The snow is melting. Blue skies with the cattle and horses making hay in the fields...turning their broad backs to the warm sun and shaking off the doldrums of winter. I love it that we can still see through the naked trees to the fields and hidden ponds that in any other part of the year are sheltered. The farmers were out with their big machines...seeing what was doing in the fields and acting like spring is just around the corner. This is all very good.
Gingerbread House, precolor, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and inkMade a beautiful boule yesterday late. The key was letting it rise several times over the course of the day...and it still wasn't as filled as holes as I would like...but the crust was crusty and smelled like burned sugar. So, I am delighted with the new pizza stone (busted the Christmas one...smashed it into three perfect pieces that I was baking on)...the steam, the spray bottle.
Spring is inching forward. The snow still is around for Shady Grove to scratch her back in the gravelly ice--but the pools of ice at the bottom of the driveway are melting so when I try to stop the car before turning...allows me to stop these days. I need to think Spring thoughts of financial aid, summer programs for Kitty and or Alex, and making plans for the weather changing time. It is all moving way too quickly.
I am still (as you can see) messing around with gingerbread houses. I keep inking them and have one half way colored too. They are fun flippies...and then reversed out becomes a new new thing. Next step bees. I also am thinking of switching out my size sketchbook to get simpler. I am working 11 x 13 in a Canson Cream Field sketchook. I think I may go down one size and go back to watercolor paper which I used in the Memento Mori Project. I loved the way the ink sits on this Monvale Field Watercolor book. Thick and chewy paper.. and the lovely blackness.... Man, the crap I bore you with... sorry for my little ecstatic moment over paper and ink. It is just such a treat.
I wish I had a little crumb of time these days, but there is work falling out of the ceiling. We have the general quick stuff with the big client, two publications, logotypes and work around the new show on Medieval Glass at the Museum of Glass. Its a giant photoshop party here...flipping between photoshop and InDesign...I hope I get a chunk finished today.
retouch fun.
top left, original, top right: black detail, bottom left: grey/midtone detail, bottom right: final retouch.No candy here
Gingerbread House in the Woods, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and ink.Brilliant day. Rumors have it that it may go to fifty today. Fifty! The geese are honking and the promise of turkey vultures in our trees beckon. It was a quiet night last night...with dinner and friends, kids all chatty about the play and school. Thank goodness the "pig lab" is done as Alex is done with it. He enjoyed it, but it got pretty rank at the end of that process. Tons of work yesterday. More of the same today. We got colliding rush projects that came across the transom at literally three minutes to five yesterday. A bit rugged, and I said "wait" on one of them that seemed to have had a bit more wait in it. I am trying to think about how to push towards more than a 5 minute turn around on work. It really is a bit about training the customer (maybe a bit of tough love) and praising them when they get it right. I hope this helps.
I am on my big pub for the Museum today...laying out, figuring out what goes where, with which image, silhouette or not>? side bar? or not? pullouts or not? You get the idea. Did a little work on an image yesterday (a small bit of a painting of a medieval woman holding a cup). As its a painting, its not too sharp. Plus, as it was a piece we had to work with that is around 2" x 2.75" at 600 dpi which was fuzzy at best with a lot of the line work being lost. So, I took a copy of the file, pulled a lot of the dark linework from the painting along with another midlevel selection in warm grey which I re-sandwiched with the original (multiplying the layers) and saved out... I will show you the difference when I have a chance to save out for you. It pumped the contrast of the image a bit...and though it is monkeying with the image to make it work as a little piece, still has integrity. Interesting process.
I ordered the Simon Buxton book on Bee Shaman yesterday and perused the Manuka Honeys that are offered for medicinal use (internal and topical). Big stuff in Europe. Not so big here though amazon.com has a lot of stuff. Here is a mid rated honey for both minor injury and internal use>> Manuka Honey from New Zealand>>
Honey is rated according to UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) which determines whether it is table honey or a honey that can be used for topical treatments:
What Is UMF?
• UMF is the name of a very beneficial antibacterial property found in some strains of manuka honey. (UMF is not in all manuka honey.)
• UMF indicates the honey has a high antibacterial component.
• UMF is a guarantee and measure of the antibacterial potency of honey.
• UMF Manuka Honey (UMF10 is minimum level) has enhanced antibacterial potency giving it special healing qualities.
