Art Break Wednesday: Columbus Day art!

Posted on October 9, 2013 by artsyletters

©Robyn Hood Black

Okay, so we haven’t historically had big “Columbus Day parties” in our home. But this coming weekend, we’re celebrating both kids home for college for Fall Break over the Columbus Day holiday. I thought it might be a fine time to share a recent mixed media piece with a Columbus connection.

The map is an original page from the Meyers Konversations-Lexicon, Vol. 7 (G), Fourth Edition, Leipzig, Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, 1887. Genoa was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, who penned these words in his Letter to the Sovereigns on the First Voyage, February 15-March 4, 1493 (first and rarest of printed Americana), referring to Hispaniola (today, the Dominican Republic and Haiti):

And they know neither sect nor idolatry, with the exception that all believe that the source of all power and goodness is in the sky.

This mixed media piece columbus detail 1 features various watch components and decorative metal embellishments from a variety of sources, namely antique markets and Etsy vintage shops. A peek into how I chose to put what, where:

First, this round metal watch component with the red calendar numbers on a white background seemed perfect color-wise for the piece, and I love the suggestion of time having to do with anything historical. I “highlighted” Columbus Piazza on the map with a small vintage silver component.

I liked the way the shape watch parts detail columbus art of these vintage watch parts seemed echoed in the shapes near them on the map, with the circle and spokes, and then the arch/ray image:

key detail columbus art

The shape of this old metal key seemed to suggest the shape of the docks depicted on the map.

And… I couldn’t resist adding the brass vintage “True Blue” button beside the quotation about the sky! As far as the larger brass embellishments, I placed them at the top of the map to frame the whole image. Notice how the “arched” piece on the right echoes the shape of the harbor at the shoreline immediately to its left.

Columbus framed

I had fun making this piece, especially working with such a lovely map in such wonderful condition. Thanks for taking a look. And, HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY on Monday, however you choose to celebrate it!

(Note: This piece is for sale and has garnered some interest at shows this fall, though it’s not currently listed in my Etsy shop. Feel free to contact me with any questions about it. The image is approx. 9 X 11 in. ; the frame’s outer dimensions are 18 X 20.)

Art Break Wednesday: New Bookmarks, Old Rust

Posted on October 2, 2013 by artsyletters

©Robyn Hood Black

I love my customers. It’s been an honor to connect with old and new friends at recent shows.

Folks who are attracted to art with a literary bent are usually pretty interesting, thoughtful people. One such new acquaintance discussed a custom order option for her book club – she wanted to present the members with bookmarks as gifts and picked out a few designs for me to send her in bulk. We got to chatting, and she said, “If you ever make a Book Club bookmark, let me know.”

“I’ve had that on my to-do list,” I said. “How soon would you need them?”

Long story short, I came home, set up a little still life, got out the golden-buff parchment paper and my inks and paint, and got busy. Nothing like a “lowest prices of the year” sale at the online printer’s, ending at midnight, to spur on creativity! (I use Overnight Prints, by the way – “the greenest online printer in the world,” so says their website.)

©Robyn Hood Black

I emailed her the image I sent off for printing, and she decided to get these instead of the ones she’d picked out. Customers do have great ideas!

Well, with that sale’s ticking deadline teasing me from my computer screen, I also got out the white paper, whipped up this “Poets” bookmark design, placed it over the illustration I’d just made (covering the Book Club lettering), scanned it in, and ordered these too. (Love me some Gothic/black letter, I do.) I made the deadline only because it wasn’t Eastern Standard Time there, evidently. ;0)

“Poets write between the lines”
– ©Robyn Hood Black

Sometimes a little inspiration goes a long way! I’ll get these new bookmarks listed in my Etsy shop sometime today. [DONE – Click here for the link to the Book Club bookmark, and click here for the Poets bookmark.]

In other news, we just returned from Nashville to celebrate Family Weekend with our youngest, a new college freshman. Before we hit the honkytonks Saturday afternoon to listen to music, I dragged my guys out to find Antique Archeology, one of the storefront shops of Mike Wolfe and crew from The History Channel’s American Pickers.

