Last week we installed an outdoor piece that was one of nine chosen for  Lansing Art Gallery’s art and history scavenger hunt, up from now through September 1. This even will guide visitors to various downtown Lansing landmarks and original works of art with quizzes and historical tidbits. To participate, be sure to have your smart phone…it’s your guide.

My piece, called “Reaching Out” is installed in…wait, you have to do the tour to find out. The piece displays 10 QR codes that direct visitors to the websites of Lansing artists working in media that would not have otherwise been exhibited at such an event. I’m pleased to showcase Deb Oliva (ceramist), Mike Bass (composer), Jenny Schu (beader), Shawn Misener (writer) and several more, including myself and Dace Koenigsknecht, who fabricated the metal structure of this piece.

I look forward to taking the tour myself. Get more information and start the tour on your phone here. Just click on your level of choice to get to the first piece of art. The tour starts at Lansing City Hall.

If you’d like a pdf of the map, just e-mail the Lansing Art Gallery at lansingartgallery.gmail.com, or stop by during gallery hours.

When Bob Fish first asked me to create artwork for Beaner’s he had just a handful of stores. His is now the robust and multi-state Biggby Coffee, serving what Bob thinks of as a “party in a cup”. This is the name of the latest wall art series for new Biggby franchisees. I’m not sure yet where they’ll fist appear, but I can’t wait. It’s been so fun to be part of the growth of Biggy, doing mugs, packaging, banners and several series of wall art.

Here is the development of one of the images.
I start with a light wash to establish the color tone of the piece, working with a color selection provided by Biggby. We had a broad range for this project and each piece had it’s own palette. I put in the Biggby orange right away, because I wanted to remember, no matter what, to draw attention to that.

The cool green background plays off the warm fruity colors. I’m constantly balancing color and value. For this series it was important to keep the energy of each piece lively, so there’s a lot of layering, flow, contrasting directions, and detail to keep the eye busy and moving.

It was really hard not to run to Biggby every day for some treat or another!

Below are the other pieces in the series.

Party in a cup!!!

When I was young I painted thousands upon thousands of cute little images on mother-of-pearl earrings for a cottage industry. My mother always encouraged me to do cute images…those were the ones she loved. As most artists do in school, I went dark and broody (mothers worry about these things!). I still lean that way, but have found a mid zone in my work that keeps me happy, and still has a chance of going home with someone else.

Recently I was working in encaustic with a new technique and was suddenly called to do cute. The technique ends up feeling like children’s books I loved. I now want to play with all sorts of children’s imagery, simple, but touching some spot in my heart.

After making art for all but one of my 61 years, I wrestle with the issue of consistency. I see so many artists who work in the same medium with essentially the same look for year after year. They hone their style and technique. Their work becomes nuanced and sophisticated. I totally respect what this approach can bring. I just can’t do it.

I don’t know if it’s my ADD, or what, but I’m happiest when I’m trying something new…a new medium, a new type of mark, a new tool, a new finish. While I think it helps the work evolve in its own way, I do feel bad that my curiosity (and impatience…I do like to fling paint and clay) impedes deep exploration. I know it’s a problem for my illustration portfolio, which is as all-over-the-place as my fine art. How can a client know what to expect. I always just hope they’ll see that I can choose what they want based on existing samples and know I’ll come through. I couldn’t pick a single medium if I had to. Each brings something exciting and allows something the others can’t. I think I’m doomed.

Over the years I’ve dabbled with having an Etsy shop for selling reproductions, CADDis…various and sundry, but I never took it particularly seriously. I had a recent conversation with someone who DOES take it seriously and has had significant success with it. I decided to start again with a fresh approach. At this point I only want to have original art there. I create more work than I can find gallery homes for, so this really makes sense. I’ve loaded some available work into the site and will constantly be adding more, including a children’s section. I hope you’ll visit and tell your friends about it. Hranilovich Arts

I always wanted to go to Interlochen and finally get to, though as a teacher now. I’m thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to teach three courses.

The classes are not till June, but are starting to fill, so if you’re interested, I’d suggest you check it out soon. You can stay right on campus using the lodging code link below. What a fun getaway! It would be great to have some local folks there to play along.

Get details for each class with the corresponding link. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.