Art-O-Mat Blocks, Set 3 2019

I took a slightly different approach this month with my Art-O-Mat art blocks project. Typically, I begin with drawing and then add paint. Sometimes I use collage and drawing + paint. This time I began with paint—used expressively. Once it dried I added drawing on top of the paint.

I never know where my work will go or how fast it will sell when I ship the work to Art-O-Mat.

What’s important to me is that people can get a pocket sized piece of my art for $5! This is really a hoot! Be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post from the owner of Art-O-Mat talking about how he began this project of art for all budgets!

Brief video of my latest set of art blocks.

Trivia: Did you know that at any given time Art-O-Mat is distributing the work of 300 artists!

©2019, Suzanne Gibbs, Face Block, art for Art-O-Mat. For sale only in select Art-O-Mat machines around the world.

Retired cigarette vending machines are refurbished to vend original art, creating the unusual and clever Art-o-mat® – Don't Go 'Round Artless!
Posted by UNC-TV on Monday, April 22, 2019

Art In Context

So many times I have shown my work to you as a carefully cropped images with no context of how the work might look in a space.

Today I want to change that.

A sample of three of my pieces in our home on a shelf above our couch.

This work is available for sale. Although, I must add, my husband would say, “Hey! what happened to that art I like?” if you actually purchased the work!

Ummm, what pieces?!? I’d say…

As you can imagine, this is a regular conversation! 😉

©2016, Health School Tales, pen, watercolor, 4.75 x 4.75 inches, 12 x 12 inches framed, $185

©2016, NEW, pen, watercolor, 4.75 x 4.75 inches, 12 x 12 inches framed, $185.

©2016, Touch, pen, watercolor, 4.75 x 4.75 inches, 12 x 12 inches framed, $185.

Questions? Comments? Desire for unframed art? Please use this form to get in touch with me, thank you.

Sketchbook March + Plus

Recently I had to move out of my studio. While doing so I found two sketchbooks that I had started, but never finished. Determined to not let the pages go to waste, I began filling the back half of the sketchbook(s). Shared here is one of the two books.

In the beginning I found that a few pages were not as complete as I wished so I went ahead and drew on top of what I had created in 2017 and then also moved forward and filled the book.

Filling an older book is not nearly as much fun as taking out a new book to fill and imagine the rules and possibilities for the pages. However, I did find that by following through on the idea of filling what had not been filled I was forced to look back at my work. With that came some self evaluation. A good step in a solid studio practice.

The pages did get filled, but the more important part was the lesson I taught myself.

Primarily, I kept a promise to myself—I filled the pages.

Keeping promises can be tough when there is no boss, no one clamoring for the work, and what I promised to myself felt dull once I started. Still, I did the work. So, without further explanation I bring to you my March 2019 plus previous work from 2017, sketchbook page turner!

As always, if you like the work and even if you don’t feel free to comment. Let’s have a dialogue about keeping studio promises!

Art for the local hospital.

Yesterday, on April 4, 2019 I dropped off 3 pieces of art for a local hospital art show.

“Dogs, Cats, and Other Pets With Their People or Without.”

I thought this was a cleaver show theme. I thought I had zero work to enter this show. Then I took a look through my inventory and interpreted the theme my way!

The art I submitted is shown below.

Suzanne Gibbs ©2016, Development Perfect, paper, pen, watercolor, 4.75 x 4.75 inches, $185

Suzanne Gibbs ©2016, Self-Care Free, paper, pen, watercolor, 4.75 x 4.75 inches, $185

Suzanne Gibbs ©2016, Alive! LOOK, paper, pen, watercolor, 4.75 x 4.75 inches, $185

Honestly! Who says grasshoppers can’t be pets! I used to catch them when I was young. I also used to catch snails and spiders! For the snails I’d set up races and see who would win on an imaginary race track.

I am free to sell these works, and they can be shipped as soon as the show closes. Please contact me here if you are interested. I am willing to consider a bundle price for all three!

Opening is Sunday, April 6, 2019 from 1:00 – 3:00 at the Southern Coos Hospital in Bandon, Oregon.

Suzanne Gibbs, ©2019, Alive! LOOK, paper, pen, watercolor, 4.75 x 4.75 inches, $185 Framed.

Final show date is Saturday June 29, 2019.

Sketchbook, March 2019

My March 2019 sketchbook is a different size than February’s book. Due to travel, I worked in a smaller sketchbook that I could carry in my bag.

Join me below for a sketchbook page turner!

