IF: Magnify


Basis for another add to the Fraktur grouping. I was told quite pointedly by an individual who said these were wrong(?) and that "no one would be interested in these, or interested in buying these". I am in a study phase, so this really doesnt matter. I am making pictures, thats the point. Only the point. Make enough, there is traction. Study and action magnifies the idea, the hand, the image. Work magnifies understanding.

whirling dervish


Highly productive yesterday. Made an appt. with a friend who is a buyer at the Museum who has her finger on the pulse of what folks are buying and pricepoint at the GlassMarket, a huge glass emporium at the Museum of Glass. Plans are to develop a series of products (illustration based) to be sandblasted on stock blanks (a la Steuben) or on glass hurricane candle enclosures, bottles etc. and do limited run products to start with. Focused, illustration base, potential for breaking even/profit....certainly worth the toe in the water. Also have a few calls out to see who can help me with this on the production side. People are out there looking for stuff to do...so hey, might as well tap the resources.

Also contacted Boxcar Press (Syracuse), Pressed 55 (Philadelphia) and our little Pioneer Printing (in Interlaken) to have them quote some basic jobs in letterpress. I am learning about how this process works (do you want to buy the plate from one company and give to another? or buy the plate and use your own press (not where I want to go), or quote the entire job?)> I am curious about how much black density they can hold (have sent them a valentine in black for reference) and now do we specify depth of the imprint. More today on that. Surprisingly, I found that Briar Press (on my resource list) was a phenomenal source for boutique and not so boutique letterpress shops. More to learn on that front. In the same vein, I need to relink up with the independant engravers that are local (Meaning Buffalo to Albany and points south) as this is another instrument I want to be able to play in the future. Have done engraving jobs for business cards and the like, but how bout a gorgeous spot illustration engraved or embossed with 28kt gold leaf? Ooooooh.

I started a mini business plan for a music project I have been enlisted to help out with and used Google Docs for the writing. Nice! Not only was I working on the document, but so was the other author and Erich all at the same time--a bit disconcerting as it felt and seemed like there were ghosts in the machine as the cursor jumped around unbidden, filling in paragraphs, correcting spelling, adding names--an electronic ouiji board. The plan has become more focused with prices and detail that many piece could be peeled out of the entirety. However, Great tool, easy to use and it lives in the electronic cloud so its accessible everywhere and the aspect of collaborative projects are just that much easier. Kitty has even done slide shows on it to great success.

I am joining the Society of Illustrators LA as it will allow me to save a little dough on the entry fees, allow me some promotional space on their site and to support illustration in another venue. Need to finalize the paperwork and the check for the entry fees and for the membership today.

Also, hopefully Don Hair, the tree man, will arrive for a walk down Camp Street to talk about the dead trees by the side of the road and how he can help us take them down and possibly turn them into firewood. There are three enormous piles of sticks, wood, debris that need to be chipped (thanks to Kitty, Alex and Nigel's huge efforts around clearing miles of privet in various forms of development, tree limbing up, and the picking up of wood in all ranges of sizes). So, Don has a lot of topline work to do before we get into the more indepth stuff that is so worth doing. But, just maintaining the topline is good as it proves the import when we get these torrential downpours with wind shears and in the last snow of the season which is warm enough to really pile on the trees and wires and break them. Now when we have these sorts of natural events, we get a few branches...but not a few trees. All good.

So, moving the needle a bit. We are doing a round trip to a college on Friday and then Mon>Wed another go round of schools. Need to wrap my head around that too.

The fair has opened in Tburg. Last night was the Demolition Derby prelims and Thursday is the local music night which we all have penciled in. Hank Roberts and Hubcap are also playing at the Pourhouse Thursday p.m.. The choices are wide and varied. Trumansburg Farmer's Market tonight--so we'll see if we can cruise by.

More later

thoughts and ruminations.



Fraktur on the brain. Rob is goading me nicely to get going in figuring out these products for the Museum of Glass --and to get the team in place, the thinking in place and get going. He is right. Plus, it gives me some venues to push the illustration that are not traditional, are about me being an illustrator/designer, is about an alternative stream of income and could be a beneficial and fun thing to do. So where is the downside? A tad bit of risk...but nothing inconceivable.