Robyn and Seth - Antique Archeology truck

It was a fun stop, but heads’ up – it’s a small space (overly warm if lots of people are inside), featuring some items recognizable from episodes and primarily show souvenirs such as tee shirts, coffee cups, and the like. I bought a cool postcard and a small poster which says “Rock the Rust” for my studio. antique archeology storefront for blog

I plan to rock a lot more rust this fall, bookmark in use and more thick black lettering, too. Wishing you a creative October, whatever time zone you’re in!

Art Break Wednesday – The Soak and Sun of Art in the Square

Posted on September 25, 2013 by artsyletters

art in the square 2013

“Wave, Morgan…!” :0)

Thanks to everyone who ventured out this past weekend to Art in the Square here in North Georgia. A special shout-out to my daughter, Morgan, who interrupted her busy college studies to drive down, package cards til after midnight, get up early both days and help haul, sell, and send out some social media love. Couldn’t have done it without her!

(She also recently set up my whole inventory on my Square register on my new iPad Mini. Can’t TELL you how easy that makes it to conduct transactions with a little less fuss and flurry! Square keeps track of everything – cash as well as credit card sales – and now the whole process is even easier. No entering of numbers, just a few clicks!)

Saturday started out all right, but the sprinkles became drizzles and, sad for us, soon a deluge. Show organizers came around early afternoon and said it was all right to close up and return early on Sunday. I think just about everyone did. Tip: If rain’s in the forecast, don’t put your booth right up next to the curb. The rain came in a torrent and flooded our tent. Our show-savvy neighbor helped us move the tent up a bit. My merchandise fared all right with the tent and with plastic I brought, but Morgan and I were drenched and miserable. A bright spot? The gentleman playing bagpipes, undeterred by rain!

bagpipes reduced

Other bright spots included friends who came by, such as Paula: robyn and paula

She has a great new blog, by the way – “Random Thoughts from the Creative Path.”

Check it out!

Sunday brought the S*U*N, and a happier vibe all around. I enjoyed meeting customers, some from last year and some brand new!

The lovely Maddie, who had been to my booth last year, came by with her family, and her mom was one of my very best customers all weekend. (Thank you!) Maddie picked out one of my favorite items, too – some really old typewriter keys I set into earrings. maddie earrings crop art in the square 2013 typewriter key earrings Why were these special?

Well, they have neat white letters & symbols on backgrounds, but even better, along with the letter “M,” Maddie liked the number five key, which has the British pound symbol above it! Very cool. She put them right on and consented to letting me snap a picture. Isn’t she classy and gorgeous?

After some constructive comments from a couple of artsy friends at the last show, and following my own instincts as well, I opened up the layout of my booth and was really happy with the flow.

booth interior reduced I had to sacrifice one side of a panel, but the extra space was more than worth it.
art in the square 2013 panels framed art

art in the square 2013 matted letters All in all, even with Saturday’s washout, it was a good weekend. Thanks to my father-in-law, Reuben, who helped break down and pack up my booth after Morgan had to get back to school. I finally got my car unpacked, but don’t ask if everything’s put away yet… ;0) Some of it won’t be right away, anyway – I’ll be listing these new items I made for the show in my Etsy shop very soon!

As we soon round the corner into the holiday gift-buying season, don’t forget to support your local creative folk. The artists who participated in Art in the Square (and ones in your town, too) offer unique and wonderful treasures, and they’re made in the USA!

(Happy First Full Week of Fall, Y’all…)

Art Break Wednesday: Art in the Square around the Corner!

Posted on September 11, 2013 by artsyletters

0013Main_2013 Poster .indd

Greetings from the road! No real post today, but here’s a poster.

I’m looking forward to participating in Art in the Square in Gainesville, Georgia, Sat. & Sun., Sept. 21-22. This was my first art show for artsyletters last year!

