Cutie Pods on Repeat

Hello!

Quick updates:

This afternoon at 2:00 I will be participating in an artist lecture series curated by A-lab Forum at Crossing Art Gallery in Queens, talking about my work through the lens of repetition. This forum "Repetition" was curated specifically by Juan Hinojosa who I met at Vermont Studio Center last fall. He's an awesome artist who I am including in my series "conversations with artists" in the near future.

Also: Look how big Dr. Pancake is!! I'm not sure if this is normal but he is still nursing at about 10 weeks old. What a cutie pod!

Vigorous and Random Triathlon

"Dragon Tears"

It's been ages it feels since I've written and I have so much to tell you!

Where to start?

I'll do a lightning flash run through:

~Yesterday I brought 6 pairs of earrings to The Whitney. I'm not sure when they will go on display but I'll let you know! I'm very excited (even if none of them sell) and thankful to have such a great opportunity! One of the pairs is called "Dragon Tears Sprouts". The are the siblings to "Dragon Tears" above.

~Also yesterday I taught my first paid yoga class at a place called Iwona Yoga in Queens. I had 9 students and it was truly an amazing and nerve-wrecking experience. I was a sub for another teacher (Iwona, who owns the studio). She called me just a couple hours before the class started. I was up in Manhattan at the time so I planned my class on the subway ride home, ran from one transfer stop to another and made it in time to cram a piece of toast in my mouth, yoga pants on my legs and hop on my bike and bike over as quickly as possible (20 minutes from my apartment). The class I was subbing for was "Vigorous Vinyasa" so I did my best to get some flow and sweat going in the class. I was totally nervous when I started and I'm sure it showed but everyone seemed happy at the end and Iwona still wants me to teach regularly! After my running, biking and yoga-ing I felt like I did a random triathlon. I was pooped and wound up at the same time. What a day!

~Today is a more mellow day (at least as far as running around goes). I have about a zillion pairs of earrings to make for Artists and Fleas in two weeks and for Bliss Boutique. Ashley gave me her old CD player to I'm finally able to rock out to some old school CDs in the studio, drink "Russian Caravan Tea" and get to work!

~When Mikel and I went to Alfred for senior shows we were VERY lucky to also peek into Julie Moon's studio (she's a grad student). She's a freakin' ceramics rock star. Here are some images I took:

I know they aren't the best images but seriously! Check out her website!

~ Also yesterday, (as if I didn't do enough!) I ordered a 3"x 3" stamp that looks like this:

I hope it looks this cool when I get it and use it. I'll see! I want to be able to stamp packages and bags when I sell stuff or send letters, etc. It's kinda spooky but also eye catching I think!

~A final note about inspiration: I had a lovely tea date with my friend Blaise on Tuesday before meditation. We were talking about inspiration and art education (two things hugely on my mind lately). I was talking about the fact that inspiration comes randomly and the only thing we can do as creative people is learn to recognize inspiration when it comes and to learn what to do with it. Blaise made an excellent point then and I hope I am paraphrasing it well enough. She said that inspiration is everywhere, that it's possible to just wait and wait and not see it anywhere. It takes effort to see it! I like this point of view because it is a more active approach to finding/seeing/noticing inspiration, like we can do things to change our lens and see inspiring things around us and that once our lens is changed we see more and more!

The question is: How do we change our lens so we can see inspiration that already exists around us?

I will be also interviewing Blaise in my "conversations with artists" series. She is an amazing writer so it will be fabulous to read her responses. I have a feeling I will be getting responses back from all of the artists I send questions out to at once and then have a long stretch of interviews, but for now, the blog train continues! I hope you are having a great week. Yay Friday!

Drink and Draw

Mikel and I spent three days out of the city for an inspiring, delicious and WAY fun trip to visit Ashley and Jordan in Buffalo. We took Amtrak out there (long trip but beautiful!) I haven't seen Ash in more than a year and was really excited to be able to chat face-to-face, especially after her interview! Both Mikel and I returned home late last night totally inspired! Not only do Ash and J live in an awesome house built in the 1800's that they are in the process of redecorating in super stylish ways, Ashley's amazing quilting skills totally sparked up the place (even the cushions and pillows we are sitting on the in the photo were covered/designed by her!), her art was all over, her cooking was divine, and we were even dazzled by Jordan's creative skills he shows in his beer brewing! It was so tasty!

