Challenges, Trades & Random Ideas

Challenges, trades & random ideas, a few things I've worked on recently:

Travelling Art journal pages, by me: Doodle theme, vintage (70's) algebra book page, acrylic paint doodles, black pencil doodles, black pen doodles, scrapbook paper piece, for a journal swap on Swap-Bot

Music challenge: Based on "Nothing compares 2U" the Sinead O'Connor version, acrylic paint, pencil, black pen, colored pencil, embroidery thread, for a Sketchbook Project challenge, Songs to Draw From, to create an original 4X6 piece based on a Spotify playlist (& for a chance to be published in Diner magazine)

Necklace for Swap Bot Summer Scavenger Hunt Swap: Wood from my yard, chain from Goodwill, owls from another swap, glass beads (from an EtsyRain stash swap), porcelain beads, vintage wood beads (from an 80's bracelet), gemstone diamond shape beads (from an EtsyRain local group stash swap), copper bead, hand crochet fiber 'chain,' gold color wire, purchased pearl look findings

 

And lastly, a preview of a piece that I'm working on for Seattle Handmade's Tiny Tales & Small Stories show at the Stunningly Strange Gallery: Vintage Frames, repurposed images from a Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) postcard by Pomegranate Publications, Hand embroidered with handspun silk & wool embroidery thread by Dragonfly Lotus Designs, Copper Wire

I've been enjoying these little challenges & working in new ways. Have you been working on anything lately?

Music & Art in Wright Park

We stopped by the Music & Art Fest in Wright Park this weekend, a small but happening gathering of musicians & artists here in Tacoma & I thought I'd show you a bit of this cool little festival. I wish you could hear some of the sounds, but maybe I can convey the sound through sight ;)

Ranchero: The whole band couldn't be there, so we were treated to an acoustic set by singer, Timothy Silvers. Some ran away at the word 'acoustic' & that's too bad, they don't know what they missed...

Pretty amazing sound for one man & a guitar! (and possibly the last show for Ranchero)

Wheelies: Cool, hip, modern sound

Artist Julie Luke, one of the featured artists

Just a little of the art & music and of course, since it is a park, there were fuzzy little creatures & plants everywhere:

Ferns, what would the northwest be without ferns?

Water plants

And sea faring birds...

Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of Wright Park & the Music and Art Fest.
Have you had any summer adventures? Heard any great music? Just enjoyed the scenery? SAM

*All photos the property of Shelley McElhiney, all rights reserved. Please contact the blog owner if interested in any of the featured shots.

Weekends in Tacoma

Hi again! so, today I thought I'd show you a couple of recent happenings in good, old Tacoma :)

Art on the Ave:

Booths reflected in a costume shop window with a very 70's display...

It was very sunny & warm, light reflected everywhere & the heat of the sun brought people into the many booths filled with art & handmade goodness of all kinds. There were also booths were people to dress in costume & have their photo taken, booths filled with the fun & the strange & of course, there was food & drink, randomly dispersed in odd spots on the Ave & in the blazing sun:

Food booth with traditional festival food by one of the Ave's many historic churches

And lots of music of many types & styles, by several area clubs, even a set being played by one of the area churches:

Band in front of Jazzbones, I wish I knew their name, but I enjoyed what they were playing

The Fun Police by O'Malley's Pub. I loved them, lots of old school style punk energy in their Dumpster Diving piece. The crowd really enjoyed this one, too

Some created their own art...

And there was street art to be found (roof above the Asado restaurant)

And people everywhere...

Miss Behavin' Show & Shine event on the dock:
Lots of great vehicles of all kinds...

This bike is awesomely wild, with the steer horns & black  paint contrasting with all the shiny chrome

This was a boot pattern in the tire of the Destroyer, a monster truck. It looked too much like the crazy robot from Futurama to pass up, plus it shows just how large these trucks are, large enough to step on the tires.

Close up of the wild designs on the Destroyer 

This was one of my favorite vehicles, very simple, contrasted with the designs on the Destroyer, but really nice...

Besides all of the great vehicles, there was music, booths & special events. These were some of the retro beauties wandering about & this appeared to be a discussion of beauty & style, in a beauty pageant type format. (The sunlight comes from a sky roof)

Surrounded by trains on one side...

 boats on the other, this was truly a display of almost every type of transportation out there

It was a beautiful clear day, with Mt. Rainier clearly visible in the distance

What's been happening this summer, where you are?

*All photos shown are the property of Shelley McElhiney, all rights reserved. Share only with proper credit.

It's all about the music...

