surprise, i have a show in a week!

hello again, art world! (world, in general)

i spent the summer doing some photography gigs as well as lots of design stuff and traveling! i apologize it's been so scarce around here.

to make up for it, here are some exciting announcements:

1. i have an art show coming up with the lovely normandie luscher --

call me crazy; i've attempted to [start and] finish many of these...and more 

and it's been a mad house! i'm hanging the show saturday with many things still to get done! on to details--

location: the utah county health and justice building // 151 s. university ave, provo, ut

details: the reception will be from 6-9 pm complete with live music and food.

this is part of provo's first friday gallery stroll, where lots of the art galleries in downtown provo open up and each have the artists and new shows and food and music.

also, there is a free rooftop concert that night just a few blocks away which starts around 7:30.

so i basically planned your whole night for you, full of free art, music and food. YOU'RE WELCOME. ;)

oh, and there is a handy facebook event for our show if you'd like it to kindly remind you.

hopefully i'll stop by the blog with a few sneak peeks this week! (my main focus is actually finishing them in time...eesh....)

2. i was humbled and happy to hear so many people express excitement about my piece, head & heart. i'm pleased to announce that i've decided to make this into a series! i'll be taking commissions to make similar pieces and will customize each, as explained below:

many times we know something is true or right in our mind but for some reason, our hearts just doesn't feel it. it can be a difficult chasm to cross. sometimes it's pretty obvious when our heart gets the message. but other times, that transition comes subtly. this piece explores that concept. if you'd like one for your wall, you may choose whatever goes in her head: what things about yourself are you trying to believe? 

3. lastly, i will be starting to send monthly(ish) email newsletters. if you'd like to opt-in, email me at kgull.art@gmail.com. i promise i won't spam you and will do my best to keep them brief, informative and hopefully a tad entertaining. and they will get prettier as i learn the program i'm using, even though i'm pretty annoyed with the limited typographic options. ;)

three things.

agh!! i forgot to publish this a few days ago! here is what it said....

sorry for the lack of posts!

but sort of not sorry....why? cuz i've been making art instead of posts! for the ART OPEN HOUSE which was yesterday and TODAY FROM 9am-4pm.

i've been feeling sort of out of the loop with art lately, but when i was answering the questions that dear mckenna wooley sent so that i could be FEATURED ON HER BLOG for her awesome "inspire me monday" series, it really helped me to remember why i like doing this art thing in the first place.

so that was sort of neat.

aaaaaand here's that link again. just in case you didn't see it up there. :)

bottom lines:

1. less posts, more art. sorryish.
2. come to the art open house today. it was awesome yesterday. here's a hashtag for you to use, if you're into that sorta thing (and i know you are): #artopenhaus
3. read this post (last call!) if you'd like some insight to my artistic journey of sorts. also, check mckenna's blog often; she features her own great art as well as other guest artists.

help the starving artists!

i am pleased to announce that four of my artist friends and i are putting together an art open house this month! 

it's gonna be a laid-back cozy gathering at an actual house. we will sell art (both originals and prints) and there will be food, live music and some cool announcements on that friday night. 

more details will be added to the facebook event so make sure to RSVP!

in the meanwhile, do you have any requests for art from me?? any specific styles of mine or themes or ideas? i'm literally back to the drawing board and want to create things for your walls! leave you answer in the comments.

website!

just wanted to stop by and announce my new little website! 

www.kristingulledge.com

whatcha think? i just wanted something to keep everything together so that people can find what they're looking for. i whipped it up with basic html and css and then my good friend and amazing programmer trevor reed helped make it mobile-friendly and worked out the glitches. 

also, make sure to check out the design section because it's completely new, and i also have a new photo set up. 

some day i'll get around to designing better portfolio sites, but freelance is keeping me busy so that day is not today. : )

also, as this is an art blog so i feel like you should be rewarded for coming here with a bit of art. i know some of you have already seen it on facebook. thanks so much for your support!

searching for celia

i am so excited that i can finally talk about one of the biggest projects i've been working on!

the back story:: 

over the past year i've been involved in the branding/promo/publicity of a band (which started with my love of their music). undoubtedly one of my favorite branding gigs i've had. searching for celia is a rock-type band...but instead of a singer, they have a violin and cello. they don't even need lyrics. i would haven't believed it myself, but you can read my personal experience with the band if you'd like.