(side note: Check out my new super long earrings! I wore them all weekend.)

I loved seeing Ashley's studio in person. It was even cooler than her initial photos showed. It is very difficult to get a good sense of scale in photo sometimes, especially with abstract work. It's also hard to get a sense of texture and I was blown away at the different textures in each of her pieces: glitter, shine, matte, globby, etc. This is a drawing that is on the wall of the studio that is part of a series of drawings done with guests. We decided to call it "Drink and Draw". Although we planned to do one this weekend we ended up not having any time. Next visit for sure!

Here is another beautiful image from Ash's studio.

And another: these are sort of out of context as I am cropping and abstracting them. Her whole studio is so inspiring and full of beautiful, detailed work!

This is a cool and super contrasted photo of their dining nook. I love it!

We also went to Alfred for senior shows which was stellar and couldn't believe it when it snowed almost all the way home. It is May, right? Now I'm home, working on paintings and jewelry for upcoming sales and fun! I promise more interviews will be posted soon as well assome more fun stuff. Have a great day!

Random Apartment Tour

Happy Tuesday! I was chatting with my mom last week and she suggested that I post more images of my living space where I spend most of my time and where I make my art. So here's a mini tour of random apartment stuff!

I found that awesome plastic bonsai tree in the garbage last week.

Future jewelry and sculpture!

My seedlings are alive and I separated them so they have more space to grow! They were growing so slowly for a while and then I saw my friend Aidan's seedlings and she told me I should spray them with water, not pour water on them. I just started yesterday. I hope it works!

Studio shot from this morning. It's clean because our friends John and Angela visited for the night and when we have guests my studio becomes the guest room. (I just realized that its funny that I said "it's clean" because I'm sure it doesn't look like it. Let me qualify this: it's as clean as it can be. The floors are swept and all of my things are in their proper places.) As a guest room I think it's a little like camping in a magical jungle... possibly a bit claustrophobic but a one-of-a-kind experience nonetheless.

I know that people usually hide their messy closets but I know that I'm not alone in my I-have-a-small-NYC-closet-ness and I'm trying to embrace it. This is the larger of two closets that we have. The other is in Mikel's studio. I keep my clothes in here but it's about 87.6% full of art supplies. It's an interesting challenge to have one room be studio, garden, closet, storage, guest room, sewing room, etc. It demands serious organizational creativity.

This is our main room right now (just ignore the towel drying on the chair ;-) Some details: that's a minotaur head on our cupboards. Mikel made it and did a collaborative video piece with his art collaborator Ethan Kruzska. You can see images here on their website. There's peach brandy up there too as well as two drums (Mikel's).

These two fur balls are laying on the floor of the main room right outside my studio. Check out the legs we got from our friend Ariele. I'm hoping to make them into legs to a counter in our future hand sculpted house. When she and I carried the legs to my apartment almost everyone we passed asked us if we killed the girl to get her legs. Of course we did!

By the way, Ariele is an awesome artist! Check out her work here! She and I will be at Artists and Fleas on May 29th and 30th selling art, jewelry, etc. If you're in the area, come on down! (I'll remind you of it as the time comes nearer).

Our couch/bed (left) is folded down and covered in wood so Dr. pancake doesn't pee on it. I know. Gross! Too much information? Here's more: our bed is his favorite place to pee. His second favorite place is in the shell of Mikel's old helmet which we have placed in his litter box. Someday he'll be litter box trained (I hope!!!!!) We might need a different kind of litter... Check out the awesome architectural model on the wall! Mikel found it in an abandoned lot by his work. I LOVE it!

Ok, random tour, I know. It didn't include Mikel's studio or the bathroom (I have to ask Mikey's permission before I post a pic of his studio because he has a big painting in progress in there and he probably doesn't want me sharing it with everyone and their mom, and their mom's mom, if you know what I mean).

