swallowfield :: jennifer judd-mcgee

mighty world

i wanted to share a recent large papercut that will be auctioned off tonight at the abbe museum gala. my kids tease me that i sometimes get on 'the art channel' and tune everything else out when i am really intense on a project. i was definitely on the art channel for this papercut. many many hours in a row, calm concentration and freehand cutting from the bottom left to the upper right until it was done. there might have been some amy's microwave burritos for the kids during that time, but they didn't seem to mind.

the quote is from the tracy log, a book of reflections from a summer visitor's first visit to mount desert island. there were many lovely quotes i could have used in the book, shared with permission from the mount desert historical society,  but i chose this one for my mad, true love of the ocean and its peaceful and uniting place here. who knows, i may do a few more of the quotes from the book sometime.

i think i might need to invest in a new cutting mat soon, what do you think?

hello june!

sorry for another long absence here.

the recent warm sunshine we've finally had here in maine has been a long time coming, and now that it's here, it is so appreciated!  this past memorial day weekend was a blur of a little travel, a cookout with friends, farmers markets, yoga classess, sunny days, kids playing instruments in the town parade,  a boat ride, a swim, and a lovely takeout dinner on the dock. nice, nice, nice. this time of year makes me want to pare everything down to as simple as humanly possible and eat dinner outside every night. it's not quite lining up with the two and half more weeks of school thing, but we're almost there.

here are some recent, fairly summery shots from around the island for you.

i was very happy to find out i'd been invited back to habit to post for the month of june among some amazing company. i continue to love habit, and visit it almost daily.  seeing everyone's everyday moments and lovely words is a constant inspiration to me in a way  i've come to really count on for a little sane moment in my days. thanks to molly and emily for inviting me to return.

since i last wrote i completed my fundraising bike ride for the MS society with two of my best friends  - thank you for your support and encouragement of the ride with your words and donations - it meant a lot! we had a lot of fun that whole weekend. the ride was a big success (i was pretty tired and wobbly afterward, but psyched i got through it,) then i had fun with my ladies spending a child-free night at a favorite local inn - if you are looking for a lovely, lovely place to stay next time you come to bar harbor, acacia house is the place. cozy rooms, organic linens, delicious treats and an incredible homemade breakfast, all within walking distance from everything in bar harbor. i am quite sure you would love it. we also had a yummers dinner at mache bistro - another strong recommendation!

thank you to everyone who has been so enthusiastic + kind about my new tea towels. it's been fun shipping them out to you all, and seeing pictures of them in your kitchens. thanks for sharing those.

oh yes, and in belated news, i have some new card sets in the shop:

hope you're all doing well. i promise to be back soon with a less rambly all over the place update!

 

 

sometimes i need a little reminder

everything is going to be okay.

more fun with my (very) fledgling illustrator practice - having a lot of fun playing with typography. and i think i need this little reminder from time to time. :) this week i am starting to learn the pen tool, which may be the death of me, but i am trying hard to get it down.

the kids and i had a great visit to the farnsworth museum last weekend - we especially loved lousie nevelson's paintings (above) - fun to see them because we were more familar with her sculpture - and the piece by ralph rosenborg below.

we came home and did some fun pencil drawings inspired by this work - i just love it.

it's starting to feel a teeny bit like spring around these parts, which means mud season. i am loving the extra light in the evenings. i took the photos below at 5:30 in the evening last week, and was almost giddy that it wasn't completely dark out yet. this made me laugh out loud.

i sure do live in a pretty part of the world.

ps: i finally made a facebook page for my art, approximately, er, three years late. i'd be honored if you'd like to be a fan (god that's hard to type) and have some occasional posts show up in your newsfeed. i promise not to spam you.

 

 

picnic - coming up next weekend!

next saturday, august 28th, i will be participating in PICNIC music and arts festival for the third year in a row here in portland. this is my favorite local art/craft show.  this year i am sharing a booth with my pal meg.  and i am excited to tell you that my friend kari chapin is coming to do a book signing for the handmade marketplace at longfellow books  on friday night AND at picnic the next day. she's smart and funny and i think you'd like her, so be sure to stop by and see her at the bookstore or on the day of picnic! 

