While in the last stages of pregnancy with my youngest daughter "Big Bird" I was hired to make a baby shower invitation with a retro camping theme. I came upon a quilting design idea in Illustrator that I think worked well with this job.
MacArthur Genius
This comic immediately came to mind yesterday when the list of MacArthur Genius Grant recipients came out and the comic's author, Alison Bechdel was on the top of the list. I have loved her work for years. When I finally had a chance to meet her I was thrilled but totally eclipsed by my husband, who always knows exactly the right thing to say socially. He gave her what she called "The best complement I have ever received". I followed with an awkward question about layout options. Dang it Tony.
Did you know that she has been living in Umbria in an artist's residency program making daily freehand comics life-size on scroll paper? Criminy. Check out all her doings HERE.
Image by Karina for TKGO: find at tkgo.wordpress.com/cityguides/chicago/daytime-in-chicago/the-art-institute-of-chicago/
Museum Day
Seven years ago when lived in Chicago and had an abundance of free time I rarely visited the Chicago Art Institute. A few weeks ago my husband and I had the chance to visit Chicago on a work trip / vacation.
I decided to spend a full day just walking around the Chicago Institute of Art and sketching. Have you ever toured a museum by yourself? It feels decadent and glorious. Technically, sketching fine art is a vital skill-building tool for my business and I could write off my ticket on my taxes, but it felt extremely decadent.
Want to come on a quick virtual tour with me on this Monday morning? Grab a cup of coffee, click on the sketches to see the originals, and here we go.
After five hours I took a break. There was a farmers market in Daily Plaza where I grabbed some pastry and a drink. Then I wandered back to Millennium Park (misspelled in my sketchbook), stuck my feet in the man-made river and enjoyed the garden. Those trees in the distance were only four feet tall the last time I had my toes in this water. The modern art wing in the distance didn't exist at that time.
One of the highlights of my day was this guy and his friend who were, in their own words, "SUPER GOOD TIMES!" due to imbibing something special. Every time I stopped to sketch they would be behind me giggling and hugging each other, marveling at all the colors. They were pretty delightful. I hope neither of them fell in the water after I left the park for my hotel.