Layout and Design

New Project!

I'm working on a new book layout project for Bridging Culture Worldwide. President and CEO Don Southerton is writing a book tentatively titled "Chemulpo to New Songdo: International Gateway". This will be published as a high quality bilingual coffee table book with lots of historic pictures. 

Outside of the layout itself I have been researching, tracking down, and retouching historic photos. One particular set of photos gave me a laugh. It started with an internet search for old photos of Chemulpo, which turned up the name of an Australian photographer, George Rose. I then came across a fairly recent book containing many of Rose's stereographic prints. However, this book is not in any U.S. library. In the search I enlisted the author Don Southerton's help. As he was currently in Korea I asked him to look for a copy of the book. After some searching on his part he found a copy at Yonsei University. Since we couldn't procure this copy Don noted the location of the original images. Wouldn't you know, they are here in Southern California at the University of California Riverside's Museum of Photography. For a search spanning two continents, the photos are close to home.

For more information about the city of Songdo check out: Songdo IBD Citytalk.

Layout and Design

Babies and Blogs

Well it's been a while, and I know that's an understatement. While the blog hasn't received much love lately other things have been moving forward in my life. My daughter Kat was born in early May not long after the last post. All that walking at the street-side art fairs worked it's magic.

On the art front I've created a business called Studio ACM. I decided on the name because it can incorporate every aspect of my creative talents. I'll be adding posts again as I take on new projects for the business.

Happy New Years!

Anna Cash-Mitchell

Babies and Blogs

Art Walks and Street Fairs

This weekend has really kept me on my feet, quite literally. (Something that is not super easy when you're 8.5 months pregnant and less than 2 weeks away from your due date.) Yesterday, my husband and I went to the Art Walk in Little Italy, downtown San Diego. Today we walked the length of the Encinitas Street Fair. What struck me is the difference in product and the amount of effort that goes into selling it. 

First, being an artist, I appreciate the amount of thought and creativity that goes into each piece. The difference between the two venues-- at the Art Walk, you could see that each artist had gone to some effort to create a unique, individual style. Speaking from experience, this is something that is not easy to do. At the street fair, many things were cute, funny or pretty, but I felt as if I'd seen them before. Not to mention the type of merchandise swung more towards funky t-shirts and kitschy ceramics than paintings or sculptures. One you buy for a lifetime, the other you may box up during a move and never unpack. 

Perhaps this is in part due to the price difference. If you're willing to spend quite a bit of money on an art piece you have to really like it. When nothing is valued over $30... it's just an impulse buy. I didn't find myself handing over any cash at either venue. Nothing sparked that emotional connection that said buy me!

What I did realize is that selling art is NOT easy. I've known this to be true all along. It just brings it home on a hot sunny day at noon when all the artists are sitting around with bored, resigned expressions and at least 6 hours to go. Having worked in sales I know that the best salespeople do care about the product, but they aren't emotionally involved the way an artist is. If you really care about your creation it is incredibly hard to take criticism from random tourists just passing through. Artists aren't generally known for having a tough skin. This is a major part of the reason we have galleries with salespeople. It's also part of the reason we have the cliché of the starving artist. 

Someday I'll contemplate selling my art, in the meantime I'll concentrate on creating it. 

Art Walks and Street Fairs

Art and Writing

There is something separate in the way my mind works when I'm creating art vs. writing about it. Somehow writing can seem more of a chore, while creating, painting, or drawing is never a job. Even though writing is a form of creation itself, I don't loose myself in the experience. I find that when I'm working with my hands and my eyes I have no sense of time or hunger just the urge to keep going. So, if you've wondered why there are large gaps in these posts, now you know that I'm off creating.

Art and Writing

High art rant

High art, low art, commercial art, computer generated art, performance art. Sometimes I think I'm playing a game a twister on a mixed media canvas. Is one any better than another? What makes it so? Is it the museums that dictate good art? I think I had a surer concept of art before I went to college. Art was everywhere. Art is everywhere, but now I find that I'm so critical of what I see. I look at a work and categorize it. More often than not I find myself irritated, whether it is irritation at the work itself or at myself for being too critical, I'm not sure. 

Some artists works like those of Thomas Kincaid seem to embody my internal struggle. I don't like Kincaid. He's just so commercial. You have to know there is a but coming-- But, the colors and the fairy-tale imagery appeal to a younger less cynical child me. I would never ever be caught painting something so happy, dreamy, disney over and over again for the rest of my life, just because it sells. BTW, I really hope he likes what he does. And good for him for making money doing it.

See, I really am torn. I admire an artist I think is super commercial for making money. In this case I may admire the idea of making money from art more than I admire the art itself. Does that make me shallow? I don't think so. It's about hope.  The hope that my work could inspire and touch others, (not that Kincaid's work is very deep) and the hope that someday I too could live off selling my art.

