Wednesday, December 5, 2012

GV Magazine, Melody, and Coptic-stitched books

The December issue of Grand Valley Magazine is on the newsstands and subscriptions on their way to readers. The comeback has been nice. I haven't blogged since early October because we had to create a sample issue followed immediately by the November re-launch issue. And of course right after that we were in production on the December issue. Whew. The reception has been wonderful.

I do maintain a GV Magazine blog on topics relating to the magazine at grandvalleymagazine.com/blog/ but I have missed writing my personal blogs here!

Daughter Melody is living with us right now and doing really well. She also helps out at the office and is even doing a little photography for the magazine too. We're so blessed to have her home and getting healthy.

Coptic Stitched book I made in the bookmaking class.
Bob and I so enjoyed the bookmaking class taught by Maxine Buchholtz we took together at the Art Center from mid-September to mid-October.

We made a Coptic stitched book (my favorite;  I even wrote a little ditty about it in the current issue of the magazine), a leather wrapped book, and a mini leather book.

Maxine is a master of handmade books. Such an honor to be taught by her.

I use this book as my "art notes" journal. I also put my small alcohol ink paintings in there. I used a handmade paper with leaves between the paper layers (I did NOT make the paper) over the davey board. The thread is a 4-ply waxed linen thread. Took six needles threaded at the same time to do the stitching.

The technique allows the book to lay flat when open. The technique is quite ancient as far as books go! I love the way the book looks, feels, and it is wonderful to write in. I want to make more but can't remember how to start it, ugh. I'll have to get a review from Maxine.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

My latest alcohol ink and collage pieces

"Moon Over Red Rocks" by Krystyn Hartman
I attended an excellent artist marketing workshop taught by popular Western Colorado artist Dianna Fritzler late last month and my homework per Dianna is to make a 16x20 piece.

Becauase I'm not sure what to make that big, I am making some smaller pieces with the bigger piece in mind.

This one with the dark and cloudy night sky over the red rocks is an idea I'm considering for the big 16x20 piece. The moon in the upper right is actually silver metallic, but its hard to tell in the photo. The dark red is a lot more vivid than came through in the photo.

I'm also making smaller pieces to use as covers for the handmade books we're learning to make in Maxine Bucholtz's bookmaking class.

The black tree with cranberry flowers that will be used for a cover on a handmade book was inspired by the two rhinestones.


Book cover with rhinestones
I had the two rhinestones and wanted to incorporate them into something so I chose the black, purple, and cranberry alcohol inks for the piece, then added the silver metallic circle (an orange juice bottle top), and the two rhinestones. And voila!

I will make the book that it will cover after we get through the bookmaking class. I want to do the coptic stitch book for this one. We've learned three book stitches so far.

Love the class! My husband and I are taking the class together, which is wonderful!

Hope we do another coptic stitch book in the class because I can't remember how to start the stitches. I remember what to do once started, but just can't remember how to start it. We have three more classes left so if we don't cover it again, I'm going to ask Maxine in the last class to show me again!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Only a month away from the re-inaugural issue of GV Magazine!

Wow, so much progress since the last time I blogged about the GV comeback!

Our offices are perfect for us and I love working there every day! We finally have phones and internet, and the temperature is finally close to comfortable in there. And we have a real sign on the door! We still have a ways to go when it comes to furnishings, but we're getting there.

Our test/sample issues for web, iPad, Kindle, and Android tablets have been uploaded to our digital vendor and they are busy getting them optimized.

Most of the stories for the re-inaugural November issue have been assigned. The GV Style photo shoot is complete and the feature will be beautiful!

The special re-introductory offer to advertisers have been sent out and we're already getting a great response!

Our ad agency, RSW Partners, is busy working on our new website at GrandValleyMagazine.com. Had a fabulous meeting with ad agency Cobb & Associates the other day and really looking forward to working with them too!

Am excited about getting the subscriber letters out next...

