exhibition Opening
Friday, January 30, 2009
6-8 p.m.
At the Indianapolis Art Center
Join us for this extraordinary multi-gallery exhibition that features over 12 artists from across the nation working in various mediums and using recycled materials. You will have the opportunity to meet the artists as they showcase old objects in new ways to transform one’s perspective and promote conservation. Members will enjoy free appetizers generously provided by Thomas Caterers of Distinction and free wine with valid ID during the exhibition opening.
ReUse/ReOrder will be on exhibition at the Indianapolis Art Center from January 30-April 19, 2009
Look at everyday objects, found items and other reused or recycled materials in a new way through this group exhibition at the Indianapolis Art Center. Exhibiting artists include:
Pip Brant (North Miami, Florida)
Pamela DeCoker (Oxford, Ohio)
Richard Herzog (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Gerald Mead (Buffalo, New York)
Billy Renkl (Clarksville, Tennessee)
Matthew Friday (Athens Ohio)
Jessica Bohus (Douglas, Michigan)
Doug Calish (Crawfordsville, Indiana)
The exhibition includes solo shows:
Artifacts from Self-Making: Works by Rene Zettle Sterling (Coopersville, Michigan)
Rock Covers Paper, Paper Covers Rock: Installation by Patrick Miceli (Chicago)
Also on display:
El Anatsui: Collaboration, (working title), made from bottle caps, tops and copper wire, recycled materials. On loan by William L. Fortune, Jr. & Joseph D. Blakley
Chakaia Booker: Cross Over Effects, 2008, rubber tires, wood & steel, east of central entrance. Presented by the Arts Council of Indianapolis, Public Art Indianapolis Chakaia Booker: Mass Transit
Celebrate Your Mistakes!
I received this e-mail this morning from “Zen Habits” a daily e-mail service that I recently subscribed to. I don’t know if anyone else struggles with this but my perfectionist nature HATES it when I make mistakes. Perhaps not so much after reading this though!
Nicely enough the author grants permission for others to repost this info on their blogs and I thought you might appreciate it as much as I did. Enjoy!
zen habits |
| Why You Should Celebrate Your Mistakes
Posted: 26 Jan 2009 02:54 PM PST Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish it like it’s the most precious thing in the world. Because in some ways, it is. Most of us feel bad when we make mistakes, beat ourselves up about it, feel like failures, get mad at ourselves. And that’s only natural: most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad, that we should try to avoid mistakes. We’ve been scolded when we make mistakes — at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction. Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow. If you think about it that way, mistakes should be cherished and celebrated for being one of the most amazing things in the world: they make learning possible, they make growth and improvement possible. By trial and error — trying things, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes — we have figured out how to make electric light, to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to fly. Mistakes make walking possible for the smallest toddler, make speech possible, make works of genius possible. Think about how we learn: we don’t just consume information about something and instantly know it or know how to do it. You don’t just read about painting, or writing, or computer programming, or baking, or playing the piano, and know how to do them right away. Instead, you get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing usually … then you construct a model in your mind … then you test it out by trying it in the real world … then you make mistakes … then you revise the model based on the results of your real-world experimentation … and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until you’ve pretty much learned how to do something. That’s how we learn as babies and toddlers, and how we learn as adults. Trial and error, learning something new from each error. Mistakes are how we learn to do something new — because if you succeed at something, it’s probably something you already knew how to do. You haven’t really grown much from that success — at most it’s the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey was made up of mistakes, if it’s a good journey. So if you value learning, if you value growing and improving, then you should value mistakes. They are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible. Celebrate your mistakes. Cherish them. Smile. |
01.24.09
Re-altered Altered Art
As I mentioned in my post a few days ago, I was curious to define the difference between mixed media art and altered art. Although I’m not certain this is the definitive answer it seems that almost all altered art can be mixed media but not all mixed media can be altered art. Altered art includes paper, objects, etc. that were made for or previously used for another purpose. While incorporating those items into your artwork you might use various other techniques such as painting, collage, stamping, etc. (i.e. mixed media). Mixed media is simply using more than one media to create your art. Here is a website I ran across that has more in depth explainations for these, as well as other types of art including altered books, recycled art, found art, collage, assemblage: Fragile Industries Studio Having found a reasonable explaination to define one from the other I decided that the piece I created for the altered art swap was actually a mixed media piece since it did not have any items that were used or made for another purpose. SO, I did a little bit of reworking and added some upolstery tacks to the piece. Honestly I kept thinking it needed something but I couldn’t decide what…I think it made it feel more “finished” as well as qualifying it to be altered art! Here is an image of it, I took this photo with the tag turned backwards…I think I prefer it that way as opposed to the compass image but that will be up to it’s new owner to decide!
