Turtle's Tips: Art!

This is the second of an occasional series of recommendations for philophical, consumer, and artistic consumption. It's admitedly from a guy who doesn't get out much but thinks he has something to offer anyways. I have no formal training that suggests I'm a qualified art critic. I just like what I like.

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Turtle's Art Tip: Abigail Woods Anderson

Abigail Woods Anderson* is a Minnesota-based artist with an eye for the detailed. Her water color, ink, and pencil pieces show her appreciation for nature, but maybe not in the way you most normally see it.

Anderson, like many artists, doesn't do art as a full time professional venture. She's occasionally but consistently selected for local exhibitions. Most recently she received second place in the watercolor category for the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition.

Title: Bittersweet and Tomatoes
Prismacolor on paper, 6"x8"

Title: The Hare Pauses, Never Idle

Prismacolor on paper, apx 6"x8"

Title: Oneiric Interval

Pencil and colored pencil on paper. 7.75" x 6.5". At the Groveland Gallery (612-377-7800)

You can see these and other examples of her art here.

I recommend her beautiful notecards. I just got another batch myself, hence the inspiration for this post. You can order 12 cards for $20 (free shipping) of any combination of the below six designs. Cards are professionally printed, full color with satin finish, blank inside with white envelopes. 4.5" x 6.25". Email awoodsanderson AT yahoo DOT com for ordering details.

* Noteworthy Disclaimer: The artist is a personal friend of mine. She made no request for help with promotion and I have not notified her of this posting. In fact, I'm worried she'll be annoyed.

Support arts education in Minneapolis

For all you Twin Citians, please consider coming to this weekend's Grand Opening of ArtiCulture's new location on Franklin Avenue. Drop in on Saturday, September 27, between 3:00 and 7:00 PM to see the space and support the work of this fabulous non-profit. You can make a whole outing of it and dine in at True Thai, which is in the same building, or head a few blocks towards the river to Raja's Mahal for Indian cuisine.

The event is free and will have activities for kids and adults alike, including artist demos, face painting, a clothesline sale of "affordable art" (under $35), and a Wall of Wine raffle!

On the later point, if you're interested in the Wall of Wine raffle (30 bottles of wine), you can get your $10 ticket ahead of time by contacting me through the comments if you are unable to make it Saturday.

Our daughter has taken several classes at ArtiCulture and has even celebrated her fourth birthday there. It's a great organization that exposes community members to all kinds of visual arts on a shoestring budget. Please consider supporting them today!

You can also check out their course offerings here [pdf]. Fall session starts in about a week!

Saved by Batman and Robin

Artist Julian Beever has created a long series of dramatic and realistic "pavement drawings." This is just one sample. More can be found at his website's pavement drawings section.

Website of the day

If you're looking to order some beautiful notecards, check out this site. It's a college friend of mine who does wonderfully-detailed, nature inspired work. It's different from anything else I've seen. Contact her accordingly to order the cards.

• Abigail Woods Anderson

Her site is under construction. You can see more of her work at MNArtists.org.