January Winner

 

Congratulations to Michelle from Kansas! She entered and won the random drawing for the January art piece. Check out what the piece will be for February on the website (I'll have it up in a day or two) For now I'll just say it is from my "Van Fruit" collection. I am keeping the entry short today as I have a ton of work to do for the Houses for Haiti event tonight. I'll post pictures tomorrow hopefully of all the fun creations. 

 

Houses for Haiti

Help Haiti rebuild with creativity. (Build the house pictured here)

Artists for Hope is teaming up with The Art Mill to help the disaster victims in Haiti through art. While we can't all physically go and help or even donate our own much needed money, we can volunteer our time and creativity.

Each participant in this event will learn how to make clay houses that also serve as vases. You will create a house at no charge to you. Your time and art is the much needed donation. The vases will then be donated to Artists for Hope. If you wish to keep your own house, you just buy it that night from the organization at the retail price of $55.

Artists for Hope uses creativity to change the world. Donated artwork is sold online and information about the artist is shared with art lovers everywhere. You can share your talent while making a difference! All proceeds from artwork sold goes to a Rescue Center for severely malnourished and injured children in Cazale, Haiti. Visit the Artists for Hope blog here.

Join us Friday, January 29, 2010, 6-9 p.m.
Register by calling or emailing The Art Mill - get the phone number here.

Limited spaces available.

For the birds

For those of you familiar with The Art Mill, you know I've been making these ceramic birds for a while now. They came about for a class and exploded from there thanks to designer Julia Russell. I was making another "batch" of birds and started thinking about why I make birds in my art. They show up in my paintings, graphic design and pottery. I know they are trendy but that isn't what draws me to them. Ironically real birds freak me out. My dad had one that he let fly around the house and the fluttering of its wings when it chased me to land on my shoulders will always haunt me. (it only happened once) I blame Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. I watched that movie way to young.

The reason I came up with is that they are so versitile. They represent so many things and can be seen in such different ways depending on their depiction. They can represent life, freedom and religion (think dove) they can also represent horror and death (crows or vultures). I think for me they offer a focal point that can be taken in new directions depending on the viewer. What may be for me chance and uncertainty (the painting I did of birds outside of a cage) could be about freedom and choice for someone else.

Are there things that you are drawn to and don't know why? How about recurring themes that you use sometimes almost subconsciously?

His and Her Vase

 

Vases, vases everywhere. Here is the finished image of the vase I showed earlier. All shiny and white. Its actually quite large - 10.5" tall by 7.75" wide.  Sign up for the Date Night on January 30th to make your very own. Bring anyone you like and do a friends version or make a smaller one for each of you.

I'm a vase you're a vase.

Why should the flowers get all the fun of showing off their beauty? Why does the vase just sit there being ignored? Why does no one stop to sniff a vase? Ok, that one is obvious but maybe you could just stop and appreciate a vase. I say the vase should be able to sit on display in any season, regardless of a flowers presence. Behold the vase that doesn't need flowers to feel relevant.

I think there is a rule in writing that you should not use a word in every sentence in a paragraph so I am retiring the word vase for the rest of this entry as I have abused it in the intro. It shall now be referred to as a multitude of things - thank you thesaurus.

In a round about way this vessel has me thinking about myself. Why should I wait around for awards, recognition or compliments to allow myself to shine? I am going to grab every opportunity to be proud of myself and my skills without waiting for a flower to be placed upon my accomplishments by someone else. I am in a sense an urn without flowers. I can be appreciated for what I do have to offer. Just as this flower holder I am showing you today can be appreciated for its whimsy and texture; we all should stand tall for who and what we are at this moment.

It may be a little out there in concept, but I think we could all use little metaphors now and then to remind ourselves to love who we are and the stage in life that we are currently. On that note, I'll show you some other angles of this funky little vessel full of life, love and possibilities.  

(I did put flowers in it just to say "hey, I like what you have to offer, so shine a little brighter today.")