 

i hope to see you there - please say hi if you stop by! and check out the awesome vendor list here.

picnic music and arts festival -lincoln park on congress street and franklin arterial, in portland.. the festival will run from 11am to 6pm, rain or shine.

the maine + anna hepler

i wanted to share a couple of things that are totally inspiring me right now.

the maine, a lovely new blog with killer photographs. i am so smitten with the photo below by jessica stammen.

and if you're local-ish, i don't think you should miss anna hepler's makeshift exhibition at the portland museum of art. i loved the video below about her process. i'm a big fan of her work.

festive

thanks so much to everyone who came out for the sale on thursday night. the house was transformed into a mini art/craft sale with fabulous shoppers and it felt nice and festive all evening. i think we all had a great time, and it was a terrific excuse to clean and de-clutter my house. we'll definitely do it again next year, i think. read more about it and see a few photos here.

during the sale we got a chance to play guy capecelatro iii's new holiday cd, this time of year, which is pretty fantastic. i had the pleasure of working with guy to draw the cover for it, and i love how it turned out.

now that shows and sales are behind me for 2009 and i'm just working on etsy orders,  i am trying to keep things simple and easy as far as gift giving goes. i'm dreaming of making molly's caramel corn, and giving a few gift subscriptions to maine magazine. i've bought a lot of other local and handmade goodies, too, but i think surprises could be spoiled if i talk about them here. what are you making + giving this year? 

i love this song. it's been in my holiday rotation for several years, but i always look forward to hearing it at this time of year.

i hope you are enjoying your weekend.

come + have a seat by the woodstove

it's been surprisingly cold this week - i've reluctantly had to admit to myself that fall is here. i've had the wood stove going almost constantly, and it's been super cozy  to sit next to it while drawing or catching up on emails. i love the colors of fall, but i am always slow to warm to the realities of extra layers and  frost in the mornings. last weekend  i  did a lot of driving - i went to a wedding  along the coast in massachusetts and then, the next day, a funeral  in downeast maine, and the leaves  i saw everywhere were overwhelmingly, pretty much take-your-breath-away bittersweet + lovely. it was nice to have all of that time alone in the car to soak it all in.

this time of year always makes me want to buy new smartwools. i'd love to draw designs for them - i love a lot of the recent patterns i've seen them put out. plus - smartwool tights? how smart is that?

i am really excited to go and see swoon's installation at space gallery here in portland. i'll try to share more about it once i've visited. 

right now i'm working on pieces for a few different upcoming group shows, several art/craft holiday shows i'll be doing around maine, new card sets, and some plans for some special holiday items. it's fun and varied and i love thinking about it all and planning everything. more info on all of this soon.

thanks for reading!

 

inspiring me: f-i-e-l-d

two of my very favorite artists here in portland are friederike hamann and colin sullivan-stevens, the wonder duo behind field. check out their installation marking their third anniversary at their gallery space - i love it so much!

 

 

 

photos from field, with permission

happy friday!

september is okay with me

today's post is just a bunch of bits and bobs i've been thinking about lately:

thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth at PICNIC last weekend. i had a great time, despite the rain. i had wonderful booth neighbors, and finally got to meet a sweet online friend in person for the first time. and i sold a ton of a brand new print i'd just finished the day before, which is always a nice feeling.  there will be a small shop update soonish, i think. i will write about it when it happens.

have you seen glee yet? i love it so much! i am sort of living for the next episode. it's bringing me right back to those awkward yet awesome drama geek days in high school. good times.

i finally stopped in to homegrown herb and tea today, and it was even nicer than i'd imagined. maria wrote a nice post about it on design*sponge a bit ago, and i've been meaning to go by for ages. and the tea i've had two cups of at home is extremely delicious. if you aren't local, she also has a great website.

i hemmed and hawed for a long time, and finally worked on the color for a drawing i made and digitally colored last summer (you can read about it here - it was called 'maine summer' and was a moody shade of blue for all of the rain we had in early summer this year.) i was really happy with the drawing and a bit scared to add color to the original, but i knew i wanted to include it in my upcoming show.  i finally got brave and went to work on it, and the colors turned out to seem much more fall-ish to me. so i've renamed the original 'maine autumn.' i'm so happy with it!

i am feeling particularly in love with fall this year.  i find myself wanting to sit in a sunny spot a grassy hillside and read poems and listen to folky music. or maybe it's just all this new tea i've been drinking.

i hope you're having a nice week so far.

where you'll find me

this saturday, 9/12 from 11-6 i will be one of 100 vendors participating at PICNIC here in portland. there will be loads of great art, crafts, handmade and vintage goodies for sale, as well as a terrific lineup of local bands all day. last year was a blast - i'm really looking forward to being a part of it again. stop by and say hi if you can!

i'm also excited to share the postcard for my upcoming show with julia rothman at nahcotta, which opens on 10/2. i'm so happy with how the card came out, and i'm feeling really excited for the show.  i'll share more info soon.