Karen O's Inspiration and Illustration

Ella

2012-01-27T17:01:00.000-08:00

I recently finished reading 'The Son of Neptune' (Book 2 in the Heroes of Olympus series) by Rick Riordan and I was inspired to create a new piece based on his character, Ella the Harpy.

I rarely do fan art, but I really do love Rick Riordan's books and I had a great time making this piece. So who knows, perhaps you'll see more Heroes of Olympus characters from me.

(Detail)

copyright Karen O'Bryan, 2012

Website = Updated

2012-01-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

One of my NYE resolutions was to get off my butt and update my website already! The reason I had been dragging my feet for so long was originally I had used iWeb to create my site, and when a friend of mine did some fancy I.T. work my computer, he accidentally deleted the program.

Cut to years later, yes years, and I still have not gotten iWeb back on my computer, but I did learn what I had been overwhelmed by in the past: Dreamweaver.

So now ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to introduce my NEW WEBSITE!!! and say that I did it completely 100% on my own, iWeb free. And I must admit, I'm pretty happy with the results.

Well... go check it out already! Sheesh. :)

(p.s., be gentle on me, as it is my first ever published dreamweaver project)

New Find: Raymond Lemstra

2011-12-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

Check out these awesome drawings by Amsterdam-based artists, Raymond Lemstra. I'm in love with the mask-like quality to his characters.

Totem

Death

De Balie Voorkant

Co Exhibitions 2nd Annual World Craft Fair

2011-12-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who made it out Saturday. We had an amazing turnout! If you missed the sale, there are still plenty of goodies left to check out on my Etsy page.

Happy Holidays!

Co Exhibition World Craft Fair: Dec. 10th

2011-11-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

Since its inception, CO Exhibitions has been a space dedicated to sharing creativity with the community. On Saturday, December 10th, we will be inviting over two dozen local crafters and artisans to showcase their handmade goods in our 2nd annual holiday season craft sale.... This is the perfect chance to avoid the mayhem and monotony of the mall by picking up unique holiday gifts made by independent locals. From clothing to jewelry to greeting cards to screenprinted art prints to toys to beef jerky, every booth will have something different and special in store.

ENJOY...
Hot Cocoa Bar!
Freshly Baked Treats from the CO Kitchen!
DJ Sets from BRLSQ!
Art by 123Klan!

FEATURING...
Burlesque of North America
Modern Radio Record Label
Cool Jerk
LandLand
Karen O'Bryan
R.M. Hanson
Yellow Button Studios
Kaleidoscope Kitty
Rectangle Designs
Carly Schoen
Emily Sauer
Dajana Bartulovic
Lela Horst Baumann
Mermapillar
Alana Gordhammer of Pull Jewelry
GO TravelWear
Primitive Precision / Liz Parent
Sew Smiley
Florence Oliver
Meyer and Sons Design

Saturday, December 10th
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. / FREE

CO Exhibitions / 1101 Stinson Blvd #2 / Northeast Minneapolis

***CO Exhibitions is owned and operated by Burlesque of NA and Permanent Art & Design Group***

Art Brawl Opening Photos

2011-11-15T18:48:00.001-08:00

Last Friday was the opening of "Art Brawl" at AZ Gallery in St. Paul. Thanks again to everyone who made it out. If you missed the opening, the show will be up until November 27th (so there is still plenty of time to go check it out!)

Cheers,
Karen

Art of Business

2011-11-06T18:09:00.001-08:00

From time to time I like to remind the readers of this blog (and myself) that what we do as artists is not only fun, but it is business. It's not always the most fun thinking about the business side of things, but certainly important.

I've stumbled upon a really great blog with a lot of useful information. The post dates are creeping up with age, but I still think they are relevant articles. There is everything from taxes, to contracts, to pricing your work, and more.

Koi

2011-11-03T14:57:00.001-07:00

Some new paintings for your enjoyment. These will be for sale at the MCAD Art Sale in 2 weeks.

"Koi 1"
Acrylic and graphite on wood
$75
copyright Karen O'Bryan 2011

"Koi 2"
Acrylic and graphite on wood
$75
copyright Karen O'Bryan 2011

"Koi 3"
Acrylic and graphite on wood
$75
copyright Karen O'Bryan 2011

"Koi 4"
Acrylic and graphite on wood
$75
copyright Karen O'Bryan 2011

Gods and Monsters: Cult Status Gallery

2011-11-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

On Sunday evening I attended the opening of "Gods and Monsters" at the Cult Status Gallery in Minneapolis. The show was dedicated entirely to horror films, and naturally, Ryan was one of the artists in the show.

Other artists featured include:

Alex Kuno
Nate Vincent Szklarski
Chris Krapohl
Garrett Rautio
Alex Green
Boxy Mouse
Von Skank
Kipp Else
COurtney Stout
Todd 'Lucky' Lambright
Josh VanHeuveln
Valerie Clark
Mark Rivard
Matthew Jenkins
Scotty Munster
Ryan Schaddelee
Metrik
Mimi Wunsch
Joseph Naughton
Oberika Toliver
Sarah Dos Pfeifle
Shawn Hebrank
Louisa Greenstock
Wundr
Kristen Sassenfeld
Jon Sweet
Dillion Bakke
Dan Wieken
Chuck U
Carrie Lee Wendt
Maggie DeWitt
Aubree Mease
OHDE
Biafra Inc
Charlie Forbes
Dan Dittmer
Chris Allen
Amina Harper
John Dickinson
Karl Schneider
Rob McBroom
Jacquie Bates
Gabby Mohlis
Dylan Hummel
++AND MORE!

The show is up until the end of the month, so if you didn't make it to the opening, there is still plenty of time to check it out!

"There's a Rumbly in My Tumbly"
Acrylic on wood panel
copyright RM Hanson 2011

Art Brawl: Opening November 11th

2011-10-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Please join us at AZ Gallery on 11-11-11, that's Friday, November 11th, from 6-10pm for Art BRAWL. It's sort or like The Art Crawl but... quarrelsome. We'll be celebrating the November bite in the air, the gritty paint under our fingernails and urban art that just may cause ruckus in your heart.
Expect a cash bar, live music and frighteningly wonderful art.

We're excited to showcase the creations of:

Jake Keeler
Amy Jo
Joe Aschebrock
Chuck U
Jeremy Shock
Torey Bonar
Susan Andre
Dennis Conrad
Karen O'Bryan
D.C. Ice

AZ Gallery is located at 308 Prince St in Lowertown St. Paul.

Keep in mind it's never too early to look for those holiday gifts! Hope to see you there! Here's a new piece to spark some interest.

"Going For A Stroll"
Acrylic and graphite on wood panel
copyright Karen O'Bryan 2011

CHINA!

2011-10-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

Oh China, where do I begin? Well, I could start by saying that I returned from Shanghai a week ago and it’s taken me this long to get back on track. Jet lag is not my friend, that much is true.

To make a long, drawn out retelling of my adventure short, all I can say is that China is crazy. Very, very crazy.

Now to the details. (Although, not all of the details because that would take far too long!)

