myodalisque

Art vs. Craft

2011-12-30T08:15:00.009-06:00

Another year, another Art vs. Craft! Art vs. Craft is an independent craft fair held annually in Milwaukee. I love this event because I usually create small-scale, quick, fun work. This year I sold block printed tea towels and some chipboard prints. I always share my booth with the talented Erin Paisley-Stueber.

My stuff:

Erin's merch:

In Progress:

STEAMROLLER

2011-12-30T07:56:00.008-06:00

And update from this past summer:

On June 25th, I got to help coordinate and particpate in an event called Steamroller, a joint fundraiser for Danceworks and RedLine Milwaukee. Particpating artists did large scale woodblocks that were inked-up and printed in the street with a steamroller! The prints were then auctioned of in the RedLine gallery.

Here are some images from the event:

My block, in progress. 48 x 48", this was the largest woodcut I have ever done!

Detail:

Blocks, lined up to print:

Steamroller:

Pulling giant prints:

My finished print in the gallery "Three Hares":

Pulp Possibilities

2011-03-03T16:31:00.002-06:00

Pulp Possibilities opens this weekend at RedLine Milwaukee. The reception is Friday March 4th 6-8pm and will feature demos and hands-on paper making activities. I will also be helping coordinate a drop-in workshop the next day involving creating and printing on handmade papers .

This is a group show of RedLine resident artists and staff/community members (that's me!), and each piece involves handmade paper elements created in our paper making studio, which opened last year. The show was curated by RedLine mentor artists Tori Tasch and Dara Larson . It is a BEAUTIFUL show and I can't wait to share some images of the work, but I'm waiting until after the opening. For now, here is a sneak peak of my piece in the show titled "Bag Worm".

A bag worm is a type of moth that forms a case from it's surrounding vegetation. Most varieties of female bag worms never leave their cases.

For this piece I used relief print on handmade paper, and some of the pieces of paper were cast wet directly into the relief block creating an embossed effect.

Art of the Table

2011-01-22T11:41:00.002-06:00

Some shots from Art of the Table -an event hosted by the Milwaukee Art Museum ithis past November. Artists and designers were asked to create tabletop displays inspired by different rooms in the permanent collection. Tera and myself did a table for Anthro and were assigned the Renaissance Treasury.

Handmade Meaning

2011-01-22T10:39:00.008-06:00

In December I installed this piece for a show called "Handmade Meaning - the value of craft in Victorian and contemporary culture" at the James Waltrous Gallery in Madison, WI. The show showcased many contemporary Wisconsin artists and crafters interspersed with Victorian arts and craft pieces. My piece was from the "Rat King" trypdych that I first installed in 2008 at Paper Boat Boutique and Gallery in Milwaukee.

The piece is a collage of relief printed cut-outs. The rats on the wall had to be re-printed for the installation. So much has changed in the past three years. In 2008, because of my studio circumstances the rats had to each be hand printed with a barren using water based inks. Now I get to use the facilities at RedLine- printing with a press with so many inks to choose from (I still had to use water-based to emulated the look of the original framed piece.)

The original Installation at Paper Boat:

Handmade Meaning runs until February 6th.

(Handmade Meaning photos by Monica Gorko)

New Blog!

2010-11-21T15:37:00.003-06:00

The master plan is to use this space for my art, crafts and inspiration.

Here is the mural I did for the Temporary Mural Project at Sky High in Bayview this past Fall:

Relief print cut-outs and paste on wood.

Rats

2008-10-04T14:42:00.003-06:00

From my show at Paper Boat Boutique and Gallery:

The show runs October 3- November 23rd
The reception will be October 17th (gallery night) 7-10pm

Hope to see you there!

Beautiful Window

2008-09-14T17:07:00.003-06:00

This is a window display at Urban Outfitters in Milwaukee done by my friend Amy Soczka. Amy has a great blog (that she actually updates) and an etsy shop. I'm lucky enough to own one of her beautiful pillows.