The pix above is the second Fraktur inspired picture. I decided to get back into coloring these things just to see where it could go. So, this is where it is (not done) today...with more work tomorrow. My intent is to try to infuse more color in the work and though its not bad, to not keep the black work in a single color in every iteration. Bunny Carter cited my Indian Tiger as the only full color piece in my thesis which I thought was interesting. So, to that insight, I credit Bunny with the push (not even a tiny shove) to think more about the color, their relationships and how the image begins to change with more color added and not frames that are filled with color and the line work all the same. Seems richer...more dimensional. I think this may be criteria for the color for this next round of valentines. What do you think?

I am going to contact Boxcar Press (a Syracuse Letterpress shop) to get prices on one and two color letterpress work as I am thinking of developing a series of different Birth Certificates and Marriage Certificates (maybe later, a Bar /Bas Mitzva, a Confirmation one) to be illustrated and designed for the user to have a calligrapher (or me) fill in the name/etc. and be able to sell them through high end stationery and/or gift shops. With that may come Birth announcements, Marriage stationery/thank yous that match. Plus, with an affordable letterpress option, creating condolence cards (I have had requests) from some of the Memento Mori work and selling sets of 10 with (lined?) envelopes and or as one off.

Just got back from the Oral Surgeon's office in Corning with two high school near future patients. It was a great consultation with pictures/xrays, a full disclosure of process and medications, time frame and process. Now, all we need to do is schedule it.

So, must go...now. Hotdogs on the grill await.

Sunday 08.23.09

Spent the morning chatting with David, our guest...with him painting a landscape and me fiddling around with my pens. We looked at the work of third generation puppeteer and performance artist, Basil Twist (on youtube>>). Twist is imaginative with his use of screens, film, projection, curtains (the stagemanship) along with his puppets and aspect of his work that might fit into performance (active costumes that help the artist to go to another place. The first film is of his performance, Dogugaeshi,commissioned by the Japan Society and is beautifully described (in the link) by the New York Times.

Twist joined another performance artist who David has been following for years since David claims to have seen in a window of the New York Fiorucci store, Joey Arias.

Arias and Twist presented "Arias with a Twist" off Broadway to David's delight...with this collaboration moving to Los Angeles soon. Arias is an artist who can span gender, age and go from nice to naughty in a blink of an eye. Marvelously funny, poignant and quite a presence, Arias was a featured performer with the Cirque du Soleil presentation, Zoomanity. David made the pilgrimage to Los Vegas for his fiftieth bday to see this Cirque show and take in the LV sights. We looked at YouTube clips on both Twist and Arias which was fun and very inspiring as well.

We visited Petrune, a great vintage clothing store on the Ithaca Commons as well as my new favorite antiques store next to the State Theatre, Blue Bird Antiques. Jenny MacGuire, the owner and buyer has similar interests to mine and always captures the imagination from Odd Fellow and Mason stuff, to circus posters, religious stuff, primitive ephemera to taxidermy. Doesnt get much better. Jenny mentioned that we may have a monthly antiques auction in little ole Tburg at the VFW. This would be a real
ly good add...and what with the activities around the old/new Rongo, things are looking up! (not that they ever looked down, but more in the case of T burg is better).

We attended the Ithaca Sufferjets Bout with Wilmington and left at halftime as we were tired and hungry. Shady got a little walk in Cass Park discovering the dog drinking fountain. We had a late dinner and then to sleep. This morning I used up the two soft bunches of bananas making banana bread (double order) and a banana cake from Joy of Cooking. I chopped up all the left over chicken from this week and made a rather lavish chicken salad (with new and left over ingredients and the pepper bacon we had at breakfast). So, cooking is done and we are planning a later afternoon showing of Ponyo at Cinemopolis. We will see what happens from there.

Saturday a.m.


Yesterday was a hot one with a wonderful dip in the lake. Kitty and Alex helped a friend pick, wash and pickle green beans for the better part of the morning with my running the shuttle service from here to there. Work was wonderfully quiet with an opportunity to start really thinking about holiday card illustration and poke a bit with looking at Fraktur, images of beans and peas (a harvest image/border). Am working with watering cans for now...and garden glove/seedlings later.