Sunday, September 23, 2012

My last regular column for the Daily Sentinel and the return of Grand Valley Magazine

This post was published as my last regular column in the Daily Sentinel Sunday, September 16, 2012.

This is my last regular commentary with the Daily Sentinel. Writing a weekly column and publishing a high-quality magazine at the same time is, well, quite unrealistic. Yes, it’s time to bring back Grand Valley Magazine.

I’ve worked in media, directly and indirectly, since high school.

Our cheerleading squad did a fund-raising promotion at a local radio station one weekend, and by the end of it, I practically begged the station manager to hire me. I was fascinated. He gave in, and for more than a year I twisted knobs and pushed buttons for the weekly Top 40 and Denver Bronco football games.

From radio, I moved on to ad agencies, then newspapers, books and magazines. That’s where I discovered the ink in my blood. The in-depth features, rush of a breaking story, ...


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Too big to fail; too small to matter

The official reasons for not including third-party candidates in national and local political debates are based solely on those parties’ small size. This idea of too-small-to-matter has become too much of a cliché these days (and not just in politics either).

I, for one, am curious about what these smaller third parties have to say. Do they have platforms? How are their goals and objectives different than the too-big-to-fail parties? Are their ideas in common with or opposed to the big party machines? Might they have solutions to problems that the big machines have been unable or unwilling to solve? Is it possible that those candidates have something worthwhile to say?

It’s bad enough that the voices of the small are drowned out by the boisterous shouting of the giants, but to deny the smaller parties a seat at the political roundtable in a government by the people seems, well, a bit authoritarian.

Perhaps if the other political parties were given the same opportunity to tell their stories and share their ideas as the two behemoths, they...

Thursday, September 13, 2012

World-renowned innovator has roots in Mesa County; and I got to interview him!

The opportunity to gain firsthand insight from a world-renowned innovator is honor enough, but to find out that innovator got his start at Colorado Mesa University (then Mesa College) is downright exciting.

Thomas W. Osborn, a virtual rock star in the world of innovators as featured in a new book from Stanford University Press titled Serial Innovators: How Individuals Create and Deliver Breakthrough Innovations, entered Mesa College as a struggling student with attention deficit disorder back in the 1960s.

“The quality of Mesa’s undergraduate education gave me a very good base,” Osborn told me. The encouragement from and “the influence of professors like Drs. Lenc and Putnam and Mr. Perry” helped him build a strong foundation for his scientific interests.

From Mesa, Osborn went to Colorado State University, then on to Oregon State University where he earned a Ph.D. in chemistry and studied the chemical evolution...

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Ancient aliens or unfettered human ingenuity?

A series of TV programs aired recently on History's H2 channel called "Ancient Aliens." I listened as countless self-proclaimed alien experts pointed to all kinds of ancient artifacts that defy their idea of our ancestors' capabilities, and most concluded that they must therefore be the work of advanced extraterrestrial visitors. Entertaining thought it was, there was no doubt in my mind that the marvels they pointed to were the work of humans.
 
Contemplate, if you will, the laser-machined precision of the intricate block cuts of Puma Punku at 12,000 feet in the mountains of Bolivia, the Nazca lines stretching 50 miles across the top of a high plateau in Peru, 2,000-year-old writings describing Vimana flying machines in India, the monolithic statues on Easter Island in the South Pacific, the light bulb-looking Dendera wall carvings and Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, Stonehenge in southern England, and the Antikythera Mechanism with its 29 finely tuned interlocking gears found in an ancient shipwreck off the coast of Crete. The list of mysterious marvels from antiquity is seemingly endless.

Not counting the effects of sleep deprivation, junk food and pharmaceuticals on our modern brains, the brains of our ancestors were probably little if any different than our own. We can never know of all the extraordinary...

Friday, August 31, 2012

I highly recommend the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Wow, just home from seeing the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" at the Avalon Theatre in downtown Grand Junction. I really loved this film. There was absolutely nothing predictable or formulaic about it -- nothing at all.