I arrived in Shanghai three weeks ago to visit my friend during her fall break after an uncomfortably long flight. 13 hours long to be exact. I, and my not so fat wallet, sprung just enough for the cheap-ish seat in the very back of the plane. My thought process was, well, there really is no way to get comfortable on a flight this long, so I might as well save my money for doing fun things in China. This is what poor people tell themselves until they get a look at those swanky first class reclining chairs, and the well dressed people lounging in them sipping away on Champagne. I’m still telling myself I wouldn’t have gotten any sleep either way…

Somewhere in Canada.. or maybe Russia? I don't remember

I was in a complete daze when I got out of the airport and into a cab with my best friend and her host sister. It was cloudy and drizzling, and I couldn’t see much over the retaining wall over the interstate. At first, it really didn’t look that different. Just a lot of tall buildings covered in advertisements for as long as the eye could see. It kind of reminded me coming home from the airport in San Francisco. At least, that was the only thing I could compare it to. Shanghai has a bizarre mix of architecture. It has some very western influences, and yet definitely still feels Chinese.

Shanghai

I managed to stay awake long enough to make it back to the host family’s condo (about an hour cab ride from the airport) to drop off my stuff, then walk to a nearby mall and grab dinner. I pass out on the hardest mattress I’ve slept on in recent memory around 7pm.

The Family Condo

Cut to 4am and now I’m wide awake… of course. This happened a lot my first few days. Falling asleep right after dinner only to awake before the sun, and trying desperately to will myself back to sleep without much luck.

Our family life in Shanghai was pretty typical to anyone who has a stay-at-home Mom. She would wake up first to make breakfast for the rest of the family, then spend the rest of her day doing house hold chores (cleaning, laundry, buying produce from local markets, etc.) I suppose the only difference is that in China, being able to be or have a stay-at-home Mom is a luxury most cannot afford, and a position that is highly coveted.

Host Mom making us dinner

After breakfast, we would go out to explore Shanghai. Unfortunately, the first week I was there was China’s National Holiday (think 4th of July, only it lasts for an entire week) so EVERYONE was out exploring Shanghai. I found out later that there were 6 million EXTRA people who came to visit during that week. It was absolute madness. We took a lot of cabs to avoid being packed like sardines in a tube 3 stories underground with 6 million other people.

China is CROWDED...

Somehow we managed to see several temples, touristy shopping areas, art galleries, parks, bars, an acrobatic show, and countless other things in the mix of all the people.

A variety of Temples:

I think my favourite part about my trip was actually taking a mini vacation to Hangzhou (about 2 hours south by slow-train.) Hangzhou is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and tea fields. The main attraction is West Lake, which we just so happened to stay in a hostel that was across the street from. If you ever find yourself in Hangzhou, stay on the lake. You won’t regret it.

Hangzhou:

We definitely took the opportunity to eat a lot of non-Chinese food whilst in Hangzhou. I like to think of myself as somewhat open to trying new food (I’m certainly no Andrew Zimmern, but I’ll give some things a try) but Chinese food – real Chinese food is a bit.. well.. gross. There are a lot of mystery fatty meats, and sea creatures with the head still attached, and baby ducks on a stick…

We never ate the street food, because it’s just not safe. Shanghai does have their equivalent of the FDA, but it’s just not very regulated or enforced, especially on street vendors. They keep their food on the ground, where people and stray animals pee, meat is not refrigerated, the water is not clean (i.e. they wash their food in the nasty, polluted river as seen above,) and sometimes they use recycled oil from wherever they can find it – including sewers or dumps. Lets just say coming home with a parasite or severe food poisoning was not high on my souvenir list.

Don’t get me wrong, we also had some really amazing Chinese food. One day we went out to an authentic restaurant for Xiao Long Bao – a dumpling that has pork and soup on the inside. So good! It’s actually really difficult to make, so finding the right xiao long bao place is key.

I should also mention that at this particular restaurant, the American way of waiting for and receiving a table does not apply. We walked into a crowded restaurant, stood in the middle and watched while people ate. We did this so that the second someone stood up from their table, we would grab it. We were told that you have to do this, because otherwise you will not get a table. "Minnesota Nice" does not suit you well in China.

So that's what we did. Which also means, we sat next to a random guy finishing his meal. It was incredibly awkward. We asked the host sister if she felt awkward, and she said she did a little, but you just have to do that or you will never get a table. And mostly, she's just used to it.

I was not used to it...

Shortly after the man who's table we bombarded left, and our food arrived. And it was delicious! Seeing the photos again just make me want some dumplings! Yum!

Xiao Long Bao

I also did see some pretty amazing art in Shanghai (this is an art blog after all, right?) The best exhibit I saw, hands down, was the Communist Poster Museum. It was in this random part of town, in the basement of an apartment building. Not exactly what I would have imagined for some pretty rare and priceless pieces of history, but meh? What can you do.

Overall I did have a great time in China, but at times it was exhausting, stressful and gross. The culture is very in your face – very pushy and loud and self centered. It seemed to me that people just do not give a shit about one another. You move out of the way or get run over. You push people out of the way to get on the train or miss it. You sit down at a table where other people are still eating or you don’t get a table. You talk louder than everyone else so you can be heard. You hack up luggies on the ground next to other people – even if it’s indoors…

But that’s China I guess. I wanted to see what was real. Sure we did some touristy things, and they were fun, but I defiantly got an authentic experience, and for that I am truly grateful. So farewell, China. You were an adventure I am not likely to forget!

Time to Get My China Pants On!

2011-09-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

In just a few short days I'll be in Shanghai, visiting my dear friend Emily! I'm super excited. I will not be bringing my computer with me (as it is a huge liability) so be prepared to get bombarded with photos and stories upon my return!

I've been to Japan, twice actually, but I feel somewhat unprepared for China. Aside from the fact they are both "Asia" they couldn't be different from each other. I'm only expecting complete mayhem. Luckily, Emily will be there to help me. One thing is for sure, it will be one hell of an adventure!

Opening Photos from Spot'em

2011-09-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I didn't have my actual camera with me to my opening on Friday. I did, however, have my handy new iphone which does take some pretty decent photos...
The opening went well, aside from the fact that it was about 8 milliongagilliontrillion degrees inside the gallery - so we had to look at the work in shifts and cool off in the nice fall-like weather outside.

Stop by the show if you can! Spot'em will be up through October 7th at the SpotArt Gallery in NE.

Cheers!
Karen

Process photos

2011-09-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you a bit of my current process for recent work. This piece is entitled "Radiance" and will be in the show on Friday. Stop by the show to see more!

First I start with simple thumbnail sketches to get an idea of composition, then move onto larger sketches to get more clarity. Once I have the main figure the way I like it, I trace it with basic tracing paper.

Then I flip the drawn side down onto my piece of wood, and lightly re-trace. This is a simple way of "printing" my drawing onto the wood. I've found that it's difficult to erase on wood, so that is why I use this method.

Then I begin to paint. And in this case, it takes a while because of all of those lovely different colored dots.

Once everything is painted, I then go back in again with my pencil and darken up the line drawing. Presto! The piece is finished.

copyright Karen O'Bryan, 2011

Spot'em, Opening Friday

2011-09-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be apart of a group show opening this Friday, Sept. 9th at the Spot Art Gallery in NE Minneapolis.

spot'em
time to look out for local art

opening artists' reception
Friday, september 9, 7-11pm
auditory delights by dè boss at 8pm
henna+body art by judy o

featuring
serene scene paintings by arnie hamel
frightful fun paintings by bridget riversmith
articulate insight drawings by joel starkey
captured cloud photography by michael mcgraw
fabulous fashionista paintings by karen o'bryan
and dynamic photography by rob levine

thru oct 7

spotArt gallery
1828 marshall st ne mpls
www.spotArt.org

I've made a couple of new pieces for your viewing pleasure, here's just one example to spark some interest. Stop by the show to check out more!

