The Invite

The countdown to the Big Show continues with increasing speed!

Here is the invite I created for the upcoming Madison College Portfolio Show.
On April 28th at the Monona Terrace, 4:00-8:00 pm, not only will talented Graphic Design & Illustration students be showing off their best  work, the Photography, Visual Communications-Media Design, Animation-Concept Development, Architectural Technician and Interior Design graduates will be displaying their work as well. Come check it out!

So for the invite, it has a nice feel to it - like a canvas, but you will have to use your imagination for that.

Outside Back - teaser

The full effect

Front - closed

Panels open to reveal inside

 

Enjoy and have a great day!

A Preview of things to come

Portfolio class is in full swing and the countdown to the big show at Monona Terrace on April 28th is coming fast! I am finalizing my personal logo, finessing my resume and getting my business card ready for print.

Here is a sneak peek...

Have a great day!

Spring Promise

Yesterday, I took a little time off from preparing for class and went to the Garden Show at the Expo. It was a breath of fresh air - in several ways. First, I parked a few blocks away and the walk was invigorating, albeit a tad bit windy. I will gladly take these warmer temps and some wind though, any day!

Second, from the moment I stepped foot inside the Expo center, the smell or spring was there. Ahhhh -  fresh. Deep breath in.

Lastly, I just could not resist picking up a beautiful plant to help my spirit survive these February days. Call it a Valentine's Day gift to myself if you must! After last weeks crisis with having to buy a new mac - this is truly a treat!

Here is a peek at what I bought.

Hellebores - Spring Promise

I also tried a new technique with my camera. I had read in one of my photography magazines that if you like macro shots, but can't afford the pricey lens, try taking your standard (mine is a 35-80mm) off and reverse holding on the front. This messes with the others settings, but after some trial and error - this is what I got!

Have a sunny Valentine's Day!

Snow and cold...again.

These are the L O N G days of January and it is so easy to get caught up in the grayness of these cold, dreary days. Especially when the forecast includes a major snow storm to be followed by an arctic blast. Tempting to just hunker down all wrapped up in a blanket by the fireplace and wait for spring. But then you would miss out on the unique beauty that the Midwest offers this time of year. Glistening snowflakes, frost sculptures, vapor rising off the river early in the morning - natural works of art, that try as we might, are unable to capture or recreate.

But still, I keep attempting just that! Even though I know my camera and my skill can never record the intensity, vibrance, detail or even really convey the feeling of what I see, I give it my best shot after shot. Every once in a while I capture a photo that looks kind of cool, but still not nearly as amazing as the real thing. In a way, I think that is what makes it so beautiful, knowing that I really need to stop, look and enjoy the moment because it's only temporary. Tomorrow the canvas will be completely different and the one I see today will be gone forever.

Pretty deep - even for me!

I'll just post the pics that started this rambling train of thought, go make another pot of coffee, look out the window (my personal snow globe today :) and enjoy the beauty of the moment.

Have a great day!

Sweets on my mind

The holidays are over and the resolutions have been set - but my mind keeps drifting off (okay - speeding at 100mph) to sweets. Nothing in particular - just anything sweet. Could be chocolate, cookies, candy, cake... I can't stop thinking about them. It's proving to be quite challenging to get my work done, not to mention that it's blowing a major hole in my "get healthy in 2011" plan!

Here is a painting I did a while back showing what's on my mind. I was inspired by the artist Wayne Thiebaud and his amazing use of color.

If only they tasted as good as they look!

Vacation?

Ah... the classes are done, it's Saturday morning and I can sleep in without a care in the world.

Except for the fact that I wake before 6:30 (that's normal alarm clock time) and can't get back to sleep because the mind is already working. Thinking of ideas for the Portfolio invitation, new identity marks, how to revise my student work to be more "professional and integrated" - eeek! 

The only problem with this is it's once again COLD! 9 degrees to be exact. We do have heat and I turned on (so lame sounding) the fireplace, but it still just feels cold!

It made me think of this old guy - Big Blue - a watercolor painting I did for a color media class a few semesters ago. For some reason, I just love this painting. Perhaps it's the shaggy hair, or the fact he's blue! At the time, I was just choosing complimentary hues and stepping way outside the box of realistic coloring.
Today, however - I'm thinking some of those poor guys outside might just be turning blue!

I have off a good amount of time before school starts back up in January - and hopefully between now and then, I will enjoy some vacation time. But not quite yet! I still have some great ideas I've just got to get down on paper before I forget!

I pray you have a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year!

10 days - but who's counting!

First, it was years, then semesters, months, weeks - and now we are down to counting the days until my final class of the "back to school adventure"! It's hard to imagine what next semester will be like with my focus turned solely to portfolio preparation. Gasp! Granted, this is still technically a "class", but the grade at the end has a little more weight than any class assignment I've ever taken before

This Wednesday, the fall semester's portfolio students had their big Show at the Fluno Center in Madison. It was such a grand affair for several reasons. 1) Seeing fellow students and friends show off their best is exciting! 2) Madison College really knows how to put on a show! Carol and Mike did a great job of coordinating this event and the Fluno Center is beautiful. 3) Celebrating accomplishments with friends is the best. Watching them work so hard at finessing their work and then seeing them enjoy a night dedicated to this work is wonderful. 4) I also got a night away from home after 3 days with a sick child!

I remember the first Show I attended and being completely overwhelmed thinking - WOW! How did they do that? I still say WOW! - but thankfully, I now know a lot of the "hows" and am even more impressed because of that. I look forward to putting together my own personal best and celebrating with you when it's all done!

Until then - it's only 10 more days of home work!