Found Type Tuesday

I wish I could have shot this graffiti covered train while it was stopped rather than while it was whizzing past. I think the combination of type is pretty cool despite the slight blurriness of the photo.

Happy Tuesday!

By the Creative Power Vested in Me....

I hereby declare you FINISHED!

Your pages are filled.

Your story is told.

The angels have sung your glory.

The final reflection has been recorded.

It's time for us to close the book on our nearly 18-month journey together and go our separate ways. You will find a safe place to rest among my greatest treasures, and I will find other (much, much, much smaller) books with which to play and alter.

Happy trails, my friend. Thanks for the memories.

Found Type Tuesday

This shot for Found Type Tuesday certainly describes how the days, weeks, and months have been for me lately. Every time I turn around it's Tuesday again and I realize I haven't posted anything since last Tuesday! Where does the time go?

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week.

Found Type Tuesday

I love a good stencil job, but I don't think there's enough money in this world to get me up these stairs! I'll just admire the letters from here thank you very much.

Happy Tuesday friends!

Found Type Tuesday

This is how the streets are signed near the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. I think it's genius and beautiful!

Thanks for visiting and happy Tuesday.

The Optimist Creed

If you are a long-time visitor to lost and found, you might recall a post I wrote about a little German book I was altering called Die schonsten Sagen des Rheins. You can read the original post here. My attempts at altering the book were disastrous and I came close to pitching it on several occasions. In spite of what I put it through, that little book hung in there and just wouldn't give up. When I was finally ready to add some text, The Optimist Creed seemed like an appropriate choice.

I actually finished altering the book a while ago, but the wonkiness of it makes it nearly impossible to photograph properly. I finally gave up and scanned it instead. I hope you enjoy viewing Die schonsten Sagen des Rheins in its entirety and reading The Optimist Creed. It's wonderful advice for everyone to live by.

Found Type Tuesday

xo

Happy Tuesday!

You Don't Have To Be A Perfect Artist To Work In Art

These are the words of Reverend Howard Finster--self-proclaimed "Man of Visions" and "Stranger from Another World." I want you to think about that last sentence. OK, don't just think about it. Go and write it down in your journal or put it on a sticky note and hang it in your studio. Why? Because those are words to live by, to create by, and to be inspired by.

At the age of 60, Howard had a vision from God that told him to paint sacred art. His response was, "Lord, I can't paint. I don't have no education in that." But he heeded the call and he did it anyway. From that day forward, until the day he died, Howard created over 46,000 pieces of art plus the art environment in Georgia known as Paradise Gardens. 46,000 pieces of art!!! I can't stop thinking about that. I haven't stopped thinking about Howard, his art, or his words since visiting this exhibit almost a month ago.

I've been a huge fan of outsider art for many years, but I never had the chance to view Finster's work in person until this exhibit. I took my watercolor Moleskine with me, and filled a number of pages with images from some of his paintings along with bits of text and quotes. Howard numbered each piece of art he made, so I included the number in my sketchbook as well.

One of the reasons I'm so drawn to Howard's work is because almost every piece is covered in text. I don't think Howard stopped to worry about whether his art was good enough, or important enough, or whether the words were spelled correctly. He was, after all, just doing what God told him to do.

If you like folk art, outsider art, religious art, art with text, or just need a big dose of inspiration, I strongly encourage you to visit this or any other exhibit of Howard Finster's art whenever or wherever you have the opportunity. Sometimes it's not just the art, but the story behind the art that can move us, touch us, or have a profound effect on us. Thank you Howard for reminding me that I don't have to be a perfect artist to work in art. From now on I'm going to think of you as my "garding" angel.

Found Type Tuesday

H is for holy-moly-how-is-it-Tuesday-again!?!

Thanks for stopping by. I promise I will have new and different things to share with you soon. In the meantime, have a h-h-h-happy Tuesday!

Found Type Tuesday

I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream. Found Type Tuesday never tasted so good! Treat yourself to a scoop the next time you're out on the prowl for beautiful examples of type wherever you happen to be.