Do you use business cards?

And no, this is not a trick question. In these oh, so modern times I know some people don’t use them anymore.

But I do, and I recently learned about Moo products from Rebecca Sexton Larson.

Well, I have ordered from them twice now and let me just say, “WOW. I LOVE their cards!”

Wanna know what I like best? Their texture. Yes, the image is great. And the layouts too. But when I give a card to somebody 9 times out of 10 they will gently rub the card with their fingers. Yep, they notice the texture too, even if not consciously. Deliciously buttery.

Try ‘em. You’ll like ‘em. And if you’re a tad nervous about taking the plunge to order your own, you can have one of mine first. Just let me know.

But I think you’re gonna like ‘em.

I hope you have a creative day.

Do you ever get distracted?

I think this might even be considered lost, instead of distracted! Nah, just kidding.

But honestly, I set off last Wednesday to deliver work to FMWA in DeLand and ended up going on to Daytona and spending a few days there. Nice. No distractions, no computer, but yikes, that can cause some problems. Especially when one is used to logging on every day. A forced vacation from the computer due to an impulse. This is also not like me at all. Remember the anal organization on my studio? Yep, the anal stuff runs deep! Organized. Planned out. Etc. So this was a nice.

All of that to say, I never posted the pix of the collages prior to delivering them to the museum gift shop. So here is a quick look.  Thankfully, one sold the day of delivery.  Very nice to get that confirmation.

collages©, Kim Radatz

And this makes me wonder about you, since we've been sharing some Q and A: Do you ever get distracted?  Do tell.

Life is a Highway

Gray Area, Kim Radatz©

And I am drivin' it today.  Interstate 4, here I come.

I am hitting the highway today to deliver my piece, Gray Area, to the Florida Museum for Women Artists in DeLand. What a beautiful day to do so as the sun is shinning and the sky is clear.

I am very honored to be part of this show and really looking forward to the opening on the 19th. Maybe I’ll see you there? I’ll hope so.

Gray Area, detail Kim Radatz©

 

Sunshine and Creativity

Brrrr, it’s cold here. Been cold all weekend. Not what one would expect in early November for The Sunshine State.

But the sun is shining and I’m ready to get lots of work done today. Which answers another of the questions posed by Cloth Paper Scissors that I have shared with you: Does the weather affect your art-making? For me, ABSOLUTELY. I don’t do gray skies well. I go into hibernation, in a big, bad way.

I had SAD (Seasonal Adjustment Disorder) long before it was a commonly known disorder. And now that I am aware of it, I prepare for grey days accordingly. This is why I live in Florida where the sun shines most of the time. And fortunately, while I am in Minnesota, the days are long and the sky is so very big.

I have been inspired to make some small collages today by my friend, Martha. She is obviously never deterred from her studio for any reason whatsoever as she is the most productive artist I know. Check out her blog, An Artist's Journal, and you’ll see what I mean.

Off to work I go. Enjoy your day and I hope that it is a productive one!

Preparation for collages

Stacked up and ready to go.

Selling Off Some Old Friends

You know, I too have been pondering the questions I posed the other day. Specifically, “What’s your workspace like?” and “Are you messy or neat?”

I am pondering these as I prepare for a garage sale we are having tomorrow.

In addition to the regular household items one typically finds, I am selling quite a bit of my mixed media supplies. It’s scary. It’s a bit like selling off old friends. Some of this stuff I have had forever and some items are recent acquisitions. But all are loved by me. I don’t just bring any ol’ thing home; it has to speak to me first. But now I am moving some of them out. And I’ve got to say, it feels rather nice. Scary, but nice.

I have long believed that cleaning out older work gives you permission to make more. But this time, it is more than making space, I am downsizing in a big way.

Maybe it’s because I had a very productive summer in my tiny studio in Minnesota. That probably is a major motivating factor. If I can produce lots of stuff in a small space, just a corner carved out of my bedroom, what can I do in my larger studio if I have wide open space? Make lots and lots more?

Time will tell on that front, and I will keep you posted. But for now I shall enjoy the empty spaces.

Oh, and to answer the questions- full of bright natural light; orderly; messy in the process and tidy between pieces. Some might say anal. I’m okay with that. Here are 2 quick views.

The pix don't look as bright as in real life, but you can get an idea.

East end of studio



one wall of storage

I hope you have a creative day in your studio!

http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/

Cloth Paper Scissors Artisan Search 2011

Regarding my earlier post about the Cloth Paper Scissors Artisan Search for 2011. I won in my category. Amazing, I am blown away. And I almost didn’t submit my work.

From this I have learned:

· Always trust in yourself.
· Don’t worry about the outcome, just do it.
· Apply to as many shows/opportunities that you can, especially when there isn’t an application fees, as was the case with this call.

I have received a questionnaire from CPS that I am to fill out and send back. Very interesting things to think about. Maybe you’d like to ponder them too? I shall tease you with a few.

1. Do you find inspiration from books? Which ones?
2. Does the weather affect your art-making?
3. Do you keep a sketch book?
4. Do you have a favorite color palette?
5. What’s your workspace like?
6. Are you messy or neat?
7. And the last one for today (I’ll share more at a later date.) Do you have a studio pet?

Yes, I do. And here is a photo of my assistants hard at work.

Art is a Solitary Thing

Art is a solitary thing. Or so it seems.

I spend countless hours thinking, pondering, considering, all before I start a new piece. I turn it around and around and upside-down in my head, and then I might or might not make the piece. Sometimes just making it in my head is enough. Other times I’ll take it through to fruition, only to make another version, and then another. And sometimes it comes out right the first time.

The next step would be for the piece to find its way into a gallery. Which is exactly what happened to Wishful Thinking, a piece I made this past summer.

Lori Johns invited me to exhibit work in her gallery, C. Emerson Fine Arts in St. Petersburg Florida, and so Wishful Thinking was moved from my studio and out into the universe. Scary business, as I have mentioned in previous posts. Akin to running naked in public when one bares their soul for all to see.

But sometimes in that move out into the universe you connect with other people. It is then you realize that art isn’t solitary at all. Possibly the work was made in solitude, but that doesn’t make it solitary, rather it becomes a path to other people. Art can open a line of communication that might otherwise not happen. It brings you together with people, not apart from them.

It’s a very cool thing to experience.

Thank you, Luis, for your insightful post. http://art-taco.blogspot.com/