Tag: Camille Engel

  • Friday Faves:  Put A Bird On It

    Friday Faves: Put A Bird On It

    It seems that the hipster craft craze has given birds a bad name in the art world.  If you’ve seen the “Put a Bird On it” sketch from IFC’s hilarious Portlandia, you know what I’m talkin’ about.  Bird “art” is everywhere.  It’s those mixed-media collagey things that you see at outdoor art festivals and markets, it’s the ubiquitous black bird on a bare branch.  Now don’t get me wrong, some of this bird art is lovely and fun.  But after a while, it all begins to look the same.

    I want to set the record straight.  Restore the good name of bird art.  Here’s a round up of my favorite pieces featuring our fine feathered friends…

    Barn Owl by Mary Alayne Thomas
    Trespasser by Camille Engel
    Clover by Jim Draper
    Clover by Jim Draper
    Golden Light by Diane Farris
    Beginnings by Susan Hall
    Caeli by Vicki Sawyer

    Think we may be doing a bit of bird watching this weekend.  If you’d like to do some online birding, check out the featured artists’ websites for more ornithological goodies.

    1. Mary Alayne Thomas 

    2. Camille Engel 

    3. Jim Draper 

    4. Diane Farris 

    5. Susan Hall

    6. Vicki Sawyer 

    PS– I mean no disrepect to hipsters or their too-cool-for-school birds.  I love them both.

  • Friday Forager Faves:  Rooms With a View

    Friday Forager Faves: Rooms With a View

    Yesterday I went out searching for some artsy inspiration in the area around Aberdeen.  I’m sorry to say that, though I visited a couple of galleries in Ocean Shores, I found only one artist’s work that caused me to take a second look.  Unfortunately, most of what was there was pretty touristy, not-great-art-but-there-must-be-a-market-for-it kind of stuff.  So I came home feeling a tiny bit defeated.

    To give myself a pick-me-up, I watched an episode of So You Think You Can Dance ( guilty pleasure confession time! ).  While the commercials were playing, I found myself glancing out of the windows of my office/studio and found myself inspired.  So I started sketching– for the first time in a long time.  It turns out I did find some artsy inspiration yesterday, from a surprising combination, the view of Aberdeen out of our windows and my own inner spirit.

    So today, we’re celebrating other artists who’ve inspired me to make the most out of my current view!  On with the show!

    Vertical Horizontal Break I by Hamish MacEwan
    Early Morning Breeze by Camille Engel
    Windowpane by Sharon Sprung
    Parthenon I by Lisa Ernst

    Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  Take the time to enjoy your view, whatever it may be.