I managed to take a short break from studio work today (something I rarely do) and I went for a walk to collect texture photographs for some upcoming pieces I’ll be starting soon. The slideshow below has some of the images I found.

I love that even in the urban neighborhood where my studio is located, there is nature if I look for it. These kinds of textures and patterns stick in my head and roll around until I find myself pulling them into a piece of artwork down the road, often subconsciously.

If you look at the details close enough for a long time, they start to look kind of trippy! I’d love to know which strange natural objects Roland Topor stared at too closely when he designed La Planète Sauvage? Or maybe he just focused too long on something completely banal, like a house fern….

The post Textures: Urban Nature appeared first on Amy Ventura.

This is my inspiration wall in my studio right now. When I freak out about impending deadlines I look at all this amazing art and try to remember to breathe deeply and slow my roll.

(I may not believe that inspiration is necessary to get going on work, but I do believe that it’s vital to the creative process!)

The post Inspiration…Expiration appeared first on Amy Ventura.

(featured image at top of this post courtesy of Pete Rosos of 2812 Photography: source)

One of my favorite artists and biggest inspirations passed away last August. Throughout her life, Ruth Asawa stayed true to her artistic purpose in spite of a myriad of obstacles. A prolific artist, she created an amazing body of work and was the epitome of perseverance. Here’s are three reasons why you should know this important figure in 20th century art and design:

Her Vision

Ruth’s impact on modern design has been profound but under-acknowledged. She learned traditional basket weaving techniques during a stay in Mexico in 1947 and used these skills in her innovative wire sculptures.

Her combination of clean lines with organic textures and patterns, as seen in her wire sculptures, can be found everywhere in modern design today, from the white vases that made Jonathan Adler famous:

to many of the products in the West Elm catalog:

We take the “West Elm aesthetic” for granted; it’s just what modern design looks like today. But when Ruth pioneered her wire weaving techniques, that wasn’t the case. She combined many different points of view—modern mid-century with traditional craft skills—to take a risk and alchemize something completely new, different, daring and beautiful.

Her Perseverance

Ruth and her family were interned during World War II in a Japanese-American concentration camp. She faced this same bigotry again after the war when she could not finish her teaching degree because no school would take on a student teacher of Japanese ancestry. After leaving the teaching program, she moved forward by enrolling in Black Mountain College to study art, closely interacting with 20^th-century greats like Joseph Albers, Buckminster Fuller and John Cage. The ugly prejudice she encountered at a very young age did not defeat her; instead, she ventured forward to forge a life of art, education, family and public service.

Her Ability to Integrate Motherhood with Her Career

Ruth Asawa had six children. Six children! Google Ruth Asawa and look at her prolific output of artwork—sculptures, drawings and public art throughout San Francisco. Not to mention that she also helped co-found the Alvarado Arts Workshop for children in 1968 and build a public arts high school in 1982. I don’t really know how she did all this and still managed to mother her children; I wish I could have asked her before she passed away. But when I feel overwhelmed trying to balance my work with the needs of my daughter (and I have only one child), I remember Ruth and know that somehow, I can do it too.

The post Three Reasons Why You Should Know Ruth Asawa appeared first on Amy Ventura.

The always amazing This is Colossal website featured the lovely, ethereal air sculputes of Janet Echelman.
(featured image at top of this post: “1.26 Sculpture” by Janet Echelman is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0/cropped from original/source)

I am a complete sucker for the slate.com’s Behold photo blog and pretty much always click on their photo essays. Love the story behind the photos of photographer Mark Brautigam reacquainting himself with his home state of Wisconsin after a stint in the marines.

The New York Times featured Julie Sokolow’s documentary, Healthy Artists: The Movie which chronicles the financial struggles of artists facing expensive medical bills. Important issue not just for artists but for everyone is who self-employed.

The post My Art Fix – Feb 21 appeared first on Amy Ventura.

Caught some cool things from around the world this week on the interwebs:

Check out this fascinating 10-minute video profile of artist Ala Ebtekar who has somehow managed to combine graffiti art, Persian miniatures and illuminated manuscripts into unique works of art.

Amazing, gorgeous artwork from Rafael Ochoa that spins art history with modern digital techniques to create these intricate, dreamy wonders.

BOWIE! How cool is this? A multimedia exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago exploring the career of David Bowie and his influence on art, design, theater and contemporary culture. We have to wait until September 2014, unfortunately, for the opening!

Wow. Super interesting story in The Atlantic on How American Museums Protected Their Art From the Nazis.  It’s wild that congress considered painting “gleaming white” monuments in D.C. to gray so they’d be less vulnerable to Blitz-like air raids.

And, because I was lucky enough to be in Nashville the weekend before last and see the new Hatch Show Print shop and studio at the Country Music Hall of Fame, here’s a link to some of their work. Both the shop and the country music museum are well worth a visit if you find yourself in Music City.

Hatch Show Print studio, Amy Ventura ©2014

The post My Art Fix – Feb 14 appeared first on Amy Ventura.