That Verdant Moss, Tho

Winter is coming, and I'm preparing. Here is my list of supplies:

  1. The Office
  2. Parks & Rec
  3. Harry Potter (never read it)
  4. Anne Lamott (never read her)
  5. write more (this is a start)
  6. my parents' cabin
  7. hot chocolate & peppermint schnapps
  8. hiking in the Smoky Mountains (always & 4evr)
  9. running (this will be hard, it's all ready hard with the dark)
  10. begin art projects for 2016 (i'm excited!)
  11. my Instagram obsessions: designers, musicians... Justin Bieber (what?!?)
  12. plan things- events, parties, trips (& letting go of other plans & planning)
  13. give away and organize (this task goes on and on)
  14. make spaces around me better (how do I finally act on this? what am I waiting on?)
  15. Kill Bill (sudden urge to watch both of them)
  16. Sleepless in Seattle (all ready watched When Harry Met Sally & You've Got Mail)
  17. find a beautiful coat
  18. ponder the allure of both pop culture & a simple life

 

Beth MeadowsComment
Giving into Propaganda (& all its glory!)

In the spring (which was easily one of the busiest times of my life) I created some of my most favorite artwork to date.

One reason I liked this work so much was because, besides Sweet Treats, it was one of the only shows where I created all new pieces, something that has been hard for me to accomplish in the past several years. 

It was also work that felt very formulaic- once I decided what it was I wanted to do, I just had to do it. There wasn't a lot of guess work, like when I'm painting on canvas, so going into my studio, there wasn't the usual pacing around before working. I could jump right into it. 

It's overwhelming, but at this point in my life, when I make artwork, it feels like it's about everything I think about all at once. It's funny to realize this series references an idea I studied in elementary school- that of Propaganda.

I learned early on that food companies (were evil and) made their packaging in a way that would make me want to buy it and that this packaging would not necessarily reflect the quality of the food it encased. Since then, that information has been in the back of my brain when I shop and has cast a dark shadow over the joy of consumerism. (Ignorance truly is bliss.)

As you might assume, I'm an incredibly visual person. I also get easily overwhelmed. So put me in a grocery store, a vast overwhelming sea of options with confusing price points and differing measurements, and tell me aesthetics shouldn't sway me, and you have one miserable artist with ADD on your hands.

So my idea for the food packaging women was to transform grocery shopping into something grand! I would cast off my skepticism of package designers and focus solely on the most attractive foods. I turned Kroger into an art supply store, and it was lovely.

When I returned home, my roommate noticed a theme in my loot- vintage looking packaging and international food. (Also, I ate candy for weeks...)

So I separated the packaging from the food and took it to my studio. The supermodels I chose were all ready torn out of magazines and were determined based on their clothes, position, and how they would look on a white piece of paper. 

It took some time to find the most efficient order of steps. I would draw the "skin" of the model. Then I picked the packaging I felt most resonated with the original clothing, and after a series of meticulous tracing, cutting with an X-acto knife, and glueing, they were complete.

I loved the methodic nature of each. I loved the straighforward-ness of it, almost like I was using a pattern to sew (something I sadly may never learn to do). I like the clean look of them on the white paper, and I like how, even though precision was necessary, I could let my natural inclination NOT to be precise come through. None of them are lined up and matched perfectly. They stray from the original.

And so my alluring food packaging reflects the allure of glamorous clothing that I will never be able to afford. However, where world famous designers use exquisite fabrics and materials, I used materials anyone could buy. I would venture to say I chose the materials as meticulously as any designer. The gathering of materials also shined light on the otherwise gloomy chore of grocery shopping. 

I often feel opposing emotions toward the fashion industry, and while I'm not trying to make any bold statement either way, I feel like this was a way to express both. 

Beth Meadowsfashion, aboutComment
Slow Change

A week and a half ago, I ran six miles for the first time. I was alone, running along the Tennessee River, drenched from the humidity when the Map My Run robot voice told me I had done it. It was a quiet and monumental occasion. 

What has compelled me, a recovering lazy bones, to ever accomplish such a thing? Have I become a runner? 

