To Grandmother's House We Go

My grandmother really does live over the river and through the woods.

While back for my recent trip to Iowa, I took the opportunity to do some more photo documentation of her farm. I've taken a few pics of it over the years. It really has changed. When I was a child there was a huge garden, a chicken coop, goats, and several more barns. But time has changed, and my grandmother is now 95 years young. She still gets around though, and in fact, to celebrate her 95 birthday last year she stayed up until dawn playing penny/nickel machine video poker at the casino (one of her favorite past times). However, as time marches on, it became more difficult to maintain the farm, so it has become more and more sparse. Addtionally, it has been an unusually warm winter in the midwest, so the farm absent of snow, had a really eerie, barren feel. Almost as if it were a cold desert with all the brown hues. Here are some pics from my afternoon walking around the farm and surrounding creek.

 

 

The Online "Dirty Face" of Organic Farming

I flew back to Iowa this week to develop the website for Dirty Face Creek Farm - the organic farm founded by Mike and Jessica Stutsman in 2005. I am happy to bee part of the team that is keeping the vision of "Dirty Faces, Clean Food" ongoing. You can view more about the farm and the hard work the folks are doing at:


www.DirtyFaceCreekFarm.com

Occupy Valentine

I was commissioned by friend Federico Hewson to create the graphic design/logo for his Occupy Valentine postcards and website. He said he wanted something in the style of the art sensation Shepard Fairey, and "...drippy and graffiti like.  Maybe a peace symbol with a pulsing heart inside it?" Something to serve as a bold statement for this generation to "Re-imagine Valentine's Day" -- as we aim to take back the holiday from corporations that profit from selling unsustainable materials.

Join Federico and the mission of Occupy Valentine & The Valentine Peace Project to reclaim the holiday as a global movement to embrace the principles of peace and sustainable practices. One of the main tenets of the project is the distribution of sustainably grown flowers with poetry attached. His organization also urges the study of poetry and peace in classrooms, involving children in the creation of their own poetry and distribution of flowers on the holiday. 

To learn more about the project - check out the website: ValentinePeaceProject.org or OccupyValentine.com

And should you have a specific graphic design need - contact me. A sample of some of my work can be seen at: http://hiveworld.org/jason/artwork/graphics.html

David Hollen - Previewing "Wounded Beast"

Check out the latest sculptural piece by David Hollen at the District Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. Feb 9th from 7-10pm is the opening reception, with the exhibition running through April 5th at 740 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

The above video shows the piece mid-process, but it promises to be one spectacular and dazzling "Wounded Beast" when completed and seen in person!

More of David's spectacular artwork can be seen at: HollenArt.com

 

Hollen Art Studio - Gallery & Work Environment

Some of David's remarkable sculpture work in his gallery space

Enjoy this glimpse into the studio of sculptor David Hollen (www.HollenArt.com). It's a prime example of utilizing a studio well -- the importance of having space for creating the work and a separate gallery space for displaying work when people visit the studio.

David's gallery is viewable beyond one of his work space tables

It's important to have a work space where you can give yourself plenty of room to spread out while developing and playing with ideas, make a temporary mess, yet have your supplies on hand be organized.  It's a delicate balance. You want to be organized so you can find what you need when you need it, but not too organized that it constricts your process. Creative energy wants to flow freely, but you want some confinement so the work becomes focused and clean. Since one of the hat's I wear is a professional organizer, I give David high ratings for balancing those aspects. It's a neverending battle for artists to manage order and chaos in their work spaces. Keep at it until you find a system that works for you.


A work table, with creative ideas flowing all over, but managably so. 

Supplies kept organized to help with the cleaning process.

A wall of inspirational photos and rough sketches to stimulate ideas and map progress.

And what is also great about David's artwork, is that there is so much fun to be had by isolating various parts of his work and his studio through framing. Enjoy!