First off, #TBT ...I used a necklace I added shrink art butterflies to for an art opening back in the day to inspire my daily work...click here to read more about that necklace! |
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Oh, I almost forgot! I couldn't go to the ARTS festival without looming the part, right?! I commissioned one of my seniors to 'splatter paint' a $7 sweatshirt I picked up at Walmart and to add some flair to a pair of shoes I had. Added my DIY colored pencil necklace, Mondrian earrings and a pair of fun mouse ears I made and I was ready to go!
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And speaking of Art Palm Beach...
yeah, it was pretty rad- per usual.
I finished up my weekend working the Art Hive Magazine table doing my favorite thing- telling folks about Art Hive, and my students' recycled garments! The day flew by. Two moments did stand out; this group of little girls ran up and wanted to 'pick their favorites' and then they posed for a picture. Also, one of my students stopped by to say hi, he was on a fancy 'art date'- and also there to check out the street artists represented by galleries...now THAT is multitasking!
My students had recycled garments at ArtPalmBeach!!!!!
I am so excited about this! Jess and Angela from Art Hive Magazine (my side gig) asked me if I would be interested in doing this over the summer and I said, 'of course! I knew it would be a good project to motivate my advanced students and fashion club members...plus they offered to donate tape, hot glue and, of course, old issues of Art Hive Magazine! (hey, I have zero budget so I'll take what I can get!)
Well, that was MONTHS ago. Two of my AP 3D students, Elmwood and Junique each made their own dresses, they are both seniors and amaze me every day. It has really been amazing to see the dresses develop over time, watching them create, revise, destroy...and repeat. They even inspired two juniors, Winnie and Ricky to collaborate on a piece!
This was such a great learning experience for my students to have a real design problem and a legit real-life client. They took every step very seriously, from initial consultations to fittings- I was so proud of my students' passion and professionalism.
Here is a closer look at the final pieces, you can see more 'in progress' pics on my classroom Instagram, @studio2_110.

My student's even inspired ME!
Last year I created a series of necklaces that featured pages from Art Hive that I collaged onto the pieces. Well, I revamped two of those with 'snake' necklaces for Jess and Angela to wear this year;
But wait...what was I gonna wear?
(and then come home and immediately change out of an put on my fav pajamas)
I asked each girl for scraps from her dress, and then pieced them together to create what was going to be worn over both shoulders as a 'shawl'. When I was putting it on at the event one side slipped off and I...I was kinda feelin' it. Like...I was feeling some '*Ric Flair Championship Belt Realness', so- one shoulder it had to be!
*FYI...I love Ric Flair, old skool rastlin'..and all sparkly things...these things actually go together. I even drew his pic and hand delivered it to him in Miami a while back.
And that's my secret- little ol' Lake Worth High School represented right next to fancy international artwork- and everyone LOVED our pieces! Even better- my students loved the experience! Two of the gals helped me set up the pieces at the event and got a rare sneak preview of the behind the scenes of putting on a large-scale international art fair...and ALL of the girls will be attending the event with family and friends as VIPs. I can't wait to see the pics with the dresses and their family and friends.
If you are local and you go to ArtPalmBeach- make sure to stop by and see my pride and joy- those fab magazine dresses!
Reppin' the Trojan AND Art Hive fam in recycled style!
This time of year in South Florida is always kinda a blur. See...it's ART FAIR time and that means I am off covering fairs for the magazine. It gets crazy. Keep in mind I am still teaching full-time so this is taking place 'in my free time'. It gets SUPER busy. I am tired but I love every minute of it. So let's start off with CONTINUUM. This week I was able to attend the VIP opening reception and I took a ton of pics and posted to the Art Hive Magazine blog. I am actually going to use my brain for once and just put that link instead of posting all the pics here and writing everything again. Plus, that will encourage folks to check out the magazine! Here is the link; |
When I was getting my outfit together for this year's CONTINUUM I also started thinking about past years, so I looked up pics to post. I have participated in their opening silent auction, and one year I even made jewelry for a fashion show that they had. It's always a good time, whatever they do. Here are some pics from previous years (sandwiched between info about THIS year!);
This year, Trina asked me if I would be a part of a panel for a 'brunch and lecture', so I did that this morning and it was so much fun! I wasn't sure what the topic would be, but I knew it would be art related and I can always talk about art. All the seats were full and the time flew by. We discussed the role of local communities in promoting the arts, representation in the arts and creating a network of support for artists...that's just some of the discussion. It was an honor and a privilege to be on this panel, not only representing myself as a artist but also providing a voice as an art educator.
Oh, and the brunch food from Hullabaloo was good too. (Trina- anytime they are involved- please ASK ME!!)

