A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.
~ Abraham Maslow
I’ve always struggled to answer questions along the lines of: When/how did you learn to draw? Well, I’ve had crayons and art supplies available since I was so young that I don’t remember… and I haven’t really stopped drawing since. Whether it was doodling around my notes in math class, in a notebook while sitting and waiting somewhere, or in an official “art” class, I’ve just always expressed myself through images. I can’t not create, in some fashion.
- Austin Kleon is the same way. He’s worked as a web designer, as a librarian, and is currently a writer who draws. I’ve been following his work for years, from doodles, black-out poems, to books (I really enjoyed both Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work.) As a fan of stationery, art and school supplies, journals, and quotes I always look forward to his weekly newsletter and his regular blog posts. Check him out today!
- Moving forward – The Ace Mural – This past weekend we really made some progress on foreground subjects. I started working on the first batch of aspen trees, the rafters gained some more detail, a couple of flowers were detailed in, and we even started adding some train tracks. #TownPlazaMural We’re still having a blast and only grow more excited about the project as we continue along. Whether you’re comfortable with painting details or not, we still need some help – we can still use some fill-in-the-blank painters if that’s your preference. You can sign up to volunteer here. Know someone who might be interested in slinging some paint? Please forward this email on to them.
- I ended up getting an Art History minor (though my focus was geared toward African Art) and I loved getting to peek at what might be the world’s oldest drawing.
- Have you had the fortune of working with Kristen at the Art Supply House? She just started recently, but she’s great to have here! We’re definitely lucky and hope that she can soon be here even more days a week. Until next month, though (as part of the bigger pending changes) she’s sticking with just one day a week. Come by on Thursdays to chat with her, unless you don’t like enthusiasm and excitement about art, art materials, paper, pens… and everything else art related!
- As our sign said over the last two weeks – the world needs your art. So, make the art that you want to see in the world, in whatever form that happens to take. Work a little bit each day, or make a time to complete a project at one time. Can’t wait to see what you make!
Thanks for reading! If you like this newsletter, please forward it to a friend.
If you’d like to receive a weekly newsletter in your email, you can subscribe below.
Cheers!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
P.S. – This weekly email missive could still use a name. Please reply and give me your suggestions!