Cristina Montejo

I’m absolutely smitten with this new set of “coasters” I snagged for free yesterday at a ZeroLandfill event in downtown Toledo. They’re actually samples from a set of ALLSTATE custom rubber tiles refurbished into coasters, which I’ve desperately needed for the longest time but never felt like actually paying/shopping for. What a perfect solution!

ZeroLandfill is a beneficial reuse program held seasonally around Ohio that supports the supply needs of local artists and arts educators while reducing pressure on local landfill capacity. Historically, most expired specification samples usually end up in the waste stream at the end of their lives. ZeroLandfill collaborates with members of the interior design and architectural community to collect those materials before they end up at the dump and offers them to individuals free of charge who find value in the materials as classroom or studio supplies. What an amazing program!!!!

Besides the coasters, I also found these great little hanging color swatches for doodling on, some wallpaper for drawing/reconstructing, and a 10 pound bag of random puzzle pieces to be used as cd packaging for my friend Mark’s new cd Fragments. This was the most amazing find of the day by far! We had joked about somehow putting puzzles pieces in the cd packaging but never dreamed we’d find this crazy bag full of them in all different sizes to actually pull it off. I love when artistic coincidences like this happen – a little nod from the universe that you’re on the right path!

I don’t know if they replenish the piles of stuff or what but there’s going to be one more of these events next Friday – May 15th – from noon to 6pm. Check it out if you happen to be in downtown Toledo or if you’re in need of some free art materials. Also, check out their website to find out where else they’ll be holding events like these during the upcoming summer months. You can expect to find anything from carpet and upholstery swatches, wall coverings/papers, brick, stone, glass, tile and metal samples to a big bag of puzzle pieces! 

Happy hunting! 

Location: 1301 Adams Street, Toledo, OH

Well, I’m a slow-poke but these baby announcements are finally done! And, I’m so incredibly happy with how they turned out.

I used my beloved Gocco to print these up and was worried about registration issues, of course, since I decided to go with a whopping 4 screens this time around. Craziness!! Thank goodness it all worked out despite the unexpected surprises and bumps in the road. My favorite thing about them is how textural and tactile they are. And, you really can’t beat the beautiful sheen of those pearlescent inks!

My friend John came up with a great little project for us to work on.

He gave me three 4″x6″ cardboard rectangles and asked me to do a portrait on each. I love assignments (I’m such a nerd!!!) He’ll ultimately be passing these out to lots of other artists and maybe one day he’ll be able to find a place to showcase them all together.

Here’s what I came up with for the first one. It’s a mixed media piece where I wanted to include a little bit of everything I like – paper cut-outs, simple line drawings, and the circus! 

I haven’t been as good about working on my stream-of-conscious drawing exercises lately as I’d like to be.

When I was at MICA, the director of my program suggested that over winter break I just sit down with with a pad full of blank sheets of paper and a pen or pencil to “see what happens.” The ultimate goal was to come up with content for my books and ‘zines – I’ve always wanted to illustrate but have never been satisfied with my drawing skills. But, I’d always tried to draw from life and had never just let the pen move on its own to see what might happen. This was exercise in letting go and getting over my fear of ruining precious materials. With over 100 pages of blank paper I didn’t have to worry about messing anything up, a fear that overcomes me a lot in the studio and makes me scared to experiment. 

It was difficult at first because the white page was just so daunting. So, I decided to add a bit of pastel color to form a sort  of background on which I could explore my subconscious. I usually take about 2 hours out for these drawing exercises since it takes me an entire hour just to relax and slip into right brain mode from a full day of left brain-centered activity. I usually come out with around 15-20 pieces and when I’m in the “zone” I really have no idea what I’m doing. It’s the strangest, most wonderful feeling of just BEING and when I look at them when I’m finished it’s as though I’m coming out of a trance and seeing the drawings clearly for the first time.

I can’t explain where my drawings come from exactly but they are definitely a reflection of my subconscious and incredibly helpful in understanding what my deepest concerns, hopes and dreams for my life and the world really are. I need to get back into the habit of drawing every night for a couple of hours now that my tendonitis is FINALLY starting to really heal up!! It’s such a relaxing, therapeutic exercise in self discovery.

I’m still having lots of fun with my new camera! Above is a pic of another one of my favorite Christmas presents – a Spark Dino wind-up toy. Isn’t he the greatest?!! He came from locally owned Seattle toy shop Archie McPhee and is quickly becoming my new favorite photo subject. You can find a few more pics of him on my Flickr page.

