Bell Buoy Press

A Life That Doesn't Suck, Part One

2009-04-08T09:29:00.003-04:00

We had the first meeting of "A Life That Doesn't Suck: Financial Crisis Edition" last night. Andrew Simonet of Headlong Dance Theater is running the workshop, and spoke eloquently about how important it is - crucial, in fact, for both ourselves and our culture - to create a sustainable creative life.

He spoke about initiating a shift from being a career-driven artist to a misson-driven one; about creating a community in which the success of other artists is also a success for you/me; and about the importance of strategic planning, including setting a large, even improbable goal and then making incremental, manageable steps towards that goal.

The second half of the workshop involved us taking little steps towards our own artist statements, working to scuplt a paragraph that speaks in the voice of our work, is an accurate reflection of our values and vision, and is still accessible and interesting to others. We made a list of seven words that describe our work, then a list of fourteen words, then a paragraph. Here's my list of fourteen (I'm dealing with my dance work here, though there's a lot of overlap with my collage work):

whimsy
reciprocity
pattern
juice
hobble
eraser
between
group
gifts
touch
askew
relationships
crystallize
wonky

3D Debacle

2009-03-25T14:29:00.003-04:00

I taught myself a lesson this week: never think your first attempt at an unfamiliar art form will be worthy of giving away as a birthday present!

I got all excited about making a 3D tree out of paper inside a shadow box. Problem was, I had the idea two (already very busy) days before the birthday party where I wanted to give it away, and I hadn't made a 3D anything out of paper before. I didn't really think the thing through, I just started going and imagined that something decently interesting would come out the other end. Boy, was I wrong. The result was a disappointingly dull tree emerging from the back of the shadow box and extending onto the top and bottom of the frame. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

The trunk of the tree was cool enough, though, that I think my general working method is pretty strong. My next try will be a wholly freestanding tree (or some other object) shaped out of layers and layers of paper.

In case you're wondering, I gave the birthday person a coupon for a future Bell Buoy Press item. When I'm better at this 3D thing, I'll make him a tree.

Doldrums

2009-03-03T14:22:00.005-05:00

Holly of decor8 blog recently posted about daily flower arrangements as a way to overcome the end-of-winter blues. I like this idea a lot - I love flowers, especially daffodils and irises - but it's not financially feasible for me right now, given that I'm mostly unemployed.

So here I am, stuck in the creative doldrums, and waiting anxiously for spring. Somehow this unpleasant transitional season makes even more acute the questions I always wrestle with: how do I balance art, time, and money? Why do life concerns of bills and housekeeping always take so much time? How come I can't find a job? (Thanks, economy. Thanks a lot.) How can I learn some sense of discipline inside creativity, so that I'm not always only prey to the whims of my impulses?

I'm really looking forward to a workshop in April called "A Life That Doesn't Suck (Financial Crisis Edition)", run by several professional dancers in Philadelphia as part of the city's annual Dance Theater Camp. While I expect most of the discussion to be immediately relevant to the dance side of my art world, I know the issues we'll be talking about - the value of art, building community, time, money - are relevant across the board.

In the meantime, I think I'll go riffle through my box of paper goodies and send friends some unexpected mail. Hopefully that will briefly lift any sense of blah they might be struggling against, and perhaps help my sense of wellbeing, too.

Mew Gallery Pay the Rent Event

2009-02-26T22:37:00.004-05:00

Calling all Philadelphia lovers of the handmade!

Mew Gallery is holding its third annual fundraiser next week in order to help - you got it - pay the store's rent. It's an art auction and raffle with lots of exciting perks, including beer specials, DJs, and dancing. $5 suggested donation at the door.

Tuesday, March 3
6 - 10 pm
South Philly Tap Room
1509 Mifflin Street, Philly

You could walk away with some of my cards! I've made two sets of three cards each, a set called Winterberries and a set called Herbs & Spices.

You could also walk away with jewelry, zines, clothes, photography, ceramics, and much more. Some of the other artists who have donated work: Alina tees & zines, Anna Burke photography, Beck's Buttons jewelry, Boto Designs, Carolyn Giordano, Faceplant Wasted, Flying Fox, Gray Nation, Isaac Bushkin, J.L. Schnabel, Jessica Liddel, Joy Stember, Julia Blaukopf, KnitKnit, Lana Heckendorn, Lauren Lopez, Leslie Albend, Megan Dorien, Mike Geno, Miss Koco, Nicole Rae Styer, Rebelle Couture, Sarah Myers, Shannon McLaughlin, Sideways E, Tiny Airplanes, Tranquility jewelry, Un De Six clothing, WabiSabi, Warren Veith...

Please come and support your local artists and this gallery that brings them all together under one creative roof!

Ta-da!

2009-02-12T16:22:00.003-05:00

My cards are now available at Mew Gallery, 906 Christian St, Philadelphia!

Here are a few tasty morsels to whet your appetite. Please go to Mew for the complete meal.

Another heart-slayer of a book

2009-02-05T22:34:00.003-05:00

I found this one at the Bryn Mawr Bookstore, a used bookstore in Cambridge, MA where I used to work.

Paintings: Forces of Nature II, 1994-1998
Marlene Tseng Yu
Las Vegas Art Museum (exhibition book)

Marlene's paintings are extraordinary. She works mainly with acrylics, often on a very large scale, and creates works of improbable, strange beauty. They are mysterious blooms of color textured and sculpted to present something cosmic, oceanic, microscopic.... These are grandiose words, I know, but I promise you they're apt. I have never seen paintings so organic and so resonant.

This is her website: www.marlenetsengyu.com. You can see a few examples of her work in photographs there. The book does them better justice. I hope to be able to see some in person one day.

