Sunday, August 3, 2025

Commit Acts of Art Every Day: Exploring Art

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

On the last Friday of each month, I teach a free art class for the West Jordan Cultural Arts Society called Exploring Art. It is designed for tweens, teens, and adults, and is a time when we come together to experiment and commit acts of art.

In the last half century, the city of West Jordan has grown from a small rural community in the Salt Lake Valley to being the third-largest city in population in the State of Utah. While the city has kept its rural, western attitude with its PRCA Western Stampede Rodeo every Fourth of July week and demolition derbies in August, the city also vigorously supports through the Cultural Arts Society a community symphony, a jazz band, a concert band, The Sugar Factory Playhouse, The West Jordan Youth Theatre, a literary arts guild, and the visual arts. The visual arts sponsors a spring Arts in the Park festival each year and oversees an art gallery housed at West Jordan City Hall.

The Exploring Art series is not a continuing, in-depth art class. It was designed to introduce participants to a different art form each month, give them some time to practice, and send them home with a few supplies to continue creating on their own. In the first three classes, we explored Op Art, Neurographic Art, and Zendoodle. In August, the class will explore origami folded books and zines. Future classes will explore reverse piano-hinge art journals, gelli plate monoprinting, mail art, and Artist Trading Cards.

I made a few samples for the participants to see as I gave the introduction. Here is one of the Neurographic samples I made, with copies of it decorated various ways.






After showing the samples, I put them away so the participants would not try to copy them while working on their pieces. Here are some in-progress works by some of the participants in the Neurographic Art class:






Commit Acts of Art Every Day!


Wednesday, July 2, 2025

RIP Mailart365

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

Last week, I tried to log in to Mailart365.com to post some new images. I found that the site is no longer accessible. Only two of us were still posting in 2025; even the creator of the site stopped posting a few years ago. I completed five years of creating 365 decorated envelopes and postcards each year. I took a short hiatus after year five. I was up to 110 items in year six. Fortunately, I kept an image of each envelope and card in a file, so I have my own record for reference, and I am still committing acts of art every day.

This is one of the first envelopes, front and back, that I posted in year one of my adventure on Mailart365, a subscription renewal for Classical 89 radio.



An envelope from year two.

A collage postcard from year three.

A crayon colored envelope, front and back, from year four.


A decorated magazine page folded into an envelope from year five.

Commit Acts of Art Every Day!











Commit Acts of Art: More "Chunk-o-Cardboard" Postcards

"Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman


During June, along with gardening, attending funerals, concerts, and working two open houses for the new West Jordan Cultural Arts Center, I have continued to make "chunk-o-cardboard" postcards in hopes of more trades. I have quite a stockpile now. Two more of these trades came to my attention this week: an international trade with one partner and a USA trade with three partners. All I need are addresses and time to write a message on the back.

Here are a few of the new cardboard postcards:

This card looks better in person as the silver tape under the decorative packing tape looks dull.







This month I also made and sent some high school graduation cards to three grandnieces.



Commit Acts of Art Every Day!




Saturday, May 17, 2025

Commit Acts of Art: A "Chunk-O-Cardboard" Postcard Exchange

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

I participate in mail art trades from time to time on swap-bot.com. The current trade I joined is sending three partners a postcard that is a "chunk-o-cardboard. It does not have to be decorated, but I cannot send something plain through the mail, so I used some decorated packing tape to upgrade pieces of snack cracker and cereal box postcards. I couldn't just make three cards, so I kept going and have enough for another trade. I added a few extra touches to the last four cards. If anyone wants one, give me some place to send it.









Commit Acts of Art Every Day!

Monday, April 28, 2025

Commit Acts of Art: Loose Papers in a Sketchbook

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman


Several loose papers and drawings were slipped between the sketchbook pages I am chronicling here. I don't know when or in what order these loose pieces were done, but they are certainly of the sketchbook decade.


Begun, but never finished. They may be better as unfinished studies.


I remember this sketch was modeled on a photograph in a magazine, probably LIFE.

More random pages.



A strange mother and child, or a strange drawing of a mother and child?








Commit Acts of Art: More Leaves from Old Sketchbooks

 " Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

These are more pages from a 1965 sketchbook. They are all 14" by 17". These pages were done with crayons. I still like using crayons.

I have no idea what this was supposed to be, if anything:

Some still life:




A couple of beauties here:


A bridge too far?

Commit Acts of Art Every Day!