Balzer Designs

Around Here: May 2021

Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? I'm almost finished with the online Sketchbook class that I mentioned last month. Hopefully I'll finish filming the last few videos this week or next and then open registration mid-June. Yay! What are you loving? The Summer weather, of course! This is my Mom's porch. Unfortunately, someone drove their car into her house (thus all the plywood), but it doesn't stop us from hanging out outside! (It happened more than a year ago, but we are hopeful that it will get fixed... Read more →

The Adventures in Arting Podcast: The 100 Day Project

This is a very special episode of The Adventures in Arting Podcast. We turned on the video cameras while we recorded the podcast and streamed a live video version to facebook and youtube. Mom wasn't sure about it, but she did a great job and we're definitely going to do it again! You can either listen to the podcast recording, as normal, or you can watch the video! This episode focuses on my recently finished 100 Day Project: 100 Days of Art Botanical. The 100 Day Project is a world-wide phenomenon. People across the globe challenge themselves to do some... Read more →

Watch This. Read This.

This video has been suggested to me by the YouTube algorithm every day for the past week and I finally caved and watched it. And it was good. I really like his takeaway about productivity: It's all about singular focus (which is why I think "batching" is such a popular concept). And the idea that all anyone needs is a mission, an outlet, and energy. It got me thinking about common complaints I hear from art-makers: Mission - Have you ever had time to make art but felt stuck and/or overwhelmed? It might be because you don't have a clear... Read more →

Figure Drawing & Creative Play with CAA

I recently attended two live online events hosted by the Cambridge Art Association (CAA), of which I am a member. On Tuesday night, Steve took over bedtime duties so that I could attend a two-hour figure drawing session. When I lived in New York City, I went to figure drawing sessions all the time. But it has been a while and I am rusty. Plus, doing it on Zoom is a little bit frustrating. The picture quality isn't great and a screen isn't the same as seeing the figure in 3-D in front of you. Nonetheless, I enjoyed myself. The... Read more →

Two New Big Mixed Media Collages

I've been busy. After my 100 Day Project, I decided I wanted to see what would happen if I sized up. I worked on these two (19x24) pieces at the same time and they evolved in very different directions. Here's a peek at all the details: They're definitely not what I expected, but I'm very pleased with how they turned out. I'm going to keep working at this size -- practicing and exploring -- and then I hope to open up to a few commissions this Fall. :) Maker & Super Learner Members can see these two pieces come together... Read more →

100 Days of Art Botanical: 95 - 100

The 100 Day Project is done! Whew. Here's a look at my last six pieces -- which I think show a lot of growth (no pun intended, given the botanical theme). I have to say, I'm really really proud of the work that came out of this project and of my fortitude. You may recall that I was really struggling back in February. Floundering around and making stuff I didn't like and that wasn't fun to create. But I kept pushing and experimenting and trying new things. I gave myself permission to fail. I gave myself permission to quit. And... Read more →

Mixed Media Canvas from April's Member Livestream

I finished up the piece I started during April's Member Livestream by adding a bit of hand stitching. I guess the stitching on my small quilt pieces is "catching." ;) In all seriousness, I think it makes sense that all the different projects I work on influence each other. Why wouldn't they?! You can see that I added both french knots and simple running stitches. I used one of my favorite stencils, Cut Outs... ...and you can see that it looks like a lovely botanical here: I also used my "Croquet" Art Foamie... ...for some subtle visual texture. In fact,... Read more →

More Small "Quilt" Art

I made some more small wall quilts! Remember this quilt top that I couldn't decide what to do with because I didn't like it that much? Well, you can probably tell, I chopped it up to create the base for 3 of these pieces. I'm enjoying exploring these small (8"x8") pieces. I brought them to a improv quilting critique group that I belong to and I was heartened by the group's response to them. I don't think that a quilt purist would be okay with the raw edges or the way they're mounted to canvas or the lack of intense... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: Sketchbook Thoughts

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, the concept is simple: It's a commitment to take ten minutes each day to do something in your art journal. No need to finish anything or even like it. It's about making the time to nourish your creativity every day! If you have the time to flip through your phone, you have the time to Art Journal Every Day. If you'd like to share what you make, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. I'm currently working on a new self-paced sketchbook class that's all about how... Read more →

The Adventures in Arting Podcast: Tina Walker is Resetting Herself

On this episode of The Adventures in Arting Podcast, Mom and I chat with Tina Walker about her obsession with details, antiques, instigating art challenges, and how she uses art-making to reset herself. I really enjoyed our conversation and I think you will too! Give it a listen: If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. On the off chance that you've never listened to a podcast or don't get why anybody would want to, here are some facts: (1) Podcasts are convenient. It's a recording that is available to you whenever and wherever... Read more →