Stroll Through The Hood

Stroll Through the Hood – August 2022

Strolls through my hood get me out of my studio, they help me get unstuck and often I get inspired by what I see and get new ideas to create something. It is part of my philosophy about Artful Adventures in Mixed Media – which is the subject of my book. Here are some photos that I gathered in the last couple weeks.

It always amazes me ..and not necessarily in a good way…how the cable jungle transpires. On that note on my way home from the gym last week I saw a truck had snapped off low hanging cables and people came running out of the house because they lost power, internet, cable…who knows what. If you like for some line inspiration in your artwork …well there you go.

Sunset a gorgeous look of Jersey City, Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

My friends Dan and Alicia and their band -Forget the Whale had a great concert at Lincoln Park. it was a wonderful treat to see them there – they are really good.

A building that is abandoned and dear to my heart – you can see pieces of the floor – makes me really sad. No I wasn’t in the building but a friend did a tour where you could look through a side window. I am sure next time these pieces are gone – either broken or stolen – like the rest of the building.

Another gorgeous view of Manhattan – it is summer and so there is a lot of biking and hanging out in parks.

I was super excited that we finally got our custom made pocket shutters. They were missing in our front windows and they are so practical and amazing. they fold back into a pocket of the window trim and are hidden and look like part of the paneling. It was so sad that they were just open gaps. Little fun snippet: The company who made them for us also did some staging of shutters for The Gilded Age on HBO. Such a small company!

Looks so good!!! The wood will darken a bit of course. It took a whole day to fit them in because nothing is straight in an old house – and that’s why we love it ;)

Little street art action in Jersey City

I took my friend Sandra to see some of the murals

Amazing, isn’t it?

Speaking of my friend Sandra, she came from Germany for 10 days – a trip that had been postponed for the past two years and it was such a great time. And because she is rocks wallpapering …we wallpapered a wall in her guest room. It was super fun…and super hard…again …no wall in our house is straight. LOL. But the result is awesome.

Do you see the hidden message? “Be a better human and spread love”

Awesome exhibition at Deep Space Gallery- we called up and were all by ourselves seeing some really cool artwork including those gems by Citty Kitty who finds the always super confusing NYC Metro Service posters and creates commentary art on them …sometimes even hangs them back LOL.

We bought 5 for our long hallway and are still laughing – it is hard to grasp I think if you do not see them close up but here are some.

The one on the right that says Update was just an empty poster and the cats say “Uhh…There’s no Update” and ” I hate Updates” . Check his instagram out – love the humor.

That was it for this month – see you next month again for another stroll through the hood.

Nat

Comments (3)

  • ARHuelsenbeck

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    The shutters are beautiful! And so is the wallpaper!

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    I loved The Gilded Age and those shutters look wonderful!
    Those murals are incredible as well.

    Reply

  • Rae Missigman

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    I’m in love with all of this. I want to come visit and take this tour 😂🥰

    Reply

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Inspired By: NYC, Summer 2022

BANG – July! What a month. For 14 days we had different visitors from Germany and I loved having my two best friends and my godchildren in our house especially after the initial visits were cancelled back in 2020. It was a great opportunity – given that we live right across from Manhattan, to go into the city and do some sightseeing and …it was the first time since the pandemic I could indulge in being a tourist in my own neck of the woods eh sky scrappers.

While it was crazy hot in the city, it was also very empty, it is always a bit calmer in the city during the hotter months but I would say we are nowhere near back to normal. You wouldn’t know though from this amazing view from the One World Trade Center.

The coolest thing about being a tourist in your own digs with actual tourists, is how it reminds you what is amazing and inspiring about the city. How many times have I just rushed back and forth the WTC train station without even taking everything in anymore.

Gorgeous sconce at the Manhattan Municipal Building- where also the subway station below is located. If you are near the Brooklyn Bridge from the Manhattan side – take a look around if you love architectural details – it is an eye feast.

