Painting with Celeste

Busy week once again. Work, naturally, took its usual measure of hours (rougher maybe because it was a full week after the shorter holiday week.) Babysitting took up many evening hours and most of Saturday, but I don't need to add that those hours are treasured times with my grandson, who is growing so quickly. Jace is getting old enough now to miss his Mommy and Daddy a little even though he likes being spoiled by Grandma and Pappy. We celebrated his daddy's birthday privately Friday and again yesterday with his Grandma. On Thursday I finished a piece of calligraphy, which was picked up Saturday morning. I bought a beautiful large flat file via Craigslist, which was delivered Friday night - and as I predicted, it is already full and I don't have all of my papers in it. (What this tells me is that I need to paint, paint, paint and collage, collage, collage and begin using up my precious stash!)

Speaking of painting, my niece Celeste came over this afternoon and we had a canvas painting session. I am so proud of her first painting ever! She bought the canvas and paints months ago, and came over one night and we painted a pink and white striated background. It's been behind my couch ever since. No longer! It awaits a final glaze coat when it's less humid outside, but otherwise it is finished. Here are some photos of the painting in different stages and of Celeste at work. She made all the strokes and color choices, and only asked for my opinion as she worked. She was gung-ho and approached it as she does life...with joy and decisiveness. I gave a little instruction, showed her a few techniques and gave some general painting advice as she went, but the painting is hers, and quite wonderful, I think.











Here's a photo of the house across the road from my street in its summer garb...pretty flowers and ancient green leafy trees.



What? No Jace photo? I'll make up for that next time. : )

Graffiti, Miniature Book Exhibit and Logo

For my friend Nicoll, I grabbed my camera while stuck in traffic Wednesday afternoon for a train. I hoped to see some graffiti because she posts some really nice work from her part of the world. "Kid BUG" is the best I could do.

Here are photos of my logo design up on display inside the publishing company where I work. The words on the back panel were my boss's, the owner of the company. He allowed the art director and me to help him tweak them...we came up with 'innovative and creative', and the three of us chose the fonts together. The color scheme and original idea were all his. My logo was added while I was on vacation, so it was a nice surprise to me when I returned. There's a lot of reflection going on with the shiny black substrate. He plans to add lighting as the next step.




Last, but not least are a couple of shots of the Miniature Book Society traveling exhibit, which I arranged to have delivered to the University of Louisville Ekstrom Library's Rare Books department to be on exhibit for the month of June. In the second shot, the five books at the apex of the triangular side were actually bound by craftsmen at the bindery we purchased last year. That bindery is now the basis of Centennial Graphics Group, for which I designed the logo over a year ago...way before I knew I'd be working there one day.





And here is an antique book press - circa 1850 - that is on display at Ekstrom. Looks to be cast iron, and extremely heavy.

2010 Art Projects - so far

I've been involved in three art workshops this year already, and a few calligraphy jobs. Above is a photo of the book I made in Bonnie Stahlecker's workshop at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis in January, which jump-started my busy art year.

Below are some photos from the Jacqueline Sullivan "Wet N Wild" watercolor workshop, on various background techniques. The first is my finished piece from the workshop. Jacqueline talked me into tearing it into two pieces. I tore it along an organic shape and will mount the left side piece slightly above the right hand side in a collage frame. The second is a group of student papers drying. Today I have been practicing lettering with a pencil. I'll post more art pictures in the next few days and some other photos I've been taking.





Here are practice pages I've been working on. I HAVE to buy a new camera...all those splotches are on my lens. : /






Here are some of the escort cards and envelopes that filled my studio.


Here is a very long menu, which was part of a very large job (An earlier post has pictures from that event.)



Here is a hand-lettered invitation for a small dinner party and one of the envelopes...(address obliterated for privacy.)



Here is my Jace the face, whom I kept for 4 days while his parents made a trip to Texas. What a great bonding time we had!





Here is Jace watching TV with his Pappy.



And I'll end with my Sleepy Jace.

My Mother's Day surprise

Got some sweet gifts and three cards for Mother's Day. Two of the cards held surprises...



My son Steve (Jace's daddy) is quite the cut-up.

