Pears, Cupcakes and some other stuff

One good thing about being home sick is that I've had more time to make art!! I have put TWO NEW PIECES in my shop. Both of these pieces (sold separately) are on stretched canvas just waiting liven up your wall. I think they'd look cool on a bookshelf, too.

This morning my brother, Lee (yes, Lee and Tod are both our brothers), pointed me in the direction of an article in the LA Times about some drama and some scrapbookers.  My brother has already summarized part the article:

Scrapbooker Kristina Contes was inducted into Creating Keepsake magazine's Scrapbooking Hall of Fame based on an entry she did that included photographs of herself. Contes asked Creating Keepsakes to be sure to credit the photographer who took the pictures, which they did. When Contes' winning entry was published, with Contes and the photographer credited, scrapbookers went into a tizzy because the contest rules stated that entrants had to produce everything they used themselves -- and by using an outside photographer, Contes broke the rules. Apparently, neither Creating Keepsakes or Contes realized the mistake until it was too late.

Before the magazine even went to print, the editor should've made sure the winning applicant(s) met the criteria and that is all I am going to say on that issue. Something else in the article caught my attention. I do not know Kristina Contes  and I do not read the blogs mentioned in the article or Creating Keepsakes Magazine. I do find it interesting that some people seemed really irked that Kristina was using- hold on to your hats people- pictures of HERSELF, things she LIKED (fashion!), and non-archival quality items in her scrapbook pages. I am also really surprised that in a hobby/lifestyle/whatever you want to call it all about preserving memories and all the little good moments in life, some people are so judgmental about how other people do things. Why does it matter that she used pictures of herself in her OWN SCRAP BOOK PAGES? WHO CARES?
Using photos of yourself (and your purse!) in ART seems normal to us.  And, if you know us you know we think art is everywhere and in everyone. Over the last few years, we've been asked repeatedly about how scrapbooking and art journaling are the same or different.  It's funny we get asked so often because we are not scrapbookers. We're  also not knitters or violin players but nobody ever asks us the difference between art journaling and those hobbies. Though, I bet if you read our books, you'll see that you can incorporate our philosophies about self expression and art into knitting and violin playing, too. We have written an article about art journaling and scrapbooking for the spring '08 issue of Memory Makers Magazine.  If you can't wait until spring, listen to the ScrapHappy podcast next week because I discussed the differences with Lain. We also discussed my fabulous art studio and the high tech thing I keep my journal pages in! I won't be listening to the podcast because I might die when I hear my own voice and I think I may have repeated myself too much or started each answer with the same thing, Well, for me.... AAAAAAHHHH! It should be Karen's job to do the interviews when they involve talking.

We hope that if you are a scrapper or an art journaler or a knitter or a violin player, that you are absolutely PUTTING YOURSELF into whatever you create.

Comments

[CarrieJ]

Technically she was the model ... so she did produce the art. I can take a picture of a Picasso, blow it up amd hang it on my wall ... am I Picasso? HEY SWEET ... tell everyone that I am Picasso. I am so changing my name!
DAMN ... don't you wish there was a font for sarcasm??? Who cares about italics ... a sarcasm slant is needed!!

[Lain]

I think the majority of scrapbookers realize that recording ourselves on our pages is not only "okay," but wonderful. I think Kristina alienated many people by her "screw you" attitude towards "traditional" scrapbookers. I don't care what she puts on her pages, but it does tick me off when a certain cadre of scrapbookers/artists/creative types/whoever shows disdain for the less "hip, urbane, edgy, cool" participants. My belief is that we are all doing the same thing -- creating art, recording memories, having fun. So why point fingers at all?? ***Why can't we all just be friends???***

[Maria]

Okay, couldn't help it, but that pear canvas is absolutely divine! LOVE everything about it. And about the big drama thing, I'm with you, the editorial staff should have made sure that each applicant met the criteria, but I think it all got blown too out of proportion...they realized they made a mistake (humans are not perfect), they appologized to the public and well, that should have been the end of it. I obviously do not know Kristina, or anyone involved, but from a reader standpoint, I just couldn't understand why there was such a big fuss. And that particular rule just did not make sense anyway...people should be allowed to use pictures, any pictures they want to use, and it would be nice if they properly credit the photographer (although sometimes you simply can't --would you know who took your picture when you were age 7 and were at a party of one of your little girlfriend with whom you've lost touch with over two decades ago?). But oh well, mistakes are made everyday...life should go on. And like Lainie said, "(w)hy can't we all just be friends?"

