Shipyard Artists’ Spring Open Studio

Over the weekend, Brian and I attended the Spring Open Studio for the Hunters Point Shipyard Artists. In addition to visiting our friends Pernilla and Mauricia, we wandered Building 101 and discovered a variety of exciting artists. Some of my favorites were:

Mirang Wonne, who does amazing torch work on stainless steel mesh. In her artist’s statement, she says, “I start to draw with flame, as if I am doing calligraphy with sumi ink. The bright tip of the torch seems to be alive. The fire pulls me into its universe. I am not sure whether I am holding the torch or whether the tip of the flame is holding me.” Of her work overall, she adds, “To me, life is incredibly beautiful. In spite of daily struggles and failures, after all tears and sorrows, I still find this gift called ‘nature’ to be eternally sweet and soft.”

Firestrokes by Mirang Wonne. The photos do not do this work justice. You simply must see it to appreciate how extraordinary it is.

Susan Spies, who paints inviting abstracts. Her website says, “Her paintings illustrate the notion of vastness, ponder our assertion over it, and capture the experience of land, water, space, time and light.” Although I generally prefer more realism in painting, there’s something about this work that speaks to me. What do you think?

Jamie Krueger‘s travel photography. Being a photographer myself, I admit that I’m picky when it comes to photography. Jamie’s was the best on display at Hunters Point this weekend, IM-NSH-O. 😉

(c) Jamie Krueger

Painter Ivy Jacobsen, who is “deeply moved by the beauty found within the natural world. When in nature there is a predictable calming that comes over me,” she says, “It is an environment of home and nourishment.” About her work, she says, “I strive to create a place of magical realism in my landscapes, balancing magical elements with real world rendering of flora and fauna found in our natural world.”

And, for a touch of whimsy, Kim Smith makes collages from vintage books and other materials. My favorite of her offerings was her book, Where Quirky Meets Menacing. I’m not so sure about the menacing part, but it’s definitely quirky.

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Kate-signature

The Inspired Way Interview

Ariane and I were interviewed about The Inspired Way by productivity maven Tara Rodden Robinson recently.

Tara was in our Playing Big cohort and is a lovely lady and coach. Over about 20 minutes, we all chatted about how we met, Ariane’s and my experience curating an inspiring guide by 20 amazing women, and our future hopes and directions for the project. If you’d like to check it out, you can do so below:

Cheers,
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Admiration Week

Art inspiration by Alyssa & Brigette of Love the Mint (Etsy)

A friend of mine, Bliss lady Chrystal Bougon, posted the following on Facebook today:

“What if we started our OWN Facebook movement and called this Admiration and Appreciation week and we just each picked one person for the next 5 days and posted something on their wall telling them how much we admire and appreciate them? Wouldn’t that be cool? Let’s try it! #admireweek is what I’m calling it.”

I’m in. In fact, I may do this for the rest of the month, or until this idea goes viral… Who’s with me? Anyone special you are going to express appreciation or admiration for this week?

Cheers,
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share your truth

Art Aligned™ » Blog Archive » Happy Generosity Day! - […] some love with your friends, family or strangers. I think Generosity Day goes hand-in-hand with Admire Week, which I posted about last week and which is still ongoing in my […]

I’m in PP Magazine!

Last fall, I announced to my newsletter subscribers that a major photography magazine had asked me to write for them. At the time, I didn’t want to jinx anything by announcing the name of the publication, but today, I can shout it from the rooftops because I’m in print!

I’m thrilled to announce that my article, “Elements of Style,” is in the February 2012 issue of Professional Photographer magazine. Many thanks to Cameron Bishopp and the folks at PP Magazine for reaching out, and to the seven lovely photographers who took the time to share their thoughts on style and how it shows up in their work. They are:

To read the full article, click here:

Happy Friday,
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share your truth

Artist of the Week: Allison Trentelman » KateWatson.net - […] a fine art photographer from Maine. A few years back, I interviewed her for Professional Photographer magazine and, since her work reminds me of spring and Easter, I thought she’d be a lovely choice for […]

Freeing your creative energies

How creative are you feeling today? If you feel blocked or need a little help freeing your creative energies, you’re not alone.

This weekend, I met someone who swore she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. She’s a bookkeeper, so I can understand why she might say that. However, I don’t believe it’s true.

Our conversation reminded me of a book I’m reading: The Element by Ken Robinson, Ph.D. Robinson calls creativity “applied imagination.” I think we can agree that we all have imagination, whether it manifests in mentally modeling a new algorithm for online marketing, as the founder of my husband’s company has done, or envisioning a boogie man in the closet when you’re reading a psychological thriller. What marks the difference then between creative people and everyone else?

“Finding the medium that excites your imagination, that you love to play with and work in, is an important step to freeing your creative energies. History is full of examples of people who didn’t discover their real creative abilities until they discovered the media in which they thought best.” — Ken Robinson, Ph.D.

Well, if that’s all it takes, finding your inner creative (or rediscovering her) is a simple process of experimentation.

Without knowing what I was doing at the time, I tested this theory and found it to be true while traveling around the U.S. and Pacific Rim between March 2010 and September 2011. When my husband and I left home, I thought I’d never pick up a camera again. My creative flow was completely dried up. I started taking classes in other art forms to find a new passion. What I found instead was my way back to my first love: photography. While doing so, I also conceptualized and developed a program to help other photographers avoid the creative burnout and resulting pain I experienced through identifying and playing to their strengths (Art Aligned).

So, if you’re feeling burned out, need a creative pick-me-up, or are starting from scratch and want to discover your inner creative, why not try something new? Need ideas? How about salsa or zumba, scrapbooking, playing an instrument, singing, painting, creative writing, studying a language, designing jewelry, glassblowing, lampwork or origami? Feel free to add your own in the comments below.

And just in case you were about to say, “I can’t do that,” watch this video of my first glassblowing experience:

If I can do it, so can you!

Cheers,
Kate-signature