twitter.jpgThis week has been spent at the computer in design mode. After I finally stepped up to the plate and fixed the bleeding red on the Cardinal — which I’ve just realized I still need to make a Page for — I stepped up and started working on a new pattern. My value study took several days — but it’s ready and with any luck, I’ll finish the drafting tomorrow.

As usual, I’ve kept an eye out for good articles on art and motivation and shared them on my Twitter feed. This is my weekly summary — but if you’d rather follow me in real time, you can find me @vsgreaves — or click the Twitter icon in the upper right hand corner above the menu. The Facebook icon next to it will take you to my Facebook Page where I share pics of work in progress from the studio.

If you didn’t see this article last week about a mother making paper dresses with her 4 year old daughter (nickname Mayhem) — it’s well worth seeing. After the Oscars tonight, I’m sure they’ll have new dresses coming out this week — check out #fashionbymayhem on Twitter. I was blown away by the inspiration of this young girl.
Future fashion designers — watch out! http://tinyurl.com/knwfjdz  @HuffPostParents @2sisters_angie #fashionbymayhem

It’s official — the US Congress is discussing Droit de Suite which would give artists a percentage of profit on the resale of their work (although it has to fall over $5k to be subject to these rules).
“Congressmen Propose National Resale Royalty Act for Artists” http://feedly.com/e/58Xsz6-I 

This discussion of success by astronaut Chris Hadfield doesn’t disappoint: “you need to honor the highs and the peaks in the moments . . . but recognize the fact that the preparation for those moments is your life and, in fact, that’s the richness of your life . . . ”
“Don’t Aim For the Finish Line: Astronaut Chris Hadfield on Success” http://feedly.com/e/Bovgdw3M 

As a textile artist, one of the blogs that I follow is by Terry Grant — and she wrote this amazing article about abstract versus representational art — a subject that my mother (an oil painter) and myself have discussed many times over the years — so I was interested to hear another point of view from an artist that successfully does both:
“Abstraction and Representation” #terrygrant http://feedly.com/e/BGzAEfw8 

This is another hot button issue. I believe a few weeks ago I highlighted an article (by Edward Winkleman I think) discussing how good art may never see the light of day if the artist doesn’t have an MFA — but an artist with an MFA may have a successful career with not very good art because he (or she) has the right contacts in the “art world.” This article doesn’t discuss whether or not the artist has an MFA but does discuss how popularity affects exposure. In this NPR article, Alix Spiegel follows an experiment in which teenagers are exposed to music songs in different virtual worlds to see how much social influence affects their reactions to the music.
Does art rise to the top because it’s good or because it’s popular? A case for the latter http://www.npr.org/2014/02/27/282939233/good-art-is-popular-because-its-good-right … via @MorningEdition RT @abstanfield

This is another self esteem builder — but good reminders for every one of us nonetheless:
15 Things That Emotionally Strong People Don’t Do http://elitedaily.com/life/15-things-that-emotionally-strong-people-dont-do/ … via @EliteDaily

I grew up watching Mr. Rogers on television but I don’t know that I’ve ever considered his positive influence. Reading this article of quotes published on the anniversary of his passing, I realize how truly inspiring he was:
“Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.” http://tinyurl.com/l4rogn9  via @RELEVANT

And that’s a wrap!