Creativity Friday: Creative Women’s Networking Salon postponed—and other news

Between holidays, work, and travels, our informal monthly gathering of creative women has been postponed until May. Here are the details:

Friday, May 6, 7-9:30 pm
Creative Women’s Networking Salon

Are you an artist, writer, or creative entrepreneur and practioner? Come out and meet other like-minded women for conversation, inspiration, and wine. At previous salons, we were joined by photographers, crafters, editors, designers, artists, writers, and illustrators. $5 suggested donation for refreshments.

This event takes place at:

Kris Waldherr Art and Words studio-gallery
1501 Newkirk Avenue
entrance on Marlborough Road across from Rite Aid
Brooklyn, NY 11226
directions

In the meantime, here are photos* from our last gallery event, a wonderful children’s art workshop by INKBLOTS author Margaret Peot. The kids had a wonderful time! Several of Margaret’s beautiful pieces are featured in our current exhibition, The Art of Children’s Books: Inspiration to Illustration. The exhibition is up through May. I hope those of you in the New York City area will stop by to see it!

*Photographs courtesy and copyright Bernadette Ayers. Thank you!

—————————————————

As you may have noticed from this blog, things have gotten beyond busy here at the studio. This spring, I’m attempting to finish up a number of projects—not including the current draft of THE LILY MAID and the long-aborning Sacred World Oracle—as well as some book and web design jobs. I’m also going to be traveling to San Diego for the Historical Novel Society’s annual conference, and partaking in workshops for professional development.

To give me the space to do all this and more, for the time being I’m going to be ramping back a bit on gallery events. Our next tarot salon probably won’t be until this autumn, after I have a chance to catch my breath on all these deadlines. Ditto for publishing and art workshops. However, the gallery will still be open on Saturday afternoons, during special events on Fridays nights, and by appointment or by chance.

So, if you’re planning to come by to visit, I hope to see you then—and if I seem a little distracted and the studio a bit messier than usual, you’ll understand why.

• Filed under The Novel, creativity, events, studio and gallery, the world around me | 3 Responses

The studio, updated

As part of the intense makeover that a new exhibit entails, I also updated some decor in my studio. (Now that I’ve been here for just over three years, I’m finding the space evolves as my needs evolve.) Here are some photos of my recent improvements.

EXHIBIT ONE: The entryway. When you enter my studio, there is a sudden drop from the door. Initially, I placed a thick mat there to cushion the drop. However, it got rather dirty over time and sometimes slipped. Better solution: I built a step and tiled it—a fun afternoon’s project. Plus it gave me an excuse to linger at my favorite hardware store and play with tiles.

EXHIBIT TWO: The red chaise. I’ve been yearning for a chaise lounge for years now to create the perfect place to read books, edit manuscripts, and—yes, I’ll admit it—nap. (As a life-long insomniac, there have been many mornings that I’ve shuttled Thea to kindergarten on less than four hours’ sleep. No amount of caffeination can overcome this.) But I knew I wanted something more practical; more Mission style, less Victorian. And I finally found it on sale.

The chaise open for lounging. (Added bonus: Out-of-town guests can crash here.)

The chaise closed for sitting.

EXHIBIT THREE: The window film. Notice the nice burst of sunlight from behind the chaise? That’s new too. Since I’m in a storefront, there’s usually a gate over the window—I usually keep it down for privacy as I work, opening it only for events. But I’ve been yearning for more light. The solution: window film. Now I can have my sunlight and privacy too. Here’s a better view of the pattern, which is decidedly Vienna 1900. The film was very easy to install, though a bit tricky to match. It’s easily removable too—a plus for rental commercial property.

EXHIBIT FOUR: The chalkboard door. This takes care of two issues: a decidedly ugly door that leads to the, um, powder room—a feng shui no-no— and my need to feel that I have some control over the myriad projects going on at the studio. The solution: colored chalkboard paint on the door. Best of all, it’s easily made with flat paint and unsanded groat (a cheap purchase at any hardware store). Plus the chalkboard door offers a handy reply when studio visitors ask, “So, what are you up to these days?”

This is the winter edition—note all the projects crossed out. I’ll be updating the door for spring any day now!

So, will all these improvements help me become a more productive creative? I hope so. Perhaps most importantly, they make me want to spend more time here, working away. To quote William Morris, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” I’d like to think that my studio is both beautiful and useful.

• Filed under news & muse, studio and gallery | 3 Responses

Publishing Monday: Goodbye to all that?

Since my last post, our new gallery exhibit about children’s picture books has opened after much hard work on my part as well as my co-curator Aram Kim. The show does look lovely, if I do say so myself. Plus the opening was well-attended and several pieces sold. I’m especially pleased at the educational component to the exhibit. It’s set up in four sections, charting out how a picture book is created—from inspiration to publication. Below is an iPhone photo of the first section.

Now that the exhibit is up and finished—again, what a load of work!—I have the sense that this exhibit is in some ways a valedictory address for me. After all, it’s been ten years since I published my last picture book.

I never planned to stop making children’s books. It just seems to have happened that way.

I suspect that this sense of farewell is heightened because I received a letter today reverting the rights for HARVEST, my last picture book as an author-illustrator. As I opened the envelope, I thought, “And that’s that.” Not in a sad way, mind you, but in the way one feels when one closes a door on a home for the last time. Though you’ve already moved to a new-and-better house, there’s still a sense of finality to the gesture.

When I first happened into publishing fresh from art school, I really intended to illustrate picture books for the rest of my career—it seemed a dream job. My first job in publishing was as a children’s book designer with one of the greatest art directors to grace publishing—another dream job. I’m still called on to mentor people dreaming of publishing their first picture book—after all, I love the art of book making. So it’s a bit strange to come to this recent realization of “you’re not creating children’s books anymore.”

