More Converse Love

While on the topic of favorite Converse sneakers, I am reminded of this oil painting I did ...circa 1982. I was talking to a very talented artist friend of mine at the time and telling him that I really had never taken a painting class and had never painted with oils except while playing around as a teenager. He was an incredible painter and basically told me to just dive in and try it. to pick a favorite subject and give it a whirl, throw caution to the wind and follow my instincts. These were my beloved yellow low tops that I wore until they fell apart. With my friend's encouragement, I painted them. I LOVE this painting, I never really finished it, it has moved with me at least a dozen times- it is spotted, bent, folded, but most of all - cherished. I remember where I was sitting in my apartment while I painted these, and how excited I was with the process and the result. I signed up for an oil painting class at the Museum School in Boston shortly after that. ( I am pretty sure I wore these to my classes.)



Fast forward many years... my son, while in high school, found these orange low tops, fell in love with them, and wore them pretty much all the time throughout high school. They became his signature shoe. Converse love runs in my family. He was easy to pick out at his hs graduation :)

Yeeondo Jung

I read about this Korean artist and photographer on the IF blog the other day.

You have to check out his Wonderland series. He recreates children's photographs with set design and photography. I flipped when I saw these images.

Birds, birds, birds...

I sewed these up the other night, it was supposed to be for another project, but they are finding a home with me. I am happy about that because they make me smile.

The Zen of Leo Lionni

Before Eric Carle, there was the brilliant Leo Lionni. I am so in love with his books. They are seemingly simple, very zen-like. A beautiful match of few words and crisp images. His short stories carry meaningful messages of character and integrity. It is not surprising to find out that he had a very brilliant career in advertising prior to writing children's books. He headed up the graphic design department at Parsons School in NY and was the art director for Fortune and co-editor of Print. He also worked in advertising at prestigious firms as art director. He had a strong influence on both Eric Carle and Ezra Keats.

Here is what Leo Lionni had to say about his process:
"Inspirational raptures may happen, but most books are shaped through hard, disciplined work. Creative work, to be sure, because its ingredients come from the sphere of the imaginary. But the manipulation of these ingredients requires much more than mere inclination or talent. It is an intricate process in which the idea slowly takes form, by trial and error, through detours and side roads, which, were it not for the guidance of professional rigor, would lead the author into an inextricable labyrinth of alternatives. And so, to the question 'How do you get your ideas?' I am tempted to answer, unromantic though it may sound, 'Hard work.'"

He didn't begin writing and illustrating children's books until much later in his career. In fact, his first book was developed to entertain his grandchildren on a boring train ride.

Here is a wonderful link where you can see more of his books and learn more about him.

The Harmony of Opposites

The Tao speaks of the balance of opposites in nature and in our lives. I was recently interviewed for an article for a quilting magazine which will come out next Fall - more on that later. I was asked where the joy in my work comes from. I gave it a lot of thought, I know it comes from an honest and playful place within. But it has not always been so seemingly fun and easy. I recently came across an old poem I wrote when I was going through a challenging time. I did a monoprint around the same time, but not until now did I realize how much similarity there is between the two. I will let the pictures and words tell you the story... but all I can say about it is that it took a lot of spit and vinegar to get to this point today. If my intent is to inspire anyone who might be reading this who is facing a hard time, I can tell you this... It is within you to overcome any obstacle, to be true to yourself, and to follow your heart. It may take time, but we do have a long time and we are all stronger than we know.



detail


The Thinning Trees

The leaves burn their orange
in my head, old
offering from the story
I inhabit. My Buddha baby,

your newness astounds me. I put
you in your wheels. We stop
and start together, walk
and crawl through the thinning

trees. The dead
of the leaves pulls
at my feet, their sound
a fire. My stone hands
carry you through to here.

copyright Amy Schimler

Otters holding hands

For all of you who did not win the free fabric give away, here is something to make you smile on tax day. This is UNBELIEVABLE!

Scroll down to see the winner.

Books!

Two books just came out that I have to blab about!! They are written by two young and very talented women and are the first publication for both.



"My Travelin' Eye" is a children's book by the very talented illustrator (and now) writer, Jenny Kostecki Shaw. I am a big fan of Jenny's and proud to call her a new friend, so it is no surprise to me that this book is a big hit! It tells the story of little Jenny Sue and her experience with her "travelin" eye. Little Jenny Sue is so endearing with a healthy dose of spunk and fortitude. She is a great role model for all children who will identify with her struggles in feeling different. Jenny's whimsical illustration style is a perfect fit for her story telling - like the one scene where she is walking home from school with her new eye patch and glasses and she thinks she sees a purple elephant in the tree. All is just not the same for little Jenny Sue. This book will have you smilin' throughout and you will fall in love with little Jenny and big Jenny all at once.



"I Was Told There'd Be Cake" just came out to rave reviews. It was the number one seller in the humor category on Amazon.com. It is a collection of essays written by Sloane Crosley. I may be just a tad biased here because she is my cousin's daughter, but the reviewers are not biased and are comparing her to the likes of Dorothy Parker and David Sedaris. That is some very heavy praise. She also has a really fun web page with more info and links. Sloane has had essays published in the Village Voice, Salon, and the NY Times. Here is the review from Publisher's Weekly:
"This debut essay collection is full of sardonic wit and charm, and Crosley effortlessly transforms what could have been stereotypical tales of mid-20s life into a breezy series of vignettes with uproariously unpredictable outcomes....Fans of Sarah Vowell’s razor-sharp tongue will love this original new voice.”

(Congratulations Sloane, Eddie and Nettie are so very proud of you.)

Cool Kid's Clothes

I am getting things ready for the fabric give away. I got a little matchy matchy with the jelly beans, but it was fun:)! You still have a little over a week to sign up.


Due to lack of time and sewing skills, I commissioned new friend, Beth Murphy, to sew up some outfits for me out of the Kaufman fabric collections. Beth teaches sewing at the Atlanta Sewing Center. If you are in the area and want to sharpen your sewing skills, check out the center. She also teaches sewing camps for pre- teen and teen girls during the summers.

Wishin' I had some little munchkins running around who could model these.
Click on the images to see up close! (I just left a comment that has the pattern numbers.)

The Art of Reading

I recently licensed a few of my illustrations for children's tees to Love Linda, she is starting a new line called "The Art of Reading". Ironically, she will also be featuring a line titled "The Art of Education" which will feature artwork from Artwork for Education that I just blogged about yesterday. She will be donating a percentage of her sales for charity. I will be telling you more about that later. I am really happy to be helping her with this as it is a charity close to my heart.

I was updating one of my online portfolios today and loaded this image, a sneak peek of a book coming out in September by Ladybird Books in the UK, titled "What Are Clouds Made Of".