March 12, 2012

Congrats to this weeks Artist of the Week!

Lorraine Douglas
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Lorraine creates monotypes; water media and collage; book sculptures and calligraphic art.  She has exhibited since 1990 and her work has been chosen for juried shows and solo exhibitions in Canada and Japan including Art of the Book.   Lorraine is a graduate of the Universities of Alberta and Manitoba.  She is a partner in Cecelia Press Printmaking Studio in Victoria, B.C. and received her Certificate in Visual Arts from the Vancouver Island School of Art in 2009.

TR: How long have you been creating and how did you get started?

Lorraine:  I started doing calligraphy in the 1980’s and then began painting and printmaking.  I started taking calligraphy lessons at the YWCA and was immediately smitten!  I have taken many classes and workshops since and now really enjoy teaching calligraphy and printmaking.  I like being experimental and trying to create something “brand new” to me in my work.

TR:  When did you start using Twinrocker products and why do you continue to use them?

Lorraine:  I started using Twinrocker paper in the 1980’s for calligraphy and for book arts projects.   Now I use them for what I call “thread drawings” where I embroider and  collage draw and paint on the papers.  I love how the paper “holds up” under the use of these media and has an inherent beauty which I can respond to when creating.  The papers are also a perfect weight for sewing.  The quality I love the most is that the deckle edge enhances the work I am doing as it speaks to the fact that the entire art work is created by hand.

TR:  What is your most proud accomplishment as an artist?

Lorraine:  Having my calligraphic work chosen for the Letter Arts Review annual issues.

TR:  Where does your inspiration come from?

Lorraine:  I love looking at images and reading poetry.  I collect images and poetry and like to draw and write in my sketch books with ideas for new things.  I have different sketch books for topics like “things I like”; printmaking; watercolours; etc. and like to revisit them and use the same kind of images again and again in a new way.

TR:  Who are your influences?

Lorraine:  My most important calligraphy teachers are Yves Leterme and Thomas Ingmire as they have both encouraged and inspired me.  I have taken book arts classes with Suzanne Moore and Donald Glaister and feel they have helped me strive to create better work in terms of design and more careful techniques. My most important printmaking teachers are Alain Costaz and Victoria Edgarr who have taught me about the endless possibilities of printmaking.

TR:  What advice would you give you a young artist who is just starting out?

Lorraine:  I think one of the most important pieces of advice I had was from Thomas Ingmire, the calligraphic artist who said something to the effect of……..”Do the best you can for wherever you are right now.”  He also said that “You have to be prepared to fail if you want to make art” and I always think of that when my work flops.

Find Lorraine online at the following links:

Facebook: Lorraine Douglas, also have a business page for Cecelia Press
Blog: http://wordmarksajournal.blogspot.com/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lorrainedouglas/

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Filed under: Lorraine Douglas Twinrocker Handmade Paper Artist of the Week monotypes water media and collage book sculptures Canadian Artist 
March 5, 2012

Terry Armstrong - Watercolor Artist

Twinrocker: Just tell us a little bit about yourself.

Terry:  I was born and raised in Columbia City, Indiana and later moved to nearby Ft. Wayne, where I graduated from Carroll High School  and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in both commercial art and fine art from Indiana/Purdue University, Ft. Wayne. After working in the marketing communications department at an orthopedic company in Warsaw, Indiana for 25 years, I retired to pursue my passion of fine art.  I now focus on painting full time, instructing workshops and teaching a college watercolor class part-time.  Although much of my time is spent painting in my studio, I am also an avid runner and enjoy fishing, hiking and the outdoors.

Twinrocker: How long have you been creating and how did you get started?

Terry:  I have been painting and instructing for about 35 years, but began seriously promoting and selling my paintings about 12 years ago.

Twinrocker:  When did you start using Twinrocker products and why do you continue to use them?

Terry:  Around 1996, a couple of major art magazines were covering watercolor painting techniques and mentioned Twinrocker as having unique properties as compared to other papers.  I was very impressed with results and have been almost exclusively using Twinrocker since.

Twinrocker:  What is your most proud accomplishment as an artist?

Terry:  I suppose my proudest moments are when a  buyer falls in love with or identifies emotionally with a painting.  Also, being able to do something that I genuinely love for a living is equally gratifying.

Twinrocker:  Where does your inspiration come from?

Terry:  I have always had a need to be creative and a strong desire to capture the excitement and beauty of nature.  I also have a strong connection with the inspiring images found here in Indiana.

Twinrocker:  Who are your influences?