David C.is working on dog stains on the rugs in the house with some amazing enzyme cleaner that is really working, but with the damp rags pulling the awfulness combined with the hot humidity that yesterday had--it raised a stink that was a bit pungent that had me running for the windows for a wiff on a regular basis.

We had a great dinner at the Stonecat on Seneca Lake. I redrew their logotype (which looks very good and strong)--and I am excited about moving the needle with their packaging and image development. We heard that the teeshirts really have been moving for them--(second order this summer) which really floats my boat. Yay. Now for a new website!

swirling in ideas


Flower paintings, Ambrosius Bosschaert (1573-1621) a Flemish-dutch painter. Note: a Pila sp. shell is situated at the right corner.
So the fiddling with the frame and a reverse flower thing has spurred me to look at Ambrosius Bosschaert's paintings of flowers and bugs and the promise of the season that these blown out florals make. I am liking making these borders and need something for them to border or better, once on track, have the borders match the subject and vice versa. But for now, I am amused, researching and not too serious about anything illustrative. Bosschaert's paintings are simple compositionally, simple forms and yet they speak to me of lush summers and springs, the wealth of nature and for the dutch, the wealth generated by their trade in tulip bulbs. So, that said, have that plate and interest spinning.

Additionally, I am reading up on Fraktur. Wikipedia says:

Fraktur is both a style of lettering and a highly artistic and elaborate illuminated folk art created by the Pennsylvania Dutch (also known as Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German). Most Fraktur were created between 1740 and 1860.

Fraktur drawings were executed in ink and/or watercolors and are found in a wide variety of forms: the Vorschriften (writing samples), the Taufscheine (birth and baptismal certificates), marriage and house blessings, book plates, and floral and figurative scenes. The earlier Fraktur were executed entirely by hand, while printed text became increasingly common in later examples. Common artistic motifs in Fraktur include birds, hearts, and tulips, as well as blackletter and italic calligraphy.

Today, many major American museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art have Fraktur in their collection. Important Fraktur have been sold by major American auction houses and antique dealers for prices in excess of $100,000. The definitive text on Fraktur is widely considered to be The Fraktur-Writings or Illuminated Manuscripts of the Pennsylvania Germans, written by Dr. Donald A. Shelley and published by the Pennsylvania German Society in 1961. In late 2004, part of Dr. Shelley's Fraktur collection was sold at public auction in Pennsylvania for $897,833.

Interesting time period, no? Sort of overlying the early American gravemarkers you all know I love--spanning through the writings of Jane Austen and like writers, through the civil war. So, its pre Victorian and then at the end promises that time. However, on the early side, this is similar imagery to that of the early funerary art. There is a great website Fraktur Web that explores the known Fraktur illustrators and shows how one informed or taught the other in this very limited geographical area. Additionally, this site details the types of Fraktur work that was created. Simply put, Fraktur had a use and a place to note and commemorate things in people's lives. Fraktur was used to embellish/design / detail hymnals, bookplates (for awards of merit); religious broadsides, house blessings (Haus-segen) and purely pictorial works all received the fraktur treatment. As early as 1772, the Ephrata Cloister brother and sister calligraphers were turning out the “Goldene ABC,” an inspirational work. Iluminated birth and baptismal certificates are the most numerous fraktur (Taufschein Fraktur). The other, Vorschrift fraktur were "best examples certainly are the most inspired marriage of writing and illumination within this art form. The fraktur Vorschrift is a model for writing exercises often drawn by schoolteachers and particularly popular among Mennonites and Schwenkfelders. Consisting of Biblical verses or hymns, they were used in the parochial schools that pre-dated the founding".