updated "Travel" 4x4" altered art on canvas, (c) 2009 Lynne Medsker
Marketing Workshop for Artists
I wanted to pass along this information about an upcoming workshop that will be held in Terre Haute, Indiana on April 4th. I highly recommend attending this workshop if you are a working artist! It was a great disappointment when I found out Alyson would be in Indiana at the same time I will be in Colorado! Otherwise I would have my seat reserved and be anxiously awaiting the presentation. I bought Alyson’s book “I’d Rather Be in the Studio” as a Christmas gift to myself and have been devouring it in my spare moments (and sometimes not-so-spare moments as well!). Much of my recent “inspiration” to redo my website, update my paperwork and generally be a more organized artist has come from that book. And I haven’t even read it all yet! Alyson also sends out weekend e-mails covering different topics with the art marketing field, you can sign up for that at her website: Art Biz Coach or find more info on her blog: Art Biz Blog
I hope you can take advantage of this great opportunity…and I hope sometime Alyson will return to Indiana so I can attend. 
Workshop: I’D RATHER BE IN THE STUDIO! A No-Excuses Art-Marketing Workshop with Alyson Stanfield
Alyson Stanfield of ArtBizCoach.com is coming to the Wabash Valley at the invitation of the Swope Art Museum. Alyson lives in Colorado and has travelled all around the U.S. to help teach artists how to make a name for themselves and sell more art.
Topics in the workshop will include:
–What an artist statement is, what it isn’t, how to write it, and why you need to do this first
–How to introduce yourself as an artist so people want to know more
–12 rules for putting together first-class marketing materials
–The dos and don’ts of artist Web sites
–Five email secrets that produce results
–How to organize, expand and use your mailing list
–How to amplify your online presence
Cost: $97 ($87 for Swope Art Museum members) if you register before March 6. After, the registration is $117 ($105 for Swope Art Museum members). Registration covers lunch, printed materials and the expense of bringing Alyson to Terre Haute. You can register on-line at artbizcoach.com/swope or get a registration form to print and mail with payment. Space is limited, so register early.
More Details: www.swope.org/studio.php
Saturday, April 4
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Swope Art Museum
Terre Haute, IN
01.23.09
Altered Art
Yesterday I took time to let my creative side loose and worked on a few new mixed media pieces and also created an altered art piece for an upcoming swap. I joined a local altered art group through yahoo last year after a couple of my students recommended it to me. You can visit their site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indianaalteredart/. My original interest in the group was that they had a monthly artist trading card swap and I had just begun exploring ATC’s. Although I’ve only been able to participate in a few of the swaps it’s been nice to meet others that are interested in mixed media. They have monthly meetings, normally at the Nora Library, and also hold workshops from time to time. They have expanded their monthly swaps to include more items than ATC’s, this month everyone is supposed to create a small piece on canvas, no larger than 4×6 inches. Here is an image of my piece:
"Travel" 4x4" mixed media/altered art (c) Lynne Medsker
The medallion is attached at the top but hangs loose over the canvas to add a little “movement” to the piece. I also created another piece with a postcard from the early 1900’s…I had fun creating the textured background with clear acrylic gel:
"July 3rd, 1913" 6x6" mixed media/altered art (c) Lynne Medsker
The title refers to the postmark date on the postcard. I have been holding on to this card for a couple of years trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with it. I finally pushed myself to just do SOMETHING. I’ve got so much material around that I am saving for “someday” that it’s always a breakthrough when I can make myself use some of it! Mental note to self – next time take an image of the back of the card! I regret not doing that before I attached it to the canvas. Although I jotted down the postmark date there was writing, a signature & an address on there that showed it’s “history”. I feel like I was a bit disrespectful by loosing that information. Sigh.
