Clip Art - Literally

So today I needed a clip for a packet I was compiling for a client and as I pulled the container of clips from the cabinet I saw the black and silver gems in an entirely new light.  Even the most mundane things, such as metal clips, can take on symmetry and grace.   I decided to do an exercise, dumping the clips onto my worktop and letting art happen.  I snapped pictures along the way, taking advantage of two different lighting sources.

I encourage you to try this exercise.  Make it a point to look at everything today in a new light. Seek out ways to make the ordinary, well, extraordinary.  What was just a simple pile of clips this morning became much more.  Try the exercise with just anything you encounter during your day.  Rely on as few different components as possible.  For example, I didn't use anything other than clips.  

What may seem like a simple exercise may just open your eyes to the amazing possibilities around you.  See it.  Create it.

Here they are, the clips that inspired.

I began clipping them end to end.

Their utility as clips begins to fade and the grace in their form begins to appear.

Another perspective.

 

Other shapes.

Vintage Newsprint - Art as Promotion

So, you have finally realized that you are an artist and you want to get the word out about the awesome work that you do. How do you afford the printing cost of business cards and promotional material without selling your mom's Buick without her permission (never advised)? Think outside the box and do the unexpected. I was rummaging around in our utility area and I came across old newspaper clippings that my wife's grand parents and great aunt had saved. Names and faces that meant something to them. Articles about when to clean your percolator, what to do if your cattle seemed sluggish, and the latest straw hats available for just $3.00. Marriages, deaths, and updates from the front lines of WW II. These yellowed and brittle glimpses into the past sparked my imagination. I cut a few articles and placed them on various papers I had around from other projects. I began to do some stamping and distressing and soon realized I could make some pretty amazing art and slices of history which could server two purposes. First, the vintage newsprint is re-purposed and can live free from the box in the utility room. Second, I can promote the blog by creating unique bookmarks. I could just as easily have made postcards.  I made a few business cards just to see what they would look like. See for yourself. See it. Create it.

As always, hover of the slideshow and click to stop it and then use the arrows to move at your own pace if it moves too quickly. It generally does (and is beyond my control - my apologies).