Collage Crazy

This past Sunday I had a very bad art making experience. It seems like I am tired all the time, even when Alex is sleeping or at her toddler group. But on Sunday after she went to bed I had energy and time. Jon was out so I had nothing to distract me. Excited I dug into my incredibly messy studio and began playing around with various papers trying to come up with a composition.

It did not go well. After a few hours in my studio I came out with nothing but frustration and feeling bad about myself. Nothing was working. The only thing positive it seemed is that I hadn't actually made anything, hadn't glued anything down. Later I realized that days like that are just as important as days of success. I knew that before, but after all this time I guess I needed to be reminded of that fact. Everything is a learning experience that I should appreciate.

Now just a few days later, on Wednesday, I had a much different experience. It started out much the same, except that I had much less time to work this time around. But I had time, desire and energy. Three precious factors that can be difficult to find at the same time. This time when I started pulling out papers and looking at them together I started finding stuff right away. I even felt confident enough to use my new(ish) sewing machine and then glue down this background.

I'm not done. Adding bits and pieces and taking pictures of the journey so I have a record of my ideas before I finish off the piece. But I am having a blast and know now that the journey is just as important as where I end up in the end.

On the left is a bit of one of my oldest print attempts sewed next to a piece of purple and white letter paper.

Free Shipping Sale!

I Love You More
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Dark Leaves

I Love You More

These are just two of the most recent pieces I put up on Artfire in the past 24 hours and until Black Friday they will all have free shipping. Buy as many pieces as you want from wherever you are and I will refund you the shipping after you pay. This offer is only good in my Art Fire

shop but I can move anything from

Etsy

over if requested. I'm still in the process of filling out my Art Fire store and haven't abandoned Etsy just yet.

I'm going to try and be around listing my new pieces on Friday after Thanksgiving but we have family in town and they may want to see what New England has to offer. A month ago I would have said lots, but right now not so much.

I hope all of my readers in the US have a great Thanksgiving with family and/ or friends, and that my international readers simply have a nice Thursday.

Is anybody shopping on Black Friday? Looking for a killer deal on an HDTV maybe? My dad is going out at the crack of dawn per usual off in Chicago but I avoid shopping like the plague after Thanksgiving.

Four Choices

One of these pieces is already up on my Etsy Shop right now, the others are not. Yet. One will be making it up sometime on Monday, the others during the rest of the week. I need your help deciding what should go up first. Thank you.



The weekend was thankfully much less eventful than Friday. Nothing to freak out about. A replacement cape is already being made and hopefully be with us by early next week. Plenty of time for blee's Halloween costume. We never got her one last year because even though the little baby sized ladybug costume was tempting, it seemed silly to buy something that would only get used once for a picture. Making a costume out of things that will be used again suits us much better. Plus blee will make the perfect little hobbit girl! I just can't give her a ring because she is likely to swallow it and that would be bad.

Let's see. Dinner at an awesome Ethiopian restaurant with a good friend and her not new anymore boyfriend on Saturday was fun. If you haven't tried Ethiopian food and like eating with your hands you are in for a treat if you ever get the chance. I got my date mixed up and I'm meeting with two girlfriends for a girl's night dinner two Sundays from now and not tonight. Which suits me just fine because two dinners out in a row is a bit much.

We ordered new Marimekko bedding for our new bedroom. Bright and cheerful instead of dark and intense. Also no cat claw rips all over it.

Autumn is here in Boston and I am enjoying it fully. My art sales are really picking up and tomorrow I am going to be quite busy packing up orders. I'm well on my way to getting that D-SLR I have my eyes on. Provided I don't blow it on a baby carrier. I'm starting Week Four of "The Artist's Way" tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. Last week was rough. While it is encouraging that my business efforts seem to be paying off, the fact that I am still not feeling all that creative hurts.

Hope everybody reading this had a great weekend and has a great week. Time for me to brush my teeth and head to bed.

Here's a little blee video to bring a smile to your face if my words could not.

Light

Branching Out
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

ACEO
4x4

After two bleecentric birthday posts in a row I think it is time to get back to the original focus of this blog. The art. Something that has been neglected for months now that I am finally starting to poke back into.

Doing "The Artist's Way" is going very well. The art dates where I go out and do something by myself is by far the hardest, but probably the second most vital part of the program. The most important is the morning pages that I diligently do each morning while drinking a cup of tea. I've been getting up earlier just so I can be sure to get this, and some other art business stuff done. But it all started with doing the morning pages. Three pages about whatever written first thing in the morning. Even when I didn't complete the book in the past I did those and they helped.