If you’re in the area and out and about that weekend, come on by. Many wonderful artists will be displaying and selling work, and other treats will abound. For more info, please click here.

Hope to see you there!

Art Break Wednesday – Decatur Book Festival Street Market Wrap-up

Posted on September 4, 2013 by artsyletters

Whew! The streets have no doubt been swept after The Decatur Book Festival last weekend (the nation’s largest independent book festival, with 70-80,000 of your closest friends), and I’m still catching my breath. It was strange being there as a vendor this year rather than as an author, but much fun all around, and I’d have to say a successful weekend.

The Kids’ Parades are always a highlight at the Decatur Book Festival!

Here are a few pictures of my booth:

artsyletters booth 2 DBF 2013.jpg reduced

Robyn artsyletters booth DBF 2013 crop

artsyletters booth DBF 2013 interior

table artsyletters booth DBF 2013 artsyletters booth interior DBF 2013

Couldn’t have done it without the help of my wonderful hubby, Jeff…

leighanne and robyn DBF 2013

We had terrific weather on Saturday (albeit hot), but the rains blew in off and on on Sunday. Not enough to dampen spirits. I still caught up with some good writer/illustrator buds.

Fellow art critique group member Leighanne Schneider had her gorgeous art on display directly across from my booth – she’s a regular at DBF with her Doublefly Designs.

Then Leighanne and I went with Elizabeth Dulemba to go cheer on Jo Kittinger, who was presented with a community volunteer award on Sunday afternoon for her fantastic book, THE HOUSE ON DIRTY THIRD STREET, illustrated by Thomas Gonzales.

Caught having a good time! Leighanne, Robyn, Jo, and Elizabeth. (Photo by Elizabeth’s wonderful hubby, Stan.)

I can’t believe I neglected to get a picture with the amazing Kirby Larson, but she kept coming by to brighten my day. And buy more artsyletters merchandise to boot! I was thrilled to meet so many new customers. Teachers, students, poets, historians, writers, artists, calligraphers, printmakers, journalists – you all make my heart sing.

Finally, huge thanks to my daughter, Morgan Black, for getting all my inventory loaded on my Square account the night before the festival. Everyone needs a college student on hand to help with the technology… :0)

It was a fabulous, fun weekend, and I look forward to Art in the Square here in Gainesville in just a couple of weeks! Come on out if you’re around.

Happy Almost-Fall….

Art Break Wednesday – Dreams Great and Small

Posted on August 28, 2013 by artsyletters

In Unity’s “Daily Word” devotional booklet entry today, there’s a quote from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

As we celebrate sweeping, life-affirming dreams for humanity today, I’m also thankful for smaller, individual ones. My kids are both starting a new year in college, and my husband has just begun new, fulfilling work. And I’m pondering that artsyletters is almost a year old! thoreau angle with c

While my business won’t fund those college educations, I feel blessed with the feedback I’ve gotten from customers this past year. I’ve sold work to college professors, history teachers, librarians, writers & poets, artists, high school students, mothers and grandmothers and husbands – folks from across the country and even across the ocean. And I’ve only just begun!

This weekend I’ll have a booth at the fabulous, crowded, lively Decatur Book Festival

BOOKZILLA interpreted by Dan Santat

in Atlanta. (Not too far from the children’s stage – come on by if you’re there.) I’ve enjoyed participating as an author before, but this will be my first time as a solo vendor.So my desk/work area pretty much looks like this:

messy desk

Multiply that, and you can imagine what my studio (and the rest of the house) looks like this week.

I will not have all the inventory I’ve imagined in my mind – so many projects, so little time! But I won’t run out of ideas for future shows, either. Here are some 5 X 7 pieces made with those new letterpress blocks I raved about before:

matted letterpress letter art

I’ve hand-stamped the blocks with oil-based printing ink, then decorated with a dip pen and India ink (and some gold on the smaller ones) .

And because I just found a wonderful complete set of typewriter keys on Etsy, I’ve assembled a few more earrings:

typewriter key earrings

I’ve just sold three collages out of the blue, so I’m hoping to finish up a few more framed pieces to add to the mix. And I need to get back to blinging up some bookmarks, packaging notecards, putting together magnets, sprucing up booth decor… Who needs sleep?

