Mew Gallery Pay the Rent Event

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: