MADS

my art and thoughts

[yesimmads]

THIS FRIDAY. Var Gallery. Walkers Point MKE. 5-10PM Come watch me pick my nose in T3CHN!C0L0R 👽🔮🆒 (and full-quality) at the opening reception for @vargallery's new figure exhibition!! 🍷 . I created this piece as a contradiction to idealized images of women found in typical advertising and media with the flashy-ness of times square lights. A cool effect that I didn't anticipate is the way the colors of the background change along with the lights, which sort of creates a kenetic effect (a quality that is also often absent in idealized images). But I really want to try looking at it with 3d glasses because I feel like that'd be a trip... @vargallery (at Var Gallery & Studios)

[yesimmads]

😍😍😍 @mondaynight is starting to unveil IRL photos of the cans I helped them design and I'm ogling HARD. They're so shiney and bright and playful and everyone in the greater Atlanta area should start scouring your favorite bars and liquor stores for these out in the wild. And share pictures!! I'm living vicariously through you, ATLiens!!! (at Atlanta, Georgia)

[yesimmads]

Spent most of today in bed battling some vertigo 💀💫 (which SUX btw). But taking a sick day gave me an opportunity to watch Netflix's Abstract documentary series. I learned a really great lesson from illustrator Christoph Niemann (@abstractsunday) expanding on a Chuck Close quote: "Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work." Christoph commented that that idea sort of relieves artists of some pressure. I frequently have days where I don't *feel* creative or inspired and it's easy to just say "well, I'm just not in the flow today so I'll try again tomorrow." But professionals can't put off creativity -- it's not in the job description. So by acknowledging a lack of inspiration but refusing to become a prisoner of it, we can be honest yet still productive with our artistic work. I'm definitely going to try to work on that. 👍 I'm going to try to go for a short walk soon to drop a #freeartfriday, but it'll be around the bay view area since I can't drive. Has anyone else experienced vertigo before? Did you get antsy and restless or did you just try to relax and enjoy the immobility? I'm going crazy here! 😩💓 Artwork: New York Magazine cover by Christoph Niemann (at My Couch)

[yesimmads]

Shipped out some goodies to Atlanta for my upcoming installation on the Beltline, and it's 67° in MKE right now, so I'm really missing Georgia today! Starting Sept 1, you'll be able to view some of my work as part of #725views, right outside of Ponce City Market. Unfortunately I won't be able to see the piece in person, so would people take some pics and share it with me once it's up? I'll give you a tiny preview of what to expect... the title is "Dreaming (and drooling) in Color" 😂 What do guys think it's gonna be? (at Bay View, Milwaukee)

[yesimmads]

BIG NEWS: I had so much fun drawing these illustrations for @mondaynight's new beer, Dr. Robot, which is part of a totally fresh lineup of core beers! I'm humbled to have worked in collaboration with MNB to redesign their look as they make the transition from bottles to cans. You can read a bit about the project in my August newsletter out TODAY (link in bio) and from Monday Night's blog post available on their website. Since MKE is just a bit outside of their distribution zone, I will in fact be accepting beer care packages from my ATL frandz when these new beers are released. (I mean, blackberry lemon sour WHATTTT!!?)

[yesimmads]

It might seem like I've been living off the grid for the past week-ish, but I've been INSANELY busy with officially moving across the country from Atlanta back home to Milwaukee! Also we get no cell reception in Bay View, so I'm sort of literally off the grid too ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I've got a BUNCH of exciting news and upcoming projects to share with you all, so stay tuned for my newsletter which will be coming out later this week. ALSO, I'm becoming more aware of the fact that I haven't lived in WI since I was 18, and there's so much that's new to me! On that note, I have plenty of new craft breweries to visit 👐 Which ones should I check out first?? WHO WANTS TO COME WITH ME?! #mke #mkexplore #localbeer #craftbeer #mkehome #milwaukee (at Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

[yesimmads]

Been working like crazy this past week, but I'm grateful because I finally get to see my mustached (and bearded) best bud today! We're packing up the ATL apartment to make the drive back to our new house in Bay View next week. 👐 milwaukee, I can't wait to see what sorts of shenanigans we'll get into!! Get ready, partner in crime @jmasterson92 (at Little Five Points)

[yesimmads]

#tbt to literally my LAST day in Atlanta, when I was able to squeeze in one last visit to the #HighMuseum to see their absolutely incredible Andy Warhol show. Andy's artwork, aesthetic, personality, and perspective of the world has been a major influence in my own artwork, so it was a one in a lifetime experience to see such a huge (and I mean HUGE) collection of some of his greatest prints all in one day. His inclusion of marketing, cultural, and popular imagery in his work blurred the lines between fine art and "low art" and changed the art world forever. Seeing his prints in person is also a beautiful on a technical level as well. I mean LOOK AT THAT REGISTRATION on those Campbell's cans!! To this he made these prints without any digital rendering is impressive. The way he played with color was true to his honest, analytical, adventurous, and fashionable personality. I'm so glad I made the time to visit this show between packing and I encourage everyone to treat yourself to a visit if you're in the ATL area!! Has anyone else seen it?? What was your favorite part? I'd love to hear about your experience! #andywarhol #HighMuseum #andywarholprints (at High Museum of Art, Atlanta)

[yesimmads]

These prints are officially available in my shop! Click the link in my bio and head over to "Collect" to reserve one of these for yourself - there's only 10 available, so don't miss out. I've been running around like a crazy person today getting the last of my things together for my move back to MKE (eek!) But I wanted a chance to say thanks to everyone for following along with this print project. I'm really glad that it's interesting to you guys. Plus, many artists love talking about their process! Next time you're at an art fair or show, I encourage you to ask the maker more about the process of creating their work - I'm sure it's more intricate than one would assume. The creation process is part of how we all learn to love art for more than just what it looks like... and isn't that what we're trying to do with most aspects of life nowadays? 😘 (at Atlanta, Georgia)

[yesimmads]

Step 5: PRINTING!!!!! This is the culmination of all the steps we've completed up to now -- finally, after prepping our screen and paper and a million other tiny details that I didn't show you, we get to print our design! Basically, the actual printing step of silkscreening includes laying a thin layer of ink over our screen's image area with a fancy squeegee, and then pressing the squeegee down again even harder to allow the screen to make contact with the paper - which pushes the ink through the open areas of our screen onto the paper to create our print. This is a little snippet of the 4th and final layer/color of this print project! It will be on my website soon if you'd like to collect one, and I was able to bust out a limited edition of 14. Stay tuned for the final big step of the screenprinting process, where I clean up all the prints and make my mark on each piece. Also, I'm too busy to figure out how to flip this boomerang, and too lazy to come up with a better excuse. Oops. I'll be sharing each step of the screenprinting process during my current print project - so follow along!! #homescreen #ScreenAtHome (at Little Five Points)

[yesimmads]

Step 4: Print Prep!! Now that our screen is prepped, it's time to get together all the supplies and other components for printing. One of those supplies is this... hole-punch-pin-thing 😞 (fellow printmakers, does this thing have a name?!) Ok let's back up: silkscreen prints are created by stacking layers of colors on top of one another to create an image. For example, my current print project will have 4 colors, which means 4 layers of printing. By hole punching my paper and using this pin thing, I can make sure that all of my prints are *registered* -- which is basically the fancy printmaking term for making sure all the layers line up. There's a few different methods of registration, but this is the one that works best for me! Once I learned this trick (shoutout to my favorite print prof @missjenski!) I greatly increased the amount of successful prints for each run! Before we get INKY WITH IT.... anyone know what design I'm printing? Hint: you've seen it before!! I'll be sharing each step of the screenprinting process during my current print project - so follow along!! #homescreen #ScreenAtHome (at Atlanta, Georgia)

[yesimmads]

Over a week ago, millions of us throughout the country (and the world!) marched together in solidarity and love. Today, as we continue to stand up for one another, we must keep our fire going! The organizers of the Women's March have launched an amazing new campaign of 10 actions in the first 100 days of our new administration. Act no.1 is to write/call your local congressperson about an issue that is important to you. We need to keep reminding our representatives that they work for us!! 👊🌎💪 . . #womensmarch #nobannowall #nastywoman #nodapl (at Atlanta, Georgia)

[yesimmads]

A quality beer is appropriate for all days that end in Y... amirite ladies?? What's your favorite local/craft brew? Lately I've been obsessed with @mondaynight brewing's Drafty Kilt scotch ale, perfect for wintertime. 🍺❤ ❄ Hoping to bust out a print of this design over the next few weeks to put in my online shop (featuring the lovely @addiegerritts)... stay tuned! (at Eastside, Atlanta, Georgia)

[yesimmads]

Tomorrow's your last day to put in an order from my print shop before I head back to Milwaukee for the holidays! So wrap up your holiday shopping early and get some goodies!! (Like this "Gold Digger" print) LINK IN BIO . . . . . . . . . . #handmade #localartist #artistsofinstagram #artoninstagram #screenprinting #screenprint #art #artoftheday #artofvisuals #artsy #createexplore #createexploretakeover #modernart #artmagazine #ratedmodernart #artfido #contemporaryart #worldofartists #igdaily #atlanta #atlantaart #faf #atl #golddigger #instagood #instaart #madisonsternig #maddiesternig #holidaygifts #holiday #christmas #christmasgifts #giftideas #gifts (at Atlanta, Georgia)

[yesimmads]

Reg always makes these weird chirping noises when I'm in my studio and I just realized it's because light reflects off my watch when im working #regthelege #catsofinstagram #reggiewatts (at Little Five Points)

[yesimmads]

#inktober (at Inman Park Neighborhood)

[yesimmads]

Had a great time at the opening of the @printmakers_atl members exhibition opening reception last night at @paper_plane_atl! The quality of the artwork was so impressive, it really got me excited to dive deep into this local printmaking community. The show is up until November 23rd so do yourself a favor and check it out! #ppgatl #ppatl (at Paper Plane Gallery)