Terry:  I am most influenced by American artists: Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargeant, Andrew Wyeth and a host of illustrators.

Twinrocker:  What advice would you give you a young artist who is just starting out?

Terry:  It is always a good idea to start out working in a related field of art with a consistent income, insurance and savings for future. Advertising, illustration, teaching, gallery operations, etc. all can allow for stability while honing your creative skills, better preparing for the transition to selling your art.

Learn more about Terry at http://www.terryarmstrong.net

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Filed under: terry armstrong twinrocker twinrocker handmade paper watercolor artist realism watercolors handmade paper artist of the week indiana artist indiana art watercolor paper photo realism 
February 20, 2012

Congratulations to this weeks Artist of the Week:

Joan Merrell - Combining Calligraphy, Paper Casting, and Emobssing

Twinrocker: Just tell us a little bit about yourself.

Joan:  I grew up in Utah between the mountains, and studied art (among other things) at Brigham Young University, got married to a wonderful guy who joined the Marine Corps hoping to fly - he didn’t end up a pilot but we did move a lot. Eventually we ended up in Missouri where we’ve been for 16 years as we “finished” raising five kids.

TR:  How long have you been creating and how did you get started?

Joan:  I found in college that I didn’t enjoy school unless at least one class was something creative. I had been introduced to calligraphy in a commercial art class in high school and some years later, when oil painting turned out to be impractical with a houseful of kids, I went back to calligraphy and started getting serious about it. I also was asked to teach occasionally at the campus crafts center where I worked and found that teaching can also be a creative process which I enjoy very much.

TR:  When did you start using Twinrocker products and why do you continue to use them?

Joan:  I really liked dry embossing and kept trying to make it higher than the paper could handle, so I invented my own method to make castings of calligraphy. I had seen video of Twinrocker and heard great things about working on their handmade papers, so I turned to them for cotton linters. I loved how the catalog even specified which was the best kind for casting. It is a much nicer product than others I tried, the sheet just feels better too - and then I was able to get methycellulose that I feel confidant is pure and archival.

TR:  What is your most proud accomplishment as an artist?

Joan:  I suppose it varies day to day, at one point it was definitely being chosen to teach at an international lettering arts conference. Most recently, I am excited to have had a piece chosen in an international art contest with over 1100 entries (there will probably be about 100 in the exhibit)  http://www.lds.org/churchhistory/museum/competition/1,16118,4091-1-,00.html

TR:  Where does your inspiration come from?

Joan:  all over the place - paintings or photos I see, scriptures or other “words of wisdom” I read or hear. Some of my friends send me quotes or photos or even give me clumps of cotton fiber from washing new towels to add into my casting pulp, which can get the imagination going. I have some pretty eclectic bits on my bulletin board from “Aramco World” magazine photos to pretty leaves, photos of brass work, cut-out letters from workshop study.

TR:  Who are your influences?

Joan:  For lettering, the top is definitely John Stevens, for general art influence there are so many others its hard to say, painters with glowing color-work for instance - and Reggie Ezell for teaching solid techniques and giving encouragement in using lettering in new ways

TR:  What advice would you give to a young artist who is just starting out?

Joan:  Study the basics and go back to them often, believe those who say you should draw every day (wish I had!), follow the things that draw you in - maybe rich colors or clean form or subtlety - and figure out how to make them work for you.  Try new media when you get the chance, you never know where it might lead or how it might enrich what you already do.

You can learn more about Joan Merrell and her work at the following links:

Website - http://letterdesignstudio.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/LetterDesignStudio/324102000949509

 Blog - http://letterdesignstudio.blogspot.com/

 Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/LetterDesign

Etsy store - http://www.etsy.com/shop/LetterDesignStudio

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Filed under: twinrocker twinrocker artist of the week joan merrel paper casting cotton linters handmade paper c calligraphy casting of calligraphy paper casting artist 
February 17, 2012

Twinrocker is very thankful for the loyal customers who have supported our products for so many years.  In an effort to try and give at least a small amount of recognition to those using our products, we are starting the Twinrocker Artist of the Week.  If you would like to be considered for The Twinrocker Artist of the Week please email 3 photos of your work utilizing Twinrocker Products and a small paragraph about you and your work to justin@twinrocker.com 

If selected as the featured artist you will receive 25% off of your next order with Twinrocker.

(Source: twinrocker.com)

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Filed under: twinrocker handmade paper artist of the week blog watercolor watercolors fine art papers the best artist papers justin vining 
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