Lilla has shared so many nuggets of wisdom to help us get in the creative groove, one of which is the importance of setting up your art-making space. I have done this to some degree naturally, but now I am doing it with more intention~ Clearing off my work table, lighting a candle, some fragrant japanese incense, and cut flowers. Music is also vitally important for getting me in the art-making mood, and I've been listening to Heather Masse and Sara Tavares all week.
Our week one assignment was to create a fabric design based on 1950's & 1960's kitchens, vintage casserole dishes, and mushrooms. Lilla structures the class so that we have a mini assignment (given on Monday) to get us in the mood for the main assignment (given on Wednesday). Above is a photo of my mushroom studies.
Mushroom project in progress
Here's my finished piece~ Mushroom Mothers Serving Casseroles
I struggled a bit getting into my groove for week two~ The art market we studied was Home Decor, and our mini assignment was to draw/paint sculptural flowers and seed pods. I went on a walk near Tomales Bay in Pt. Reyes Station to shoot some photos for source material. I loved the spiky and soft quality of these thistles~
But when I got home to paint them I wasn't very happy with what I was doing. I was getting frustrated and things just weren't flowing. Lilla has told us that "People buy your joy", and I was definitely not feeling the joy! It wasn't a good place to be heading into the main assignment, so I decided to shift my focus and attention to discover a subject matter and technique that felt joyful and flowing. I know I am happiest cutting paper, so I decided to go with that. The assignment was to design two plates with a floral/seed pod motif that could be sold at Anthropologie (my favorite store) or Crate & Barrel. I got a wonderful flash of inspiration and decided to create two floral zodiac plates, incorporating floral shapes, zodiac constellations, and gemstones. (BTW~ I am thinking about designing all twelve zodiac signs and perhaps producing a calendar & greeting cards~ What do you think?)
Floral Zodiac Plate~Leo~With Sunflower and Citrine
Floral Zodiac Plate~Pisces~With Blue Water Lily and Aquamarine
I had a blast creating these! The blue water lily was inspired by this Spagyric from Al-Kemi.
And last but not least, I'm happy to announce that I have a brand new website! It's the same address: www.dreamspeakdesign.com and it has galleries of all of my card collections organized by subject, information about my background, press mentions, contact info and a link to my blog. Please take a look!
Wishing you all the best! I'll be posting on the blog more regularly, including my assignments for the Lilla Rogers' course (under the "Projects" tab)
Thanks for reading!
If you are interested in Make Art That Sells, I can't recommend it highly enough! There is a second session starting in October and there are still spaces available. :-)
Logo by Suzy Ultman
