Claiborne Colombo is an artist, Creative and Design Director based on Lopez Island, WA.NOTES
Making art and designing things where the land meets the sea. A digital journal and visual record of Claiborne’s art, life, design, and inspiration among all other things…
Details matter.
Close ups from HEADSPACE series
There are different ways a viewer interacts with work. The bold pieces send an emotional response that jolts through the body. It's like being shocked by a static piece of clothing fresh out of the dryer – tolerable but surprising.
Lisa Solberg, Camel Two
Then there are the more unsuspecting works that from afar are nothing of great interest. But, the second you step closer you see a glint of something unexpected and it pulls you in.
My mixed-media work tends to fall in the latter category and that is intentional.
If interest is peaked, I want to reward that curiosity by unlocking a world that otherwise would've gone unnoticed. These worlds open up a not-so-secret-garden of thoughts, emotions, and intimacy. I want to connect on a deeper more personal level. I don't want to create quick hits that rapidly fade. I want to create work that lingers and makes you think even once you've left.
Follow your gut.
Nationale, Portland OR
"Our first tenet of art collecting is simple: if you see a piece and you can't stop thinking about it for days or weeks, then you should consider buying it—much more than buying something because the artist is popular. Use your intuition to always buy what you love, but also don't shy away from difficult imagery—you may learn the most from having those more challenging pieces in your daily life."
Great perspective on how and why you should purchase art.
¡NEW WORK! up in the shop.
It has been a while since I've updated my shop and the majority of the paintings had sold. Great problem to have and a good motivator for getting some new stuff up. There had been a lot of paintings that were 90% there and just needed the final touches. Yesterday was very productive. I refreshed the shop and posted new artwork in my gallery. Feels like spring cleaning and I am excited to see what this year will bring.
Photographing work means a messy studio
Lots of artist tape was used during this period
Watercolor meet wood.
Trying out watercolor on new surfaces. We'll see how this experiment goes.
Gel pens on point.
new work with metallic marks.
playing with metallic gel pens like i'm back in middle school.
squiggles and triangles.
Working in pen.
working in pen is a lot like watercolor. you can't hide the fuck ups. you have to embrace them or leave them and move on. here's to letting go and messing up a bunch of paintings.
i have to always tell myself its only paper. its okay if you mess up. it doesn't matter. i still hate fucking up though. but at least it's just paper.
Latest works.
hustling in the new year with the start of some new work. #art #abstract #watercolor
the base of new work. watercolor on now its time to do some mixed-media magic.
“Creative people are by nature curious.
Curiosity is never satisfied.
Once curiosity becomes satisfied,
then it becomes complacency.”
– Jim Riswold
All mixed up.
loving getting back into mixed media. the watercolor serves as a nice foundation for a narrative to come to life.
Neon craze.
Work in progress, August 2015
I used to work in only earth tones but sometime there's beauty in loudness.
Patience and duckies.
Make Way For Ducklings, 2015
Occasionally I work on commission. What I like about these projects is that they get me to step out of my normal style and stretch in other ways. Having worked in the abstract realm for so long it is an adjustment to work in the world of realism. The process pushes me out of my comfort zone. Eyes, feathers and webbed feet? This piece for a nursery required practice and a lot of attention to detail. I got to use methods I don't normally bring into my practice (dry brush) and I really focused on refinement. Happy with how it turned out and even happier for the new momma!
Go big and plank.
This weekend I finally unrolled my paper and explored what it means to go big. Other than some technical difficulties it went well. Whenever you work at a new scale there is an adjustment phase. This one especially requires some tools to get the paper to stay flat. I also need to scale my process so I can lift the paper to get the drips that I love. Thank goodness for handy husband. We are brainstorming on some ideas to allow me to do this easily.
Outside ≠ In
this summer has been all about being outside and not in the studio. it just seemed to work out that way. it is such a balance. i need to be outdoors just as much as i need to be the studio. both are outlets i've always floated between. when i favor one, i crave the other.
out there i collect inspiration. i've had this urge recently to make something big. i can't help but think it is because i've been made to feel small by the impressive beauty around me. it gives me perspective and i love that. i love that because when we live in our heads our world feels so big but when you look up to a naked sky with thousands of stars you can't help but realize how small we are. we are fucking ants.
i've also had this big roll of watercolor paper in my studio and i hear my teacher from college pushing me in my head saying:
"what are you waiting for? you need to start working."
i agree - i need to stop waiting and work.
Ink away.
I am totally hooked. This past weekend I got to spend time in White Salmon, OR at Wildcraft Studio. It was a 2-day intensive screen printing workshop taught by the owner Chelsea Heffner.
Not only do I love screen printing and want to get into it more seriously but I also realized three other things.
1. I cannot wait to have my own studio.
2. Being around other like-minded artist is so invaluable.
3. Learning new techniques is so important for understanding your craft and others.
The studio space and surrounding area are simply inspiring but, more importantly, so were the people. I loved being around makers and creators of all trades. Still on cloud-9.
Wanderlust.
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
–Albert Einstein