A Sundance Film Festival winner, I hope to see it on the Oscars list. Truly brilliant, timely, and touching. I highly recommend this film.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Cars, refrigerators, TV sets and nuclear warheads

I intended to write a light piece on how we live in the context of the times, beginning with the industrial complex of the 1930s and World War II, which set the stage for the military-industrial complex of the 1950s that spawned the financial, medical, educational and entertainment complexes of the 1980s that led to the interdependent web of today’s global economy. Whew!

For example, in the 1950s, the automobile, refrigerator and television were key consumer products that supersized our economy and secured a large, robust middle class.

In 1955, nearly 90 percent of the cars on our nation’s roads were American-made, with more than 8 million new cars sold that year. From 1945 to 1985, we paved 42,798 miles of interstate highway and bought 300 million cars. As a result, car-related businesses — from petroleum to drive-through restaurants to tourism — sprang up from coast to coast, while refrigerators redefined domestic life.

“A few years ago it took the housewife 5-1/2 hours to prepare daily meals for a family of four,” Time magazine reported in 1959. “Today she can do it in 90 minutes or less — and still produce meals fit for a king or a finicky husband.”

In a nation of 150 million in the 1950s, there seemed no end to...

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Extraordinary rush: Singing with the symphony orchestra!

Wow, what an extraordinary experience! I sang two songs with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra during their annual Wells Fargo Evening Under the Stars free concert in Lincoln Park in Grand Junction Saturday evening. I'm still pinching myself to make sure it wasn't a dream.

The symphony kicks off each season with the free pops-type concert. Lucky for me, they included some vintage swing arrangements this year, and invited me to sing with them!

There is nothing like being surrounded by strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion played by wonderful musicians and friends. I still can't believe I got to sing with them!

We are so blessed to have such dedicated musicians who come together as a symphony orchestra in our community. I'm looking forward to the upcoming symphony season! The first concert is in September! Here is a link to the Grand Junction Symphony's website:

http://gjsymphony.org/

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The double-edged sword of Colorado's Gallagher Amendment

I never understood that old saying, “All politics are local,” until recently, when one innocent quest for office space brought it to light — a glaring bright light.

I thought with all this empty commercial space around the valley, finding a smokin’ deal on just the right office would be a piece of cake. Not only did I discover that’s not the case, but I got an instant education on something called the Gallagher Amendment in our state constitution.

“At that rate per square foot, the building owner barely covers his taxes,” said Bray commercial real estate agent Sam Suplizio in response to my offer to lease space in a building that’s been vacant for nearly a year. For all the talk about needing to be business-friendly in a tough economy, that sure sounded like a whole lot of...

Saturday, August 18, 2012

GV Magazine "brick" at Colorado Mesa University

What a treat! About two years ago we (Grand Valley Magazine) "purchased a brick" as part of a Colorado Mesa University Foundation fundraiser. Because we were the first corporate sponsor of the school's budding women's rugby club, we chose to acknowledge that support on our "brick."

Yesterday was the official unveiling of the brick walkway in front of the CMU Foundation office. Great timing as we are only a few months away from re-launching the magazine!

What is really cool, is that our once budding Women's Rugby Club now has a full-time coach and is an official team of the university! (Our corporate sponsorship purchased their first team jerseys, which were top of the line pro-quality, of course!) We featured the original team of tenacious women in the January 2010 issue of the magazine as photographed by the fabulous Ken Redding.

As we gear up for the re-launch of GV Magazine, we're wishing the CMU Women's Rugby Club much success in their upcoming season!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Leading indicator for our nation's economic recovery? Chicken


The whole Chick-fil-A kerfuffle last month was downright inspiring. All that passion from consumers ready to support or not support a business based solely on what that business stands for! That could be the spark needed to rebuild our stagnant economy. No government assistance needed.