long story short, this is how i see it: their music explores the whole spectrum of emotion which provides a catalyst for thoughts to flow freely, preventing them from staying stagnant or circular. it's invigorating and beautiful. at least, that's what it does for me. i cannot even tell you how many times i've listened them while working on a project or on one of those drives you take specifically so you can think.

the promotion:: 
on february 9 they released their first album at their sold-out album release concert! over a week later, i'm still reeling in how beautiful it was.

i made the promotional stuff; the tree was based off of a painting by band member and artist sebastien gallego. it looked something (exactly) like this:

the album::
i also had the privilege of designing their albums, which were (surprise!!) actually swanky USB's in classy little cases! i thought this was innovative and interesting. it also provided some challenges as well as liberties. 

one of those liberties was that the drives held more space than a cd would, so they've included awesome extras like sheet music for the string parts as well as files to one of their songs that listeners can re-mix with any music editing software. there is a limited edition, so each has its own number signifying its place in the run.

the animation:: 

one more thing...this also meant that i could do the liner notes in a different way. so i decided to animate them. :) i mean...animated liner notes? was there even a question about this?! however, this brilliant idea came to me at 1:30 am, three days before the concert. i'm just barely learning after effects, so you can imagine how much sleep i got those days. (imagining sleep was pretty close to the actual amount i got). however, i was so grateful that my friend and fellow artist ellis elkins, who teaches an after effects class, stepped in and finished the animation after i'd created, exported and placed the assets. i basically directed and he animated. without him, it likely still wouldn't be done.

eventually it was decided that rather than liner notes, the animation would be a whimsical interpretation of a quote from a t.s. eliot play from which searching for celia got their name. it serves as sort of an album preview. here are some screenshots of it: 

we haven't put it online yet, so be sure to buy the album if you'd like to see it soon! the whole thing is a very reasonable $12. usb, packaging, the songs, the extras...all of it. we'll even throw in a flyer that i made for the concert for free. ;) if you don't believe me, city weekly thought they were pretty great too. 

to get your hands on one of these lil' gems, either contact me at kgull.art@gmail.com, or the band via their facebook page or searchingforcelia@gmail.com.

sora and a bonus!

whew! it's been a crazy whirlwind of a month and we're not even halfway done (of which i'm glad).

first of all, i had that show at sora asian dining. let me just tell you: sora is a fantastic little place. the food is super legit and the people who own the place as well as those who work there are some of the kindest you will ever meet. eating there is most definitely a lovely experience.

my show was only from 6-9pm on february 1 and it was little intense getting it up, but it had a good showing! this is sort of what it looked like:

(it's a little confusing to understand the space from the pictures. check the flikr set for a little tour).

as previously mentioned, i started to sell prints there, which was fun. (check this post for details on buying them.)

but one surprising highlight of the night was that i sold my [what's your] MUSE painting! i was so pleased that she got a good home. she now belongs to another fantastic artist whom i had the pleasure of meeting the night of my show, alicia vannoy call. (check out her work here! it's SO fun.)

also, bonus: on the night of this show, the byu illustrators' association (of which i used to be a part) put up their monsters show at muse!

they were so nice to let me contribute as well! here were my little guys:

both of these little dudes are on sale for $40! head down to muse any time this month and check out the awesomeness and diversity that byu's illustration students have put into these fabulous monsters.

~*~

thank you to jessica barry and danielle white for all your help that night. 

also, thank you to sora's awesome waiters josh and matt for your help and encouragement, 

as well as david and june (sora's owners) for this opportunity and your kindness! 

also. a HUGE thanks to annie henrie, for your help in taking down my show at muse and putting up my show at sora a wonderful adventure when it could have been a terrible nightmare.

prints for sale!

to see my little store, click here.

 for now, let's talk prints! these are $15 each (plus shipping if applicable).

i conducted a facebook poll a while back and the sleepyhead was an overwhelming first place, so i printed her first. there aren't many left of this limited edition print of 15 so claim yours while you can! 

8.5x11"

the muse of music was also in high demand, so here she is as well, singing her lil song: 

image is 6x6" on 8.5x8.5" paper

lastly, the secret print! this is a piece i painted a while back but is still one of my favorites. drumroll........

image is 5x7" on 8x10" paper

it's called, "a thing with feathers".

visit my store at http://kristinartdesign.bigcartel.com to purchase!