Friday, October 28, 2016

In Memory...

Dear Friends and Followers of The Moon From My Attic...



I have the immensely sad duty to let this lovely community of artists and creative professionals know that on October 26, 2016, my best friend and wife Alex Colombo left her body behind. She has been fighting a prodigious war with a triple-negative breast cancer for the last three years. While initially mastering it, it metastasized this last spring in her lungs.

Her particular cancer is basically untreatable under traditional therapies, so she bravely became a member of the most promising alternative treatment research study we could find. While initially effective, other complications eventually overcame her efforts. As her doctor said, he has never seen a more diligent, committed human, not only willing to comply with whatever new change was required in diet, treatment, or procedure, but often suggesting improvements herself that have become part of the evolving protocol; she was the perfect research participant.

She approached her condition with the same conviction that she approached life; work hard, do the right thing, and try to help others. She kept the situation mostly to herself and to me, as she did not want to burden or stress out others.

She passed without any pain, and I was able to hold her in my arms as her heart and breathing stopped. While I am saddened beyond words and miss her terribly, I am also heartened to have been her partner in life, love, and happiness for the last decade. She brought so much into my life and the lives of all those she touched, in her selfless devotion to simply make the world a better place, help others grow and develop, and bring beauty into the world.

This blog itself was somewhat unplanned initially, but she quickly realized that it could allow her to bring her curiosity about others into the light, help her promote other artists, and build a community of sharing and appreciation for a discipline all too often undervalued. She has helped give voice and exposure to hundreds of artists in the process, and many of you have become her good friends.

One of her last requests to me was to encourage those who knew and loved her to try not to be too sad, but to instead try to remember her smile, her good works, and the delicate joy and happiness she tried to bring into the world. She much prefers the idea of a celebration - and she plans on seeing many of you again in her next life, so trust me, you better do it!

After a period of recovery, our daughter Ming Platt and I hope to honor Alex's dedication to promoting the creative process by continuing to give artists a chance to share their stories, their inspirations, and their insights into manifesting their creativity using this blog.

Alex, my dear wife and love, thank you for all you have done for me and for the world.

Your best friend and husband, P.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Field Trip, Bluprint and Surtex - The Best Design Shows in Town!

Every year I post many beautiful surtex promo pieces by new and established artists - for those new to the industry, the show is known as the premiere event for sourcing original art & design. I have reported on it for several years and you can find my articles on past surtex shows here.

BLUEPRINT is another popular surface design and print show that will take place on May 12 through May 16 in NYC. I will start posting their promo this week.

But there is a new show in town called Field Trip. It was created as a new pattern and illustration event and it will be hosted by a group of talented and established designers: Ampersand Design Studio, Lotta Jansdotter, Elizabeth Olwen, Emily Isabella, Kate Zaremba, Kelly Ventura, Victoria Johnson, Nottene, and Bikini Sous La Pluie. The curated event will take place on Monday, May 16th - the same time as Surtex, NSS, and ICFF at a gorgeous loft apartment in Manhattan's Garment District. The event is invitation only and invites can be requested by clients via the Field Trip website here. Clients will be able to license or purchase artwork, establish collaborations and enjoy cocktails and nibbles in a lively, informal setting.

Their promo pieces below start the 2016 parade of artists!












Sunday, March 27, 2016

Live Life as if Everything is Rigged in Your Favor - Artist Kim Smith

Sometime ago I started a new series of painted florals in watercolor on paper, just for the fun of it.
I had forgotten about them but seeing the lovely artwork of Kim Smith, it reminded me how much I love art, painting and creativity!

Let me introduce you to Kim. She is an artist, designer, business owner, mom and more. Kim says her life is crazy busy but somehow she is able to squeeze in time to follow her passion every single day (or at least close). That alone is very inspirational and a great example to follow for all creatives who don't have much time to pursue their dreams.

Artist Kim Smith
Kim says, "With three kids and a business in Advertising & Design, I felt like I never had time to paint and follow my creative flow without feeling guilty about the 'more important' things that I should be doing with my time. So several years ago I made a commitment to get up around 5:00 am every day and paint. And I love it. It brings me peace and happiness. What a great way to start any day!"

The Moon from My Attic: What's exciting about your creative work? I feel that, although my painting sessions are very short, and often sporadic, I am continually growing and learning. I make the most of every precious minute I get. I never sit in front of a blank canvas and wait for inspiration to hit. It's always there. I guess that's a positive of not having enough time to do what I love, it's forced me to be super efficient with the time that I do have. I don't have time to overthink things, which is a good thing.


TMFMA: What's your favorite medium or tool/s you create with? I love so many types of mediums, watercolor, acrylic, oils, hand lettering and more. I painted with oils when I was very young (6th grade), but never really enjoyed it. I worked mostly with watercolor years ago (before kids), and then had a dry spell when I really had absolutely no time for art. Then when I decided that it was now or never to get going again with my art, I really wanted to loosen up, so I tried oils again and now I absolutely love them! Oil paints are so delicious and buttery and oh, so much fun.

TMFMA: Who or what has inspired you in your art? I went to school for graphic design, which I've been doing ever since in my "real job." But I never had the opportunity to take an oil painting class back then. So I'm self-taught. I find inspiration everywhere. That's a wonderful benefit to the internet. I am often listen to podcasts while I'm painting (the savvy painter and the jealous curator) and have found an endless amount of inspiring artists to follow. I was especially inspired by the daily painting movement, with some of my favs being Carol Marine and Karin Jurick, who made me realize that I could fit painting into my life, even with very limited time.


TMFMA: Tell us a story about one of your paintings. Last year a friend gave me a vase of zinnias for my birthday. I went outside on the side walk behind work and did a five minute photoshoot. I've painted and sold many, many paintings from that tiny inspiration that created happiness over and over again.

TMFMA: What's in store for your future? I would love to have my work in a gallery someday, or perhaps in a group show, or it would be fun to try an outdoor show with a booth and the whole nine yards. I hope someday to paint full time. That's such a scary thing to say since I have a great business that I'm not ready to be finished with. So I am just working in that direction with the faith that everything will just work out as it's meant to—when it's meant to. Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor, right?





You can find out more about Kim here:

Advertising & Design Website: http://tcgad.com
Instagram: kimmyerssmith
Twitter: @kmyerssmithart