What if all businesses actively touted the causes and values they stand for so that customers and prospective customers could make informed choices to spend their dollars with companies aligned with their own causes and values?

Don’t like socialism? Don’t buy from businesses that sell products manufactured in socialist nations.

Want to support American jobs? Buy only made-in-America products from businesses that sell only made-in-America products.

Want to see small local businesses thrive in our community? Don’t spend your dollars in big-box chain stores that crush the mom and pops with their low, low, low prices.

We have the right to do business when, where, and...

Sunday, August 12, 2012

I've gone alcohol ink crazy!

"Chili Glut"
I made five more pieces using the alcohol inks over the past few weeks! I still can't believe how much I'm lovin' this!

Yesterday was the monthly get together of the Grand Valley Art Students League at the Art Center. I went in with a blank piece of yupo paper and my little box of inks and, admittedly, I mostly visited with the other artists and looked at the "wood" exhibit throughout the gallery for the first hour, then stared at my blank yupo for another 15 minutes before put ink to paper.

This is the piece I made, starting with chilis. I'd been hankering to use the black ink, so decided the jar had to be black.

The silver circle is an orange juice bottle top that I painted half black. I'm learning!

It was so great to have Sara Oakley and Faye Timmerman-Traudt there to answer questions! They are so terrific! We all had such fun!

This month's "practicum" was taught by Daphna Russell, who was in a particularly chipper mood because she'd just made a major sale!

"Dreaming"
My mother and I took Daphna's one-day workshop on clay sculpture back in June, so it was fun to hear her again -- she is so funny!

Overall, as always, I love the league's monthly sessions!

I painted the little tree with the purple metallic circle in it late the ohter night; I was just feeling purple and painted the underside of a Pelligrino foil top.

Then thought, hmmm, what to do? So I created the sky and tree for that little purple circle and voila!

I created the butterfly piece while praying for my daughter Melody, sending her love and strength for her continued journey through a challenging transition.
"Reaching Melody"
The butterfly was created on a separate piece of yupo, then I cut it out and added it to the background, then painted a large yogurt top purple and added that.

I call this one, "Reaching Melody."

The tryptic (three side-by-side related pieces) was created a little at a time over the past two weeks while watching the Olympics -- I couldn't help but want to paint with a sense of celebration! Celebration, energy, and lots and lots of medals of course!

"Celebration"
I call it "Celebration," but what else could it possibly be called?

We're watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics as I post this. I am so going to miss the Olympics, sigh; its been such a beautiful world peace break from all the political hostility. Sigh.

The adobe house is the result of trying to paint an adobe house. I just couldn't get the color right! I tried blending orange and latte, but the orange completely overwhelmed the latte!

"Adobe"
Wendy Videlock, who is an amazing artist who specializes in alcohol inks, told me that each ink color will behave differently. And she was so right about that!

I think that covers my latest pieces!

I don't know how much time I'm going to have to make art over the next few months, but am determined to make time as I can! There is just something so incredibly fulfilling in the creative process! Gotta do it!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Our community doesn't care about education? Hogwash.

I’ve heard several people say the same thing recently: “This community just doesn’t care about education.” And why? Because last November a majority of voters elected not to support a mil levy override for District 51 funding. I bristled the first time I heard that remark the day after the election, and it still bugs me to hear it nine months later.

First of all, the population of Mesa County is about 147,000 and has about 102,000 registered voters. A mere 21,951 voted against the override while 14,415 for it. And just because 21,951 voted against the override doesn’t mean they don’t care about education.

Of the many different reasons those folks have said they voted against it, not a single one of those was “I just don’t care about education.”

There is simply no evidence to support the claim that “this community just doesn’t care about education.” In fact, the preponderance of the evidence indicates that our community cares deeply and actively about education.

During (and despite) the rough economy, Mesa State College became Colorado Mesa University last summer. That happened only because...

Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Olympic Games: Moments of peace in troubled times

I love the Olympics. Summer. Winter. Doesn’t matter. I love the games as a celebration of our shared humanity. The grace, the balance, the beauty, the rhythm and precision, the teamwork, the intensity expressed on human faces — unique faces from all over the world. It’s a showcase for the best of the best in human performance. It’s a time when I can imagine that even the birds in the sky stop pitying our wingless disability long enough to actually grant us a little respect as a species.

There are 205 nations with athletes competing in this year’s Olympic Games. In trials and rivalries ranging from individual competitions to team events, the world comes together to compete — honorably and respectfully. The Olympics give us those incredible moments when people around the world cheer together, putting aside geopolitical differences even if only for a few minutes (or for mere nano-seconds at the finish line) to complete contest after contest, awarding medal after medal.

The first Olympic Games date back to 776 BC. According to...

Thursday, August 2, 2012

GV Mag Arts Leadership Team official

I'm thrilled about adding an arts leadership team for selecting the featured artists in each issue of the new Grand Valley Magazine.

Kay Crane, Sara Alyn Oakley, Terry Shepherd, and Steve Traudt will coordinate efforts in selecting the featured artists, as well as emerging artists for each issue.

All four are respected artists, teachers, and gallery managers and have a very real sense of the who-is-who and doing-what in the arts in our greater community.

Kay Crane, artist and photographer, manages the Blue Pig Gallery in Palisade and teaches classes at the Art Center in Grand Junction. Kay was part of the original GV Magazine core team as photo editor, writer and photographer. Having had the honor and pleasure to work with her for several years, Kay was first on my list! Not only is she talented, but she is wonderful to work with and an amazing team player.

Sara Alyn Oakley, artist and teacher, owns the Oakley Gallery downtown Grand Junction. She also runs the Artists' Colony and is founder of the Grand Valley Art Students League. I got to know Sara through the Students League and was completely blown away by her talent, leadership, and commitment to the arts in our community.

Terry Shepherd, artist-in-residence at the Art Center in Grand Junction is all about clay. He also teaches and has the patience of a saint when it comes to helping budding art students. I feel that Terry is the quintessential representative of the clay arts in our community.

Steve Traudt, photographer and teacher, has a reputation not only for exquisite photography, but for his approachable style. Steve taught at Colorado Mesa University (when it was Mesa State College) for 18 years. I became familiar with Steve's work when we featured him in GV Magazine. And have since learned of his friendly disposition and love of teaching.

I am so excited about this team's collaboration for selecting the featured artists/photographers and emerging artists/photographers for each issue of the new GV Magazine. We will introduce them and their signature pieces in the relaunch issue of the magazine this November. It is such an honor to have them on the team in this capacity!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Artist surprise trade and beautiful moment!

I had the most amazing thing happen Saturday! I went to the Art Center to pick up my art from the Instructor-Student exhibit and while walking through the back in the clay area, there were several clay artists working at a table, chatting. I stopped because a beautiful platter caught my eye.

Platter by Caroline McDaniel
"This is beautiful," I said to no one in particular.

"Oh thank you," the woman at the end of the table responded.

"Did you create this?" I asked, lightly touching the platter. "I love the blue in the center and all the imprints around it."

"Wow, thank you," the woman smiled, then asked, "do you want it?"

I quickly pulled my hand back from the platter. "What?"

She smiled, "do you want it?"

Tears immediately filled my eyes. "Seriously?"

"Yes, no one has ever cried over one of my pieces before; I would love for you to have it."

I just stood there in stunned silence, not knowing what to do or say.

"I would be honored," I said, picking it up carefully. "Um, I'm new at this whole art-making thing, but can I make something for you? I am learning how to work with alcohol inks; what colors do you like?"

"Purple. Purple and green," she said, pointing to her purple and green plaid hat.