Represented in these pages are drawings made in several locations. Dinner guests in Eugene, Oregon. Railroad museum in Portland, Oregon. Lunch in Arcata, California. And I even stopped in the Redwood National Forest in Del Norte California to draw elk in the wild.

Interested in more sketchbook pages? Please visit my blog (and use the search feature to find sketchbooks). You may prefer to visit my YouTube Channel. When and if you do, please hit like or subscribe to follow the work as I make it, thanks.

March 2019, Art-O-Mat Project

Typically I would wait a few months before I make a second set of art for Art-O-Mat but this time I worked on two sets of 50 small art pieces back to back. One set was completed in February and a second set, shown here, in March.

Often, Art-O-Mat is on back-order for sending new blocks to artists. Like myself, they are a small company making a difference nationwide in their own special way. Our common denominator is that we wish to reach a wide audience of people wanting original art. Said another way, not all art needs to be sold expensively and expressly for people with large amounts of disposable income.

With these blocks selling at $5 each in vending machines across the United States, they genuinely are art for all.

To view previous posts about Art-O-Mat look here, here and here.

Mini-Art Book

The following video is made for you. Contemplate whether you have room in your life for your creativity and visual voice.

In February, a friend sent me a handmade mini-book. In return, I made one for him. Then I filmed the pages before I sent the work.

I believe that sharing and gratitude creates joy!

Sharing a Suzanne Gibbs original Mini-Book here, brings me joy. I believe that we can live our best life when we open up to our creativity no matter how small the project, no matter how trivial that work might seem.

In my studio practice, I hope to always have room for even the tiniest of projects, because little sparks of joy make room for larger good work.

To share your gratitude, click on over to YouTube and hit like!

new old stuff—my books!

My books are once again available on Amazon!

Maybe you never noticed that they disappeared. But I did! How awful it was to do the work, and then no longer have the work exist. I worried I would never again be able to get copies printed. I worried the work no longer mattered.

But my work does matter, and so do I!

So, I got to work. Here is what happened, the company Create Space, where I originally published the books, was bought by Amazon. Poof! The books no longer exist. I did not get notices of the change because an older email address was used to notify me of the changes. Unless I was willing to jump through hoops to re-establish them as my work, they would be forever … gone.

Two weeks, 4 phone calls, and 8 emails was all it took. My books are alive once again! And the prices have been reduced just a little…

Conscious Curiosity can be found here.

My Year of Separation is here.

Please help me celebrate. Conscious Curiosity was published 4 years ago and My Year of Separation was published one year ago!

February 2019, Art-O-Mat Project

Every few months I create art for Art-O-Mat. Why? Because the art is sold for a mere $5! This allows people who would normally not purchase original art a chance to own an original Suzanne Gibbs piece. And for those that do often purchase original art, a bargain piece for their collection.

Here is a look into my process for making 50 art blocks.

An insiders look at the process I use to create art blocks for the Art-O-Mat project.

This project is also known as Artists In Cellophane. This time I created 50 blocks with drawings on both sides.

For more on this project view these previous posts here and here.

Deepening Your Visual Voice

Artists become more successful when they tightly focus their work and visual voice. I am currently exploring ways to deepen my visual voice.

Let me tell you, this is NOT easy!

While I work on my work I also find myself helping other artists.

I love this work. To help fellow artists with the work of deepening their personal visual voice and message—such joy. This seems to come naturally to me, especially when I visit artists in person in their studio space.

But… seeing my own work with an objective eye has been ever so much more difficult!

I’ll keep working on being more me, I know it will be worth it in the end!

I also adore talking to artists about getting unstuck when their work begins to feel stale or uninteresting. I could talk about studio habits for a long time. I have all sorts of ideas for encouraging the nagging inner voice that wants to squash ideas. Allowing the personal voice to emerge, when our earthly existence wants to resist, is the work of a creative.

Resistance is real, folks!

Resistance can derail a great project before it even gets a grip, roots, or a body. Resistance can leave a seed of an idea bereft and dead. Steven Pressfield calls this work the war, the battle, that thing that needs to be wrung or beaten into submission.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be kinder and gentler to myself.

For me kindness = asking questions and remaining curious.

My curiosity has led me down many wonderful paths. I’ve written books, produced art and drawings, and worked as a graphic designer. My kindness and refusal to go to battle with my creativity has made my work better. I appreciate the gentle generosity in myself that has led me to wonderful relationships and a sweet life.

My visual voice is emerging from me with continued practice, not fight.

I can attest to the fact that as a human I am more and more content these days with who I am and where my art belongs. The space I take physically, emotionally, and spiritually in the world seems just right.

I practice self care along with studio practice, do you?