• UMF Manuka Honey is the preferred honey when selecting honey for special therapeutic uses.
• UMF is an industry registered name, trademark, standard indicating antibacterial quality
• The UMF standard is the only standard worldwide identifying and measuring the antibacterial strength of honey.
UMF was first discovered by Dr Peter Molan, MBE, of Waikato University's Honey Research Unit.
Honey contains an enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide, a proven antiseptic with antibacterial properties.
Dr Molan's research found another more powerful and more stable antibacterial property, called UMF, in some strains of manuka honey.
UMF is additional to the hydrogen peroxide antibacterial property.
These two properties together have a synergistic effect enhancing their effectiveness.
Studies are showing the enhanced antibacterial qualities of UMF Manuka Honey gives the honey special healing qualities.
There are Two Types of Manuka Honey:
1. Ordinary manuka honey with only the hydrogen peroxide antibacterial property common to most honeys. A very nice table honey.
2. UMF Manuka Honey with both the natural hydrogen peroxide antibacterial property plus its own natural UMF antibacterial property, giving it increased antibacterial potency. A specialty honey identified by the name UMF. It is the preferred honey for wound dressing and other special therapeutic uses.
Pretty cool, eh?
obair na mbeach
From the Mongomeryshire Beekeepers Association: Shamans, Saints and Bees (17/04/09)
The Shamanic spiritual path of the anthropologist Simon Buxton developed slowly over a 13 year apprenticeship with a European Bee-Keeper. During that time he established the British branch of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and The Sacred Trust; an organization which guides those seeking native spiritual traditions. His sharp and enlightening path is detailed in his book; ‘Shamanic Way of the Bee: Ancient Wisdom and Healing Practices of the Bee Masters.’
I find this a strange, beautiful but not altogether surprising occupation. The ‘Pollen Path’ is certainly mystical, yet based on practical elements and possesses a sound purpose. The honey bee and all its relatives have been exchanging information with humans since the beginning of our time, they themselves are prehistoric, having been here for at least 55 million years since the Cenozoic era. Within the concept of healing and nutrition we are indebted to this marvellous creature, their beneficence is without doubt. Buxton’s initiation into this secret world came when as a nine your old boy he succumbed to a fatal infection of encephalitis, yet was miraculously saved by an Austrian bee-keeper Shaman. We need only consider the various healing agents of the hive to understand; honey, pollen, propolis, wax and royal jelly to understand the immense potential. I myself recently created a successful skin healing salve with bee’s wax and lemon balm for a particularly bad irritation. This is animal-spirit medicine at its most potent; traditional practitioners even used the bee stings as a form of acupuncture!
In medieval Ireland there was a saying; that one of the three most difficult things to understand was the work of bee’s (obair na mbeach) and as such were closely connected to the mysterious and magical priestly functions of the Druids. Legal restrictions were imposed as to who kept bee hives and who was entitled to the seemingly divine produce of honey, but especially mead; reserved for warriors and nobles. Throughout Europe, especially amongst monastic orders the bee was not only symbolic of the soul, death and rebirth but also of the Virgin Mary herself; the queen bee of heaven. Amongst the Native Navajo the pollen path is sacred, representing the very source of life and incorporates a ritual as a way of envisioning the centre of existence. They sing;
“O beauty before me, beauty behind me, beauty to my right, beauty to my left, beauty above me, beauty below me, I am on the Pollen Path.”
It is a journey to understanding the deepest aspects of the self, to the hive of the heart, to listen to the constant drone of the song of creation, and extract the honey-like essence of our mind and bodies. Pollen is the substance of the earth, the spirit, the cosmos; truly the finest blessing.
-------
"Trí ní is deacair a thuiscint;
intleacht na mban, obair na mbeach,
teacht agus imeacht na taoide."
(Three things hardest to understand;
the intellect of women, the work of the bees,
the ebb and flow of the tide. -Old Gaelic Saying)
Daylight Savings Time is coming...
Little House in the Woods, Q. Cassetti, 2010, Pen and Inkand I can believe it. Its bright and brilliant earlier and later. Such light and brightness is so enlivening that it really makes me want to run around and chase my tail for hours and hours!
