Travel Diary: SCOPE Miami Beach.

In December 2013, I had the privilege of showing my work at the prestigious SCOPE Miami/Art Basel in Miami! This opportunity was made possible through the Red Bull Curates competition, which I won last Summer. I got busy working on three original 40x40" pieces on stretch canvases just as soon as I knew I was going! December arrived before I knew it, and I was off to Miami Beach for the first time!

It was amazing to finally utilize my Cykochik tote bag as my carry-on. Not only did it keep me super organized during my busy trip, but it handled flights, layovers, being covered in sand and salt spray at the beach, and carrying way too many things at once with perfect ease. I even carried my lunch around in it at times. Not even a scuff! If anything, it's actually looked better the more I've used it.

My Red Bull credentials!

Hello, MIAMI! After a late flight, I got much needed sleep and woke up early to explore! It was amazing to stay at the Clevelander hotel, just a five minute walk to the beach! This was my first glimpse of the SCOPE Pavilion.

They were still tidying up a bit on Press/ VIP first-look day since it didn't technically open until the next day. It was absolutely surreal to be attending a contemporary art show like this ON THE BEACH.

Two of my three pieces!

Charmaine Olivia's work was even more beautiful in person.

Viveros is a genius!

Audrey Kawasaki's mini solo show in the Thinkspace Gallery booth.

To see Audrey Kawasaki's work in person was such a treat.

Mark Ryden!

Nychos never disappoints.

This heart made of taxidermy bats was pretty spectacular.

The area around the Clevelander was delightfully walkable. I spent my mornings enjoying croissants, eggs, and espresso at this cute cafe across from the beach and the Art Deco Welcome Center. This was my first out-of-town adventure without a travel buddy (the first half, at least), but I was pleasantly surprised at the self-reflection experiencing a new place solo gave me.

I couldn't get enough of the beach. I hadn't seen sands this white and pristine since I was in Cozumel, Mexico several years ago. Miami Beach was just as beautiful (if not more) as I imagined it would be.

Midway through my trip, my lovely hosts, The Arts Fund, held a special artist dinner for all of us at the amazing Baoli off Colins Avenue in Miami Beach. It was a beautiful experience getting to know the other artists, and enjoying delicious food and red wine by candlelight under the stars on their outdoor patio.

My partner in crime arrived on day 3 of my trip, and we had a super late al fresco dinner at the News Cafe, then went for a walk on the beach just as the sun was coming up.

This trip was truly one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It was an amazing opportunity to show my work amongst so many prolific artists, and I can't thank RED BULL and the Arts Fund enough. Goodbye, Miami! I'll never forget you!

Link Love: 5.2014

• 5 hand lettering artists to follow in Instagram.
• When I'm plagued with wanderlust, I love taking a quick mental vacation on Atlas Obscura. My most search was strange and unusual places in Japan.
• Chernobyl's bugs: The art and science of life after nuclear fallout.
•  Hitomi Hosono’s plant-like porcelain sculptures are absolutely stunning.
• A Beautiful Mess has a great tutorial on how to make your own gorgeous DIY hand-stamped necklace.
• Have you ever wondered what was in a drop of seawater?
• Walking the fine line between inspiration and imitation.
• I can't express how much I admire both the haunting art (and music) of Menton3. High Fructose did a great write-up of his recent solo show Katabasis at Last Rites in NYC.

Printable Art Project: Coloring Worksheets!

I'm so excited to now have my very own "projects" page in Sakura of America's Creative Inspiration section on their site! You can now download and print FREE PDFs of worksheets to color and adorn here! I'll be adding more on a regular basis, so be sure to check back often.

A little back story on the worksheets: Back in February, I had the privilege of being part of an Interactive Children's Art Workshop hosted by the local non-profit, Art Love Magic at Southside on Lamar in downtown Dallas. These workshops are held several times a year, and aims to allow children ages 4-16 to work alongside real artists in an open studio environment. I love this approach because it provides children the opportunity to experiment with many different mediums, as well as interact with established artists and other kids in a way is more organic than overly structured. Rather than just offer the kids paper and pens to draw with, I decided to print off these blank-faced worksheets. They were a huge hit among children and adults, and I hope you'll enjoy coloring them as well.

If you end up printing them for yourself or young ones, I'd love it so much if you shared your result. You can post them in the comments or on my Facebook page. Have fun!

Lady of the Flowers.

I've been a longtime fan of Dallas Artist/Designer/Illustrator Brad Albright. When he began offering his very own customizable blank, I just had to snag one to doodle on. My finished piece, Lady of the Flowers (named after a Placebo song I adore), is now available in my shop.

You can purchase your own Numm Skull blank by visiting Brad's shop here.

Link Love: 4.2014

• I'm smitten with Katy Horan's muted, folk-inspired art. She's also a fellow Texas artist!
• 20 untranslatable words from around the world. (I have an inkling this may inspire a future art series...)
• My friend Dehvon has a magical power: creating galaxies encased in resin.
• Though I have real tattoos, I'm tempted to order some of these beautiful black and white Tattly temporary tattoos. I also love the typographic designs.
• Select photographs by the late Diane Arbus are now part of the "Masterpieces & Curiosities" exhibit at the Jewish Museum in NYC through August 3rd. I love Diane's insight into her somewhat controversial subject matter: "Most people go through life dreading they’ll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They’ve already passed their test in life. They’re aristocrats.”
• LIX is about to launch the smallest 3D printing pen in the world on Kickstarter. I'm already daydreaming about the things I could create with this amazing tool!

More Link Love posts can be found here.