Wishard Hospital Event - Indianapolis Art Museum

Whew! A job that has taken much of my spare time (what's that?) since February ended yesterday. I drove to Indianapolis to do final place cards and escort envelopes for the event and was able to do a mini tour of the museum's treasures too. I had no idea all of this was 2 hours from my house! Fabulous museum with fabulous holdings! The event was pretty fabulous too. Below are a few photos of the event decor and some of the notable pieces in the museum...and I only toured two exhibits very quickly.

The first five photos are of the lobby area. First an orchid display next to a staircase. The next two are close ups of that display, and the fourth is a view of that lobby from the second floor. The red carpet was there just for this event...it is not a typical part of the decor. It's hard to see, but the doorway shown has portraits from the invitation painted or screen-printed on it for the event. Its aqua and green colors set the theme for the event, thus the green orchids everywhere. My photos do not do justice. The vases of orchids had aqua and green swirly vine-type material circling inside them...subtle but beautiful.

Next are views of the dining room and table displays, which beautifully represent the colors presented in the invitation.

Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of a second floor lobby that was dripping with orchids. Orchid blooms were attached to wires/threads and were hanging from the tall ceiling making it look as though it were raining orchids...quite spectacular! I also did not get a good photo of the escalator and trees near it, which were adorned with sparkling aqua and green ribbons - and more orchids.

The Art: These photos of a Picasso oil on canvas, two Renoirs, a Turner, a Monet and a Van Gogh are only samples of what the museum holds. It took me back to the Louvre, the D'Orsay and the Picasso Museum. Being able to see those thick, emotional Van Gogh brushstrokes up close, the delicacy of the Monets, the rich color of the Renoirs, the realism of the Turners - just wonderful! And this is just a sample. There were so many beautiful works in this museum that I didn't even know existed.
Only two hours from my house, and I had no idea. I will return just for the exhibits, but not on Derby Day. Not the day before my husband's birthday. Not when I am so busy with other calligraphy work...but one day when I have time to really enjoy the works there. The gift shops were great, and I didn't see most of the exhibits, so there's lots left for me to discover.

Facebook and Jace the Face

Facebook - great tool for staying in touch. Facebook - time waster extraordinaire. Finding the balance is worthwhile. I use Facebook now mostly for quick updates on what friends are doing, learning about art events I'm interested in, staying in touch with my nieces and now seeing my new grandson between actual visits. His mommy is really good about taking photos and sharing them via Facebook. Here's my latest favorite photo of Jace at two months. Yes - Jace the Face is already two months old, and he's changed a lot. His once dark hair is coming in much lighter now. (His daddy's hair was dark at birth, fell out and at three months he began a new phase of life as a towhead.)

He's a very contented baby - just like his daddy was. Unlike his daddy, though, he likes to be awake at night and sleep all day. They were just beginning to turn that around, but a 'swing emergency' occurred that had his mommy about to tear her own hair out. The cradle swing they'd purchased - and which Jace had become firmly addicted to - stopped working. They bought a new one, put it together, and same thing. The motor wouldn't work. A few sleepless nights later they purchased a third swing (FisherPrice) and Jace is a happy, contented baby once again. The new fear is what they will do when he outgrows the swing. I guess he'll have to come live with Grandma then. : ) Don't you just love the "I am the King of my world" look on his little face?

I am still enmeshed in too much calligraphy to even think. Tomorrow I will be in Indianapolis instead of Louisville. Unheard of for me on Derby Day! I will be at the big event doing last minute changes and place cards, helping the event coordinator. I can't believe it, but as I've FedExed various parts of the job to her I have not even had time to take photos of them. I hope to get a chance to take some photos Saturday. I'm sure it is going to be tres elegante. As if that weren't enough, I sandwiched two smaller jobs into tiny breathing spaces in the ongoing projects that have otherwise taken all my 'spare' time. As soon as I get home Saturday night/Sunday morning I need to do everything I can to finish the very elegant wedding job I have been working on for months. I have two art workshops coming up in May too. Both out of town. I will be posting and sharing photos.