Working with this group makes me want to do some research on the exact definitions of altered art vs. mixed media, I think I use them interchangeably for the most part. I’ll let you know if I find out anything definitive!
More news soon, until then be safe & happy!
Lynne
01.21.09
Friday night event & other local art…
I wanted to pass along information about an Open House and Reception for Libby and Katie Whipple on January 23, from 4:00 to 8:00 at Artistic Designs Gallery here in Brownsburg. Katie & Libby are a highly talented duo of mother/daugther artists! If you aren’t able to attend the Open House on Friday be sure to stop in during the week and view their work, you won’t be disappointed. There is more information on the Artistic Designs Gallery website ( www.artisticdesignsgalleryinc.com ) about both artists and the event. Here is a link to an article in the Indy Star about Libby, Katie and the show, http://www.indystar.com/article/20090120/LOCAL0503/90120020/1133
Another great place in Hendricks County to view art is the Plainfield Public Library’s gallery. Located on the 2nd floor it is a spacious, well lit area that showcases different artists on a rotating basis. The current show is “Storm Windows” . Found Object, Mixed Media and “Sculpture Paintings” by D.H. Pankop. This series deals with emotional valleys, mountains and issues in life that all people ultimately have in common and will experience through life’s journey. The show can be seen during normal library hours (visit their website @ http://www.plainfieldlibrary.net) and will be on display until February 7th.
I also recieved an e-mail from one of my nature-based art class ”students” (and accomplished photographer) about an exhibit she has right now at the Citizen’s Bank in Avon, Indiana (100 North SR 267, in the Kroger shopping center). ”Photography by Judy Lawhon” will be on display through March 3rd. Bank hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays : 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Fridays : 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. View Judy’s work online here: http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=85977&mp=V3
That’s all for now…
Lynne
01.19.09
Time to shout!
Woo hoo! The website is ready! It is online and fully functional. Yippee! Please take a moment to go look at it, I would love feedback…especially if there are suggestions for improvements or information you would like to see added. Click here to visit the site —> www.lynnemedsker.com
In the “Art Shows & Other News” section of the website you’ll also find my big announcement about my plans for April 2009. I’ve kept it under wraps for as long as I can stand it!
If you haven’t joined my mailing list I hope you will take time to do that when you are there as well. I will be doing some special promotions to encourage everyone to join and/or remain on the list and refer some of their friends, family & contacts too. Stay tuned!
Lynne
01.16.09
Online store!
I opened an online “gift shop” today at CafePress.com. From there you can order a variety of items with my artwork printed on them including blank journals (my favorite!), postcards, mousepads, notecards, magnets & tote bags. I’ve made several samples of each item and posted them in the store but the coolest part is that you can go to my website and pick out any image, e-mail me what you’d like to have it printed on and I can create it for you! I have ordered items from CafePress for myself and as gifts and the quality has always been very good. I have added a link to the store in the “blogroll” section here on my blog, the web address is www.cafepress.com/lynnemedsker.
I have all the new webpages completed as of this morning, although there are a few more images I’d like to add (always!) and a bit of tweeking left to do. Of course a link to the new online store will be included! It should be up & functional in the next day or so, I will be so happy to have it complete that I’ll be announcing it to the world when it’s ready! In between now & then there may be some times when the site is unavailable, just take that as a sign of progress.
I feel like I haven’t posted anything but words here lately and I really like to include images of what I’m working on. But since all I’ve been working on is the website I decided to pull out some older (much older!) work and post it instead. We’ll call today retro-Friday! These are images from a series that I’ve played with off & on for about five years. I call them glorified doodles for lack of a better description! They are all created on canvas panels using permanent markers and watercolor paints with a touch of acrylic here and there as well.
Sun Series #1, 2003
Sun Series #2, 2004
Sun Series #3, 2004
With today’s extremely cold temperatures I figured we could all use a little more sunshine, I hope you enjoy them! I am certain there are more than three in this series but these are the only ones I could find images of on my computer. At some point I also started a moon series…I’ll have to go digging around and see where they are sometime and show you those images as well. Maybe I’ll have more “retro-Friday” art throughout the year, does that sound interesting to anyone?
Stay safe & warm until next time!
Cozy hugs,
Lynne
