It’s been a busy year with lots of projects and changes taking place. More recently, as dust has settled a bit, I have just enough time to pick up some projects long left tucked away for when time allowed.
For some time I have been toying with the idea of a new website for a project I am working on. I am finally actively gathering and creating the elements to build it out. It is early, but I am pleased with the progress.
I started this challenging art project last December. At the time I thought it was a great way for me to stretch my creativity and force myself into building a project from a picture I found on online. The original project I found used canvas as a base and paper for the patchwork, which clearly that would have been so much simpler than my brilliant plan! Using fabric would be so much more fun, or challenging, or difficult! So I dove into my fat quarter library (a seemingly simple task to most) and actually cut and fused about 100 or so circles of fabric to make the 2 sided patchwork pieces, as well as choose suitable buttons to add interest to some of the squares. Now, fat quarters and buttons are two of my favorite things in the world so to cut into a perfect fat quarter, whatever the reason, or separate a button from all the others in the big glass jars is quite an anxiety producing event. But it was a great winter project.
All’s well that end’s well and I think this time it turned out well. In future I know how to create other pieces to display the button and fat quarter collection currently filling my shelves and studio.
Searching for inspiration the other day I found myself perusing some of my type trays in my studio. This is some of my favorite wooden type in my collection. I acquired it some time ago, from someone who put it up on ebay unaware of it’s cool factor. I liked his version of where it was found; in a barn in the Midwest. It’s clearly old type, not all perfect and some letters have some damage to them, but that only makes them more interesting. When displayed they really are mini art pieces!
While organizing my websites digital closet I came across a really great blog posting by Mary Engelbriet on the subject of copyright and trademark issues. I have had numerous conversations with other artists on the subject of copyright and trademark rights. This 2 part article helps explain the importance of this subject without sounding angry or snarky.
Now I am a huge, I mean huge fan of Mary. I’ve met her twice and she has signed many of my prints and my copies of her books. Her work is so playful with a twist of nostalgia mixed in. Mary Engelbriet is also a remarkable business woman and has enjoyed great success, therefore she knows her stuff. I believe she may even have a little Mary Poppins in her as well!
I was at a meetup event recently and someone asked about a particular feature they admired and wanted to achieve. After a little detective work it was a parallax website this individual was speaking of. It jogged my brain into rediscovering a beautiful site to show them that goes above and beyond what one would think possible from the web. It is a mix of technology and art that is done so well neither overshadows the other.
Parallax is not perfect for a number of reason; one of the big reasons is the speed at which it doesn’t load. It can be tedious and for some people it is not worth the trouble or the extra few seconds it may take to load. I personally appreciate the care given to develop a complex site such as the one above.