Lots of work around here. Lots to catch up, lots to start. So, I don't have a ton of time to chat with you. Bruce is here...so I have the car for a day or so to get Kitty to the doctor and to the bloodletters for her skin improvement. Alex starts outdoor track to his delight to be with his chums who run.
The little house in the woods is morphing to the witch's candy house in the woods for Hansel and Gretel. Have a few more in ink...and once I have them, I will color a few. Then, onwards to the path of pollen, the Melissae, the wonderful world of bees and Bee Shamans...cool.
Brilliant day
Blue sky. So much promise. It's truly Baba Marta bating us with promises of Spring today. I may have to start wearing red and white bracelets to keep this amazing migration of seasons coming. When we were in Western Mass. we saw vees of geese seemingly coming back to the area. We saw hunters training their pointers in the fields with blinds and plastic geese. We saw baskets of Polish painted wooden eggs and smelled bunches of daffodils for sale. There are those spring temptations and promises at the store, strawberries, raspberries and asparagus. The snow slides off our roofs in great crashing sheets of ice and glitter. There is hope in the air....though I must admit, I like Winter and could easily handle another month of hunkering down.
Bruce is on his way to visit for a week--working at the museum on a project. I have a ton to do. Somehow the floodgates have loosed at the big client and we are kept jumping with bailing out the consultants who sell themselves as designers and then can't design. So there is a lot for me to focus on as a designer...the paid and the unpaid. Need to finish up the bread work particularly after visiting the Hungry Ghost in Northampton, MA and it's more commercial spin off, El Jardin nearby. Gave me a bit more perspective on the breadth of the bread, it's perception and marketing and helps me better know what my bread client is looking for. He has broken ground, so there will be some pressure to move on this soon. Also, more changes in the Hangar work...need to move on that as they need the stuff.
I am making a chicken pie (from King Arthur) today for this week, a ham (from the CSA that was awarded to us) and some baked goods (King Arthur's cinnamon bread and King Arthur's Blog Chocolate Sourdough Cake). So, there will be cooking for the week. I need to rescue the chicken from the snowdrift I set the pan in...and get to work on freeing it from it's bones (for stock)...and see what else I can do with the leftovers.
I am busy thinking about bees, Bee Shamans, Melissas (Mellssae), and the wonderful stuff I unearthed yesterday. Nothing is immediate except good thoughts, small plans and the happiness in my heart that such a discovery can yield. Maybe bees!
Data Dump
Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt a marvelous error;
That I had a beehive here inside my heart.
And the golden bees were making white combs
And sweet honey from my past mistakes.
-Antonio Machado
from ...Draiocht dei-a chara...
The Shamanic spiritual path of the anthropologist Simon Buxton developed slowly over a 13 year apprenticeship with a European Bee-Keeper. During that time he established the British branch of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and The Sacred Trust; an organization which guides those seeking native spiritual traditions. His sharp and enlightening path is detailed in his book; ‘Shamanic Way of the Bee: Ancient Wisdom and Healing Practices of the Bee Masters.’
The Shamanic Way of the Bee from the Ashe Journal>>
This is from amazon.com's review of
Bees by Steiner:
"In 1923 Rudolf Steiner predicted the dire state of the honeybee today. He said that, within fifty to eighty years, we would see the consequences of mechanizing the forces that had previously operated organically in the beehive. Such practices include breeding queen bees artificially.
The fact that over sixty percent of the American honeybee population has died during the past ten years, and that this trend is continuing around the world, should make us aware of the importance of the issues discussed in these lectures. Steiner began this series of lectures on bees in response to a question from an audience of workers at the Goetheanum.
From physical depictions of the daily activities of bees to the most elevated esoteric insights, these lectures describe the unconscious wisdom of the beehive and its connection to our experience of health, culture, and the cosmos.
Bees is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the true nature of the honeybee, as well as those who wish to heal the contemporary crisis of the beehive. Bees includes an essay by David Adams From Queen Bee to Social Sculpture: The Artistic Alchemy of Joseph Beuys.
The art and social philosophy of Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) is among the most influential of the twentieth century. He was strongly influenced by Rudolf Steiner's lectures on bees. The elemental imagery and its relationship to human society played an important role in Beuys's sculptures, drawings, installations, and performance art. Adams' essay on Beuys adds a whole new dimension to these lectures, generally considered to be directed more specifically to biodynamic methods and beekeeping."