I am still waiting for responses from a few artists in regards to my interviews. As soon as I hear from them I will post the conversations here! Now I'm off to make some jewelry and painting before Dharma Punx tonight. Have a great day!

Fun Business

"Inside Out: It'll get you through"

I just installed this sculpture at Spare Room Gallery in Brooklyn. The opening is tonight and the poster is below for more details. Mikel also has an awesome piece in it. He doesn't have a photo of it yet so I can't post it so you'll have to take my word for it that it's awesome :-)

(detail)

Big news stuff from craft land:

~My earrings will soon be sold in the gift shop at The Whitney. Yay!

~I will be attending The Barn, a Seven Below Arts Initiative art residency for 6 weeks this summer in Vermont.

~I will be teaching adult and teen night classes in painting and drawing in July at Spoke the Hub (If you're in the area, contact me for more details and I will post more info on here as I receive it).

Way fun! More news to come as well as a new artist conversation in the works. Have a great weekend!

Interview With Ashley Smith (part 4)

"Microscopic Warfare"

(This is the final post of this conversation with Ashley Smith. Use these links for part 1, part 2 and part 3.)

M: Do you think about a spiritual connection with your work?

A: The answer in my head when I first read this question is yes. I have often described my studio and classroom/teaching experiences as if the room itself was holy ground and the practice that happens within it as very spiritual or perhaps sacred. I believe this because I have observed the way emotions and reactions to new skills and ideas are felt by my students and I. I don’t often talk about this openly as those words in public education and even at times in private life are taboos. But, in order for me to really describe why the answer to this question is intuitively yes, I had to first ask myself another question:

What is spirituality? I thought I understood what that was but in trying to answer this question I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then I turned to the internet to do a little research and see what others have put out there on this topic. I found an article titled Spiritual, But Not religious on www.beliefnet.com. I have often used these exact words to describe myself. The article discusses the difference between the two terms and determines that spirituality exists when one deals with the issue of how their own human life fits into the greater scheme of things. The article states, “We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world.” And that “An idea or practice is spiritual when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt relationship with the deepest meaning or powers governing life.” I totally and completely agree with these statements. At times (and I am referring to my own studio as well as observations made of students) I have witnessed the transformation of materials that occur as a result of mind and body working together. This experience is like magic and reveals the true nature, beauty and power of the material and also us. The transformation occurs because energy from the whole body, mind and spirit were working together and ultimately the experience transforms the maker in some way. This is spiritual. Also, I once asked my students (a third grade group of students) what they thought I had taught them. The reply from one of them was that “I taught them they had the power to decide.”

I think spiritually also exist, through creativity, you discover that you are on your own autonomous path within this world and you now have felt power to make decisions and continue to create your own path. I also think the process and the practice of art making references a type of spiritual or even religious practice because both require a certain work ethic and discipline as well as a healthy amount of observation, questioning, research, experimentation and reflection so that the practice functions as an agent of discovery and healing with in ones life. So I guess the answer is that the artwork itself may not always be (but sometimes is) spiritual but the practice of art making for me is most definitely spiritual and currently art making is one part of my life that feeds my spiritual needs.

M: Why do you think art is important?

A: I think art is important for all of the reason I gave above and because it is the vehicle that one can use to teach and learn true autonomy, character, confidence, academics, spirituality, physical and health education.

M: Thank you, Ashley, for sharing your thoughts on these subjects. I know this conversation will continue as time goes on--these are big questions and the “answers” will change, as we do, over time. I appreciate your authentic effort in engaging in this thinking and hope that as other artists submit their responses to these questions we can build a rich collection of thoughts and experiences on contemporary art practice.

Interview With Ashley Smith (part 3)

(Links to part 1 and part 2)

M: How would you describe/define a breakthrough in your studio?

A: I think a breakthrough is a moment of sudden discovery that occurs while working or reflecting in the studio. The sudden discovery then moves you and aids in the progression and transformation of your work. It is a moment when some kind of barrier in the work, like a question, misunderstood concept or material that was once confusing suddenly becomes clearer as a result of working, researching, finding, collecting and reflecting. It is a major or significant moment of improvement that occurs after many other smaller improvements. For me a breakthrough occurs most often when I am working steadily in my studio.