Said subway station has Guastavino tile vaulted ceilings and I love love love those. I made me godchildren and their parents look at them. They might thank me later – LOL

Wowsers- I don’t think I have ever seen the Brooklyn Bridge this empty and that is not only due to the bike and pedestrian path being separated now. Finally- because …all visitors seem to forget that this is a major connection between Manhattan and Brooklyn and people NEED to get over there.

Look at those lines- so cool!

We spent a wonderful day in Harlem – starting with a little walk on the Harlem Walk of Fame.

While James Baldwin and Ella Fitzgerald clearly are known to everyone there are also some very famous other people that are worth exploring and ponder about.

The iconic Harlem YMCA!

I pointed the Maya Angelou quote out to my sweet godson who kept poking me, he didn’t miss a beat and quoted the lower sentence also by her right back at me. I miss him already !

OK this is cheating at it’s best …because this is actually a photo from Liberty State Park but …let’s face it peeps- we do have the best view of Manhattan …so don’t forget that and I make sure none of our visitors ever forgets that either ;)

With my bestie Sandra I went to the NYC Public Library- unfortunately it is mostly closed off nowadays – the main reading room at least is- but it is still a good fly in place if you need to cool down a little bit. Otherwise- you might want to just skip it for now and rather watch a movie at night in the wonderful Brayant Park next to it.

We also went to the Empire State Building and this display made me feel a little old. Nonetheless the displays and way they created the exhibition before you get to the platform was fun and I can totally recommend it for kids as well. Usually I would recommend to reserve tickets and also splurge some Express Line tickets- but hey it was so empty, we basically browsed right through without any reservation.

Different view- wave at the One World Trade Center and to Jersey City on the right.

Hello Handsome! Actual photo of me looking at the scenery!

I cannot even tell you how happy the stroll through the city made me- It was like seeing a friend after a long time and I was ready to just spent a lot of quality time with it.

Highline – you guessed it …pretty empty – I love the Highline at any time of the year and it is still one of my favorite ways to see the city.

Love the sentiment “I am not interested in competing with anyone, I hope we all make it” – DITTO!

Tell me you do not like this picture ? WHAT???? Get off my blog- LOL- just kidding ;)

OK that is a lot from the Highline but hey …I had a blast

And found this emoji Statue of Liberty –

The city always has little messages for you …obvious ones

and not so obvious……ok- you can stop looking – I actually do not know if there is a hidden message there other than…I NEED COFFEE.

Besides- have fun, and enjoy some outdoor time this summer maybe in a nearby city or our own time. If you are close to NYC come on over and enjoy a little empty nice social distancing allowing sightseeing. It is refreshing and inspiring. NYC is always worth a trip!

Nat

Comments (3)

  • Barbara

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    Another set of great photos. It’s been a long time since I was last in NYC. The twin towers were still there and we went to the top. We also did the Empire State Building. King Kong and An Affair to Remember my fav movies involving that building. Never been to Harlem. Gotta do that. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  • Kathleen Lee

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    I always love these tours around HJ and NYC. I’m in Silicon Valley and enjoy seeing the other side of the states!

    Reply

  • Nancy Gill

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    Thanks for taking us along on your journey.

    Reply

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Creative Squad: Goodnight Art Journal – Riikka Kovasin

Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we have a post and video from Riikka Kovasin who is sharing an art journal page using my ATC Mixup and Manhattan stencils and our theme: Goodnight, Art Journal – Create an art journal page inspired by nighttime. Think about the colors, sounds, rituals of night – any aspect of it – and use that as your catalyst to create! 

Me be night owl

Hi there! It’s Riikka Kovasin here today to share my take on the month’s theme! Like I say in the process video, first I got a bit puzzled as not so long ago I did a nighttime inspired art journal page for the team. I say, “not so long”, but actually it was almost a year ago! Time does fly. You can see that page here.

