Artist Residencies, Worth The Trip!

Another really wonderful thing about going to artist residencies are the people you meet there. I met Stacy at the The Julia and David White Artist Colony, Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica. We were six artists in total, four writers, and two painters. The painters were given beautiful loft style apartments looking out over bamboo tree gardens. The writers were in little bungalows. In the afternoons we all met for a swim, the evenings brought us together again for dinner. It had it's intense moments, friendships were formed, and a few felt isolated. Artists are not typically the easiest to live with, so putting them together does not always make for the best of times. I enjoy the creative spirit in others and quirkish behaviors.

Stacy and I met in 2006 and remain friends today. Stacy writes for the NY Times, Business Week and has authored several books. She is very serious about her craft, and I love her for that. Every few years I am blessed to be allowed to leave my day job and go off and act like a full-time artist for a month. I love the people I meet, the places I get to visit, and seeing the productivity I am capable of. An adventure always worth taking. Callie

Nature As Inspiration

Not a new idea in the least, but one that still holds strong for so many. I am quite enthralled by things that go on in nature and it is reflected in my work. My new textile designs are very beetle like and I am thinking a series may be in the works!

The rejection letters from puzzle companies are pouring in, I got one so far. They said that everyone loved my work, but that I was not realistic enough, a concept they are holding strong to. That may have been the wrong company to send my abstract work to, but it is more exposure anyway. I did send my work to better suited puzzle companies as well. You just never know who might be looking! A woman has got to try...ciao for now, Callie

Show at White Rabbit, NYC!

All welcome to come to the reception on Friday, May 14th from 6 - 9pm! Good art, drink specials and fun tunes, what could possibly go wrong?

White Rabbit is a funky bar a door down from The Sunshine Landmark Theatre on Houston Street. It is located in my fav, the East Village. My co-worker, Richie, told me that his friend's friend had a show there. (By the way, Richie is the sweetest guy!) He liked the space, so I wrote the owner. The owner checked out my website and said he would love to have me show my art. He put me in ctouch with his curator and we worked out the details. Turns out that another co-worker grew-up knowing the owner of this place. My city is such a small world.

A few days later Richie and I went and had a beer there. I photographed the walls to see how my work would fit. I do not fill out the space as much as I would have liked, but since most of my smaller pieces were done on found wood, it is all I had found.

Hoping to have a wonderful turn-out the night of the reception. Spending lots of time working on the music selection for three to four hours of entertainment! Maybe I should have been a dj, this seems to be my favorite part. Come if you are in town!

Callie Art Print Store!

I am working with image kind to create a store of Callie Art prints for sale. Quality tifs are uploaded and the buyer is given an option of types of paper and frames to pick from.

http://callieart.imagekind.com/store/default.aspx

They will let you put up a free store, but it is harder for people to manuever through. The paid store, $8 a month, lets you create a friendly, welcoming store front. You then create galleries based on themes of your work for sale. Groups can be joined for more exposure and is a nice way to experience other's creations of shared subjects.

Visit the store! I had some prints made on a flat matt paper and the quality is fantastic!

My Studio

The Vital Importance of a Studio Space

“I always prefer to work in the studio. It isolates people from their environment. They become in a sense... symbolic of themselves.” (Richard Avedon)

“You need a room with no view so imagination can meet memory in the dark.” (Annie Dillard)

“Gather and hoard your inspirations as you live, then recapture them as needed in the studio.” (Nita Engle)

“The only thing I know is that if I get to my studio, that means I'm alive today.” (Robert Farber)

I love that my studio is in my home. It always has been, even when my “home” was a 400 sq. ft. apartment that I shared with another. One needs to always be able to work it is a vital outlet. Without the release, one may find a bottled up pressure cooker thing happening within….

The solitude can be intoxicating, especially after dealing with people all day as most of us do. The empty canvas or black sheet of paper in my case brings inspiration and desire to the forefront. Stepping into a familiar zone, one of safety and contemplation, challenging and frustration. All at once anything is possible, one just needs to start, get into trouble, see where the line leads. Be not afraid to move on, or figure out how to get out of the corner you have painted yourself into. No judges, no witnesses, censorship is in your hands. This time is vital to the artists well being, one needs to express in anyway they can, what they feel, how they see the world.