Open Studio

Capsicum annuum

Please join us this Tuesday, April 14, at Valkarie Gallery, 445 S Saulsbury St, Lakewood, CO 80226, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm for our Open Studio.

Do bring whatever artwork or concept project you are working on and a light snack. You don’t have to be a member to participate, and we’re sure you will find the atmosphere inspiring!

Framing Hints

Well, more than hints, in fact. Go check it out: Framing Your Botanical Paintings. Words and samples to live by.

Planning for your garden

This summer, gardens will need to be very water thrifty. Not enough precipitation means less moisture - falling or collected - for garden plants. What to do? Well, selecting plants that can handle a hotter, drier climate than usual is a good place to start. An excellent place to locate plants that are up to the task is Plant Select. One of this year's winners is Narbonne Blue Flax, Linum narbonense.

This Mediterranean form of blue flax is much more long-lived and fuller than the western native species. Blooming for months on end, the deep sky blue flowers are larger and more flaring. This robust plant offers a dense mound of attractive, nearly evergreen foliage for garden borders, wildflower gardens and informal plantings.

Another selection blooms for most of the growing season. The lustrous, fuchsia-colored flowers are an improvement on Delosperma cooperi. During the winter the leaves remain turgid and green, often tinged with purple. This image is by Libby Kyer, in graphite and colored pencil, and was used in the publication which celebrated the Plant Select project.

Click here  Durable Plants for the Garden to take a look at the book produced locally, which includes lots of great tips for designing and selecting plants for your garden. 

 

Workshops Can Be Listed HERE!

Don't forget, we have a whole workshops section on the blog, and you may list your activities for 2013. Now's the time to get folks thinking about taking classes with you, especially summer vacation offerings. Please send your information to rmsbartists@gmail.com in a timely fashion - at least 3 weeks before your workshop event - and we'll get it into our workshops listings.

Putting your art to work!

I have often said, if you can't experiment using your family and friends as guinea pigs, you need to expand your circle! As the serious gift-giving holidays approach, have you thought about using the amazing artwork you produce through the year for gifts? I'm not talking about giving away a $1,000 worth of art originals. However, I am talking about reproducing your art in novel ways.

Greeting cards, tags and other paper-mounted reproductions immediately come to mind and I know most of us have tried that. Very satisfying, and much appreciated by the recipient. My favorite is making custom wrapping paper. I found out that no one would actually use it, deeming it "too special." It's a not uncommon reaction.

What are the things people will use and enjoy? Here's a list, with a link to resources to create these items:

Coffee mugs: Select an artwork that can be reduced and still maintain some presence. Scan and size. Try this site:
http://bargainmugs.com/11-oz-personalized-coffee-mugs-c-1_30/11-oz-personalized-coffee-mug-white-p-67?gclid=CLuXxZf3-bMCFelDMgodLCAA9A
Most print services require a minimum order, so figure out how many you want in advance. Leftovers make great gifts any time of year, or work well for point-of-purchase items during exhibitions.

Travel mugs are always welcome, whether for hot or cold drinks. Artwork can be fully reproduced as an insert in full color between an outer clear wall and the inner thermal wall. You can also stylize some of your artwork, so it works well in print, or create works just for this purpose. Try this site for inspiration and print services:
http://www.discountmugs.com/nc/category/travel-mugs/?s_kwcid=TC|22682|personalize%20travel%20mug||S|p|15639760101&gclid=CMCc_f_3-bMCFYYWMgodBH0Avg



It takes a bit more money up front, but the resultant product is lovely and will be lovingly used. Scarves. Everyone is wearing them, and you can have a scarf designed with your artwork. These make great gifts, and great sales items for exhibitions. Try this site:
http://www.apparelstuffrus.com/customScarves.html?gclid=CPPuyeD4-bMCFck7MgodzjAArQ

 

 



Another way to display your art in power circles is custom ties! Try the site listed below for more info and help thinking about design. They also make scarves:
http://www.adverties.com/printed-ties/

And now, a one-stop, oh-so-many-ideas site - Walgreen's. Seriously. I was completely surprised by this resource, and the prices are...well... Walgreenian. Meaning, of course, very affordable. You are in Anything Can Happen Land. There are totes, and crystals (yep!) and mugs and water bottles. And scarves and ties and pajama bottoms and t-shirts and camisoles and performance shirts, whatever that means. A one-stop shopping opportunity, and the good part is, you can order just one item! That makes it possible to truly experiment, find what you want to do, and decide if more than one anything is a good thing. Check this out:
http://photo.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=SEM7?ext=gooPhoto_Brand_Sitelinks_Photo_Gifts_Sitelinks_SEM_35_percent_off_gifts&sst=71ea3c24-1c37-d6c9-6a7f-000026ce9e7d

Best of all, Walgreen's offers really fast turn arounds!

So, there you are. Food for thought, and possibly action.

No time like the present...