Wishing you a moment to pause today and think about dreams big and small, with gratitude for those who have risked their own lives to make life better for others. And I wish you an outlet for your own creative dreams, no matter the size!

Art Break Wednesday: NEW “Book Nerd” Gift Pack

Posted on July 31, 2013 by artsyletters

Greetings, Book, Letter, and Art Lovers! Do you have a special bibliophile in your life?

As a new school year looms, I’ve got books, books, books on the brain. How much does my family love books? We are beginning to process of gradually relocating (more on that later), and pretty much the first things my husband has packed are boxes of books. We need to donate some from our teetering stash, but how to decide? I’m putting some of my zillions of children’s books aside for our oldest, who will be teaching young readers just two years from now (after she graduates and then completes her masters.) We’ve already given our youngest some books to take to college, as if he won’t get enough there!

Well, if you know someone who can’t resist the turn of a page, the crisp smell of the latest bestseller or the musty aroma of a time-tested classic, the heft and weight of words in hands – all stitched up in a glorious volume of board, cloth, paper and ink – I’ve come up with a new gift package that might suit.

First, a package of “Book Nerd” note cards. I made the original design for these with my little book relief print carving and hand-stamped the words “BoOk NeRD” with vintage metal letterpress type, all on torn paper. (The notecard reproductions suggest this texture, but are completely flat.)

These come in packs of eight cards, printed on premium cardstock from environmentally sustainable forests with gloss coating on the outside. White envelopes are included. (Packaged in clear, archival 2 ml polypropylene.)

Next is – what else? A bookmark! This design was made with the same vintage metal letterpress type, and features a black relief print border. It’s printed on premium cardstock from sustainable forests with a gloss coating, finished with a black ribbon and an antique brass-colored cord crimp. It’s packaged in a cello sleeve.

Finally, who couldn’t use a fun magnet to keep track of all those reading lists? A smaller image of the book design and stamped letters, printed on premium cardstock, is cut with a deckle edge and layered on a like-wise deckle-edged piece of copper cardstock. These are collaged onto a 2″ X 2″ canvas board (painted black) and covered with acrylic gloss. A strong 3/4″ magnet is secured to the back.

Each item is sold individually (just click on each picture if interested, and you’ll zoom over to the appropriate listing in my Etsy shop), but I’m offering a little bit of a break and a fun presentation for the whole bundle. The cards, bookmark, and magnet, each wrapped in its own clear packaging, are placed in a clear cello bag with gold woven tissue. Gold and black raffia tie up the nerdy ensemble.

Wishing you and yours a happy August. I’ll be in and out of town, and working like crazy to stock up for the Decatur Book Festival street fair at the end of the month, so I’m declaring myself an honorary European and will take some of the month off re. blogging. But only a couple of weeks – I’ll see you back here before the festival!

Art Break Wednesday – Just My (Wooden) Type!

Posted on July 17, 2013 by artsyletters

I love vintage wooden printing type. The chunky solidness of each letter, the way a block feels in your hand, the patina of oh-so-smooth wood, ink long since seeped into its grain… ahhh.

S wooden letterpress blocks

My own collection began with a jackpot. Rummaging in a local antique store early last year, I found a beautiful old printer’s tray and asked the proprietor if she had any typewriter keys. No, she replied, but did you see the wooden type? She took me to the back, back room (where I didn’t confess I’d already done some pretty thorough snooping). Under a stack of boxes, she unearthed a few black plastic musty dusty trays, encrusted in years of delightful neglect. They were full of large wooden letterpress letters! “How much for all of them?” I asked.

“As you see, no one has touched them for a long time. How about $20?”

I couldn’t believe my luck. (And I’ve since discovered that letters like these easily command $5 or more apiece.)

