It is not always easy to come up with a blog topic every week. If I didn’t like to write anyway, I would probably have stopped busting my brain and abandoned this blog long ago. I had collected some lists here and there of suggestions published by supposed blog gurus, and although I did use quite a few of those suggestions, I now rely on the inspiration du jour. I usually feel a slight panic on Wednesday that sounds like “oh dear, what will I write about this week!!” but something usually crosses my path before Thursday morning, whispering “how about me?” This week I want to recognize two people who I have never met, but that feel to me like old friends. One is a printmaker, the other is an author. They have both taught me a lot, and I hope you will look them up after reading about them. Laura Boswell is a British printmaker. It seems that most printmakers are. British, that is! She has a YouTube channel where she very generously shares her vast knowledge about printmaking. I have watched most of her videos, and she does an extraordinary job of showing and explaining every single step of printmaking, warning about the possible pitfalls along the way. If ever you want to get into printmaking or just learn about it out of curiosity, I highly recommend her, both for her knowledge and sense of humor. Now that I have actually some experience with printing, I am re-watching her videos as I can get more out of them. Some aspects which had no or little meaning when I first watched them now seem to make perfect sense! I can’t imagine how much time I have saved by tapping into her knowledge, compared say to reading about printmaking or even taking a course. It is almost like having a private tutor. And for free! She has also written a couple of books on printmaking, but honestly, other than perhaps being easier to find, I can’t imagine what information would be in the books that isn’t in the videos. She also sells some of her work on her website. The other person I want to pay tribute to is Danny Gregory. I came across him also on YouTube (yes, I do spend a lot of time on YouTube - it’s where I learn most of my art “stuff”). He first came up as a “suggestion” in June (thanks, YouTube Watch History!) with the ominous video thumbnail title “How much time do you have left?”. I am glad I took the bait. He is a bit of a philosopher (which I definitely am not) and I like the things he leads me to think about. His musings are usually at least tangentially about art, but they are always on point. For me at least. Such as why do I procrastinate (and how to overcome it) and why is it important to draw every day (which I really struggle with). His videos are short, relaxing, and most importantly thought-provoking. I highly recommend them, even if you are not an artist. Danny Gregory also publishes a free email newsletter, which he calls essays, every Friday. They too are short and thought-provoking. Just what I need. I highly recommend it. And he also hosts a "Draw with me" live session every Thursday at noon eastern time. I will join that for the first time today. So thank you Laura and Danny, for generously sharing your talents. The world is a better, prettier and more caring place because of people like you. I know I will never meet you in person, but know that you have certainly made my life, and potentially the lives of my collectors, better. If ever I get as knowledgeable or wise as you, maybe I will share it on YouTube too! What about you? Any special “strangers” in your life? What do they help you with? Tell me about them in the comments and I promise to check them out! Thanks!
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AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
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