Bee Lore written and researched by Margaret Odrowaz-Sypniewska, B.F.A.>>
Lemniscatic walk
Bee GoddessWe came back early from our trip to Amherst with Kitty. She had a nice time at Hampshire with a sleepover and the ability to attend a few classes. She was so enthusiastic about the courses, the way they were taught, the reading, the topics (seems genetics rank very high these days). She loved the courses and was talking about how much she would enjoy the classes as well as many of the articulate and opinionated students she had the chance to meet. We were thrilled to meet many of the professors with a few of them with links to Trumansburg, Ithaca, Cornell. We all were inspired by the "toy farm" that is on the Hampshire campus using the agricultural experience as a lab for animal husbandry, for a student run CSA, for cheese making, for cider pressing, for maple sugaring (the trees were all tapped on campus). Leslie Cox, the Farm Manager and his wife, Elaine, made us feel very welcome and opened our eyes to questions we had about the process surrounding Hampshire's singular program and how it works. It would be handing our dear and darling girl off to friends who approach learning and problemsolving in a very open, why not environment--valuing individuals, ideas and opportunities that fall in our paths throughout life. Our trip was very affirming and positive. Now, we just need to dive into how to finance and move forward to make this a reality.
We came back to go have dinner at the Pourhouse. I was beckoned over by a nice person who I did not recognize. She was effusive about the valentine I sent her (she explained she had bought a print from me...thus her being on my mailing list). She proceeded to expound on her love of bees and how I should get into Bee Shamanism, "did I know about that?". Oh. MY GOODNESS. As Murray The Mentor, King of Illustrators suggested, I have to ride the wave. The way is a god damned sunami and I better get paddling. Then, totally out of the blue, Kitty tells me about this thing that bees do that link the site of nectar with the hive, along with tail wiggling and a figure eight. I need to get real science on this...but this too is amazing. The term "Lemniscatic walk" comes from this figure eight that bee shamans walk in a form of meditation. But as I said before, the journey has just begun. More later.
Wooden Head
Rapunzel, Kay Nielsen, from www.artpassions.net"…It was now three mornings since they had left their father’s house. They began to walk again, but they always came deeper into the forest, and if help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough, which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. And when its song was over, it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they followed it until they reached a little house, on the roof of which it alighted; and when they approached the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar. “We will set to work on that,” said Hansel, “and have a good meal. I will eat a bit of the roof, and you Gretel, can eat some of the window, it will taste sweet.” Hansel reached up above, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, and Gretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes.
From Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel
More on Kay Nielsen and his Hansel and Gretel (1925). I was cruising around and found that I could download a pdf (for free from Logos Books in their Public Domain Hour offering). There are really nice plates and offerings from Art Passions to explore Nielsens color and extrordinary black and white line work. Wow. Gives this gal a kick in the booty to keep going, keep going, keep going. Love how patterned this Rapunzel image is...a veritable tapestry of pattern, tone and imagery. Nielsen really partied with his work. He just keeps embellishing and designing with the black and white, white and black. And he uses color to pop the story out of his work. Nielsen's work portrays a man who leapt out of bed every morning to grab his brush and live in his work and world of decorative illustration. What joy. What happiness.
To think that he died in poverty is amazing. His influence through his fresh and exhuberant work continues today.
Golden Age Comic Book Stories>>
Childscapes.com>> Nielsen books for purchase>>
Today its packing and wrapping things up for our field trip to Amherst tomorrow. Alex has dinner to take to an indoor track meet potluck. We have a small present to put together for Kitty's hostess. Money for Alex for his student United Nations trip Friday/Saturday. So lots of mom work along with the general work for clients. Busy but not painfully so.
Have been interested in a job that keeps coming back and forth to redesign an iPhone app that a group in Canada is putting together. So many of the developers present themselves as the whole shooting match from architecture to creative to coding to implementation. They miss the creative bit. So, I get that as a bit of an offline/ ping pong way of driving consistency. What is growing out of this (as this is the second one we have touched for the same client) is a corporate standard, a consistent palette and type treatment, and a vocabulary for handling lists/charts/ graphics. But it's zero to sixty and then wait, then zero to sixty and then wait. But its making me think which is rare for this wooden head.
Got some creative work done on GlassLab for the Museum along with a "brand" for the up and coming Medieval Show at the Museum of Glass.
