3 Part Post

PART I

As a practicing artist, I receive several calls-to-artists every week. Last week I saw a particularly interesting call for book artists. I am not a book artist, and I am involved in several other projects at the moment, so I do not have time to explore this. However, I think it is extremely interesting. So if you would like to do this, I heartily encourage you to do so. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia is a museum and library devoted to books bound in unique formats. Among these include designs by Margaret Armstrong, Olive Grover and the studio artists of Decorative Designers. Using these designs as inspiration, the museum is asking for participation in the creation of new items. The full call for participation can be read here. If you do decide to participate please comment here, so we can see what you are doing.

Part II

Last week while traveling I stopped in Jamestown, NY. This is a unique community in Western New York, that among other things, features locally produced art works on the exterior walls of the buildings downtown. This is a group effort organized by the Jamestown High School, Jamestown Civic Organization, and Jamestown Community College. The images below illustrate this concept.

I think this is a fabulous idea. It showcases local artists, communicates unique ideas, and helps build a sense of community. This takes the gallery concept and brings it outdoors, where more people could potentially see it. If you are worried about damage to the art, this has been addressed and all pieces are protected from the elements by plexiglass. I would love to see this develop in other communities.

Part III

My last posting addressed the issue of scale. As I read through my post, I realized I forgot to include examples of the watercolor moving across the page. So for this post I am including two extreme art close-ups detailing the way aqueous media work. In the image below, a larger scale has been used, and the water has more room to run and drip.

In this second image, a smaller size paper was used and the water had less room to run down the page. This resulted in more color blending.

Another factor of this effect which I feel I must add, is the finish of the paper used. A smoother paper finish will also allow for more water to run. If you are using a rough watercolor paper, more blending will occur. These are things to consider if you decide to use this technique. That's it for now. Please leave your comments for next time, and thanks for reading.