Yet the ironic thing is that, in many ways, picture books are more important than ever to me. I spend hours reading them to my daughter Thea. (Thank you, Mo Willems, Kevin Henkes, Dr. Seuss, Margaret Wise Brown, Gustav Tengrin, and many others for the lovely experiences you’ve brought us at bedtime!) I probably have an even greater appreciation for the art form than I did ten years ago. Who knows, maybe I’ll eventually make another picture book? But it doesn’t feel like the keening need it once was—if it happens, it happens.

I think this is how creative careers are. To paraphrase Woody Allen, they have to evolve or die. In my case, you start out illustrating fairy tales; years later, you find yourself researching absinthe consumption in 1880s London for a novel where there’s sex, suicide, and other decidedly PG-13 occurrences.

One consolation: Thanks to the wonders of the digital age, many of my picture books are still available—THE FIREBIRD, RAPUNZEL, and others. Now that the rights for HARVEST are back in my hot little hands, I’ll be reviving the book for a new generation soon. And, if you’re in the NYC area, the children’s book exhibit will be up through May. Come and visit!

• Filed under The Novel, e-books, news & muse, publishing, studio and gallery, the art world | 3 Responses

Creativity Friday: Closing reception, ON THE ROAD OF BONES

I’m so very close to finishing up this DOOMED QUEENS follow up princess proposal that it’s frustrating — hopefully today! It’s been an amazing amount of work, ut as soon as I think “that’s it!” I find another way to improve it. And I’m the sort of person who can’t let go of a project unless I feel that I’ve done everything I can on it. It’s a blessing and a curse.

In the midst of this, mucho activity is going on at the gallery. The big news is that our current exhibit, On the Road of Bones: Ghosts of the Siberian Gulag Along the Old Kolyma Highway is closing tomorrow. I hope you’ll join us for a last look at this stunning exhibit! The curator will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about the coldest place on earth. We’ll also have refreshments. Here are the details:

Saturday, March 5th, 1 – 4 pm
CLOSING RECEPTION: ON THE ROAD OF BONES
Children welcome. Free admission.

About this exhibit: Through photography and mixed media, this exhibition reveals the secret history and natural beauty of Kolyma, formerly the land of Soviet labor camps and the coldest inhabited region in the world. Stunning new works by young native Siberian photographers Bolot Bochkarev, Nastya Borisova, and Ajar Varlamov trace the remains of the vast highway built across the taiga, tundra, and permafrost of North Asia by Stalin’s prisoners. “On the Road of Bones” juxtaposes the events of the hidden past with the power of the frozen landscape and the contemporary lives of people in the far north. Learn more at OntheRoadofBones.com.

This event takes place at:
Kris Waldherr Art and Words studio-gallery
1501 Newkirk Avenue (entrance on Marlborough Road, across from Rite Aid)
http://www.artandwords.com/events.html
directions

——————————————————–

Our next exhibit opens the following Saturday! Here’s the poster for it:

More information to come very very soon—as soon as I get this long-aborning proposal off my desk!

• Filed under creativity, events, friends and colleagues, new projects, queens, studio and gallery | 3 Responses

Creativity Friday: Creative Women’s Salon — and a quick update

Tonight’s the night: the Creative Women’s Networking Salon returns to the gallery for the first time since 2010. I’ll have red wine, chocolate, and other yummy refreshments to stoke your inspiration. Here are the details:

Friday, February 25, 7 – 9:30 pm
CREATIVE WOMEN’S NETWORKING SALON

Are you an artist, writer, or creative entrepreneur and practioner? Come out and meet other like-minded women for conversation, inspiration, and wine! At our previous gatherings, we were joined by photographers, crafters, editors, designers, artists, writers, and illustrators. We also had a lot of fun. $5 suggested donation for refreshments. Directions and address.

Hope to see you there!

——————————————–

In other creativity-related news, Thea’s been home from school this past week. We’ve had some delightful adventures including a road trip to the fabulous Eric Carle Museum. Their bookstore there is one of the best I’ve ever been to — I definitely broke the bank buying books for myself and Thea. But now I’m very backlogged with work, alas, and am dealing with the perpetual struggle to balance everything. Here’s what’s going on here:

~ Preparing for the new children’s book illustration show. I have five wonderful illustrators lined up, but think I need one more. The show opens in mid-March, so time is getting tight!

~ Finishing up the long-aborning book proposal for the DOOMED QUEENS follow up, which is about (drum roll) princesses. It’s probably the most design-intense job I’ve done since my iPhone apps.

~ Revising the next part of THE LILY MAID for a novel-writing workshop I’m taking in April at the Sackett Street Writers. It’s the first writers’ workshop I’ve taken since (gulp) college. I’m excited but anxious.

~ Research, research, and more research for both THE LILY MAID and the princess proposal! I have a tall pile of books that I’m wading through — great stuff! They range from books on the history of fairy tales to Victorian sexual obsessions and nineteenth century medical history and Wilhelm Wundt and early anthropology and science of the Enlightenment and more. Gotta love my job!

~ On top of that, I’ve gotten in several design jobs — websites to cd design to book trailer videos. The cd design is for composer Robert Patterson, who’s written a chamber music suite inspired by my BOOK OF GODDESSES. It was debuted last summer—it’s wonderful. I feel so thrilled and honored to be involved.

~ Plus I’m in the midst of publicizing Art and Words Editions, my new e-book imprint. I’m about half-way through my “to-do” list with that — I want to get my authors’ books out there as much as possible.

~ And more, believe it or not. Thea’s sixth birthday is coming up in March, so there’s much to celebrate.

It’s all good. But it’s also a bit overwhelming. And with that, I should get to work!

• Filed under creativity, events, friends and colleagues, studio and gallery | One Response