More later>>
Baba Marta
Martenitsa ( is a small piece of adornment, made of white and red yarn and worn from March 1 until around the end of March (or the first time an individual sees a stork, swallow or budding tree). The name of the holiday is Baba Marta. "Baba" is the Bulgarian word for "grandmother" and Mart (март) is the Bulgarian word for the month of March. Baba Marta is a Bulgarian tradition related to welcoming the upcoming spring. The month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginning of springtime. Therefore, the first day of March is a traditional holiday associated with sending off winter and welcoming spring.
Romanians also have a similar but not identical holiday on March 1, called "Mărţişor". If and how these two holidays are related is still a matter of debate between ethnologists.
Symbolism
The red and white woven threads symbolize the wish for good health. They are the heralds of the coming of spring in Bulgaria and life in general. While white as a color symbolizes purity, red is a symbol of life and passion, thus some ethnologists have proposed that in its very origins the custom might have reminded people of the constant cycle of life and death, the balance of good and evil, and of the sorrow and happiness in human life.
Tradition
On the first day of March and few days afterwards, Bulgarians exchange and wear white and red tassels or small dolls called (Pizho and Penda). In Bulgarian folklore the name Baba Marta (in Bulgarian meaning Grandma March) is related to a grumpy old lady whose mood swings change very rapidly.
This is an old pagan tradition and remains almost unchanged today. The common belief is that by wearing the red and white colours of the martenitsa people ask Baba Marta for mercy. They hope that it will make winter pass faster and bring spring. Many people wear more than one martenitsa. They receive them as presents from relatives, close friends and colleagues. Martenitsa is usually worn pinned on the clothes, near the collar, or tied around the wrist. The tradition calls for wearing the martenitsa until the person sees a stork or a blooming tree. The stork is considered a harbinger of spring and as evidence that Baba Marta is in a good mood and is about to retire.
The ritual of finally taking off the martenitsa may be different in the different parts of Bulgaria. Some people would tie their martenitsa on a branch of a fruit tree, thus giving the tree health and luck, which the person wearing the martenitsa has enjoyed himself while wearing it. Others would put the martenitsa under a stone with the idea that the kind of the creature (usually an insect) closest to the token the next day will determine the person's health for the rest of the year. If the creature is a larva or a worm, the coming year will be healthy, and full of success. The same luck is associated with an ant, the difference being that the person will have to work hard to reach success. If the creature near the token is a spider, then the person is in trouble and may not enjoy luck, health, or personal success.
The martenitsa is also a stylized symbol of Mother Nature. At that early-spring/late-winter time of the year, Nature seems full of hopes and expectations. The white symbolizes the purity of the melting white snow and the red symbolizes the setting of the sun which becomes more and more intense as spring progresses. These two natural resources are the source of life. They are also associated with the male and female beginnings.
Wearing one or more martenitsi is a very popular Bulgarian tradition. The martenitsa symbolises new life, conception, fertility, and spring. The time during which it is worn is meant to be a joyful holiday commemorating health and long life. The colours of the martenitsa are interpreted as symbols of purity and life, as well as the need for harmony in Nature and in people's lives.
Here is another nice posting about spring evocative traditions in Bulgaris>> Many Mouths One Stomach>>
I think cranky Baba Marta with her erratic behavior might make a nice picture? Eh?
Candy House
Kay Nielsen, Hansel and Gretel, from www.nocloo.comI am reading a bit about Hansel and Gretel. Not a happy tale. There are two iterations with the first being an outgrowth of a practice during the Middle Ages of leaving a child in the forest because there was not enough for the family to eat. Thus, Hansel and Gretel left by THE MOTHER and the good, reluctant father to perish> finding the house etc. The other was the sweeter version of mom dropping dead, dad remarrying the STEPMOTHER, who had no interest in the children and insisted her new hubby get rid of them...and so on. The happily ever after is somehow the kids and dad (maybe mom but stepmom drops dead), bringing physical riches (stones, gold, etc) to make a happily ever after for all of them. However, during my cruising around, found the Kay Nielsen illustration from that tale (shown to the left). Just love Nielsen anyway he comes, but wow. So much Mary Blair in this (really the other way around), and look at the depth of how he pops the color in a warm shell of neurtral trees. He definitely says, look here. I found this and other great illustrations at Nocloo.
