24th June: Who made a mark this week?

Who forgot the sunblock?

8" x 8", coloured pencils on Arches HP
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Well the general consensus seems to be that this weekly 'round-up' post is a really good idea. This is the next instalment of my new weekly post that enables me to highlight a wide variety of websites and blog posts which have made their mark on me as it were and also to include things a bit outside my usual terms of reference - for example below you will find references to both quilting and sand sculptures!

I'll be playing catch up for quite a while with things which caught my eye in the recent past and sites which I've had on my 'to do' list for some time so not all of what follows belongs to last week.

And what do you mean - you didn't know you can have cacti that pink! I found these cacti outside the Cracker Barrel in Yuma, Arizona which is just off Interstate 8 (check the hybrid version of the map link) in July last year. We had stopped for brunch on the first day of the big road trip and these were right outside! It's another one for my new and rapidly expanding Plants and Cacti Gallery on my website.

Artists and Art Blogs
I find it pays to look outside one's comfort zone for visual stimulation.

• I happened upon Lisa Call's blog - New Work and Inspiration this blog this week and saw some of the most satisfying abstract patterns I've seen in a long time as a result. Only then did I notice that she was blogging about contemporary quilts. She's also got a very informative squidoo lens about contemporary quilts.
  
• Lessons in Art Appreciation is on hold as an active journal but nevertheless has a lot of entries worth reading in the archives - try clicking on a tag towards the bottom of this page. (Thanks to Casey for that one).

Art videos
I can see this becoming a regular feature of this round-up. Here's a couple I came across this week.

• a number of people have tackled the challenge of setting images of Van Gogh paintings to the music of Don McLean's song 'Vincent'. I think Brendafohio's effort Starry Nights and Sunlit Days has got to be the one which maximises the number it's possible to see in the time permitted by the song. Many people aren't aware of some of the less well known paintings - I'd be interested to know what people think after watching this.
  
• I visited the Velaquez exhibition at the National Gallery earlier this year but didn't come across the Waldemar Januszczak vodcast on the Velazquez exhibition at the National Gallery in London until this weel. Waldemar is the Sunday Times art critic.

Art Education: Websites, Books, Workshops, Tips and Techniques
I've been overwhelmed this week by posts in this area so you can expect some to turn up in future weeks. Leave a comment below if you'd like me to take a look at a blog post about a workshop you've done or want any tips about how to write one up.

• Ed Terpening featured in last week's blog - but just in case you forgot, here's a taster of what Ed's been getting up to with Ovanes Berberian. Ed writes the most thorough blog posts about workshops of anybody I know.
  
• Day 1 of the workshop - lots of excellent tips on the basics of oil painting
  
• a stunning description of a painting demonstration by Ovanes Berberian
  

• Gayle Mason also provided me with two entries:
• first her review of a workshop with Mike Sibley on her blog "Fur in the Paint"
• and next a link to a wildlife art website which provides a very succinct introduction to the principles of creating a composition by Carl Rungius. Here is applies to wildlife - but in fact it pretty much applies to any subject matter.

While researching websites for Notan this week I came across a couple of very interesting websites

• Yale-New Haven Teacher's Institute: Visions of People: The Influences of Japanese Prints—Ukiyo-e Upon Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century French Art by Patricia Flynn
• an excellent interactive digital explanation of Japanese print making and the art of producing a wood cut print - produced by Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

Business for ArtistsThis section includes anything techie to do with your website or blogging. This week I'm including a couple of posts from two of my regular reads.

• Charley Parker has an excellent blog - Lines and Colors - which is one of my 'regular reads'.
  
• He's also a professional web designer. He had a rant at the end of last month which really is a 'must read' even if it is somewhat barbed. So - for all those wondering about whether your website 'cuts the mustard' read How not to display your artwork on the Web........and the 108 comments!
  
• I posted my slightly less techie version back in October last year - read "How to annoy me with your website" (11.10.06.) and an update of your pet peeves (29.10.06.)
  
• Alyson Stansfield's excellent ArtBiz Blog had a recent blog post "Allow comments on your art blog" where she took issue with an article that recommends leaving comments off your blog until you've got established.
  

Exhibitions
Two exhibitions in the open air this week (well it is summer!).

• First, in London the National Gallery has taken its paintings on to the streets
• and by way of complete contrast, Nicole Caulfield was dashing down to the coast of New Hampshire this week to see the art of the sand sculpture on the beach at Hampton.
  

..........and finally the funnies
The Globe and Mail in Canada had an interesting story about canine art! Thanks to Gordon Leverton for that one.