Thursday, May 20, 2010

Ladybug Luck + Talented Artists = Magical New Art

This week, the elusive ladybug brought a bit of magic to the talented professionals that created new art. Each one was able to carve out a little time from hectic schedules to play. What I love about this week's submissions is that whether it was five minutes or five hours, each artist allowed themselves to explore and have fun. I think each work captures that feeling.

In addition, I have a special treat. A talented writer joined us this week and wrote a piece you simply have to check out. Please visit Steadfast Ahoy! to read an exceptionally fun Red and Black piece. I promise you will love it - it builds to such a terrific list at the end. Once you finish reading, leave a little love :)

Now, shall we bask in all that is red and black?



Teri, creator of Giraffelabel, created these two fabulous pieces, a chalkboard placemat with baseballs and the LINNIE diaper clutch in oilcloth.

"I haven't been able to play in a while, and this week I actually made two things," said Teri. "For a long time I have been wanting to experiment with oilcloth in my bags. This black and white pattern is so pretty...and I love how the red bounces off of it. I love the idea behind the chalkboard fabric. There are so many fun things you could do with it! This is a placemat that you can roll up and take with you. (Actually, I messed up a little bit of the stitching, so I will be giving this one to my nephew.) I can't wait to create more with these fabrics."

http://www.giraffelabel.etsy.com/




















Maureen, a talented artist created this wonderfully fun piece.

"I'd planned all week to do something for TST, but could not for the life of me remember the prompt," said Maureen. "Then I realized that I had completely forgotten to visit last week's postings (just went there now--so sorry, guys, for my not leaving comments there . . your stuff was GREAT!!) and therefore I never SAW the prompt for this week.

I took a whole five minutes for this little doodle, but HEY!, they were quality minutes!!! I would have done more, but I am limp with joyous exhaustion, having just finished the MAGNIFICENT class that Natasha and Amanda have just taught--The Creative Playground. They are planning to run this same class a second time (starting June 1??) and I just cannot recommend it highly enough. Please, please consider taking it, every one of you reading this comment from me: your life as an artist will just blossom (mine exploded!!)

Anyway, look at the closeup of my doodle. See where the black line doesn't go all the way down? I was gonna "fix" it . . . but then the red said NO!!! that was its little place where it could escape!!"

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com
















Bird, creator of Crow Tarot Tours, created this fantastic piece titled, "Ladybird Fortune."

"For the last couple of days, I've been picking out quotes to go with the various sections of our sales letter for Blanket University, so when I sat down to work on my piece for this week, typesetting a quote seemed like a natural choice. :-D" said Bird. "Enjoy the Ladybug Luck, all! :-)"

blog: An Encouraging Bird (www.anencouragingbird.com)
Twitter: @CrowTarotTours
www.crowtarottours.com - In Progress
Twitter: @CrowTarotTours
Etsy: www.CrowTarot.etsy.com














Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this awesome untitled doodle.

"Totally ran out of time this week (getting ready for a weekend trip to Denver), but I really enjoyed hitting the "pause" button for a few moments to let myself play," said Amanda. "I just doodled with big art crayons--such a simple pleasure, but it helps relieve tension and remind me that I can fit art ANYWHERE into my life, even if only for five minutes. It makes a big difference!"

http://PersistentGreen.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PersistentGreen














Natasha, creator of DoodleStar, created this piece.

I wasn't sure I'd be able to get this done as this week was nuts. But as I played with watercolors with my daughter, this emerged. I love it because it was born from pure fun. The little ladybug is saying to the other, "We're so lucky we found one another."

http://doodlestar.etsy.com







Are you sooo excited to create now?? Well good, so am I. So let's dive into the next theme: "Little Bird, Little Bird". The only requirement in this theme is that there needs to be a little bird somewhere in your work. Other than that, let your imagination soar!

5 comments:

giraffelabel said...

this was a fun week!! i was so happy to play, and i love all of the work!

maureen and amanda - i love your doodles! isn't it cool that two people can use paper and marker/crayons and just come up with totally different ideas.

bird - i love the photo and the quote...definitly made me stop and think.

natasha - i love your watercolor! the colors and the little ladybugs...love it!

i thought i had sent another picture with the chalkoard mat rolled out...that way you can see it more. but, it didn't go through...oh well. thanks again for a fun week, and i look forward to next weeks theme.

aquamaureen said...

