Hosted by Olivia Lin of Atiliay |
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To combine separate parts, elements, or sources together to create a new, unified whole. "Art is our one true global language. It knows no nation, it favors no race, it acknowledges no class. It speaks to our need to reveal, heal, and transform. It transcends our ordinary lives and lets us imagine what is possible." - Richard Kamler, Artist & Activist |
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Embroidery image from The Red Dress Project, more on it below. |
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The quote above was recently shared with me and I found it to be such a powerful reminder of why art is so important, why we need to keep creating, and how it can make an impact. Richard's words led me to the word “unify”. It felt very fitting with all that is going on in the world today, in our own personal lives, and the way it can be applied to art materials and techniques. Below are ideas, inspiration, and an optional exercise to try for the week based on our first prompt. Please remember that everything is open to your interpretation--this is about your point of view, what the word means to you, and how you want to express your imagination and creativity. Use the ideas below as is or as a starting point and see where it takes you. Feel free to go in a different direction if that's where you're being led. Let things flow and enjoy your process! |
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ENVISION & EXPRESS - The Red Dress Project, created by British artist Kirstie Macleod, is a 14 year global collaborative embroidery project. This dress has been worked on by 367 women/girls, 11 men/boys, and 2 non-binary artists from 51 countries! The dress serves as an artistic platform for individuals, especially women, and communities from around the world to tell their stories. Learn more / see more photos of the incredible dress here. Try stitching onto your sketchbook page and sharing a story of your own.
- Patchwork Quilts is something that immediately came to my mind for this prompt: different scraps sewn together to create something new. A few ideas to borrow from quilting:
- Geometric patterns
- Using thread, fabric, stitching
- Mixing patterns and colors
- Storytelling through imagery
- Get inspired by the works of Bisa Butler, Ann Harwell, Alyson Vega, Timna Tarr. Each artist has their own style and all create magnificent pieces of work!
- Combine two materials. Try picking one dry and one wet material to bring together.
- Dry: paper, stitching, crayon, colored pencils, ballpoint pen, fabric, etc.
- Wet: ink, watercolor, acrylic paint, gouache, etc.
- Decide the order in which you should use your materials or if it doesn't matter (ex: watercolors will resist crayons so you may want to keep that in mind)
- Experiment with collage art. You can use “unify” as the inspiration for the images or pick your own theme. Start by collecting all your different elements (tear outs from magazines, pictures you took and printed out, clippings from newspapers, dried flowers, stickers, etc.) then play around with different arrangements. This is a great time to try unexpected things since you don't have to commit to gluing it down yet!
- From Richard's artist statement:
I practice art to communicate, to be in the world.
I practice art because it is the most meaningful thing I can think of doing.
I practice art so that I can be at the table.
I practice art to have fun.
I practice art to be part of the global community of artists and to participate in our common and creative struggle for freedom.
I practice art because I can sing while doing it.
I practice art to respect my grandfather’s request to show him the face I had before I was born.
I practice art to have ONE un-edited activity in which I can mess around.
Why do you practice art? Create a piece inspired by your reasons--it can be all text, all images, or a combination of both.
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TRY YOUR HAND AT… Watercolor Lettering This technique came to mind because all the letters are connected and the colors get to mix and come together to create one word. You'll need a paintbrush, watercolors, and some water. This is a great demo video from Jenmanship that shows this process and here is another example. Start by writing your word in cursive or in block letters (making sure there is overlap at the edges so the letters connect) in water. Then add different colors to the water lettering of the word. If this is your first time, you can try it out on scrap paper first to get a feel for it and how much water/color to use. I'm going to letter “unity” but feel free to choose a different word if you'd like! |
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LET'S CONNECT ON DISCORD! I'm trying something new this year and creating a space over on Discord where we can easily share our work and support one another! This is completely new to me but I found it easy to sign up and hope this can be a place for community and connection. A BIG THANK YOU TO CYNDI for this suggestion! Click the link below to join, hope to see you over there! |
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Once you get started, feel free to share works in progress, your exercise results, materials you're using, and other snippets of your process! Send an image over on Discord or tag me if sharing on Instagram stories/posts/reels. No pressure but also, don't be shy :) This isn't about comparison, it's about sharing our different ideas--I always find it inspiring to see what other people are creating! I have some ideas swirling around in my mind and am looking forward to getting some things down on paper! I'm excited to see how your interpretations of “unity” unfold. Talk to you Thursday for a quick check-in, |
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PS: Do you know someone who might want to do this challenge with us? Forward this email to them, the sign up link is below! |
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IF YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS SERIES & WOULD LIKE TO, HERE ARE A FEW WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT MY WORK If you'd like to support with a monetary contribution / tip, you can do so here. Visit my website & shop for the Creative Spark Deck, prints, PDFs, and more. Share with a friend! There's nothing like good old fashioned word of mouth and the more the merrier :) Thank you for being a part of this and your support! |
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The beautiful PNW
Renton, WA 98058, United States |
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