"Circus Act"
Acrylic and graphite on wood panel
Karen O'Bryan, 2011

Hope to see you on Friday!

Cheers,
Karen

Fall

2011-08-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm getting really excited for fall this year. The weather has already started to turn and although this summer feels like it went by in a flash, I hope fall comes early sticks around longer this year.

Pizza Farm

2011-08-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday my friends and I took a journey to Stockholm, WI for one intended purpose: PIZZA. If you don't know where Stockholm, WI is, you're not alone. I had never heard of it until last weekend when plans for this journey were being made. It has a population of either 82 or 97, depending on which sign you believe to be true, and is nearly 2 hours outside of Mpls.

So why would anyone in their right mind drive for 2 hours on a Tuesday evening to go get some Pizza? Well purhaps you'll just have to ask one of the hundreds (maybe even thousands!?) of people who were there. I was one of those hundreds and I'd be happy to provide an answer: Because it is F-ing DELICIOUS... and you can pet a goat!

A to Z Produce is an organic farm which just so happens to host a pizza night every Tuesday from April 'til November. They are open from 4:30-8pm (meaning, you need to get there before 8 to place your order) The pizza's cost between $25-$30 (cash only!) and only actually take about 2 mins to bake in their over-sized outdoor brick ovens, the wait depends on how many people have orders in a head of you... We arrived at 7pm, we got our pizza's at about 9.

In the mean time we chilled out picnic style with blankets, drinking wine (which we brought with) and checking out the farm, which included petting goats!

So things you ought to know about the Pizza Farm:

Location: N2956 Anker Ln Stockholm, WI 54769
Phone: (715) 448-4802
Open: Tuesdays 4:30-8pm
Currency: CASH ONLY
Dogs allowed? : NO

Everything else is BYO! (They don't have napkins, or silverware, or plates, or drinks, or tables, or chairs, or trash cans..) Bring everything with you, and take everything with you when you leave, including your garbage and recyclables.

The only down side to the Pizza Farm..? No pizza you have again will ever be as good as theirs.. except perhaps if you travel to Italy... and that would be a really long drive.

Working Woman

2011-08-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

A new illustration - hope you like it!

copyright Karen O'Bryan 2011

Shameless

2011-08-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked to illustrate the cover and leading article of Shameless Magazine's spring issue.

The article(s) were all about stereotypes, and breaking away from stereotypes. Here are the final products. Check it out HERE

Here are some of the sketches I did that didn't make the cut (but I thought were worth sharing..)

Sucka Free Art Sale

2011-08-04T09:05:00.001-07:00

Thanks again to everyone who came out to our latest Sucka Free Art Sale and a big, big, BIG Thank YOU to XYandZ and Kate Iverson for all of your help!

If you missed it, check out www.suckafreempls.wordpress.com to get links to the artist's websites and to get information about the next sale!

Jewelry Displays

2011-07-18T13:47:00.001-07:00

Recently I decided it was time for me to try a new approach at displaying my jewelry during art sales. With the Sucka Free Art Sale just around the corner, I thought now would be a good time to give it a try.

I knew that I wanted to make simple frame displays - and although I do like the look of a simple wire backing (such as the photo below as seen on squiddo) I knew that wouldn't work for me because I have tags on everything.

Instead, I experimented with a foam and felt backing, which I think will work rather well. Here is what I did:

First I purchased some simple black frames from Ikea, then headed to JoAnn fabrics and picked up some photo-gray felt and some cheap pieces of foam.

I took the plastic covering out of the frame to measure my piece of foam (remember, I said they were cheap frames - no glass here! haha) I cut the foam with an xacto knife.

Then I used plastic sheet to measure the fabric. I left about an inch extra around all of the sides, then trimmed down 2 of the sides to be more exact, while leaving extra around the top and bottom to wrap around the edges. I did this to be able to glue the fabric to the foam, but I thought it would be too thick to fit back into the frame if I did all 4 sides.

I trimmed the corners at a 45 degree angle to make it easier to glue and fold over the fabric edges.

Once glued (hot glued that is - which dries almost instantly) I stuck the fabric back inside the frame and actually used that plastic sheet to go in behind the fabric to make it more sturdy. And viola! Jewelry displays assembled!

I'm excited to see if these displays will be more effective or not. If not, I can always reuse the frames for something else - as I did save that those plastic sheets.

And there you have it - an easy, cost effective way to make your own jewelry displays.

SFAS Promo

2011-07-14T14:59:00.001-07:00

Check out the Facebook Invite for more information/photos

Sucka Free, Round 3!

2011-07-12T11:48:00.001-07:00

It's that time again! The Sucka Free Art Sale is just around the corner.

When: Saturday, July 30th, 2011. 2pm - 11pm

Where: XYandZ Gallery - 3258 Minnehaha Ave S. Mpls, MN 55406

Featuring the works of local Twin City artists! Items being sold include: Drawings, Paintings, Prints, Jewelry, Comics, Vintage Clothing, Artist Books, Photography, Curiosities and much, much, more! How much more? Well, you’ll just have to stop by to find out!

Selling at A-Z Gallery

2011-07-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started off my morning by waking up very early, loading up the car with all of my jewelry and displays and setting off for Lowertown, St. Paul. I was going to be participating in a small sale with other artists in front of the A-Z Gallery (just one block from the oh-so-fabulous farmers market.)

Well it turns out the other artists decided to flake out, or perhaps were scared away from the ominous looking clouds. If they had checked the weather radar, they would've seen that no rain was going to be falling.. oh well.

The morning was slow, but I guess it's hard to attract customers when you're up off the street all by yourself. But I did make a few sales, so that's good.

Afterward I decided to check out the farmer's market before they closed. I got myself a beautiful bouquet of flowers for only $5. I love farmer's markets!

Last night I was lucky enough to get off of work in time to go to the 'Trust Me' opening at Co Exhibitions, featuring the work of fellow MCAD alumn, Adam R. Garcia.

"TRUST ME! is a collaborative project based on the ideas of relationships, ownership, process and appropriation. Artist and designer Adam R. Garcia asked a number of his creative colleagues to submit a one-color image to be artistically manipulated by Garcia—sight unseen until the opening reception. Due to the disparate imagery, a color scheme and loose theme based on trust and deception ended up forming within the creative process. The final execution is a collection of 12" x 16" prints in three colors, each a "collaboration" between Garcia and the original creator. A didactic piece containing the original art and the final idea will accompany the pieces as an insight into the process." - Co. Exhibition

Etsy Update

2011-06-16T13:27:00.001-07:00

I've updated my etsy with lots of new goodies. Go check it out!

If you'd like to see my work for sale in person, stop by the A-Z Gallery in St. Paul July 9-10th from 8am-1pm.

Oh For Cute!

2011-06-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

Let's start the week out on a good (cute) note, shall we?

Art-A-Whirl 2011

2011-05-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend was NE Mpls's annual Art-a-whirl. Ryan and I shared a tent in the parking lot of the Modern Cafe and 331 Club.

Special shout-out to Joe of DirtyInks and Megan of PixieGirlStudios for letting us borrow some of your display materials. Thank you, Thank you!!

I was really nervous all week because we we're due for some crappy weather, and unfortunatly the weatherman was more or less correct.

We spent all week putting on the finishing touches to everything - but of course - Friday night was still a late night scramble.. notice large cans of RedBull..

