Saturday, October 24, 2009

Empty

I need a break from all children all over the world. Open to suggestions!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

The Elusive White Rabbit

This story begins in January of this year. I made a resolution to submit my artwork to the mixed media publication Somerset Studio. I would check out themes in each new issue, until I found the one that I wanted to use: Alice in Wonderland...perhaps with a slight nod to Tim Burton's new movie. I created a mood board with the colors and materials I wanted to use in the piece. Before I knew it, my blank canvas board was *almost* complete! There it sat, propped up on top of " art purgatory." In my improvised studio area, art purgatory is the wall mounted coat rack that I use to hang inspirational items and finished or *almost* finished pieces.

The deadline for the Alice in Wonderland submission was a not-so-ambitious October 15th, and before I knew it, the week of the deadline was on my doorstep. My piece was not finished. However, several days before the 15th, I did manage to add the finishing touches to my work and called it "done."

Before I knew it, the deadline had come and gone. I got stuck with my finger on the start button. I never sent the piece in to Somerset. I have decided I am officially losing myself in things I do not care about. I want my life to be art, but my life is getting in the way.

The piece is ironically titled : Late.


Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Book it, sister!

I will preface this stream of conciousness with the fact, that, I love books! As we all know (I hope), books are an easy way to find inspiration when you are in an artistic slump. Thus, I made the decision over the weekend to continue a tradition my Mom started of collecting Caldecott Honor-winning books for my son. Luca is only 15 months old, and at this point, he does not even pretend to listen when I am reading to him. However, there is always the rare occasion that he does sit and listen (last night he managed to get through the rise and fall of "Max, King of the Wild Things" in Where the Wild Things Are before he got mad that a page wasn't turning and tore part of the cover). Plus, I have come to the conclusion in the past couple years, that the artwork in children's picture books is mostly amazing and always worth exposing your child to- even if they can only sit still long enough to get a glance.

In addition, these books are a cultural connection children get to have with their peers. When they grow up, they will remember what their mommy and daddy read to them before they went to sleep. Evey generation has something they can all remember about growing up in particular decade. The books that were popular when you were little are part of these memories. Books are like songs in a way. You can relate to the characters and the stories and they become a part of you and when you are lost they will always be there. All of this is why I love books, especially childrens picture books, and they are inspiring to me, as an artist and a person in a world that is crappy sometimes.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

♥ Paste: Part II

After all of my internet research, I finally went to the source of the great paste mystery. I emailed Elmer's with my query. This is what I got back:

Dear Melissa,

Thank you for contacting us regarding Elmer's products.

Unfortunately, that product has been discontinued and is no longer available. We are sorry for any inconvenience and disappointment.

Sincerely,

Brian Rumschlag
Consumer Response Analyst

That's it?! No explanation at all?! What a disappointment. I bet Brian Rumschlag doesn't even know why paste is off the market. I bet he never made fabulous masterpieces out of construction paper, glitter, macaroni and paste when he was in kindergarten. What a shame.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

♥ Paste: Part I

Once upon a time, we all used to create fabulous masterpieces in Kindergarten and Preschool using scissors, construction paper, macaroni, glitter and the all important Elmer's Paste. You remember paste? The oddly textured, minty chemical-smelling, thick wannabe glue that was an embarrassing sign you were not trustworthy enough as a 5 year old to use the real glue. I have been working at an elementary school for the past 4 years and before that, I was on the Preschool scene ( I am trying to relive my childhood, kind of a "let's try this again" experiment, but this time with feeling! Ok, so not really, but it's a wonderful idea, no?) and you know what? The person in charge of mandating adhesives in the "land of little ones" decided children will no longer use paste! Like the friggin' Wizard of Oz or Seinfeld's Soup Nazi: "No more paste for you! Now go!"

I cannot help but wonder: Why? WHEN and HOW did this happen? Now millions of children are being robbed of their rightful title as "the kid who eats paste." Their loyal onlookers have been deprived minutes upon minutes of art activity time entertainment!

What now? My curiosity is sufficiently peaked. Was this paste toxic? Full of hormone-disrupting BPA or Pthalates? Did some kid choke on a wad of paste, ruining it for everyone? I will research this devastating paste mystery and report back with my findings.

