Searching for your own authentic voice

What is it about having the courage to be authentically, truly yourself that scares the bejeebers out of people? Is this why it is so hard for artists to find themselves creatively? How much are we willing to invest in searching for a style, a tone, a message that is entirely ours? And can we ever not be ourselves, even when we are learning by imitating?

So many questions. It's time to start looking for some answers.

What do you think?

Something new is coming

I've been feeling a lot like this old truck lately -- tired, rusty, stuck in place. Maybe it's because I've been working hard, or because it took me six weeks (!!!) to throw off most of my respiratory illness, or all of the things I'm trying to juggle in my life right now, but whatever the reason my creative mojo has been AWOL. In fact, I've been so exhausted that I've fallen out of Bloglandia. I don't have the time or energy to comment on friends' blogs and haven't participated in the Street Team for a long stretch. I feel badly about this and miss everyone.

So I'm going to try something new. I'm not going to say anything right now but all will be revealed in time.

Stay tuned!

The Perfect Bass note

I'm still sick but I'm getting better.

Today's design crush is master designer Saul Bass. I've seen his work my entire life but had no idea who he was. I am nuts for his clean, bold hand-cut look.


Bass designed more than movie posters. He was the genius behind some of the best title sequences in the movies -- think of Good Fellas, Age of Innocence, Around the World in 80 Days, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, World and West Side Story. He also illustrated a charming children's book by Leonore Klein called "Henri's Walk to Paris."


On top of all this, Bass designed some of the best known logos from our childhoods: Girl Scouts, AT&T, United Airlines, Continental Airlines, Traveler's Insurance, Lowry's Seasongings, The United Way, Bell Telephone, Minolta and Kleenex.


But it's his posters and illustration that speak to me the most. I love the collage-like style that puts me in mind of Sister Corita, also from that period. Isn't it wonderful?

Out sick

I've been sick.

The 10-day Cold from Hell has a cousin it seems, and this one comes with a week of fever and a deep, hacking cough.

Yuck.

I haven't been good for much but I have had a little time to catch up on my favorite blogs. At the top of the list (besides the wonderful people in the right-hand column) is Book by its Cover. It's the brainchild of Brooklyn illustrator and pattern designer Julia Rothman who shines a spotlight on wonderful art books of all kinds, from the commercial art books to personal sketchbooks. If you don't know her blog, you must zip over there immediately. Just click the magic button and be transported. I'll go make a cup of tea and wait for you.

Back already?

Great wasn't it? If you scrolled down you would have seen a book about the brilliant collage art of Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes. Totally swoon-worthy.

Look at this.


And this.

I immediately went to Amazon to look for the book and stumbled across American artist Rex Ray. If you are already familiar with his work, forgive my gushing, but I'm totally crushing on his geometric abstractions and powerful sense of design.


Yum!


Yum again.


So between sleeping and coughing and watching movies on my Netflix list, the time hasn't been totally wasted.

Now I must go have my tea. Thanks for checking in!

Color Happy

A rare Monday off. So many items on my "to-do" list, top of which is to share more of my explorations in color with you.

Lucky charms

Pink stars, yellow ginko, orange moons. I've taken a break from my daily photos to offer something else that has seized me in its grip -- playing with color. It all started with laying down a few backgrounds for a new 2010 journal. I was going to get off to a rousing start and do a page a day.


I did keep that promise. Sort of.


But the laying down color sort of grabbed ahold of me and before I knew it, all 70 pages were filled with my mad experiments, with only about six that could really be called collage. Before I am overwhelmed again with the work that has kept me from my blog, I want to share a few of my paintings. I'm not sure they deserve that title, but for lack of another word, let's go with that. Paintings.



Works for me. Does it work for you?