The first concert I ever went to was Kiss. For years, I wouldn't admit this fact & I would tell people that my first concert was Aerosmith. At the time, Kiss was a 'party band,' fun & a good time, but not known for their musicianship. They put on a great show, lots of pyrotechnics, stages that would rise from the floor & of course, costumes & make up. Musically, though, it was rumored that they could only play a couple of chords & most of their song where about partying & having a good time (sorry to all those "Beth" fans out there, but really, did they ever have another song like "Beth?") Some thought of them as metal, but I never really thought of them that way. To me (& many others, come on, admit it) they where more of a pop phenomena. There where some elements of metal, but for the most part, it was all about the party & the stage show (and, yes it was a great show).
The second concert I went to was Aerosmith. This was either before their great fall & triumphant return, or at a rare lucid moment during the fall. I actually enjoyed this concert more than Kiss. It was more about the music & Stephen Tyler was great at engaging a crowd, without all the excess staging. It didn't hurt that my big crush at the time was on stage with him, Joe Perry. In the music I saw blues influences. Stephen Tyler had an amazing voice & they could just flat out rock, when they wanted to. The songs wove stories & the band was great at telling these stories.
They didn't need all the extras, it was there, that night, anyway, in the music & the music was more varied, had a greater depth, than many of the other bands at the time.
The last concert I saw was Sting (not exactly, but we'll get to that in a moment) This was his "Dream of the Blue Turtles" tour. This concert was in Munich, GE. The stadium seemed more like a gym than a concert hall, but it didn't matter. not only did Sting take the stage (another great performer, able to engage an audience, without a lot of extras) but, on this particular tour he had with him a dizzying array of some of the world's best jazz musicians. The concert, at times, took on more of a jam session feel, than that of a big stadium. Truly a great visual & auditory feast.
In between, there where several other memorable concerts. I've seen The Eurythmics, at the U of A (the same venue where I saw a lecture by Ansel Adams, a beautiful old theater.) Annie Lennox has one of the most amazing voices I've ever heard & talk about engaging an audience. Few can match her skill. I saw The Blasters at The Backstage, an old punk venue in Tucson Arizona, an awesome show, in it's own way. The lead singer had these weird facial expressions that where fascinating. His mouth would open so wide, it looked like he could swallow the audience. They had such amazing energy & their own style (rockabilly/punk) that you couldn't help but love the show. An Alice Cooper show is one of the more memorable shows I was able to see. This was right after he had left rehab & the show was sort of a nightmarish re-enactment of his experiences. Almost more of a theater performance than a concert. What else? The Kinks (lots of energy, smallish venue), Styx (lots of staging)...more that I'm not remembering right now. Each had something that made it interesting to see.
A couple of nights ago, i went to see LeRoy Bell at the Midland Music Hall (ok, so I lied, Sting wasn't really the last show I've seen.) The hall is a small venue, just opened in May of this year, in the Tacoma, WA area. If you're in the area & you get a chance, I suggest you stop by & take in an event. It's a music hall, rather than a bar, so you get the effect of an intimate concert more than you would in an actual bar (less in the way of distractions.) As for LeRoy Bell & His Only Friends, it's an interesting group, kind of along the lines of Dave Matthews, but with a little more blues & actual rock thrown in. LeRoy Bell has written for many famous musicians over the years & he & his band give an enjoyable live experience. They're currently touring, so, if you're nearby one of their venues & you get a chance, check them out too.
I love music & now that I've gone back, I think That I should get out & enjoy more concerts myself! SAM

How I create...

Describing the way I create is both incredibly simple & hopelessly complex. I'm terrible at documenting any process, mainly because it's all in my head & changes over time, whether I am creating 'art,' writing a story or an 'article' or creating a photo. Each type of work is kind of an evolution of thought & is created in layers, like my favorite childhood collages. The thought process is different for each item & while each piece generally remains true to the original idea, each takes me on an adventure all it's own.
With my jewelry, for example, I start with a piece, something that I've found (literally on the ground, at times) or an antique/vintage item that belonged to someone close & start adding to it's story, the story it dictates & the story that comes to mind in the process of creating. Many of these items have been passed down to me, over the years & are missing pieces. I give them a new story & hopefully a new life. It's the same with the other 'crafts,' like embroidery. I start with something, generally pre-existing & a story, then build until I have something new; told a new story, built on the original.
Photography & writing work in much the same way. I have an original, an idea & I, with the tools & materials at my disposal, layer & add to create something new, with it's own story to tell.I have never tried creating with music or film, but I would love to, someday. I would imagine that once I learned the language of these mediums, that the process, for me, would be the same.
Anyway, in general that is how it works for me. I love hearing & reading how others create, in whatever medium they might use. I have many biographies & books on the creative process, on individual artists, groups & movements. I find these endlessly fascinating. In what ways do you create? I'd love to hear.