Nocloo.com describes itself as:
"Well, it's a typo for noclue, someone already took the noclue.com domain before it came to my head that's a good name for my project. It's a project born out of the passion for old children's books that I collect over the last 10 years. I just want to share some these amazing artworks from the great Golden Age illustrators that I love.
Sadly, many of these books are no longer in print; too expensive to acquire or totally unknown for the majority of the younger book readers. The project started as a resource for book collectors like me, but over the past few year, it has evolved into a creative source for artists, students and many others."
They have a lovely collection but have watermarked images that are common property as well as sell prints of 
the said images which though legal rubs me a bit the wrong way. However, if you are looking for images, its an interesting resource. I found Nocloo from the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive website. ASIFA Hollywood is a great site for more than just animation and comic strips. They have a lot of good talk about illustration, illustration/animation practice and people etc. Worth the looksee.
Work on lots of design stuff today/tomorrow. Wednesday through Friday in Amherst with Kitty. Should be interesting and hopefully fun. This journey continues albeit in a much sweeter way than in the past. More later>>
WYSIWYG
Cold, Dark Night, Q.Cassetti, 2010, pen and ink/ digitalI love the idea of WYSIWYG. Its a very "my lifetime" phrase. They did not say WYSIWYG in blackletter in church manuscripts from the scriptori, nor did they say WYSWYG at the advent of handset type. What you see is what you get. Pretty much from my vantage point, a very NOW statement. What you see (right now) is what you get (right now). Not what you might see if you wait. Or what you will see when you get it...or the like. Its two now statements. Pretty much speaks to our culture, our nowness, our immediacy of on-demand everything from television to movies, to printing to food. Its all on demand..and its exactly what you see. No variations, no more thought than making it JIT (just in time), and predictable. Its a problem we have culturally, as many things you cannot see or if you see them, you may not get them. Or if you see them, they may not exist (such as movies such as Lord of the Rings or Avatar or even the hyper realistic games that Alex plays with blood and guts).
There is so much behind WYSIWYG. A whole system and structure that is invisible and rarely even approached. You buy a loaf of bread at the store and what you see is what you get. A loaf of bread. Do you see if there is local flour there? Could you see if there are preservatives in it? Can you see if the people who make this bread are satisfied with their work? their lives? How did that loaf get from their ovens to your doorstep without being damaged or aged? Do we even think about these things? What are the ramifications of buying a loaf of bread made in your village versus one made in Cinncinnati by an enormous bakery? Do we see a change in our health directly? Does it better our neighbors versus someone elses neighbors? Does it teach us anything about our area? or local culture and expectations? I know I am ranting on about something (WYSIWYG) that is really more about computers and not really having to learn about code and the like...which is fine by me-- but WYSIWYG is ingrained in the way we think and behave such that if we just started peeling it apart, think of the thoughts, ideas, and passions we could all inspire. Enough of this rambling.
Kids are skiing. It was gorgeous at Greek Peak. Plenty of snow and happy faces all around. We came back to do house projects. I made a "Church Supper Chicken Pie" and cinnamon bread ( both from the highly recommended (I am cooking my way through) The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook
In the cozy forest
Inspired by papercutting, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and inkWe got a load of snow for the last two days. My clients did not. So,being remote only meant that the work kept coming and my employee was home also being remote...but it was less good on my end as he wasn't right here. However, buckets of work done later. Two kids still happy to be home with no reason Not to watch the Olympics and more bread raising on my radiator. I counted well over a dozen deer in the side yard nibbling away at the green stuff burdened by all the wet snow. They were wading through the snow with the little ones close by (snow well over top of them).
I posted a bunch of new SHOES to Zazzle/Artsprojekt. The big news there is that you can customize Keds High Tops and low tops (mens) so the cool factor goes up. I wish they had cooler rubber choices--but I do think some of my work looks pretty "fresh" (not my words, Alex's). It would be great if I could sell a few of these....who knows?
Speaking of cool, on demand fabric... Here is Spoonflower. They have a grid to design to, along with the general on-demand fabulousness such as no minimum order, ecofriendly textile printing, all sorts of fabric choices, weekly fabric design contests, and $5. swatches to see your work before you get the stuff done. Talk about opportunities for comping or for just getting your illustration out, on a chair and on antiques...and selling through one offs. Am so psyched about this. Need to download this grid to see what I can do with this. Here are the specs>> Race you! There might be something here...really.
