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!

hands and knees


I woke up this morning and focused on this book jacket cover with the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe on the cover. I was mesmerized by the simplicity of her face, the decorative aspect of the illustration and the wonderful iconic gesture that she had and figured I would do a bit of googling for fun. Turns out, this Virgin is from the same template as the other Virgins of Guadalupe--with the hands always in the same place, the veil describing her figure, sometimes a red dress, sometimes not...always with the spiky mandorla...a true, almond shaped mandorla. I came across this very interesting website, Catholic Home and Garden from a woman who has merged her love of quilting with her faith and creates these prayer quilts. She shops online...either on ebay or online stores with some very interesting results. Love the palettes (as you scroll down the page)-- and the sheer vibrancy of the images. I just tooled around ebay, and yes, there is a great selection of fabric (by the yard and 1/2 yard cuts). Who would have known?

And now, I need to soak all that in. Then I started searching retablos or exvotos and came across this:


eBay seller Granconopio is offering another superb octopus-related ex voto. Here's the translation:

When I left to fish the sea of the dawn was as a silent puddle of fused silver calm and quite, but sudenly I felt that my boat shook and from the waters an enormous octopus came out and I saw in the paleness of the moon how tentacle by tentacle it climbed to my boat. I invoked the Virgin de Guadalupe because the animal was dangerous and my boot staggered, I heard a fly of wings and I saw as two birds flying around the octopus that tried to sent them away without getting it, until very annoyed it rushed again to the sea , in that moment the first gold of the sun melted with the silver and in that gleam I saw an angeles miracle that went away flying and I thanks.

Here is a link to those offered today on ebay>>

I really dont know what this has to do at all with anything...just that it ran through my brain and thought this curiosity might amuse you too.

Double downpour yesterday. Need to call the school and review this years schedules. Work beckons.

Monday Morning


Early rousing this morning. The truck is being truculent... and not starting. Understandable if you were to cast your eyes on this beast--both visually and the odometer. Miles. Many journeys to Corning, to the dump, around Camp Street. R. bought it used to get us through a summer. Five years later, its still trying...though we have squeezed whatever was left out of the poor thing. So, that leaves me sans transportation this week...more time for Quest Diagnostics and the immediate work we are firing on . Lots of day turn-around deadlines this week to roll on. I have moved my appointments to take the lack of transportation out of the mix...and we will see. I did see a used VW bug on the lot at Maguires that given the price tag, could suit me, and R. could drive the minivan...but that isn't in the picture!

We worked with Kitty on her portfolio yesterday. There was scanning and resizing some of the bigger pieces--with a readjustment of the layout. Its coming together. I hope Kitty is beginning to feel better about herself/her work with this piece being leaned upon. Loved using the CS4 Photoshop and the new and improved "stitching" tool that joins scans together--in a really spectacular way (automatically drawing masks on different levels and the averaging the backgrounds to fit...). No lines or an real evidence they were multiple scans joined together. Remarkable.

Our treat was to see the newest Harry Potter which, without a doubt, transcended the entire series of movies (with Kitty questioning outloud, " do you think the other movies could be redone by this director "--immediately?).

I have been thinking of snakes and thistles. Pointed and sharp, slithery and smooth, poisonous and spiky, reptile and flora that often go unappreciated...and that somehow work together. I am working with caduceus (the wand of Mercury--patron god of Doctors and healing)and may play out a few images as it intrigues me. I was also reading bits of Milton Glaser's "Art is Work" book and was inspired and enchanted by his sketch process around getting to know Piero della Francesca--down to seeing every single picture Della Francesca did...and the sketch process he worked through from his interpretation of these images--to the next generation of those images which morphed to Milton being lovely again. Glaser said about his process:

"One morning after a number of aborted starts, I realized Piero could be thought of as nature. His paintings could be looked at as though one were looking at a landscape through a window. Once could take any part of the view and interpret if freely, acknowledging, as we do with nature that it would be impossible to replicate it.

This insight allowed me to develop a series of watercolors and drawings inspired by Piero that explored details from his works in a more analytical way."

