Vineyard Gardens Advertisements

It has been a very exciting year full of change. I became a mother and a Texan all in the span of a 3 week period. Two very big adjustments to encounter at the same time but both have been extremely fulfilling. Throughout the move, raising my daughter, being a wife, and exploring Austin I have continued to work as a freelance designer. Working from home with a baby has been a perfect way to keep my creativity flowing and be with my daughter all day.

One of my clients is Vineyard Gardens of Martha’s Vineyard. They hired me to do their entire advertising package for the year. Their vision was to take more of artistic approach in their advertising. Fortunately for me that meant combining my art background within the graphic design realm. One of the ways I did that was incorporating watercolor/sketches of their “plant of the week” specials. For variety, I created two different layouts to use as a base design.

Below are some of my favorites from the year.

 

Watercolor Sketches

I have been working on advertisements for Vineyard Gardens of Martha’s Vineyard. Their vision was to take more of artistic approach in their advertising. Fortunately for me that meant combining my art background within the graphic design realm by incorporating watercolor/sketches. Below are a couple of drawings that I just completed that will be integrated into some of their ads.

cherry blossoms

pansies

Figure Drawing

Figure drawings I did from last weeks open drawing session.

 

Figure Drawing

Now that the bustle of summer on the Vineyard is winding down I have made a point to start figure drawing again. This is one of the drawings I did from Tuesdays figure drawing session at Featherstone Center For the Arts.

Eisenhauer Gallery

Thursday Aug. 9th was my opening at the Eisenhauer Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard. I was honored to show with two amazing artists, Carol Bennett and Michel Brosseau.

Musicians played in the courtyard in front of the Eisenhauer Gallery the night of the show.

Elizabeth Eisenhauer, gallery owner,  and I opening night after the show.

“The Swing” looked amazing hanging next to Michel Brosseau’s piece.

It was wonderful to see these pieces hanging together!

The Barnacle Cuff bracelets.

Eggshell Mosaics

This has been an exciting few months of concentrated creating in preparation for my art opening at the Eisenhauer Gallery in Edgartown, MA. These are my newest pieces.

 

CONNECTIONS
10 1/2 x 17 1/8  “
[eggshells, found wood, steel frame]

If you take the time to notice you may begin to see connections between various disparate forms in nature and how they can abstractly relate to our lives.  A dried piece of seaweed and spalted wood share this web-like pattern which could be thought of as an explorer’s map of the convoluted path of our life.  Life is not a straight line between two points and we often find ourselves at a crossroads or even a dead end but it is important to remember that it is this  tangle of decisions that makes life and this natural pattern interesting and enjoyable.

 

WALLPAPER #2
12 3/4 x 17 1/8  “
[eggshells, found wood, steel frame]

 

“Wallpaper” is a dialogue between the artist and interior designer within me.  My passion to use natural and re-purposed materials speaks to the renewed interest in returning to the land and how it has influenced the current design trends. The texture of the placed eggshells evoke a similar soulfulness to that of peeling paint and it’s link to the history of a place. Playing off the idea of “weather” chipping away paint, the eggshell pattern reveals a natural motif reminiscent of vintage wallpaper.  The combination of these elements conjure up feelings of nostalgia from childhood memories and are the material language of contemporary lifestyle choices.

 

 

THE SWING
7 3/4  x  17 3/4  “
eggshells, found wood, cotton rope

With so many opportunities and choices in life, it is very difficult to pick a path and stick to it. After enjoying years of capricious travel and re-locations, my perspective has been shifted and I’m now ready to leave my nomadic ways behind.  I’m approaching this epiphany cautiously, though, and am finding a connection to barnacles who root down solidly, but at times to movable objects that are at the whim of the sea. I find life to be similar in that try as you may to actively control your path, you too can find yourself guided by the ebb and flow of the tides.

 

THE UNION
4 1/2  x  12 3/4  “
[eggshells, wood, steel frame]

This abstract representation of a union shows two individuals coming together to form a bond that is stronger than the sum of their individual pieces. It is executed in natural eggshells to underscore the rawness of human emotion.