I found this other interesting thing that looks like it could be fun to try. Its called "Artisteer", not the best name but they are promoting themselves as a way to create Blogger Templates easily (Blogger is the place I started in this wild journey of blogging and a place I recommend anyone to start...not much to go wrong, easy to manipulate, the "Why not? What if" factor is high).
Here's another one: Widgetbox. Widgetbox allows you to make personal widgets for your blog/website that is about slides, videos, youtube, Vimeo, twitter, blogfeeds...and assign images etc. Its free for to start...and they have a pro feature if you want more. Seems interesting and worth looking into.
Thats it for the geekdom now. Am surfacing all sorts of interesting things to keep from focusing on death and taxes...though what with my new found understanding of Biga, it all seems to have a different place.
It continues to snow. As I look at these little happy forest scenes, I thought that maybe I should morph to some little houses, candy houses that is in the forest and see if Hansel and Gretel could emerge out of this mix. Rob thinks I should do a series called Grimm: name of the story....and bring my less than happy point of view to some less than happy children's tales. Hansel and Gretel could fit? No?
We were invited to an outdoor (in the snow) cookout at a friend's blacksmith shop...I hope the snow stops...but it seems unlikely....Kitty is charged about it. Alex is sour and sardonic...but I love him nonetheless.Can't hold his being a teenager against him, can we? After all, we were teenagers too.
IF: [Winter from my] Perspective
Winter Solstice, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and ink/digital Winter from my perspective is a time of quiet, of introspection and study. It is the time to burrow down with ideas, my pens and books and see what happens with the rich brew of slow time, dark days and nights and the white blanket of snow that covers the landscape. From this time, summer and spring leap unbounded and unburdened as the time for fermenting has happened.
Long day today and cannot talk. Spent the morning involved with a commitment I have with the school (as a volunteer) and it took the better part of the day. So, work was backlogged and here I am. Six thirty and the forks are being shown to me. Gotta go.Tuesday grey day
Winter Solstice, Q. Cassetti, 2010Geekin', oh girl. I have been working on more of these Home Sweet Home pictures and have begun to shorten tasks, work with the marvelous blob brush (shift + b) which fills well combined with the multiply transparency feature. I admit, they are not speedy...but quicker than in Photoshop. Working with these images forces me to think about color (I am using Kuler palettes, saving them, amending them and keeping that color biga going). And, some aspects of these illustrations work better than others as well (from a design standpoint)--so I keep learning as I go.
And then, there is the cmyk, rgb crossover which is always perplexing. When the list of all the tricky things that makes the work work...then, it will be time to hang up the boxing gloves. Ah well.
A loaf of Pain Levain is sitting on my little electric heater right by my right hand. I am going to give it one more rise than what is mentioned in the recipe. I was reading an interesting book about the Brother Juniper Bread Bakery in California, a wonderful philosophical / spiritual journey through bread...and he was talking about letting the dough have its time to grow and develop. He sprinkles in little bits of data and science (I think its all magic, to be honest) which is sticking to the inside of this head...and that you can continue to rise the bread a few times...but to watch it from going too far. The idea is to allow the yeast/sourdough to ferment to deepen the flavor. Makes sense to me.... We'll see. The proof is definitely in the pudding...or slice.
I am thrilled that I got my resume up here ( About Q.)...and that I have current shows, exhibitions etc up versus the time and trial to get my QCassetti.com amended. I am going to transfer qcassetti.com and theluckystone.com to this page to let it all coexist. I am fiddling with galleries (the 2300˚ postcards under the Luckystone is an example of treatment). I originally kept the websites separate as it was preached at Syracuse that art directors/designers did not want to know if the illustrator was a designer and could handle type. I was fearsome about that, but now, I do not care. It is best for me to show my entire work as a whole versus a little bit here and a little bit there. Plus, I find the illustration work for myself. That's where I am happiest.
A mini pile of rush jobs have just popped up in my mailbox. Yeeesh.
More later, I hope.
Love is in the Air!
