We went to the American Philosphical Society Thursday night for a preview of their new exhibit "Of Elephants and Roses: Encounters with French Natural History, 1790–1830". It was a time of science and curiosity about exotic specimens. This is a grid of etchings of leaves and seed pods of American oaks collected by André Michaux who was sent to America to look for species to replenish France forests. Each print is about 4" x 6" based on field drawings during the collecting expedition. The prints are mounted on linen and are an impressive grid of prints.

The museum at APS showcases their extensive collections to link science, history and art. The show is up for several months as part of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts celebrating connections between Philadelphia and Paris. Check it out!

Lynda Barry - Picture This

We went to hear Lynda Barry speak at the Free Library of Philadelphia on Thursday night. I listened to her 2008 talk on What It Is and totally fell in love with her infectious creativity. The Free Library event description says

What It Is offered writers gentle creative guidance. Barry offers the same guidance to artists in Picture This--encouraging us to draw and exploring why we start drawing and why we stop. Like What It Is, her new book is an extension of Barry's popular traveling workshop, “Writing the Unthinkable.”

She is so convincing that we all have creative imaginations that are just waiting to burst forth. One of her key ideas is that the human brain is wired to create images which link memories and emotions through deep neural pathways. She uses the word IMAGE to mean more than a visual representation. For her, IMAGE is a carrier of meaning, something that carries memories of the way the thing looked, what is smelled like, what it tasted like, and how it felt to be in that moment. She offers exercises to recall these images, such as remembering your first phone number or naming the first 5 cars you owned. When you think of your first car, you can totally see yourself sitting in the car, who was with you, what you wore, what was playing on the radio, and what emotions you were feeling. That is an IMAGE. It’s no coincidence that the word IMAGE is embedded in IMAGINATION.

Listen to her 2008 talk here. The 2011 talk should be available for downloading soon. Or subscribe to the podcasts at iTunes.

T-Shirt Silkscreen Printing

Check out these photos of T-shirt printing at Second State Press.
I'd love to do this at Fleisher. I really like the way a few screens can be used by each student to create their own unique design. Well done!

18 Fabulous Fleisher Printmakers at Nice Things Handmade, Philadelphia, PA

Christine Blair, who taught me everything I know about screenprinting, curated a show of her students work at Fleisher Art Memorial. The show is at Nice Things Handmade, 1921 E. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia. Show will be up through April 8, 2011.

Click HERE to see an album of photos from the opening here:

Harry Bertoia show at Kean University, Elizabeth, NJ

Harry Bertoia is best known for his iconic modern furniture for Knoll in the 1960's. I wrote about his diamond mesh chair for a student project in my 2nd year of architecture school. He was also a printmaker, exploring his ideas of abstraction and pattern through monoprints. His prints and furniture will be on view in the Karl and Helen Burger Gallery at Kean University from March 24 to May 10, 2011. Check out this slide show from Dwell for a selection of beautiful images and more background on the show.