Going on an Adventure!

Here's my big news for the week... I'm temporarily closing the shop on Thursday, January 30th 2014!

While the thought of putting my store on hiatus saddens me, I am also absolutely electric with excitement for our upcoming 2 month adventure in Europe. The combination of feelings is a bit weird I'll tell you.

I will be leaving my studio behind for an uber-transportable document-tube filled paper and supplies. (I will probably pick up a cheap drawing board once I'm there, as I really don't want to pack my 18 x 24 sheet of masonite.) I'm really looking forward to working in such a drastically different manner, and very curious to see how (or if!) it changes my process in the long run.

I had debated hiring an assistant to manage my orders while I am away, but upon careful reflection, I don't think that's the best option for my buyers or for me. I love, love working one-on-one with my fantastic customers, adding little details to each order before I ship them - and I can't quite do that to the level of quality I want, when I'm abroad and on the road.

My grandpa used to tell us grandkids, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well." And I believe this absolutely applies to my shop. It is totally worth doing (I love my job!) and it is absolutely necessary to do it well. I just don't feel like I'll be able to give the orders the attention they deserve whilst adventuring around Europe.

So, I'll be putting my shop into vacation mode until April 10th, when Fin and Feather Art will reopen bigger and better than ever! (Hopefully with lots of work inspired by this adventure too!)

I will definitely be posting photos, sketches and ramblings on here, my facebook page and instagram, so keep checking those spaces for updates!

Sketchbook!

My list for the week, caffeine supply, and my sketchbook. I know, I know, 2 pages in and I already ripped out a page. So much for that new years resolution ;)

Sunday at the PAMM

I decided to wander over to the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) this afternoon. The new museum officially opened back in December, but this is the first chance I've had to dedicate an afternoon to exploration.
I'm honestly ashamed it took me this long, it is quite literally 3 blocks away.

So the entrance to the museum is an experience in itself. After you enter the grounds, you are led around a small garden area of alabaster-white molded benches. Winding my way through the seating, I found myself looking above at the massive columns of plants suspended from wood and cement beams. They drip, which is spectacular.

I also wanted to test out my new camera today - as I'll be leaving for a 2 month adventure to Europe next month. I plan on visiting every art museum I can possibly cram into this time frame, so I wanted to make sure my little camera was up to the task.

I spent most of the afternoon photographing the Ai WeiWei installations. Absolutely brilliant (and heartbreaking) work, I am so glad I finally made it to the exhibit. And also kicking myself for waiting so long.

At the end of the afternoon I got in line for a latte (whats a trip to an art museum if I can't get a good cup of coffee afterwards???) and walked out onto the terrace around the building. It's obvious the site is still under construction, but despite that it was a very peaceful and insightful place to sit and drink my delicious coffee. I used that time of silence to plan my list for the week, scribble a few notes and a sketch or two before walking home.

Thats the thing about art museums for me, no where else can I find a similar type of renewal and inspiration.

It's a good thing the PAMM so close, why didn't I go sooner???

Bird Nest

It warmed up a tad this week. And so thoughts of spring crept into my sketching :)

This drawing was a lot of fun to work on. Weaving branches, grass and leaves into a circular pattern was incredibly meditative and I very quickly lost track of the time and kept drawing right through dinner.


Whoops :)

Gem Cards

I pulled out my old rock collection yesterday.

Most of the rocks were found during weekend hikes up in Michigan, with the majority of their original homes lost in the sea of memory. There are a few stones however that I will never forget picking up.

...a chipped shale shard in parking lot under the Skylon tower, a perfect 50/50 gray stone found in the street trying to cross to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (in hindsight, I should have focused on crossing the huge street and not trying to get the rock!) a pink granite from the Flatirons in Boulder, a small mottled rock from my grandparent's old house...

As I held each one, I was brought back to the memory of finding it and soon the hours I had planned to dedicate to reorganizing my closet were lost in fond remembrance. Oops. I guess there's always tomorrow for closet cleaning.
Early this morning I started drawing a few similar geometric forms and decided to design a new set of blank cards from some of my sketches. Luckily, I had a stack of cards and envelopes that has been begging for a design for months, so I decided to create a few runs of the gemstone cards.

I am quite pleased with how they turned out and am excited to use them to send out notes to our friends and family!

I put up a few extra packs for sale on Etsy as too, maybe someone else can get some use of them as well :) Click here to check them out at my shop!

Pinecones and Undecorating

I rue the day I put away Christmas decorations. It has got to be one of my least favorite days ever. Finding all the right boxes, trailing glitter everywhere, stuffing garland and lights back into their homes for the next 10 months makes me incredibly cranky. I just wish I could wave I wand and have Christmas pack itself up.

I suppose this is just one of those adult things I'll need to get used to.

I took a break after shattering an ornament and I decided to spend a little bit of time sketching (and hopefully forget about the massive trail of pine needles that I'd need to vacuum up shortly thereafter).

The box of pinecones was at my feet (I put pinecones EVERYWHERE during the holidays) so I pulled a few out and played a few contour drawings, and few blind drawings and then finally tried to organize a decent composition.

I'm happy with the turnout, but also acutely aware of the pine needle problem. I hope everyone's holiday undecorating is going smoothly -- I'm off to vacuum!

New Blog!

Hello everyone and welcome to the new blog!

I am thrilled for 2014. I love the rush of excitement for the new year, the lists, the resolutions... the champagne...

Its been a great start thus far. I've got a new studio space for creating, printing and packing up orders and am so excited to see how it streamlines the processes of making/distributing work. I am also in the process of redesigning my logo and printed materials and am very hopeful for Fin and Feather's new fresh face.

Keep checking this space for work-in-progress shots, show details and sale information!

Peace, Love and Happy 2014!