Whether state governments follow Kansas' lead in the decision to take away funding for the arts or not, art will find a way. But what hurts my heart is the message it sends. Art is not important, it is expendable, not essential. I think that creativity is one of the most essential things to our humanity. Since people were people we have expressed ourselves through visual communication -- images, storytelling, dance, music. It is nearly as primal as the need to eat or reproduce. Art and creativity will thrive despite a public funding vaccuum. We have been able to create images that have endured millenia with the most basic of tools... take a look.
(I am in love with the giraffe at 1:20 in.)
Beautiful, isn't it?
The result.
A brilliant realtor from Minneapolis contacted me to make these to be used as invitations for a Wine & Cheese open house to market the house for sale. It's my most interesting project to date. I loved creating these and would welcome such a project again.
I had the awesome opportunity to design invitations for a Maui wedding. The couple resides on Maui but it was to be a "destination" for just about all the guests. My husband and I were lucky enough to be on the invite list. The bride chose a deep chestnut brown and pale tropical green as her colors. I found this lovely flecked pale green and sand colored papers with golden sparkles (which doesn't translate well in the photos) made by Fox River Paper. The invitation and reply card were designed on the sand colored paper and the save-the-dates and thank you cards were done on the green. I used beautiful pale green vellum envelopes to mail the invitations and reply cards in and envelopes to match the stock for the the save the dates and thank yous. The palm leaf pattern on the back side of the invites and reply cards shined throught the vellum envelopes with a richer green thanks to the translucence of the envelopes. Gorgeous!