My Grandmother's Eyes, part two

One of the first things I ever wrote for DSG was a blog post called "My Grandmother's Eyes." I included art from DSG members, art that my grandmother would have loved. She loved bright colors. She couldn't see very well, and colors she saw were muted, so she tended to pick bright reds and greens and blues, oranges and pinks. She had a collection of ceramic cardinals that was legendary, and was even featured on a regional television show out of Houston, "The Eyes of Texas," some 30 years ago.

Two months ago my grandmother was ill, and we took her to the emergency room. She was in and out of the ICU at Huguley Hospital north of Burleson, Texas, for 12 days, and during some of that time she couldn't remember much, even from one minute to the next. When she came home we hoped she might pull out of it. She was feeling better, smiling, joking with everyone even though she couldn't speak above a whisper. We had arranged to have a hospital bed set up for her in her home, and my mother (who lived there already) was going to take care of her.

Over the next week my grandmother felt better, felt worse, was energetic and then tired, but on the eighth evening she went to sleep early and we could never wake her again. Two days later I quit my summer job with the Alvarado school district and moved in with my mother to help care for "Ma Ma." We barely slept, didn't eat enough, but we got into a sort of rhythm after a couple of days, trading the watch during the night so we both could sleep a little. And on the morning of my eighth day there, with my mother, my wife and myself holding her, my beautiful grandmother, Rupie Lee Johnson, passed away at age 98.

Ma Ma taught me many things in the 48 years I knew her. She taught me to cook, to garden, to take care of my family. But she mostly taught me to love unconditionally. She and my grandfather, Lenard Johnson, were the sweetest people I have ever met, period. I honor them by doing the things they would have done. I take care of my family, my mother included. I cook for them, often using Ma Ma's recipes. And I love them.

I needed to let you know why I have been absent from this blog for two months. I wish none of this had happened and that my grandmother was still living with my mother in Burleson, Texas, but that's not the way things worked out. I wouldn't trade a moment of the time I spent with Ma Ma over the last two months or the last 48 years.

I have selected a few new items for Ma Ma from a few DSG artists. These things jump out at me because they are things I would have bought for her as Christmas or birthday gifts. The reasons vary, and I'll not go into detail about any of them. I just know she would have loved them and she's probably smiling about my choices right now.

I love you, Ma Ma.

Beet Design Switchplate 602a-tl

From: KEEPSAKES

There, Right THERE

From: WindDancer Photos

Petals

From: Karen Faulkner Original Art

Japanese Maple Leaves No. 1 From: Terry Aske Art Quilts

Cardinals

From: Trillium Studios

Lauren Alexander: Etsy Artist from Kansas

This past Christmas I was looking on Etsy for something to get my mother for a stocking stuffer. What I found was a calendar designed by Lauren Alexander and it ended up being her favorite gift. Lauren does amazing things with watercolors. I make giant blobs of weak color with watercolors, so when I saw what Lauren does, and found out that it was all watercolors, I was fascinated. See what you think as you read this interview...

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell?

My shop name is Lauren Alexander and I sell my original paintings, prints, stickers, cards, and more.

2. What long series of events led to you doing this?

 

I've always been a watercolor painter for as long as I can remember. In high school I was dubbed the "guru" of watercolor painting class and won some school awards. In college I decided to be a children's book illustrator so I got online and tried to figure it out. Along the way another designer friend of mine started her own Etsy shop and that was the first I heard of it. She used her first and last name as her shop name so I did too. She taught me A LOT about being an artist. Her name is Suzanne Clements.

3. Who taught you the particular skills you use in your work?

 

Before I met Suzanne, I pretty much learned everything by my own trial and error in countless nerdy nights home alone with my paint supplies. My high school art teacher taught me some really great painting techniques that I still use today like under painting, using a really good round brush, and using a large and messy palette.

4. How long have you been selling online?

 

I got my Etsy shop in May 2006. I didn't really list anything and when I did it was an embarrassment. My first sale was in October 2006 but my sales were really spotty until really late in 2007 when I became very serious about it. That was when I discovered ACEOs and how much I love them. It shocked me that anyone wanted to buy them.

5. What is your favorite thing about Etsy?

 

My favorite thing about Etsy has got to be meeting a lot of really wonderful artists. I really feel like part of a community. It is a kind of community that I don't think I've ever been a part of before; one where I can have a kind of call and response to my creative impulses. All those nights I spent with just me and my paintbrush -  I never dreamed that I could have a shot at a national audience.

