Grayson Studios Blog

Like a lot of you, I can’t believe January is already gone!  I belong to a fun group of business minded artists who have joined forces to share their art goals each month.  I will start with a recap of  my January goals and then move on to lovely February.

January recap:

• spend at least 5 hours a week on marketing and social media (done/ongoing)
• complete special orders (2 out of 4 )
• complete show quilts (1 out of 2)
• research new exhibition and art show opportunities (done/ongoing)
• send newsletter
• draw/paint everyday (so far so good 7-10 pm every evening)
• collect supplies for May art retreat (1/2 way there)
• participate in reading challenge (completed 3 out of 12 books so far!)
  

Goals for February 2010

• complete tax prep
• draw/paint  everyday
• create a piece of art in celebration  of PISCES women everywhere!!
• update business and marketing plan
• develop a new pattern
• declutter studio!
• New photos of work for website
• continue reading for reading challenge

Well that’s it.  Check in next month to see how I did.  I can’t wait to see myself, LOL. PS that purple chunk of rock is an amethyst — my birthstone.  Sorry but I can’t remember where I saw it on the internet.  If you know please tell me so I can give the photographer credit.  Pretty, huh?

This novel is poetry in prose.  I mean the language, THE LANGUAGE is really beautiful.  For me the book reads like a fable.  I hear the voice of the narrator actually reading to me.  This is the first book I have read by Yvonne Vera.  I was not aware of her work but I am glad I am now. I will definitely read other works by her. Having said this, after completing Butterfly Burning I wanted to hurl it across the room.  It’s not because of Vera’s writing that I had this reaction.  I guess it is because I was pulling so hard for the central character. To say that things didn’t turn out for her the way I hoped would be an understatement.

Butterfly Burning takes place in 1940s Makokoba in the Black township of Bulawayo.   The  central character is Phephelaphi (I can’t decide where the emphasis should go in the pronunciation of her name — can somebody help me?) who is smart, ambitious, vibrant and has a clear sense of her own self, her  freedom and her independence.  She meets Fumbatha and they begin to build a life together.  The novel, a short 151 pages, weaves together themes of womanhood, feminism/feminity,  the beauty and perils of free will and the consequences of making certain life choices and the paths these choices can lead you down.  Wow. There is so much to say but I don’t want to give the story away.  Phephelaphi reminds me a but of Lutie Johnson from Ann Petry’s The Street.

While I am here let me share my Library Loot for the week (shout outs to Atlanta-Fulton public library system!!).

1. Art/Work: Everything You Need to Know (and DO) As You Pursue Your Art Career

2. Delicious: The Life & Work of Wayne Thiebaud

3. Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers (couldn’t resist — it takes place in DC)

4. Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat

5. Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

6. Orange Mint and Honey by Carleen Brice (the title makes me want to sit on the porch and read).

7. FoolsGold: Making Something from Nothing and Freeing your Creative Process by Susan Wooldridge

8. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

9. The Craftsman by Richard Sennet

Well, I have finished my first read of 2010 for the African Diaspora reading challenge.  I read Helen Oyeyemi’s The Opposite House. I have to admit I didn’t love this book. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.  I felt like I never got into the interior lives of the characters in this book. To paraphrase Karen,  I felt like I was just watching the characters which is not my preferred way of reading a book.  The Opposite House is mostly about Maja, an African Cuban woman working to reconcile (integrate?) her African and Cuban heritage while living in London.  For me she raises the question of can you be nostalgic for something –some place — you have never really experienced? [yes]

As an American I thoroughly enjoy how Oyeyemi plays with identity in this book (heck recently in the US people were actually debating about the use and meaning of the phrase, “Negro dialect” ). Maja is African/Cuban, her partner Aaron is a white  man who was born and raised in Ghana and became totally immersed in Ghanaian culture and language.  So Aaron has confidence in his African roots, Maja does not. Oyeyemi also talks about the Yoruba deities in Cuba and the way they survived in a Catholic country through dissemblance and disguise.  The narrative about the Saints (Yemaya, Oschun) appears to parallel that of Maja and her family. In both situations Oyeyemi explores constructions of self and identity, the connections of self and biography to place, and the question of what happens to the self when you are disconnected from constructions of home.

Though I felt that I could never fully immerse myself in this book what kept me turning the pages was Oyeyemi’s sense of humor and the beauty of  how she uses language.

Note: Just in case I need to say it — I receive nothing for what I write about the books on my blog.  I love books and reading so I write about them.  Peace, Urbanwildflower.

