Arts and Streets in November

Canstruction near WTC

Ever wondered what you can make with canned foods? Check out annual sculpture competition for a good cause. I enjoyed all sculptures but thought it was really impressive to see a Yoshi.

http://www.sdanyc.org/canstruction/

Sunset over NJ (looking from Battery Park City near the water)

Love the color of sunset!

Street Scene

I saw this while walking around uptown (possibly west side) and just had to take a pic.

The Met Egyptian Tour

Ok, so you have been to the Metropolitan Museum, but did you ever take one of their guided tours (http://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-tours/guided-tours)? I have been to several tours including Art of Islam, Great Rooms, Museum Highlights, and Art of Greek/Roman. Recently I took the one featuring Art of Egypt and learned about this female ruler Hatshepsut (http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/544450). The gallery featuring her statues and other temple objects quickly became one of my new favorite Egypt galleries.

Origami Heaven Exhibition at Stony Brook

Origami Exhibition at Stony Brook, NY (until Dec 31, 2015)

http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/wang/exhibitions/current_exhibitions.html#origami_ex

I love these colorful bowties and the complementary shirt / diagonal presentation. more about bowties here:

http://www.madelinesbeauxties.com/

Including this photo for the orange/green color scheme and also my favorite origami model: traditional lily (blue flower in the middle)

nice foliage around campus too.

brooklyn museum drawing and symbolism

Brooklyn Museum Drawing session 1/15/15

My second time attending the drop-in drawing class at Brooklyn Museum. It is always a surprise to see what the theme/object is for the month. This time the instructor picked out Chitra Ganesh exhibit (ends July 2015). 

Observation

First we walked around to observe the artwork and talked about what stood out to us. This is part of it. The entire mural was quite large. 

Warm Up

We warmed up with some doodles, drawing what we associate with concept of power. Some people volunteered their doodles and explained why they drew certain objects. Not surprisingly, many people picked money and royalty. My doodle (not shown) included sun, fire, eyes, pyramid, lion, knight in armor/shield/lance, dragon, book, and music. I have to say my recent visit to the Met museum ancient Egypt and Armor room may have influenced some of the above. Heh. 

Cropped View

For the next exercise we had to pick a portion of the mural (cropped part) and draw it. The lesson here was to think about composition. My pick focused on eye and earrings (gears). 

Interpretations

For the final exercise, we were instructed to draw another image based on interpretation and our feelings of the piece. Be creative! I focused on the warmth (fire/sun) and the power of the gaze (eye, look). and some gears and clockwork too.

Later in the session, I drew some additional parts of the mural which included sculpted/molded hands with actual veins. There were also bloody stumps with glittery jewels/beads. There was also a strong leg stepping on a robotic / steampunk universe. Drawing these parts really demonstrated the difficulty of drawing hands and curves of the female body.

I really enjoy the combined art viewing + drawing + interpretation exercise during this session. Next time I want to try this on some other exhibits as well. 

Previous Brooklyn museum drawing session write up here; http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2014/10/drawing-class-at-brooklyn-museum.html

Drawing class at Brooklyn museum

Once a month, the Brooklyn museum offers a drop-in drawing class. I attended one recently and got some good tips on drawing horses. They also have a lot of other fun events on Thursday evenings http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/calendar/index.php?event_type=Thursday%20Evenings

Links

Learn about drawing class: See schedule on museum site. $8 all materials/instruction/equipment provided. museum admission is separate but it's suggested donation. 

Crossing Brooklyn Exhibition: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/crossing_brooklyn/

Also link to the horse which was in my previous entry

Broolyn Museum First Saturday

On Oct 4, I attended my first Brooklyn Museum First Saturday. For those of you unfamiliar with First Saturday, it's when the Brooklyn Museum opens its galleries for free from 5pm-11pm and throws a grand party with music, dance, and more events. Even special exhibits like "Killer Heels" and "Crossing Brooklyn" are part of this special deal. 

Music

I first heard Arturo O'Farrill's Afro-Cuban orchestra at Prospect Park as part of outdoor summer concert series and loved them. The youth orchestra Fat Afro Latin Jazz Cats were also insanely talented. They played right near the entrance way (the best concert venue I've seen around town yet)! The photo above was taken from the walkway above the entrance. The acoustics were better inside though. I'm so glad I took a jazz class one summer so that I can appreciate excellent improv a lot more. Check them out at their next concert! Practice your dance moves in the meantime.

