Making Marks

Sewing inspiration

Have you seen the Alabama Stitch Book?  If not,  you are in for a real treat.

Alabama Chanin uses cotton jersey to create amazing clothes and home items. Many of her designs use stencils and applique in stunning and often quite subtle color combinations. She uses heavy weight thread for stitching (hence the image here).

Every time I look at this book and her website, I'm inspired. I started sewing again, but I need to spend more time with it if I want clothes that look anything near Chanin's work.

February 14 - Ann Altman

Ann Altman is about as close as a fellow artist can get - down the street. She's a neighbor, a teacher, a founder of Lunaria Gallery, and a wonderful artist.

Ann works primarily in acrylics and oil pastels, and her work is represented by Portland Art Museum  and galleries.  Reproductions of her paintings are among the top sellers available in the Syracuse Cultural Workers catalog. Additionally, Ann has an extensive resume of public and commissioned work.

Her color choices consistently draw me into her work. Then I notice lively textures that set off her compositions. She also has a knack for creating a mood with a few brush strokes.  Ann is currently incorporating silver and gold leaf into her acrylic paintings. Let's see them on your website, Ann!

February 13 - Amy Wagner

I'm happy to say that Amy Wagner is not only a great artist, she's also a friend. Her website will soon contain new work; she has used oil pastels to interpret what she saw during recent radiation therapy.

Amy will be participating in a special event at Lunaria Gallery as a guest artist in March, 2008, where one of her radiation pieces will be shown.

February 12 - Robert Schlegel

I first encountered Robert Schlegel's work at a Lawrence Gallery. His subject matter first pulled me in, but then I noticed his interesting take on perspective. While I am not certain that Schlegel lives in Oregon, many of his paintings remind me of my drive to work (through the country). His houses look like old farm houses that I see every day.

In addition, his color palette is warm and inviting. These are pieces I could look at all day and just drift off.

February 11 - Mary Hindman

As promised, the artists are getting closer to my home, and this is my first Oregon artist. Hindman is a ceramic artist whose work focuses on texture and line. I'm particularly drawn to her hanging pieces that have an organic quality.

Another interesting element in her work is the use of unusual materials that she pairs with clay. It looks like she attaches rocks and metal to the clay before it's fired. The combinations are striking.

February 10 - Lisa Call

Lisa Call is a contemporary fiber artist who makes amazing art quilts. She has a variety of quilts displayed on her website and often posts them on her blog as well.

She has taken a distinct line and shape pattern and used it to make dozens of unique and striking quilt tops. Aside from her gorgeous colors (many are hand dyed pieces of fabric) and designs, she also shares what it's like to work in a medium that has been somewhat marginalized. However, I'm sure her commitment to quality with fabric and on the web will continue to boost her fiber art career.

February 9 - Declan Halpin

I first saw Declan Halpin's work in the book Acrylic Revolution where his abstract work using circles captivated me. (I'm sure you're getting the circles theme throughout my artist choices!)

His work is featured in several galleries and on the Golden Paint website. As I learned more about his themes, I understood that the shapes he uses are abstract visual relationships of human interaction. What a cool concept.

One other thing that really stands out about Halpin's work is that his "canvas" (metal sheets) are not standard rectangles. I am drawn to the organic edges he uses to accentuate his painting.

February 8 - Art Girls/Robin Ann Walker

I don't remember how I first found the Art Girls website, but I admire the work for a variety of reasons.

The sheer variety of her work is impressive. Walker works in abstracts, landscapes, and photo collages. (Some of her abstract work inspired the Transitions part of my Orbs series.) Aside from the variety of themes and styles, she also works in a range of sizes from very large to small. On any given day I can find the inspiration I'm looking for to get me moving in the studio by going to Art Girls!

February 7 - Blanche Lazzell

I got to know Blanche Lazzell's printmaking work through serendipity. I was working on an artists A-Z group project and picked the letter L before all the "good letters" were taken. As I looked through an alphabetical list of artists, Lazzell caught my eye. I was drawn to her landscape prints which seem to be both simple and complex in their composition.

Her printmaking style, called white line printing, was explored by a group of artists living in Provincetown, the Provincetown Printers. They adapted traditional Japanese techniques to carve and print. Lazzell became the most well known of the group, yet few of her landscape images are available on the web.

February 6 - Arthur Wesley Dow

I first encountered Dow's prints years ago and bought a card to remember the exhibit. The images stuck with me and the card is displayed in my office/studio.  He worked primarily as a printmaker, and some of his prints were used to accompany text in books and magazines.

Dow's printing techniques allowed for multiple color compositions of the same image. His subtle use of color and color shifts is particularly effective. Aside from his masterful compositions, I'm drawn to his landscapes and nature themes.