Why I’m bringing this up was that I didn’t want to repeat myself! Although there’s similar elements in my page now, there’s also something new, so I call that mission accomplished! Because like I say in the earlier post, I would love to be a night owl. In everyday life my current work and family life doesn’t allow me to follow my natural rhythm, but if I had the possibility I’d work until midnight and then sleep in. I seem to have a new productive sequence in between 9-11 pm!

I first tried to think what to do, but then gave in and just started doing, going with the flow. And I really like how the page turned out! I first colored two strips of paper using gel printing, then added patterns on top using stencils and lastly a flurry of stars and a moon. Why two strips of paper, you might ask. Well, they just happened to be there when I was reaching out to get a background piece. I thought it would be fun to start with those, to use “left-overs”. If you want to see how the page came into being, please see the video below:

As you could see from the video, I used two Nathalie’s stencils in my make. Why I chose these two? Well, the reason for the ATC Mixup is kind of obvious, I think. It’s because of the multitude of patterns in one stencil! I didn’t have to settle to just one or two patterns but could use an abundance! And as you can move the stencil and continue the pattern, the smaller size doesn’t matter, either. I did want to add another stencil to the mix, to have a bigger pattern. For that I chose Manhattan. Its angular design complimented the curvier, softer patterns of the ATC Mixup nicely.

I went through several Tim Holtz paper dolls when searching for the right one. This lady had the right air about her, and she somehow reminded me about Edith Södergran, a Finnish poet. One of the first poems I read from her was titled “Stars”. But when I was checking the placement, her white shirt looked too pale, and it had such a big contrast between the inky blue background it was stealing the attention too much. Luckily, I had an easy solution! You could see that from the video, too, I just added a pattern on top.

To keep the project cohesive color-wise, I used one of the colors I had used in the background as well. The patterning hid some of the details of the garment, so I then drew those in. You can probably see my hesitation in the video. I was afraid that the black Posca marker might be too much, but luckily it was just what the doctor ordered! Her hair balances the dark marks nicely.

Thank you for stopping by today! I can’t wait to see what the teamies have made for this topic!

Xoxo Riikka

Thank you Riikka – love the night sky you’ve created with the layered stencils and splatters – great sense of depth in there!

Give it a try: you can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop and here are some of the supplies Riikka used:

Looking for more projects? Follow the Creative Squad on Instagram here.

Nat

Comments (1)

  • Sue Clarke

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    I love the page from a year ago and I also like this one! I especially like how you stamped the pattern on her blouse.
    Thanks for the inspiration Riikka!

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Play Date – Clay Beads and Rubber Stamps

Last month I had a few old friends visit from Germany so Kim and I scheduled our play date with one of my guests: Sandra! We knew she would have fun with it as she teaches art classes and is always looking for inspo herself. So we set up a big table where we could all sit, poured ourselves some coffee and even had a little plate of treats too. It was great to get together and create, gab, and LAUGH :)

Our project was to make air dry clay beads, decorate them with my rubber stamps, and then string them to create funky necklaces. Wanna play along? You will need: air dry clay, jewelry cord, rubber stamps (small patterns work great for these), a selection of ink pads, an awl (or toothpick/ball tool/tapestry needle) to make holes, a small rolling pin, a clay cutting knife, a sanding block, scissors, and a craft sheet.

Working on the craft sheet we created some plain beads. Round, oval, barrel, square sided etc are all easy to do. Make a bunch!

Before they get too dry, poke a hole in them that is big enough for whatever cord you have. We used an awl to poke the holes and then a ball tipped tool to make the ends a bit nicer. You could use a skewer or toothpick or even a heavy tapestry needle to make your holes. Then it is time to let them dry.

We also experimented with rolling out the clay to create larger pendent pieces with a rolled top edge.

This was trickier to do and if your clay dries out, the edges get a bit rough. You could use a clay blade to clean up the edges or a wet finger to smooth things out.

