Artist's Dates

[Dan Goodwin]

I'm off to the sea today, armed with camera, for an Artist's Date...

What artist's dates could you go on this weekend?

What are your favourite ones from recent times?

How can you have an artist's date in the comfort of your own home?

One of my favourites is catching up on the tumblr blogs I follow, which are full of poetry, photography, quotes and other inspiration to nurture the creative soul...

Share you thoughts and experiences on artist's dates below...

[Jules]

Fiona, I like the idea of going out in the yard and finding one aspect to draw...I often do that with a camera, find one aspect to photograpy from many perspectives. It is good that you have found a balance between your space and identity and sharing yourself with Ben- the two of you are blessed that your passions are similiar- I have a hard time finding someone who truely appreciates the art enough to bring them to a gallery with me.

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

YAY ... thoughtful turtle saver!
Lots of good ideas here, thanks, Fiona!

[Heidi]

This challenge from the Creative Photography group makes me want to go alphabet hunting with my camera at home. It would be a fresh change from the blog-rolling that I normally do for my stay-at-home-Artist´s Dates.
Out of the home, I like to visit nearby towns and walk around, or the beach or forest, depending on the seasons, I like to make a solo picnic out of it. In early Summer I love to visit my local garden centre and day dream of the huge garden I don´t have.
Right now I am itching for it to get just a bit warmer so I can finish off my Artist´s Dates with a cup of coffee outdoors, and maybe a book to read or a notebook to scribble in. My favourite spot for that is a harbour of a nearby town. I didn´t know the town well until I started doing Artist´s Dates, now it is my favourite Date town as it has so many good spots in a small area. First there´s a castle and its park and mote, an old neighbourhood behind it with cobblestone streets and a water mill, a stream that runs through town and is lined with lovely allotment gardens in some areas and which leads back to a pedestrian shopping area. There I like to do window shopping and always visit a small gallery that exhibits paintings and mixed media by self-taught artists. Always something new there. Then, saving the best for last, I go to a second-hand book shop that also sells curiosities and art supplies - a great combo! After an hour or two inthere my head (and sometimes my bag) is so full that I need to have a coffee and just sit and look at the boats coming into the harbour. My well always feels full after such a date!
Heidi

[Dan Goodwin]

I love it Heidi that you have a "favourite date town"! Sounds a lovely and very creatively stimulating place.

[Jules]

Your description of your small town are beautiful Heidi...I feel as if I have been on an artist's date just reading your words!

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

Sounds delightful to me, Heidi ... how fortunate to have all this wonder available to walk through ... thanks for telling us about it!

[Jules]

I go into the woods when ever I can, these trips are as much as 'soul soothers' as artist's dates- I always bring along a camera. It seems as if i see things a little bit differently when I am soul soothing.

My most favorite artist date from recent times was my drive to and from work when I was working way out in the country. I had a hour drive both ways, and worked longer hours just because of the distance. So I brought my camera on the drive and shot all kinds of awesome pictures out the window- my "Drive to work with me" series. I have never posted the series yet- because I have a colossal amount of good pictures and can't choose which ones I want to use- they are all good. (I did put front/ back and fast/slow into my album, which were photos from that time.
If not for that hour each direction of looking through creative eyes for interesting photos I would have been to busy at work and to tired at night to have any type of artist's date. With this I have proven to myself that an artist's date can always be worked in.
I think today is a good day for a picnic, I have not done that in years. It is still a little chilly, but the sun is calling :-)

[Heidi]

Jules, I hope you post more of the drive-to-work photos. Do you ever drive into the country side without having to be somewhere - just for the drive and the photos?

[Jules]

Yes- I like to go off the main roads. I think this year I will try to get some photos when I go ride the Harley with BF.
It is a little harder now- I took those when i had my car and I knew all its litle bumps and how I had to hold the camera to get the shot I wanted- that car died so I have an old truck with standard transmission- so I am still learning the bumps and coordinating photo taking with shifting.
I will sift through the photos of that wonderful drive and post them- I have been planning to do that for sometime, so it will be soon.

[Claude Aimee Villeneuve]

I find that sometimes scheduling an artist date is hard to do! I promise myself one every week and often I postpone it because other more «important» things come up... and then I feel bad that I didn't allow myself some time to go play with my artist child. I still have to work on allowing my wild child more quality time ;-)
Anyhow, when I do go on artist dates, here are my favorites:
I go to the craft and toy sections of the dollar store and buy myself 5$ worth of silly fun stuff to play with: stickers, plastic bugs, rubber stamps, collage material, bubble gum, candy bar, and stuff like that. Then I go back home and play with them.

I also like to go to a big bookstore downtown and spend the afternoon reading all the new magazines on papercraft, doll making, card making, altered art, art magazines, home decors and I also go and check the movie star gossip magazines because they are so full of silly stuff and it's fun doing something silly on a date with my artist child.

I hop on the bus or the train and go to town with my camera, sketch book, journal, and explore the city and look at it as if I were going there for the first time. I like picking pigeon feathers, small bits of rusted metals, and other found object as if I were an archeologist looking for artefacts.

At home, one of my favorite artist date, is going up in my studio with my box of words and old magazines and to go through the magazines and cut more words or phrase to add to my collection and when I'm inpired, I finish off by making a few word collages. Lately I've been collecting words and phrase from Gourmet magazines. So I have a lot of words dealing with food, wine, the good life, etc...

Going to a life model drawing class is something I love doing from time to time. And it makes my artist child and me totally energized.

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

Sounds like things I like to do, Claude AImee, and like you, not often enough. I just came across the concept of making myself a toy box, and have a little cardboard four-drawer chest I've emptied out of things I never use or wear, and am going to transform it into a toy chest for my studio :)

[MARY]

There was wonderful weather out this weekend. Low 60s..perfect for me. I went to my favorite bookstore - Borders - and just looked and looked and looked. Then I went and got me a double dip ice-cream cone (malted milk crunch and butter pecan) which I took to the beach and watched the sunset and the people.

In my head it isn't an artist date if it isn't outside. In my mind an artist date needs to be in the world. I'm so reclusive by nature that Artist Dates really get me out into the world.

I have not been doing my Artist Dates weekly since I got laid off. I'm getting lazy and don't want to move. That's not a good thing. Especially since Tuesdays are free museum days and there are a bunch of museums in Balboa Park I've never been to!