The Scrap Box; my childhood paradise, my artist playground

The Scrap Box has been a staple in Ann Arbor since the early 80s, and was my absolute favorite place to go as a kid. Whenever there was a special event to celebrate, or I had a few extra bucks from chores - this is where I begged my parents to take me.

The Scrap Box is is a donation-based creative reuse PARADISE, filled with all sorts of odds and ends, like thin-chopped white tubing, fantastic spongy shapes, nylon in every color of the rainbow, green nettings, yarns, papers, pieces of wood…. I couldn’t attempt to name everything they have! It’s all been donated by area businesses/individuals and provides kids/artists/educators/explorers with access to neat materials for very cost.

The bulk room; my favorite place.

As a child I would make 3D paintings, sculptures and scenes out of these bits and pieces - now as a working artist it is my haven for still life supplies. Especially when I’m teaching a class or breaking down my process, having access to all this weird stuff is amazing.

And if I’m setting up a still life for just me, I really appreciate having a cache of items that I don’t necessarily understand (or know what they are!) to scatter on a table. It keeps me from assigning meaning to their placement and sketch.

I usually combine the Scrapbox treasures with a few vases/cups I picked up at our thrift store add some crumpled paper, then get to work.

This is one of my favorite exercises to start the day with, or if I’m feeling just a little stuck - making some interesting (not necessarily pretty!) arrangements and sketching from these tends to yield some results that beg other questions, that warrant more sketching and exploration.

On Saturday I’ll be taking these supplies with me up to the MSU Broad Art Lab - where I’ll be setting up a few of these still lifes and teaching a little workshop on my contour drawing process. There’s still a few spaces left if you are in the area!

It was so wonderful to walk into the Scrap Box this week and gather a few extra items for Saturday’s class. This is the first I’ve been in since we moved back and I already have plans for more of the materials I saw there. Walking through the barrels in the bulk room gave me the same feeling as way back when; (except that now I am tall enough to actually see into the barrels!) endless inspiration, limitless possibility and knowing that I’m about to need A LOT more glue.

<3

EH Sherman Art at the Ann Arbor Art Center

I’m honored and excited to announce that a collection of my new work is up over at the Ann Arbor Art Center!

The paintings are part of a series exploring mark-making and motion. Informed by color studies made from local, natural forms and given movement by sketches of bones, flower contours, striations and patterns found in rocks.

Acrylic / pastel / graphite / watercolor on paper and canvas.

All work is for sale, check with the gallery to see what is still available!

Contour Sketches at the Arborteum

The Nichols Arboretum is one of my favorite spots here in Ann Arbor. Aside from being a beautiful outdoor space to walk, run and paddle - it's also one of my favorite spots to sit and sketch.

The first week of June is the best for viewing the Peony garden in bloom, so I headed over there for an afternoon of flower-watching and flower-inspired drawing.

I started with a few blind contour sketches, letting my pencil follow the curves and ridges of the blooms without looking down at the page. 

By playing with placement and variances of petals/leaves/negative spaces I draw a sort of "map" of the way I see the flower. Sometimes the resulting compositions are interesting and worth exploring further, so I transfer those to a canvas or a larger sheet of paper. And of course, sometimes they are just a mess of lines that don't seem to tell a story or impart any truth of the plant and those just stay in the sketchbook.

(I used these Derwent pencils from Amazon for the contour sketches - I really enjoy the freedom to create lines AND washes from the same tool, less to carry with me and easier to quickly get sketches down on the paper.)

What about you? Have any favorite places to sketch outside?

Fieldtrip: University of Michigan Museum of Art

There is a special type of calm I experience in an art museum. The smell of old paint, the hushed tones of passer-bys, knowing I'm surrounded by old, masterful work, the gentle tapping of footsteps on marble floors... it all produces a silent awe within me.  While I love to explore museums in a group and hear what each individual gets out of the work, I also truly enjoy going by myself and just basking in the experience.

I had a few spare hours this afternoon and the temperature was absolutely perfect for a walk, so I headed over to the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

First off, it's an incredible building. (As referenced by how many graduates were getting their photos taken in and around the building!) The art is a smattering of different geographical and historical collections; European, American, African, Asian, Contemporary, Design, rotating exhibits... it's a wonderful assortment of powerful work.

I unfortunately only arrived about an hour before closing, so I did a speedwalk through the museum and I know I missed a few rooms. I plan to return next week for a more in-depth visit.

Rauschenberg - aquatint print

Tracey Emin

Joan Mitchell

Helen Frankenthaler

I could have spent days here and I'm so grateful to have such a fantastic museum so close. My plan is to come back and sit on the bench below the Frankenthaler for a few hours and just think... and then get to the rooms I missed today <3

Do you have a favorite museum in your city? Whats your favorite part about it?