| I would advise you to read with a pen in hand, and enter in a little book short hints of what you find that is curious, or that may be useful; for this will be the best method of imprinting such particulars in your memory. ~ Benjamin Franklin |
The quote above is, I think, good advice for life. (I’m borrowing the term log book from Austin Kleon.) Always having a sketchbook and pen in hand will allow you to imprint particulars of your daily life in your memory. Write down quotes and interesting tid-bits from your day, sketch your neighbor at the coffee shop or the flowers that you pass by. And, of course, read with a pen in hand – jot down quotes and notes to help you remember what you’ve read.
- This week’s artist lives in Pagosa. I recently ran into George Bodde at the store and his work at the Rochester Hotel (his show was last month). You can see his work in person at Two Old Crows in Pagosa Springs, the Hunter Wolf Gallery, and the Rijks Family Gallery in Crested Butte. See more work and learn more about George on his website.
- Now that summer’s upon us, take advantage of the opportunity to get outside and improve your painting!
- Night photography can be really inspiring, whether of Japan or Venice.
- Or, photography from space. A volcano in Russia erupted an astronaut in the space station snapped a photo of the plume.
- The Durango Arts Center has a whole slew of summer camps for visual artists and aspiring actors. If you know of a child who might enjoy learning more – check out what the DAC is offering!
- Writing thousands of haiku seems to have popped up a few times over the last couple of weeks.
- Color theory is both an exercise and philosophy.
- Free concert at Buckley Park featuring Southwest Civic Winds and FLC American Voices! Thursday from 9-11am.
- There’s a lot going on for Independence Day (happy birthday USA!) Here are some of the events happening in Durango, in Silverton, and in Bayfield.
- The Six $ String Band will be tucked away in the Rochester’s Secret Garden for their summer concert series. Swing by on Wednesday or Friday evenings from 5-7 for some old-time string music. There’s a $10 cover charge that benefits a variety of non-profits.
- Ever been curious about botanical printing? Tricia is teaching a workshop in Telluride over the first weekend in August! Learn more and reserve your spot here.
- Our colors of the rainbow art contest wrapped up on Friday. We had some great entries and the voting was close, but the winners are show below. The new contest will be live next week!
- 1st – Kindell’s calligraphy painting
2nd – Suzanne’s poured acrylic diptych
3rd – Sam’s potion seller
- This week’s featured product are Noodler’s fountain pens and inks! I might be a bit of a fountain pen fan and am really excited to have a variety of ink colors/water-proofness available, plus some pens and nibs finally available.
I’ve long held the belief that it’s worth upgrading your tools so that your daily tasks are more enjoyable. That’s part of the reason that I enjoy fountain pens. They help upgrade the experience of writing out my to-do and shopping lists. If you have a nicer sketchbook, will you be more likely to use it daily and get more sketching done? Or would a brush that fits your hand better entice you to paint more often? If so, consider an upgrade. If the process is more fun, you’ll end up making more art. And there are certainly worse goals than more art in the world!
Cheers!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
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