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June 28, 2008
Scenes from My Studio
I have been a veritable flurry of artistic activity lately and you know what, it feels good. I'm still struggling with how to actually sell some of this stuff, but I am doing some planning and applying for shows. Really, the larger point is that I enjoy it and it adds a lot to my life. End of story. Once I can let go of grappling with "why" and "what to do with it," I find that just the act and outlet of creating makes me happy. I am also still trying to define, for myself, what constitutes success, as well as building a community of other artists from whom I can learn and find inspiration. There are many virtual communities out there, Etsy included, but I'd really like to have that going on in "real life" as well, so that is definitely a goal I am working towards.
I just completed another small bird series, "Above and Beneath" (images beneath the fold) and have prints for sale on Etsy, as well as some knitting-themed notecards. Current stuff:
I think these will be my last two 8x8" bird pieces for a while. They were inspired by the larger carousel painting, specifically the hummingbird.
Being surrounded by all of the fresh produce from our CSA has me inspired by food and the colors of food. The Bug let me borrow her markers this morning to make these:
Keep reading for a glimpse of "Above and Beneath"...
Posted by mwashburn at 02:35 PM | Comments (2)
June 23, 2008
Um, so, Yeah.
So I've been a lazybones about blogging. Forgive me and my two weeks straight of company sleeping in my guest room, couch, and floor. I have, however, been very busy in the studio and over at Etsy.
Posted by mwashburn at 12:16 PM | Comments (0)
June 08, 2008
Little Dreaded Things
Things you dread hearing:
Mommy! (shouted from the other room) An ant!
"Don't worry, it won't bother you"
It's on my plate!!!
Things you dread finding in your trunk:
A dozen eggs you missed when bringing groceries into the house TWO WEEKS AGO.
Posted by mwashburn at 05:03 PM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2008
I. Love. Food.
We joined a CSA* this year, after having tried it out for a few weeks last summer, picking up for an out-of-town friend. Yesterday was our first delivery. Planting started late this year because of the terribly cold spring, so it was a light delivery, but every bit was worth it. We got asparagus (SOOOOOOO much different fresh-picked than sitting around the grocery store for who-knows-how-long), radishes (see: asparagus. I mean, I bought radishes at the store a couple of weeks ago that were small, hard, and bitter. These are crisp, sweet, and really tasty), green onions, a parsley plant, and the piece de resistance...
RHUBARB!!!
Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my favoritest things on the planet. But I've never made it because I always find the rhubarb at the grocery store always just seems... questionable. I was frightened of doing it myself. But I pulled out the handy-dandy Joy of Cooking and made strawberry rhubarb cobbler (pie for lazy people), and it was heavenly. The bug declared "This is SO GOOD in my LIFE!" and cried when we wouldn't give her more.
It's nice when a do-gooder thing is also good for your tummy.
*For those of you who don't know, CSA stands for 'Community Supported Agriculture.' You actually buy a share in the farm, and in return you get a delivery of fresh-picked fruits, veggies (and in some cases, even eggs or meat) from a local independent (sometimes organic) farm. Ours is great; we get a newsletter each week that tells what is going on with the crops, and recipes for items in that week's delivery. If you want to find a CSA (or even a farmer's market) near you, check out:
Posted by mwashburn at 07:32 PM | Comments (1)
June 04, 2008
Part II
I don't think this one turned out quite as well as the first, but the point is to have fun and play with the gouache, not to create my be-all, end-all masterpiece (though that would be nice too). I do want to do more of these, but I'm trying to figure out how to do to flowers what Georgia O'Keeffe and Robert Mapplethorpe do to flowers, not what 95 year old Gladys does to flowers during her Sunday watercolor sessions. I think one of the most gratifying things, as an artist, has been when people have talked to me about my work and said something along the lines of "I don't know why, but this painting makes me feel really x y z" With x y z being some odd sensation, emotion, or memory. Because it is really validating to know that the thing I am thinking about, obsessing about, concentrating on emotionally, is the thing that comes across in my work regardless of whether it's a landscape, a figure, or something entirely abstract.
Posted by mwashburn at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)