I used to be anti-Instagram. Mostly because everyone else was using it and I can get all "well if everyone likes something I'm going to hate it". I make my life difficult sometimes.  But I also didn't like it because I LOVE Hipstamatic and viewed Instagram as some sort of rival app. Again, I make life difficult.

But I finally came to my senses and realized instagram is a really cool social media app for sharing photos and seeing what others are up too. To me it sort of completes the twitter short-140 character update idea; with Instagram you get one photo showing someone's life at that moment.  Very cool.

I mostly share photos of what I'm working on or photos of me harassing my cats.

You should follow me. :) My username is staunchstudio.

Happy Easter everyone and enjoy your holiday weekend!

That's what the cashier at Goodwill said to me when I checked out. The other books were around a dollar so I guess she thought the extra .97 cents would shock me or something.  Actually I was shocked that I got all 4 of these books so cheaply!

I love old books. The smell, the formality of language is different, and I always wonder who owned these books before me.  What were they like, why did they buy this book? Especially the one below, The Conquest of Disease by Thurman Rice.

The Governor's Daughter is described as an "engaging and exciting story about the lovely, spirited daughter of the Royal Governor of New York Colony who undertook a daring venture to aid her country - and who lost her heart to a man as bold and proud as she!" I do not read love stories but the cover got me I have to admit it.

And then there's Theodor Storm's Imensee. It's in German and I don't speak German but I'm 95% German so I bought it. What? ;)

What a random selection! I don't know how I'm going to incorporate them into my artwork but they were bought with the purpose of making art so I'm sure I'll figure something out.  Any suggestions? Of course I won't be touching the German book because one of my many ancestors named Johannes or Wilhelm will probably haunt me in my dreams if I scribble over the German written word. :) 

I've been wanting to make a zine for awhile but didn't know how to go about it until I read online about a mini zine, basically a cleverly folded piece of paper. This video shows you how to fold the paper:

But what to put in it? I remembered back in high school how I'd photocopy images of paintings and pin the photocopies on my walls at home. Weird I know but I thought I'd do something similar for this zine, so I made some mini paintings and photocopied them. 

I'm also very proud of the image on the cover, it's from an old photo I found that belonged to my grandmother. :) I made 50 copies so if you'd like one please send me your name and address to my email staunch@staunchstudio.com.  This first volume is free because my folding skills were not up to par and also I learned some things along the way that will make my second volume better. 

Have you made any zines and what were your experiences?

So yeah, it's been several months since I've posted on this blog.  Blogging intimidates me, I mean what do I say? And why would I think anything I have to say is interesting to you all? But I need to get past that I suppose so here begins my 1000th attempt at regularly blogging. I'm setting a reasonable goal of one post a week to get back in the groove.  I've tried it before and it hasn't worked but I'm stubborn as hell so maybe it will work this time. :)

This post will be super easy on me and you-my submission to the Twitter Art Exhibit, which is being run by the amazing David Sandum. You can read more about the exhibit and the charity it's supporting in this blog post.  Lots of wonderful artists are participating and it was cool to have such awesome vibes surrounding this painting as I worked on it. 

I decided to call the painting "Instantly New".  I've become obsessed with sanding away everything on a painting right now. 

I love old movies, especially silents and films made in the 1930’s.  I rarely watch anything “recent”, although I do want to see “The King’s Speech” because it looks amazing and well-acted.  Also, Colin Firth=yummy. 

I would have been in my glory in the 30’s with those fabulous clothes, art deco designs, and handsome men in fedoras and suits with suspenders.  Yes, I have a thing for suspenders. And fedoras. And cufflinks. Basically any man that looks like Cary Grant works for me.

This collage was inspired by the smokey, film noir classic “Gilda” starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.  My barcode collages (like this one) are simple linear pieces and I usually don’t have a plan when I’m picking the papers out-I just go with what I’m feeling at the time.  And this time I was feeling like a femme fatale.

Lapo Elkann, grandson of Gianni Agnelli, is quite the dandy.  I love Lapo because he's so unique and does his own thing.  But his outfits-I mean look at what he's wearing. Love him!

Seriously, who else could pull this off?  The second outfit really inspired the painting below, I love the fuchsia/raspberry pinks paired with dark blue and a touch of mint green.  Of course I had to name this painting after it's namesake, I'd love Lapo to see this. Hmmm.......

And the painting is available here :)

I remember hearing somewhere that a “self-taught” artist (i.e. no formal training) shouldn’t make excuses for being self-taught-if you’re an artist, you’re an artist.  In fact some would argue it’s a positive thing that these people are untouched by academic theories and biases.  I will say however that as a self-taught artist I often feel lost in the art world.  How do I get my art out there?  What style do I fall under?  Am I looking at the right websites?  How do I find exhibition opportunities?  And of course the biggie in my life- Why does my art suck so badly?

Looking at these questions, I realize I have a lot of fear I need to deal with.  I can’t tell you how envious I am of artists who have no fear and put themselves out there warts and all.  It must be a liberating and awesome feeling.  I’d like to know that feeling.  So I bought this book, Art and Fear, in the hopes that it helps me learn to deal with what’s holding me back in my art career.  I’ll report back with my thoughts when I’ve finished reading.

But now I want to know how you deal with your fear.  Do you have a mantra or have you read a helpful book? What gets you past the voice in your head that stops you from moving forward?

Art House Co-Op is based in Brooklyn, NY and focuses on creating “massive, international art projects that tie thousands of artists together”.  I’ve participated in 3 of their projects and enjoyed all of them but this particular one, the Sketchbook Project, was definitely the most difficult.

For one, I procrastinated to practically the last minute before the book was due.  Procrastination is a big problem with me and yet I always do it.  Did I really need to organize my cd’s? No, but I took an afternoon (and part of an evening because I have OCD) to do that instead of drawing.  The other reason it was so difficult is because I don’t really keep a sketchbook.  I have an idea, paint it directly on the wood, and if it works, I share it with everyone.  If it doesn’t, I get out the gesso and start over.

So to have this sketchbook’s blank pages staring at me was unnerving.  Thankfully, my theme was lines and grids so I felt a little more comfortable once I picked up my ruler.  After awhile though I ran out if ideas and still had a good chunk of the book to fill.  I remember the project leaders saying if the book is not completed, it was okay and to send the book anyway.  But sending an uncompleted sketchbook would admit defeat and I would not be defeated.  (As well as having OCD I’m also incredibly competitive).  So I picked up my sharpies, thought for a few minutes, put them down and turned on Turner Classic Movies.  Hey, I’m not missing Charlie Chaplin!

The next day I got serious and started coming up with ideas and by the end of the process, I realized the importance of a sketchbook. If I drew something but wasn’t totally sure about it, I could try again on the next page and maybe come up with something very cool and unexpected. Moral of the story is I will definitely keep a sketchbook from now on.

Here are a couple of pages. You can also check out some more of my sketches on flickr.