I’ve been back in the studio for a week now following a little holiday relaxation. It was nice to take a small break but I was ready to get back. I needed to download all of the images I had been storing in my brain during the holiday (okay, I know, cheesy metaphor but work with me). Anyway, here are some reference shots of a quilt (forgive the straight pins) I recently finished for the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center in Ashland, Kentucky. The quilt was made to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The quilt features Abraham Lincoln (of course), President Barack Obama who regularly discussed Lincoln’s influence on his work, and Elizabeth Keckley an enslaved woman who served the Lincolns (especially Mary Todd Lincoln) for a good deal of her adult life. Keckley was a phenomenal sewist (sewer, seamstress, take your pick). She is well known for the dresses she created for Mary Todd Lincoln and others. Keckley was also a QUILTER.

I had fun working on this quilt. I used scraps of adire cloth, mud cloth, hand pieced log cabins made from vintage fabric (the quilt HAD to have log cabin blocks), and found photos from ebay. The picture of President Obama is from a piece of Ghanian fabric I received after the election. You will also notice that I played around with motifs from the confederate flag in some of my blocks. The figure at the bottom of the quilt are the ancestors preparing for flight home.  In addition to hand and machine piecing I used phototransfer and printmaking techniques (lithography). The title of the quilt is The Constitution and Union Forever.

Writing my goals took longer than I thought.  I think it is because I can feel that 2010 is going to be wonderful.  I don’t want to miss a thing. Without further ado here are my 2010 themes and goals for making art.

Color for the year:  GREEN. I guess you can tell by my logo, the website and the blog that I have been feeling green for a minute.  I really love the look of chartreuse and gray together.

Theme music for the year:  Nina Simone, Feeling Good

Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin’ on by you know how I feel

(refrain:)x2
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good

Art goals. Ten Goals for 2010:

• draw every day
• participate in 1 or 2 art retreats or workshops
• more work in encaustic
• printmaking (block printing and silk screen)
• expand my creative community/become more active in SAQA and PAQA-South
• improve photography skills
• dye more fabric (fun!)
• complete manuscript
• add one new style to my doll line
• enter/exhibit in more shows

I am also looking forward to participating in the African Diaspora reading challenge, making more traditional quilts with a contemporary funky twist and riding my mountain bike more yeeee haaaa!

2010 is going to be beautiful and art-filled.

For the last three years I have made a point of stopping to celebrate my accomplishments or wins for the year.  I got the idea from Alyson Stansfield who writes the Art Biz blog.  As Alyson points out

There will always be more to do--more than you have time for. Instead of thinking about what you still want to achieve, focus on acknowledging all you have done.

You can find the original posts about my wins for 2008 and my goals for 2009 here.  I have copied part of the post below with updates and a few hand claps for the year!

Goals for 2009

I did a little research on the number nine.  I learned that some believe that 9 holds the energy of attainment and completion and that with closure we are faced with renewal. We all know that there is no ending without a beginning.  As I mentioned on the UrbanWildflowerBlog here is to a renewed passion for art and creativity.

• Get out there and enter more shows!      DONE! I entered 4 juried exhibitions and got into 4 juried exhibitions!
• Complete the big blog and website move      DONE!  Thanks to my wonderful designer at VisualVoz I now have a new logo, new website and blog THAT I LOVE. I trust them for all of my graphic design needs. As a visual artist I felt like it would be criminal for me to have a raggedy web site.  Yes, I have some design skills. I also know when to step back and let the professionals take over LOL. In addition to websites they can also help you customize your blog.
• update my mailing list Kinda done.  I met many wonderful people who became collectors this year.  I still haven’t decided on a formall system to keep in touch with everyone.  This is on the top of my 2010 Goals.
• get new post cards made of my work  DONE!  You will start to see the post cards in January.
• meet more fun artists!   I did! I did!  Through workshops at the Atlanta Printmaker’s Studio, various openings I participated in and random conversations through the blog and Facebook (become a FAN!) I have met some wonderful folks.  I also joined PAQA-South and SAQA. I plan to become more active in both organizations in 2010.
• Draw everyday DONE! This was too easy.  To paraphrase brother James Brown — I just can’t hep myself .
• Continue to work on printmaking (this is the year of experimental screenprinting and monoprinting for me) In addition to monoprinting I became addicted to block printing.  I took a fun class from Jerushia Graham over at the Atlanta Printmakers Studio. Found some wonderful wood carving tools that I love (it’s Jerushia’s fault that I bought them!!) I didn’t do much screen printing.  Still have plans to do this.
• Continue to play with encaustic and in acrylics (though not necessarily in the same piece!!!) DONE! I did a lot more painting on my quilts and dolls this year.  Looking forward to doing more in the coming year. The hubster bought me several cakes of wax paint.  Guess what I am doing this weekend .

Okay, as for what inspired me this year:

• All of you with your wonderful comments, notes and visits to the blog, facebook and websites.  THANK YOU!  I am so grateful and humbled by your support.
• I have a wonderful circle of talented and creative friends. If I start naming people I will leave someone out.  You all know who you are. Big hugs and a fist bump!
• Art/Design/Book blogs that inspired me  this year: BrownGirl Speaks, Devourer of Books, Artists who Blog, Atelier, Apartment Therapy, Simply Robin and last but definitely not least, Seamless Skin.