The idea is to create a flat surface to stamp on. We played with both my Triangle Love and Floral Tile Small stamp sets and used both Archival and Versafine Clair ink pads. You want an ink that dries permanent. We stamped into the still pliable clay, creating a small amount of relief too.

You can go pretty big with these and then use a stamp like my Fantastic Small set to tile up an allover design.

When our plain beads dried, it was time to stamp on them. Barrel shaped beads can just be rolled across an inked stamp. Here a stamp from my Hex Set Small creates a cool geometric feel.

A stamp from my Floral Tile Small set adds a bit of abstract floral design to oval beads. They don’t need to be perfect impressions to create a cool look.

With three people making we created a big variety of beads.

Love all the different color and pattern combinations that each of us chose, whether it was cool gray, shades of brown…

… vermillion and chartreuse…

… and vibrant pinks and blues and violet!

If you have rough spots on your beads, you can sand them with a sanding block for a smooth finish.

Once you’ve decorated your beads, it’s time to think about the next step – stringing them to make a wearable necklace. We got a little tub of colorful waxed cotton jewelry cord so that we had lots of colors to choose from.

When you choose your cord, unwind a longer piece than you think you will possibly need. You may want to tie knots around the individual beads and that will take extra cord. We also planned to slip these over our heads in the end, so allow enough to do that once you’ve tied it.

If you’ve made a lot of beads like we did, there are so many ways to combine colors and patterns.

Play around and see what you like. You can always switch things up later if you have extra cord and beads.

And if you still need a bit more color in there, don’t be afraid to use the ink pads to add a little more color here and there.

This was a really great play date to do with a group of friends. It was fairly easy to create some striking designs and everyone went home with a wearable creation.

Give it a try! Here are the supplies we used:

Nat

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Pattern Lovers love Hex Set Large

Calling all Pattern Lovers! One of my favorite ways to experiment with creating patterns is to reach for my Hex Set Large rubber stamp set. Just like a tile floor, all the stamps work together to create a field of yummy pattern goodness. There are too many possibilities to count and let’s face it, math isn’t why we’re here. Trust me: Hex Set is gonna rock your world in terms of pattern making :)

Backgrounds are a breeze and also just really meditative to create. Grab a stamp (or 2 or 3) and a couple different colors of ink and begin building your page. When you have everything covered, go back in and fill with acrylic markers or your current fav media to oomph things up. Collage on top and journal in the nooks and crannies. This art journal page is pretty bold but you could also do something similar in muted or pastel colors for something that blends away a bit more and doesn’t take center stage.

I love playing with the rotation of some of these hex designs. That creates even more possibilities and can give your spread some movement too. In this art journal spread I flipped and rotated the orientation of the Positive and Negative Beacon stamps in the set.

Looking for an easy way to layer color under the stamps while maintaining the hex vibe? Try the Solid Hex Large stamp – it is designed to work with the set and layer. In the project above we used fabric ink and stamped on reusable shopping bags, first the solid in yellow and then one from the set in red.

Repeating patterns work really well anywhere where you might find fabric, like here in this Creative Squad project from Maura. She uses the Hex Set Large and Hex Set Small rubber stamps to personalize a pencil pouch. I love the hot colors in this and the simple variation in them. I also love that the triangle created between the hex shapes is the perfect size for that Hex Set Small Beacon stamp.

What else do you see in these stamp designs? How about flowers like Creative Squad alum Jennifer does in this post? I always get excited when someone takes one of my stamps and uses it in a new way and this is a great example. Sure it’s a hex, but it could be a flower or a wheel or the sun or whatever your imagination sees :)

Have fun with it!

Here are some of the supplies used in these projects:

Nat

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A Look Back – Playing with Lettering Part 2

A Look Back – Today I’m revisiting a topic I covered once before: how you can play with lettering in your art journal or mixed media projects. You don’t have to have amazing handwriting skills to mix things up and create some impact with your lettering. Below are 5 ways to do it whether you are John Hancock (US history reference lol) or not :) ENJOY!!!