Until then: I bid you adieu!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Make Art. Sure.


I watched The Sure Thing while my son, Luca ,was napping today. (Well, I mostly listened to it, because I was working on a painting) I have since decided that no matter what kind of crappy mood I am in, there is a John Cusak movie that will make me feel better. I am not exaggerating either. There is something about every movie he has ever been in that just makes my life a better place to live in.

John Cusak movies are like having a quirky and entertaining neighbor you can always count on to pop by and drink a beer with you while making fun of people walking by your house. You don't want them around all the time because they never clean up after themselves and smoke all your cigarettes, but they totally make your life worth living.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

manic musing

A fine romance: The sarcastic love story © 2009 JammyART Studio by Melissa Muller

Thursday, September 17, 2009

OHHH Ida


New piece for sale NOW!! I love this colorful canvas and the story that inspired its creation. Two words (a name, really): Ida Pfeiffer. She was an amazing woman! Check out this article on Wikipedia for more information on her incredible life: Ida Laura Pfeiffer.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Love Your Mother/Ode to ReUse

So many reusable items...so little time. My homage to recyclables in art...even the canvas has been "upcycled!"





Sunday, August 2, 2009

Experience

Someone once told me: "Never deny yourself an experience." I have since decided, she was right. Some experiences make us feel like throwing up. In the end, the ability for humans to retain their experiences, undeniably shapes our evolution as a species. I met the best people working for Starbucks.

Mind Games or Humorous Anecdotes...


Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Saturday Mornings

Mommy mornings. The working mother's Saturday...not a break at all. This morning I ponder, what am I going to do today? When you are a working mother, the week guarantees small breaks from your own children (in my case, I happen to still be surrounded by children at work, but it's somehow different). During these breaks, you have time. Time to breathe. Time to think about doing something, and then actually do it, rather than wait for the ability to do it. Being an artist with this kind of restraint is brutal; being an artist with A.D.D and this kind of restraint is almost too much to handle. I can never count on my brain to be in focus when I need it to...much like having a small child (2 year old) sit inside your head and control all logic and reason. This is what it feels like and it feels ridiculous. Saturdays are the worst days because I don't have the structure of the work week to give me some tangible outside version of focus.

Often, during conversation, I find people believe that if you are medicated for Attention Deficit Disorder, the problem is somehow solved. What they fail to realize is that there are a whole mess of issues that are neatly packaged (bow and all) within the gift of ADD. In my experience, medications treat about 25 percent of ADD symptoms. Thus, Saturdays for my purposes (and weekends in general) will always be my nemesis (sadly). Nothing gets done, my son seems to be bored with me and my art remains on the back-burner until Daddy gets home from work.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Thinking about the "D" word...in my art

My latest piece has been throwing me for a loop. It started out as a desire to use the image of a house, or some building in my work. In almost all of my art, I have a need to make the components perfect and then create blemishes (big or small). I cannot stand when anything looks to put together and proper...I'll be honest, it pisses me off. With that said, the house I ended up creating for this piece was lovely and made with the perfect paper, but something was not quite right. Then it hit me: I must cut it in half! Being a child of divorce, I find the image of the broken heart, jaggedly ripped in two bloody pieces, is a perfect expression of the way I have felt over the years ( it has been almost 15 years since my parents split). I use broken or sewn up hearts in a lot of my sketches and random drawings, but very few in my paintings and mixed media pieces. Never have I put two and two together, so to speak. It has taken a long time for me to be able to put the pain of my parents divorce onto a canvas in such an obvious way and, presently, it feels pretty damn good!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

'Play Me' in store today!


Signed, sealed, check it out!!!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

What came of Strange...


"Strange, but not a stranger" ACEO....I was trying for something a little more grand. The time got away from me, and I had to go miniature. Check this out in my shop soon, it will be for sale with several other of my mini's.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Something will come of this

Creative juice....Strange, but not a stranger. Awesome phrase. Talking Heads. Burning down the house. Beyond any reasonable explanation, the whole elementary school process of making a bubble brainstorm has become some sort of auto-idea generator for me. There is something so basic and natural about using related words to further creative thoughts and visualize what I want to project into a piece. I love this kind of process; the more abstract and seemingly inexplicable, the more allure it holds.