At work, I am happily entrenched in projects that hopefully will really make a difference to the company. I have been writing marketing materials and website articles and pushing a myriad of other projects forward. I have learned a lot about the publishing business since beginning this job last October. It suits me well. I am doing something different almost every day. I have played an integral part in the publishing of two books so far. It was really exciting to see the dummy books come back to us from the printer in various formats...one all white with blank pages just to show placement of various artifacts within the pages. Since I've been on board, we've probably worked with hundreds of clients including some very well known ones that I wish I could mention.

Every day brings new challenges and new fun. And hopefully new photos of 'swinging' Jace the Face on Facebook.

Jace the Face and work in progress

Had a great weekend! Babysat for Jace the Face while his mommy and daddy attended Derby Festival events. He is my heart's keeper for sure. I held him for hours. And hours. He laughs now and smiles a lot. What a great baby! Mommy and Daddy are pretty cool too. He looked like his mommy when he was born, but now looks just like his daddy did when he was a that age.

Here is a photo of Jace with his Grandaddy.



And lest you think I am all Jace, all the time, I did manage to work on some calligraphy jobs this past week too. I worked on a proclamation for my cousin who is being posthumously honored by his city for his wonderful work. Unfortunately I was sent a form that was much too small. I had hoped to hand letter everything in a nice size. As it turns out, I didn't have time for it anyway when it came down to it, so did what I could using the form I was sent, and will reduce it mechanically tomorrow and FedEx it to the Mayor's office Tuesday for the presentation on Thursday. No photo of that yet, but here is a photo of one of the other projects I've been working on, a menu for a major event in a distant city. This is 'in-progress', not finished. I have to do a scan of it tomorrow after work too and do some touch ups tomorrow night. (My new scanner is not large enough to accommodate the paper.)



I have a lot more calligraphy work for the next couple of weeks. Then a breather for some surgery. In the meantime, I finished the course from h-e-#-#, Quantitative Analysis. I got an A!!!!! Final grade was 99.11%. I'm so glad it's over. I switched to a Mac early in the class and course materials on CD were no longer available to me. These things compounded the frustrations and time constraints of an already super-difficult course. I was also involved in a life drawing class through early March. And calligraphy jobs and the new grandchild meant I had other things I wanted and needed to concentrate on. I won't be taking another class too soon. Except two art workshops I've already signed up for. (Right. I never seem to stop.)

Laughing Baby

Forgive me another photo of new grandson Jace. In this one his mother had him laughing. She shot this one with her telephone.


Though Jace is the very best thing happening, there is more. We hosted my family for Easter. The youngest was Jace at just one month old and the eldest was Aunt Chris - who will be 99 next month. Everyone brought great additions to the meal, and the weather was gorgeously cooperative.

I am still pursuing my MBA and am in the killer class Quantitative Analysis. Every person I have asked for help has been unable to help. It's been a horror and I hope to finish it by the end of this month. I have an A average, but it's only because of the time I am putting in to the study...40 hours one week! And as quickly as I 'learn' it, it flies out the window. (I'm thinking that's why others who work with QA to some degree have been unable to help, so in a weird way that makes me feel better.)

In addition, I am working on a lovely wedding job, a premiere event in Indianapolis and an invitation for a small dinner party. (One day turnaround on that rush job...each invitation was hand-lettered and each envelope required lettering the return address as well as the recipient's address.) I am going to letter a Proclamation this week/weekend to honor my cousin Doug Webb of Columbus, IN, who died earlier this year. The city is honoring him later this month with a Doug Webb Day and is naming a softball field in his honor for his dedication to the sport and to the fields he worked closely with the Parks Department to build and maintain which have brought the city visitors from around the country and Canada. I am honored to do this small part toward honoring his generous spirit.

And, yes, I still work full time. Life will be at a more manageable pace once this blankety-blank QA course ends! It will almost feel like I'm on vacation. Speaking of which, I had to turn down a vacation in Ireland to concentrate on coursework. Photos of some of the projects will come as soon as I have time to work with them.

Jace Christopher Hurst: personality = cuddly

Ah, little man Jace...three of my favorite pictures.

These were taken by Sandy Wright and Audrey Anderson.

His daddy always liked to sleep too. : )

Jace Christopher Hurst

I am a new grandmother. Can hardly stand the exciting news. I want to hold my son and his new son, Jace Christopher. Mother, Dad and baby are all happy and healthy and - wonderful!