First Ever Vector!

Right now I am taking a 6 week class called, "Graphic Design for Art Marketing", taught by recent ASU Printmaking MFA grad, Melissa Mcgurgan. I took it to learn the basics of Illustrator, and WOW, I am so glad I did!!! I'm sure I will have more fun things to show you soon, but for now....this is my FIRST EVER vector drawing for a stencil. Im so excited (I know, its really basic but I have never done it before)!!! No more graph paper, eraser marks, slightly off drawings etc. Now my stencils can be perfect!! This stencil is a template for links in a necklace I am working on for SOFA NY. More on that coming soon (VERY VERY soon as I need to mail the work like...yesterday!):)

Embroidered Concrete

Just saw this on the CRAFT Blog. Amazing. I totally want some of these for my house!!!

A new project from Fashioning Technology called, "Girli Concrete is an R&D project for the Tactility Factory (a colloboration between Belford and Morrow) that fuses textiles with cement to create beautiful "soft" building surfaces. Traditional textile assembly techniques such as weaving and embroidery are used to create decorative textures on concrete panels."

So gorgeous!!!

Shadow Puppets

I've been playing a little more with the lazer engraver at school. Finished pieces coming soon...for now, these are just some little samples I've been playing around with. Wood blocks, 6"x6" painted in pink and engraved with old shadow puppet illustrations.

Block Works by Ellie Richards

My friend Ellie has her work in the Urban Outfitters Gallery on Mill Avenue in Tempe. Stop by and check it out!

Also, check out her blog and her etsy shop.

New Student Work

This semester I have a great new batch of metals 1 beginning students. Check out their first projects on my flickr.

Dynamical Balance: MFA Thesis Exhibition by Victoria Altepeter

My very good friend, Victoria Altepeter,will be opening her thesis show on Monday.

The show will run from March 23 - March 27.
The Opening Reception is Monday, March 23 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. In the Harry Wood Art Gallery in The Katherine K Herberger School of Art, Art Building.

Click here for a Map.

If you are local you should definetly come, Victorias metalwork is AMAZING and it is going to be an awesome show!!!

And the Winner is...

The winners of the Nathan Cummings Travel Fellowship are...

1st Place to Natalia Jaeger who will travel to Spain to study cocao,

And 2nd Place to Zaz Zetterberg who will travel to India to study painting miniatures.

Congratulations to them! I can't wait to hear about their travels in the fall!

Nathan Cummings Travel Fellowship Competition

I just recently had the opportunity to participate in a travel grant competition at ASU.

"The fellowship is awarded annually for the purpose of enabling a current Master of Fine Arts candidate to travel during the summer between passing the 15-hour review and preparing their thesis exhibition. The experience of The Grand Tour has long been an established tradition in the education of the whole person. For the visual artist, it has been a virtual necessity rather than a tradition. The benefits accrued through this experience by the young American artist has been well documented in modern art history. The fellowship is awarded to the student whose work and written statement best exemplifies the intent of The Grand Tour."

Each student makes a piece for the exhibition and writes a one page proposal stating what they would do/where they would go if awarded the money. I think the award usually ends up being about $5,000. There is also a second place award that is about $2,000.

Here is the show info:

March 9-20 Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Award Announcement and Reception: Friday, March 20, Noon. Harry Wood Gallery

I took photos of the installation and each piece. I wish I could have the proposals here as well, but its just not feasible. It helps understand the pieces, but its just too much to read! Basically though, everyone wants to go somewhere different (ranging from LA to India) with hopes of being inspired and doing research for their work and thesis. This competition is a really big deal and is the most prestigious award for MFA Candidates to receive.

This was my piece for the show... (see better pics on my flickr here and here)

Trace

Lynette Andreasen

Area: metals

Found Antique Silver Platter, Embroidery

(above and below)Upward Embrace

Jesse Armstrong

Area: Ceramics

poplar, porcelain, kanthol wire

(below)

Surface Exploration
Jana Evans

Area: Ceramics

Glazed Porcelain

(above and below)

C-Cucumber

Suching Chen

Area: Ceramics

Glazed Porcelain

(above and below)

Peter Bugg

Area: Photography

40 lbs. of Tabloid Magazines and Physicians scale

(above and below) Exit

Sungyee Kim

Area: Drawing and Painting

Sumi Ink and Mixed Media on Panel

(above and below)

Momentary Conversations

Whitney Korstange

Area: Printmaking

Handmade paper, screen print and lazertran

(above and 2 below)

Frameworks

Natalia Jaeger

Area: Intermedia

video on canvas, the sounds of chocolate making, cocoa dusted frame, and artisans chocolates
(below)

Octophone

Damian Johnson

Area: Sculpture

bronze

(below)

Emergency Meat

Nathaniel Lewis

Area: Sculpture

fabricated aluminum and silicone

(above and below)

Five Specimens in a Collection

Zac Zetterberg

Area: Painting and Drawing

Oil on Panel

(above and below)

I'll let you know who wins after noon on Friday!

Trade

I recently did a trade with Victoria Takahashi of experimetal (a fellow member of etsymetal). This is what she sent me. DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!!! I love it. Love, love, love! Thanks so much!

And, I didn't get a chance to photograph my piece before I sent it to her, but she took this lovely picture of the necklace I sent her (I took both these photos from her flickr). Check out Victorias' Flickr and her etsy shop to see more of her awesome work!

I also have purchased a couple of other things from Victoria in the past. Everything she makes is so amazing! I love her work.
These are the other pieces of jewelry I have from Victoria. Don't you just love her stuff?!

Da Pin Swap

My absolute favorite part of the Yuma Symposium is the pin swap. The first day of the symposium people gather and run around meeting eachother and swapping pins. Its a great way to meet new people and bring home cool loot!

Here are some of my favorites from this year... Made by Patty Smith.Made by Danielle Embry.
Made by Michael Dale Bernard.

Made by Keith Lewis. Made by Becky McDonah. Made by Betsy Douglas.Can't remember who made this, but I really liked them!