I loved this week's offerings . . from "pieces created to sell," to relaxing, meditative "doodles," our artistic voices were heard.

Teri--I always love the artistry in your purses/bags. But today I"m intrigued by the chalkboard cloth/mat . . never heard of that before. I knew chalkboard paint existed, but i love the idea of this transportable mat.

Bird--this photo is wonderful. I LOVE the closeup, showing a tiny moment in the leaf's life, being a meal for the ladybug . .

Amanda--didn't doodling relax you?? I feel like I've found a whole new way to take a mental "time out"--and my hands just love making color swirl and sweep on the page . .

I just happened to scan past my own offering quickly, as I was reviewing the others, and the innies and outies of my main "figure" suddenly made me thing of open mouths in cartoon characters!! I hope they are open with laughter and not yelling!!

Tasha--I love the light and joy in your piece . . and I love that you were playing with your daughter . . aren't daughters great playmates??? NO, I'm not dismissing sons, but I currently have a daughter I play with. And even though she's married and all grown up in one way, she is still a GREAT "little kid" to play with!!

Thanks to those who grabbed time to make and share this week. Hey, all you other guys who used to be here: I really miss you!! Any chance you'll be coming back here to share your creative life with me?

Natasha said...

Giraffelabel!! I LOVED your pieces!! I was SOOO happy that you could play YAY!!! I hope you can next week as well :) If you have another picture of that chalkboard mat please send it along. I'd be happy to add it. I LOVE the chalkboard mat - the baseballs are perfect for this time of year - will you be making more? I love this color and the clutch is sensational - truly every clutch you make is gorgeous but this one stands out. Super work!!

Maureen - these doodles were awesome. I actually would love to see them on a large scale - there is something abuot them that reminds me of Keith Haring who I adore. Those mouths - LOL I see them and they are laughing, they are just tickled pink (or red hehehe) by something. Love it.

Bird - the quote and picture here are fantastic. I love how incredibly delicate that little ladybug looks - terrific piece.

Amanda - I love this doodle - the cirles and star pattern are eye catching. What I enjoy the most is that you "fit" this in....I LOVE the idea of fitting art into our lives it does make the days better doesn't it.

Thank you all for the comments on my piece - I loved playing with my daughter - yes, Maureen there is truly nothing like it LOL...and I loved just creating for fun....and thank you for mentioning our class .... it was such an amazing experience and you were incredible!

And I, too, miss everyone who was here ...I know lots of folks have shows right now so they are swamped but will be back and I feel bad...I've not been here the way I should as I've been sidetracked with teaching and whatnot - don't give up on me....I will gone for a bit but back in September for more playtime :)

SalvagedExpression said...

Teri I love how your bag is so fun and sophisticated at the same time. I guess it's easy to forget we can have both.
Maureen at least you have a good excuse for being bad around here! Love the big funky shapes and I really love that you gave the drawing a "door" so it can come out and we can go in!
Bird Love the quote, if only we could be like the ladybug and do it all by instinct!
Amanda Glad you got to decompress before going away, I hope you had a great time!
Tash you're just too sweet to begin with so looking at your piece this week is like a powdered sugar explosion. You two really are lucky to be together!

Amanda Fall - Sprout editor said...

Oh shoot, I totally missed commenting this week too! Yikes, sorry, ladies!

Teri: what an amazing idea for placemats! I love anything that encourages creativity in kids--or adults! :) The little pop of red is so pretty on your bag.

Aqua: your doodles are so fun. I love finding shapes and "things" in them, whether you intended it or not. I see a playful monster in this one, with its hands held up and a big mouth eating one of the dots! <---just scrolled through the comments here, and I see you noticed it too! :)

Bird: I always love your combination of text with imagery. This is lovely!

Tasha: the "awwww" factor is high with this one. ;) Isn't it amazing what fun can emerge when we squeeze in even a few minutes of creative activity?