My friend Mary and I have been accepted to create an art exhibition at the Top of the World Observation Level Gallery at the World Trade Center in Baltimore!  

In this exhibition, World Views: What's Your View?, we will collect and install at least 200 pieces of mail art from around the world. The goal is to inspire both the art makers and the art viewers to be curious, reflective, and aware of their own and other people's views, all while enjoying the view of Baltimore. 

We are now accepting submissions for mail art that we can incorporate in our show. Click here to view our call for mail art. Please submit work by January 24, 2015, or January 31 at the very latest, and spread the word to your contacts around the world! The exhibition will be on view February 6-March 29, 2015.

If you don't know what mail art is, feel free to browse Mary's blog, or take a look at some of the examples below:

Somehow this summer I've found myself collaborating with artist friends in more than one group projects with an environmental theme. I have always considered myself a bit of an environmentalist and included nature in my abstract works, but this year it's been nice to work with others to make some statements about man's relationship with nature.

First, I came across a fun opportunity to do a performance art piece in a pool for DC's SynchroSwim event. We had a blast making costumes and putting on a show! See my SynchroSwim webpage and my friend Mary's blog post for more.

Then, last Friday I went to my friend Michael's house to work on some puppets of dead sea animals. He went to Ocean City this Labor Day weekend with the puppets to raise awareness about Obama's approval to use sonic cannons in the Atlantic coast, a practice that uses extreme sound to search for oil that can kill, deafen, or otherwise impair animals, particularly dolphins and whales that rely on sound for survival and communication. I was unfamiliar with the issue but reading about it definitely raised my concerns.

I'm hoping Michael will have some pictures from his time at Ocean City with the finished puppets, but here are some pictures from when we were working on them:

Being a part of this project reminded me that art doesn't have to a solitary, complex, or exclusive endeavor. Team up with your friends and find your own audience!

A couple months ago I came across a great call for entry for a show featuring feminist art. The especially nice part about it was that the artist would get 80% of the sale, and the other 20% would go to a nonprofit focused on women's issues. Most artists know that it's great to get anything over 60% of the sale when you exhibit your work, so this opportunity was very appealing. 

I created a work especially for this exhibition. I called it "What She's Thinking". It was a very small collage made from handmade paper and found text in catalogs. While it wasn't an "in-your-face" feminist piece, I meant for it to be a reminder that babies and humans (and therefore females) are thinking creatures. Babies, girls, and women absorb the information, behaviors and cultures around them, so shouldn't we take a little responsibility as individuals and as a society to make sure the females of the world are happy and healthy? Shouldn't we encourage and recognize positive and powerful thinking in women? I was hoping this art piece, though simple, would provoke some important questions.  

As you can probably deduce by the title of this blog post, my piece was not accepted for this exhibition. Lately I have gotten pretty good at applying for opportunities that are relevant to the type of art I make, but apparently I was off the mark this time. I felt a little hurt and yes, rejected, in this instance that I was not accepted, but it didn't last long. 

My view is that applying for competitions, shows and opportunities is just like applying for a job every time. You have to first read carefully about the opportunity to make sure you would be a good fit, then you have to make sure your application materials show your work is relevant to the opportunity. A wise extra step would be to do a little research on the judge/jury of the opportunity. You should normally try to do this, especially with calls for entries that require a fee. You don't want to throw away your money on an opportunity you're not likely to get because the decision-makers have completely different perspectives from you. Applying for these opportunities takes time and commitment, just like when you apply for a job. And sometimes "they" like you, and sometimes they don't. It comes down to being a good fit.

The bottom line is, when you are rejected for an opportunity, it simply means you were not what they were looking for. Some people think that's a tough pill to swallow, but really it's not. Everyone should know by now that art is highly subjective. Just because you believe your work is "feminist" enough, doesn't mean others will. Or, the issue may simply be that your work was too big, small or otherwise problematic when grouped with the other pieces in the space. Or, maybe it was the space altogether--sometimes certain lighting, walls, and other factors would not be complimentary to your piece. Also, there are times when your art might a good choice under other circumstances, but maybe the curators have too many collages this time and want to include more sculptures for the exhibition.