ONCIDIUM ORCHIDS
29 1/8  x  18 3/8  “
[eggshells, wood, steel frame]

My flower series of eggshell mosaics are based on the intricate beauty of nature. They are small, intimate pieces that require close observation to understand its detail and exquisiteness just like looking at the elaborate design of a flower. Using eggshells as my medium I have created another link between my work and nature.

To see more of my work you can visit my website www.karenblackerby.com

Barnacle Cuff

After a winter of creating artwork I am beginning to see some fruits of my labor. In May, my work was accepted into The Eisenhauer Gallery  on Martha’s Vineyard for an August 9th opening. I am thrilled and have been working non stop to get ready for the show. Then a couple of weeks ago I was happily surprised to see two of my latest pieces featured on the New England Home blog.  http://blog.nehomemag.com/2012/06/friday-favorites-6222012/

Below are images of the barnacle cuff. It is representation of my Away We Go eggshell mosaic, featured on my May 4th post. The cuff is a cropped section of a photo I took of the mosaic, then hand etched and shaped on brass. An interesting and fun process. These will be sold at the show alongside its side kick Away We Go.

Away we go  [eggshells / found wood / steel frame 28 1/2 x 28]

Graphic Design

This summer I am helping the nursery and landscaping company, Vineyard Gardens of Martha’s Vineyard, organize and run gallery nights.  Every Friday night this August they will showcase local artists and artisans in an outdoor gallery-style reception set against the breathtaking backdrop of their gorgeous garden center.

The “Call For Artist” posters I designed.

Detail of the drawing I did for the poster.

 

 

 

Eggshell Mosaics

The series I am currently working on is an observation of my life’s direction and lifestyle choices. My artwork challenges me to slow down in both a physical and conceptual manner which counters my otherwise whimsical and unrestricted personality.  I gravitate to the use of nature as my primary medium and relish in the process of finding my “canvas” and allowing it to inform the final concept. My process of creating these eggshell mosaics is very meditative. Interacting with the chickens and noting the subtle differences in the shape, color, and size of their individual eggs further connects me to my medium. With only a loose sketch to define the pattern, I become hyper-focused on fractions of an inch, and create this free form puzzle.“Wallpaper” and “Away we go” are micro and macroscopic self-reflections  which directly correlate to the near and far field read of each piece.

                      Away we go  [eggshells / found wood / steel frame 28 1/2 x 28]

With so many opportunities and choices in life, it is very difficult to pick a path and stick to it. After enjoying years of capricious travel and re-locations, my perspective has been shifted and I’m now ready to leave my nomadic ways behind.  I’m approaching this epiphany cautiously, though, and am finding a connection to barnacles who root down solidly, but at times to movable objects that are at the whim of the sea. I find life to be similar in that try as you may to actively control your path, you too can find yourself guided by the ebb and flow of the tides.

               [My husband, Derek Logan, builds and welds the steel frames for my pieces!]

                                                         [detail of Away we go]

                    WALLPAPER [eggshells / found wood / steel frame 10 x 37]

“Wallpaper” is a dialogue between the artist and interior designer within me. My passion to use natural and re-purposed materials speaks to the renewed interest in returning to the land and how it has influenced the current design trends. The texture of the placed eggshells evoke a similar soulfulness to that of peeling paint and it’s link to the history of a place. Playing off the idea of “weather” chipping away paint, the eggshell pattern reveals a natural motif reminiscent of vintage wallpaper. The combination of these elements conjure up feelings of nostalgia from childhood memories and are the material language of contemporary lifestyle choices.

                               [Steel frame built by Derek Logan]

                                                       [detail of Wallpaper]

Please visit my website Karen Blackerby to see more of my work. Thanks for stopping by!

Florian Nicolle

I was thrilled when I came across the incredible collection by Florian Nicolle‘s. He has a wonderful technique of layering different medias,  combining energetic and raw linework with newspaper, ink, paint, and digital retouching. Check out his process on Behance.

 

 

 

 

{via Colossal}