Next up on the agenda, Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary. Basically this is like Art Basel but here in Palm Beach. In fact, many of the same galleries that I saw at Basel were there. It still amazes me to walk around and look at the work, it's all super fancy (and expensive!). The first time I went I felt like the country mouse visiting the city mouse but now I just enjoy it- but I better make sure I don't break anything 'causes Lord knows I can't afford it!
Again, I took the time to post pics and list artist sites on the Art Hive Blog...so I am gonna be smart and post that below ('work smarter not harder');
I did save something to post here, though. Two things actually, both involve meeting artists;
First up, let me mention that I always use these art events as a time to just go 'full Jenny'. Meaning...cray. Meaning...super sparkly. If John doesn't give me side eye when he sees me- then I didn't take it far enough. John didn't go with me to the PBM+C so I could really go all out. I created a series a while back that was all shrink art. It was fun, I enjoyed creating the work but when it was all said and done...what to do with it? The pieces didn't really make for a good 'display'...in fact, when I did my five year retrospective show I had to actually place the piece I selected in a shadow box, which ended up working fine. In hindsight, I wish I would have punched holes in each piece just to have the option for jewelry...but I didn't.
I did have a few pieces that were a little thinner, so I selected one of those, a Mondrian-inspired piece that I made. I punched a hole in it, did some fanangling, got it on a wire, threw two beaded necklaces and a t-shirt necklace I made all together and I had my 'primary colors' ensemble- complete with toilet paper roll and paint sample cuffs!
The reason that I just went into all that background info is that it was my jewelry choice that made the interaction with the artist possible. I was walking through the fair, spotted the sparkle a mile away, my eyes lit up...and when I got over to the Gallery BIBA booth he actually asked for a pic of me with his work, as I was going over there to take a pic of his work- ha! The artist? Jonathan Stein- king of bling and super sweet soul. I hope I didn't take up too much of his time, but I had so much fun talking with him! Turns out he has a background in art education and shares not only my passion for shiny objects but also for art education. Seriously, he was so interesting! He was telling me about how he creates his work and what a labor of love it is, and the way he works is VERY in depth. I hope our paths cross again- he is just as amazing as his art!
I talked to many people and artists that day but the second one that I wanted to mention was an artist from Zurich- Daniel Orson Ybarra. I was drawn to his booth by the large piece on the wall- from a distance I couldn't tell if it was fabric... looked like some kind of indigo print so my fiber-alert turned on and I headed over. He saw me looking at his work, introduced himself as the artist and told me it was POTATO PRINTING!! That's right art teachers... POTATO PRINTING! I gotta tell you, this ain't your momma's potato printing... unless of course she is doing a bajillion layers on a larger than life scale! He was super sweet and had such joy in his voice talking about his art. And I dig that. |
And that's the thing- I used to feel kind of out of place at these fancy art fairs-I'm just being real. Here I am, a girl from Cameron, NC (literally, a country mouse) with my DIY jewelry in this fancy venue with these fancy people...but they are just artists and folks that love art, just like me.
So if you are ever at one of these events, no matter how big or small- go and talk to the artists if you can. Hearing them speak on their work with such passion is so inspiring...and I hope that I sound like that when I am rambling on about what I love...my art...fashion...and my students.
Oh yeah...and my daily art...
I used my jewelry choice for the day as my inspiration for my daily art, a Mondrian-inspired fashion illustration!
In many ways my first year and a half creating art was the easiest because I was working with themes from the Creative Every Day site, but it didn't take long for me to start to interpret and revise those themes to fit things that I was interested in, or events and experiences in my own life. If you are just starting out on your own 'art every day' journey and don't know where to start the CED site is still up and she Leah has already started to post for the new year. I would highly recommend that as a starting point, it is super laid back and there is a bit of a community aspect if you choose to participate via tagging and posting your work. But the main thing is if you choose to do a challenge find the right one for YOU. Ever heard someone say, 'you do you, boo'? Well, that is what I am telling you- it has to be based on YOU.
If you want to get better at drawing hands- draw hands for a year. If you love the color blue- use every shade of blue in ever material you can get your hands on- your theme can be prompt/subject focused, based on improving a skill, researching an artist or movement in art history, trying new media/techniques...but it has to be based on your own interests. I didn't mention time or resources because once you become really passionate about your work (again) all of that will fall into place.
I have been posting several the past few days to the Art Hive 'Resources for Artists' and I there are some challenges listed as well as links to dealing with artist block- just all kinds of goodies. Check it out if you have time! (just click on the picture below)
As for me...I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I get a little overwhelmed. I am pretty rigid with my organization, so I am already thinking about storage and other day to day things...and materials 'cause Lortt knows I'm not rich. So there's that.