This time I start each page with my list of seven things for the day. On my computer I have another list of seven business things to do. I go through and see what I completed and what I didn't from the day before. And each day I do more and more on both lists. I just hope I am not getting ahead of myself and can keep up this pace. I'm being very careful not to go too fast and burn out as I am prone to do. It is important for me to recognize my weaknesses both as an artist, a business woman, a wife, a mother and a person. Not to use those to beat myself up but to grow past them.

After every block I reach some sort of breakthrough. I wonder what it will be this time.

Please enjoy your day. I plan on enjoying mine and will keep listing new work from my last printing on Etsy.

Yay! Complete!

Fall Leaves
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Monday is here and I had quite the productive weekend, well Sunday at least. I am pleased to say that I not only got the custom order I have been working on for the past month finished but I printed a bunch of other new stuff at the same time. The prints that I started last week are now done and I am working on getting them scanned in, uploaded and listed on Etsy. I've been neglecting Etsy lately but this month is going to be different, starting with new piece, and followed by many more.

I have a busy week ahead of me that will hopefully include finishing a collage, putting artwork up on Flickr and Etsy and getting back into regular blogging. But for now I am going to do some Wii Fit yoga and then go to bed.

Here are my custom pieces for the seasons spring through winter.

Last chance for some art!

Framed! Last Chance
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

The Night Before
White Stripe
She Dances
Misty Beauty
Feminity
Dragon Fly!

Along with all of my stretched canvas collages these pieces are getting hung for a month long show here in Boston on Sunday, but I am not opposed to selling them and swapping them out for different pieces. Sunday morning they will be taken down from Etsy for a month and may not return. Mention show in the notes to seller and I will give you free shipping on any of these pieces. Frames are not included.

I was supposed to hang this show this afternoon but I decided to postpone it to Sunday that way I can have some help. I've got a cold and blee is teething and the weather is bad so the last thing I want is to drag a stroller full of art while wearing a baby around town and then hang pieces while hoping that she doesn't erupt. And she is sick herself on top of teething. Fun times!

In case you missed my earlier post I am going to mention the three of us walking in the Walk for Hunger on Sunday. Well, in reality Jon and I will be walking and blee will be hitching a ride. She may be teething but walking is one of the few things that makes her feel better.

Hope you have a better Friday than we are having and a kickin weekend filled with good weather.

New Love

Overgrowth
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Hello, it's me. Marissa. I used to fit pretty nicely in an artistic box and I was comfortable with it. I mean, I may have only done printmaking for the past two years but I did do unconventional printmaking. And I really enjoyed going back and doing it again on Wednesday. It felt fresh again now that I have many other things to feed my artistic spirit.





But today (Thursday), I drew a card from my little inspiration deck that said "do the opposite" and this is what I came up with. Yesterday was all about printmaking and today was all about taking an old not quite good enough but still too cool to rip up and turn into various things print into something new. First I painted the sides and attached the print to the gallery wrapped canvas. Took a break to eat lunch and get some blee love and then I got down to it. Honestly not much thought pre-construction went into this piece. I started by putting some papers down and moving them around, cut a few new ones for it and then went about attaching and sealing everything. Finished off with some Sharpie lines before the final topcoat.

I am pleased. Right now the reproduction is listed in my mLeeRedux shop while I work out a price for the original. I'm pretty attached to the original, but at the same time I want to set it free to a loving home so it will be priced significantly higher than the $10 reproduction, but will be a fair price considering how much time, effort and I think skill went into this piece. Until then it will be sitting above my computer desk away from the sun so I can enjoy. I think on a nice day I am going to go outside and use some UV sealant on all of my collages. Don't want those fumes in here, especially with blee around.



Lost is on tonight. We are going to Tivo it so we can skip the commercials, of course!

Goodnight to some, and good morning to others.

Plodding Along

Gouache ACEOs
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Hi!

Back from a pretty cold and grey weekend here in Boston. Not so good for my spirits.

But I do have some colorful little gouache paintings to play around with. Some will probably get printed on, planned on doing that tonight but I don't feel well so am just going to head off to bed. Some will get collaged on and maybe drawn on and some will probably be left as is. A fun little project to keep me going during a pretty blah time in my creative brain.

My Wacom Tablet may arrive Monday, or Tuesday at the latest I expect. Not bad for free shipping. I'm not really in a good mental place to play around with it but hopefully I will be once it arrives.

I'm still going through my studio and pulling out older but still beautiful pieces for my Studio Sale. This is the last hurrah for some of these pieces as I have a thing for using my own prints in my collages. So if you see something you like now is your chance. I don't run sales often. But I need to clear out my stock as well as pay for some framing for a show next month.

