Friday, April 29, 2011

Sharpie Design on Birdbath Sculpture

For the In Bloom public art exhibit, artists were assigned sponsors. When I found out that I was matched up with Sharpie, I was ecstatic! I immediately thought of all the bright colors and how  it would be fun to use Sharpies on the birdbath. After all, I love Sharpie markers and had been working with them for years in my art. When I consulted with Sharpie and Cowpainters (the company that produces the fiberglass sculptures) I was informed that ink was not lightfast and the colors would fade over time with prolonged exposure to sunlight.

I still wanted to integrate the Sharpies in some way, so I decided to use them to outline the design on the bird bath. I spoke to Donna Ramos of Sharpie and she told me that Sharpie had four things they wanted incorporated in the design: it needed to be colorful, bold, free-flowing and original. Those are four words that I would use to describe my own art as well so I felt Sharpie was a great match for me. Donna was a pleasure to talk to and very supportive. I am thankful for her help.

The bird bath itself resembles a hibiscus flower, so I chose a plant theme for subject matter. I wanted to show leaves with colored spirals representing flowers. I could have easily combined flowers in the design, but I didn't want to get too literal and overwhelm the floral structure. I wanted to create a feeling and stay true to the Sharpie directive. Here is the design I drew on the sculpture in various Sharpie colors:



Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Birdbath for In Bloom Public Art Exhibit

Over the years, I found out about public art exhibits to paint fiberglass statues (like Chicago's Cows on Parade) but it was always too late or too faraway to participate. So when I got an email inviting me to apply to the In Bloom exhibit, I jumped at the idea. In Bloom is the theme of a sculptural art exhibit whose proceeds go to help a local nonprofit organization, HCS Family Services. They serve individuals and families of southeast Dupage County in Illinois with a food pantry, financial assistance in times of need, and programs that empower people and help them move towards self-sufficiency.

The In Bloom exhibit will be held this May–September at Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook, Illinois. It features garden sculptures that will be auctioned off in September. I will be exhibiting a 5 ft. birdbath that will be painted in vibrant flowing colors. My sponsor for this exhibit is Sharpie. In upcoming posts I will be detailing the creative progress of this sculptural piece. The following pictures show the fiberglass form in its original state: 



Friday, April 22, 2011

10 Reasons Why You Should Read My Blog

10. It's typed so you don't have to read my handwriting. 

9. You like chocolate! I like chocolate! Hey, we have something in common!

8. You get to know me better as an artist and as a person.

7. You may find something wonderful that I've created and just have to be the first one on your block to own it.

6. You like thinking outside the box. I've never been in the box. I don't even know where it is.

5. I live in my own little world and it's a nice place to visit.

4. You don't have to read it, you can just look at the pictures.

3. It's free!

2. It has zero calories! Unlike chocolate.

1. You never know what I'm going to post, because I don't even know yet.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Introducing ArtLove Blog by Ginny Gaura

Welcome to my ArtLove blog. I'm Ginny Gaura. First let's start with pronunciation of my name because it gets mispronounced all the time. Ginny is derived from Virginia, so the "G" is soft as in giraffe. Gaura is the hard "G" and rhymes with Laura. I have many nicknames, the most common is Goo and Ginny Goo. I also respond to being called Mario (from Mario Brothers fame) as long as it is bellowed in a lousy Italian accent.

I'll be blogging about my creative endeavors, especially in art. I'm one of those artists who love creating any way I can. When I was a kid my favorite toys were crayons, which grew into colored pencils, paints and pastels. I still love opening a new box of crayons with their points all intact and getting a good whiff of the rich scent of colored wax. By the way, I never quite grew up and my imagination is still operating at full force. 

As an adult, I enjoy oil, acrylic and watercolor painting, hand-lettering, photography, and graphic design. I use Photoshop on a regular basis and would like to do more creative projects with video, but there are only so many hours in a day.

The written word is important to me and I enjoy reading. I admit to being a geek because I always wished that libraries were open on weekend evenings. I have more books than I have room for and my dream has always been to have a library in my house with wall-to-wall bookshelves and rolling ladders.

I love poetry in all its forms, from every age and country. I write a lot of poems on pieces of paper that get buried in piles of junk mail and discovered later. When I listen to music, I focus on the lyrics most of the time. I'm currently working on greeting card collections that feature poetry and philosophical quotations in combination with my artwork.

My intent is to share my love of all things artistic with you. I may venture off the topic into other areas of interest due to my tendency to go off in tangents. I didn't want to write a personal blog because part of me saw it as egotistical and I've spent years working to dissolve my ego. It didn't work. Ego follows me like an imprinted duckling everywhere I go.

The reality is that in order to make a living, the individual artist needs to promote. Social media and blogging are to the tools that are available today. I love creating art for art's sake and for years have put the whole marketing thing on the back burner, as a lot of artists do because we would rather be in the studio. Through this blog I will try to post at regular intervals, though I can't be certain how often. Because Tuesday has that pleasing "oo" sound like Goo, I'll definitely post then, if not more. I invite you to join me on this digital journey.