Neither of us have ever done an outside sale before, so it was definitely a learning experience. We knew the weather was going to be crappy, so we purchased a lot of plastic sheeting and tarps to help protect us and our work from the rain... which most certainly came in handy!

We were borrowing a tent from a friend of a friend which didn't have any sides. My biggest piece of advice for anyone wanting to do an outside sale is purchase or rent a tent with sides! They're there for you if you need them and zipper off if you don't. Also, invest in waterproof duct tape!

Luckily for us the rapture didn't happen on Saturday and the skies actually decided to clear up for a few hours - during which we did really well!

However on Sunday we felt the wrath of Mother Nature and were forced to cut out early due to tornadoes all over North Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs.

I will be updating my Etsy this week with all the new work I've made in the past few weeks. Be sure to check it out!

Thanks again to everyone who braved the weather and supported local artists! Hopefully next year we'll have blue skies and sunshine.

Belated Art Crawl Update

2011-05-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some belated photos from the St. Paul Art Crawl - Just in time to get you excited about this weekend's Art-a-Whirl!

Thanks again to Echo Arts for the amazing experience and inviting us to use your space! And, of course, thank you to everyone who made it out. Your support means the world :D

Cheers,
Karen

St Paul Art Crawl : Echo Arts

2011-04-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I crossed the bridge and went into the East Bay, and by East Bay naturally I mean, St. Paul. It's pretty amazing actually, I've lived in Mpls for 7 years and I've only been to St. Paul maybe 10 times. There's no way that's true, I'm sure it's been more than that, but honestly, I very rarely go over there.

I went on this magical journey to go hang our show at Echo Arts for the St. Paul Art Crawl.

Hopefully you'll be able to join us over the weekend.
The official Art Crawl Hours are:
4/29 6pm-10pm + going late for the poetry slam!
4/30 12pm-8pm + going Extra late for the after crawl party!
5/1 12pm-5pm

Echo Arts is located at 275 East 4th St, suite B200. (Corner of Wall and E. 4th St.) There are plenty of metered parking spots, but there is also a pay lot a block and 1/2 away on the corner of 4th and Sibley or 4th and Jackson, depending on what direction your coming from (Sibley and Jackson are one way streets.)

*Note there is currently a significant amount of construction happening on the block in front of the Northwestern Building (where Echo Arts is located) but the sidewalks are open.

Check out our Facebook Invite. See you this weekend!

St Paul Art Crawl

2011-04-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

Next weekend I am participating in the St. Paul Art Crawl thanks to my dear friend, Jessica Scott, who asked me to share gallery space with her.

We will be showing at Echo Arts Friday thru Sunday. Check out the facebook invite HERE. Saturday night will be more a proper gallery opening with music and beverages - but I'll let you know more details about that as soon as I get them.

So do the Crawl next weekend and support local artists!

Here's a preview of the new work I've been making for the show.

"Day Dreamer"
Acrylic and Graphite on wood panel

"Lady Luck"
Acrylic and Graphite on wood panel

"Piper"
Acrylic and Graphite on wood panel

"Someday"
Acrylic and Graphite with Gold Leaf on wood panel

*All works copyright Karen O'Bryan 2011

F*ck You, Pay Me

2011-04-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

2011/03 Mike Monteiro | F*ck You. Pay Me. from SanFrancisco/CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

I saw this video of Mike Monteiro on Drawn and I had to share.

It's easy to wrapped up in the process of drawing/designing/art making and forget the fact that what we do is a business. I'm not sure about you, but I only had one class in college about the business aspects of being a freelance artist. It was a really great class, but still, only one - and that was several years ago now.

Since then, I've been figuring it as I go. "Fake it til' you make it" is a common phrase amongst my peers. After numerous horror stories of personal experience, if there is one bit of advice I can give (which is the theme of the video above) is HAVE A CONTRACT. Contract. Contract. Contract.

The best book I ever purchased is the Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. Add this to your library today if you haven't done so already.

I also recently found a post from Nate Williams on How to manage your illustration career. It is essentially a summery of my semester long professional practice class from art school, (that one business class I talked about earlier.)

Another source I've discovered over the years is the blog of Sparky Firepants. Funny name, I know. But he gives some really great advice from time to time.

One last source is a dear friend of mine Mike Glazebrook who has an amazing blog full of very useful information.

Make great work, stay strong, and get paid!

Art in San Francisco

2011-04-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

I (somewhat) recently returned home from a glorious trip to San Francisco. (It was nearly 2 weeks ago now.. sorry) I say glorious like it could possibly be anything else.. pssh, get real. San Francisco is always glorious.. unless of course, you live in the Tenderloin, in which case, I'm sorry. I feel your pain. I really, really do.

Anyway, moving on. I always try to make a point of seeing and experiencing as much 'art' as possible whilst on vacation - especially in S.F. I say 'art' loosely because there are many different situations where the word applies. Check it.

General Street Findings:

Best. Sign. Ever. (And probably - unfortunately - actually really needed..)

Aquarium:

Game Museum on the Warf:

Nature:

Galleries/Openings:

Giant Robot:

We Are All Animals:

Fecal Face:

Double Punch:

Opening Tonight - Double Punch

2011-03-26T10:13:00.001-07:00

We made it to San Francisco after many flight and train delays (which equals aprox. 14 hours of traveling instead of about 6..!) But we made it just in time for an opening tonight at Double Punch in North Beach, featuring work by Erik Otto, John Casey, Parskid, Justin Lovato and Jon Vermilyea. It looks like it will be a pretty great show, and honestly, you can never go wrong with a trip Double Punch.

Etsy Update

2011-03-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

I want to formally thank my wonderful friends for helping me model my jewelry, so Thank you! I'll be updating my etsy periodically over the next couple of weeks, so be sure to check it out!

Jewelry: Update

2011-03-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

More pretties for sale! I don't have everything posted yet. I'm waiting for my fabulous friends to come over next weekend and model them for me, but this will give you a taste of more to come!

Jimmy Longoria

2011-03-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

Today I had the pleasure of meeting local artist and community advocate, Jimmy Longoria. We've been working on a project with him for the past few weeks - which perhaps I can get more detailed about at a later date, so it was pretty great to meet him in person and see some of his work up close.

Jimmy does a lot of mural paintings around the Twin Cities, so perhaps you already know his work with out realizing it. But for those of you who haven't seen, check it out below. (*images from artist's website.)

Update

2011-03-06T14:50:00.001-08:00

Ok, so, I guess I'm not as good about daily blogging as I had hoped, but I also figure, if I'm out enjoying life, why should I stop doing so for an obligatory post about how much I'm enjoying life? Anyway, I'll make up for the last couple of days now.

Thursday was my good friend AJ's birthday. A few of us got advanced screening tickets to see the new Frost/Pegg movie, Paul. I had no idea what the movie was about going into it, but man was it awesome!

The trailer doesn't even begin to show how funny the movie actually is. Which, I suppose is a good thing so you don't see all of the jokes and then the movie is spoiled. All I can say is, if you enjoy crude humor and laughing your ass off, do yourself a favor and go check out Paul - in theaters March 18th.

