The 365 Project - Angela Staehling
The following blog was written by Artist Angela Staehling:
For over 15 years, I have been working as a licensed artist to create home decor products. My product range includes any items from dinnerware and stationery, to wall art and kitchen textiles. Most of my clients are larger retailers, such as Target, Pier 1 Imports, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Michael's. However, I also work with many boutique retailers around the world and online.
I am thrilled to be creating this new line of imagery with the Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Art Journals. This collection of journal entries captures a different painting every day. As part of a larger 365 Project, I decided to categorize each month to reflect a different theme based on nature.
I began painting these daily sketches in March as a way to keep true to my art. As a licensed artist, I spend a lot of time on the computer tweaking and altering my imagery to fit product specifications. I found that many days would go by that I hadn't even picked up a paintbrush. With art as my passion, I decided to create a sketch every day for one year. I follow several artists on Instagram who have taken on the same yearly challenge. They have been my inspiration, as well as other followers who have kindly shared stories, tips, and other encouraging comments.
For my daily journal entries, I specifically chose gouache as my main medium. I had been painting in oil and acrylic (and some watercolor) for over 20 years. It was time to freshen up my style and experiment with a new medium. One of my goals was to break away from some of the realistic work I've created in the past. Another goal was to introduce new color combinations while adding more modern hand-lettering. The idea of working in a high quality sketchbook every day forced me to not overthink any of my daily entries. The whole purpose was to create art for myself that wasn't a specific request from a client. It was, and is, a very free-form approach to my art. The only confines I have are how each painting will look as it's placed into a grid at the end of the month. At the end of each month, I post a photo of all of the daily entries of that month as a collage. Therefore, I keep an ongoing grid in Photoshop where I can see how all of the background colors will look as they come together.
I love the Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Art Journals because the paper is durable enough to hold my washes and thicker layers of paint. The paper is also smooth so that my artwork and lettering don't get rough along the edges. I have used both the soft-cover and hard-cover versions of the Art Journals and they work equally as well.
I am excited to continue my daily entries, and even think about creating a new 365 series after this year is finished. Ironically, these personal sketches have now caught the eye of several global manufacturers who would like to turn the art into wall art, stationery, fabrics, and more. Whether or not these images get selected to be on any of those products, I am happy to continue my daily journal entries as way of doing what I love.
Click here to see more daily paintings on Angela's website.
Sealife:
Mushrooms:
