Rodrigvitz Style

Studio Friday, the Color Wheel

This week's topic for Studio Friday, November 16th suggested by espialdesign: COLOUR WHEEL!

"The color wheel always offers some interesting parameters...like monochromatic (1 color), complimentary colors (opposite each other on the color wheel), and analogous colors (neighboring colors).
Find things in your studio that reflect one of these color schemes."
- espialdesign

Scavenger hunting...I went...looking for things in the studio that I happen to be working on...with... and tied them to the color wheel.  These Spirit Houses and the wonderful vintage looking postcard from Spain to illustrate complimentary colors.

The ochers, creams, yellows, coppers and rusts of another vintage-y postcard and beads to show analogous colors....

The color wheel ala rodrigvitz style....

Studio Friday, Orange!

I haven't participated in Studio Friday for some time and when I saw this weeks topic:

Since Halloween is fast approaching, and it's fall, let's focus on the color orange.
-Espialdesign

I thought....oh my....with Halloween and Fall in full swing here-abouts, our blue skies just set off those golden tones, marigolds, pumpkins and sugar skulls.

All those shades of orange that just knock me over....the new banner I just posted...

 

The muted orange glow of the street lamp under a canopy of golden leaves at dusk...

Neighbors putting out their seasonal treats...

Big Blue Rooster sayin' you gonna carve this thing or what?

Crisp evenings with a hint of what's to come....hope you enjoyed the colors of our Colorado fall.

Studio Friday, My Map...Where am I Going Anyway?

Photo of a Bamboo Forest by Tess....

Topic this week for Studio Friday is My Map...as in mapping your true desires, destiny, creative future...where am I going??  Monica explains so nicely here.

I do believe that if we put our truest wishes out there...to the universe...they will come to be.  The hard part is articulating just exactly what those wishes are.  Be careful what you wish for....

For instance, my dream day/life would be enjoying a leisurely cup of Chai with Ellen and Kevin at the local coffee shop, then taking a long bike ride followed by time spent making art in my studio....oh yea, that new one I spoke about here....lots of time for travel and reading.  But I would not, at this time, want to lose my job and have travel be 'riding my bike to the unemployment office' and reading be 'the TC want ads'.  I need to fully understand what it is that I seek before throwing it out there to the universe.

I believe you need to do the prep work though, be prepared when those little opportunities present themselves...the ones that may lead to fulfilling those mapped out dreams and wishes.

Also taking advantage of opportunities, being spontaneous....inviting those possibilities that may bring joy and creative energy into your life.  I am doing that very thing...TODAY!...

my birthday (if truth be told!)...sailing right on past that half century mark...

winging my way, just a HOP, skip and a jump over there!!  Oh yea.....

Studio Friday, Summer Afternoon

This week's topic for Friday August 24th suggested by Lauren: SUMMER AFTERNOON!

What does a "summer afternoon" mean or feel like to you....?

A bike ride....along my very favorite route that I wrote about here.  All summer, on our weekend rides, we have watched a mother bald eagle nesting in a perch along the rode.  This past Sunday, the 'babies' are trying out their wings.

As we stopped to watch them, others stopped....

Mr R....AKA, the bird whisperer....took these beautiful action shots. 

The last... after 'whispering'...looking eye to eye.

Studio Friday, Fave Item...Inspiration

This weeks topic.....Fave item in your studio/craft space- why do you love it and how does it inspire you (art or journal+ photo)?
-Lauren

Well, I realized more than a favorite object that I have been inspired by lately, it has been a concept.....of house, the protection and support of home and family....neighborhood, community.  I've been working in the studio, creating a body of work for the upcoming Studio Tour and see a definite theme going on here.

A neighborhood of Spirit Houses...each holding some special, protective feeling...a moment. 

I made these little house cards to present the Spirit Houses on....I was searching for the right words to accompany these little pieces when I checked my email and saw that eb... one of those 'women of the perfect sentiments'... had left the most lovely of comments on my blog.

Again....an act of community....that 'neighborhood' of kindred spirits....that completes the work so perfectly.  Thanks eb for lending me your words!

Melly visiting the neighborhood....hey...watch the artwork please!!

OK....and now for the real story....Mr R. cracking up at my attempts to get Melly to 'pose'...

Behind the scenes here at the rodrigvitz style blog....or how she gets those pictures...

Studio Friday, Favorite Resource and Love'n the Mail

What is the most favourite resource you use to seek encouragement, understanding, enlightenment, inspiration, strength, to gain further knowledge or fun? Is it a book or a magazine, a quote, a website, a photo, another artist? How often do you turn to your source and at what point on your creative path?

Well YOU of course! What great timing Tine...as always!! for me.  I am always MOST inspired by the great creative talents/forces that I discover daily!!! here in the blogosphere.

I saw the piece on Michelle in the Arful Blogging magazine.  While adoring what I saw I didn't feel I could play too....why???  I DON'T KNOW!!!  So when I went visiting one of my VERY favorite places of inspiration....I thought...

I wanna play!!!  I think I CAN play....

I don't think I've gone off track here.....my very favorite resource for inspiration is YOU after all!  So come on...play!!!

Send me a comment that you'd like to have some Mail Art, email me your snail mail address....then send me some loving back!!!

Studio Friday, Color Yellow

This weeks topic from Michelle...
Even though I love shabby pastelly hues of pinks and robin's egg blues, I am still drawn to yellow. For me, yellow is epitome of summer and happy faces. Yellow is hot summer sun and mustard! Yellow just makes me happy and I wonder how other artists interpret this color.

Oh Michelle, yes, I agree!