A long- long, long- time ago, I would have considered myself athletic. I played soccer for over ten years when I was younger, but when college hit, all the newness sort of shocked my being, and over time, activity and sport faded out of my life.

After graduation, however, I was shocked in a different way. Those years were about survival, and it became vital that I start doing something that was good for me. The mountains nearby beckoned me, and hiking in the Smokies became something I had to do to counter all the ways I didn't know how to be an adult. It became a necessity.

Gradually other activities started creeping in, things I could easily incorporate into my life without feeling like I was exercising, such as walking and swimming. It was important that I didn't feel like I was intentionally exercising. I had to trick myself or else I ran the risk of jumping ship. 

But then some friends convinced me to go on a group run that started at a bar and ended back there with discounted beer. The Beer Run.

I remember the first time I went, I said out loud that I felt like an impostor. It had been so long since I had run, I felt like a fake. 

It was a funny thing to say, I know, but whenever I do new things, my brain tells me I have no business being there. Only from experience do I know I'll get over that feeling and most likely enjoy the thing I was nervous about. In this case, the reward of discounted beer and camaraderie worked wonders for me. I started going weekly, walking a lot at first, and eventually becoming somewhat... decent. It was a strange thing to realize, but this thing called exercise was actually fun. (Ew!)

My sisters live in Memphis and are part of a running club lovingly named the Schweddy Belles. They run all the time with this group, finding community among the members. While the Beer Run I go to isn't a club, I can relate to the desire for community in this area. No one forces me to run on Mondays, but somehow I feel more of a pull to do it, just because others are. It also offers an excitement by showing me that, amidst other life failures, "Why yes, indeed! I am improving at something."

So I come back around to why I was running six miles in the dead of summer: My sister convinced me to run a half marathon this September.

I've been asked to run half marathons in the past but always said no. It's been a gradual change, but this build up over the years has worked to change my mind. And, let's be honest, I also knew training for this would curb my natural inclination to drink margaritas on pool rafts all summer long. My lazy bones have become crazy bones. I am a runner!

... at least until September 12.

Beth MeadowsComment
The Biscuit Art Exhibition | This Friday!

This First Friday, come out for the opening of the Biscuit Art Exhibition presented by The International Biscuit Festival (IBF)!

Friday, May 1, 2015

5-9pm; Winners announced at 6pm

The Emporium | 100 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN

Show runs through May 31

*****

This is my second year serving on the Biscuit Art Committee. It's such a fun project and way to be a part of The Biscuit Festival. You may not be aware, but we spend all year planning for this show! I'm proud of the leaps and bounds it's taken over the past few years, especially in the caliber of biscuit-themed work submitted.

While laying out the show this year, I laughed out loud several times in delight. There are definitely a lot of biscuit-loving comedians out there, as well as some that treat the subject in such a delicate and caring way. I love it. 

While I'm on the committee, a jury decides which works are accepted and the winners (I still don't know who the winners are!) This year the jurors are Preston Farabow (Ironwood Studios) and Claire Stigliani (Univ. of Tenn.).

I'm happy to announce three of my pieces were accepted into the show! My flour girls:

These women were a part of an art show I had last month featuring ten supermodels adorned in food packaging. I didn't intend to submit this work into the Biscuit Art Exhibition, but when time ran out and I didn't have work ready, I decided to use flour packaging for three of the women's clothing. It was really nice to be able to accommodate both shows with once type of work!

*****

As a way to further support the Biscuit Art Exhibition, I will be selling some of my mason jars (view here) at a discount on behalf of the Show. They will be available during the opening, as well as other IBF merchandise. There will also be real biscuits to eat (I think from Tupelo Honey) and a few pieces from last year up for auction throughout the month of May. One of those pieces is my Makin' Biscuits Cats!

I hope you can come out Friday or sometime in May to see the work. This year we were able to include several 3D pieces which you have to see. 

You may also view and purchase works from the show beginning May 1 on the website. Works may also be purchased through the Emporium. 

Other Biscuit Festival plugs? Go to the festival May 16 and consider volunteering. It's fun! 

 

Beth MeadowsComment