M: How would you describe inspiration?

A: I believe Inspiration:

• Is the power of moving the intellect and emotions through the process of consumption.
• Is the arousal of the mind and emotion which moves one to creative activity.
• Has to do with cultivating interests. You have to be an interested and aware person in order to know when something is inspiring. I think it helps to have inspiration training which I define as training that teaches one about what they like and what it feel like when they find inspiration that arouses their intellect, emotion and aesthetic, how and where to find inspiration and learning when you need it.
• Comes from everywhere. It is from words, visuals, dreams, books, internet, nature, people, culture, color, material and the list goes on and on.
• Happens when your heart and mind are seeking an answer of some kind. Even when inspiration seems like it comes from no where, I think you are subconsciously seeking it.
• Is a sudden intuition as part of solving problems.
• Is often the beginning of something or offering potential.
• It is very exciting and fulfilling!

M: Why do you make art?

A: I make art because with every fiber of my being I LOVE IT. In life I am a maker and creator. It sounds cliché but it is true. Art making fills my spirit and simply makes me happy. My mind becomes stimulated and my hands have learned their purpose and now they know what to do. Art has made me in control. Art has made me a decision maker. Art has taught me how to listen and how to speak articulately when I need to. Art is a language I understand and communicate through and can always learn more from. Art provides obstacles which I enjoy working through. Art making and teaching gives me purpose. Art is part of everything and is everywhere and that makes me feel connected.

M: What's an example of an obstacle that you have worked through with your art?

A: Well there are many times when art seems to be the obstacle that I am working through but this question seems to be inquiring about an obstacle in life that I made it through as a result of creating art. I think for me this happens often but there is one moment that is sticking out clear in my mind. It was during my second semester of working toward my teaching certificate and our professor had us create three visual statements through out the class in response to questions about our self as a student, our worries or questions about working with students that have special needs and any other general questions or worries about teaching. They also served as a source for reflection within the program. Our professor is an art teacher and art therapist so she had us use art often to help us fully develop our ideas.

During our first visual reflection I created a drawing of a woman (me) doing a back-bend while being blindfolded on a floating rock. Essentially I was trying to convey a sense of strength and strong work ethic I felt as a student/teacher. I had a willingness and a need to be great, to ask great questions to find the answers because I really have a strong passion for art and teaching. I was willing to literally bend over backward to become the greatest. I also felt vulnerable within the program and as a teacher. The blindfold was about feeling unaware or blind to certain issues in art education and I was in the class to work to figure some of those issues out.

M: Also, backbends are often thought of in yoga as gestures of moving into the unknown!

A: This turned out to be a great healing and learning experience for all because what ended up coming out in my class crit was that it is ok for me to literally bend over backwards for my students and myself in order to achieve my goals. Having a passion for what you do is good. People (my peers) look up to me because of my drive to be knowledgeable, articulate and in general just great but they also get annoyed if I try too hard. It is a double-edged sword because I don't want to be annoying but I also don't want to kill my personality, my drive or my pursuit for more knowledge and skills just to make others feel less threatened.

So here is what I learned. By communicating through and reflecting on my art with my peers and professor I learned there is way of learning and succeeding in a group that is more balanced. I learned that I could tone it down a bit and still find success within the group by essentially sharing more and monopolizing the floor time less. My professor helped with this process. She recognized that probably there were others that had a similar need and knew how to fulfill it. Weekly she asked us to write and reflect, as she knew there was not always enough class time to answer everyone questions. She would respond to our reflections and questions so that we still had all that we needed. She did this every week and answered every question in writing and brought the really important or frequent questions up in class so that class time was really, really productive.

So, through my art I learned better about how to succeed and help others succeed within in a group. My peers understood more about me and my needs came out in the classroom to my professor so she could be a better teacher for me. The artwork served as a vehicle to get the information out there so I could productively overcome this obstacle. Perhaps this is not seen as major obstacle but it was one that really bothered me and I am glad to have figured out so that I could get what I need within the delicate balance of a group dynamic.