All Mixed Up

Is it just me or is a lot of “mixed media art” kind of similar? Especially paper arts like those in Somerset Studio magazine but there are other examples. I’ve stopped getting that one ages ago and now I’ve added Belle Armoire to the “do not buy” list. I looked at the new publication Artful Blogging thinking that it might be interesting (you know, to get more ART in this here blog) but it’s more of the same style. The only one by this same publisher that still interests me is Art Doll Quarterly but it’s the most expensive magazine ever! Luckily it’s as fat as 2 magazines since that’s about what it costs.

I’m not saying that the art in these publications is bad or anything. Maybe I’ve just seen too much of it and it’s all blending in my head. It’s mostly not my style. Too much of a muchness or something. What IS my style is Quilting Arts and I don’t even quilt. Much anyway. And its sister publication Cloth Paper Scissors which kind of overlaps fabric and paper arts. I realized what I like better about these magazines is that they are more generic in their materials yet more detailed in their how-to’s. I hate being told that I need a certain commercial product without being given a substitution list or a reason why that product and no other will do. I have no interest in making a piece exactly like the example anyway but I want to learn the techniques used. This publisher seems to get that fact much more emphatically than the previous one. Maybe they aren’t beholden to the manufacturers in quite the same way. Or maybe they have less of a “paint by numbers” mindset.

While I’m on the subject, I’ve been recording a couple of TV shows that for some dumb reason (well it’s dumb to me!) come on in the wee hours of Saturday morning on a US PBS station. Canadian broadcasters don’t carry them and there are several I can’t get at all unless I went to satellite TV. But I think cable is pricey enough for the amount we actually watch it. Having more channels doesn’t mean you get better programs. Mostly the reverse. But I digress. As I was saying, Beads Baubles and Jewels, Needle Arts Studio with Shay Pendray and Knit & Crochet Today are the ones that are available. Sewing with Nancy was on also, but you can actually watch some of her segments free online which is easier for me. I can’t get Quilting Arts TV or Knitty Gritty, among other shows that I might watch. But you know, I’m not sure I even like the TV format. Segments are too short, the camera isn’t always in the right place, and sometimes the host is more of a hindrance than a help. (Hint: she usually acts on a soap opera which hopefully better suits her talents.) I do like the interviews with familiar names and it’s nice to see folks in person and hear how they talk. On Knit & Crochet Today I even got to see Interweave Crochet’s editor Kim Werker, who lives locally and who took a crochet class from me once upon a time. Anyhow, I’d rather read instructions than watch demos but I’m the kind of person who can learn from the written word and good diagrams or illustrations. I know that’s not always the case for others.

Yes, I have finished the TulipTwo Socks but they aren’t ready for their close-up yet. And yes, I’ve finally gotten back to the Hepburn Cardi. There’s hope for it yet.

Question to Ponder:

Do you know how you learn best? Try this test and find out more about yourself. Bet you’re not surprised that I’m a visual/spatial and linguistic type, huh? With a surprisingly high level of naturalistic. Though now that I think about it, it makes total sense.

Or try this test for a different perspective. You’ll need to go here to see what the results mean. On this one I’m strongly reflective and sequential, more sensing rather than intuitive and almost in the middle of visual/verbal. Yep. That’s me. Fun, huh?