Selections from Crossing Brooklyn Exhibit (until Jan 4, 2015)

Drew Hamilton Artist site: http://drewhamilton.net/home.html

This miniature street corner was made with incredible attention to detail. There was also a monitor nearby showing how the crowd reacted to this miniature corner when the artist left it on the same corner (check out more pics of the sculpture / video on artist site). I have not been to that street corner but now I'm curious about the grittiness (and that food truck, not pictured above). 

Paul Ramírez Jonas. artist site http://www.paulramirezjonas.com/selected/new_index.php

At first, it just looks like another statue. Look closer, you will notice it is made of entirely cork material and invites museum goers to participate by pinning something. I have to admit that I enjoyed reading these notes more than many museum exhibition notes. The experience is similar to reading people's messages in a guestbook at a coffee shop (I remember a really good one in Seattle) or graffiti on a random restaurant/cafe bathroom. and no, people did not censor themselves. 

Some people had more interesting items from their pockets/bags. I only had a receipt from the cafe (pulled pork, rice, and plantains). Would love to see this sculpture toward the end of the exhibit cycle. 

Cynthia Daignault artist site: http://cynthiadaignault.com/

According to exhibition notes, this is not just a beautiful collection of clouds and skies. Beautifully done. 

Permanent Collection

Fred Wilson artist wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Wilson_(artist)

Sanford Biggers artist site: http://www.sanfordbiggers.com/index.html

I thought it was strange to see this piano/tree sculpture so went to have look at the exhibition notes. You have to read it and visit it yourself to feel the power and horror. 

Ai WeiWei Arist site: http://aiweiwei.com/

I missed his show at Brooklyn Museum earlier this year but will have to be on the lookout for future shows.

Tips

• Enjoy the music and don't be so set on those ticketed events. I enjoyed roaming about the gallery and lobby / concert area more than doing anything else.
• Take in the view from the walkway above the lobby. Gorgeous!
• First Saturday is totally free (not a "suggested donation" thing) and no lines (except for certain craft events / lectures with seating limitations). Check out the event line up and bring your friends!
• Cafe is quite good and reasonably prized. Hey, if you're saving on admission might as well support the cafe!
• Museum is right outside 2/3 subway station for Eastern Parkway/Museum. it's next to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and fairly close to Prospect Park Zoo so you can plan for a full Saturday afternoon/evening out of it!
• Bike lovers will love the museum shop

Plan

Find out more about the next First Saturday event here: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php

Artist or perfomer should check out their proposal application and sign up!

https://brooklynmuseum.wufoo.com/forms/adult-program-artist-and-performer-submissions/

Collage art and inspirations

Last Sunday I took a collage class at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I can't remember the last time I made a collage although I vaguely remember using magazine cutouts and funny letters. The collage I made at BBG was different because the instructor prepared a lot of materials, including flowers and leaves picked from the garden. I also learned some cool tips that will come handy in future collage projects and perhaps even artist trading cards (ATC). 

To me, collage art is the ultimate "process-oriented" work. The end product looks cool but the process was the most interesting. I enjoy the creative process and journey that come with arranging of different items / colors / styles. It's both organized chaos and not. Although I did a bit of "planning" and "brainstorm" for my project, it came out a lot different than I had imagined. I also loved figuring out what to do with scraps that I took home with me. They ended up looking great as decor and gifts for friends. 

The collage

close up of the colorful rays radiating from the sun

close-up of a flower which had felt middle with cross-stitch of leaves/stems. Then then the flower petals were from paper with torn edges. the paper actually came from some old BBG calendars featuring autumn. 

Flower arrangement

A bunch of hydrangea arranged with some ivy, bamboo leaves, and maple leaf on top of some tree bark. I had one piece of bark that had a small opening so I was able to just stick the stems of leaves/flowers in there. Silver card stock is just from my stash of card stock around the apt.

Fun Decor

Scraps of felt, magazine clippings, card stock, tree bark, and hydrangea petals made for nice gifts for friends. The petals don't last long but still very pretty for the next few days.