I'm continuing to list new work as well and hope to be making a new collage early this week on either a 6"x6" or 8"x8" stretched canvas.

Finished packing orders from last week and will be mailing them in the morning along with anything domestic that comes in by noon EST.

First woodblock prints of the year

Pfau
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Woodblock prints are back, my first of the year actually! Not that I am anywhere near done with collaging and gocco. In fact I made a collage that I am quite proud of just last night. But I had a chunk of time and was in the mood so I made about ten prints. Not a lot for me but it was what I was feeling. The peacock is my favorite.

I am going to try and do my 365 Sketch of the day tonight, but I won't beat myself up if I don't get to it. I am taking a break from reorganizing my work and cleaning my studio. You see I have a new work desk coming in and I need to be ready for it. And it is one of those situations where it is going to get worse before it gets better. This is my big birthday gift from my husband. It is a huge deal because my current cheapo Craigslist desk is on its last legs quite literally. It is unstable and I am constantly having to readjust the leg screws and an unstable desk for carving is not safe. Especially one that is piled high with stuff. Ikea has a smaller but great desk for me.

I'm looking forward to having it set up, but not looking forward to getting it set up.

More new work coming, check back often as I will be trying to put new stuff up in my shop at lease twice a day this week.

New Shop! mLeeRedux on Etsy

framed reproduction!
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Wish me luck! My heart is racing from it, I finally opened up a second shop for my reproduction prints. High quality archival prints in various, easy to frame sizes. I am going to stick to selling reproductions of my more expensive pieces and never in the same size as the originals. My 4" x 4" block prints and ACEOs will not be reproduced.

I'm trying to emphasize the whole contrast and connection between the shops with the banner and the avatar.

I wasn't comfortable with my mixed-media collages considering how much work went into them. I still think they are a bargain considering how much of myself I put into them. But I know what it is like out there and want to offer quality alternatives. While I have sold reproductions in my main shop before and fairly successfully I never felt totally comfortable having them side by side plus they would end up getting buried with all my originals, which I list much more frequently. Especially since I don't re-list the same reproduced images over and over again. I don't do limited editions because as a printmaker limited editions are limited for a reason other than inflating the value. But I am not a machine either so while they don't have a number on them they are far from mass produced.

It was a rough day. blee was very high needs and I was very low energy. I didn't end up getting to do anything with the paper cut cup up last night and I still have some orders to ship. I am going to get to packing them up and then trying to at the very least draw something since other than a doodle I have not sketched today.

Have a good night and an even better morning and day.

*muah*

Love you all, thanks for participating in the contest and keep the suggestions/ entries coming!

Welcome to Thursday!

addicted to rounded corners
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

This week is going by so fast! Monday was long but since then it has been zippy. I'm excited because tonight I am getting out with a girl friend to a local coffee show after blee is put to bed. This is a first for me in awhile. I love having her with me everywhere but when she is sleeping going out is great. And boy is she a sleep champ these days. Last night she slept twelve solid hours! We were shocked when we woke up this morning. She wasn't even grumpy, just chit chatting away with herself.

Blee is just two days off her fifth month! Wow how time flies. And more good news as my friend Heather the Gocco goddess gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Monday. After 24 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing! Man my five hours of labor and 13 minutes of pushing felt like hours I can't even imagine going through it that long. I don't think I would have made it, I was so exhausted.







Art is going well. Mostly drawing obsessively at the moment, and I must say that it is nice drawing for the simple pleasure of it. It doesn't always have to be a means to an end but I can just enjoy doing it. And I am so much that I started a group on Flickr called 365 Sketch to encourage others to attempt sketching daily. It is a pretty loose structured group as 365 is just the best case goal and anything in between is great too. Thanks for the tip on using a brush pen. I should have some Pitt brush pens around here somewhere to try out if they aren't dead. And maybe I will order the kind from Japan next time I make a Dick Blick order.

I will still be able to keep my shop updated daily.

Seven Things

first of the year
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Starting with the first new work of the year. Well, kinda. The prints aren't knew, but what I did with them is. This is something that I have been thinking about trying for some time now and I finally got to it. Printed on Japanese mulberry and then carefully glued to lightweight single ply shina blocks. They are ready to hang with a wire in back. Well?

