Alphabet Series - Pt. 2

Here are the remaining sketches for the second half of the alphabet. And today I had a blast picking out some of the fabulous papers that will create the backgrounds, so now it is time to start on the canvases. (As with any art project, this is the scary part - when the loose sketches and ideas begin to take "final" form. But it is only paper, paint and canvas, and I can always get more if I "mess up," so push the fear aside and go for it!)

Alphabet Series - Pt. 1

With the baby coming, I thought "Why buy art when I can make it?" (Though, I often think that and it doesn't usually happen that I actual make the said item I decide not to buy because I figure I can just make it.)  That is what I am doing (hopefully!). I was hesitant to create too much of a theme in the room, which means no mural on the wall, and I want whatever ends up in the room to look like it belongs. I decided on creating an alphabet series. Since Scott and I love to travel, and I would love to inspire the baby to explore and be interested in the world, I decided on a world travel theme for the series. I also think that this will pull in a variety of colors, shapes, animals, etc. that I can play off of throughout the room. I plan to create 8" x 8" mixed media collages - collage paper on the background and paint on top. The canvases have arrived, and so far I have completed sketches for almost half of the alphabet.

As I was sketching, I realized that in some ways, this is turning out to be a study of the development of the dome through out history and across cultures. I have done 12 letters and already have 5 different domes! Thanks to all my art history teachers, starting with Georgia McCalmon at Elkins HS for including architectural history.

Here is the alphabet list:

A - Agra, India (Taj Mahal and peacock)
B - Bangkok, Thailand (elephant and temple)
C - Cuzco, Peru (Machu Picchu and llama)
D - Dublin, Ireland (round tower, shamrock and celtic designs)
E - Edinburgh, Scotland (Edinburgh castle and thistle)
      ...okay, I know it is technically the UK, but they really want to be independent, so...
F - Florence, Italy (Duomo)
G - Giza, Egypt (pyramids and sphinx)
H - Haarlem, Netherlands (windmill and tulips)
I - Istanbul, Turkey (Hagia Sophia)
J - Jerusalem, Israel (Dome of the Rock)
K - Kathmandu, Nepal (Boudhanath Stupa)
L - London, England (red double decker bus and Big Ben)
M - Mexico City, Mexico (Teotihuacan temples)
N - Nairobi, Kenya (lion and giraffe)
O - Oslo, Norway (Viking ship)
P - Paris, France (Eiffel Tower)
Q - Quebec City, Canada (fortifications)
R - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Carnival)
S - Sydney, Australia (Sydney Opera House and kangaroo)
T - Tokyo, Japan (pagoda)
U - Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (yak and yurt)
V - Venice, Italy (gondolier)
W - Warsaw, Poland (art deco designs and Marie Curie)
X - Xian, China (Terra Cotta Warrior and panda)
Y - Yangon, Myanmar or Yaounde, Cameroon (I have no idea yet.)
Z - Zurich, Switzerland (mountain and skier)

New Projects Percolating...

It has been a couple of weeks since I have added anything here, but projects have been percolating in my brain. My sis Sarah is a great cook and loves to try out new recipes on Scott and I (to which we never object - it is like eating out for free!) She is always collecting recipes from different sources, and she actually prints them out - unlike me who just looks them up online, makes them, and then can never find the recipe again when I want to make that delicious dish we tried three weeks ago. (Yes, Krystal W., I have started adding them to Evernote.) Anyhoo, she has a binder that she keeps them all in, but to be frank, it is kind of utilitarian (yes, that is nice for ugly). After all, she is the accountant, and I am the artist, so our needs differ - she cares about the actual recipes, I care how the collection looks. So when I mentioned something, she of course suggested that since I am the one with free time right now, I could design something for her. So here is a sneak peek some of the preliminary sketches for the section title pages:

As this is still in the initial planing stage, these could change drastically, but right now the plan is to create them in black and white - maybe with a hint toward the look of a print, but we will see what happens. That's the beauty of creative projects - I can have a plan, but somewhere along the way, if I am letting the spirit of creativity guide me, the project morphs into something different and often better.

The other project that is still percolating in the back of my brain is art for the baby's room. Right now I am thinking of doing an alphabet series, but I am having trouble deciding on one theme. I want something fun, inspiring, bright, playful, and of course gender neutral. The one I am leaning towards right now is "travel" and doing a different country for each letter. But I could use your help - if you have ideas for themes or for countries I could include in the travel them, please let me know. With about 20 weeks left, and the cookbook to finish first, My timeline will have to be a couple a week to get all 26 finished and framed before the baby gets here.