A Little Colored Pencil Love

I have a set of Prismacolor colored pencils that I love to use. Once I realized how rich their colors are, and how smooth they go onto the paper compared to the colored pencils I used as a child, I haven't used any other brand. When it comes to these pencils, however, I don't love them all equally. My favorites are about 10 vintage Prismacolors that I got from my mom. Like an old stuffed animal which is loved ever more with wear and tear, I find the many dents, dings, and stains on them part of their history of use/love, and part of their charm. I enjoy looking at them- to me they are like a work of art themselves.


I also love the typography on these old pencils. The font is quite unique, and art-nouveau looking. I am certain that it was chosen with care. I actually have Prismacolors stamped with three different manufacturer names, Eagle, Berol, and Sanford. Eagle was the original manufacturer of Prismacolors. In 1969, they changed their name to Berol while expanding their brand. After 1995, they were bought out, and the name changed to Sanford. (More info here.) The typeface on these newer pencils is boring in comparison. Sometimes, I am afraid to use the vintage pencils, because I know I will be sad when they are used up. The newer Prismacolors make beautiful color on the paper as well as the old ones, but it just isn't the same to me.

I also wanted to write about another artist who is inspired by the colored pencils themselves. Jennifer Maestre makes incredible sculptures using colored pencils. She creates fascinating forms that beg to be touched!

Heatwave (above)

Aurora (below)

If you are interested in seeing more of her incredible work, visit her website, at http://www.jennifermaestre.com/. She also sells smaller urchin pieces and colored pencil jewelry in her Etsy store at jenmaestre.etsy.com.

*images used by permission*

Soap Factory $99 sale

The Soap Factory is a unique contemporary art gallery in Minneapolis. Their fall fundraiser, the $99 Sale, is fast approaching. The $99 Sale consists of many 5x7" artworks donated by various artists- known and unknown. Sale attendees may purchase any piece for $99, however, they cannot know the maker of the piece until after purchase. This years pre-sale and party is scheduled for September 19th, and the open admission sale is the morning of September 20th. Anyone in the Minneapolis area should go check it out, and support a local arts institution. While you're there, see if you can pick out which piece I made :)

For more details on the $99 Sale, visit http://www.soap99.com/

On the front page of Etsy

It's been a while since my last post. I've had a bit of a "computer vacation." Sometimes you just have to give your eyes some time away from the screen. I have some very exciting news to report though: last week I had a painting make it to the front page of Etsy! This very fine treasury by shavingkitsuppplies featured a variety of figural profiles including this self-portrait of mine.

(hmm, three treasury posts in a row... I'll try to not be so redundant in the future. )

Etsy Treasury

Today I got a treasury spot in Etsy, I made a treasury featuring light colored items, including several porcelain pieces, and some of my favorite artworks. It happens to be my birthday, so you could buy me one of these items... or help me bring this treasury to the front page by viewing it and clicking on the items here :)

I'm in a treasury

My work has been featured in an Etsy treasury curated by the Buddha Builder. This treasury will be up for one more day. To check it out, click this link.

Uptown Art Fair, Minneapolis

Yesterday I visited the Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis. This is one of my favorite fairs to go to every year. I haven't been at a point where I've been prepared to apply to show there yet, but perhaps I'll be ready in a couple years. (I think I should get some smaller fairs under my belt first!) This very popular fair is juried, and has a lot of strict requirements to get in, such as you can only sell one kind of work- they don't want your booth to be a mish-mash of different media. If you apply as a pair, all your work shown needs to have been worked on collaboratively. Also, you are not allowed to sell mass-produced work from your booth.

As I walked around, I noticed that I walked right by some of the artists I found especially intriguing last year. If their work looked too much the same, it lost it's appeal to me. Their booths were still busy though, because, of course, there were people seeing their art for the first time. (It is also possible that some people come specifically to see them every year as well.) I don't know whether the artists that caught my eye this year were new to the fair, or if their art had changed from previous years.

My art changes all the time, and I have so many different series of work that look nothing like each other. Perhaps from a selling standpoint, I am too much at the opposite end of the spectrum. There is something to be gained by having people be able to see your work and recognize it as yours (as well as the fact that if a certain style proves to be popular, there are always more people who haven't seen it before). I don't know if my work has this recognizable quality yet, or whether it will ever develop it. I think that is something that is challenging to know about your own work. I can generally recognize a piece by Giacometti or Modigliani, but they both had very distinctive styles that are similar in the majority of their work. On the other hand, I can also usually recognize a Picasso or a Matisse, both of whom worked in a variety of dissimilar styles, which, over time I have learned to associate with them.

At any rate, it is a thought that will probably be running through my head for a while: is there enough similarity between my different styles to be recognizably mine? Does it matter?

Finally, a list of the artists I found most inspiring at this year's Uptown Art Fair:

Signe and Genna Grushovenko (painting)- If I had enough money, I would have bought one of their fantastic pieces on the spot!

Mary Burger (photography)- her photographs are ready to hang, and have a fantastic, textured surface that you really have to see in person. I would love to have some of her work as well!

Ann Wood and Dean Lucker (mechanical pictures)- these were so intriguing and original!

Amy Arnold (woolen creations)- how could you not love her fantastic "peepwool"

Andy Fletcher (paintings)- I love his minimalist landscapes!

Michael Bond (etchings)- I always appreciate the work that goes into intaglio printmaking! I also love the coloring he has added to several of the prints.

And finally, Andrew Johnson (stitched art)- his little whimsical stitched pieces are very charming! (One has found a home with us.)

Sneak Peek

I've had my colored pencils out again, and I'm working on a completely new series of layered drawings. Soon I will offer them for sale on SarahThole.etsy.com, but for now, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at the process and how they look.