The color yellow, orange-y yellows, deep orange yellows, soft butter yellows...  I love them all.  They bring to mind exotic, hot places, old spices and silks. The color I chose for my blog background, Tuscan sun yellow...maybe not my perfect yellow, but the only one typepad offers....so it will do.

Enjoy these images of yellow and what they bring to mind to me...

Soft, subdued, Mexican Talavera.....and old roses

 

 

Bright sunshine, singing birds and sunny dispositions....

Following the sun, every rich color of yellow...

Dia de los Muertos and all our memories of ancestors....

Casaba melon yellow, the color I chose for my home.  The warm, rich colors of summer.

How do you feel about yellow??

Studio Friday, Lookback

From Tine and Studio Friday,

They say don't ever look back nor dwell on things for too long, one is supposed to instead just move on, eyes straight ahead focused on one's goal.
BUT...here's the but... while it is certainly true to not look back and dwell on the negative events it is one of the best things one can do, to look back... but on the positive things and see how far you have come!!! On one of my Internet surfs I came across this simple truth on the Salad website written by Jamie Smart;

"The people who are happy and fulfilled measure their progress by comparing where they are against where they’ve come from. The people who are stressed and dissatisfied measure progress by comparing where they are against their ideals.
Just think about that for a moment.
The happy, fulfilled people look at how far they’ve come.
The unhappy, dissatisfied people look at how far they have to go to reach an ideal. "

So yes, big A-HA moment... let's do exactly this and take a look at what you started out with on your creative endeavor and all those magnificent things you have accomplished since then. I am sure you are in for a surprise and it will inspire you in a new way altogether.  So let's celebrate our accomplishments this Friday!!!

For me this is a very cyclical affair.  I seem to have come full circle with my creative endeavors, everything old is new again....so while I continue to grow creatively I pull from my past to get there and hopefully learn from the things that did not serve me well.  I think it's still important to have goals, to have that long view to reach for.

What creative accomplishments are you celebrating?

Studio Friday, Studio Summer Brunch

Studio Friday inspiration and a glimpse of things to come......

Summer time calls for a light snack for lunch. What is your favourite summer snack you treat yourself to in your studio while having a break from creating? Is it hearty or sweet, cold or warm? What are its colours? Is there a dream scenario you keep wishing for at times for a lunch, too? Do you have a favourite drink as well?

I do enjoy my leisurely summer lunches on the weekends.   Nothing says summer like cherries.  Last weekend at the  Farmer's Market there was a line....waiting to get the fresh, plump, organic cherries.  Really just 2 weekends and they are gone because of a freeze this spring on the western slope where Colorado's fruit is grown.....  So sweet and fleeting.  The grocery store will continue to have cherries, but they just don't taste quite the same as that first fresh, local summer crop. 

What is your favorite summer snack?

Studio Friday, Sp(a)ecial and Something SPECIAL!!

This weeks Studio Friday topic is Sp(a)ecial; I have a surprise...bonus topic at the end, so stick around!!

Take a look around your at your studio space...how much space do you have?
Take a look at your art...how does your space influence your art in any way? Do you create small or large art works? Do you see a parallel?
Take a look at your dream studio space (yippieh!)...what does it look like? What is the layout? Is it big or small? And most important of all: What art do you create in it? Will it be on a larger or smaller scale than before? And what can you do to get closer to your vision this week/month/year?


Don't you just LOVE typepad sometimes??  I cannot get the italics to go away!!! oh well, carry on..

Yes, I do believe that the size of my studio space(s) has a direct effect on the work I do.  Come along, I'll take you on a little tour (little being the operative word here) of my studio spaces.  Just around the corner here...


tucked away under the stairs is a little space I claimed as part of my studio space.

I have my sweet blue table that serves multi purposes as a fabric cutting station, mail dump, collage assemblage spot among other things.  I have a bit of storage in here that is bulging and overflowing.

Turn to the left and through that door is my other space.  I know that I am fortunate to have 2 dedicated spaces to work and spread out (as it were) in.

I didn't even straighten up for my guests, just thought I'd let you see it in it's normal state. I do create small little artworks and when I am sewing my bags and aprons and such things tend to get knocked around quite a bit.

Little Milagro beaded heart

Now I posted earlier of my dream studio.  But on further reflection I think this space I dreamt (is that the word??) of earlier would be a small works studio too.  I think I'd have to have a large, open, concrete floored space to really spread out and do some of the other larger, painted pieces  I'd love to do more of.

Ahhhh, I tricked it....back to plain font...ha..

So I was visiting one of my VERY favorite artist/blog's yesterday and discovered she had nominated me for the "thinking blogger" award!!!  I was seriously happy and really honored:) that she had done that.  It means a lot to me that she enjoys my blog since I really do love this whole little virtual world we all having going on here....anyway, so the rules are:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think!

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme or blog that you enjoy.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

This was was not an easy thing for me to do, pick 5 out of all the wonderful blogs I enjoy nearly everyday.  I am always searching through others favorite blog lists so I can discover more, special little gems that I didn't previously know existed.  So, anyway, I chose....

e.b. at Be, Dream, Play who consistently delights me with her beautiful world, her peaceful insightful demeanor and incredible art!

Ascender Rises for her unbelievable devotion to her blog and giving us peeks at her amazing, diverse art and words as well as links to so many wonderful related topics.

Kate Iredale for her all encompassing blog of artwork, world travels and special insights.

Risa, I have SO enjoyed getting to know this girl and getting a first hand glimpse at life in South America.  I anxiously await to see what adventure's she has when she moves back to the states.

Rochambeau is one of those newly discovered aforementioned delightful gems. She has just begun blogging and has already found such a fresh, new voice that I anxiously await watching her blog unfold.

Well there you go..... thank all of you above and all you others that give me such inspiration every single day!!