We exchanged contact information, and she went back to her clay and I left the Art Center with this lovely platter and completely overwhelmed by the whole incident.

"Caroline's Treehouse" by Krystyn Hartman. Alcohol ink on yupo
Her name is Caroline McDaniel. She is so cool! I worked on this piece for her over the past few days, starting of course with purple. Its similar to the "Treehouse" piece I did, which I really enjoyed doing so thought I'd try a similar piece for Caroline.

My mother and her artist friend visiting from Texas dropped by while I was working on it and her friend suggested I try painting the silver metallic circles wiht the inks, which had not occurred to me! So, I painted the circle with the orange to give a shiny sun-like effect.

I stuck a red feather over the top of the chili ristra too, to give it more texture. I do love texture! So, I'm calling this piece, "Caroline's Treehouse," and can't wait to give it to her. I hope she likes it!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Homeless people with mental illness and substance addiction are homeless by their own volition? Really?

I was so stunned by claims in the Daily Sentinel's editorial "Homelessness and Vagrancy" this morning that I had to write this post.

Here is the part of the editorial that so shocked me: "One group, we believe, are the true homeless. They are families and individuals who may have lost jobs, gone through home foreclosure or lost their homes by other means. They are actively trying to improve their lot in hopes they will soon leave the ranks of the homeless.

"The other group is largely homeless by their own volition. They reject the conventions of society — although they accept its services when it suits them. Many have addictions to alcohol or drugs, or suffer from mental illness, or both. We have chosen to refer to this second group as vagrants."

Really? Addiction is a choice? Mental illness is a choice? First of all, it is obvious that...

Recent national political attention on Mesa County; what's that about?

How is it that Mesa County continues to garner so much national attention? From the nation’s number-one ranking in quality healthcare at the lowest cost to world-class outdoor recreation to a steady stream of presidential candidates, Mesa County is of obvious national importance. In the past four years alone, we’ve had visits from Barack Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Kathleen Sibelius and Mitt Romney, to name a few.

But when I learned that three of the top four political TV ad markets in the nation were in Colorado in July, with Grand Junction at number two (Colorado Springs at number one, Denver at four), curiosity got the best of me.

After an afternoon of phone calls, I learned that Colorado is...

Friday, July 27, 2012

Collared lizard: Ancient secrets, dreaming and foresight

The colorful collared lizard or Crotaphytus collaris auriceps is a common sight in the Western Colorado landscape, and yet it excites us to see them.

The name auriceps comes from aurum (gold) and ceps, which means head. Our most common collared lizard auriceps has a golden-yellow head and vibrant blue-green body, with a long, round tail.

Our rocks and canyons are ideal habitat for collared lizards. They burrow under big rocks to sleep and lay their eggs, then venture out in search of insects (but they’ll settle for an occasional side salad). The lizards do stalk their prey, but they’ll adjust to whatever’s available at the time.

Most Native American lore associates the lizards with ancient secrets, dreaming, and foresight. Maybe that’s why an encounter with auriceps so often produces a sense of awe, surprise, and reflection.

As a child, I always thought of the collared lizard as larger, with long sweeping wings, offering sage advice. Blue dragons, I called them. Little blue dragons. From high in the sky to shadows of the red rock, they see and sense what’s been, what is, and what could be. Ah, the imagination of a little girl.

So the next time you’re out hiking in the canyons and rocks around the Valley (or in your yard if it has big rocks), watch for Western Slope auriceps and have your camera ready. (I’m usually so taken with delight when I see one that I wait too long. Yet sometimes, once they realize I’ve seen them, they’ll stop just long enough for a quick photo op.) Then, as you continue your hike, let your imagination wander as you reflect on the auriceps encounter. Ancient secrets, dreaming, and foresight. Not bad for a little lizard.

