When I was in art school, the professors used to say to use your source materials. Source materials are elements that are important to the artist to initiate a creation . They could be articles, drawings, poems, artworks or any reference element that brings out your creative spirit. It is a good concept and my source items are old monotype drawings and works on paper that I cut up and use for collage pieces.
What they failed to mention is a source location. I have a favorite venue that initiates most of my compositions. The Cranbrook Educational Community is an education, research, and public museum complex in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This National Historic Landmark was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth.
I have been visiting the Cranbrook Community for years and it has helped me in many ways . I have no formal involvement there but as a local resident I have been able to take advantage of the wonderful accolades that the institution provides. Here are my 3 source locations on the grounds.
1. I have been an avid photographer for many years and the vast Cranbrook grounds provided lots of inspiration. I would take my Weimaraner Harley and she would run while I would frame nature shots of various subject matter. It was an exceptional spot to unwind from my job and create art that didn't take too long to capture and develop. Here is a link to some of those images.
https://tinyurl.com/4hv22hks
2. Cranbrook Art Museum invites viewers to discover relevant and transformative moments in modern and contemporary art, architecture, and design. Through our exhibitions, collections, programming, and publications, we bring together people from our region and around the world to provoke new ideas about art, creativity, and the built environment
They often bring out art from their vast collection for shows or display past or recent graduates whose work they so wonderfully display,
3. The Cranbrook Academy of Art Library serves as a resource of visual and written materials to support the research needs of students currently enrolled in the Academy, CAA faculty and staff, and the curatorial staff of the Cranbrook Art Museum. Extensive collections are maintained in each of the ten visual arts disciplines studied at the Academy.
The Art Library is also open to the public and is an invaluable resource for me and my continued art education. The number of books and magazines is very impressive. The new acquisition books are superb and many new ones come in monthly. If you know how much art books cost, you can appreciate my excitement about this great library resource.
So these are the reasons I love the Cranbrook Academy of Art. If you are local , I hope you will visit the grounds, library and museum. You will certainly be in for a pleasant encounter.
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