A Note to Philadelphia

2009-01-26T16:02:00.005-05:00

Dear Philadelphia,

Mew Gallery in the Italian Market will soon begin carrying my cards! A community oriented, quirky gallery and shop that carries hand- and locally-made items, Mew is on Christian St. just west of 9th St. This is their website.

I will write to you again once my items are on the shelves and waiting for you.

Sincerely,

Hannah

Back in the Saddle

2009-01-13T23:22:00.003-05:00

It's been a strange holiday season, but I'm back in the saddle and excited to start new work. I'm particularly keen to tinker with shadow boxes and otherwise play in 3D. I found an old red wooden frame at my parents' house last week; I kept things in it as a kid (shells, rocks, etc) but had since completely forgotten about it. I think my grandfather made it. It measures maybe 3' x 3' x 2", but is divided into many small squares and rectangles of various sizes. Infinite possibilities!

Updates to follow.

Ice

2008-12-21T14:22:00.003-05:00

It poured all morning, but as the sky cleared the trees were left coated in a thick sheath of ice. The tiny branches look so fragile, and somehow also highlighted, more precise. Here are a few photographs.

I probably won't be posting again until after the holidays; it's time to relax and spend some time with my family.

Commission, continued

2008-12-16T22:42:00.001-05:00

I just finished that 10 card commission. It turned into a 15 card commission by the end! I shipped the set off to Canada this afternoon (kudos to UPS for friendly and helpful service) and I hope the recipients are happy with the results. I continue to be very pleased with what I've made - several new designs and fresh variations on old favorites. There are a few more photos below.

Rich Books

2008-12-12T14:23:00.000-05:00

I’d like to share a few books that I find provocative and richly inspiring.

The Art of Looking Sideways
Alan Fletcher
Phaidon Press

This is an enormous book, full of whimsical and thought-provoking illustrations, quotations, and musings. Fletcher makes delightfully unlikely pairings of word, idea, and drawing. There’s something fresh in here every time I open it.

The Book as Art: Artists’ Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts
Krystyna Wasserman
Princeton Architectural Press

A beautiful collection of striking artists’ books.

Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence
Nick Bantock
Raincoast Books

This book and its sequels chronicle the correspondence of two artists from opposite sides of the world who can see visions of each others work. The illustrations are richly layered, and the story is mystical and mysterious. Lots to look at and think about!

Commission

2008-12-11T12:57:00.000-05:00

I received a commission to make a set of ten cards with any design(s) I want. What fun! I love that freedom. I'm including a few Under the Ice cards in the set. Here are a few photographs of the other pieces I'm making:

Under the Ice

2008-12-10T22:23:00.001-05:00

I’ve been sick, and as is usual for me in that circumstance, I haven’t been feeling inspired. But I made myself sit down to work, and at the end of an afternoon I tried something new: I layered pieces of different off-white papers pressed with leaves, threads, and speckles underneath a large piece of bright white paper laced with white thread. Over the off-white and under the bright, I placed a strip of origami paper laced with large purple flowers.

I like asking my partner, Jordan, to help me name my designs; he has a knack for it. He named this one “Under the Ice”, and it’s perfect! The name inspired me to keep working with the design, tinkering with the two bottom layers to really capture the essence of leaves caught under a film of ice. I’m really pleased with the results. Here are a few cards from the developing series:

Coasters

2008-12-06T22:56:00.000-05:00

A few detail shots of a set of coasters I made for my aunt and uncle.

Hawk & Whippoorwill

2008-12-06T22:39:00.000-05:00

This summer I created 50 limited edition covers for the literary journal Hawk & Whippoorwill. H & W, "poems of man and nature", is a lovely little journal being resurrected by Pen & Anvil Press in Boston. There are still a few copies of my art-cover editions left, only $10 each. See this page for more information:

http://bostonpoetry.com/hw/currentnews.html

Dinner Party Invitations, 2008

2008-12-05T12:44:00.001-05:00

Silver Sky Moutains, 2008

2008-12-02T15:48:00.000-05:00

Brown and Blue Mountains, 2008

2008-12-02T15:44:00.001-05:00

Red Samurai, 2008

2008-12-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

Energy Fields Four, July 2008

2008-12-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

All rights to all images posted on this blog are held by Bell Buoy Press.

Why I like to play with paper.

2008-12-02T15:05:00.000-05:00

I can’t draw. Really, I’m remarkably bad at it. I tried painting in high school, and basically ended up smearing color around in vaguely interesting ways without regard to form or composition - I love color. But painting, without that drawing foundation, didn’t stick. I seem to have found my medium now, though: playing with paper lets me experiment with color, texture, pattern, and space in a way that’s incredibly satisfying and yields strong results.

Despite the swirling world of developing communication technologies, I feel paper in all contexts is inextricably tied to the richness of books, the power of the written word. On a different level, my pleasure in paper has much to do with the aesthetic beauty of a blank page. A piece of paper promises everything – anything – to me in a way that a blank canvas never did. And now that I’ve stopped trying to draw on it, the paper and I have much more interesting conversations.

I make collages, cards, stationery, invitations, coasters, and sometimes books. I also really love turning gift wrapping into an art form. A couple of old examples of my wrapping, from Christmas ’06, are included with this post. I am happy to take commissions for artwork or gift presentation, and to field inquiries of all kinds. Please feel free to contact me via a comment here; Bell Buoy’s email: bellbuoypress@gmail.com; or via my Etsy site: bellbuoypress.etsy.com.

A fair warning: Musings on dance and choreography will creep their way into this blog. Since I am also – and perhaps primarily – a performance artist, thoughts on my artistic process will definitely include input from that genre.