Sometimes it is as simple as just choosing the right medium to do your lettering. I got big juicy results from using Liquitex acrylic ink in a metallic copper here in this art journal. The metallic inks have some body to them from all the flake in there so I got nice bold letters without needing to work very hard. Some inks are thicker than others and will work in this way. Try some out and experiment!

If you want a bit more character to your writing, try another layer – use a contrasting colored acrylic marker to add dots, stripes, squiggles and more. In this art journal page I used a big white sharpie over black acrylic paint. I had already varied the letters in the word so I chose to vary the additional marks too. Sometimes more is more and the way to go.

Do you struggle with keeping your writing straight and all neat and tidy? Throw your ruler out the window and embrace movement! Draw a series of gently wavy lines as I have in this spread, then eyeball the spacing between them and don’t stress – they can be even or totally different. Then use those lines as your guides for writing. Now your undulating text is a design element and intentional. Play with how you space your lines, how wavy they are, and how angled they are. Push the limits and have fun!

Another way to create a guide for writing is to follow a design element in your page. I love how Creative Squad alum Jennifer uses the diamond shape to journal around in this spread. It emphasizes the shape and her writing isn’t meant to be read so it almost looks like a frilly edge around the shape.

Creative Squad alum Nicole has a couple more cool ideas in this spread. Where should your journaling go? Work in the space between two design elements – here she tore a piece of collage paper, glued it down with a gap in between the two pieces, and did her journaling in the chasm. Also this is a great reminder to consider the impact that letter stickers can have instead of handwriting. This application is bold but there are so many options out there these days that they can fit almost any style.

I hope you enjoyed our Look Back today and have some ideas for lettering in your projects. It’s a great way to mix things up!

A Look Back is a blog series to show you some projects and posts that you may have missed – sometimes going WAY back in the archive. I think it will be fun to revisit a few ideas that we haven’t seen for a while. I’m excited to see how a little look back might inspire something new in the future :)

Here are some of the supplies used in these projects:

Nat

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Creative Squad: Goodnight Art Journal – Maura Hibbitts

Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we have an art journal spread from Maura Hibbitts sharing her bedtime routine with us. She’s using my Batik, Art Deco Empire, and Art Deco Fairview stencils and our new monthly theme: Goodnight, Art Journal – Create an art journal page inspired by nighttime. Think about the colors, sounds, rituals of night – any aspect of it – and use that as your catalyst to create! 

So, I immediately thought of the book “Good Night Moon” when I saw this month’s theme, and books are part of my art journal spread too. Do you have certain routines you follow to help you get to sleep at night? I like to wind down by listening to Headspace focus music (usually jazz) and reading a book. Nowadays, my books are on my Kindle so I can enlarge the print to read it, but I love to read, no matter the format.

I began my project by sketching the image of myself reading with pencil.

Next, I went over my sketch with an archival black pen, let it dry, then erased the pencil lines. I was thinking about all the mediums I could use, and decided on colored pencils, since I haven’t used these for awhile. It’s always good to pull out an old art supply to play with.

I painted a layer of cobalt teal around my image on the page. To add to my theme, I took Nathalie’s Batik stencil (a favorite of mine) and added a swirl of cobalt teal paint over one eye to emphasize my focus on reading and music as I unwind for sleep. I have to say, if I get too far off my nighttime routine for awhile, I get kind of grumpy.

Now, it’s time for more stencil play. I chose Nathalie’s Art Deco Empire stencil for the lower portion of the page. I like to use cosmetic sponges to blend the paint into the stencil with a light touch, and here I used primary cyan. I decided to lay the used stencil on the opposite page and wipe the paint off onto the page with a baby wipe. It’s almost like getting a ghost image.

For the upper portion of the page, repeat the process using Nathalie’s Art Deco Fairview stencil and quinacridone magenta paint. Again, wipe the stencil off onto the opposite page.