This man, Milton Glaser speaks to me. I have a feeling that he is going to pull me into another zone. I just need to keep reading.

Friday's performance of "Rent" at the Hangar was great albeit a tad slow in some parts. Kitty and Maddie seemed to love it along with crushing on the lead man, Mark. I was interested in how the Hangar promotes themelves, promotes the shows and applauds the local support they get. I have been asked to do their show poster plus one for next year which should be fun-- and a change from the Triathlon which has a tough set of requirements for their teeshirt. They just announced their shows which I do not have the wit or memory to give to you verbatim now (am blogging today courtesy of my phone!). So I hope there will be some bold vector portraits in the mix! I will need to shoot some reference-- and really act like a grown up illustrator with this. I will pick up the scripts this week to put my eyes in the real story, the characters, the ambience.

We got Maddie off with Liz and her troop of smaller children, friends, active new dog, and all the luggage, electronic toys and general stuff that surrounds that age group. I was cooking a few blueberry cakes and taboulie for the party we were invited to later. Liz and kids came at noon-- so lunch was in order despite my not planning it. We had good leftovers for the big people but no bread for the littler ones. There was a bit of a scramble around that. I really need to get smarter around this.

We had a lovely time at the picnic. It looked like rain, but didn't. All sorts of really interesting people-- each really bright, focused, with opinions. There were musician guests playng-- Morris dancer guests dancing--and all the rest if us gabbing up a storm. Brain was on--

Buddhas and Circus Posters



Images of windows of Blue Bird Antiques, State Street. Ithaca. One of my more favorite places!

The truck's battery died this morning, so everyone is being hastened along so that we can commute down to Tburg this a.m. so that R. can take the Wonderbus for the day. We had a nice evening with a trip down to the best optician in the universe, Cayuga Optical on the Commons. Alex needs glasses, so we got him all figured out (and paid for) so that next week he can roll into cross country preseason with sunglasses and better vision. I am hoping that these glasses get used. We have done this many times before with his shrugging the glasses off (dont need them, dont want them)--a freaking waste of money. I think these may take because he needs them, and there is a cool factor involved.

We had a little listen to Richie Sterns and The Evil City String Band on the Commons. They were tight and quite impressive with a nice Ithaca turn out of all shapes and sizes, babies and grown ups dancing and enjoying the cool summer evening. We zipped up the lake to Sheldrake for dinner bought from the farm stand--so things were good albeit I think the younger set was planning on dining out. Oh well. More $ staying in my pocket (at least for now).

This evening we see the last of my subscription for the summer Hangar Theater performances, "Rent". Should be good (as they all are) and fun with Kitty, Rob and Maddie. Alex is at a friends for the weekend (plus)to his delight. Maddie leaves us tomorrow with her aunt Liz picking her up so she can have time with her cousins in New Jersey (with the promises of trips to the Jersey shore). Tomorrow is the famed Mammal Roast. I am going to have to think and do pretty quickly as there is a dish to pass, and our esteemed hosts are foodies. Hmmmm. There are two lambs that are going to be roasted over a fire. Hundreds of cloves of garlic needed to be peeled. And imagine the energy to get the beasts hoisted over a fire...! I hope they have help as this is truly an amazing gift of energy and time! (or thyme>?) More later on this pending amusement.

Speaking of amusement, I was fiddling around with my blog (this one) and by accident/for fun, changed the language from English to Bengali as I liked the letterforms. And damn, if it didnt change everything immediately, not only on my blog page, but all the lists, all the secondary blogs at all levels throughout. So, I clicked on every link that now stretched out across the page to finally find the language one and after sweating a bit, managed to turn it back to English. Not funny nor amusing. Teaches me to not mess around with the important stuff.

tinsel on the tree


Gotta wake up the sleeping giants. We have about an hour before we trundle down to the office for another day of celebrating Christmas (visually), revamping/moving the design on the Tiffany Treasures logotype of the Museum, and having a 24 hour blitz on an iphone app icon design which then rolls into a web page, and fun collateral (I am proposing pins from Busy Beaver and temporary tattoos for the roll out of the phone icon). But, first things first, wake the giants.

