Art Show!!!

It has been a long time since I have posted anything. My niece and nephew have occupied most of my time, but I've also been traveling. YES traveling!  I recently was in Boston competing in Blues dancing. I made it to the finals in the advanced bracket. I was up against super talented dancers. It was a bit terrifying and exciting all at the same time. That is mostly what I have been up to. I actually stopped making art for quite awhile. I felt like I was drowning in piles of my own pieces. My college art teacher Matt Vincent heard I was no longer doing art and introduced me to a colleague of his named Lynn. Lynn was able to pull some strings to get me into an art fair!! I am very excited. The fair is in September, I'm not sure what to expect. Lynn just got done pricing all of my art and I was surprised at how high she was pricing everything. I have heard many artist struggle with pricing their own things. It is easy to under value it when it is your own pieces.

Picture I drew after my dance trip to Boston

Rembrandt Etchings: States, Fakes, and Restrike

My grandmother and I went on a small road trip with no destination really in mind. We ended up at Beloit College where they had a special Rembrandt exhibit! We almost didn't stop at the college but I am so glad we did. I also got to see a Kathe Kollwitz piece up close! I should have posted this a while back, but the show is still up til September 26th. I would highly recommend seeing it. Here is the link if you are interested: Rembrandt Etching: States, Fakes, and Restrike

Rembrandt's prints seem simplistic but the detail is amazing. Man can he cross hatch!

Greenwich Art Fair (Nathan Smith, Betsy Younquist & Ken Swanson)

I went to the Greenwich Art Fair in Rockford IL for the first time on Saturday. I went to support a talented artist friend of mine,Nathan Smith. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of raw talent & skill from the local artists. The fair was way bigger then I thought it was. I was expecting a few tents set up  here and there, but I  received a map and got lost multiple times trying to find my friend. Getting lost is something I do often but any art show that requires a map has to be huge! Nathan's favorite medium is oil painting, but he also has many prints and drawings. Unfortunately the pieces I absolutely love of his he does not have on his Instagram account. Hopefully he will update it so I can share my favorite pieces with you.  If you would like to see his other pieces you can click on his name above or the link below to view his art. https://www.instagram.com/gerhardsphincter/.

Betsy Younquist

Nathan was geeking out hardcore about Betsy Younquist's art and for good reason. She is definitely making a name for herself with her quirky uniquely beaded artwork. When we spoke to her she was very kind, humble and down to earth. She was also very encouraging to my friend to follow his art dreams. I love people that are like that! Below are a few of my favorite pieces of hers.

Ken Swanson

My personal favorite artist at the fair was Ken Swanson. His whimsical lino-cut prints were vibrant and satirical. I just loved the use of color in his prints and really appreciated the humor he brought to otherwise dark material. My art professor once told me I should try lino-cut and I never did, however after seeing Ken Swanson's inspiring pieces I may give it a try. Here are a few of my favorite pieces of his!

 
 

 

 

Overall I really enjoyed myself. I was in an art funk but these 3 artists have inspired me to get back to work. All of them have art available for purchase so definitely check them out!

Self Portraits May

Here are the self portraits for May. Again sorry no art inspiration.

Dr. Who coloring book from my friend Donovan!

Angry I don't have a ride to bluetopia

Saying goodbye to one of my dance friends.

media - watercolor