Jim Denevan Drawings in the Sand

Here's a project for those of us who can (sometimes) get bored at the beach:

Jim Denevan makes temporary drawings on sand, earth and ice that are eventually erased by waves and weather.

I am always in awe of artists who have the ability to systematically let go of  their works. See more of Jim's work here  and take a few minutes to watch this very nice video to find out more about his process:

On Simplicity, Beauty and Why We Keep Making Things

A good reminder, as I'm getting back into jewelry where it's so easy to get lost in the techniques, that simple things are beautiful (via On Being blog):

And this refreshing clip of jewelry maker Jill Platner,  to remind us why we keep  making things (via CoolHunting newly discovered through Lari's blog):

Jill Platner from Cool Hunting on Vimeo.

In other words: Just because. Or just because we have to.

Teabag Panel included in A Community of Artists show at the Danforth Museum

I am excited to have this teabag panel included in the "Community of Artists" juried show at the Danforth Museum, which  runs from Sunday, June  12 - Sunday, August 7, 2011. If you are unable to see the show, click here to see the catalogue of the exhibition. Hope you get to see the show!

Akiko Ikeuchi - Thread Installation

Loving this room-size installation by Japanese artist Akiko Ikeuchi:

 

Found via Inspix

"Beginning with intricate plans resembling architectural diagrams, Ikeuchi first lays a foundation structure using cotton thread. Next, a second layer using fine silk thread is slowly knotted into a mesh, a process that spans nearly a month for an installation such as the one depicted."

It makes me think of netting which I've been very drawn to these last couple of years for some reason.



How she keeps the threads untangled is a mystery to me..

Community Art Garden at Figment Boston 2011

We had a great time yesterday at Figment, planting our Community Art Garden!  It was amazing to see so many people wanting to participate, people of all ages, genders, races, you name it.. We had just enough sweaters (phew... a huge thanks to all who donated their rags..)  and a lot of fun.

We started from this (Silvia's outfit gives you an idea of the brisk weather conditions):

and worked our way to this:

I wish I would have had time to shoot better overall pictures but it was just too busy..

I'm not sure what I liked  most - seeing people so craving to MAKE something with their own hands, chosing the materials and colors, taking the time to put the flowers together, or seeing all the different flowers at the end, reflecting everyone's personality and taste.  It was just great. People were so thankful for the opportunity too, you realize how most have lost touch with the act of making and creating. It was somehow  reassuring to see people getting so much into it. I think a lot of them forget that it is part of our nature to create and that we are all MAKERS.   

A huge thanks again to my dear friend  Silvia for being so helpful and instrumental in the completion of this project, and for braving the cold!

More pics here and on flickr

Cut flowers...

come with blisters...

Spent a good part of the day preparing the flowers for this Sunday Community Art Garden, cutting and cutting... It's hard to guess how many people will show up and participate but I think we now have enough to grow a great flower garden..  Silvia (aka Sunshine), who's doing the event with me, and Sarah,  my ex intern and sweetest SMFA / student, were a great help! Check out Sarah's cool new Tumblr blog here!