Enjoy Nature

You may not know this but I studied biology at university.
While I have found little application for it in what I do with most of my days (baby stuff, cleaning up and heaps of art) it does tend to colour my views and I am firmly of the opinion that nature only gets more beautiful the more it is understood.

My cousin shared this with me today and while it was made in 2010 and I sadly didn't get to see it immediately so that I could be appreciating it all this time I still thought that I would pass it on as soon as I could because it is wonderful.

It combines three of my most favourite things.

Art, science and music. 

I love watching the tree grow...

Some people

This is what thinking outside the box looks like. It would be nice if I was super not materialistic, but I really wish I owned one of those resin fish bowls... I think I would just stare at it for hours.

... the only downside of this video is the music. Which gets annoying pretty fast. 

the Sketchbook Project: Limited Edition

Several weeks ago I received my limited edition (one of 5000) sketchbook for the Limited Edition Sketchbook Project.

It still looks just like it did the day I got it...

                                                                                                     ... entirely unmarked.

There was a long list of themes to choose as a starting point to launch from, which is good because no restrictions or guidelines generally means an equally vague and meaningless response from me. That is something I've learned about doing art... I have to give myself some boundaries and guidelines in order to get good work from myself. Anyway. I chose the theme: Distance & Time and I have a bunch of ideas... and at some point they'll be put into the book. I'll let you all know as soon as I do...

I've still done nothing in my own book, but I discovered this awesome video from South African artist Lara Mellon. It's very different from any work that I do, and I love it. Very evocative.
This is one of the reasons why the sketchbook project is fantastic... diversity.

So many colours!

Simple things can look really amazing. I wish I had so many different colours of paint!

Totoro

I love the movie, I also love watching people painting in time lapse, one day I will do this for something that I am drawing, but in the mean time, here is a (slightly long) but pretty cool watercolour painting.

I like the trees.

Button Tree

Due to financial restraints and some crafting mental illness I have, I decided to make (nearly) everyone's presents for Christmas.

Not that I think any of my family reads my blog, but just in case, I didn't post the things that I gave them. 

So now that the gifts are given and the stress is over, I can share some of what I made with you. 

Starting with this button tree. For mum. (I wrote all the kids names on certain of the buttons... you can kind of see it in the photos)

Corrugated cardboard is awesome. We bought some furniture from Ikea and so I have a seemingly endless source of the stuff so I have made books out of it, boxes and now art. 

I used a craft knife to cut out the design of the tree and then peeled off the top layer of paper to reveal all the corrugated guts. Then I stuck on buttons. 

Easy.

Interactive art.

I am working on a new calendar for next year and thats meant lots of ink... I photocopied some because colouring them once for the calendar wasn't enough.

I like colouring in books.
If you were a kid who liked them, then be honest, you probably still do.

I think there should be more colouring in type things for more grown up people. I might not have grown out of colouring in books, but I'm not overly interested in Disney Princesses... (sorry) or Dora the Explorer.
(Dinosaurs on the other hand...)










Anyway.
I might put together some colouring in pages of my drawings. Would anyone be interested in that kind of thing?



In other news, we have found a new place to live and will be moving on Saturday, so expect a little bit of a silent period from me as I pack up the last few things that aren't already boxed and attempt to apply some organization to the chaos.

The Protean Art Movement

I never bothered to study art history or theory in any great depth. In fact my bachelors degree says 'Science'.

It seems to me that artists are never just artists though. Like Proteus, they change shapes and adapt, some almost constantly.
My own art, (it seems presumptuous to call it 'art' sometimes) changes with my mood, with what is happening in my life at the time, with my varying mastery over different mediums, with the books I read and the music I listen to.
I think all artists, professional or not (and I am not) are like this, 'protean'.

pro·te·an  (prt-n, pr-t-)

adj.

1. Readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings.

2. Exhibiting considerable variety or diversity

I used to think that this inconsistency was a failure on my part to conform to some kind of style, but I've decided that art has enough room to accommodate my fickle artistic nature. So hurrah for all those who, like me, create art that reflect the changing nature of human beings. Hurrah for The Protean Art Movement. Photographers, sculptors, painters, doodle artists scribbling in the margins of your notebooks... whatever. You're awesome.