Technical Notes
Family: Iguanidae
Genus: Crotaphytus
Species: Crotaphytus collaris

This post is excerpted from a story I wrote in the July 2009 issue of Grand Valley Magazine. Because I've always had a soft spot for the collared lizard, I wanted it here on my blog.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Making art while writing ... in my head

"Amber" by Krystyn Hartman.
Ended up doing two pieces today while writing my column for this week. Again, I am hooked on working with these alcohol inks on yupo paper. Can't get enough, apparently.

I made this one, a very green tree with a big silver circle in the center, which I call "Amber."

The circle is the shiny top from a Jello snack pack that I brought back from Nebraska a few weeks ago. I included it in this piece because the Jello was shared among family when we were in Nebraska and I wanted as many family elements in this piece as possible. Of course, a very leafy tree is also very representative of family. It was important to include a lot of family elements in this piece.

I made this one for my friend who is moving to a new city to begin a new life. She's nervous right now; this is a challenging transition for her, but I know she will do well. She is strong, smart, beautiful and, well, she's just fabulous.

I also felt the need to make a piece featuring a lemon tree. As with the other piece, this one has a family connection for me.

"That Lemon Tree" by Krystyn Hartman.
I actually wrote most of my column today (in my head of course) while painting the lemon tree. (I still need to get the column out of my head and onto paper, but that should go pretty quick now that I know what I'm writing.)

Lemonade is the name of the yellow ink I used for the lemons. I didn't realize that was the name of the color; I just grabbed the bright yellow. When I'd finished and was putting the inks back in the tin, the label caught my eye. How appropriate!

I started to add more to the piece, but there was something about the simplicity of it that just felt right and stayed my brush.

Overall, had a very nice day painting family trees and writing (in my head)!  Okay, better get my column to paper already!

I call this piece "Treehouse"

I still can't believe I lived 50 years without making art. I can't believe how incredibly fulfilling is the process. No matter how it turns out, the process is indescribable. The clay class I took at the Art Center a few years ago opened my eyes, but the collage class earlier this year unleashed something in me, meaning, an overwhelming need to make art, to create. I can't explain it; just that I have to do it. (Well, seems that after a week or so of not working on a piece, I just have to make time to do it.)

"Treehouse" by Krystyn Hartman. Alcohol ink on yupo paper.
This is a piece I finished yesterday. I call it "Treehouse." My favorite part of the process was painting the chili ristra. I started with three chilis then couldn't stop! Had I started with the chilis rather than finished with them, I likely would have filled the entire piece with them! I had no intention of adding chilis to the piece when I started; shoot, I didn't even think to add them until the very last! Oh, the moon is actually the top off a bottle of orange juice. I like incorporating "found objects" into my pieces.

I write my column on Wednesdays/Thursdays, so I'm going to try painting a lemon tree while thinking about my column for this week. I'm going to write about the Olympics and how it is the one event that brings the whole world together to celebrate the beauty and strength of human performance; an event of common ground. I so need that right now as I'm truly sick of the political venom and horrendous killings; just sick of it. I'm excited to write about the Olympics in my column for this week.

And, through the art process, I've realized that my brain calculates, ponders, organizes and all that while I paint. I know, how cool is that?

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Grand Valley Magazine "comeback" survey results help define editorial direction of new GV

Taking time to do a "comeback" survey was critical in our decision to re-launch Grand Valley Magazine.

There were 14 questions ranging from reader topics to advertising to digital and print platforms. The results are not only fascinating but serve as an important basis for the direction of the new GV, which is targeted for re-launch with the November 2012 issue.

Here are the reader-focused questions with results. Responses are listed in ranking order.