Block one: I do not wash my socks for they cause me to stick to walls. Block two: I am Spider Fellow, and I have an extra pair of limbs, I am hugging your back [possibly ass] and and am pouring [the word is lovko, which is in a sense clever for a physicial action. And its true... it is very lovko..] from http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2006/07/10/the-history-of-pop-culture-bayeux-stylee/Remember my rantings on Lubok (Russian Folkloric illustration)? To put it mildly, it rocks my world. The illustrations are funny, woodcutty and often twist the content a bit to exaggerate the idea. Very witty, very Russian and a tad perverse.
Here are the two links: Lubok>> Sunday Doings>>
And the terrific blog, "A Journey Around My Skull" had an entry on Lubok work as well>>
Lubok-Russian inspired (Russian illustration style) basing these illustrations on current comic book/ science-fiction content. Riza.ru>>Very inspiring to this pen wielder. Brilliant.
Northern Lights v.4, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and ink/ digital
Northern Lights v.3, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and ink/ digital
Sunday Funday
Northern Lights,v.2, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and ink/ digitalTweaking the color...things were itchy last night with yesterday's coloration, so I decided to brighten it up to see where it could go....and I think that this might be better. Learn as I go...and see what happens. Happier is better here. The sobriety of the other one is a bit of a downer. So, I got rid of the subtle/ multiply shadows at the top of the dark area, and in the burst at the top. This is a bit better. I was thinking of recoloring a bit more wildly just to see how it could go. I am, however, obsessed to continue onward with these for a while as they remind me of Chinese papercutting and folk art in general (Ukrainian/Hungarian).
There is some backwards forwards insideout, up down, and layers in the thinking around these images which is thrilling as the back and forth keeps the gears spinning.
This week the Etsy adventure begins. Wikipedia says the following about Etsy:
"Etsy is a website that provides the general public with a way to buy and sell handmade items as well as vintage items and craft supplies. Handmade items cover a wide range including art, photography, clothing, jewelry, edibles, bath & beauty products, and toys. The site follows in the tradition of open craft fairs, giving sellers personal storefronts where they list their goods for a fee. It has been compared to "a crafty cross between Amazon and eBay", and to "your grandma's basement"." "Etsy makes money by charging a listing fee of 20 cents for each item and getting 3.5 percent of every sale, with the average sale about $15 or $20 and mostly sold by women, who tend to be college-educated and in their twenties and thirties. Along with handmade products, people on Etsy sell vintage items, homemade sweets, and craft supplies. Etsy offers multiple options for paying for items, including credit card, money order, and PayPal (which is part of eBay); international sellers prefer PayPal.
Etsy has a permanent office called the "Etsy Labs" in Brooklyn, New York. The site's customer support, marketing/PR, business and communications teams operate out of this office. Additionally, Etsy Labs has a community workspace that provides equipment and donated materials where Labs members gather to make items, take and teach workshops, and attend special events.
Etsy is one of the main members of the Handmade Consortium, a 2007 effort to encourage buying handmade holiday gifts."
My launch into Etsy will be with all the cards I already have printed and boxed, Valentines and envelopes, tattoos and postcards. We will sell the felt balls I buy from Nepal and maybe a wreath or two as well. I will post Gliclees as well as copies of Memento Mori books which surprisingly folks like and send checks to buy. I have the stuff. There is interest among those that know me and the idea of consolidating and marketing these things in the evolving marketplace is perfect. I have teenage help for the mail and packaging...so why shouldnt we jump in and figure it out before everyone goes to college. Seems like a prime opportunity.
Etsy has a nice (read seemingly easy) interface to set up a shop...and their fees are fair. The grassroots beat sez that Etsy is "coming on strong" which I totally believe. I bought a bunch of nice holiday presents from Etsy--things that were cherished and immediately worn upon opening.
Wonderful Don Kilpatrick (MA, Syracuse 2006) markets his screenprints and lovely sketchbooks through Etsy as Little Buffalo Press and cleverly uses Facebook to talk to all of us who adore his work and his books. It seems that he clears out his offerings pretty quickly among his friends of FB. And friends, you know, have friends....so the network evolves.
Time for studyhall. More pictures...and the great rising of Whole Wheat Sourdough. This bread is a new one...that needs to actually ferment (read more science less Magic (which is what I believe happens in the Pain Levain)) and takes longer to rise and work with. So the long and slow time...is perfect for this coloration fun. Believe me, I need the time...This is work!