Edison Rex

Studio Play

I'm just coming off a really sweet and busy studio weekend. Lots of play--time just for fun, to mess around and explore. It's rare that I make time to be creative without some kind of end result or purpose in mind. It's a good feeling. I also continued work on the storyboards for a book commission--a project that I'm really excited about and feel honored to do.

It felt really wonderful to get in a great deal of time painting, even if it meant waking up extra early on my days off, too. Four am, five am. Hours where no one else, big or small, is awake to distract me. My own personal witching hour.

I thought I'd share some quick snaps of both my play and my commissioned work. Can you guess which is which?

Happy Monday!

xoxo Maeg

Studio Weekend

 

Happily, I got some extra time in the studio this weekend! For a couple days I dropped all other work to draw and paint. It felt so good. A lot of my painting was done well before dawn (right after my morning ritual) so I didn't get great in-progress shots of everything. Still, I thought you'd enjoy these--first, the paintings from these sketches, and the progression of a nearly-completed new piece.

I'll be sharing a lot more work in progress in the coming weeks as I get ready to release some new work!

By the way, Sarah of Desirous of Everything is hosting a super special giveaway this month--and the prize is $50 to spend at Modcloth! So if you're looking for something new for your fall wardrober, head over here.

And Happy Monday. I hope your weekend was swell--what were you up to?

xoxo Maeg

Studio Monday

Thank you everyone who gave me such thoughtful feedback in last week's Studio Monday post!

 

In the great blue vs. aqua debate about the two pieces above, I was surprised to find that across all the feedback I got via this blog, Facebook, and Twitter, blue won out nearly 2 to 1! I was partial to aqua myself, but I headed back to the studio with an open mind. I tweaked my blue, I rocked my aqua, and even found two more colorways for this piece that I LOVE!

 Here's a shot from the end of my test printing phase:

 
One of these stands on its own, but I also think they'd look super sweet hung as a pair or trio.

Did a little sketching, too.

 
Apparently I'm obsessed with snuggling. As it should be.

By the way, what do you think of my blog makeover? I though it was time for a bright and springy look, and a new tagline, too!

Hope you had a great weekend,

xoxo Maeg

Studio Monday (and a question for you!)

Hey Rexlets! Over the weekend I was working on a couple different versions of a new piece.

 
 
What do you think? And which do you like better--blue or aqua?

Happy Monday!

xoxo Maeg

Why Do So Many People Want To Put My Art In Their Bathrooms?

Often enough, when I am working a show, folks come by and comment that they would like to put my work in their bathroom. Now, for the record, let me state that this inquiry does not offend me. I'm merely curious about it. I'm actually no stranger to art in the bathroom myself. Let's take a look inside my loo (which is tiny, hence the collage):

  
Aha! Maybe not what Vincent intended. But I couldn't resist an extra throne in the throne room.

So what is it about my work? I look to you, dear readers, to help me understand this phenomenon.This print, in particular, has gotten quite a few potty comments and lives in one bathroom that I know of for sure: The Narwhalrus.

 
Does powder of Narwhalrus tusk keep you regular? I want your insights! Discuss!

And have a wonderful weekend!

A Studio by the Sea

Hello again! Remember when I told you that I was unplugging for a week to do something really important? Well, I'm back! And that "really important" thing was taking off with my family for a week at the ocean (a huge thank you to Dennis and Linda for having us as your guests!). It was amazing. I think it's important to get time away from the rush and routine of regular life, however much I love that regular life. I know I've been sucessful in my unplugging if, by the end of the trip, I'm so relaxed that I just want to stay where I am forever. I mean, if my family's with me, what else do I really need?

Here's the view from our digs for the week. Unbelievable, right?

 
And I packed up a tiny portable studio so I could do some creative work by the sea.

 
To be honest, I didn't do as much painting or drawing as I would have liked, but no regrets. The ocean called! But here are some sketchbook highlights from the past week:

 
 
Some of my favorite moments from the trip:

• Watching the sun rise over the ocean every morning.
• Body surfing or boogie boarding in the most scary and exhilarating waves I've ever experienced. I've got the scrapes and bruises to prove it!
• Introducing Thommy to the sea and watching him love it.
• Breakfast al fresco.

 
On a personal note: Now I'm back in the studio hardcore, jumping back in to that regular rush and routine, though there is some uncertainty awaiting me here. Some of you may know that my husband has been playing poker professionally online for several years now. Well, if you caught the news last week, you might have seen that the U.S. government seized the top poker sites and playing online is basically no longer an option. Yup, the day before we left for vacation my husband lost his job. But we are surprisingly unperturbed. Every crisis is an opportunity, and while it's not clear what shape our lives will take without poker, I think we'll come up with something even better. 

I hope all of you had an amazing week! See you Wednesday with a new Art Crush of the Week!

xo Maeg

In the Studio: Does Making Art Ever Make You...Uncomfortable?

Whew! So as you all probably already know, I spent a huge chunk of the winter building a brand new website for Edison Rex. It was a challenge--but I love challenges and I'm so happy with how it turned out. While I was hyper-focused on doing all that, though, my ideas and sketches by necessity gathered a little bit of dust. Since the site launch I've been thrilled to get back in the studio, but it also feels...a little strange!

In my recent interview with Megan of Studio M.M.E., I mentioned that my favorite parts of the art making process art the beginning and the end, because they're the easiest: the initial inspiration and the finished product. The middle part can just get messy. While I was doing techical-website-messy, I forgot all about art-messy. I love making art but it can be uncomfortable at times!

 
I'm sure I'm not alone in that experience, but I'd never really stopped to notice it much before. A hiatus made it clear. Now that my focus is on studio time again I've been giving this creative discomfort some thought. Where does it come from? Well, I think that the challenge of making--art, novels, all sorts of things--reflects a lot of what can be challenging about life.

 
In that first moment of making a great sketch, everything seems possible. And easy. But getting down to business, I'm confronted with things like uncertainty--where was I really going with this? What haven't I figured out yet? What don't I know? And often I find myself standing on the border where my current capabilities meet my potential growth. Can I do this--or learn how to do it? There's a matter of honesty, too--asking myself if this is really my best effort, or if I need to go in for another revision.

 
For me, drawing these parallels has allowed that discomfort to melt away and be replaced with some acceptance of the messy. I'm a pretty goal-oriented person so seeing the value of the process is kind of freeing. If making and doing something I love reflects back to me other things in life I need to learn, well, how awesome is that?

So, Rexlets, I know many of you are busy in your own studios and work spaces but I'd LOVE for you to share your own experiences in the comments section below. What challenges does the creative process bring up for you?