I’m having trouble getting a good shot of his sparks, which is the best part. I’m not sure how to balance his movement along with the low light levels needed for the sparks to show up in the pic. Any suggestions on how to capture him is all his glory would be much appreciated!!

Check out the amazing packaging that he came in:

SO COOL! I love toy packaging ALMOST as much as I love toys! 

I’m finally done printing these thank you cards!! Isn’t it crazy how different the ink looks on each of the different card stock colors?! Especially on the pink the ink just seemed to take on a life of its own. Something I definitely didn’t expect, but a fun surprise nonetheless. I absolutely love the pearlescent inks I used for this project – lemon drop and aqua – and the metallic silver and gold which give the cards a really cool sheen and bring the wind-up toys to life! 

Santa was very sweet to me this year and brought me a new camera for Christmas, something I’ve been wanting and needing for quite some time now. He must have been feeling VERY generous because somehow I ended up with the exact thing I wanted – a Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xsi along with an additional zoom lens! While I love my old camera and the way it conveys a mood or atmosphere more than an exact record of things as they appear, I’ve been eager to have a camera I can depend on to take accurate photos of my work and life.

Above are a couple of pics from Christmas day and a few more from a trip to Side Cut Metropark the day after Christmas. I am in heaven with my camera and lens – I just can’t believe the picture quality!! And, I’ve already got several photos from my field trip to Side Cut that I’m going to use as the basis for a print series. This camera is going to become an integral part of my art-making process and I couldn’t be more thrilled!

Thank you, Santa!!

It’s official!

I’m going to start volunteering at the Toledo Museum of Art after the first of the year!

Yesterday, I went for an interview and tour of the museum and found out I’m eligible to volunteer during studio sessions – helping teachers and students before, during, and after studio classes. This was my top pick so I’m thrilled at having the chance to do this. I will also be going to schools and assisted living facilities to present information about the museum’s programs and activities, bringing a variety of art activities with me in a “discovery box” for them to play with and create. In addition, I will also be volunteering as a Peristyle usher, which gets me into a ton of performances for free including the ballet, theatre, and symphony. Awesome!!!

It’s not a job, but it’s something to do and a way to get involved in what small art scene there is in Toledo. The museum is ranked 6th best in the country and it’s absolutely gorgeous, full of art from every era and place on earth! They stay open on Friday evenings until 10pm so wandering around the museum and checking out the exhibitions and glass blowing demonstrations has become my new favorite thing to do once the weekend hits.

On display now is the Toledo Area Artists Exhibition, which I’m determined to get into next year but will be very tough to actually pull off. There’s a surprising number of amazing artists in the area so I really have my work cut out for me, but it would be an honor to have my work up in such a beautiful space.

A new year and a new adventure begins!

Christmas always sneaks up on me somehow, especially when I’ve got a million things to get done. This year, I’m happy to say that most of the presents I sent out to friends and family were handmade by yours truly while reveling in Christmas films and jazzy takes on traditional Christmas tunes. 

Above, are a few pics of bell-shaped origami ornaments which have been a favorite gift of mine for years. They’re incredibly simple to make and even easier to customize for a variety of tastes by choosing solid, patterned or textured papers and adding embellishments. Usually, I make a more traditional bell which utilizes no glue at all (just folds) and no embellishments – I let the paper speak for itself. This year, I decided to try out a slight variation on my usual pattern and used this tutorial I found online. The ornaments came out great! 

I’ve never made such fancy ones before, but this amazing japanese paper I found really needed something special to honor it’s beauty. I splurged on Swarovski crystal beads for some of the ornaments and added pairs of angel wings to others, inspired by an old Christmas classic.

I can’t wait to see pics of these on a tree surrounded by tiny white lights! Divine!

Tomorrow the printing begins! 

It took me a lot longer thank I thought it would to figure out the ink colors I want to use on these and of course, I had to make it really hard on myself by choosing four different card stock colors. But, I’m excited about the plan and the colors I’ve chosen and know they’re going to look great if I’m really meticulous throughout the entire process and register them perfectly.

The brown outline color and gray wind up key will actually be printed in gold and silver, so that’ll make these really special and festive. Overall, the colors on these mock-ups are somewhat off but give a good idea of what I’m going for. I want them to look soft and cute without being too girly.

Three screens, six colors. Yikes! I’ve got quite a challenge on my hands.