These symmetrical illustrations fascinate me as they are part of a culture of a small group of people, illustrated by known calligraphic illustrators or illustrative calligraphers..creating pieces that were noteworthy as images but that were significant in recognizing life's progression and the recognition of those key moments in a graphic way. When I was younger, my mother had found these printed marriage certificates that were rendered in a fraktur manner that she would have me ink in the names in blackletter to match the spirit of the certificate. I am thinking that there may be a place to develop some illustrative marriage and birth certificates in the same manner for sale of my own work (inspired by the Pennsylvania Germans or by any other whimsical birth or marriage images that strike me). These could be letterpressed into rich, all cotton paper and packaged in a beautiful way. This is a saleable idea...and will allow me to explore this form with a few goals in place.

Today--more pushing of the teenagers. More work and a guest arriving for a two night stay. Alex is love/hating the preseason crosscountry, but there is talk he may be a varsity runner. We got everyone's schedules worked out with Alex getting a roster of great teachers and his two top picks--guitar lessons and Music Theory. We swapped out 2 of the four AP classes for better/more engaged teachers for Kitty--with English being public speaking and Shakespeare...and the government class taught by a spitfire who has opinions and isnt afraid of dragging his class into conversations. It feels like this is all very positive.

Snap out of it!


Back in the game. I am going to go full tilt on another set of valentines and seeing what comes out of it. Momentum, that's the name of this game. The frame above is evidence of the puddling around. There is going to be another memorial to bees and beekeeping as I love the imagery. Maybe time tonight to work on the other pieces for this image. I am excited and churning in the head. I also have a fraktur image in the works. Time to play the scales before I start playing the piano again. I want to keep this going at the pace with the passion that was spurred by educational goals but by my own drive. This muddling and framemaking was the way in to the Memento Mori project, so we will see. I am loving this nature stuff...and the heavy frames that would poke into the image or the image weave into it...we'll see.

Am starting to engage in the posters ideas for the Hangar 2010 season. 39 Steps, Man of La Mancha, Penelope of Ithaca, The Piano Lesson, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are the plays. Some are more symbolic than others...The Spelling Bee is fun. Man of LaMancha could be ala the Beggarstaff Brothers...or could be a portrait of our friend Dave as the man tilting at windmills. Penelope is being written for the Hangar...and the Piano Lesson is one of a cycle of 10 plays...with some interesting imagery from Pittsburgh, from pianos etc.

Swimming last night in the lake was perfection. I really wanted to be there until I wrinkled...but with the divebombing horseflies--it was impossible to consider an evening immersed in Cayuga's waters.

It's clouding up. Kitty, Alex and Nigel are working away at cleaning the borders of our property--cutting all the privet to the ground, whacking away at all the weedy messes, clearing branches and logs. Its going to rain...matter of fact as I look out the window, its happening right now. Thank goodness as the humidity is clingy and unfriendly. I guess an evening of drawing( yay!) and reading something trashy?!

Beachside


Bathing Beauties Mark Twain Day, Mono Lake, California
Burton Frasher Sr. 1888-1955
Pomona Public Library
1933
Courtesy of Pomona Public Library
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt6g50201c/?brand=calisphere

Just discovered this nice site for imagery/ideas called the Calisphere, which is the University of California's Online Digital image resource. It rocks. I was searching random names (one being Mark Twain because I got some good images from Berkley of his wife, Olivia Langdon, and wanted to see if they were here too). They were and more...like this appropriate image for mid August, Mark Twain Day at Mono Lake in California. Lovely gals ready to display their pulchritude albeit some don't look too pleased in the picture ( I am thinking that the gal on the far right is maybe shy...and not cranky like she seems).

Yesterday was hot, so took two long dunks in the lake (an hour each) and in between took Kitty to visit a friend, Alex napped and I drew pictures of a Christmas Tree. Rob weeded the beach and anything else that would come across his path...so the beach is looking quite swanky as are the hosta that are readying themselves for the big white trumpets we get around Labor Day every year. Rob also arranged an online appointment for the Wonderbus to get a new windshield as a pinpoint pop has become a runner that has spread.

This week promises more heat through Wednesday and then showers. A college friend is here for two nights...and we hope to entertain him with the best of the region (music at Felicias, the Farmer's Market, Waterfalls and if he stays, The SufferJets (our roller derby gals). My pal Peggy arranged for us (4 women) to sponsor an ad for their program. I designed it (big type/black and white) with our referring to ourselves as Mothers of Invention. The copy is about the mothers celebrating the sisterhood. These Roller gals all have Derby names (the leader is named Chairman Meow as a for instance). The Ithaca gals have numbers that mean stuff...as well. We have boy cheerleaders (very Itown) in zip up car mechanics suits. And, they really get the crowds. So, we will see.

