meredith cutler :: artist :: designer ::

The sun is shining today, which must be nice for everyone who needs some airing out. For my part, this weekend I have been airing out my studio; digging through 10-gallon plastic bins of vintage stash and assembling all kinds of nifty supply packs for my Etsy vintage & supply outlet, crostini*VS.

Because once I get started on something I tend to explode with motivation, and grow a million extra arms like Avalokitesvara, I also banged out four new collectible, mixed-media collage pieces for Crostini designs and a materials study for a new alternative embroidery series that I've been working on.

Not bad for a Saturday. I hope that this steady flow of focused creative production continues, because April showers bring loads of deadlines for yours truly, and I like to make hay while the sun shines.

Tomorrow: stay tuned for a special Monday morning design pick and an announcement about Crostini at retail! 

It has been a while since I revealed any activity in my studio. This is partially because I kept forgetting to haul the SLR camera up to Hyde Park, and my cell phone camera just doesn't have the focal length needed for compelling studio shots.

Here is a piece of a canvas I've been stuck on, possibly because it takes forever to cut out each gocco printed girlie from its vellum nest. I extract them in batches, but I get antsy every 20 or so and move on to something else.

I've learned my lesson about diving into complex projects blind. My trip to NYC last week lent me some fresh, garbage inspired inspiration, but I'm starting with layout and materials studies before I invest too much in supplies. The above photo depicts some Photoshop studies of what I will eventually realize in mixed media on canvas over board.

(It involves dental floss...)

My hands may be raw and needle poked, but they smell so minty fresh!

I admit, I haven't been the best consumer lately (which in itself may be a source of D.I.Y. pride). Other than the finer basics in life, such as food, flowers and my wedding dress, I just haven't felt inspired to whip out the tired old debit card. Speaking of cards, and of wedding dresses, it's too bad that I have already sent out most of our wedding gift thank you cards, because these vintage-hued, hand-printed examples by Eliza Jane Curtis of Morris & Essex are just lovely:

Working out of her studio in Buenos Aires, she creates these and other designs using hand-mixed inks and a combination of printing methods, including screenprint, linocut and the ever-popular print gocco. I just love her woodsy color pallate!

We had some family business "up noath (north)" last night, so we decided to take the scenic drive up 95, to 93, to Storrow Drive, up JFK and down Mass Ave to catch the CitySampler: Boston release party at Spark Craft Studios. (If you are studio-less, Spark is a place to buy your supplies and work on your projects. I hear that on Friday nights, they give you wine to go with your projects. Fancy!)

To celebrate the wicked pissa-ness of Boston, our hometown, Crostini contributed some special, 2-color gocco prints and "Circolo" earrings. Although the initial batch of Boston CitySamplers sold out yesterday, Alison has made a few more available at the Sampler Shop. It's a wicked steal at only $18. Pick yours up today before they are all gone! (If you are lucky, you might get one of 30 limited edition prints of "It Came on a Grey Day" by Egg-a-go-go's Sarah Coyne.)

I've been itching to find a method for exploring surface design that doesn't necessarily involve a computer for some time now. When I did some research into the Print Gocco, I realized it could be a great tool for me. I purchased my Gocco from Liz at Felt Cafe East back in October, and have been getting to know my new tool over tha past few weeks.

First, I designed some holiday cards, as a seasonal project that would enable me to illustrate AND test the gocco on a branded imprint for my Crostini line of goods:

I really liked the way that the screen printing process allowed for me to brand my items, yet still retain this really hand-worked feel.

After my PG-5 and I got more acquainted, I could see so many uses for it's quirky, yet professional replication qualities. I've been printing on high-quality vellum this week, as a way to create the girls that I usually draw painstakingly in permanent marker. This is for a new canvas I'm working on:

I mixed the oil-based ink color myself - a fantastic, flat "off-black" to more closely match the Sharpie permanent marker color that you see throughout my Follow The Leader series. That settled, then, unfortunately, I had to cut them all out. I've named her Darla Sue...