On Friday, both AJ and I had the day off, so we had a friend day-date/Friday Funday. We ate lunch at The Local where we stayed for probably 2 hours just chatting and enjoying each other's company. Then we hit up a bead store so I could get more supplies for jewelry makin', and as I know AJ had a blast waiting for me to pick out beads and things, I made it up to him by taking him to a comic store afterward. Later we headed back to his place and I got my fill of some Little Big Planet 2, the best game since... Little Big Planet. (jk, jk)

Yesterday I helped out my friends at Letoile by doing some fit modeling for an upcoming magazine they're doing for MN Fashion Week. It was pretty casual and we were done in just under 2 hours, which then gave me plenty of time to make some more new jewls before I headed off to another friend's birthday party.

So today, after several days of birthday drinks, and jewelry making, and driving all over the city, I am just hanging out watching season 2 of CSI. A much needed break if you ask me. It's nice to have lazy days, especially when it's about 12 degrees outside anyway..

Well I'm off. This week I'll make sure to do a better job of keeping up my end of the bargin about blogging daily.

Cheers,
Karen

Jewls

2011-03-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of days I have been busying myself with making lots of new pretties to add to my collection :D. I took a couple quick snapshots to show what I've been up to. I'll take better shots (with natural light) and update my etsy soon - hopefully this weekend. Ahhh, productivity is good.

Cheers,
Karen

Weekend Update: Ice-Fishing

2011-02-28T15:09:00.001-08:00

I didn't have much opportunity to update my blog over the weekend because I spent it up north in the land of snow and faulty internet. It was fantastic.

I went ice fishing for the first time. I am not usually one for winter activities, unless those activities involve drinking whiskey in an 75 degree room.. but ice fishing was pretty fun.

We piled all of the equipment into a sled and towed it behind the snow mobile out onto the lake. Snowmobiling out to the spot is one of the best parts! However, my face did get really cold from the wind - even under a giant helmet, goggles and scarf. (check out awesome photo below..)

Unfortunately, we didn't catch anything, which I suppose is fortunate for the fish. Regardless, I had a really fun time.

And as a bonus, check out my adorable puppy Wally! (Cue awwws from viewers:) Look at that face! You can't tell me you don't have a smile on your face after looking at him. :D

Cheers,
Karen

Blow Dry

2011-02-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

Wally was pretty adorable this morning. As I was getting ready for work, he just quietly walked into the bathroom and laid down on my feet.

copyright Karen O'Bryan, 2011

Humanity

2011-02-24T16:08:00.000-08:00

This morning on my way into work I witnessed a wonderful moment of humanity. I was stopped at a red light and I watched as an old man was trying to cross the street. We've gotten quite a bit of snow in the past week, and not all of the sidewalks have been cleared off.

The old man was treading very carefully as he inched his way towards the edge of the curb, trying to get over a snow bank. Right before the light turned green, a young man, who had been walking a head of him, turned around and reached out his hand to help the old man over the snow bank.

What a great thing to see to start the day off right. A little act of kindness that stuck with me through out the entire day.

Optimism

2011-02-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about my personal outlook on life, which I'd like to think is fairly on the "glass half full" side of things, but of course, I too have bad days and chunks of time where I feel very.."meh.." for lack of a better term.

I know I am effected by weather - as cliche' as it sounds - but honestly, when it's below 10 degrees for weeks on end, it's pretty difficult to stay motivated. We recently had a glimpse of spring. For a solid week it was above freezing! We were rockin' a solid 50 degrees for nearly two days. Two whole days! For those of you who've never had to deal with sub-zero temperatures, let me tell you, 50 degrees is a BIG deal.

Don't forget that I said we had a "glimpse" of spring, for it didn't stay warm for very long. We are now back to the land of snow and ice, but that one glorious week of warmth re-awakened something in me: Motivation.

I recently found this article (*see photo above) which got me to thinking more about my outlook on life and it gave me a great idea.

For the next month (or however long this winter decides to stick around) I'm going to post something positive that's happened to me on a daily basis. I'm putting a cap on a month long period of time because for me to say I'll do this FOREVER is just not realistic.

I've seriously been lacking in my blog-posting as well as simply doing anything worth posting (drawing, picture taking, Friday Fundays.. etc.) so this is my plan to remedy the winter blues. Even if it's something as seemingly small as finding an awesome parking spot or hearing a funny joke on the morning radio show. I just want to take the time to be grateful for wonderful things and reaffirm positivity by illustrating or photographing happy moments.

For my first Optimism Post:
Today I've officially booked a booth for this year's Art-A-Whirl! (May 20-22nd, 2011) I'm pretty stoked about it.

For those unfamiliar, Art-A-Whirl is a massive open studio / art sale / street festival in NE Mpls. I will be outside behind the Modern Cafe and 311 Club.

I've never participated in an outdoor art sale before, so it will certainly be a learning experience. Anyone who has any fail-safe advice, I'm all ears! I've been researching other blogs for tips and I've found some really great ones: THIS ONE is great for display ideas. THIS ONE has great overall advice.

I'm really excited for the opportunity to reach a much wider audience (like thousands more..!) And talk about motivation to make new work! I have a lot of work to do in the next couple of months, that's for sure.

Well I'm off, but not for long! Check back for tomorrow's Optimism Post.

Cheers,
Karen

TATTOO :: Amanda Wachob

2011-02-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting inside on a cold and very snowy day, so what better time to dream about warm colors and update my blog simultaneously? I discovered the work of Amanda Wachob this past fall and was blown away, and now I'm sharing the discovery with you.

I've been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo for years now, but have been hesitant to delve into the land of permanent ink because of just that - it's permanent. You can't erase if you mess up... no going backwards if you decide you don't like the design you came up with.

Now that I finally have a pretty solid idea for what I'd like to have a tattoo of (someday..soon?) I've started looking into tattoo artists. For as you know, even if you come up with a rock solid design, you have to have a rock solid artist to make that transition from paper to skin.

I have seen some really, really horrible tattoos - but there is absolutely nothing even close to horrible about Miss Wachob's work. I've never seen such vibrancy, nor vibrant "abstract" tattoos.

Check it out for yourself (*photos from Wachob's website.) Perhaps you know of another artist who does similar work?

New Find: Solntsev Gleb

2011-02-18T11:07:00.001-08:00

I recently stumbled across the work of Russian artist, Solntsev Gleb. His work is colorful and playful, and yet there is technical draftsman quality to it. I'm a huge fan! Check it out for yourself. (*All images from artist's website.)

Happy Friday!
-Karen

Self Portrait

2011-02-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with a new idea for a series, further exploring the theme of masks and alternate identities. I've started with a self portrait. I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with doing actual portraits or not, but I'm liking where this is heading.

Graphite and watercolor on paper
2011

copyright karen obryan

Sketches

2011-01-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've doodled anything, let alone post it here... but I have had a bit more time lately, so here ya go! New sketches (hopefully this is just the beginning of many more..)

Cheers,
Karen

Looking Local: US Ad Review Illustration

2011-01-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

I've been extremely busy with freelance design work and therefore haven't had much time or energy to put towards making any illustrations. However, today I got to do a little of both - Illustration for my freelance design work. Win/Win.

This is for the magazine I've been working on since last May, Us Ad Review We are looking for ad agencies around the US for our "Looking Local" section where we spotlight 2 or more agencies in "the neighborhood." Agencies, for example, who are doing amazing work outside of New York City

If you/your agency is interested in submitting work for review, please contact the US Ad Review team at submissions@usadreview.com.

Check out a previous post about US Ad Review, Issue 62: Here

Issue 63 of US Ad Review coming soon!