Final step is to add some journaling. I used a Posca paint pen and hand lettered my words over the page where I wiped off the stencils. I like that bit of pattern in the background.

Music and reading relax me as I unwind for sleep. What are some of your favorite ways of winding down? I hope you have a good night!

Thank you Maura! Love your cute drawing and how the stenciled background came together!

Give it a try: you can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop and here are some of the supplies Maura used:

Looking for more projects? Follow the Creative Squad on Instagram here.

Nat

Comments (1)

  • Sue Clarke

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    What a fun play on Goodnight Moon!
    Nice creation Maura.

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Creative Squad: On Repeat – Jordan Hill

Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we have a post from Jordan Hill who is using my Mini Hex foam stamp set in her take on our monthly theme: On Repeat – Let’s play with patterns! Repeat a design motif or shape to create a pattern-inspired project of your choosing.

Hello everyone! I’m excited to be back with a brand new project for July! I’ve been at a bit of a turning point with my artwork recently, so for this month’s theme of “On Repeat”, I tried to combine some of the illustration work I’ve been doing with my more typical art journal style. I had a lot of fun using this project as a bit of a self challenge and I hope you enjoy following along with the process.

First things first, I selected a page to work on. I decided to use a base that was a bit larger than I typically work, since I had an idea that I knew would benefit from a little more space. This particular background was a piece of eco dyed paper, which means that it has a lot of wrinkles and texture. I had also previously applied a scrap of washi tape to this page, so I simply decided to work over the top.

To get things started, I used one of the stamps from Nathalie’s Mini Hex Foam Stamp Set to create an all over pattern across a good portion of the page. I applied ink to the foam stamp using a roll on ink pad re-inker, which is one of the ways I’ve found to be most effective at applying ink to the stamps. You don’t have to fuss around with a brush, and getting an even layer is fairly simple, as you only have to roll it over the surface.

Once I had the background in place, I made a few copies of an illustration I did on an index card and painted with ink washes. I cut three of these copies out, and then placed them along the bottom of the spread. Even though I was mainly working on the right side of this spread, I also added one to the left hand page to try to tie the two together. I thought the use of the same image in multiple iterations fit the theme of “On Repeat” quite well.

Next, I prepared the words I would be adding to this page. The quote I chose was a few lyrics from the song Smokey Eyes by Lincoln, which is a song I’ve been playing on repeat lately, so it felt on theme. I used a spare index card as a base and wrote my quote using a Bic marker in Flamingo Pink. I then outlined the marker with a thinner black pen in order to give them a bit more definition and make them feel more stylized.

At this point, I was feeling as though the background was a bit plain. Using some Black India Ink and a paintbrush, I splattered some ink over the blank areas of the page. I covered up my illustrations with scrap paper to protect them while I was doing this in order to keep them from being destroyed by stray ink.

It was then time to add the finishing touches. I cut out the words that I had prepared previously into strips, and glued them to my page. I also drew some butterfly wings onto a piece of scrap paper, cut them out, and added them onto one of the illustrations to give the page a bit of a focal point. I then used a Black Archival Ink Pad, rubbed it around the edges of my page to give it a quick border, and was ready to call it done!

Thank you Jordan! Love your tips on creating stylized lettering and also on using splatters to add a finishing touch to a page.

Give it a try: you can find all my Foam Stamps in my Online Shop and in addition to drawn and copied collage elements, here are some of the supplies Jordan used:

Looking for more projects? Follow the Creative Squad on Instagram here.