My hands hurt just thinking about how much work she must have put into this. I love that UO are commissioning windows from local artists- and I hope they continue to do so! I've loved the ones I've seen so far.

Poketo/ Handmade Nation Art Auction

2008-06-15T08:31:00.005-06:00

If you happen to be in LA...

The transformation of a Kitteh

2008-06-01T06:24:00.011-06:00

portrait of my friend's cat Otis:

Watercolor and thread

2007-12-15T12:59:00.000-06:00

By Lisa Solomon

Guess what!

2007-11-30T12:17:00.000-06:00

Come see me at Art vs. Craft #7!

Mr and Mrs Ostrich

2007-11-03T13:53:00.001-06:00

Don't they look so majestic and crabby?!

You can see Mr and Mrs. Ostrich and 13 of their closest friends at the Art Bar November 9th- December 27th for the show "Tiny Art at Tiny Prices".

I'm bad at blogging.

2007-10-07T10:07:00.000-06:00

Let's just admire some greatness by Alexander McQueen:

Etsy Poster Contest

2007-08-22T11:16:00.000-06:00

I really wish I could have participated in this poster contest on etsy but alas- that was the week my home internet connection was down and I totally missed out. But I still love looking at all the entries! Each "curator" had to pick sixteen items for sale on etsy that complimented each other. The winning combos are being printed on promotional posters for the site that will be handed out at craft fairs. These are my favorite from the winning 60 designs:

by Emmalynne

by InseineCreations

by ergodesign

by TillyBloom

by skullknocker

No Words...

2007-07-27T10:26:00.000-06:00

words cannot describe how I feel about this Bottega Veneta dress.

Little People

2007-07-19T10:34:00.000-06:00

Check out this blog which documents a street art project described as "tiny hand-painted people, left in London to fend for themselves."

arts.n.crafts

2007-07-11T08:14:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures of our booth from art vs. craft #6:

Happy sellers- me and Erin

Erin's goods.

A close-up of her porcelain fossil brooches.

My swans.

My display.

art vs. craft

2007-06-23T10:27:00.000-06:00

these craft fairs really sneak up on me! I'm going to be at Milwaukee's own art vs. craft fair July 7th and 8th at MSOE selling my birdie plaques so stop by! Milwaukee's The Little Friends of Printmaking designed a great poster for the event, which I'm sure will be for sale. This time around they are incorporating live music with the fair- Calvin Johnson will be there on Saturday at 6:30. Pretty sweet!

Flickr Find: Incredible Printmaker!

2007-05-02T14:02:00.000-06:00

Woodcut print by Jenny Pope.

These prints are too incredible. She prints in reductive woodcut, similar to the style I used on my bee and dead bird prints. I don't know much about her, but some e-sleuthing linked me to her profile page on the Ithaca Fine Chocolates Art Bar website.

Check out more of her work on her flickr page.

More fan art

2007-04-30T09:37:00.000-06:00

This one's from Erin...

Totally made my day.

I made it!

2007-04-23T08:23:00.000-06:00

My show opening at A-hem was so much fun! Now it's time for some serious business: serious printmaking business.

I just ordered a ton of linoleum to work on a new suite this summer (top secret!) that will hopefully be stellar enough to approach a gallery. Also, there's the real business to tend to, finding funding for the studio. I get nervous just thinking about it.

little paper planes

2007-04-18T21:15:00.000-06:00

The awesome blog Bloesem tipped me off to the online artist's gallery and store Little Paper Planes. This site really sparked my interest because of the quality of the work and a lot of it really appeals to my sense of aesthetic (that is- a little on the creepy side). I had to keep myself from blowing some serious bucks on the prints. Here are some examples from the site that I like, the fisherman print seriously makes me weak in the knees!