Materials

• watercolor paper - since it's stronger and able to hold all the various mixed media objects. for stronger hold/backing, cardboard is also recommended.
• heavy gel (semi-gloss) GOLDEN gel medium - used for gluing different objects to the paper. for things like flowers, make sure to apply this to the bottom, then also apply a top coat.
• wax paper - used as a mixing surface for acrylic paint (genius!)
• natural objectives - flowers, leaves, stems, grass, bark
• more traditional collage materials - magazines, calendars, card stock paper, felt
• colors - acrylic paint, acrylic crayons, colored pencils, etc

Tips

• background - color in with acrylic (spread with paper towel if you don't have a big paint brush), use a background image, layer different pics, etc
• cutting out objects - straight scissor cuts, torn edges, patterned edges, using a stencil to cut out something, repeated shapes with different patterns/materials
• drawing objects - regular drawing, stencils, carbon copy paper for repeated patterns (I loved this!), acrylic crayons 

Additional Resources: 

BBG Classes

https://classes.bbg.org/ShowSchedule.awp?&Mode=GROUP&Group=:FULL&Title=Classes+and+Workshops&Order=begins

Run, Sketch, Juggle

"Run, sketch, juggle" is not the title of my next book nor a catchy name for a new triathlon race. Simply a list of my recent activities: my first 5k run, a sketching session, and my experience at the juggling festival. Replace "run" with another activity "fold" (referring to origami) and I may just be closer to my bio.

Run (Central Park)

June 5, 2014. Central Park. 3.3 miles. 44 min. Official Site.

Notes:

• Gorgeous Weather
• Team
• Shuttle
• Inspiration
• Charity benefits Central Park Conservancy (website)
• Practice runs / apps used
• T-shirt contest and various t-shirts 
• T shirt tag and times (see how this technology works)
• Midway high five from a child
• Mile markers
• Water stations
• Participant vs observer - feels better to be a runner, not a bystander
• Finishing line and cheer
• Meeting people
• Running and walking with landmarks (downhill, lamp posts, signs, etc)
• The lake
• Free finisher t-shirt
• Celebration afterwards
• Bar with top floor
• Beer and bites
• Goals for next year - run more, walk less, and improve time. Ask more colleagues to join

Resources:

• NY Road Runners NYRR (race schedules, classes, training tips, etc)
• Central Park running routes map
• Running Routes from Forbes and Time Out
• Kinetic App (info) used for my practice runs
• "What I talk about when I talk about running" by Haruki Murakami 

Sketch (Brooklyn Promenade / Brooklyn Bridge Park)

The Brooklyn Promanade offers breathtaking views of downtown skyline and tons of benches available for reading, relaxing, and of course... sketching! I have to give a shout out to the central park sketching & art meetup group for introducing me to this gem. Event photos are also posted on their site if you are curious. If you are in the NYC area, look up their event, RSVP, then bring a pad and pencil and start sketching! I enjoy looking at different people's renditions and composition of the skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.

Hello Downtown!

Brooklyn Bridge

Governor's Island via Brooklyn

If you are in Brooklyn and heading to Governor's Island, look for the ferry from Pier 6 (west end of Atlantic Ave). I saw this mural along the way. 

Mural called "Moving Along"

When I arrived on Governor's Island, I found out that Figment Art was happening the same weekend. Very creative and interactive art. Their mini-golf every year is also superb. 

Chalk art giraffe on Governor's Island

Plastic cup sculpture

More info about the sculpture 'City of Dreams Pavilion'.  

Juggle with JuggleThisNYC

I managed to convince two friends to come with me to the juggling festival this past weekend and we all learned basic diabolo from a workshop taught by Robin Hu. Got some tips on passing balls from Jeff (shout out to Bryant Park Jugglers) but we still have a long way to go. Need to get more practice and mark calendar for next year!

Diabolo notes

1. get started, roll diabolo on ground to pick up energy. direction is horizontal line from dominant hand side towards non-dominant hand
2. keep diabolo stable by pointing stick in dominant hand forward or backwards. also keep one side of diabolo in front of body at all times. can walk to adjust position in addition to moving the sticks
3. to launch diabolo, quickly straighten the line by opening up distance between arms/sticks
4. to catch diabolo, raise dominant hand, catch it on the way down. diabolo should slide from near top of string
5. one hand trick involves putting both sticks in one hand, and using one hand to launch the diabolo and then catching it with strings doubled.

