Monday Motivation - Edvard Munch - Painter/Printmaker

This week's Monday Motivation is a day late, but I hope you'll find the featured artist inspiring nonetheless.  On Friday, my husband and I decided to take a trip to The Art Institute of Chicago.  We've been living outside of the city for a full year and have not made our way to the museum yet.  This is a strange thing for me since I made an annual trip with my mother all the way through high school and it's one of my favorite places in Chicago.  But when I learned that admission to the museum is free and that tickets to the new Munch exhibit are half off through the month of February, I decided it was time we made the trip.  My husband had never been and it was a great inaugural visit.  

Becoming Edvard Munch: Influence, Anxiety and Myth opened on Valentine's Day and runs through April 26th.  The exhibit counters the widely held belief that Munch was mentally unstable or that he was not influenced by his Scandinavian peers.  Paintings and prints by Munch are displayed side-by-side with the work of artists like Claude Monet, Max Klinger and James Ensor.  It's a fantastic in-depth look at an artist who spent his career finding ways to express intense emotions through his work.  If you have an opportunity to go, I very much recommend it.  Munch's work is raw and emotional and his story is told well through his own hand. (Above: Edvard Munch, Madonna, 1894-1895, painting)

Art's Desire at Andrew HS Spring Art & Craft Show

Next weekend, Art's Desire will be at the 22nd Annual Spring Art & Craft Show at VJ Andrew High School in Tinley Park, IL.  Admission is $2 for anyone 14 and over and it goes to support the school's Music booster club.  Parking is free, concessions will be available and there will be over 100 crafters!  The doors will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 4 and I'll be at booth number 173 in the gym.  Hope to see you there!

Monday Motivation - Piet Mondrian - Painter

As I looked at my work area today, I saw the small pieces of colored glass sitting on the gridded work surface and I thought about the paintings of Piet Mondrian.  When he attempted to explain his artistic theory, he said this: "I believe that it is possible that, through horizontal and vertical lines constructed with awareness, but not with calculation, led by high intuition, and brought to harmony and rhythm, these basic forms of beauty, supplemented if necessary by other direct lines or curves, can become a work of art, as strong as it is true."  You see, I've been having a bit of a hard time with inspiration the last couple of weeks.  Everything I do seems too calculated or formulaic.  This week, I'm going to let Piet be my guide and I'm going seek out that harmony and rhythm through my own sense of awareness and intuition.  Hopefully, I'll have some good results that I can share with all of you soon. (Above: Piet Mondrian, Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray, 1921, Oil on Canvas, 60.1 x 60.1 cm, Vertical axis 84.5 cm, The Art Institute of Chicago)

Art's Desire Now Available at White Street Gallery

I'm happy to announce that White Street Gallery & Framing in Frankfort, IL will now be carrying some of my pieces!  If you're in the area, please stop in and support this wonderful local business which has been operating in the Frankfort area for 17+ years!

CPSIA - Day One

Today is the first day of enforcement of the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Information Act) Please read this article from Overlawyered.com and learn more about what is happening. While the intent behind the legislation is good, it is written in such a way that it will harm many small business owners.

Monday Motivation - Dale Chihuly - Glass Artist

You might say that this week's Monday Motivation is long overdue.  Dale Chihuly is, after all, probably the most recognized glass artist in the world today.  His work is varied; there is something for everyone.  As a founder of the Pilchuck Glass School, glass artists all over the world have learned about their craft because of him.  Furthermore, he has been the leading force in revolutionizing the modern Studio Glass movement.  He has exploded the boundaries of the medium and established a collaborative technique that is unparalleled.

Take a look at some of Chihuly's work.  Which pieces do you like the best?  The Seaforms?  The Macchia?  What about the Installations or Chandeliers?  They are all so different, yet his fascination with color, light and transparency are evident in all of them.  As you go about your week, challenge yourself to break new ground and try something you've never tried before.  Chihuly's work shows us the wonderful things that can happen when you do.  (Above: Dale Chihuly, Squero di San Trovaso, 1996, 10'x4', Chihuly Over Venice)

Monday Motivation - William Morris - Glass Artist

Today's Monday Motivation features William "Billy" Morris. His work reminds us that things are not always what they seem. Yes people, what you're looking at here is glass. William Morris is a uniquely talented glassblower who can transform a delicate, fragile medium into something that it isn't: rough, solid and full of texture.  His pieces resemble artifacts from an ancient past, beckoning us to learn more about where they came from.  I encourage you to take a closer look at some of Billy's work and as you go about your week challenge yourself to look beneath the surface and see the true beauty of the things around you. (Above: William Morris, Situla, 2000, 22"x24"x18", blown glass, steel stand, photo: Rob Vinnedge)