Giants roused, not up though. One more shout and holler in another 15 minutes.

We had a busy day with work, the Trumansburg Farmers Market and the streams of visitors from teenagers to friends. I think it will be much of the same today but inching along with finalizing a few things as we go. I cooked a nice big dinner which is now parsed into small bags for the working mans lunch at the office (if you work with/for me, I provide coffee/tea and lunch everyday...whether it is leftovers, new stuff (like soup) or Chinese lunch specials). I find that as the season progresses, I am in awe of the things we can grow and eat locally. The glistening raspberries in their little wooden boxes, the glowing mammoth jars of honey from Mr. Waid, the white eggplants--3 for a dollar. So many organic farmers. One even had locally grown artichokes!

Met up with a local Rotarian at the market who was buying corn and salt potatoes from a farmer to add to the chicken barbecues they (the Rotary) put on at Taughannock State Park every Saturday the free music is offered. They use the Cornell Chicken recipe and grill great piles of chicken along with the expected corn and salt potatoes. Then you need brownies (this is the school signature)) if you are doing the Tenth Grade Prom Fundraising chicken barbeque...with all the brownies made from mix, cut randomly and wrapped. All very nice. My Rotarian Friend was happy to keep the produce local and support the local farmers. I love that...as the dollar is staying here--and we are encouraging our neighbors and friends to stay growing this wonderful produce. Plus, little carbon footprint from the field to the State Park. Happy all around.

I pulled a stack of books out for Maddie to look at relative to a project I am having her work on. Some good ones about the Pushpin Studios, Jim Flora and then the divine Mr. Hohlwein. This seemed good for Maddie and got the steam building in this shallow brain. I am fiddling rather heavily with pattern brushes in illustrator and created the logo above as a proposal for a "clean and spare" holiday mark for the Museum. Clean, spare and contemporary its not...Its psycho russian easter egg...but as it was the first "real" thing that came off the pen versus flush left, or flush right? centered? Justified? Sans serif all the way? mixed? letterspaced? positive and negative? I liked it...and so I just sent it. They like it too...with revisions. So, hopefully revisions today and then I can noodle with the applications. I like being a decorative Russian for a moment albeit with type and stuff. Maybe some reference? Could it blend with the growing project? hmm. Time for some reference: Russia, Russian, Folklore, illustration, crafts?

bon bon


Fiddling around with excessive decoration. Holiday fun is coming...and this making brushes thing, the new "average paths" and several other new things I have learned with Adobe Illustrator looks like it could be a marvelous time waster and image developer. I am taking the lead from the San Francisco illustrator, Craig Frazier for the holiday card project that always seems to confound this monkey. I am planning on being a bit metaphorical and focusing on images of growth, growing, the garden as it is a simple concept that translates easily to business. Maddie has gathered up a nice bit of reference to start thinking about. So, next week, I am going to start drawing/ thumbnailing before I leap into these illustrations. I don't know why I am acting so cautiously--but I am.

Kitty had foot surgery in the doctor's office last evening which went as well as it can go. Alex needs glasses (no contacts as he is astigmatic)...so we are moving and grooving on the medical front. Next stop, Wisdom Teeth! Tonight we get the glasses fitted...and maybe dinner in Ithaca. The Tburg Farmers Market is happening today...should be fun.


Crunched on the work for the client yesterday. Turned out nicely--and we seem to have answered their need. Phew. Its day two, no rain...we really dont know what to do with ourselves.

Alex and Nigel are out doing surgery with the weedwacker and the beds of hosta, weeds and the ever present sumac. Yeesch! But, the guys are hard at work--with Nigel driving the situation and Alex a good second. The overlay of hostile rap music is pervasive (no John Muir here)--which ratchets up the stress a bit. Kitty is busy decorating shoes and doing watercolors. I have set up some doctor appointments for both of them prior to getting back to school, so we will be rolling into quite a bit of that soon.

I subscribed to a year of Lynda.com for classes/tutorials on all things software and computer. I was pricing classes--individual classes (which combined with hotel and transportation is much more expensive than an annual subscription which we all can use.

Gotta go. Lunch awaits