Black + White Love #ColorStory

Red isn’t the only color of love.

The classic combination of black and white can also have a romantic feel.

You can see it in this month’s color story with elegant DIYs, destinations, art, interiors, and objects in black and white.

1. Venice mailboxes 2. L’amour print 3. Printable geometric heart gift wrap 4. Boyce Thompson Arboretum 5. Black steps

6. Sandnes, Norway manhole cover tote 7. Black sesame cappuccino 8. Ceramics by Inger Södergren 9. Bridge of Sighs, Venice 10. Stay True poster

11. Black Cloud (Nube Negra) detail by Carlos Amorales at Phoenix Art Museum 12. DIY eraser heart stamp 13. Windmill Winery, Florence, Arizona 14. Traditional bookbinding patterns 15. Minimal open wardrobe DIY 16. Bee Mine card

17. Peggy Guggenheim Museum Café, Venice 18. Hand carved block printing stamp 19. Farmhouse in Woodend, Victoria (Australia) + rental cottage 20. Punkpost thank you card

Bear hugs to all of you! (Illustration by Daryl Hochi)

Images via respective sites.

January 29, 2018

This February Share Your #LocalArtLoves!

Let’s celebrate local art and artists!

Since we had fun sharing Local Art Loves last year, I thought we could keep the challenge going throughout the month of February this time!

Just look for art in your community and share photos using the hashtag #LocalArtLoves on Twitter or Instagram. I’ll post some of your finds here on the site.

Keep an eye out for public art, local galleries, neighborhood art walks, and rotating art displays at coffee shops or libraries. You can also share favorite art spaces, street art, or your own work.

Can’t wait to see some art from where you live!

First photo: Paintings by Bud Heiss on display at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Last photo: Round sculptures by Hidden in the Hills artist Peter Skidd at Renee Taylor Gallery, Sedona.

November 4, 2017November 4, 2017

Free Admission to Arizona Museums with the Culture Pass

You can get free passes to over 30 museums and attractions if you have a library card from Maricopa County or Pima County, Arizona.

How to Check Out a Culture Pass

The program is called the Culture Pass, and it works like this:

Visit the Culture Pass kiosk at a participating library.
Pick the pass you’re interested in. There will be cards for all the available passes – it’s first-come, first-served.
Check the pass out with your library card. You will be exchanging the card from the kiosk for a receipt-like slip of paper, which is your actual ticket in.
Go to the museum! Each pass is good for free general admission for two people one time. You have one week to use it before it expires, but you don’t have to return anything to the library.

You may be able to search the library’s catalog online to see ahead of time what’s available.

If you live in Maricopa County, you can get a library card from any of the County’s public libraries. Only ASU students can check out Culture Passes from ASU libraries, although alumni and community members are eligible for cards with limited access to other ASU library resources.

Culture Pass Arts Destinations

Some of the Culture Pass Arts Destinations we’ve enjoyed (with or without a pass):

Arcosanti (Cordes Junction)
AZ Heritage Center at Papago Park
Desert Botanical Garden
Heard Museum
Phoenix Art Museum

Culture Pass Performances

More recently, the program has also expanded to include performances. It works basically the same way. Certain plays, ballets, operas, and symphony concerts will have Culture Passes available a couple weeks ahead of time on a first come, first serve basis.

These include performances from…

Arizona Opera
Ballet Arizona
Great Arizona Puppet Theater
The Phoenix Symphony

…and lots more!

Outside of Maricopa County

The Sedona Public Library also has passes for Northern Arizona destinations, like Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Route 66 Museum in Kingman, and the Sedona Heritage Museum.

Pima County Public Library branches have passes for Tucson destinations like Tohono Chul Park, Tucson Museum of Art, and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, as well as performances by Arizona Opera, Tucson Symphony, and UA Presents.

I believe there are similar programs at some libraries outside of Arizona. If you know of one, let me know!

June 5, 2017June 10, 2022

Chalk Robots

There was a chalk drawing of a robot on the ground. No explanation. Just an arrow.

So, of course, we followed it – and the next one and the next one – down the steps behind Pike Place Market in Seattle.

We tried to guess where they were leading. A street art project? A robot maker? Nowhere? The den of our new robot overlords?

One lead us to turn the corner, and then, “Is that it? Is it a baby store?!!”

Nope. A larger robot drawing pointed inside a store with a chalkboard sign that answered my question: “{Ugly Baby & La Ru} Handmade local art for grown-ups and practically nothing for actual babies.”

It was a gift shop owned by two artists – Rosalie Gale (of Ugly baby) and Lauren Rudeck (a.k.a. “La Ru”), who was there in the store that day.

She creates illustrations of animals and robots, and seemed delighted to hear her chalk drawings had lead us in. The store was full of craft kits, cards, and mini works of art, and I wanted to buy everything.

The entire store wouldn’t fit in my suitcase, but I did take home a really great sloth coffee mug.

June 2022 UPDATE: In 2018, La Ru moved to her own space, now called Robot vs Sloth. It’s still in Pike Place Market but not so hidden away! You can see it right on the corner of Pine and 1st Ave.

robot vs sloth via google maps — Google maps view of Robot vs Sloth’s current spot (left side of the image) at Pike Place Market.

In fact, I must’ve been practically standing in front of the shop’s future home when I took the photo below.

And, yep, I still love my sloth mug. I’m drinking coffee from it now!

February 20, 2017February 12, 2019

Local Art Loves

A couple weeks ago, I invited everyone to share art from where you live. Since then, we’ve seen #localartloves from the east coast to the west coast!

San Francisco, CA

Matt McKinley of McKinley Art Solutions shared work from Justin Hoover’s ‘Martial Spirit’ exhibition, currently at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco.

New Hampshire

Traci York shared some of her nature photography from the chilly Northeast.

Cottonwood, AZ

The northern office of Local First Arizona shared shirts hand printed by Christy Fisher, who makes clothing from reclaimed fabric, as well as jewelry from recycled glass and vintage silver.

Phoenix-area, AZ

Courtney Doom (a.k.a. IggyStarpup) in Phoenix shared some of her pop-culture inspired embroidery hoop art.

Phillip stopped to take a photo of this Tempe mural.

I shared the work of several artists on Instagram including a mural by Oliverio Balcells and collaborative paintings by teenagers at Durango Detention Center.