[Sondra Caserio]

okay, this has nothing to do with your post but i couldn't remember what your email address was and i have a cold and feel icky and lazy and well, here is why i'm writing:
I was flipping thru the nov/dec issue of blueprint (yeah i'm so withit that it takes me months to catch up on my magazine reading...) anyway they had this little tip that i saw and immediately thought of you 'cause who doesn't need bright pink tape? www.findtape.com
feel better! I'm personally eating dove chocolate and ginger chews as my get-better health regimine today...
-sondra

[Jane Devin]

Okay, a question. If all materials in the scrapbook had to be produced by the artist, as the article and apparently the rules state, where does this leave collages, magazine clippings and pics, special paper. . .or any paper for that matter? If rubber stamps were used, did they have to make their own? Did they have to use beet juice for paint, and if so who grew the beet?

And, as Maria pointed out, what about using childhood pics? Or some other tangible thing -- say a bead, or a matchbook? Would the rules exclude those because they were created by someone else?

Are these dumb questions, or was the rule as dumb as I'm making it out to be?

[Teresa]

I'm just going to assume that only a small number of people actually complained about the contest winner and the photo. It must have been a squeaky wheel situation, right? Because MOST people who journal or collage or art journal or scrapbook or whatever you do to create, MOST of us know that it's about the creativity and the inspirition and being too concerned about the rules is just stupid. So congrats to the winner and I hope she didn't let this get her down.

[suzi finer]

oh yes, that creating keepsakes debacle. funny that the story finally made its way into the l.a.times.
whatever.
love.

[Cindy McDannold]

The Kristina Contes mess...I agree that at some point the "screw (@#$%)you" attitude did some harm, but I think that the race for fame, money and product is beginning to play to big of a part in the way we do our scrapbooking/art.
Everyone wants their lo to be contest ready. I guess I have such low ambition that I just want mine to be enjoyable. I use stuff that I like not what is trendy or popular. Oh, well, I do pics of trees, animals, kids, food, my house and/or car and would do pics of me if I looked as good as Krintina Contes. Cindy

[Nadia Munarolo-Kurjata]

I took a class with her in October and found her to be a real down to earth girl. very real and very much about just making stuff and make it your own and have fun with it. the difference from my view of scrapbooking and art journaling is not really important. I think in every area of art there are the serious artists who are all about rules, mediums, recognition, schooling and then there are those that just make stuff without really thinking about the product, who is going to see it, what degree they have and is it going to win a contest. What ticks me off is people who feel the need to come down hard on someone who didn't do it right or didn't measure correctly and just have a fit! Get a life and just make something for the heck of it! Funniest thing I ever heard is a lady who dressed her daughter up in a strawberry outfit and did a photo shoot with strawberries all because she had found this paper she loved and wanted to have the pictures be perfect for the paper. agh!

[Josie]

um...Kristina wasn't the only person disqualified for breaking the photography rule. Another person had the exact same thing happen. Of course, Kristina doesn't mention that. Instead, she finds some gullible beat reporter based in NY and feeds her some sob story about how everybody hates her because she's soooo hip and kewl.

I find it rather amusing that you would take up the cause of this "poor, misunderstood artiste" without bothering to gather a single fact. Do you believe everything you read? Are you really that gullible?

btw - The term "Life Artist" was coined by Ali Edwards. She was the real innovator - an advocate for documenting the good, the bad, and the in-between for your scrapbooks and journals. Kristina merely jumped on the bandwagon. As in most things, the true artist is busy making art while the poseur is busy trying to convince the world they are who the claim to be.