Then there may be times when you should take part of the blame for your own rejection. If you know a particular exhibition aims to sell as many high-priced art pieces as possible, and you submit a work with a suggested price of $50, you probably recognize there is a high risk of rejection. Also, if your work is getting consistently rejected though you believe you are applying for the right opportunities, there may be a problem with how your work is photographed, the accompanying information you're providing, your professionalism, or maybe the work itself is not what they're looking for. When you find your work doesn't appeal to a very wide audience, that can become very discouraging, very fast. If you realize most of the world doesn't "get" or like your art, it is up to you whether you want to modify your pieces and create new work that is somehow more "mainstream", or continue working in the same manner, but just realize you'll need to toughen up and work harder to find the opportunities right for you.

Though there are times when I am rejected from exhibiting in a show that I wanted, I do think it's harder when I don't win competitions because there are chosen "winners" and that means I'm the "loser". Even in these cases, however, the fact remains that I was not what the judges/jury/gallery/museum/art buyer were looking for. Everyone is looking for something different, and sometimes I am not it. But, just like applying for jobs or anything worthwhile in life, you have to keep trying. Over time you change, the judges change, the world changes, and sometimes you just have to wait for the stars to align. 

But you have to be ready, willing, and watching for the next opportunity.  

Father's Day came and went, and it was beautiful outside! 

To my pleasant surprise, a father and friend of mine decided to get outside for Father's Day and visit Gwynns Falls Trail. He and his family checked out my piece #TakeASketchLeaveASketch, and his daughter sketched a little something to leave in the box.

Though I haven't made many interactive works in the past, it makes me very happy that people are actually interacting with this piece. From what I've observed, usually kids are the ones who leave a sketch.

One of the best things in life to me is to share my art with others. And #TakeASketchLeaveASketch is about giving others the opportunity to share their art as well. I'm glad kids are compelled to sketch something and share it, but I hope more adults will jump on board too! You are never too old to let your creativity out.

When was the last time you shared your art with others?

My new exhibition, Basics, is now on view at the Notre Dame of Maryland University. Thanks to everyone who came to the opening; it was so nice to have such support from friends from all over Baltimore.

This exhibition features a mix of older and newer works, with some that have never been seen outside a classroom or studio. I will also have my first-ever Gallery Talk on November 13 at noon, so please spread the word and attend!

Tomorrow I will be installing my new show, Basics, at the Notre Dame of Maryland University. Preparing for this show has been a lot of work, and there is still more to do! Last night I found myself browsing the internet for last minute ideas on how I might want to hang my most recent paper works. Take a look at some of my favorite finds!

The above piece is a collaborative installation created by students at the University of Toledo. For my work, I am always searching for ideas on how to present paper art without simply gluing it all down as a collage. I love the floating elements here, the light, the colors, and the different size circles coming together. Well done, students!

I have also been thinking about using pins to float paper off the wall, and found good examples of that being done effectively in the works of Hope Hilton.

I enjoy Hilton's installations for her use of simplified, symbolic shapes, and her way of grouping and spreading out the shapes to create feelings of crowdedness, isolation, sameness, and organic change. The way these pieces float alone from the wall also gives the sense isolation and tension, suspended in mid-air by one vulnerable pin. Many of my installations use grouping and repetition as well, though the shapes I create are more varied in color, shapes and texture. It is intriguing to see Hilton's way of working, though, with clean, consistent laser-cut shapes and colors.

An artist that demonstrates color and texture quite well is Britt Bass. I found her work by google-searching paper sculpture, and was very inspired by her beautiful installations, full of movement and found materials.

I like to work on a large scale as well, often with found materials, so this work is very exciting to me. It looks like this is a very young artist too, graduating with her BFA in 2011, so I am extra impressed!

Another artist who is using found materials and making incredible large-scale installations is Abhidnya Ghuge. It seems she's been working with paper plates quite a bit, creating installations that cling to the wall in certain places but also hang from the ceiling in others. I am love the colors, shapes and depth she creates by transforming and amassing plates of different colors and patterns. I enjoy that she is creating actual new environments in some of her work, not just art on a wall.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

It's July, and there is nothing too new to report about #TakeASketchLeaveASketch. I checked on the original mailbox (now birdhouse) on Sunday. It still looks about the same as it looked a week earlier, no further decay and still no eggs in the nest. I wonder if the bird still wants to go through with laying eggs there since the roof and door suffered some damage earlier. I will check on it later again later on.

