inspiration

Enjoying Mass MoCA

inspiration / /

I made may way to North Adams and took in the exhibits at Mass MoCA. Here are a few images.

MassMoCA

The old mill buildings have amazing rich history.

Sol Lewitt at mass moca

Enjoy 3 floors of Sol LeWitt

Steffani Jemison

Part of Seffani Jamison – Plant you Now, Dig You Later

mill buildings at Mass MoCA

I just love the bricks and shadows.

Robert Rauschenberg

Robert Rauschenberg

Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois

seating at Mass MoCA

Seating at Mass MoCA

So much to see. Not enough time. Check out the Mass MoCA info here.

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Rain, Rain – go away or not

inspiration / /

Here in New England we are experiencing a rainy Mother’s Day. It is disappointing for some. Does it have to be?

see the beauty in a rainy day

But we could just roll with it and embrace the things that we can not change. Could you?

  • Notice how it is turning everything green and lush
  • Jump in puddles with your grandkids
  • Photograph the reflections in the puddles
  • Close your eyes and listen to the rain

Being with the rain creates opportunity to feed your art practice.

patterns inspired by rainy day

I always get ideas for:

  1. Patterns
  2. Shaped stencils and
  3. Layered images

If you would like to give yourself a mother’s day gift and start to let your environment feed your art practice, then join us in the 4 week gelatin printmaking course that starts tomorrow – Make Monotypes. Read the details on the printmaking workshop page.

collage of gelatin prints by linda germain

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Do any of these thoughts stop you from making art?

inspiration / /
  • I am not good enough.
  • I might do it wrong.
  • I am not ready.

I must admit that those thought cross my mind quite often. That is hard for me to admit, because I thought I had moved beyond those limiting ideas.

Gelatin print with a thermofax print linda germain

Something good came out of this…

I looked for areas of my my life and art practice where those fears do not stop me. I found the following:

  • When making monotypes on the gelatin plate, I do not let fear of failure stop me from trying something new.
  • When I am in a workshop, because I figure that I am there to learn and discover and mistakes are part of that process.
  • When I am using a 20 minute timer to just get started and moving forward. I don’t have to finish or be perfect I just have to put in the 20 minutes.

This is a useful discovery…

I figure that if I can move beyond fearful thoughts in one area of my life then I must have the ability to move beyond them in other areas of my life. (Try making the list for yourself.)

Gelatin plate monotype with screen printed image

What do you think?

  • Would you like to give yourself the time and space to explore printmaking with the gelatin plate?
  • Would you like to give yourself the space to make mistakes as part of the learning process?
  • Would benefit from the support and encouragement of an instructor?
  • Would you like to share your challenges and successes with a group of artists who are making similar discoveries?

This may be the perfect time to build your skills and explore gelatin printmaking. It is the perfect medium to get beyond fears that stop you in your art making. Gelatin printing by nature is unpredictable and experimental.

Check out the current online classes being offer now.

Make lots of gelatin prints to get some you like

 

Do any of these thoughts stop you from making art? Read More »

How to grow your art making habit?

inspiration, monotype print / /

I recently had a very enlightening experience with physical therapy for my knee that, I think could be applied to art making growth and habits.

I had been having some moderate knee pain for a few months and decided to get it checked out. The physical therapist found that my quad muscles were very tight and the opposite muscles, the hamstring was quite flexible.

So 1st week she gave me one little stretching exercise to do for 3 minutes a day.

Hmmm? I thought, how can this one little exercise possibly make a difference?

But I gave it a try and it worked! My knee started to improve.

How can this help my art making?

The activity was so small, so attainable that I simply could not, not do it! I easily had 3 minutes a day to do this one stretch, that only required a chair and a timer. It was so easy that I did it 3 times a day.

daily drawing habit

What if I did this with making prints?

How could I make it so easy to

  • pull prints
  • cut stencils
  • make marks
  • play with tools?

The key to adding a new art making habit maybe:

  1. Make the new habit doable in 3 to 5 minutes
  2. Do it every day
  3. Pick something that does not require many tools or set up
  4. Make the habit beneficial to your style of art making – important to you
  5. Maybe enlist a friend or coach to keep you accountable

artist books by linda germain

I came up with some ideas that would fit my style and will share them with you to inspire you to find your own new art making habit.

  • Draw something I see from the kitchen table. No judgement, and I may not even finish
  • Pick up a leaf, rock, stick, metal scrap or other found object on my daily walk
  • Take a picture of that early morning shadow that catches my eye

 

The drawing could become a screen for printing or the basis for a trace monoprint. The found object could be come a stamping tool, a stencil or part of an artist’s book. The shadow picture could be a masking stencil for gelatin printmaking.

shadow for masking stencil

By noticing those 3 minutes, I get a little art making in my day. And who knows, it is so simple I might do it 3 times a day. Then the more I do it the stronger my artist’s voice becomes.

cast shadow to inspire masking stencil

If you like this day by day and do it philosophy then you may enjoy taking a printmaking workshop with me. I try to give you small actionable steps to building art making habits.

You are supported and guided to trying new skills and strengthening old ones. This will give you confidence to make the art that is uniquely your. Tell your story!

Check out the workshop schedule here.

How to grow your art making habit? Read More »

What do you do with all your ART?

inspiration / /

Do you keep it? Give it away? Sell it? Toss it? Burn it? 

I did all of the above!

I am in the middle of downsizing from a 2000 square foot industrial style space to a 650 square foot condo unit.

art studio linda germain

I am definitely a process type artist more so than a product focused creator. I enjoy the figuring out how to make different kinds of marks, and how to layer impressions. I might use 20 pieces of paper and get 2 prints that I like or that I think are worthy of framing.

I the 3 years that I was in the the BIG studio I collected:

  • Lots of process type papers
  • Tools with potential
  • Many monoprints, printing plates and stencils
  • Duplicate supplies
  • Boxes of books
  • Found objects that spoke to me
  • Box of rusted things
  • More than 15 work benches

There was enough space to hold on to anything that I thought could feed my art making. I was up 4 flights without an elevator, but I still managed to fill the huge space with art and things to make art.

artist studio linda germain

I was quite determined in my purging.

I let go of:

  1. A truck load of papers, prints, drawings and process
  2. Several tables and workspaces
  3. Tools that I thought I would use and did not

I gave FREE art to my family and friends who made the move possible in just 2 weeks. But I still have lots of art in boxes, bags and files.

art display linda germain

Selling art seems like a completely different job and mindset from the one that it takes to make the art.

I am still thinking about my options, of what to do with my art. I hope that it does not affect my willingness to make with abandon.

I wonder:

  • Do you have a house full of art and art making supplies and tools?
  • Is it supporting your art practice?
  • Have you gone through it lately?
  • Do you find joy in selling your art?
  • Would you ever throw any of your creations away?

Enjoy!

Linda Germain

 

What do you do with all your ART? Read More »