Decompression

One of the good things about working in Oakland is my proximity to the Carnegie Museum. I usually remember it when I'm feeling bombarded--and it has never failed to be a sanctuary, even on the toughest of days. When I feel disordered and disheveled and stretched to my limit, the museum provides a space for me to breathe in again. It is ordered and clean and quiet, both cozy and spacious. 

On Friday, I wandered in for one of my lunch-break escapes. I sat on a leather couch in a purple gallery and read about James Abbott McNeill Whistler. I strolled through the blue-walled galleries that house their (familiar) permanent collection. I even ducked into the Natural History section and disappeared into the hall of minerals and gems.

Though I've been to the museum countless times, I always discover something new while I'm there. This time, I was surprised to find myself most attracted to abstract, black-white-and-greyscale paintings hanging in the more modern end of the permanent galleries. They felt expansive: free and open to interpretation.

Detail from Castile (España) by Robert Motherwell, 1952

Detail from Siegfried by Franz Kline, 1958

Detail from Painting, by Antoni Tápies, 1958

Which goes to show that even if the venue is the same, you can always see things with new eyes, every single time you go.

Shaking Down

Things are shaking down. You know that feeling, where things are very nearly in place, but you know there's still space for them to settle? I've been waiting for things to settle. There are already new things on their way--new, exciting, nervous things--but everything else is becoming quiet and making way. Things are getting comfortable.

1. I finally got around to taking some pictures of my art room. It's not exactly Pinterest worthy. It's messy and lived in, and full of paper and paint. And by god, I love it. 

2. Remember these classes that I was nervous about starting? They're finished! I may have been up until midnight on Friday finishing the last of my coursework, but I am done done done. Next up: a Foundations of Design class that I'm really excited about. Bring on the summer sessions.

3. Projects. I made a sidebar button for them, but so far, it remains empty. It's because when I finish something, I never remember to take pictures of it before shipping it off to the person it's for. The small projects I've been able to complete lately have all gone on their merry way. I've made a mental note to get better at keeping track of my projects. Which is to say...we'll see how that goes. One day I'll get good at this blogging thing.

4. What better note to end on than a Jade Guardsman? None.

I'm excited for the new things. I can't wait to tell you all about them. 

Creative Spaces

A clipping from my grandmother's jade plant, on the art room windowsill.

I've been thinking a lot lately about creative spaces.

My environment is very important to me. Where I live, where I work, where I cook...atmosphere is everything. It puts me at ease. But it definitely takes me a long time to settle in and make a place feel like my own. 

When I moved into my new apartment last August, I was so excited to have an extra room to devote exclusively to art related endeavors. I couldn't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work, painting and cutting and pasting, without any worry of having to clean up after myself or take over the dining room table with my projects. But as the months rolled on, I slowly decorated the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom...leaving the art room untouched. I didn't want to work in it because it was a disorganized disaster. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't functional--every time I went in to try to work on something, all I could think about was what to hang on the walls. 

Yesterday, I finally decided it was time to give my art room a little TLC. I moved the furniture, hung some things on the wall, and finally attached my desk lamp to my make-shift work table. I put away piles of crap, and paper, and magazines--and suddenly, it felt like a place where I wouldn't mind spending time.

Blogs these days are just exploding with tours of creative spaces. (For instance, did you see Shipley & Halmos' workspace featured on The Fox is Black this week? Heavenly.) I love to see where people work. Sometimes, it's a chair and a table in a corner; sometimes, it's a two floor art studio suite. We all have our own idea of what a work space should be.

I used to think it was silly, that I had to create an environment to work in before I could create anything else. But it seems I'm not alone. Search for "offices" on pinterest--you will be disappointed that you do not have access to at least ten of the spaces you see, I guarantee.

What is it about these spaces that makes us want to roll up our sleeves and get down to business? Are you the type that could work in a cardboard box, as long as you had the right tools? Is your dining room table covered in paper scraps and glue?

I'm still not 100% happy with my apartment space, but every day it feels more and more like home. Like a haven away from the outside world. Having that kind of stability to return to every day makes me more likely to be able to sit down and create things not only for myself, but for other people. 

Hopefully I'll have some pictures up tomorrow of my new creative digs. In the meantime...where do you get your creative groove on?

Melting Point

As a Christmas gift, I bought my little sister two spots at the Pittsburgh Glass Center's Make It Now event, which took place last Monday. She was off school, I was off work--it was a perfect setup. I've taken her to a Make It Now event before, where she made a glass bead and a paperweight. The bead was a huge hit, since she got to make most of it herself, so I made sure that she got to make two this time. I get to pick them up for her this weekend.

If you've never seen people blow glass in person, it's something you definitely need to do. The Glass Center studio is a super cool building, made of steel beams and concrete and giant windows. Just being there makes me want to roll up my sleeves and dig in. One more reason for me to get my own studio space up and running.

((mmmm a ferocious tumblr.))