Artifacts

One of my favorite paintings I created during my 2019 #100daysproject

of one of my favorite shops in Iowa City, Iowa.

I've had a lifetime of fondness for all-things architecture. Painting buildings is a way of quietly taking stock of all the elements that come together to make a building. It's a bit like a portrait of a person or pet. It really helps one "see" the special characteristics of each structure.

I painted it on top of an old archival print and I liked the dance between transparent washes of gouache vs opaque color blocks.

Happy Sunday friends. Keep cool as you can.

#katebrennanhall #illustrator #artifacts #iowacity #buildings #paintings #portraits #doors #facades #brickandmortar #gouachpaintings #landscapes #justwalkingby #storefronts #history

Waterloo Bike Works

Head over to Waterloo Bike Works for a big sale on my flour sack towels. Lots of fun stuff in their shop.

Wet Paint Summer Postcard Art Project

The great folks over at Wet Paint Art in Saint Paul, Minnesota are holding their annual Mail Art project and I had to join in the fun (!) I find limiting my pallet is a great way to approach this task—it helps narrow down the choices and lets me focus on various themes. I ended up using old paper scraps from around the studio that were full of handlettering roughs—another great way to launch into an open ended project: paint on top of existing imagery to jump start ideas.

Happy Monday, friends!

To love and pizza

I was out in our front yard watering our apple trees last night and a car zoomed up and out popped our friends Lori and John. They were holding a pizza box exclaiming, "We've got great gluten free pizza to share with you!" John joined us on the driveway and took a slice of the amazing pizza. Standing there chatting on a fresh summer's night with two generous souls laughing about the absurdity of life was glorious. Some days life just hands you a big slice of love and for that I am VERY grateful.

To love and good friends (and GF pizza!).

Happy Monday, friend!

(illustration I created for American Airlines onboard magazine)

SOLD: "To Listen" 16 x 20 screenprint

SOLD
"To Listen" 16 x 20
Screenprint (four colorway)

Here's the finished print along with my initial thumbnail sketch. The poem is one I wrote in my senior year at the Minneapolis College of Art + Design. It was part of my senior thesis project where I wrote a book of poetry, created etchings for each poem and printed and bound the book of poetry that was presented in a large installation with soft sculptures I created.

Early adulthood is a time when young people are finding their way in the world. This poem stemmed from conversations with dear friends who needed to unburden themselves from situations/experiences that were stressful or confusing. Those moments made me realize I wanted to keep learning how to deeply listen to others. I haven't always hit the mark but I keep trying. <3

So many of you in my life and on this platform are great listeners. Thank you for walking this path with me.

Changes Afoot

In 2012 I began offering a small selection of my handpulled screenprinted towels for sale via a small local gallery. Over the last eleven years I have created hundreds of designs and handprinted thousands of flour sack towels that are sold online, wholesale and via shops and galleries across the country.

And now the time has come for me to step away from the silkscreen frame to devote more of my time to painting and writing projects for the papergoods part of my business. It’s not an easy decision. I love the physicality of screenprinting—everything from coating the screen with photo emulsion to hearing the squeaky squeegee sound as I pull ink across the screen. And there’s nothing like folding a box full of my warm-from-the-dryer towels—ready for gift giving.

Thank you for purchasing my towels (along with cards, prints and stickers!).

Truly,
never forget the difference YOU make!

Limited supplies of my towels are still available from my Etsy Shop:

Hello Patterns!

It’s been a minute on my visual journal page. Pardon my lack of posting.
It may have been quiet on here but IRL there was never a dull moment.

I’m happy to share some good news about a part of my visual art practice: PATTERNS
Last month I received my copy of Uppercase Magazine’s 5th Surface Pattern Design Guide and lo and behold, my work was accepted into it! A bright spot after some hard months in my life. I am very grateful for this opportunity to be amongst so many great designers.

Painted pots and happy thoughts

The fourth quarter is my busiest time of the year in my handprinted small biz. I tried to carve out some time to just sit and play and that playtime resulted in these creations that I am offering for sale at The Ragged Edge Art Bar and Gallery located in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating these fun pieces.

Memorizing the Ordinary

Over the years I've painted many illustrations of winter scenes for publications and ad agency work. Here are a couple of tearsheets from a project for Milwaukee Magazine.

A bonus of creating art for a living is it makes you look for the beauty all around us. Every day is a chance to visually memorize the wonder in the "ordinary" slices of life. And then later these slices appear in your work.

While posting this I just glanced out my studio window to my neighbor's beautiful dark blue siding. It looks nice in the spring, summer and fall--- but YOWSA, does it ever shine when snow is glazing all the trees around it. That's one of the "slices of ordinary" I am visually memorizing today.

Happy Tuesday, friend.

Citrus Garden

"Citrus Garden"

11 x 14

{Mixed Media Screenprint, gouache, markers on paper}

Full of Vitamin C on a blustery cold day!

Our Rights

Hello! Long time no post. Here’s a college I made one recent Sunday morning.

“Our Rights”

Mixed media collage with screenprints, gouache painting and markers

Make Me Laugh

Updated: SOLD!

Of course they do.

My contribution to the show

"Make Me Laugh" at @leftbankshopandgallery in McGregor, Iowa.

Sep through Oct

Framed and available to bring home for a daily dose of good humor.

Where would you place this sassy feline? Office? Bathroom?

Happy #caturday, friend.

#katebrennanhall #illustration #illustrator #screenprinted #printmaker #handprinted #handlettering #funnycats #themeoftheyear #originalart #iowaartists #shopsmall #11x14 #worksonpaper #gouache #pink

May 2022 Floral

Have I mentioned how much I love using my scraps from screenprinting and color mixing with gouache? So satisfying.

You're Invited

Hey friends!

The Ragged Edge Art Bar and Gallery is featuring my work in their beautiful gallery space next month.

More details to come but I just wanted to give a quick shout out to save-the-date.

The Edge serves delicious artisanal beverages with or without alcohol and they also have a lovely patio space to sit and sip on beautiful summer days in Iowa.

Invitation

“Invitation” by Mary Oliver

Oh do you have time

to linger

for just a little while

out of your busy

and very important day

for the goldfinches

that have gathered

in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,

to see who can sing

the highest note,

or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,

or the most tender?

Their strong, blunt beaks

drink the air

as they strive

melodiously

not for your sake

and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning

but for sheer delight and gratitude –

believe us, they say,

it is a serious thing

just to be alive

on this fresh morning

in the broken world.

I beg of you,

do not walk by

without pausing

to attend to this

rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.

It could mean everything.

It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:

You must change your life.

###

Peace be with everyone on this day when we think of all who have loved and nurtured us through the years. Such a blessing.


Midwestern Spring

It’s been a blustery cold spring but our daffodils are loving it.

Collage using scraps and color palette testing strips along with markers.