Laurelines: Laurelines aloft!

February 08, 2009

Laurelines aloft!

My blog has been coursing through the cyber ether lately. Here are three sightings, in reverse chronological order.

First, on the website and newsletter of my friend, renowned painter and writer Kate/Cathy Johnson: Cathy Johnson's Art Tip #86 "...There are any number of reasons for an artist to keep a blog.... It's good to share daily sketching or painting, projects you set for yourself, exchanges, challenges, a learning or a teaching situation.

You can explore a theme, like my friend Laura Frankstone, who set herself a theme for a solid year, a different one each month, then the next year explored the concept of water, throughout the year. It was fascinating to travel along with her, and she and her readers and fans all benefitted from her exercise -- and her generous sharing of herself and her talents... ."

There's more, including my thoughts on keeping an art blog, after four years at it! You'll want to follow Kate's series on art blogging. Gabi Campanario, Seattle illustrator and the genius behind Urban Sketchers, that worldwide art blog phenomenon, will be one of her interviewees!

An unsolicited review of my blog appeared last week on Loveart-gallery.com, based in the UK. Here's a bit of it:

"Laura Frankstone is an artist, based in North Carolina. Frankstone uses her art blog to chronicle her work, and provide some insight into underlying developmental process. We think this works so well because Frankstone continually draws and paints moments in her life. Expect to see everyday moments, such as a visit to the hairdresser, mixed in with events like the birth of Frankstone’s grandson. In keeping with the personal approach Frankstone adopts, she also uses her art blog as a form of diary. The diary aspect is particularly interesting when Frankstone is travelling (a relatively regular occurrence). For us, Laurelines is one of the very best (Making a Mark being another example) resources for an aspiring drawer. The positive personality of Frankstone, and the insight she provides, combine to make this art blog highly motivational... .

And last month, Laurelines was featured on Andy Hayes' lively,fun travel blog, Sharing Experiences. Andy, based in Edinburgh, is a travel expert and I'm a travel fiend, so it's not surprising that we connected in cyberspace! Here's how, in his words: "

"Who doesn’t love a great art. But what about travel art? I googled travel art but most of the results are about the art of travel. Not exactly the same thing. However, in previous searching of the ‘net I was delighted to come across the paintings of Laura Murphy Frankstone, a fellow travel aficionado and painting genius! Here’s one of her works, representing Iceland. I just love how the sketch tells such a story - with the visual cues and the notes - I feel like I was looking over Laura’s shoulder as she was furious scribbling away in her notepad right there at the dinner table. Lunch at Fjoruhusid cafe, Hellnar, Iceland (If you click on the image, it will open up larger for a better view. By the way, I love the fact that she points out the butter there in the corner. I bet it’s salty. Yum!) Laura has loads of other great sketches, from Gaudi architecture in Barcelona to faces in cafes in Paris. What a nice way to share your experiences, eh? "