Juggling resources

• Check this first http://jugglenyc.com/
• Bryant Park juggling calendar (free lessons and equipment)
• Juggling Festival NYC "JuggleThisNYC"
• Diabolo videos by Robin Hu 
• Diabolo brands as recommended by Robin: Sundia and Taibolo

Origami USA Artist Trading Cards 2014

Liner notes for origami convention artist trading cards swap

I fell in love with this sunflower model at a weekly origami meeting. In subsequent meetings, I kept folding them with different types of paper. The possibilities were endless. The colorful index cards were left over from studying for an exam. The background piece of paper is a random shape cut from a square or hexagon. The card can also be used as a mini-note book, mini-guest book, or a simple display stand! Fill it with a witty quote or a favorite convention memory! 

The model

Kazuo Kobayashi sunflower from Origami Flowers. Or read my friend Linda's book review on OUSA)

Brainstorming 

Some of the features below show up in my "draft notes and pics" but are not actually used.

• Funky color combo (used)
• Spirograph as background (not used)
• Magazine centers (some used)
• Poems/quotes inside card (not used)
• Potential pop up card (not used)
• Maps as backgrounds (not used, pictured below)

The prototype 

White part is cut from hexagon memo paper. 

The paper

Memo cube, duo foil, single side and duo sided patterned kami, magazine pattern cutout, etc

The card

Colored index card folded in half. Can be used to take notes and also used as a stand. 

These are a few of my favorite cards

(Picked and photographed the night after finishing cards)

(Picked and photographed the night after finishing labels) strangely enough I had only two repeats: the orange/red foil and the cheetah print with arc.

Fun facts

• Patterns include strawberry and cheetah print!
• Not all sunflowers had center piece (duo foil looked better without). This model is a two piece model. 
• White cut out pieces were unplanned. Random cut and shape and twists. All cutting, gluing, and positioning on cards were done in one night. 

Links to shuttlefly gallery: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CYsmLRw1bMWca

Click here to view these pictures larger

Links to other ATCs: http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/search/label/ATC

Link to countdown pics (or separate blog) - placeholder

Wisteria Sighting

When the Met Museum held a Louise Comfort Tiffany exhibit several years ago, I was impressed by all the works on display, especially the works not related to the often pictured lamps. The American wing with various Tiffany pieces also became one of my favorite places to hang out at the Met. There was this particular stained glass window featuring wisteria that made me wonder about this flower. I had not seen wisteria before so filed this image away for future reference.  http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2006/louis-comfort-tiffany

This past weekend I found myself gazing at some lovely wisteria in Central Park Conservatory Garden. The pergola (framing device) is just as significant as the flowers themselves.

Thank you Central Park Sketch and Art Meetup Group for introducing me to this part of central park! Check out event photos here.

Another place to catch wisteria is Brooklyn Botanical Garden. http://www.bbg.org/discover/gardens/osborne_garden Maybe I have seen wisteria there before but they most likely looked different without the pergola.

More photos from Garden and Japan Day.

Click here to view these pictures larger

ATC things that fly

My friend VA is an avid artist trading card (ATC) designer/creator and had participated in various ATC trades. As a result, she has an impressive collection of cards and several extras from sets for trading. I liked this card below themed "things that fly". In return, I needed to make one that fit the same theme.

I came up with my card idea below while I was browsing my origami books for the convention countdown. It fits the flying theme and is also seasonal. The hummingbird is created by Robert Neale and folded from harmony paper. The color change hydrangea (creator Fujimoto?) is folded from small rose patterned paper.

more process descriptions after the jump...

Moccafest 2014

I had a great time at Moccafest last year [previous blog] so decided to return for another weekend. 

Charlie Brown balloon from Macy's parade. It looks like it belongs in the Armory all year round.

Particular pic I liked from the gallery area. Title: Star Wars From Memory. Artist: John Hendrix.

Goodies bought. Dragon A-Z. by http://www.ztoical.com/

History of aviation. High Times by Golden Cosmos http://www.nobrow.net/9008

highly stylized alternative ending to the Little Red Riding Hood. by Ada Price.

Other Artists not pictured:

Animals Wearing Hats A-Z http://danblaushild.com/

Connie comics http://www.conniewonnie.com/

Two talks I attended were Robert Williams' Q&A session and Comics & Design. The first one made me appreciate how artists/illustrators/painters view themselves and how they view art. I also would love to see his documentary. The second one made me appreciate art/print choice and how publishers/marketing considers presentation and design of the finished works. 

Check out the mocca youtube channel for event videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/SocietyIllustrators/videos