Featured Artist

Carolyn Kimball
Carolyn Kimball is a Kentucky girl, a printmaker, painter, knitter, gardener and kitchen mess-maker who currently lives in Austin, Texas.  She creates earthy and ephemeral landscapes that focus on the intersection of history, memory and place.  Carolyn graduated with a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003 and a MA in printmaking from the University of Louisville in 2008.  She currently runs the studio of the Women Printmakers of Austin , PRINT!subscription 2010 and Kimball Prints.

Roulette Farm, etching, aquatint, a la poupee, 12"x17," Carolyn KImball, 2008

Many of your prints seem to "tell stories."  Do you find there to be anything particularly effective or challenging about printing as for a medium to illustrate stories or history?
I'm a huge history buff and I'm especially fascinated by the intersection of history and landscape; all the memories and emotions we pour into our associations with a certain place.  Memory and history are both very ephemeral and so is the land, they're all constantly changing with the passage of time or perspective. There's something I find really fitting in using an old technique like etching to speak about history.  When you make an etching aquatint, you are essentially capturing dust ( ground tree sap) that's floated down on an etching plate. Fixing something as ephemeral as dust in place to make an image is not unlike capturing something fleeting like a memory. Also, I just love how beautiful and delicate the medium is.

Sunken Road, etching, aquatint, a la poupee, 13.5"x17.5," Carolyn Kimball, 2008

Your print subscription makes artwork affordable for almost anyone--only $10 a month!  Please share a bit about the history and idea behind "subscription art."
The idea for the print subscription started with a friend who used to run a letterpress shop and was selling 'shares' in his business in the form of art. When I discussed the idea with other artist friends, I found out that other contemporary artists and even a few Old Masters had done the same thing! I thought it was a great idea because most people I know interested in art, but it's a really daunting prospect to throw down a large sum of money all at once on piece. What if you change your mind or decorate in a few years?  Since you receive so many prints, if there's one print you don't like as much, it's not a big deal since you didn't spend a ton of money and a new one will be on the way soon. I wanted to make my art accessible and it's always fun to get a package in the mail! It's also a great stash to have on hand for last minute gifts.  I've expanded the subscription for 2011 to included a couple of different subscription options: http://printsubscription2011.wordpress.com/

Taybeh, etching & aquatint with watercolor, 3"x4," Carolyn Kimball, 2010

Do you find that the variations in character created by different types of prints {monotype, etching, gelatin, etc} conducive to specific themes or subject matter?
Absolutely! I find etchings are perfect for works that deal with delicate, fleeting topics like memory or history. Simple graphic images are great for woodcuts and simple rustic line drawings typically end up as monotypes.  

Galilee, watercolor, 5"x7", Carolyn Kimball, 2009

Sincere thanks to Carolyn for sharing her beautiful landscape prints!


What do you think of Carolyn's earthy, ephemeral images?

Wedding Invitation

Peacock Feather
During my childhood, my family made frequent visits to Southern California, where my grandparents lived.  When visiting my paternal grandparents in Pasadena, there were a number of places that we visited year after year: The Huntington Library, The Norton Simon Museum, the Gamble House, the San Diego Zoo, and "Tournament House" to name a few.  I remember these visits with incredible fondness, which, of course, is more readily attributed to my Grandparents who were warm, hospitable, and interested in knowing their Grandchildren.

No visit to Los Angeles County was ever complete without a visit the arboretum.  My Grandparents visited the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens several times a week for a walk.  From the time when I was very young, I remember exploring the arboretum grounds, marveling at the Queen Anne Cottage, the adobe (dating to 1840), the rose gardens, and the Meyberg Waterfall.  The peacocks, however, were perhaps the most exotic sight during these nature walks.  These birds were introduced to the arboretum by Lucky Baldwin in the late 1800's. Since then they have thrived, becoming a naturalized species.  

There was always a vase of peacock feathers at my Grandparent's house and I frequently returned home with a colorful feather packed in my suitcase.  The vibrance of these feathers was extraordinarily captivating to me as a child and I still find them to be beautiful.  These memories inspired me to use these majestic-looking feathers as the basis for this new invitation design.    


Do you remember the first time you saw a peacock?

Happy Holidays!

Welcome winter!  Old man winter has certainly arrived in the windy city.  We've already enjoyed a few snow showers and a number of single digit days.  The change of season which has taken firm hold inspired this painting.  It is based on an image from an edition of the Chicago Tribune from 1950.   

I love the nostalgia of this image, which I painted using Japanese Sumi Ink.  The gracious curves of the car, the houses marching along in the left portion of the image, and the simplicity of monochrome colors.  It conjures memories of the freshness of a new snow, being inside watching the snow fall, and the words of poets like Claude McKay, who wrote in his poet "To Winter:"

Stay, season of calm love and soulful snows! 
There is a subtle sweetness in the sun, 
The ripples on the stream's breast gaily run, 
The wind more boisterously by me blows, 
And each succeeding day now longer grows. 
The birds a gladder music have begun, 
The squirrel, full of mischief and of fun, 
From maples' topmost branch the brown twig throws. 
I read these pregnant signs, know what they mean: 
I know that thou art making ready to go. 
Oh stay! I fled a land where fields are green 
Always, and palms wave gently to and fro, 
And winds are balmy, blue brooks ever sheen, 
To ease my heart of its impassioned woe. 

Wishing you warm and healthy holidays!  
What do you think to be the best part of winter?