Day:
1) bleetastic day, play with Moby Wrap
2) blog
3) pack and send orders
4) doctor sans stroller
5) Flickr/ list/ email catchup
6) photograph studio (it's a secret)
7) art experimentation

Week:
1) wear blee as much as possible
2) experiment with monotypes
3) walk / exercise 3-4 times
4) list on etsy every day
5) spend more quality time with Jon
6) get the ball rolling JP babywearers meetup
7) finish The Omnivore's Dilemma

Year:
1) lose twenty pounds
2) twenty pieces (ACEOs included) every month
3) challenge myself as an artist and as a mom
4) read (and finish) six books* (sigh, this is such a low number for me I have really gotten out of the habit)
5) be aware of and work to manage my moods
6) participate in an exhibit
7) take a class/ workshop

* Oprah's bookclub isn't really my style and baby books read to blee don't count







Here's some blee and some art for you. And I was on the homepage on Etsy Saturday night for about twenty minutes before my item sold. woot!

So, I did not print this weekend but that is alright. I ended up doing two spur of the moment carvings. Well, one was a sketch that I had been playing around with for months that I finally got out on wood. So no monotypes for me as planned. Jon is most likely going out on Tuesday night after we put blee down so that sounds like the perfect time for me to print. If I have the energy. If I don't it is okay for me to wait until Friday or the weekend.

Today was great in that we were able to visit a woman and try the two baby carriers that I am most interested. I loved them both, though I couldn't use the Ergo with her at all yet as she is too young. But I have a good feeling about that one in a couple of months. The Mei Tai was awesome! Plus she had the brand that I was leaning towards and that sealed it for me as soon as I got home I ordered it. With a yummy Klimpt inspired fabric in the center. It is custom made so I will have to wait about three weeks for it. I hate waiting but it is not like I am carrierless. The pouch is still awesome and will continue to be for awhile now. Really until spring most likely.

The seven things of the day have been a normal thing for me to do for a couple of weeks now. A weekly set sounds good too. And I have been working on one for the year as well. I consider that one to be a rough draft that I might add more specifics to later. I tried to not be too general as those tend to be harder to follow.

Keep Dreaming

Rapture in the Forest
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

So far so good with 2008. This year is going to be all about pushing myself further creatively. Breaking out of what is comfortable and playing with new materials and techniques. This started for me in December when I started getting into cut washi additions and is growing. I am hoping to play around with monotypes tomorrow but first I have a spur of the moment block to finish carving tonight. It is being difficult because the block is turning out to be all splintery during the clearing and I have to be really careful not to lose control of the blade. Normally shina is super easy to carve but sometimes it has weird spots. Oddly enough I had no problems with the other side. Adding to the problem I will most likely need to sand these areas so splinters don't get into the ink during printing.

I've gotten so into taking frequent process shots that I even made a new Flickr set to document them.

hmm... I have a bit of a problem. A growing and dangerous obsession actually. Babywearing. I loathe strollers. They are a pain to drag onto the T and so in the way, a nightmare in the snow and they just don't feel like me. I'm determined to walk to my doctors appointment on Monday wearing her strollerless (last time I went out I wore her and pushed the diaper bag in the stroller, much easier than having her in it) Early on I realized that I want to avoid using ours as often as possible. But I am no superwoman (at least not when it comes to strength) so I need carriers. The Baby Bjorn didn't last long due to blee's weight. It just isn't a comfortable carrier past 12 pounds. The ring sling I was given was great right after she was born but then she got fussy and didn't want anything to do with it or any other carrier. Plus, I really didn't know what the heck I was doing. The pouch (another handmedown gift) was interesting but the fleece was much too warm for late summer plus she got kind of lost in it. But by two months we were getting into it and now it is something I can't imagine being without I love it so much. But it won't last past winter for sure since what is so great about it now will render it useless when it warms up. Plus I want to be able to wear her on my back so I can get even more done while keeping her close to me. I have a Moby Wrap which I love when I can do a good wrap which is about half the time. But I am lazy and in a hurry most of the time and just stick her in the pouch. Back carry is doable in it but I don't feel skilled enough for that. So now I am trolling around this site trying to figure out what next. I spend way too much time going from site to site and getting more overwhelmed by the minute. I joined a mailing list and tomorrow am meeting up with a local babywearer to try two carriers that I am interested in. At first I scoffed at the women with their 10+ carriers but now I realize that I am quickly turning into one of those women!

This is why I have no money. At least they don't take up tons of space like all the strollers that some people seem to collect.

So, how is your year going?

Well, this made my day!

Cultivating the eclectic
Originally uploaded by foftychel

I was feeling pretty stressed out and awful yesterday, then I saw this and I smiled and then laughed for the first time in awhile.

Check out the statue next to it. Squirrel headed bride! Just another reason for me to love BirdNerd! Not only is she a talented artist, a sweet person but she is cute and funny. And of course she has great taste as well.

Thank you my dear!

When I get upset today I have found myself looking at it and my mood brightens. How can I feel bad when my art is on the other side of the country with such a lovely person with such a great sense of the eclectic.







