Grayson Studios Blog

March Magic

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:41:20 +0000

I am really ready for spring. I am getting over my third yucky winter cold and I NEVER get sick. ugh. I have a feeling that March is going to be a pretty magical month when it comes to creativity. Below is my list of what happened in February followed by what I hope to do in March.

February 2010

complete tax prep I got as far as scanning receipts and renewing my business license. I also converted to a new ledger that I found on the Bakery site. Theirs is similar to one that I had already created for myself but I like theirs better.
draw/paint everyday for the most part I maintained this. I still paint for 2 to 3 hours most evenings and on weekends. I am taking some design classes for the next several months so I will probably have to cut my hours back some during the week. I experimented a lot with encaustics this month. I also drew and collaged a lot in my sketchbook.
create a piece of art in celebration of PISCES women everywhere!! I have made a lot of progress on this piece. Preliminary photos were posted here. The Pisces woman quilt will be a part of the water spirits series I have been working on. More pictures coming soon.
update business and marketing plan still working on these. Didn’t get as far as I wanted but I am a lot closer than where I was !
develop a new pattern Done! I developed two new doll patterns. These dolls are larger than my standard and there are more pieces for better posing. Pictures coming soon.
declutter studio! LOL, well, this became an enitre house declutter. I found wonderful containers from Target, Ikea and Craigslist for all kinds of things. I managed to create more wall and table space by reorganizing the studio. Pictures coming soon.
New photos of work for website. As you can see, I didn’t stop much to take pictures. More visuals are coming.
continue reading for reading challenge. I completed three books last month for the reading challenge. I even heard from one of the authors of one of the books I reviewed. How exciting!

Goal for March: COMPLETION

Continue my declutter project. It is so freeing to just let stuff go. From books to unused art supplies to just stuff you are saving for someday. It takes up too much space in your brain and your place if you are not using it.
Complete Pisces Woman quilt
Complete one ufo (unfinished object) from my project list or let it go.
Take new photos of finished work and work in progress
Continue reading challenge
collect homework photos for workshop in May

Keeping the Birthday Train Moving: The High Priestess of Soul

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:12:16 +0000

Thanks to all of you who sent me me beautiful birthday wishes. I feel so blessed to be loved and encouraged by so many friends — new and old. If you have been reading my blog you know that Nina Simone has a special place in my heart. Her birthday is this February 21. Though Sister Nina has transitioned her music is still with us. This weekend I will do a little countdown of some of my favorites from her.

Talk about fierce body love?? I still ain’t old enough to be as bold as Nina is in this outfit and I’m pretty grown . I am sure it was planned but I love how she moves the pianist out of the seat so that she can play. It didn’t sound like they had the right timing down until Nina took her seat. Anyway, watch and enjoy. . . .

Reading and Remembering

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:35:24 +0000

The last couple of weeks have been great for reading for the African Diasora Reading challenge. I completed two books last week.

The first book was Daughters of the Stone by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa. The cover of the book alone made me want to read it. Then I realized that the maternal ancestor was an artist and spiritual healer. When I first began to read the novel I was reminded of two beautiful lines from Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent:

The more a daughter knows the details of her mother’s life — without flinching or whining — the stronger the daughter.

and

You come hungry for the story that was lost. You crave words to fill the great silence that swallowed me, and my mothers, and my grandmothers before them. I wish I had more to tell of my grandmothers. It is terrible how much has been forgotten, which is why, I suppose, remembering seems a holy thing. [emphasis mine]

Whew! I am writing this today on what would have been my grandmother’s 95th birthday. She has been with me all day today so this line about remembering as a holy act really resonates with me. Llanos-Figuera writes about five generations of women from one family: Mati, a powerful healer and noted craftswoman, is grounded in her life as an African woman before she is stolen from its shores. She fights to stay connected to home and herself in her new and quickly changing world as an enslaved woman. Concha, unsure of her place, struggles with the legacy that her mother has left her and at times rejects both her mother and her past. Elena, (theoretically) modern and educated, moves to the United States to try to navigate between two cultures. Carisa brings the circle of women in her family full circle by drawing on (in the words of India.Arie) strength, courage and wisdom from all of her mothers. I loved this book.

Watch and listen to the author in her own words:

The second book I read was Orange, Mint and Honey by Carleen Brice. So I admit that it was hard to hang in there with this book after reading Daughters of the Stone. Still, who could resist a book whose character has the High Priestess of Soul as her role model and spiritual advisor– you got it – Nina Simone was her spiritual advisor! Initially, I disliked the characters — especially the whiny Shay. Still, I kept turning the pages because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Ultimately I found my self cheering for Shay, a burnt out graduate student who eventually learns to forgive her mother and herself. I guess Diamant’s quote works here too. Shay learned not to flinch or whine by the end of the novel. I definitely plan to read the author’s second novel. Oh, and the book has been made into a Lifetime movie with Queen Latifah playing the role of the mother. Can’t remember the name of the movie (it’s different from the book) but I do know that it will debut this (?) Sunday. Check your local listings .

Scenes from the Studio

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:37:33 +0000

Ive been working on my goals for February. I’ve cleaned half the studio (je je –I haven’t seen the floor in a while). I found a scrap piece of peg board and hung it up so I could have my tools handy (because I can’t stand hunting for misplaced tools). As you can see, I am not one of those women who has one of those pretty matchy matchy studios. I like to splash and spill everywhere. It makes the joint feel more creative. I also started work on my Pisces Woman quilt. Have a look. . . .

You may recognize the background fabric. It’s Kaffe Fasset but I have done some painting on it in preparation for some other applique work. Can you tell how I changed it?

Is it February already? Goals for February, my BIRTHDAY MONTH!

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:28:15 +0000

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?

Butterfly Burning and Library Loot

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:41:10 +0000

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

African Diaspora Challenge Read: Helen Oyeyemi, The Opposite House

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:48:06 +0000

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.

Back in the Swing of Things

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:27:32 +0000

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.

2010 Goals and Themes for the Year

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:45:23 +0000

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.

2009 Wins and What Inspired me this Year

admin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:34:46 +0000

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