High art rant

Hard knocks

So, what did I learn from the last experiment? I learned that there is a reason why we paint on flat surfaces. It isn't just about ease, it's about making something that is two dimensional take on the appearance of three dimensions with texture and light. Given a surface that is already three dimensional it is hard to predict the interaction of the light and shadow as you paint. You might then point out that the painting was abstract, not an attempt at realism, so why worry about creating the appearance of dimensionality with the paint? In spite of the carving, or because of the carving, the painting came out flat boring. This doesn't mean that I plan to give up on the idea of playing with my canvas. Instead I will continue to experiment and work with more geometric shapes as opposed to organic carvings. 

Hard knocks

The Laboratory

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think my experiment works... I say that in the present tense because this may be one of those pieces that I keep messing with again and again. My husband calls it the laboratory. I think that's a good analogy. As long as I'm not afraid to mess it up, it may become more interesting with time. It's such a strong irrational fear-- messing a painting up. I think it may come from having too strong of a visual concept before beginning to paint. So, as soon as I say screw it, it can only get better, or at least it can't get any worse. And if I do get too frustrated there is always the thought of some sort of laboratory explosion... Paint flying everywhere...

The Laboratory

Green with frustration

The subjectivity of color can sometimes be frustrating. I was in the middle of painting when my husband came into the studio/office and made a sort of snorting grunt. I had assured him the previous day that the green color was just an under-painting. He was just so put off by the colors. As he explained his impression of green is one of inexpensive products. Because this is the last thing I want to express in my art, I started to look at the painting differently. After much thought I decided to try some color adjustments in PhotoShop before mixing any more paint. Above are the painting in its current state and the color test. If you have any thoughts, pro or con, I'd love to hear them.   Anna

Green with frustration

Beginnings 2

Ah, the paint. While I enjoy the sculptural aspect of cutting styrofoam, applying canvas and papier mâché, I couldn't wait to get to the painting. Even the under-painting allows me to play with composition and color. At first I was tempted to paint this piece in a realistic manner. Then I remembered one of the strongest critiques one of my professors had about my early work: that I didn't have a personal style. Now that I've moved more towards abstraction my work is more alive. I think we all have a period where we are searching for our individual expression. This is not to say that the search ever ends, in fact it is always ongoing...

Beginnings 2

Inspirations

Admittedly, one of the easiest places to find inspiration is in the work of other artists. For that reason I love browsing through the local galleries here in La Jolla after a good meal. One gallery in particular caught my interest-- the Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery-- by showcasing contemporary and abstract works. These are not your run of the mill crowd pleasers featuring half-naked women. These works were sculptural, incorporating a variety of media from wood to copper and paint. The artists weren't afraid to play with the traditional canvas opting for three dimensions instead of two. Three artists stood out from the rest:

Weiliang Zhao- a mixed-media artist born in Shanghai, China and currently lives in LA. The vibrant colors and underlying textures of his work make you want to touch and caress it. I was charmed by his smaller (under a foot square) life studies. It is nice to see an artist who is capable of both massive abstracts and intimate life painting.

Taraneh Mozafarian- also a mixed-media artist who draws inspiration from her Persian heritage. The oxidized copper with its interplay of organic and geometric shapes speaks to a jeweler's skill, while her experimental pieces hint at a curious and playfull nature. My favorite-- the installations-- combine both aspects of the artist's creativity.

Pascal- a mixed-media sculptor born in France and currently lives in Santa Fe, NM. The artist's use of natural woods and rusty metals invites the viewer to interact with the work. Pascal writes that wood has a character, which he skillfully brings out in each shape, harmonizing with the media.

I hope that like these artist's, my work may someday inspire others.

Inspirations

Beginnings

I've started a new painting combining sculpture techniques and mixed media. In many ways this experiment is turning into a learning experience. After attaching and carving the styrofoam I covered the leaf shape with canvas for texture and a better painting surface. The complex shape was not so easy to cover. For future reference I will probably stick to more abstract and geometric shapes. As this piece progresses I will continue to post pictures. 

Beginnings

Art in unexpected places

Driving to work on the 5 from the crest of La Jolla to the foot of San Diego I am always struck by the paint that colorfully splatters over miles of highway. This unusual canvas first made me laugh. Then I began to wonder if it was a piece of guerilla art, or just a happy accident. Did a paint truck lose its cargo on the way to a home improvement store? Were some teenagers having a little fun with paint-ball guns as they drove down the highway on a Saturday night? Regardless, as time goes by the weather and traffic are slowly erasing this curiosity. 

Art in unexpected places

What you say...

As I begin this blog about art I recall a conversation I had with fellow artist Victor Maldonado at the Froelick Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Having seen his MFA work online at the Art Institute of Chicago I was surprised and pleased at this chance meeting. I can't tell you how many times I've wandered into a gallery with only salespeople in attendance. It is always a pleasure to talk to the artist! We began talking about his current pieces and the exploration of printmaking technique in his paintings, but soon segued to his work as an art professor and mentor to budding artists. One point really stuck with me-- the importance of being able to articulate the passion that goes into your own artwork. So, as I write this I will be taking Victor's advice literally. 

What you say...