I have a bunch of new ACEOs made and coming into my shop one by one so keep an eye out for them there and on Flickr. Lots of experimentation going on with these. It is great fun!

Officially Old!

My big strong girl
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Thanks blee. It happened, I just got back from asking our downstairs neighbor to turn their music down. They are having a karaoke new years party and it was loud. It isn't just because she is sleeping but I don't want loud music in general. I well on my way to becoming an old far. When the ball drops I hope to be asleep. I have no interest in celebrating or drinking. The last time I had a glass of wine I got a headache and champagne always went to my head.

Other than a brunch tomorrow we have no plans.

I have been doing a lot of art lately. I had a super productive couple of days a couple of days ago. That left me feeling very spent, hungover feeling actually. I have so much new work I haven't even come close to even scanning it all in. Much less uploading and listing it on Etsy. I just don't feel like doing much right now.



No actual resolutions for next year but I am hoping that I can be more positive as I have been feeling quite negative this year. It is a feeling that I want to fight.

Now to watch a sneak preview of the first episode of the new season of The Wire a week early. Then get ready for bed.

Happy New Year! Throw one back for me if you wish since I don't think I will be partying for a very long time.

Post-Christmas

Royalty
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Happy Thursday! Hope everybody had a nice Christmas. Ours started out nice and quiet but ended pretty poorly. It was great to be around family and not have to deal with a long stressful drive, just an easy hour and a half drive to RI to see my aunt and her family. But the visit ended stressful with blee totally freaking out. We are pretty certain that she is allergic to evergreens. Her first allergy. Neither one of us have allergies, but I have it in my family. She had been at there house before with no problems, the tree was the only difference. Normally when she gets upset we are able to help her. Feed her, change her or simply holding her will calm her. But the only thing that calmed her was leaving. We will talk to her pediatrician about it on Monday and hopefully confirm. She got spots on her forehead and that isn't a good sign that this was just a fluke. This isn't a huge deal since I have never had a real tree and Jon only had one once. But it probably means we will never be able to spend Christmas with them again.

And we are such dopes we took no pictures of her! They got a couple of shots that we are waiting on, but nothing by the tree. It just didn't occur to us until it was too late.

The best Christmas moment for me was going on a walk around their quiet woodsy area with wide streets with my aunt and uncle with blee strapped to me in her fleece pouch. She slept the entire way and eventually I took my over-sized orange hoodie and zipped it up completely over her, even her head. I looked hugely pregnant again and carrying very high. Wonder if this is what the woman in Siberia that had teh 17lb baby girl looked like before giving birth.

It was so nice that I wore her the same way during my trip to the doctor yesterday. It was the only thing that made the trip bearable. I didn't want to bring the stroller in the snow, but she needed a place to sit during the visit so I had no choice. I put the diaper bag in it. Sure enough I would be going along fine and then run into a poorly dug out patch of snow and have to pick up the stroller and carry it over. It actually wasn't a big deal with just the bag in it, but with her that isn't easy. And my back never hurt. And I just love being close to her. She was awake much of the trip home smiling up at me and looking around in wonder.

-

Much new art complete and getting uploaded and listed and even more being made. I'm getting ready for another big printing session this weekend. Weekends are really the only time for me to print. When she goes down at night during the week I have time, but am too tired.

Last Minute

Purple Locks
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Tomorrow is the last day to order for Christmas in the US and expect it to arrive by Christmas using 1st Class mail. Pickup is at 1pm so they must be placed no later than noon to give me time to package and get to the Post Box. Priority upgrades available.

It wasn't easy to find the energy, but once blee went down yesterday I printed until my 11pm cutoff (roughly). It is hard because she no longer wants to take naps during the day. If I am lucky she will go down just long enough for me to shower in one and eat in another. That's it. Mostly she just wants to be played with and held constantly.

While I love this close bonding it is tiring. But I insisted on working and now I have a pile of pieces to scan in and a bit of a mess in my studio.

Other than maybe some paper cutting during down time no art today other than scanning and cleaning. Mostly I want to focus on her and cleaning up the house when I can. I can actually do quite a bit around the house while wearing her, especially with the Moby Wrap. But I don't know what was wrong with me but yesterday I kept messing it up.

These three pieces will go up in my shop today. I have gotten into a habit of setting seven things that I need to do above all else each day, switching one in and replacing it with something different daily. For example since I printed yesterday that won't be on my list today. I think keeping as much of a routine as I can is important to my health. That includes going to bed before midnight every night. I shoot for 11 but have a hard time making it. For me it isn't just about getting a good amount of sleep but sticking to a schedule or my brain goes haywire.