..I once read that Pythagoras is credited with having discovered the physical relationship between mass and sound, (otherwise known as music), and that this relationship (expressible as ratios) is essentially what led to Galileo’s revolutionary discoveries in physics. Reading this intrigued me …could the relationship between mass and sound be the same as the relationship between mass and line? uhhhmmm…(otherwise known as drawing)

Hymn of the Republic

What I mean is the same physical relationship occurs in a drawing when you choose more of this and less of that. It’s simply music on paper.

With this thought and an arsenal of ideas I decided to research a little into Plato’s theory on Music of the Seven Spheres at the American Museum of Natural History .

In the beginning I found that Pythagoras’ theory correlated the music of the spheres with cosmic harmony, and while at the museum that Plato actually related it to 7 planets. So I knew it was important to frame my thoughts with an essence of say, global or “universal familiarity”, and decided angels were the logical symbol to design the idea around.

Angels are a symbol of higher power that cross pretty much all culture,borders and language.

So maybe it could work?

Maybe it really could…

It’s the journey of discovery that’s the most exciting part for me (and admittedly the reason I continue to hunt for more).

Who really knows where a drawing can lead, this mixture of mass and line?  Maybe it is only the angels.

All images are property of Michele Bedigian©2010 Please inquire for permission to use, or to learn more on this series, by emailing michele@studio1482.com

happy   happy   happy

go the animals

as they parade through the African village in Animal Kingdom

happy   happy   happy   am I  to be drawing them

Drawing this parade was really an adventure. There was no room to stall, no room to judge. I had to be quick and trust my instinct! When I looked a little harder and studied what was coming down the street, the experience was amazing. It was global, it was evolutionary, even historical. I guess the message was clear … that we all need to look a little closer at the world and appreciate it’s gifts -  Michele

Here are a few thumbnails done 10 minutes before my colorful friends arrived.

My last official ‘published post’ was in January … a season past, and if you’ve been wondering if I’ve actually followed up with those ‘good intentions’ I must confess proudly, yes. Although I haven’t been posting day to day on the happenings, there’s exciting news to share. 

The past few months I’ve not only had the privilege to work on some awesome projects, but found myself designing a group promotion that I’m really, really proud of.

It was the first of much to come for 1482. Inspired by the great masters of seasons past, such as Picasso, Bakst, Passalaqua, and Brangwyn, we (Despina Georgiadis,  myself , Greg Betza, and  Dominick Santise) decided to create, design and produce a contemporary piece with an artists eye on the popular debates we hear so often regarding environmentalism.

Artists are interesting people, (and if you know one personally), you know they are full of opinion, direction, and most often very passionate about their vision. This is why I can’t express how much the process of working with these particular three meant to me. 

We met often, either in the museum’s Petrie sculpture garden or someone’s home studio always ready to engage in new possibilities aiming high for that ultimate goal; a successful product, and still be Ok to discard what felt wrong through the journey.

I guess the most magical part was through meeting after meeting, (although we clearly knew the direction), we never saw each others images. We worked on faith. “What a glorious compilation of talent and interest. We don’t think alike, we don’t work alike, but somewhere we knew instinctively it would work in the end.”

It wasn’t until the last day, over at Greg and Despina’s that we brought the images together and unveiled the gold. Christmas couldn’t compare. Dominick said, “it was like when all the relatives get together for the first time”.                   

… and in the end, it truly was a symphony of images speaking aloud, each with an opinion, a direction and for sure great passion.

I wonder if we’ll look back on this collective one day, in another season, maybe wiser, certainly older and see it’s richness through life’s unpredictable filter, time.

   But something always seems to happen within the first thirty days that makes it get a little fuzzy around the edges, and predictably six weeks later I’m back exactly where I was two days before Thanksgiving, (the calendar year before), negotiating with my big plan A and tweaking the edges (that is if I can even find the list at all in the pile on my drafting table). So what makes this year any different? 

 Approach … so simple a concept, why didn’t I think of it before?

(I guess too easy, LOL)   …and so it begins in 2009, one nibble at a time.  

