Jill Berry

Jill is a painter, designer, calligrapher, book artist and teaches workshops. Very coolio art on her site. Oh the colors!! http://www.jillberrydesign.com/index.html

10 Weird Things

This is something I saw on someone's blog and thought it would be fun to do......Here are 10 weird things about me.

1. I love kitchen gadgets
2. I can watch the same movies over and over and......
3. I love to eat dry Cheerios
4. I can't watch animal shows, at some point I will start sobbing.
5. I have never read the newspaper all the way through....the small print makes me nuts.
6. I can't read a map when the radio is on.
7. If I read while lying down I will be asleep in minutes.
8. I don't like clothes shopping, nor do I have excessive pairs of shoes.
9. If I had to choose either a diamond or art supplies, I will go for the art supplies.
10. I don't have cable tv, a cell phone, tivo, a lap top or most any other electronic thing --neither do I feel deprived.
This is scary, just thought of another one, I like to polish my toe nails, but not my fingernails.

What are 10 Weird Things about you? Please post!

You Tube - Duane Keiser

I've posted a link to Duane Keiser before, "A Painting a Day", here you can watch him paint. There are quite a number of them to view. Enjoy watching the process! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iulpr-Lpouk

Ruth Armitage

I really like these paintings, the faces are obscure, bits of collage with writing that you can't quite make out, dreamy backgrounds....mysterious ---colorful and wonderful. http://www.rutharmitage.com/

Techniques for painting paper

If you're feeling a little stuck and need a little inspiration, check out Robin's site. She's primarily a bead artist, but in the "what's new" section of her website, she has a good number of papers she has painted and a hint of how she did it. Click on the books she's made....coolio. http://www.robinatkins.com/new.html

The Happiness-Project

Says Grethen Rubin.... I'm working on a book, THE HAPPINESS PROJECT--a memoir about the year I spent test-driving every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study I could find, whether from Aristotle or St. Therese or Martin Seligman or Oprah. THE HAPPINESS PROJECT will gather these rules for living and report on what works and what doesn’t. On this daily blog, I recount some of my adventures and insights as I grapple with the challenge of being happier. Every Wed. is "tip day", you will learn "Secrets of Adulthood", and she'll even help you clean out your closet. This is a daily check in for me. A good read!
http://www.happiness-project.com/

What are you watching?

What are your favorite movies....ones that you watch over and over. I've got my arsenal of romantic comedies...Chocolat, Under the Tuscan Sun, French Kiss, MoonStruck. Then there's the Sci-Fi....The Day the Earth Stood Still....and The Creature of the Black Lagoon....and don't get me started on sappie Christmas movies....hmmmm-- too late! The Bishop's Wife (Cary Grant), Scrooge (Alistair Simm), White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Christmas in Connecticut, and who can forget It's a Wonderful Life.

What are you listening to??

What's in your CD player? What music inspires you? What music makes you want to get up and dance, or work to? I listen to all kinds of music, when I work in my studio, throwing paint around...it's Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, Jimmie Vaughan, John Coltrane, Joni Mitchell, Dave Brubeck. When I letter it's quieter stuff like baroque chamber music, George Winston, Nora Jones.

What are you reading??

Let's hear from you.......who are some of your favorite authors and books? Which books have made a difference in your life? I just finished reading "Gift from the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh...and I want to read it again. She speaks of our need for quiet, solitude...a time to think. I don't have the luxury of going to the beach for "several" weeks. The challenge I/we have is to carve out pockets of time between the daily-ness of life's tasks to listen to the "waves" of our own surroundings.