Other Projects

Wrapping Presents with Reused Materials
I am a big fan of reusing materials.  There are a number of misconceptions about recycling, particularly plastic recycling.  Generally, it makes sense to reduce material consumption and to reuse materials as much as possible.  In architecture, reusing materials is often extraordinarily valuable.  I spent a year at the Rural Studio as an outreach fellow.  Many of the early projects at the Rural Studio creatively reused materials for building, such as the Yancy Tire Chapel and the Mason's Bend Glass Chapel, which was constructed with used car windshields.  

Of course, it's a great idea to reuse an existing building rather than tearing down an existing building and rebuilding.  If that isn't possible, there are some great organizations like the Rebuilding Exchange, which help homeowners to effectively deconstruct and redistribute materials.  These are, of course, bigger ideas with regard to reuse.  

I also appreciate much more modest ideas for reuse.  I try to purchase clothes and home goods as much as possible from thrift stores.  I also reuse materials for tasks such as wrapping presents and packaging items for mail.  This year I found cream packing paper, a DiNapoli aluminum can, and a plastic mushroom carton to be ideal for wrapping presents.  Paired with ribbons, which are easily reused and plant trimmings, the reused materials were great for wrapping.   

What are some of your best reuse tips?

Featured Artist

Valerie K

     Valerie K was born and raised in Casablanca Morocco and currently resides in Pasadena with her husband and 5 year old son.  She has been designing jewlery for the last 15 years and was selling it wholesale. She now has an Etsy shop, through which she is sells directly to the consumer. 
     Valerie works with all kinds of metals, from 22 karat gold, to silver which is mixed and matched with beautiful colored stones. These metals and stones embody, the rich colors and beautiful architecture of Morocco. 
     When she isn't designing jewelry, she's in her organic garden where her fig tree is abundantly producing figs for jams, in addition to an generous crop of heirloom tomatoes.

14K pink gold vine earrings with diamond

Many of your designs seem to reflect forms found in nature, do you look directly to nature for inspiration? What are some of your other sources of inspiration?
    Yes, I draw most of my inspiration from nature, trees, plants. I love the pure and perfect aspect of a leaf or a branch. I love the outdoors and love to garden so i am always outside especially in the spring when I start my vegetable garden in the back of our house. I grow all kinds of things from tomatoes to eggplants. I am delighted in the morning when I can go pick a tomato and eat it for lunch or dinner. My second passion after jewelry is cooking.
     My other source of inspiration is antique byzantine jewelry. At the time, they used pure 22karat and 24karat gold to handmade every piece of jewelry. Those pieces have a very natural and unfinished look to them which makes them perfect in their imperfection. I made a few rings like that but with the price of gold right now, they are not as easy to sell.

14 K yellow gold earring with gold dots

I love the interesting stones that you incorporate into your designs: “pink Tourmaline faceted nuggets,” “peruvian calcite,” “yellow chaicedony.” How do you select the stones which are used your designs? 
    Oh for the stones... i try to go to the Tucson Gem Show in Arizona. I feel like a child in a candy store. So many beautiful stones, and I have been in the business long enough that now I can select gems that are unusual and cuts that are uncommon. When I first saw raw diamonds beads 10 years ago, I thought this is it!  Wow!  They were amazing and still are. But I am always on the lookout for exciting stones and different cuts. 

22 karat gold ring with green milky aquamarine 

What have you found to be the benefits and/or challenges in your transition from designing wholesale jewelry to selling directly to the consumer? 
     When i was doing wholesale, I did not have any contact with the end customer. I dealt with buyers who decided what to carry in their catalogs or stores. I loved it but I did not have that direct connection with the person who was going to buy my piece. Now that I am doing straight retail, I do have a direct connection and I feel that I am part of their dream, for a moment. Especially if they are buying an engagement ring, it is a really special occasion for them and I love being part of it. 

Peruvian calcite necklace

Many thanks to Valerie for sharing her beautiful jewelry designs and be sure to check out her blog.


What do you think of Valerie's elegant, nature-inspired designs?

Wedding Invitation

Colorful Tiles
During my time living in Italy and traveling in Mediterranean countries, I was always quite charmed by the beauty of the tiles and pottery, which are readily available in that part of the world.  

I am delighted by the way that these tiles are timeless and classic, without feeling overly formal or uptight.  Their bold colors and organic shapes feel at home with modern eclectic objects.

As many people may be charmed by the colors and delicate designs of the Mediterranean and their influence in the American Southwest, I have designed this invitation influenced by the hand painted tiles from Spain.  The invitation features my own watercolor painting.  

What do you find most charming about Mediterranean design?

Aragon Theater, Chicago

Lawrence Red Line Stop, Chicago, watercolor on paper, Jane Sloss, 2010

For the third year, I am making a donation to the One Inspired Evening Art Auction.  The auction is a benefit for Inspiration Corporation an extraordinary organization in Chicago.  Inspiration's stated mission is as follows:

In an atmosphere of dignity and respect, Inspiration Corporation helps people who are affected by homelessness and poverty to improve their lives and increase self-sufficiency through the provision of social services, employment training and placement, and housing.  

Extraordinary!

I feel personally invested in Inspiration Corporation.  I volunteer, serving breakfast weekly at Inspiration's cafe.  Meals at the cafe are served restaurant style and I am delighted by the opportunity to pour guests their coffee, serve their breakfast and clear their plates.  I see the positive impact that the programs of Inspiration Corporation have in the lives of participants and am delighted to give a small amount of my time.

Chicagoans should check out Cafe Too.  Cafe Too is the social enterprise restaurant of Inspiration Corporation.  The restaurant serves as a training program, which has helped hundreds of individuals gain the skills they need to find employment and exit homelessness and poverty.  Not only that, it's delicious!

What are some of the organizations that you think are extraordinary?