I found another Archer-collaboration this morning

As I mention in many of posts, I love to collaborate with my son, Archer. One of us will start with a drawing or painting, and the other will finish it however we see best. I've used his work in this piece, this one, here, here and many others. This process of working together is not only just fun for me, but by embedding the moment in art, I get to extend the memory of being with him.

This morning, I've been cleaning out his room, recycling old papers from kindergarten, and making space for first grade. Among the piles, I found this little collaboration from the beginning of last school year. We made this on a day that we were both particularly homesick for Brooklyn. He'd come home from school, and we sat in front of our new house, both sad and unsure of how to spend our time. I'd suggested we make something together again.

I'm so glad we did. Like looking back at a journal entry, it's such a wonderful way to remember where we've been, and how much we've changed over this year.

My studio right now, and do you know this artist?

I love it when people share their workspace. I'm always curious about the little things they surround themselves with. Today, I was looking around my own studio, and I wanted to share what I look at every day when I work. But I also wanted to see if anyone can help me identify some of these "Artist Unknown" pieces.

In the lower left corner is a collage sent to me by a NYC artist, whose name I regrettably no longer remember (and I can't decipher his signature). I sat next to him on a plane from LaGuardia to Peoria. He needed one more dollar for a whiskey, and I offered him one. A few weeks later, I received this collage at my work. The woman's dress is made out of a dollar bill. I just loved it. I believe he lived in SoHo or the Lower East Side. He might be about 50 or 60 by now. Take a look at the signature in the closeup below. Do you know who this artist is?

Another year's submission to the Lilla Rogers' Global Talent Search

At this time in 2013, I was on a family vacation, and I remember waking up extremely early one morning to check my email. The 50 short-listed artists for Lilla Rogers' Global Talent Search were being announced, and I was a teensy bit hopeful. The piece that I'd created for last year's Global Talent Search was a new direction for me. I used unfamiliar techniques that intrigued me, and I pulled from a more personal place than I usually had in the past. I'd made a different kind of art for me, and I felt great about it. I was not short-listed, but I was still excited. I knew there was much to look forward to.

This year, I entered the GTS again, ready for a challenge, ready to conceptualize and create and take another step. Our assignment was to make wall art, 7 inches x 9 inches (portrait), with the theme of terrariums. After researching for a bit, I began to draw and watercolor the elements of a terrarium — stones, dirt, leaves and organic, flowering shapes. From there, I thought about what a terrarium is to me — a little, contained world filled with life. I then drew various terrarium worlds that were more about fantasy, filling the space with plants, cats and birds. I made oil pastel paintings and smeared and scratched into them for hours. But I soon realized that I wanted a simpler world. Quieter and more personal. I simplified my idea into a few key shapes that I'd been drawn to in all of the terrariums I'd found. I wrote some personal notes to myself on the scratch paper that I'd been using for my oil pastels, and I scanned it in for my texture. To make this little world feel even more dear to me, I used one of my favorites of my son's paintings to digitally create the leaves, rock and stem.

Below is my submitted piece, followed by its runner-up and more sketches and ideas. I did not get short-listed this year either, but again, I feel there is much to look forward to.

Assignment #2 with Make It In Design's summer school

This week's beginner's track assignment for Make It In Design's summer school was to create a pattern focusing on tribal shapes. I was thrilled. I've never worked in a style like this, but I did work as the assistant to the incredible Emma Amos back in the 90s. She had an immense and beautiful collection of kente cloth that she used in her paintings, and this exercise brought back great memories.

I decided to try a geometric spin on my favorite subject right now, the bird. I created several watercolor sketches, scanned my favorite, and brought it in to Illustrator to assemble into a pattern. I was initially going for a more purple/pastel color scheme, but when I saw this black and green variation, I loved the glow-y, peacock-y feel, and I went with it.

Immediately below is my submitted piece, followed by a summery variation of the pattern, as well as the watercolor sketch that these were created from. As always, your comments are welcome!

Summer school with Make It In Design

The free summer school course with makeitindesign.com has begun! I chose the Beginner's Track, which includes three portfolio-building assignments, informative briefs and tips, and access to a large Facebook group, where we can view other people's work, ask for feedback on our own, get answers to any questions, etc. All for free. It's really a win-win.

The first assignment was to create a pattern with a tropical and/or summer holiday theme.

I started by researching tropical plants and birds. Though I'd always thought of flamingos as a comical and kitschy bird, I realized that I find them extremely beautiful, and I decided to focus on them. I sketched and painted several flamingos and tropical plants, and then I brought them into illustrator to create my pattern. My submitted pattern is immediately below, followed by other ideas, sketches and paintings. You can also check out the full gallery of beginner submissions here. Stay tuned for assignment #2!

Collaboration, blue warblers and 'no the yes'

Last night, before the sun went down and my five year old came home from his kickball game, I realized I had a few minutes to make some art. I currently have my watercolor tray out, so I looked around for any scraps of thick paper.

I love to collaborate with my kid, and we often paint and draw over each other's work, so I quickly chose one of my son's drawings that I've been holding onto. I grabbed my reference book about birds, and this is what I ended up with.

"You, the Magician"

"Observe your performance, your daily routine.
You make yourself up to teach yourself things."
—You, the Magician

This little excerpt is from the upcoming book that I've been illustrating, "You, the Magician." Written by husband and wife team, Jodi and Josh Carothers, this children's book has an incredible message that I think both kids and parents will enjoy and benefit from. I can't wait for people to read it.

Though I'm unsure of the release date (they are still looking at publishing options – suggestions welcome!), they now have a Facebook page that you can Like for more information and updates. Follow them here!