Cheers,
Karen

New Finds

2010-12-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything illustration related. As I have (unfortunately) been too busy with freelance design work to have any new drawings to share, I thought I'd share some amazing work by other artists for a little inspiration.
*all images taken from artist's websites

Alexander Wells

Catherine Campbell

Jeannie Phan

Sucka Free Art Sale: Photos

2010-12-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was our 2nd Sucka Free Art Sale over at the Tarnish&Gold Gallery in NE. We had a great turnout, even though the weather was pretty terrible. So THANK YOU to everyone who braved the snow and cold to support us! It is very much appreciated.

Below are some photos from the event. (Courtesy of yours truly and one fantastic Patrick Kelley)

Thanks again to those who made it out last weekend. And if you missed it, don't fret. We'll certainly be having another Sucka Free Art Sale before you know it!

Cheers,
Karen

C'est as nous by Elijah Chhum

2010-12-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I helped out my dear friend Elijah with a video project that we shot over the course of one fabulous fall day. The video aired at the Scenasota runway show in early November.

Enjoy!

C'est as nous (It is ours) from Elijah Chhum on Vimeo.

Check out some snap shots from that day on a previous post.

Sucka Free Art Sale: THIS WEEKEND!

2010-11-30T18:32:00.001-08:00

What: Art Sale featuring the work of over 15 local (MN) artists ranging from Jewelry to Photography to Handmade Books and more!

When: Saturday Dec 4th: 10am - 7pm, Sunday Dec 5th: 12pm - 6pm

Where:Tarnish&Gold Gallery 1511 Marshall St NE, Mpls, MN 55418

Here's just a small sampling of what you'll find for sale THIS WEEKEND

"Lepidobalanus of Geismar"
By Isaac Berends

Leather Triangle Earrings with Gold Chain
By kogiraffe

Work by Jared "Chubbybones" Martin

Work by AJ Ragland

"Twiggy"
By Megan Rheault of PixieGirl Studios

Feather Necklace by kogiraffe

Untitled
By Jared "Chubbybones" Martin

Eldritch Curiosities by RM Hanson

Hand embellished shirts by Hannah Kleese

Monsters by Tim Monsters

RM Hanson and his Eldritch Curiosities

Sucka Free Art Sale: Round 2!

2010-11-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Get ready.. it's gonna be great!

More photos and information coming soon.

Patterns!

2010-11-08T12:11:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the unintentional blog hiatus. Life always gets a little nuts during Halloween. However, now I'm back, and have some goodies to share. I've been busy creating a lot of patterns/graphics over the past 2 weeks. Below is just a taste of what I've been up to. Enjoy!

Stop-motion chalk on wall animation for Gaz Metro

2010-10-23T16:35:00.001-07:00

Gaz Metro A Natural Evolution from La Moustache on Vimeo.

I saw this amazing video over on Drawn.
This lovely little animated promo for Gaz Metro created with stop-motion chalk on a wall. The shoot took place over 4 nights and used over 1600 big pieces of chalk.

Chuck U - Opening Photos

2010-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some belated opening photos from the Chuck U show at Tarnish&Gold. I realize that my photos aren't the best quality, so I guess you'll just have to go to Tarnish&Gold and check them out for yourself!

There will be a closing party on Friday Oct. 30th, so get your costume on and stop on by! 1511 Marshall St NE, MPLS.

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Haunted Basement

2010-10-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

Last night, Ryan and I were interviewed for MN Artist in the Haunted Basement at the Soap Factory.

It was AMAZING.

They filmed us walking through the Haunted Basement, and then did an artist interview afterwards. I can't talk too much about what horrors lie beneath the Soap Factory, but I can say this, if you managed to score tickets, covet them like the world is about to end! Tickets are completely sold out, so I am very thankful to MN Artist and The Soap Factory for allowing us a behind the scenes look - and also scaring the crap out of me. ha!

The video will be posted after the Haunted Basement closes for the season - i.e., after Halloween. After which, I will certainly post the video on this here lover-ly blog.

Florals

2010-10-05T15:46:00.001-07:00

US Ad Review Issue 62

2010-09-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

Last week I finally got to hold the final product of months and months of work. What you ask? None other than the newly reformed US Ad Review!

US AD REVIEW is a comprehensive quarterly collection of the most interesting advertising—magazine, outdoor, newspaper and TV—running in America. US AD REVIEW makes it easy for you to keep up with the best branding strategies, creative ideas and production solutions that are at work in the American advertising market today.

I am extremely happy (and yes, quite proud) with how it turned out. I've attached a few photos, (sorry they're not the best quality) but to see more, order your copy today HERE!

Issue 62:

We've already started working on the next issue, so stay tuned for more from the USADR!

Cheers,
Karen

Weekend Fun

2010-09-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

A glorious weekend involving Renaissance history and farm land picnics, retold to you in snapshots..

photos copyright Karen O'Bryan 2010

Bike Wash Fundraiser at Tarnish&Gold: Edit

2010-09-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Bike Wash Fundraiser at Tarnish&Gold

2010-09-18T13:40:00.001-07:00

Come on out. Bring your Mom and dog, too!

Art of Conflit @ Tarnish&Gold

2010-09-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

Last month, Tarnish&Gold had an opening (Art of Conflict) that I never got around to posting the opening photos of because I was worried about the security of my blog. Now that the problem is fixed, I thought I'd share some of the photos I took.

Check out more photos on their facebook page HERE

I'll Get The Ice Creams

2010-09-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

I can't get over how funny this animation is...

Check out more from Bird Box Studios HERE

Bathroom Make-Over

2010-09-07T12:25:00.001-07:00

This weekend I went home to my parent's house for Labor Day. I decided as a gift for them that I would give the guest bathroom a makeover (as it desperately needed one!)

A few years ago, my little sister painted it "I'm-having-a-crisis-neon-orange" after a very bad break up. One month of that color was more than enough, let alone living with it for nearly 5 years. I finally had enough and took it upon myself to do something about it. And honestly, who wants a daily reminder that your ex is an asshole and cheated on you? No one needs that.

Before: (yes, it really is that orange..)

After:

I'm really happy with the results, and more importantly, my parent's love it! Happy early Christmas!

Process:

This was a fairly straight forward makeover. As I don't have enough money to completely update the bathroom with a new floor and vanity, I did it with a simple paint technique and new accessories. You'd be amazed at what you can do with just that.

First things first, you have to tape off the edges of everything you don't want to accidentally drip paint onto - such as the molding and bathtub. Then, I started by priming over the orange. It took several coats, but I didn't want the orange to seep through the new color(s).

Next I painted the base color, which is a creamy beige with a hint of green to it. I then (after waiting for it to fully dry) measured and taped off 12" stripes all the
way around the bathroom. It's a fairly tedious process, but the result was worth it!

After removing the tape, I had a few touch-ups to go through and fix. Once everything was fully dry, I finally got to the fun part, which is decor!

I added a new curved shower curtain rod. It was only $35 (Home Depot) and made a tremendous difference, not only in aesthetics, but it makes your shower feel exponentially bigger. I also added a new glass shelf, towel bar, hand towel holder, and decorative mirrors and accessories.

The best part about this bathroom is now that there is a neutral color on the walls, my parent's can change out the accessories (shower curtain, towels, bathmats..etc) with very minimal effort and have a whole new bathroom whenever they choose.

It was a fun project that required minimal effort, but will last for years to come. And that is pretty cool.