Daria Tessler

Jillian Tamaki

Rachell Sumpter

Daniel St. George

Boo on April

2007-04-12T10:14:00.000-06:00

Snow?! It isn't supposed to be this way.

Eek Design

2007-04-09T10:59:00.000-06:00

My good friend Erin at Eek Design has finally updated her etsy shop! And what an update it is! Erin is an impeccable crafter and designer and has an eye for quality and presentation. When Erin and I do craft fairs together I have a hard time not buying half her stock, check it out:

Featuring famous hand model: ME

Tiny Portrait Show

2007-04-08T11:11:00.000-06:00

Well, it's Easter Sunday and I didn't get a basket, but I still put on my Easter dress despite the fact that it is 31 degrees outside in April. It doesn't matter anyway because I'm staying in today to paint and prepare for my show at A-Hem! Here's the flier:

(click to make bigger)

If you live in the area, please feel free to come by on gallery night for refreshments, April 20 7-11pm. The entire show are these plaque paintings that I've been doing for the art vs. craft fairs. They are reasonably priced and all very different.

SGCKCMOPIX

2007-04-01T11:57:00.000-06:00

Pictures I took at the SGC conference in Kansas City can be seen on my flickr page if anybody is interested. I don't have much to say except that it was totally awesome. The coordinators this time did an excellent job and Kari and I took full advantage of the offerings. Our days were filled with panels, discussions, demos, and I think we went to every gallery opening on the list. We also got to spend Sunday wondering around the city, and I reacquainted myself with some old friends:

Fan Art

2007-03-28T09:17:00.000-06:00

How awesome is this?

Not only does James write hilariously awful jokes, but he also told me that he was basically artistically trained by the masters! Sometimes, I love my day job.

SGC 2007 March 21-25

2007-03-19T20:29:00.000-06:00

I'm incredibly excited to visit my old stomping grounds (Kansas City) for the 2007 Southern Graphics Printmaking Council Conference. It's a big hoopla where printmakers from all over get together and network, have panel discussions, seminars, technique demos, gallery shows, print exchanges and a big product fair. I'm going to nerd it up with my good friend Kari, and hopefully we'll aquire the knowledge and motivation we need to really move forward with our studio idea (that's the idea anyway).

Everyone who is an SGC member gets to take part in a general print exchange where you make twelve prints and get ten prints in return at random. The other two are kept for the KCAI and SGC collections. This years theme is Cartography and I was way excited because instead of doing a regular print format, all the prints will be folded into pamphlets (part of the requirments for a true print exchange is that everyone participating must create prints in the same size and format). For my print I did a simple three color screen print using my old-timey bird portrait idea, only this time I made the birds into sailors with compass roses. I used this really sweet gold ink that I've never printed with before, because Darryl from MIAD is awesome.

I'll update when I get back next Monday with pics of all the fun!

A day late... BUT

2007-03-18T10:22:00.000-06:00

Good luck charms from Olivia Moon's Etsy Shop.

South Shore Park

2007-03-16T21:38:00.000-06:00

Tuesday reached a balmy 68 degrees in Milwaukee so that called for some major park frolicking with my friends Morgan, her dog Canoe, Erin, and her son Eli.

Nancy Loeber

2007-03-12T14:24:00.000-06:00

Today I came about the blog of Nancy Loeber, a printmaker, collage and book artist. I really like how delicate and versatile her stuff is. Check it out.

Hard at work

2007-03-08T11:24:00.001-06:00

A peak into my studio, where I'm painting bird plaques for the next Art vs. Craft (July 7th 2007!).

More crazy hats from Paris fashion week.

2007-03-06T14:00:00.000-06:00

These are from John Galliano. His show of vintage-like Parisian characters is nothing short of amazing. Check out the entire thing!

Gaultier Headpieces

2007-03-02T11:10:00.000-06:00

I thought these fowl inspired hats were the best part about Jean Paul Gaultier's fall collection.

Photo's by style.com.