They came home with me and mostly stayed in their trays for months, until not long ago I asked myself why I was keeping them hidden, when I’d love to look at them every day? So my poetry books got moved from their narrow little bookshelf to a bigger bookshelf (their numbers had outgrown the small shelves anyway), and the vintage wooden shelf got moved into my office/studio, just behind the big old desk where I make most of my artwork. wooden letterpress bookshelf I enjoy the letters every day now, and I have easy access to them for projects.

I always keep an eye out for letterpress type when I’m antiquing. (I have a good little collection of metal type, too.) I’ve picked up some treasures, but I’ve also discovered that some letters are extremely hard to come by. I didn’t have a single C or E, for instance. So I went on an Etsy hunt to splurge on a complete set if I could find one.

I fell into a shop based in India, Vintage Marvels.

Oh, my. The hand-carved letters are beautiful and have a bit of an exotic flair compared to the standard fonts already gracing my shelves. wooden letterpress 3 With a specific project in mind in which I’ll hand-stamp their impressions (you’ll see soon – promise), I purchased TWO sets. I just couldn’t decide, and I wanted the two different sizes. The larger blocks are about two inches tall, and the smaller ones about an inch.

letterpress blocks 5

letterpress blocks 6

Call me obsessed, or a nerd, I don’t mind. There’s something magical to me about the rich, dark lure of vintage letterpress. And I’m sure the feel of the blocks harkens back to endless hours of playing with toy blocks that the lucky among us remember. You could make words, villages, towers… whole worlds out of little wooden blocks.

Now I get to tap into this world of imagination and endless potential as a grown-up, too.

These letterpress-inspired cards offer a bold way to say Thank You! The original image was hand-stamped with vintage blocks. Click here for my Etsy shop listing – a pack of 8 cards/envelopes is $7.50 + shipping. :0)

Do you have some treasures that bring you joy tucked away somewhere? Life is short – make them a part of your daily experience!

(Mini Summer Break this week…)

Posted on July 10, 2013 by artsyletters

Art Break Wednesday is taking a mini summer break this week. I hope you are having a terrific, creative, sun-shiny summer, and I’ll see you here next week!

Robyn

Art Break Wednesday: Decatur Book Festival, Here I Come!

Posted on July 3, 2013 by artsyletters

BOOKZILLA interpreted by Dan Santat

July already! I hope you and yours are enjoying a happy week celebrating Independence Day. Today I’m directing you to all the info recently posted about the upcoming Decatur Book Festival – Aug. 30 – Sept. 1 on the beautiful Decatur Square in Atlanta.

I’ve participated in the festival in past years as an author, and even enjoyed a stint on the children’s stage in 2009 (following Jon Scieszka. Really.) This year, I’m thrilled that I’ll be one of the vendors among all those cool booths brimming with goodies for book lovers. I’ll have my “literary art with a vintage vibe:” – mixed media pieces, relief prints and drawings, note cards, book marks, hand-stamped letterpress initials, and more. I’ll have some books for sale as well. Please come by! (Thanks to Square, I’m happy to take credit card payments as well as cash.)

Fellow art critique group member and amazing artist Leighanne Schneider has participated as a vendor for several years. I signed up before I knew this, but now I’m looking forward to hanging out with her all weekend, too.

Those dates again for this LARGEST INDEPENDENT BOOK FESTIVAL in the nation? LABOR DAY WEEKEND – August 30 – Sept. 1, 2013. See you there!

artsyletters.com

Literary Art with a Vintage Vibe

Art Break Wednesday: Columbus Day art!

Art Break Wednesday: New Bookmarks, Old Rust

Art Break Wednesday – The Soak and Sun of Art in the Square

Art Break Wednesday: Art in the Square around the Corner!

Art Break Wednesday – Decatur Book Festival Street Market Wrap-up

Art Break Wednesday – Dreams Great and Small

Art Break Wednesday: NEW “Book Nerd” Gift Pack

Art Break Wednesday – Just My (Wooden) Type!

(Mini Summer Break this week…)

Art Break Wednesday: Decatur Book Festival, Here I Come!