Making Marks

The Fontifier Journey

I first learned about the Fontifier web tool on Linda's blog when she wrote about making handwriting into a font to use on the computer. That sounded like a super idea, and I like my handwriting. I went to the Fontifier site and downloaded the template for recording my handwriting. I then followed the process for previewing my font, and I was super disappointed! It seems that my handwriting is quirky in how I connect letters so that the s, for example, is different depending on the word it's in. So, the handwriting font wasn't what I expected. I then tried to make a font in calligraphy, but I'm not very practiced right now. That didn't work out, either. However, I still thought the Fontifier idea was full of potential.

Fast forward a few months. I got a new idea: I would print out a font I liked (such as CAC One Seventy) and trace over it using my own style. It worked! The font above is what I came up with. It's different from the original CAC font, but it has some of the font's style that I like.

Next I wanted this printed out onto fabric, so I followed the directions to come up with the sample posted here. Whew! The process was a lot of steps, but I like the results.

Warholizer

One of the delightful aspects of the web is finding fun toys and tools. Tools such as Flickr Toys transform web surfing from time-waster to finding treasure. Taylor Made designs blog pointed me there. (Kat used the mosaic option to create some wonderful business promotion material.) I chose the Warholizer photo option, uploaded the lilies photo, and received some fascinating results. The image below is cropped from a larger mosaic.

Warhols' work is definitely a mixed bag. Some of his work demeans the subject matter, but I found some pieces I really appreciate in an unlikely location, the Heathman Hotel dining room. They have pieces from from his Endangered Series and from a series with a Western motif. His use of color, line and layering are striking in the Endangered pieces. I try to get a seat facing the work when we sit down for dinner.

I Warholized a variety of images, and found the best results with high-contrast between the background and the focal point. They seemed to pick up interesting edges and clear details. I tried some photos of me, but those should stay in my computer's trash can.

 

Polymer Clay Experiment

This necklace is inspired by several different artists and sites. One was a button necklace (the original link seems to be gone), one is the disc-type beads by Louise Fischer Cozzi, and the other is making textures based on texture plates as shown on the Silastones blog.

The necklace is my second attempt at stringing these discs. I think I'll be trying again using some silver Beadalon.

But, I like it enough that I'll be trying to make a similar necklace to match an outfit I want to wear to a wedding next week. One thing I really like about making things for myself is being able to coordinate colors.

Never enough time

One of the constant struggles I have is juggling the to-do list to balance things out. Since art is something I work on after my day job and the amount of time I have available is limited, the decisions about what is important become even more critical. I have been reading material (Stephen Covey, for the most part) about aligning values, goals and time management for years, but sometimes the decisions are still difficult.

Making art, getting my art "out there", learning, looking at others' work, and connecting with others are all intertwined activities. If I don't take time to learn, my work gets stale. If I don't connect with others, I can't get my work out for others to see, and so on. One of the ways I try to balance all of these activities is to not spend too much time on any one thing except for making art. Therefore, my blog is updated about once a week. While I would like to spend more time here, I just can't do that and meet my other obligations.

A time management strategy that works well for me is to avoid multitasking (as much as possible) and stay in the moment. This is particularly important when I'm creating. However, as I write this, I wonder if it's true. I steal moments here and there when I can, and I work on multiple canvases/pieces at once. These processes work for me because I can add a little paint to something before my day job and achieve a little art fix before heading out into the world. Also, I work on multiple canvases because when the paint is wet on one thing, I can move on to another.

In terms of my art world, there will likely never be enough time. I have more ideas than moments to create. I guess that's a good thing.

Classes, Classes

The Sitka Center has uploaded their class schedule for 2007. Many of the classes are extremely tempting! My choices are limited by some vacation plans, but I have several on my list to take.

First, I will take a class with Fred Woell, and it will be my third workshop with him. His classes focus on methods of connecting diverse materials, particularly found objects. These are "cold connections" meaning he doesn't teach soldering. The last two times I was in class with him, he gave me amazing ideas, which led to completing projects that turned out really well. I have been using a variety of his techniques in my approach with mixed media. He's a wealth of information, so I'm sure I will learn something new this time.

Another class I would like to take is taught by Rebecca Wild, and the inspiration is Paul Klee. I am particularly drawn to this description: "Students will invent an abstract alphabet and personal line that will be altered, embellished, combined with words and layers, and used as the basis for multiple pieces." The concept of a personal alphabet or vocabulary is intriguing, so I hope this one works into my schedule.

The third class seems related to the Klee class: Lauren Mantecon's class on cultivating symbols, colors and metaphors. My husband, Michael, writes about metaphors in his field of study, so metaphors are of big interest in our house. Additionally, I'm working on a series of pieces for a show in September, and they relate to a metaphor of cycles.

Finally, I'd like to take the class on enameling, which I hope is not too scary. (I once took a class on glass bead making, and the torch was a bit much for me.) I can see potential in making small enameled pieces as embellishments for my mixed media pieces.

My original list of "want to take" classes was a lot longer. I really had to prune them down to topics that were more than just very interesting. I had to decide which ones struck a deeper chord and went beyond intellectual stimulation. Now I can't wait!