Next post: Goals for 2010 and my color obsessions for the year! Peace and blessings for a BEAUTIFUL love-filled new year.  Deborah

So reading challenges are new for me but I found this site while surfing the web for books to add to my vacation reading list and I could not resist joining the African Diaspora Reading Challenge.  In the last three days I have caught up with all of my magazine reading (American Craft, FibreArts, Studios and Where Women Create).  Now I am ready for  my BOOK stack.    I haven’t fully formed my reading list for this challenge. I think I want to leave some room for what I might discover during the year.   I am committing to reading 12 books for the challenge. In addition to novels I would like to read books on African diasporic cultural and political history as well as biographies about artists. Can’t wait to READ MORE!

My book list so far:

1. Helen Oyeyemi, The Opposite House

2.  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun

3.  Samuel Salvon, The Lonely Londoners

4. Marie-Elena John, Unburnable Yvonne Vera, Butterfly Burning

5. Nalo Hopkinson, The New Moon’s Arms

What I have already read:

Marlon James, The Book of Night Women

Saidiya Hartman, Lose Your Mother

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Purple Hibiscus

Helen Oyeyemi, The Icarus Girl

Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, When The Spirits Dance Mambo: Growing up Nuyorican in El Barrio

Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, The Altar of My Soul: Living the Traditions of Santeria

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.

Last week was quite a treat for me as several of the books I had on hold at the library came in.  Have I mentioned how much I love my public library (Fulton County Public library here in Atlanta, GA).  I can usually find whatever I am looking for at the library! After spending a day in the office and the evening in the studio  I look forward to 10 pm when I turn off all of the things that beep, buzz, and jiggle to settle in for my reading hour (which usually turns into several hours). This is what I checked out last week.  I am also including books I picked up today for my Christmas vacation reading. Yipppeeeee!!!!!!

Helen Oyeyemi, The Icarus Girl.  I have  finished this book and I loved it.  I was immediately drawn in by the title and the cover art.  I have been working on a painted series involving birds, flight and women so the title immediately appealed to me. Oyeyemi upped the ante for me with this novel. I love her voice and the way she draws from culture and spirit in this novel.

Molly Wizenburg, A Handmade Life.  I enjoyed the conversational style of this author.  This book is part cookbook and part memoir.  It is wonderful to share the experiences and emotions with the author as she shares her love of food and all things French. I admire her for figuring out pretty quickly what she was willing to give up in order to focus her life on her passion: food! Now I have found a wonderful new blog to read (her blog is called Orangette) and even more wonderful recipes to try.

Helen Oyeyemi, The Opposite House.  The second novel by this wonderful author.  This book is about an Afro-Cuban woman whose family migrates to London.  I haven’t started this one yet but the book appears to have  all of the themes I love: woman in search of herself, woman connecting to spirit and the power within (the  main character’s name is Yemaya), exploring the thin line between myth and reality. .  . .

Other books I picked up today:

Marie-Elena John, Unburnable (this one has been sitting on my shelf for a while)

Steve Martin, The Pleasure of my Company (I thought Shop Girl was hilarious.  I didn’t know about this book)

Joseph O’Neill, Netherland (read a review in the Times last year which made me want to read it. Our library just got it)

Clarence Major, One Flesh (the book is about an artist.  That’s all *I* needed to know!

George Walker, The Woodcut Artist’s Handbook.

Peggy Vincent, Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife

Karen White, The House on Tradd Street (read about this one on the Devourer of Books blog)

Karen White, The Lost Hours

Alicia Paulson, Stitched in Time (sweet patterns for sewing inspiration)

A few of the wildflowers traveling with me tomorrow. . . .

THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

12-13 December 2009

Metro Market Atlanta Art and Gift Show @ Le Fais do-do

Saturday December 12 9:30am – 8pm
Sunday December 13 10:00am – 4pm

1611 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard, Suite D Atlanta, GA 30318

Metro Market Atlanta is a unique New Orleans Style indoor market featuring talented local artists, crafters and vendors. The Market is a two day event which has family fun activities, live entertainment, Santa and of course great holiday shopping. In addition they are proud to be associated with several charities.

Driving Directions:

GA-400 TOLL S becomes I-85 S.

Merge onto I-75 N via EXIT 85 toward MARIETTA/CHATTANOOGA.

Take the HOWELL MILL ROAD exit, EXIT 252B.

Turn LEFT onto HOWELL MILL RD NW.

Turn RIGHT onto CHATTAHOOCHEE AVE NW

Turn LEFT onto ELLSWORTH DR NW.

End : 1611 ELLSWORTH INDUSTRIAL BLVD NW. (next to Horizon Homes across from World of Rugs)

A few more recently completed wildflowers . . .