Map Art Lab

Hold the presses!

Did you know that Jill Berry (along with her sister Linden McNeilly) has a new book out?

Yep, a wonderfully creative, awesome, fun yet totally usable lab art book entitled "Map Art Lab".
(say that fast three times)

The book is separated into 7 units that include a total of 52 map making labs or projects.
That's right...I said 52 projects.
One for each and every week of the year.

The units include -(some words copied directly from the unit descriptions in the book)

Map Basics- There are eight projects inside this unit that will teach you how to make cartographic components that will decorate your map.

Map Magic- You will explore creating map elements using ordinary materials. There are seven projects and one extra feature (making a pop-up and folded map)

Flat Maps-You will learn how to take elements of flat maps- line, form and color- in new directions. You will learn how to deepen your experiences as you play with color and pattern.
You'll also find eight projects and a featured mapper (not to be confused with a mapmaker that raps)(that would be a rapping mapper or a map making rapper, right?).

Mixed Media Maps- This unit includes seven projects that will hopefully open your eyes to the unusual materials that maps can be made from as well as a featured mapper (or multiple mappers in this case).

Personal Maps- Most maps ARE personal maps as they tell a story but this section is full of eight different map labs that take a stroll down memory lane or tell of a personal experience.
I am honored to have a map in this section called "The Journey Of You And Me".
It's a map of the journey of the romance of my husband and I, via the places that we lived, that lead us to the home that we live in now.
It's a smallish map (10" x 10") with lots of tiny details.
Evidently I have a problem leaving out details in a 2"x2" drawing...

 For all of you Clemson fans out there, look at Tillman Hall in the upper right-hand corner. The original drawing is about 3" x 2.5". I did leave out many details but it's still full of teeny tiny windows...

I love that the color in the book is as bright as the original is. Upon closer inspection, I saw that all of the colored maps in the book have great color clarity as well.

Cartographic Projects- This unit is all about creating projects out of pre-printed maps. There are seven projects (or labs) that include book making, jewelry, sculptures, mail art and collage. There is a quest mapper as well that uses  pre-printed maps to create the most amazing 3D sculptures.
It's a must see section!

Inspired By Artists- Imagine being surrounded by the people that you admire the most: artists, musicians, storytellers, relatives, and historians. You gather them in a village and they teach you everything that you want to learn. In this case, artists inhabit the village, and after we construct a place for them to reside, we will go about learning how each of them might fashion a map.
She has included seven different artists in this unit.


Jill and Linden have also included a page of resources as well as a page about the contributors.

I love that they used many young mappers work in the book!

This would be a fantastic tool in the classroom as well as for families.
Hell, this book would be an awesome resource for anyone interested in map making!

You MUST go now and buy this book!
There is NO OTHER book out there like it, I promise you.

Jill Berry has done it again (along with sis Linden McNeilly) .
They have created a one of a kind book in this day that we see a lot of copycat books.

I truly feel that Jill has a pure and authentic artistic voice that shines through in her work and this book proves that once again...

"Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop"

Serena Barton has written an outstanding book about embracing our imperfections and those of our art practices.

I read the introduction and saw myself in almost every line.


I have found my wabi-sabi art soul mate in Serena Barton.


I recently did a blog post about how I wondered if some of the art that I have made was my own art (see this post).
In that post, I talked about what you would find if you peeked into my studio journal or my photo files- they are full of what Serena calls "wabi sabi colors, texture and photos".

Her book guides you through a few pages of the unlikely places that the "wabi-sabi artist" finds inspiration.
Those photos rang a bell in my memory - right back to that blog post above.
Serena could have looked over my shoulder at the photos that I was talking about in the post.

The imperfect, the decaying, the ephemeral.

To take the parallel one step farther, you could look at the photo of the piece of artwork in that post, "Protective Armour", thumb through Serena's book at her artwork and you would be struck with the similarities.
So, having said that, you will understand why I love the exercises in this book.

I really liked the way that she encourages us to allow our intuition to take the lead when creating artwork.
I do believe that most "accidents" (or "opportunities for 'out of the box' design" as I like to call them) are the basis for the most growth as an artist.
We learn more from working around, through and on top of mistakes than we do when everything is going according to plan.
And, we have a much better recall of what works and what didn't work.

There is a wealth of interesting techniques in this book too!

If you've never worked with "re-inkers" (or like a lot of people, you have them but never use them), there are a couple of exercises (maybe more than two) that use them in the book.

The type of  exercises  in the book are a great basis for building the groundwork of being a wabi sabi artist. They not only introduce you to (or reacquaint you with) a new product, they assist you in learning all of the different applications for it.
And it's the first book that I seen that uses a few of the products used in the same piece (you will have to get the book to see what I am talking about).

The book has seven main chapters that include the following -

1. Looking for Wabi-Sabi and Finding It All Around You
1. Patina of Time: Creating the Effects of Seasoning
3. Strata of Time:Creating Layers of Texture
4. Throw in the Towel: Working with the Unexpected
5. Abstraction from the Real: The Power of Suggestion
6. Translucence: Creating Wabi-Sabi in Wax
7. Buried Treasure: 3-D Wax Art and Other Enhancements


Serena has written a wonderful guide that encourages you to allow your inner voice to run free, yet gives you excellent tips/guidelines for reigning her ass in if she gets too far out there (you know that we all do it).