Nat

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“Quirky. Graphic. Whimsical.” – an Interview with Judi Kauffman

How well do you know our Creative Squad? Each week one of our talented design team members shares a project with us and we have come to know and love each of their individual artistic styles. BUT we realized that maybe we could learn a bit more about what makes each of these lovely artists tick. So, we decided to do a quick interview with each. Read on and stay tuned for a new interview each month :)

Welcome Judi Kauffman! Judi has been with the Creative Squad since 2018 and comes to us from Maryland. Judi has been in the paper crafting and mixed media industry for many years and her knowledge of tools and techniques is truly encyclopedic. Let’s hear what she has to say :)

1. How old were you when you first started making art? What is an early artmaking memory?

My parents were both artists so there was never a time when I wasn’t making ‘art’! They put butcher paper on the walls in my room from the time I could hold a crayon so I could draw on really big paper. By the time I was seven I had my first carving tools and linoleum blocks. My dad and I got the last bits of ink in cans  from a commercial printer whose business was across the street from his, so I started early with real tools and professional-level supplies. I was hard-wired to be a printmaker and to this day I’m happiest when my hands are ink-y!

2. If you are an art journaler, when did you start your first art journal?

I’m not an art journaler. My preference is to fill insert after insert for my Traveler’s Notebook with things that I add onto the pages – sometimes stenciling, stamping, or drawing directly, but more often using a glue stick or double-sided adhesive tape to adhere bits and pieces. It’s more like a scrapbook in that regard. And I stack things into 12x12x6 ArtBin Super Satchel Double Deep boxes that I think of as a ‘journal box’ rather than a journal [book].

3. What is one technique you just rediscovered or learned that you are now using all the time again?

I never entirely abandon it, though the amount of time I spend on it varies: Doodling is one of my favorite techniques and lately I’ve been doing a LOT of it, adding stickers to the hand-drawn imaginary flowers and animals that show up in many of the pieces. I’m channeling Gustav Klimt (gold, lots of pattern) and have let the surrealists sneak in just a bit. I start with dark red confetti cardstock and then it’s a mix of gold paint pens, black pens in various nib sizes, and white gel pens. Now and then I mix in some opaque turquoise. Needlepoint and stitchery are the two other techniques that disappear and then reappear.

4. Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Quirky. Graphic. Whimsical.

5. What are some of the biggest influences on your art?

My parents and grandparents were my biggest influences. One grandfather was a tailor, the other a blacksmith, both grandmothers were phenomenal bakers, so using one’s eye and hands and heart together to create something that had not existed before was a very big part of my life. I grew up going to art galleries so I inhaled paintings, prints, quilts, wall hangings, and sculptures and couldn’t even begin to pick favorites or say who influenced me most, though I am very drawn to textiles, especially Asian.

6. Favorite color 5 years ago? Favorite color now?

My favorite colors as a child as well as five years ago were red and turquoise. Now it’s turquoise and red. I can’t choose just one!

7. Show us where you create.

8. What are your 3 favorite Creative Squad projects that you’ve created?

My favorite Creative Squad project is always the most recent one so right now it’s the stamped Batch of Bunnies (cards), but looking back I am also fond of the sweatshirt where I stenciled over stains (it gets tons of wear) and I love the little stenciled box/bag that holds stenciled ATCs.

9. Describe the perfect artistic day for you.

My perfect art day would be room service breakfast with fresh squeezed orange juice and a few too many pieces of bacon, followed by a chauffeur-driven trip to a museum, followed by a slice of chocolate cake, a Coca Cola, and then the rest of the day into the wee hours in my studio. There would be die cutting and stenciling involved.

Thank you Judi!

Learn more about all our Creative Squad artists here on our website and on the Creative Squad Instagram page.

Nat

Comments (4)

  • Marilyn Lojek

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    Great interview with a talented artist! Her thoughtful answers reveal an artist being true to her passion. Thanks for sharing the interview with all of us artists.

    Reply

  • Jean Marmo

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    Hi Judi! This was such a fun read! I love hearing about your background and love seeing where you create! I agree with your favorite projects! You are very talented!

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    I love the sweatshirt and your perfect artsy day!

    Reply

    • judi kauffman

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      Thank you! I love to stencil over stains (sweatshirts, t-shirts, and the occasional blue jeans) and to cover the logos on tote bags, too. It really does give a whole new life and look to an item that would otherwise get tossed.

      Reply

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