Pre-Script (The other P.S.) – We’re closed today (Wednesday) for the holiday, closed tomorrow (Thursday) for inventory counting and will be back to the regular schedule on Friday.
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
~ Anaïs Nin
Happy New Year! January 1st feels like a blank page, full of possibility. What if this year, your greatest creation wasn’t something you made, but someone you became? Don’t just focus on projects, but see yourself as the ultimate work of art—refining, experimenting, and growing.
- This week’s artist is – Jonty Hurwitz – whose work I stumbled across looking for today’s fun fact. See even more on his website and instagram!
- Jack Levine would have been 110 Friday!
- Here’s a realistic eye drawing tutorial from Strathmore.
- Capture the Atlas has some great images from the 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year.
- This instagram account posts Looney Tunes backgrounds without the Looney Tunes. Suggested for using these included as a resource for color palettes and as Zoom backgrounds.
- Apparently, if you connect a supermarket barcode scanner to a powered speaker and rhythmically scanning barcode-like patterns with it, you can make music. We may or may not try something like this during inventory counting on Thursday. Video 1 and Video 2.
- This list of the 7 coolest mathematical discoveries of 2024 includes a new shape, the Einstein tile, and mysterious patterns in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.
- Here’s audio of Louis Armstrong reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Apparently this was Armstrong’s final commercial recording. Armstrong taped it on February 26, 1971, on a reel-to-reel recorder at his home in Queens, New York, during his last spell of good health
- This is a list of 52 things learned in 2024. The three named colours, trademarked scents, and Recombobulation Area were especially interesting.
- Just for fun, today is “Public Domain Day” when copyrighted works eventually enter the public domain. Here’s a list of now-available works.
Fun Fact: The world’s smallest sculpture, created by artist Jonty Hurwitz, is so tiny it can sit on a human hair, but it is invisible to the naked eye and requires a microscope to be seen.- This will be the first Friday of the month, so it’s a time to celebrate Durango’s creative side! Here’s a list of events. Friday from 4-7.
- Guild House Games brings loads of board games to Lola’s Place for your pleasure every Sunday afternoon! Compete in your favorite game or try a new one! Meet new friends and enjoy a taco and beverage! It’s so easy…just show up and they do the rest! Sunday from 2-5:30.
- Christmas tree drop-off and recycling runs through Jan 31. Drop off at Santa Rita Park. Residents may drop off natural trees free of ornaments, tinsel, bases, and metal screws and nails at the drop-off site near the large playground area in Santa Rita Park. There will be signage posted to help direct residents to the right area. The trees will be recycled into mulch available to the public at Greenmount Cemetery early next spring.
- There are lots of live music events, open mics, live jam sessions, etc, scattered about the area throughout the week. There are too many to list here, so if you’re looking for such things, head over to WhatsHappeningDurango.com.
- There are classes/workshops/projects available at the 4 Corners Gem and Mineral Club, the Bayfield Library, Create Art and Tea, the Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts, Durango Sustainable Goods, Let’s Letter Together, the MakerLab, Picasso & Vino, the Scrapbook Nook, Seed Studio, and the Durango Arts Center. There are a lot more things happening that I don’t include – so if you’re ever looking for something to do, start at WhatsHappeningDurango.com.
- If you’re looking for a fresh page for the new year, we’ve got some undated planners in a variety of colors, some bullet journal kits, and oodles of lined, unlined, and dot-grid journals that you can use. Come by to see what will help your new year start on the right page!
Try something new. Embrace the rough drafts of becoming, knowing they lead to the masterpiece. Let’s make 2025 a year of creating and becoming, one step at a time. Only you can make your art. The world needs you, because it needs your art!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
P.S. – Ready to create every chance you get? After testing hundreds of supplies, we’ve narrowed down what needs to be in our Curiosity Kit. (Sign up here for the chance to preorder.) It’s compact but capable. Need tutorials? We’ll have them for everything in the kit. Only got 10 minutes? You can still make art. We can help!
P.P.S. – We’re hiring. Know someone who might be interested? The journey starts here: https://forms.gle/XeaRRmsEaW3fbLQn8