What's on Amie's Reader

Been doing a lot of work on the computer this week, so haven't spent much time for fun on it. Also not a lot of art time going on. I really admire people who work all day and come home to sit down to do 3-4 hours (or even 20 minutes) of whatever art that they do. I am so drained from working that I just need to be a blob most evenings. I wonder what's missing from my constitution/personality that makes me underwhelmed?

Anyway, here are some good reads to share with you all... enjoy!

Art Stuff

I have recently tuned my radar to the artist book. I've never done one. I don't have any ideas to do one. But I'm intrigued, and might eventually venture forth. So Fiji Island Mermaid Press has given us all a little opportunity to try for ourselves: the "ME, An Autobiography" miniature book. Just one sheet turns into eight pages of book.

Sherrie York over at Brush & Baren finished her uber reduction print and celebrated by creating a little artist book using gelatin prints.

Cool, huh? Maybe these'll get me inspired. Maybe not...

Elizabeth Perry at Woolgathering is having some fun plotting linocuts in her moleskine journal (mwah ha ha, another printmaker in the making... we're taking over the world!!). But I love the handling of the piece of ginger on this day's post. Lovely.

Some creative mark making on the reader since my last post:

Justin Miller is having way too much fun with his coffee at Bound Staff Press (congrats on the fast sale! why not with such a great piece).

One of the Watermarks contributors made marks with on site found objects for their sketch session.

Marja-Leena Rathje shared the making of a wonderful animated video, mark making of an imaginary nature.

Jan Allsopp at ...In My Spare Time made a garden hose out of Norfolk Island pine needles. Maybe not mark making per se, but a challenging three-dimensional translation of the concept.

Another illustrator to follow... crackskullbob. If I could illustrate people this way... wow.

Amazingly talented natural history illustrator Debby Cotter Kaspari on Drawing the Motmot shares with us her toolkit for field sketching. Both compact and larger versions. Love the mint tin watercolour tray!

The Magpie Nest captures the onslaught of American Robins as they migrate through on their way to summer nesting grounds.\

Lots of printmaker activity, too!

JenZ picked up her etchings (very classical looking) from the recent etching class she took, and another beautiful landscape reduction woodblock print.

Linocutboy linked to a mind-boggling linoprint artist... you must visit their website for other images.

Further progress on Sonia Romero's work being translated into huge ceramic tiles for an L.A. subway station on She Rides The Lion. Here are some details of the progress of the ceramics.

Katka at The Blue Chisel has finished her print based on the Copenhagen mermaid.

Susan Moore at Art Every Day shares with us a plethora of monotypes from a recent weekend workshop with Bill Park. Very productive and inspiring!

Kate at Nydam Press combined two techniques, relief printing and cyanotype, in a beautiful and nostalgic result.

Marissa Buschow at Woodchips takes charge of a less than perfect print and turns it into something new; don't give up on those prints, maybe they can be reinvigorated!

Check out Annie Bissett's EZ scroll mount on Woodblock Dreams. Very clever, Annie, thanks for sharing!

Finally, have some fun with your art: dumpr.net has created museumr, which you can use to see what your art would look like hanging bold and beautiful at the MoMA, or the Gug! Thanks to Sarah Wimperis at Muddy Foot Prints

Science Stuff

Zoologix shares a marine mystery muncher of coral. Check it out (photo too, yikes!).

You could name a new species. Step up and put your bid in, auction open to March 30. Thanks to The Other 95%.

Plants have feelings? Well... not quite, but they can "react". Check it out on HowPlantsWork.