inspiration

Do you keep it? Give it away? Sell it? Toss it? Burn it? 

I did all of the above!

I am in the middle of downsizing from a 2000 square foot industrial style space to a 650 square foot condo unit.

I am definitely a process type artist more so than a product focused creator. I enjoy the figuring out how to make different kinds of marks, and how to layer impressions. I might use 20 pieces of paper and get 2 prints that I like or that I think are worthy of framing.

I the 3 years that I was in the the BIG studio I collected:

• Lots of process type papers
• Tools with potential
• Many monoprints, printing plates and stencils
• Duplicate supplies
• Boxes of books
• Found objects that spoke to me
• Box of rusted things
• More than 15 work benches

There was enough space to hold on to anything that I thought could feed my art making. I was up 4 flights without an elevator, but I still managed to fill the huge space with art and things to make art.

I was quite determined in my purging.

I let go of:

1. A truck load of papers, prints, drawings and process
2. Several tables and workspaces
3. Tools that I thought I would use and did not

I gave FREE art to my family and friends who made the move possible in just 2 weeks. But I still have lots of art in boxes, bags and files.

Selling art seems like a completely different job and mindset from the one that it takes to make the art.

I am still thinking about my options, of what to do with my art. I hope that it does not affect my willingness to make with abandon.

I wonder:

• Do you have a house full of art and art making supplies and tools?
• Is it supporting your art practice?
• Have you gone through it lately?
• Do you find joy in selling your art?
• Would you ever throw any of your creations away?

Enjoy!

Linda Germain

 

Happy Valentines Day!

Love flows in and out of my printmaking kind of unconsciously.

What about your art making? Does the love flow through to your work?

We can use relief blocks and wooden text as shown above. I got the old wooden type at the Museum of Printing. Check their website for the next Typeface sale.

I used the eraser block to add a little bit of LOVE to this gelatin plate monotype print.

What ever you do and how ever you add a little LOVE to your work, let it be your turn expression of LOVE.

I even used a freezer paper stencil to create a big LOVE pillow. These kind of stencils are one time use. Learn more about making stencils in the Make Stencils Workshop – read the details on the printmaking class page.

This little print was made with some custom Thermofax screens. If you are curious about thermofax screen printing check out the starter kit and some videos.

Enjoy!

 

I love the timer on my iPad Mini. I can trick myself into action by setting the the 20 minute timer.

I say to myself,

“Ok let’s see what I can do in 20 minutes. Then I can quit or go have some fun.”

Usually about one hour later, I have done three 20 minute sessions and have my task done. I use this timer trick for anything that I want to do but for some reason I am resisting doing it.

• testing new printing tools
• writing blog posts
• cleaning my studio
• even playful printing

The thing I love about my iPad timer is that it has fun tunes to choose as “alarms.” So after 20 minutes, I heard this pleasant rewarding sound, and I feel good about what I have just accomplished. Usually it is really easy to continue on for another 20 minutes.

Do you have ways to motivate yourself into action? Try the 20 minute timer trick and see if it helps.

Happy printing!

 

Try this:

Pause in your day and see the awe that is right before you.

My goal is too notice the awe in the everyday and let it inform my art practice.

I think that is the magic of living creatively.

To do it daily,

even if it is only for brief moments.

These things above are probably trash to most people. But to me they are:

• a stick with an intricate pattern that I would love to print somehow
• a smashed twig that might paint some cool marks
• used tea bags that would be great for transparent prints and books
• delicate dried flowers that inspire simple line drawings

I challenge you to pause and notice the inspiration that is right in front of you.

Could it inform your art?

One tool I use to help me pause is daily journaling and a bit of meditation. Here’s a free Meditation Experience with Oprah and Deepak Chopra No affiliation, just sharing what works for me.