...to plan ahead for the summer activities. Our next meeting explores Zentangle, on June 24. This system of creative doodling can serve a lot of purposes in the life of the artist. It's fun - there are no deadlines, no client, no exhibition to prepare for. It exists for you to enjoy. It is a great way to allow your medium to lead you into exploration.

Sometimes, our artwork has such a compelling purpose that we don't have time to explore, make mistakes, learn, or even relish our process. Zentangle will teach you the joy of mistakes, of not knowing the next step until the last possible moment!  It's kind of like driving really fast on a winding mountain road, with a little bit of thrill, a little bit of speed, new sights, and a learning curve that demands your best while you are occupied elsewhere! Annie Reiser has dubbed her version  "Botangle."  She'll show us how to add color too!

Botangle, pen and ink, Annie Reiser

Introducing a New Feature - Board Musings. Once a month, one of our board members will share some thoughts with us. If you have a topic you'd like to see covered, let us know at rmsbartists@gmail.com, and we'll explore the possibilities. This month, Dorothy DePaulo, our President of the Board, shares her thoughts about inspiration, an important part of an artist's life.

What Inspires You? By Dorothy DePaulo

I believe that the whole of our life experiences influences our art. Often we don’t think about what it is that inspires us in our artistic pursuits. But recently, I read two books that directly inspired me to start a project. The first is a book titled:  The Paper Garden: An Artist Begins her life at 72 by Molly Peacock.

This is a biography of Mary Delaney who, in 1771when in her early 70's, as a way of dealing with her grief over the loss of her husband, she began to create cut-paper artworks. Her works were exceptionally detailed and botanically accurate depictions of plants. She used  hand-colored paper to produce these pieces. In all, she created 1,700 of these works, calling them her "Paper Mosaiks” (see sample below).

I was impressed with the beautiful and detailed work that she created (which now reside in the British Museum), but I was even more impressed that she didn’t start her work until she was seventy two years old! Perhaps there is hope for me yet!

The second book that influenced my project is a tiny little hand-written book (perhaps copied down by my grandmother, Elizabeth Cameron) which tells the meaning of certain flowers if given in a bouquet. After thinking for a while about these books, I decided to do a series (of 12 not 1700) flowers on a black background (as Mary Delaney did).  Mine would be in colored pencil (not cut paper). I would do greeting cards (not bouquets) that would include the meaning of the flower.

Here are the first six of my series:

 

Now it is your turn! Tell us what you’re working on and what influenced you to do your art.

April Member Meeting in Golden Addresses Framing

Members attending the April 29th meeting gathered in Golden for an intensive introduction to all things frame - including framing materials and styles, matting, liners and backing materials. The minutes for that meeting are to the right under Documents of Use.

Nancy Martin (L) welcomed all members to Golden Frames and Gifts and

introduced  her assistant Alycia Maier-Turner



'Tis the Season

Heading Home for the Holidays! Colored pencil on sketch paper, by Libby Kyer

Yes. It is. It’s time for the winter holiday festivities, whether we’re ready for it or not! However, it’s a great time to share your art with friends and family, making gifts that reflect your talent and passion for botanical art. If you have a scan of your artwork(s), you are good to go to get creative and get your art out there. Here are a few suggestions for treats for those you love:

Cucurbita sp., watercolor on paper, Estelle deRidder

• Note cards printed with your art, including an envelope – Kinko’s and many other quick print vendors can print for you, or you can print yourself if you have the right equipment and programs.
• Small matted prints, especially those with a holiday theme – again, local quick print vendors can handle this nicely from your scan.
• Gift tags, using snippets of actual paintings – a way to use artwork that is either too dated for exhibition, or simply doesn’t fit your current goals.
• Gift tags, using prints of parts or all of your artwork – this is very easy to do on your own printer, and with a decorative paper punch and some coordinating ribbons, it makes a lovely gift.
• Custom wrapping paper complete with matching ribbons – go online to find printers for this, or talk to local quick print vendors. This makes a special gift, and sends your artwork out into the world.
• Calendars – hanging, CD case and mini-CD case are always appreciated – quick print vendors can make these from your designs, or help you design them with their tools.
• Mugs with a selection of your artwork or 4 matched images – these take a little longer in the planning department, but make a wonderful project. Check online for vendors.
• Glass or acrylic cutting boards with your artwork underneath – there are local vendors who can do this for you, making a lovely gift.
• Coasters – simply purchase “photo coasters” and print and insert your artwork. Makes a great housewarming gift too.

Christmas Boxwood, pen and ink, scanned, color manipulated, by Libby Kyer

Just the Facts

After reports that some members were having problems getting prints of items that are on our file host (calls for entries, etc.) we’ve decided to provide a new way to give you access to documents you need. In the future, there’ll be a selection in the right column for “Documents”. Just click that, and you’ll go to a blogspot that will have documents posted. You can copy directly from that by highlighting the text you want to copy. No fees, just the facts.