If you're already a "wabi-sabi girl" (or guy), you will identify with and understand the path that she walks down.

If you want to learn how to listen to your intuition in regard to creating harmonious artwork and revel in it,  then this is the book for you!

You may purchase a signed copy at Serena's site (and get a bonus of collage items!) or at Amazon (please leave a review after you read it!).
Serena is having a give away over at this site - for an original painting! Leave a comment and tell her what you are creating right now. That will put your name in the hat for the painting.

There will be more blog reviews this week - here's a handy list for you.

6/5 Liz Kettle

6/6 Joanne Sharpe

6/8 Seth Apter

6/9 Alicia Caudle

6/10 Pam Carriker

Jill Berry will be giving away a copy of the book at her blog on June 10th. 

She will be choosing a name from the people that leave a comment on the book review post. Make sure that you post a comment on that particular post!

Now- my advice to you is to go over to Serena's blog and purchase the book from her. You get an autographed copy (which you will cherish) and a packet of collage times to get you started on your Wab Sabi way!

Go! 

Buy!

Colorado Part Two

Back to Deb Prewitt's home studio classroom.
Her shop is the "Blue Twig Studio" and man oh man, does she have some really cool things in there!

This week, Deb is the vendor at the Las Vegas "Art & Soul".
I'd love to be there with all of those crazy ladies (and guys) having fun and creating so many great projects.

The second class at Deb's was "Painted Papers" (which could actually be called "Background Painting", "Art Journal Pages" "Abstract Painting" "Decorated Pages" or any combo of those).
It's a fun, fast paced day of painting, screen printing, tips and tricks to add color, texture and movement to papers (or fabric) that you might want to use for something else.
The ladies had so much fun!
Ruth Chandler used a piece of "MultiPurpose Cloth" to paint on. You can do the very same things to this cloth that you can do on paper.

I stayed with my buddy Liz for a couple of days (I was slave labor kitchen help to her) (lol).
She did feed me (very well), let me sleep there for free (except the slave labor), drove me around, and let me launder my clothing...

Oh, and she took me to the Denver Art Museum.
Where we had arranged to met Jill Berry and spend the day with her.

The "Yves Saint Laurent The Retrospective" exhibit was there.
I thought it would be interesting, even though I am not a real fashion person (unless you count Birks, jeans and tee shirts as fashionable) (except I did wear a skirt and really cute sandals that day!).

Was I ever shocked when I got there.

The exhibit was awesome!

There was a lot of history included, tons of beautifully dressed manikins, luscious headdresses, yummy textiles, lots of audios to listen to as well as several videos to watch.
It was one of the best Art Museum exhibits that I've ever seen.
We could not photograph inside of the exhibit and I left my sketchbook at Liz's house (arrghhh!) but I do have a couple of things that I am doing in my Colorado Sketchbook I can show you later.

If you are close to Denver, you should take the time to visit the exhibit - it is well worth it.

Liz, Jill and I had a fantastic visit.
I wished at that moment that I lived there in Colorado...but then again, they could just move to SC, right?

Pen, Paper and Ligers

My husband and I drove to Nashville TN this past weekend for the NCAA Umpire Clinic.

He is a college baseball umpire.

I had several hours of riding time to entertain myself (as well as my sweetie!).

I have thought about the "Sketchbook Challenge" quite a bit the last couple of weeks.

Thinking of this month's theme by Jill Berry.

"Highly Prized".

Even though my family is my most highly prized treasure,

I was trying to think of other things that were highly prized.

One of the things we humans tend to prize is animals.

Both domestic and wild.

My thoughts ran to the big cats.

Those big, beautiful cats.

I love to watch them on television.

Read about them.

Look at pictures of them.

So, one of the things that I am drawing in my sketchbook is a Big Cat.

And, in true Callie (my nickname) fashion-

It's probably not going to be a traditional looking lion or tiger but, well, maybe a liger.

Below is the basic drawing that I started with.

Now, notice that it's a very simple little sketch or drawing.

No details, just plain. This is exactly how I begin all my drawings.

Very simple with clean lines.

I begin adding details, dots and lines that appear rather random.

I often use dots as a method to shade. My son (who is an awesome artist) uses a lot of cross hatching. He says that it covers more space and is much quicker than my beloved little dot.

I'm sure he is right, but I sure do love the dot, dot, dot...

Look below to see half of my drawing all detailed.

All tricked out.

Just for comparison sake, here is the entire page of the sketchbook. I've left space at the top of the page to do more drawing or to write...

maybe I'll finish the entire drawing...

maybe not.

I have another post going up on the "Sketchbook Challenge" tomorrow.

Be sure and check in at the site everyday!

We have another artist interview up today.

Cas Holmes, author of "The Found Object in Textile Art".

I don't have her book but am planning on checking it out after reading the interview.

I hope that you all are doing well.

We're back home (Piedmont SC) with about 7 inches of fluffy snow.