Sunday, January 02, 2011

2nd January 2011: Who's made a mark this week?

East Lake, Victoria Park - Boxing Day 2010
Welcome to the first "Who's made a mark this week" of 2011.  Except of course it's been a fortnight and this one's a bit unusual as we've got all the end of year posts about things achieved in 2010 as well!

On the right is a scene from what turned out to be a very cold "ice rink" like Boxing Day walk. I was particularly struck by the view looking over the East Lake in Victoria Park towards the sunset and the "Gherkin" in the City of London.

The Making A Mark Awards

For those who missed them here are all the links to the final posts detailing the Making A Mark Awards for 2010

The MAM Award for Best Picture of the Year (Portrait/Figures) on an Art Blog
The MAM Award for Best Picture of the Year 
on an Art Blog
"Hands of Time"
by Karin Jurick
(A Painting Today)
Joint winner - The MAM Award for Best Picture of the Year (Place) on an Art Blog
Canal Sunrise
by Loriann Signori
 (Loriann Signori's Painting-a-Day)
Joint winner - The MAM Award for Best Picture of the Year (Place) on an Art Blog
Waiting
by Michelle Basic Hendry
(Artscapes – Musings on Art & Life) 
The MAM Award for Best Picture of the Year (Still Life) on an Art Blog
Black Grapes #3
by James Neil Hollingsworth
(Paintings in Oil)
 The MAM Award for Best Picture of the Year (Natural World) on an Art Blog  
The Right Side
by Gayle Mason 
(Fur in the Paint)

Blog plaques will be on their way to all winners in the next week. 

Plus I've just started a series on Making A Mark Reviews...... reporting on my Media Opinion Poll results for 2010 - and the first one is The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2010 Brand Poll Results).

Other awards by art bloggers
The 2010 Review - experiences and our achievements
Goals and Plans for 2011

I know I always get a lot of out of reading other people's blog posts about the year ahead at this time of year - and hopefully you do too.  I asked people to send me links to their posts on their blogs about what they had planned for 2011.  My aim in doing so is to share with you some of the alternative perspectives of other people.  Seems like quite a few people aim to be spending less time on the Internet.  See if you can get some ideas for any of these.

Here's three you maybe didn't expect
May your to-do list always wax and wane in direct relationship to your energy. And may that to-do list be built upon a profound awareness of who you are. I hope all your creative endeavors in 2011 bring balance to your life.
Don't wait for a special day to change your life.
We also have different perspectives from:
The #draw365 hashtag on Twitter, for example, has numerous adherents.
1. This should be first and last on the list really, as it's so important: remember to have fun! Of course you can't quantify this, but I want to have this on my list as I do forget sometimes, and life is just too short to not try and prioritise enjoyment in what you do!
and goes on to reflect on a really great quote
"Amateurs look for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work." (Chuck Close).
Meanwhile Kirsty Hall (Kirsty Hall  |  Artist & purveyor of mad obsessive projects) has started her project for 2011 - Introducing 365 Jars and releasing them into the wild

But if you want a clear coherent statement of intent with precise measureable objectives by an artist who achieved an enormous amount in 2010, you'll find a lot of help in Jeanette Jobson's post about Aiming for 2011

Art Blogs

Landscape Art
Study of Ice Clouds over Coniston by John Ruskin (1880)
    Painters and Painting
    Printmaking

    This is a list of 50 Incredibly Inspiring Printmaking Blogs by the Photographers Guild Blog (which isn't really a blog so much as a lot of articles).  I follow a number of these and it's nice to see the printmaking tag on Making A Mark making it into the list.
    These individuals have loads to say about printmaking in their blogs.
      Art Business and Marketing
      Art Competitions and Art Societies
      • I came across the Nature Printing Society which looks fascinating
      • I'll be doing posts about art competitions and art society exhibitions next week.
      Art Exhibitions and art fairs

      For those of beginning to get to grips with Brushes on iPad and iPhones it's interesting to see an exhibition of David Hockney's digital art on NPR - In Paris, a display from Hockney's pixelated period
      The artist has always carried a small sketchbook with him. Now he carries the electronic equivalent. The creative experience is different on the bigger device, he says.
      "On the iPhone I tended to draw with my thumb," he says. "Whereas the moment I got to the iPad, I found myself using every finger."
      And he really gets into it, reports curator Charlie Scheips.
      "He says he sometimes gets so obsessed that when he's going, he rubs his finger on his clothes to, like, clean his finger — as if he was using real paint."
      Art Education / workshops / Tips and techniques

      Art Journals
      Workshops

      Don't forget that regular art bloggers followed by this blog can have their workshops featured in this weekly post.  Drop me a line if you have a workshop to promote.
        Art Galleries and Museums / Art History
        Art Studios

        Now who is going to win The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of 2011?  Do drop me a line if your goals and plans for 2011 involve a major project this year to refurbish or construct your studio - or even just to tidy it up and show it off in its full glory!
          Art Supplies

          Thanks to Felicity Grace (Felicity's Philosophies and Other Curiosities and Sketches by Fiz) who spotted this one .  Premium Brands supplies Daniel Smith watercolours in the UK - but only to trade accounts (ie rules about minimum quantities - but some of the quantities are pretty small).  However there's nothing to stop a group of artists or an art society or a professional artists who gets through lots of supplies asking for a trade account.
           
          Book reviews
          Opinion Poll
          Websites, webware and blogging
          and finally........

          I'd like to wish you all a very prosperous and happy New Year!

          This is a link to Making A Mark's 5th birthday post last month which includes 12 tips for how to become and remain a long-term 'daily' art blogger - see Now we are 5! (12 Top Tips for being a Long Term 'Daily' Blogger).
          Posted by Making A Mark on Sunday, January 02, 2011
          Categories , , , , , , , , ,

          4 comments:

          1. Anita MorrisMonday, January 03, 2011

            I've just finished writing down my plans for 2011. See http://anitamorris.net/?p=255

            ReplyDelete
          2. UnknownMonday, January 03, 2011

            I'm really intrigued how so many of these artists had the same thoughts I do to focus on their journaling and sketching. I've been designing so much from photo references and Photoshop that I think I lost an important part of the process - self-discovery and evolution. Being able to go back and see what you are going through is such a huge benefit down the line.

            ReplyDelete
          3. UnknownTuesday, January 04, 2011

            Thank you for including me in the list. oj btw I'm in Doha, Qatar for now.

            ReplyDelete
          4. Roz StendahlTuesday, January 04, 2011

            Katherine, thank you for including me in the New Year's advice list with some others who have interesting plans. It's great to be in that group.

            Thanks also for continuing to put together an interesting and informative blog on art matters!

            I hope you have a great 2011!

            ReplyDelete

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