Feedsack Fabric

2007-03-01T14:14:00.000-06:00

Love Forever has a great piece today about feedsack fabric, something that I previously knew nothing about (growing up in the suburbs without a crafty grandma around). I have a gorgeous feedsack skirt with vintage hand-made lace from rural Wisconsin creators blindhen and it is probably my most prized piece of clothing. I love this bit of American textile history, if only more companies (and consumers) today put that kind of thought into the life of a product's packaging.

Jeana Sohn

2007-02-25T11:06:00.000-06:00

While I've been trying to figure out how to cover these terrible sponge painted panels in my dining room (my landlord won't let me paint over them) I went from looking at temporary wallpapers to looking at ideas for decorative mural art. How amazing would it be to have a room filled with Jeana Sohn's decorative arts style? Her pieces are actually really tiny (not really meant for murals) but totally captivating nonetheless. She even has a blog!

Trance-orange

2007-02-22T11:49:00.000-06:00

Something truly original and unusual from deviantart artist Lauren Albert. Check out her gallery.

Mixxxxxx covers

2007-02-21T15:28:00.000-06:00

Making mixes for my friends has to be one of my favorite time-wasting activities ever. I also really enjoy making the covers by hand, even though I have all the digital capabilities to make a professional looking cover. It's just way funner to break out the glue sticks and colored paper. The first cover I made for my friend Becky in Tennessee, for her birthday on Valentines day. All the songs are about birds, or have birds in the titles somehow. The paper is a scrap of a print I made.

The second is just a mix of all Decemberists songs from their various albums and EP's. It's for my friend Kari who has (somehow) not heard the Decemberists until very recently, and wanted to hear more. I'm glad I made this because I rediscovered how great The Tain album is. If you like the Decemberists, and haven't heard this, you really need to check it out. It's a five song suite based on cycles in Celtic mythology. So beautiful!

Unconventional Lace Sightings

2007-02-19T22:43:00.000-06:00

Lace fence by Demakersvan.

Lace bike baskets from Design House Stockholm.

Lace chairs by Gamplus Fratesi.

Lace bugs.

I think I'm in Love.

2007-02-18T11:51:00.000-06:00

Design*Sponge tipped me off to Christopher Silas Neal, a wonderful New York based designer and illustrator.

Friday shopping

2007-02-16T11:36:00.000-06:00

Well, I haven't even received my tax refund and I'm already on a rampage of careless spending... well, maybe not so careless. Stuff I NEED, right? Check out my new quilt!

Happy Valentines Day!

2007-02-14T11:24:00.000-06:00

Check out these beautiful vintage postcards from flickr member riptheskull!

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

2007-02-13T15:54:00.000-06:00

I recently watched "The Adventures of Prince Achmed", a film by German animator Lotte Reiniger from 1926 made completely of paper cutouts. It is absolutely gorgeous and I recommend it to anyone who loves silhouette art and/or vintage animation. I rented it through netflix.

NY fashion week favorites

2007-02-12T17:50:00.000-06:00

The above picture is Vlada Roslyakova wearing at headscarf from Vera Wang

I created a "look book" at style.com to document my favorite looks from NY fashion week. Check it out.

My favorite shows were Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Vera Wang, Temperley and Luella.

I love collecting looks from the shows. It's like my virtual paper dolls.

Valentine Secret

2007-02-11T14:25:00.000-06:00

Post Secret has some Valentines up this week. This one was my favorite. I don't know.

It just really gives me the chuckles.

vintage me, circa 1985

2007-01-25T14:53:00.001-06:00

IMG_4032, originally uploaded by misskimweiss.

I'm moving to blogger just because it's easier. I'm getting too old for all the cutting and pasting.

So, hello!

things you should know about me:

-I love old things and old souls.
-I love America's small cities.
-I don't have any pets but I love yours.
-I'm working towards starting my own business.
-This blog isn't for any audience, it's just for me to save things I like, or want to remember.