Cheers,
Karen

Art Votes

2010-08-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

After looking at my posts as of late, I realized that I have very little posted about art. Considering that was the original purpose of this blog, I figured I need to snap myself out of posting mainly about my life/travels, and post some work!

This is the piece I did for the Art Votes show that was at the Rogue Buddha Gallery a few weeks ago.

"Let Your Voice Be Heard"
Watercolor on Paper
2010 Karen O'Bryan

San Francisco/Vegas Trip 8/7-8/17

2010-08-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it still seems that there is very little I can do about all of the spam comments I've been receiving short of deleting my blog all together, (which I'm not going to do) so I'm just going to deal with it by ignoring them.

I recently returned from a glorious 10 day journey to San Francisco and Vegas with some of my best friends. I'll do my best to summarize, but I still have a feeling this is going to be a very long post (but then again, I have some serious post making-up to do..)

I arrived in San Francisco Saturday evening, and the city looked just as I remembered it to be. Cold, windy and foggy, but still bustling with life. That night was pretty low-key as some of my friends were working and one was in the East Bay for her mother's birthday party. So we had a dinner of pizza and beer in the Mission and called it a night.

Sunday, the three friends I was staying with all had to work, so I wandered about the city on my own. One definite advantage to visiting a city you lived in for awhile is knowing how to get around on your own.

I walked from Lower Haight all the way to my old neighborhood in the Tendernob, up to Fisherman's Warf and all over the Marina. It was quite the walk..!

We left for Vegas on Tuesday morning and stayed until Friday night. Vegas was... unlike anything I've ever seen. I think the closest thing I could compare it to would be Disney Land.

All of the buildings are enormous. There were several occasions when we just needed to get to the hotel/casino just across the street, but getting there took about a 1/2 hour. There are escalators and moving sidewalks everywhere, and when given directions, everyone would tell us it was too far (or impossible) to walk there. I thought that was very interesting.

I think the majority of the reason why it was "impossible" to walk anywhere was because of the heat. I've never experienced heat like Vegas. It was over 110 degrees every day. It made me feel like my skin was burning even though we all applied liberal amounts of sunscreen, and I was infact, not burned at all.

Instead of cafés and restaurants having heater lamps like they do here and in San Francisco, everywhere we went had mister sprays. They worked surprisingly well to help cool you down.

But to really sum up Vegas in a nut shell, all you do there is walk around and check out the hotels and spend money eating and gambling. All of the hotels have giant casinos as their lobby, and each one is based on different themes. We stayed in the Luxor hotel, which is the giant Pyramid - and therefore Egyptian themed.

Luxor:

Paris:

MGM:

Caesar's Palace:

The absolute highlight of our trip was seeing The Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil. Oooh man, it was so awesome! I was on the edge of my seat for the full 2 hours. It was the most amazing performance I've ever seen, hands down. If I ever go back to Vegas, I would spend far more time seeing the shows.

I suppose I should also mention that another highlight of mine was winning $100 playing roulette on our last day in Vegas. It was really more like our last 1/2 hour in Vegas.. so that was a definitely the best note to go out on.

The last few days of my trip were spent back in San Francisco with my amazing friends. I did make a point to drag them along with me to go check out some of my favorite galleries and eat at the best sushi restaurant of all time, Miyabi in the Castro. (although, they didn't need much persuading to go to sushi, that's for sure.)

Galley 1988:

White Walls/Shooting Gallery:

Double Punch:

One of the last days I was there, my friends introduced me to Ike's Place, which unfortunately is closing down due to not having the correct permits. Ike's is (or should I say, was) this amazing hole-in-the-wall sandwich place that always had a line a block long. We ordered a head of time and took our sandwiches to Dolores park to enjoy.

Since we were close to the Mission, we decided to go check out the fire damage from a huge fire that happened the day before. We later learned that a disgruntled evictee went back to his place and set his mattress on fire. Luckily no one was seriously hurt, but now 20 some odd people are homeless. :(

To liven ourselves up after that, we walked around the mission and check out some of the old favorite shopping spots and watering holes. We also discovered this really amazing print shop co-op, Levi's Workshop.

Well, that about sums up my trip. I think I'll end this ridiculously long post with some lovely photos, and hopefully it won't take me another month to post again.

Cheers!
Karen

Hacked

2010-08-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

Oh blog, my faithful friend. I have so many wonderful things to share from my 10 day jaunt to San Francisco and Las Vegas, but alas, it's seems that I have been the host to some wonderful chinese porn spammers.... yay.

So please hang with me while I try and figure out how to do some serious blog spring cleaning..

heart,
Karen O

Weekend

2010-07-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend was pretty jammed packed. Early Friday evening I went to the Rogue Buddha to help bartend the closing show for the current exhibit Under Our Skin, featuring works by Thom deVita, Nick Bubash and John Wyatt. It was also a precursor to the Bearded Lady contest/show that took place on Saturday.

After I left the RBG, I headed to my friend's house for a "puppy party", which basically just means we introduced everyone to Wally and let him roam around freely in my friend's fenced in yard.

I didn't make it to the Bearded lady contest because I was making my way towards the Red Bull Flutag. Traffic was so unbelievably bad it took us 2 hours to get from Minneapolis to St. Paul, which, is about 10 or so miles... by the time we got there, there were only about 7 jumpers left.

The time we spent at the park was fun, but we pretty much had to immediately turn around and spend another 2 hours in the car getting home. There were easily a few hundred thousand people who attended, and part of the main interstate is closed for construction, which in turn equals the worst traffic I've ever had the joy of being stuck in. And that includes a couple trips to LA.

After an incredibly long trip home (which would normally only take about 15mins) I proceeded to take a nap. Who knew sitting on your rear for nearly 5 hours would be so exhausting?

Later we rode our bikes the 10 blocks to our friend's house for his impromptu dance party. Said friend also has rock band, which really does make you feel like a rock star.. haha.

Sunday, Ryan and I attended a baby shower for his cousin. It was outside and very informal, so we got to bring the dog and let him run around and wear himself out. This worked fantastically well and he slept like a log all night. However, it just reinforces my desire for a fenced in yard. Until then, I suppose we'll just have to invest in an extra long leash to tie him to the drying rack pole.

Thomas Barry Fine Arts: Summer Invitational - Layered

2010-07-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I met up with my dear friend, Emily Smith to check out her new work that is currently on exhibition at the Thomas Barry Fine Arts Gallery in the warehouse district. I feel like I'm admitting a dirty secret when I say I've never been to this gallery before, and worse, had never even heard of it... eek! But I'm glad my naivete was remedied, and what an excellent first exposure, I must say.

The show is a group show featuring works by Bethany Kalk, Caleb Coppock, Josie Lewis, Drew Peterson, and of course, Emily.

Apart from Emily's work (which was my favorite by far, and I'd like to think it's not because I'm biased..) I also really enjoyed Josie Lewis' pieces. I have never seen her work before, and I thought it was pretty incredible. Emily told me that all of her work is comprised of cutouts from Vogue Magazine. I can't imagine the process she must go through keeping track of all of these tiny pieces of paper..

All of the artists also collaborated to make this amazing installation:

It is a fantastic show. I really recommend checking it out, and you have another 4 weeks, so hop to it! Below is more information about the show (taken from the Thomas Barry website.)