I am very wound up about getting Kitty to get the work done for her AP classes. She is, I think, oversubscribed and will not be successful with the workload she has in place. So, I am going in to see the guidance folks and lessen the load a bit as she will have college applications and essays to do in addition to the schoolwork. I am losing sleep over this and the whole college thing...and dont quite understand why I am so whipped up about this. But, I am. So, planning and changing things are my ways of coping and dealing with the onslaught.

Alex has his new glasses and seems to think he looks great in them (which he does...a young Yves St. Laurent look). He is loving being able to see. I guess maturity and sheer blindness has given him the confidence to wear these specs though we have bought them and had them for a while...he just needed to be more dire with the vision. He is looking forward to being able to start driving...and is anxious to get going (unlike K. who could care less cause she has us to drive her). Alex happily started cross country preseason training happily today despite the promises for 90 degree heat. There will be plenty of cold water tonight in the deep Cayuga!

Summer is here


The weekend has comprised of our dunking in the water (as summer has blossomed into hot days with hazy heat), doing odd jobs, cooking and visiting with our former neighbor who has the prettiest boat on the lake and likes to make the journey to park off our dock and visit. We had a nice little potter out at cocktail time last night with all of us visiting and talking. It was pretty close to perfect.

I have a vicysoisse in the fridge and a salad made up of leftovers...so dinner is done for today and I can write a bit here...if I have anything to say.

I have started reading the book Murray suggested, The Art Spirit, by Robert Henri to try to shake the malaise that has settled around me about my work. I am in the introduction and it is very good, very true and very inspiring intellectually. And this is just the beginning! However with my work right now, pretty much everytime I pick up a pen, I cannot hit my stride...so I need to keep trying to do this--as it sure would be a waste to lose my confidence and start spiraling. More valentines are in order just to keep my hand in. I was musing over Christmas trees too. I wonder when/if I will hear from Crane and Co. I hope?~! They said a month or so...and its exactly in the middle, so we will see. I just sent my submissions to the Society of Illlustrators Illustration West 48 show (for early next year)--so that is done. I just need to get the water out of the engine and get going. I should keep us the one hour portraits too...they seem to pop and def develop the eye.

So instead of writing you...I am going to draw. Tomorrow, then.

whirly


Feeling busy and stale. Sad. Might be that I am a bit housebound...but the work is frustrating and fast...where a more sophisticated approach isnt understood (more color is better and please fill up all the white space...). But I am feeling stale and inept with illustration (I have no idea...but my confidence is in the crapper. Its been only 3 days of just us...so I need to give it time... and we are expecting an impromptu guest tomorrow night. I will not have a chance to prep the room, make up the bed in advance...Rob is in two all day meetings with dinner tonight. The truck is still broken, so I am situated at the Camp House with nothing to drive. Enough kvetching...? Sorry.

I am using the new things I learned with Jean and Nancy (brush making, live paint, live trace, "average" points) and I am surprisingly making some productivity strides. Additionally, I am reading two books on illustrator (one paper book, another on my kindle and picking up all sorts of other new stuff along with the power user stuff (like the minus sign is the minus points key)...

Whitney Sherman, Chair of the Illustration Dept. at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) broadly asked for names of books/etc. for the History of Illustration she is teaching this fall. However...good things flowed from this call for entries--this marvelous, eccentric, smart and illuminating blog surfaced, "A Journey Round My Skull" captioned as ""Unhealthy book fetishism from a reader, collector, and amateur historian of forgotten literature." Recent obsessions: illustration and graphic design." Will, the author surfaces interesting and new people everyday along with smart mini "bloglets" on illustrators, ideas (like beards)--a magic place where Will's imagination captures ours and we soar together.

Take a look. Click through the placeholder pictures on the right. Interesting and a big time consumer.

Time to take Kitty out for a sandwich!