Keri Smith--Guerilla Artist

Lots of very helpful information on this site. Articles on How to Start as an Illustrator, How to be a Guerilla Artist (leaving anon. art pieces in public places), How to feel miserable as an Artist (#1 Constantly compare yourself to other artists [ouch!]), 100 Ideas (for use with a journal), The Artists' Survival Kit--(What to do When You're Stuck). Spend a little time in Keri's blog too, you will definitely learn how to think outside the box. http://www.kerismith.com/

Lenny Nagler

Jae and I were walking around Art Fair on the Square last summer when we happened by a gallery on State Street. We went in to poke around and found colorful paintings by Lenny Nagler. We stood there trying to figure out how he painted them. We decided that he paints on top of black gesso. These paintings have wonderful depth. We later found his booth, just down from ours and had a nice time talking to him. He does indeed paint on black gesso. http://www.artwerkx.com/

Jay Long

I am a huge fan of Jay Long's work. The past number of years his booth has been next to ours (The Wisconsin Calligrapher's Guild) at Art Fair on the Square in Madison. I look foward to seeing his new work every year. He has an awesome sense of humor, which you will see when you look at his paintings and read his bio. His work includes oil and mixed media paintings, silhouette paintings, shadow boxes and a coniglioscope-which I've never heard of before, and is probably the brain child of a creative mind. Be prepared to stay a while as there is a lot to see!
http://www.jaylong.com/

Paper Light

These are beautiful paper bowls. Brilliant color and the shimmer of metal leaf. I really like the designs...very funky! http://www.paperlight.com/

Brenda Stumpf

The sculptures are made up of common objects but when assembled look anything but common. The abstract paintings are wonderfully colorful. http://www.brendastumpf.com/index.html

Dayle Doroshow

You've gotta see her work! Wearable art , absolutely stunning! http://dayledoroshow.com/

Gwen Gibson

Gwen is a fantastic polymer clay artist. Fabulous jewelry! A must see. http://www.gwengibson.com/artist.htm

Daniel Essig

Very cool wooden covered art books and sculptural books. Really nice work! http://www.danielessig.com/

Judy Wise

I really enjoy these paintings, they are very colorful and free spirited. Judy has nice blog to read....if you dig deep enough, you'll find a painting tutorial. Her writings are very enjoyable to read. http://www.judywise.com/

Artist Terms

This is an informative site that talks about technique, artist's business, art glossary and more. Be sure to look at the texture gallery.....great ideas to incorporate into your art. http://www.artistterms.com/index.htm

Mary Lou Zeek Gallery

If you've got some time, the gallery has squillions of artists work to look at. Makes me want to take a field trip to Oregon. This ought to keep you out of mischief for a while ;-p !!!http://www.zeekgallery.com/dynamic/artist_list.asp

Mary Todd Beam

Mary paints abstracts with wonderful imagery. If you don't already have a copy of "Celebrate Your Creative Self" it's a good one to have. It's full of techniques that will surely get you out of a rut. She also has a video...I enjoy watching artists work--she has a mishap on her clothes....it's happens to the best of us--apron or not! Delightful! http://www.marytoddbeam.com/index.html

Sidewalk Art

These are spectacular! I swear that coke bottle is real! The depth they achieve is truly amazing. I once saw a program on PBS that featured a couple of guys in Europe that were sidewalk artists. They didn't have much $$$$ so they made their pastels. They spent hours and hours on a drawing, people would toss money into a hat (their income) and if it started raining while they were in the process, they'd cover it up with plastic till it stopped. Sometimes there was nothing they could do, they were washed away too soon. These were incredible labors of love that were not permanent. http://www.impactlab.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7567

Dirty Car Art Guy

This is so cool, there is a video of him drawing into the dirt on a car window. He does amazing work. These have to be savored in the moment, because when it rains....it's gone. http://www.dirtycarart.com/

Guido Daniele

Oh my, take a look at these! These are fabulous!!http://www.guidodaniele.com/bodypaint01.htm

Ray Johnson

Alrighty, today I'm assigning homework. Your assignment is to watch "How to Draw a Bunny" a documentary about Ray Johnson. Ray Johnson is the father of mail art. There are interviews with many of his contemporaries. He definitely thought outside the box. The "negotiations" with potential buyers left me in stitches. His strange death in 1995 left many unanswered questions. After you've watched it check back in and let me know what you think. http://www.rayjohnsonestate.com/

Linda Hancock

Fantastic lettering and watercolors. I really enjoy the colors and design. http://www.lindaphancock.com/home.html

Annie Cicale

Annie does beautiful work. Lettering, watercolors...word and image. http://www.cicaleletteringdesign.com/

Mata Prasad

He's done this a couple few times before! The process is incredible to watch, and he makes all the cups the same size. Oh my aching knees! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFV5kP0HioY