Sometimes it is hard for me to start because I am already thinking about how the new work will fit into what I have previously created. I worry that someone will come across my work and say, 'she's is random.' But then...I am. I am random, but I am also super rigid and orderly- so I am already constantly battling that in my own mind.
When I start to get that 'dis too much' feeling (if you know then YOU KNOW)...I organize. When I start organizing I will have bouts of feeling overwhelmed and then I push through it, accomplish the task and feel a sense of calm. Today the task I gave myself to obsess over was to go through each each and make a short summary of each month within that year. I will be printing these out and taping them inside my art storage boxes so I can quickly view that 'year at a glance' in case I need to quickly remember when I did a certain piece for myself of for a collector. I actually have a pretty thorough inventory from 2012-2016 but it isn't as accurate anymore due to pieces that have been sold, gifted, traded etc. and I didn't do any inventory for 2017-2018...and knowing that stresses me out so I try not to think about it.
Back to that task- my yearly summaries. I started labeling the works BE (Big Eyes), PWT (Portrait with Text) and FI (Fashion Illustration). Out of the past eighty-four months over these seven years, fifty of those months were focused on some kind of theme applied to my 'big eyed' girls and nine themes were applied to my fashion illustrations. However, I should note that I love the fashion illustrations so much I have done work separate from my daily work dedication to fashion- a couple of hundred pieces since 2012, not including the daily pieces. AS for the PWTs, I have five that I think fit into that category. I don't have as many of those I think because they take longer but did really enjoy creating those pieces.
This is all just me thinking aloud of course, but all of this was in my brain when I was thinking about my theme for this month. Over the past few years rather than reinvent a new theme every month I have returned to themes that I liked creating in previous years, sometimes approaching it in a new way, adding new materials or just keeping it kinda the same.
Is this making any sense? Here are some examples;


So...what I am doing this month?
Here's a hint:
For this month I am revisiting my #MissMatchyMatchyART theme and also continuing with fashion illustrations. Yup, I just finished a month of em' but I'm goin back in! My first MMM series focused on a character I created (called Miss Matchy Matchy!) and her little cat, Trinket. I looked to pieces from my own jewelry collection as the inspiration for my daily art That was back in January of 2015...click here to take a look! I was even a little overzealous and started a seperate blog dedicated to my own 'jewelry stories' but that was abandoned reeeeaaaal quick.
I went back to MMM last year in January, this time approaching the images more like fashion illustrations I have seen in articles and advertisements. Click here to see that whole series. The thing that is nice about MMM is...I have her closet- so to get inspiration all I have to do is go and look through my collection.
Meet the first round of
#MissMatchyMatchyART
To quote my one of my favorite characters,
'It's a MATCH!'
It has taken me a couple of days longer than I wanted to, but I am finally writing that 'outro' post for 2018. Every year when I finish another group of daily art pieces I like to stop and reflect on the year, the work...yup, basically me just rambling. I feel like I write my blog posts for me, a way to document this whole process but just in case someone stumbles upon this post and takes the time to read it I will elaborate a little more. If not, it's for me and I'm okay with that. |
WHERE I started.
When we moved I delved right into teaching at my new school, writing my first of many grants and realizing that I was pretty good at it. (I got all the ones I wrote- and boy did we need the money!) I was awarded Teacher of the Year at my school and Middle School Teacher of the Year for the county, two things that really meant so much to me because I had never been at a school longer than two years at that point. I was finally settling in an making my way as an educator, networking within the local and state organizations...the only person I was losing touch with was the artist in me.
So I decided to do something about that- and in January 2012 I committed to making a piece of art every day, and I have been able to keep up with it. Rather than go into it all (I mean, it's all here in the blog- you just need 50 years to read it, lol!) here is the link to my post that summed up my first five years and includes a 'look book' of the work I created during that time frame;
https://www.jenniferlovegironda.com/blog/2012-2016-wrap-up
Why I started.
And that is why I kept going. Every year I have continued to create those daily pieces within monthly themes, each December 31st feeling that sense of accomplishment that I did what I set out to do. And I feel more like an artist that I ever have in my life, and I feel that it has enriched my teaching, allowing me to be more passionate about teaching art. If you have time check out my last post each year in the blog...I have maintained that same level of joy in this challenge every single year.
Where I want to go with this.
For others? I want to inspire others to make more art, to take more time to be creative in whatever ways they find the most joy. This ain't just for me, I am taking folks with me on this journey!
Year 7 daily artwork
Here is my daily work from this year;
(Not shown, recycled jewelry, msc. drawing and painting projects, commissions, 'Angel Drop Art, etc)
So...do YOU want to make more ART? Man, I sure hope so!
SERIOUSLY, READ MY ARTICLE!
So that's a wrap. And yup, I put on a sparkly gown just to take this pic and celebrate. Hey, it's not every day you complete 2557 pieces of daily art!
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