The great part about doing interactive outdoor art is that you have a reason to visit the park a lot! I highly recommend Leakin Park at Gwynns Falls Trail. It is quite beautiful as you can see...

One exciting thing happened yesterday. A contact I made at work, Rachel, said she would like to take part in #TakeASketchLeaveASketch, so she and a couple co-workers did some nice sketches for me. Check out all the sketches to date on the #TakeASketchLeaveASketch page!

Thanks to Rachel and everyone who has participated so far! Don't forget to like my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter for more updates.

Unfortunately, it's taking longer than expected for me to build a new mailbox for #TakeASketchLeaveASketch, but, it is an ongoing, interactive piece, so I decided to keep it going until a new mailbox is built. For those who inquire, I've been mailing a sketch along with blank pieces of paper. After recipients take my sketch, they can leave a sketch for me by sending or tweeting their images back to me. I already had success with one friend who lives in Nebraska. Her whole family (except the youngest baby) actually drew sketches for me. Awesome!

For more details and to view the whole #TakeASketchLeaveASketch project, click here.

I wasn't sure who would be next to take interest in the project, but interestingly, I talked to a nice professional, Rachel, over the phone recently, and she said she had seen my website and wondered what #TakeASketchLeaveASketch was. I told her I'd be happy to send her a sketch as long as she sends one back.

Last night I sketched this gem and enclosed it with 4 blank papers so she can others can send their sketches back to me. We'll see if it works!

As you probably know by now, my outdoor mailbox for #TakeASketchLeaveASketch has been forcefully converted into a birdhouse (by a bird, of course). But, that doesn't mean the sketching is on hold.

My old high school friend, Bethany, who I've kept in touch with but haven't seen in years, lives far away so has not been able to visit my art in person. After seeing my updates on #TakeASketchLeaveASketch, however, she let me know that she wanted to get in on the action. #TakeASketchLeaveASketch is back on!

I sketched the above image for Bethany this evening and will be mailing it to her tomorrow. It makes me happy that my project has taken this turn. I am also enclosing some extra paper for Bethany so she and her family can sketch something to share with me. I hope they do!

Just so everyone knows, I do plan on rebuilding a more bird-proof mailbox for the Nature Art in the Park exhibition, but until then, there's nothing wrong with letting #TakeASketchLeaveASketch take some natural twists and turns.

Last week was the slightly rainy opening of Nature Art in the Park. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I am pretty new to creating nature art (art made from natural materials) and public art (art displayed in a public place). I should also say I have never made an interactive piece before, but came up with the idea to build a nature inspired interactive mailbox. I built the box from found branches and bark, filled it with handmade recycled paper, left instructions for visitors take a sketch and leave a sketch, and encouraged them to tweet their sketches using the hashtag #TakeASketchLeaveASketch. I planned to upload all the Twitter photos to a page on my website over the course of the Nature Art in the Park exhibition. After much hard work, I completed the piece, installed it, and hoped for the best.

Because of the weather, not that many people visited my piece at the opening, but I did meet one person who sketched the following and put it into the mailbox. I was happy that the project was underway.

The weather continued to be quite rainy throughout the week, and there hadn't been any tweets after the first sketch, so I decided to check on my piece yesterday. I was surprised at what I found:

There was a bird's nest inside! To be fair, I modeled this piece after different birdhouses I looked at, but I didn't think a bird would take it so seriously. I called the organizer of Nature Art in the Park, and she suggested I rename this piece, put a "do not disturb" sign next to it, and make a new, more secure box to carry out my original idea. That sounded good to me, because if I took the bird's nest out, I am pretty sure another one would come around and use it later.

So, for now, #TakeASketchLeaveASketch has been temporarily derailed, but hopefully in a week or two I will have the second version finished and ready for action. If you would like to see (but not touch) this original #TakeASketchLeaveASketch art piece, find it on Trail D at Leakin Park.

Also, let me know if you would like me to make you a birdhouse.