Jennifer Maestre

Wow! Look at her sculptures all done in pencils....coolio! http://www.jennifermaestre.com/pencil_show.html

Beth Lee

Lovely calligraphic work on this site. The artists books are quite nice. http://www.callibeth.com/index.htm

Keith Lo Bue

Amazing work. Jewelry, objects, optics. He has a catalog and 2 dvd's available about his work. Be sure to watch the film clips. http://www.lobue-art.com/home.html

St. John's Bible

A dream, a team and a bible. Quite an undertaking indeed. Illumination, illustration, calligraphy, traditional and modern matericals. A few years ago I was able to see several pages of this bible at a calligraphy conference in MN, they were spectacular. Read about Donald Jackson's dream, the team of artists and calligraphers. http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/index.html

Debby Reelitz

Debby is a long time friend and fabulous calligrapher. Beautiful work! Ever write on a horse? Debby has, take a look at Billie.
If your life seems stuck try the 90-day experiment. http://www.letteringdesign.com/

Art for Housewives (?)

I am a wife, I have a house and I really like art, guess I qualify. This blog is genius, really. It's all about recycling. A purse made from neckties, a chair made of rags, a six-pack weaving (look under recycle chic) and you should see what you can do with knotted panythose!http://www.housewife.splinder.com/tag/recycled_chic

Thomas Ingmire

Fabulous calligraphy! Traditional, non-traditional, color, black & white, legible, illegible. Awesome! http://www.thomasingmire.com/

Reggie Ezell

Reggie's year long calligraphy class was instrumental in my growth as an artist. It was a very intense class covering letterforms (variation upon variation), papers, gouache, gilding (several methods), the care and feeding of nibs, design, a plethora of techniques and ..............long hours. Did I mention homework?! Highly recommended. http://www.reggieezell.com/

Sandi Miot

Love, love, love encaustics. Sandi uses oils, wire, gold leaf, fibers etc. in her encaustic paintings. They are rich, colorful, heavily textured and real treat to look at. http://sandimiot.com/encausticsgallery.html

Michele Ward

http://michelleward.typepad.com/michelleward/ Michele Ward is a mixed media artist. She has been published in numerous magazines. Look what you can do with spray paint! Must run to the basement now to see if I have any down there!!

Linda and Opie O'Brien

http://www.burntofferings.com/ When I heard the name "burnt offerings", I wasn't quite sure what to expect when going into their website. Pyrography! Gourd art, metal crafting, recycling, masks, musical instruments, assemblages, jewelry, sculpture, mixed media dolls and more! Lots of great stuff to look at. They have written a book too. Great fun!

Remember to check the girls

Time for a public service announcement. When I went in for my last mammogram, a few days later I received a call that more views of my breast were needed. After the 2nd mamm round they decided they needed to do an ultrasound. Needless to say, I was scared. Fortunately, whatever is in there is benign but needs a 6 month recheck. Please take a few minutes to check the girls. Also visit http://cms.komen.org/komen/index.htm

Leslie Emery

Marcia, Jae and I went to a few galleries in Milwaukee's 3rd Ward district recently. I spotted a few of Leslie's "boxes" in the Katie Gingrass Gallery. There are also a few hanging in the bistro in the same building. Her paintings are very colorful and lively! http://www.leslieemery.com/

37 Days

Found the link to this blog on. Mr. Zenhabits blog. Sometimes I get pretty caught up in my own world, my own problems that I need that proverbial shock of cold snow down my back to get my attention. Reading other people's stories helps me to rethink what I'm doing. http://www.37days.typepad.com/ Please read "First Time Here" Why 37 days. I found the post "Let Go of the Monkey Bar" to be so appropriate to my current situation of being between jobs. This is a blog that will definitely be one to check in on often.

Poetry 180

As a calligrapher, unless you are very clever and write your own poetry and such, you depend on the words of others. I enjoy sipping a cup of tea and curl up reading poetry. Billy Collins is a favorite. As former poet laureate he developed a program for high schools, each morning a poem would be read to the students. This is a wonderful compilation of contemporary poetry. http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/ He also includes instructions on how to read a poem.