* Be sure to check out some new book jacket samples I just uploaded on the studio site. 

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 … reboot that clock!

May your new year arrive with intention

and draw on wonder.

Wishing you all life’s best.

btw … figure out my month featured in the calendar yet?

clue no.2:  

“Peacefully                                                                

The quiet stars came out, one after one;

The holy twilight fell upon the sea,  

The summer day was done.”- Celia Thaxter

But I couldn’t let it go without sharing the good news …. Our annual calendar promotions have arrived and there are a limited number still available. This year’s features are pretty hot! If you’d like one, just send me an email with your name and address and I’ll get one out to you asap, (while supplies last of course!).

can you guess what month I’m featured in?

clue no.1 :

“It is the month of ____?                                                                                        The month of leaves and roses,                                                                                  When pleasant sights salute the eyes,                                                                        And pleasant scents the noses.”

                                                    - Nathaniel Parker Willis

highlights from the Buck’s County Chocolate Show in New Hope, Pennsylvania

… and oh what a show it was!

The word Chocolate alone draws in a crowd. So I wasn’t surprised how the line wrapped around the building as early as 10am. But what did surprise me was how many people, (all hunting for the best chocolate they can find), found such a genuine interested in the exhibit. They asked all sorts of questions; Did I make everything by hand? Was the packaging real? and most curiously, how was I able to design a poster from all these individual handmade parts?  

The beauty of it was that I met people for whom the concept of constructing an original piece of art digitally from handmade elements was a bit foreign. (Quickly making it clear that this was a gifted opportunity to share some insight on how the computer can be used just as simply as a paintbrush to achieve an artist’s vision.)

 The exchange was exhilarating. What I walked away with was a better understanding of the unique moment in time the art world is moving. 

Looking forward to see what happens next year!

-Michele 

p.s.  The question is often debated what constitutes an original piece of art. In my mind’s eye an original is a piece that is created directly from thought to craft and there is no other combination of elements put together that precede it’s existence in an identical fashion. 

The Journey of the Pod, 2008  

A few weeks back I received an email announcing a call for an open submission to a poster contest. Ordinarily I would’ve passed on it figuring I didn’t have the time. But something about this peaked my interest.                                                                                                       It was the word, chocolate.                                                                                                     Those of you who know me would not be surprised why this word is so special. I’ve spent years studying and exploring the history of this magnificent commodity that is so richly woven into our culture.

After Godiva and FarCoast, once again the call for art was knocking and I wasn’t about to pass up the chance to experience another journey with this little pod. My mentor always said do what you love and it finds you. So I designed a poster and sent it off. (I must admit just doing art for art’s sake was amazing.) 

About 2 weeks later I received an email notifying me that indeed I was being considered for the winning entry, and would be granted the privilege if I agreed to exhibit the original pieces that made up the components of the digital collage at the chocolate show. Who could resist the offer? …. getting to spend time with two of my passions, art and chocolate.                                                                                                     Hope you’ll join me in the fun. If not, check back in for the highlights.                                                                                                                                                                                     Ciao,                                                                                                                                  Michele 

Buck’s County Chocolate Show – June 1, 2008 

  A portion of the poster proceeds will go to Rainforest Alliance 

A new year, a new site, and new opportunity…

    …to check out some great art!

As I sit and wait for the news of our official launch, my mailbox floods with chatter. Emails are coming in so fast it’s difficult to tell which one was meant to be read first and hard to follow. Buzz is in the air as we get ready to share a new website with the visual arts community. While it’s been hard work, it’s also been a real pleasure putting together a fresh collection that is sure to offer an invaluable service to our business and our clients.

Sifting through all these emails a thought occurs to me how much the studio has grown, collectively and individually. With so much experience between us something special brought us here and something even more special is blossoming fast.

Visit the new site Studio1482.com. There’s a great compendium of images that, (wink), I think you’ll find make us pretty unique. If you feel inclined, you can view mine directly here.

Enjoy! It’d be nice to know what you think.

p.s. I can’t close this entry without a big thanks to one of our own, Eddie Pena,  for designing the site, and all his time and effort in the task of organizing nine.