Summer Invitational: Layered
July 17 - August 27

We are excited to announce our fourth annual Summer Invitational featuring the work of five artists, Caleb Coppock, Bethany Kalk, Josie Lewis, Drew Peterson, and Emily Smith, who share similar interests in layering images, information, and materials. This exhibition will open with a reception on Saturday, July 17th from 6-9 PM and run through August 27th. Please note that the gallery will be closed on Saturdays until September. This exhibition originated from a proposal by Bethany Kalk to engage four artists and herself to collaborate on a common work in the gallery as well as a compliment of individual studio pieces.

Bethany Kalk is a Minneapolis-based artist and Master of Fine Arts graduate from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design working in a variety of media and subject matter. Her imagery ranges from representational to purely abstract and is inspired by natural phenomena and technological development and desecration.

Caleb Coppock lives and works in Omaha, NE and is a 2007 graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His encaustic paintings are expressive and colorful, often incorporating geometry and found and invented objects.

Josie Lewis received her Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota in 2008 and is currently living in the Twin Cities. Her assemblages of resin and paper strips cut from glossy, mass publications are primarily abstract compositions that use light and shadow to create a sense of volume and multi-faceted surfaces.

Drew Peterson graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2008 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The imagery in his work comes from Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogues circa 1900. Through a process of reconstructing and combining these images electronically, the final composition becomes the subject of large paintings on canvas.

Emily Smith received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2006 and her Masters of Fine Arts at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA where she currently lives and works. Her mixed-media-on-panel pieces are layers of medium and information that seem to identify a specific location being charted and navigated through colorful, topographical references.

Wally!

2010-07-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

I am forewarning you now that the contents of this blog may slowly but surly turn to nothing more but pictures of my new puppy... at least for a little while ;)

This weekend, Ryan and I went up north to go pick up our new basset hound puppy, Wally. His official title is Sir Walter Wulfric Wensleydale. Trust me, it fits perfectly.

Wally did tremendously well on the car ride from the farm his was born on to Ryan's parent's house, which is about an hour drive. He whined for probably 15 mins, then curled up next to me and fell asleep.

The next 48 hours were spent as such: Playing for about 20 mins, then outside to go potty, play some more, take a 2 hour nap. Wake up, go potty. Play for about 20 mins, take an hour nap. Wake up, go potty. Eat. Go potty. Run around spastically for about 20 mins, calmed down and placed into kennel, cry. Cry. Cry. Give up and take a 2 hour nap. And Repeat.

The ride down went as well as the first, including the addition of our fat cat Frodo, who up until this point, has been a spoiled only child. Frodo is not too keen on this new creature in his midst, but seems to be too lazy to do anything more than just hiss when Wally gets too close. This appears to be the best I'll get from fat ol' Frodo, so I'm happy about it. I can't quite imagine them snuggling together anytime soon that's for sure.

Today we were woken up at the crack of dawn by a I-Have-To-Pee!-whine (which Ryan thankfully took care of,) slept for a couple more hours, woken up again by a I-Have-To-Pee!-whine (this time I took him out so Ryan could get ready for 'real-job' work, followed by about 20 minutes of play time and a 1 hour nap... I see a pattern forming here, don't you?

We tackled the new world with a few walks, on which he did amazingly well. Naturally there was a lot of whining (a where-am-I? type of whine) but I've designated myself as "Pack Leader" as Cesar Millan would say, and Wally followed in suit.

Currently, Wally is snoring by my side with his head on my leg and his big puppy paw on my arm... Yeah, this is the life.

Cheers,
Karen

US Ad Review

2010-07-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

For the past several months I have been working with a small team of people to update and relaunch an advertising magazine called the US Ad Review. We are in the final stages of getting this first issue printed (due out in Sept.)

Learn more HERE

New Find

2010-07-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Best find ever - Thank you streets of Minneapolis, how can I ever repay you? This will be perfect for Wally.

Colorado

2010-07-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday, Ryan and I left with his Uncle for a wonderous 14 hour drive to Golden, Colorado. I suppose I really shouldn't complain, as I got to stretch out in the back seat for all of those 14 hours. Lucky for me, I remembered to bring a pillow (a necessity for any drive longer than 4 hours...)

We took this journey so that Ryan and his uncle could partake in the Triple Bypass, a 120 mile bike ride through the Rockies. I came along to explore Colorado, and be moral/transportation support during their ride.

We stayed in Golden, Co, a cute town just outside of Denver. We arrived Thursday evening, to have just enough time for dinner and a couple drinks before completely crashing.

The next day, we had a fabulous Friday Funday adventure, exploring the town of Golden.

This included a visit to the Golden City Brewery. I couldn't decide which beer to try, so I tried them all... (naturally)

That night we went out and consumed the most sushi I've had in one sitting.. well, except for perhaps the last time I had sushi with Ryan's uncle. The man is a giant, and can easily ingest enough food for 3 people.

Saturday we awoke the the ungodly hour of 4am to get ready for the big ride.

Ryan wasn't feeling the best, possibly due to the combination of a day of drinking beer, a night of drinking sake, vast amounts of raw fish and inadequate sleep. This, plus a discovery of sensitivity to altitude resulted in him puking so hard his nose began to bleed on mile 4 of the ride... He toughed it out for 11 more miles before accepting defeat.

In the meantime, I was driving ahead to Idaho Springs, one of the first stopping points in the ride. I had a minimum of 2 hours to kill before the possibility of Ryan and/or his Uncle to reach the town, so I took the opportunity to explore.

The town was beautiful, and filled with such amazing character. The houses are fantastic. I wish Minneapolis had more houses like the ones dotted in the mountains of Idaho Springs.

After awhile, the bikers began to turn up. I sat patiently on the back of the car and cheered them on as they made their way past. Eventually I learned of Ryan's unfortunate situation. Luckily they have ride support just for such occasions and he got a lift for the 20 some odd miles the rest of the way to Idaho Springs.

He was totally bummed (understandably) but at least we got to be there to support his Uncle and explore the little towns and mountain tops together.

One of my other favorite places we stopped in is Silver Plume. This town was unlike any place I've ever seen, except perhaps Living History Farms in Des Moines, IA, but that is more of a history museum than an actual town.

The most notable part of the bike ride has to be Loveland Pass. Nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, this beast of a mountain is one hell of a challenge to bike up, and terrifyingly fun to bike down.

60+ miles later, the ride is finally over. Ryan's uncle finished in about 10.5 hours, which is amazing. If it were me, I'd probably still be out there struggling to that finish line 3 days late..

We'll most likely do it again next year (and by "we" I clearly mean Ryan and his uncle) but I'm sure we'll take a few extra days to get used to the altitude and to explore more of Colorado in all it's glory.

It's a boy!

2010-07-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

Meet Wally, the newest member to our family ;)

Blu Magazine

2010-06-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

I recently was asked to do a mini interview about myself and my work for Blu Magazine and now the article is up on the main page..!

Check it out HERE

Tornado Season

2010-06-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

The weather has been pretty nutso lately (yes, I am talking about the weather...) I don't have too many actual storm photos, but I wanted to share some I took last week of how amazing the world was looking during a tornado warning.

These photos have not been color corrected or manipulated in anyway. This is really what it looked like outside..

Her Morning Elegance

2010-06-24T13:49:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't posted anything in a long time, but here's a quick one to enjoy while I collect all the photos I need to share from the past few weeks..

Jewls

2010-06-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

More work for the Sucka Free Art Sale, taking place this Friday and Saturday

Don't miss out!

Carleton Artist Lofts
2285 University Ave
St. Paul, MN 55114

*street parking only*

Hope to see you there!