6. What is your favorite thing about what you sell?

 

Painting itself gives me a lot of joy. It is like play to me. I love finding interesting color combinations. I love seeing how my style changes, how my mood effects what I'm doing. It is like looking at myself in a mirror sometimes - almost a visual diary of what I've done over the last couple years.

7. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why?

 

I have a lot of favorites. Sweet Tree is a fav. It was the first tree that I did like that and I don't know where the idea came from. I always go back to that idea. People love the tree and I love that it has made people so happy.

8. How does your work differ from the work of other artists in your field?

 

I think my work stands out because when people see my paintings (especially in real life) they don't assume they are watercolor paintings. I think people have a preconceived idea about what watercolors are supposed to look like. I try to do things with watercolor that most people wouldn't. Always going for bold and adding a lot of pop is important to me.

9. What teams do you belong to and what do you like most about them?

 

I belong to Watercolor Works Etsy Team. I like that we are a group of people that all work with the same media but in a lot of different ways. I love watercolors because they are so versatile. I like seeing what other people do with them. [Also Design Style Guide]

10. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop?

 

Blogging has been really fun for me. I really feel like I do it for me more than for the good of my shop. It helps my shop a lot but more than anything it helps me understand myself and keep myself in check so I don't get too neurotic about what I'm doing - I love that I get to meet other people that take an interest in my work. Talking to others can keep me sane.

11. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy?

 

Wow - I have found sooo many artists to admire. Two of my favorites are AppleandEve, GypsyandTwink. They were two that caught my eye really early on. I just love the simplicity and warmth to their designs.

12. What do you do in your spare time?

 

Between teaching and painting I don't have much spare time but when I do I like to try to relax. Maybe watch a movie, go to my favorite sushi restaurant, see a band play, just escape.

13. Do you have anything else you would like to share?

 

I would just want to share that I'm truly thankful to be a part of the Etsy/online artist world! I just want to contribute one small painting at a time.

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If you make Handmade Home Decor Items, come and join our team by clicking on the image below. Not only will you be able to network with us, but also you will have the ability to post your listing on our team website.

If you like this blog entry you'll love my blog, jn3 Hand Crafted Woodworks. Check it out. I'll be glad you did.

I'm Inspired By...

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a bit for Margaret Hamilton's blog in which I talked about some of my family members who inspire me. This week I'd like to talk about some members of this team, Design Style Guide, who inspire me. And no, they aren't all woodworkers.

I'm inspired by Pat Parker. Her pottery is so kinetic, controlled chaos, a genie emerging from a just fired bottle. She utilizes just enough pattern to make it real art, and leaves the rest to develop as it will. Her work is beautiful and bright and exciting. This is something I strive for in my woodworking.

I'm inspired by Suz and Mark Vainner. Their "Turnadaisy" design is simple, elegant, highly useful, and makes me wish I'd thought of it first. I can build a Lazy Susan. I have the hardware sitting in my shop right now to do just that, but the design has to be just right. I am inspired by the Turnadaisy because it's such a great design, and because I want to design something just as useful, yet very different than these wonderful Lazy Susans.

I'm inspired by Liz Ballard. She basically taught herself to paint, and look at the results! Her work is full of energy and color. It makes me smile to see her paintings and I know I'm not alone. I have tried my hand at painting in the past. I never had the patience for it, which is strange, considering how long it takes to build a bookcase or a television console. This is the same energy I see in Pat Parker's pottery, the same energy I want to pour into everything I build.

I'm inspired by Alexandra Snook and Edward Way. They build items with wood, just as I do. The objects they build are very different than the ones I sell, but we're doing the same sort of work. It is inspiring to me to see how they take a piece of wood, pour their own brand of personality and creativity into it, and it looks like no one else's work when they finish, no pun intended. That's what I try to do as well, and I'm happy to share the territory here at Design Style Guide with these wonderfully gifted woodworkers.

If you make Handmade Home Decor Items, come and join our team by clicking on the image below.

Not only will you be able to network with us, but also you will have the ability to post your listing on our team website.

If you like this blog entry you'll love my blog, jn3 Hand Crafted Woodworks. Check it out. I'll be glad you did.