Bushcraft makes street art!

This month at Bushwick we made STREET ART!  

We made a collaborative mural using stencils, and I think it turned out simply stunning. It makes me so happy to look at!  If you'd like to see it in person, it's in Bushwick on Grattan Street between Knickerbocker Avenue and Porter Ave. (Map here)  You can see more pics from this project as well as past Bushcrafts in this Fickr set. But for now I'll give you the photo recap...

Here's our crew of amazing artists! 

From left to right: David McQueen (AKA: Scout), Alix Maubrey, Alyson Greenfield, Jasmina Tomic, Josh Gorfain, Bishop203, Declan Zimmerman, me, Andrea Sparacio, and Andra Passen.

But let me rewind. First, we each made our stencils.

 

Then we took them over to our blank wall, which Bishop had gotten permission from the property owner for us to paint. Bishop has painted a lot on this street along with some other great street artists, so it's a great outdoor gallery in case you have not wandered around it.

We started by painting our own stencils, and then started using each other's stencils.

The cops who came by approved, the neighbors across the street approved, but we DID have some "artistic differences" with Macho the dog.

Layering, layering,  layering.

And here's the finished mural!

Here's a close-up of my favorite section...

I think this was the Bushcraft yet, I cannot wait until next month! If you'd like to play with us, just drop me a line and I'll add you to my Bushcraft email list.

Currently Listening: Fiona Apple...The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw & Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

Artnership: Weeks 19-24

 So here are the recent projects I've made in my year-long ARTNERSHIP!
You can see my previous Artner assignments collected here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
And you can see my Artner Lauren Larken's posts here.

Week 19: 

Mom

Assignment:  Make something for your Mom or in tribute to you Mom.  Draw, sing, write, cook, MAKE something expressing your feelings. Maybe she'll even hang it on the fridge. (We did this in correspondence of Mother's Day.)

I was racking my brain about what I could make or give to my mom. What did I have to offer? All I have to give is, well,  me. To open up and share my life. So I made Mom a special care package! There's a really important letter, some special mix CDs, a rainbow painting from Animamus (which the back of it told me to "give it to someone I would do practically anything for"), and a proposal that we collaborate on a book of old family stories together. This made me really happy to put together!

 And I also sent her a little velvet-Elvis for creative inspiration. I hung its twin in my living room by my miniature door, so we each have one.

Week 20:

Fears

Assignment:  Make something that expresses, confronts, or reacts to your fears. They can be specific/ external fears or more abstract/ emotional ones. Use whatever media that feels honest and open, since this is an undeniably therapeutic theme.

In my head, my fears and doubts spread like a drop of black ink on a sheet of damp watercolor paper, bleeding out and infecting the happy. So I made it as a "flip book" rather than an illustration. In my head I saw it as a moving animation, so a sequential series was about as close as I could get.

It's currently featured on Trip City, a Brooklyn-filtered online literary arts salon.  

FLIP THRU IT HERE.

Week 21:

Time Chart

Assignment: Chart how you spend your time using a pie chart, graph, diagram, or whatever you see fit. You can be technical or abstract. Just look at your life, take notice of what you are dedicating your time to, and track it somehow.

Since my schedule is pretty much working 7 days a week on "Will & Whit" until Christmas, my days are pretty monotonous. So I thought I'd chart what has become my daily routine, to see exactly where all my time was going. Because I have NO free time. So if I can find some extra time in there, then I want it.

Week 22:

Time Chart (Part 2)

Assignment: Now visualize and draw out how you would LIKE your graph/chart/diagram to look. Then if you can, try carrying it out the rest of the week and muse on how it goes.

What did I want to change about my schedule? More structure, since I'm my own boss it's hard to keep myself motivated some days. But if I pretend I'm at a job with a definite schedule, then I'm more likely to fool myself into doing it.  Then I get more playtime! I'm not sure it's helped me change too much, (I am so stubborn about certain things!) but it has made me a bit more mindful. And appreciative of who/what I spend my time with.

Week 23:
Artner Website

Assignment: Sketch out your vision for the future Artner website! This was an activity for just Larken and I, since we need to start thinking about what we want the site to be like for our little online community.

I envisioned our website like an actual school, containing all the resources and support system one needs from a school at the visitor's disposal. Then below the sketch is a list of what I picture could be in each section. (This shows off my bad spelling ability!)

  

Week 24:

Dad

 Assignment: Make something for your Dad or in tribute to you Dad.  Draw, sing, write, cook, MAKE something expressing your feelings. Maybe he'll even hang it on the fridge. (We did this in correspondence of Father's Day.)

Back when I was in my "I'm-going-to-be-a-Disney-animator" phase, I gave my dad the nickname Crazy Old Maurice inspired by Beauty and the Beast. So I thought I'd draw a portrait of his cartoon alter-ego for Father's day. It's made with goache and collage. It was so much fun to make! I sure have an awesome dad. :-)

Currently Listening: Kimbra....Vows.

Bushwick Open Studios

Last weekend in Bushwick Open Studios 

I had artwork featured in the Animamus group show at Starr Street Studios!

 
Behind the scenes...

Here's my display of work, featuring selected pieces from the past year. I hung it in a corner so it read like a book, because as always I like the impact of showing my illustrations in a collection so it can tell more of a narrative.

Here are some pics from the salon where us artists talked about our work.
(pics by Andrew Bridge)

Did I mention I've had a purple streak in my hair for a month now?

Fun group photos!

Thank you everyone who came out and to all the other talented artists who made the show a success!

 Currently Reading: Alison Bechdel...Are You My Mother?

Cycle (flip drawing) featured on Trip City!

I have my second series of drawings featured on  
Trip City, the Brooklyn filtered literary arts salon!
 

*Flip thru "Cycle" HERE*

This "flip drawing" was made in response to an Artner theme (week 20) where we were supposed to delve into our FEARS. It's about how when I'm feeling vulnerable my doubts have this power to consume me,  and I just have to let things run its course before I can let hope back in.

And if you missed it, check out my first series of illustrations featured on Trip City: Sad Produce!
 

Currently Listening: Oh Land...Oh Land.