Do you use an iPad, Nook, Kindle or other E-reader or Android-based tablet?
  • Do not use 42.0%
  • iPad 37.0%
  • Kindle 19.6%
  • Nook 8.4%
  • Other 4.2%
 As a business owner/manager, where is your customer base?
  • Local 62.4%
  • State 32.4%
  • National 19.2%
  • International 7.6%
Each edition of GV Magazine focused on five main areas. In which areas do you have the most interest?
  • GV Culture 74.2%
  • GV Outdoors 71.4%
  • GV Living 59.1%
  • GV Working 48.8%
  • GV Wheels 31.3%
What other topic categories and features would you want to see added to a new GV Magazine?
  • Tourist attractions 60.6%
  • How-to's and do-it-yourself 42.6%
  • Intellectual discussions 40.5%
  • Debates on local issues 34.8%
  • Investigative reporting 28.6%
  • Energy development 22.1%
  • Politics 13.9%
  • Advice column 9.4%
  • Gossip column 6.1%
This content feedback will most certainly be reflected in the new GV!

Avalon Theatre is the ballpark of our cultural community

Colorado ranks fifth in the nation for concentration of creative talent. Only New York, California, Massachusetts and Vermont place higher, according to a State of Colorado’s Creative Economy report by the Alliance for Creative Advantage (based in South Carolina).

So significant are the creative enterprises that they comprise the fifth-largest employment sector in Colorado’s economy.

Our cultural amenities are increasingly attracting innovators, businesses and tourists — and they all bring dollars and jobs to our state’s cultural arts destinations. But Mesa County isn’t as high on that list as it could and should be. That’s despite our burgeoning wine country, nationally renowned Art on the Corner program and world-class outdoor adventure opportunities.

How do we engage, capitalize on and ride the Colorado creative wave?

The Grand Junction City Council’s recent decision to add $3 million to the Downtown Development Authority’s $3 million to fund a $14 million renovation of the Avalon Theatre is a bold move in that direction.

Harry Weiss, director of Grand Junction’s DDA, told me back in May that...

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Semper fi, Grandpa -- and thanks for all the stories

Recently, I received the most extraordinary and unexpected gift. My mother and my uncle handed me an old book, the binding long gone, titled Columbia Standard Illustrated World Atlas. I was touched because they know I adore and collect interesting maps. But my delight at first seeing it paled in comparison to the emotions I felt when I opened the cover. Their full given names were handwritten on the first page in a script I recognized before my eyes moved to my grandpa’s signature with “1942” written next to it.

As I turned each page, careful not to tear the aged and delicate paper, I saw many place names underlined. “He underlined every place he’d been when he gave it to us,” my mom told me. “We were kids of course.”

China, Chosen (“formerly Korea” written in ink beside it), Cuba. The nations were listed alphabetically with brief overviews under each name: England, Finland, France, Hawaii, Japan, Mexico, Labrador, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippine Commonwealth, Puerto Rico, Sweden.

Grandpa didn’t spend time in these places as a tourist. He was a United States Marine, enlisting when he was 14 years old, lying about his age, convincing an elderly...

Monday, July 16, 2012

Labels are for camp undies and canned goods, not for people

All artists are Democrats. All rich people are Republicans. Only teenagers text while driving. All unemployed people are lazy. Citizens against the war hate America. All children from single-parent homes are destined for a life of despair. All illegal immigrants are draining our resources. All attorneys are sharks. All corporate directors are money grubbers. All Muslims are terrorists. All accountants are boring bean counters. Mesa County doesn’t care about its schools because it voted down a mil levy. People who post about politics and religion on Facebook should get a hobby.

Really? Of course not. Where one sits depends upon where one stands; and where one stands depends upon where one sits.
Even though 99.5 percent of our genome is the same for all humans, it is that...

People-friendly communities require more than sidewalks

I was saddened by the death of the tourist hit by a car while crossing Horizon Drive last month. Welcome to Grand Junction.

Anyone who has walked or cycled along Horizon, Patterson, North Avenue, Broadway, or 12th Street through Colorado Mesa University knows how scary it is to travel those corridors by any means other than by car — and even that’s risky thanks to speeders, texters and multi-taskers.

We’re justifiably proud of our beautiful downtowns, but like most cities in the U.S., our communities’ designs favor automobile traffic over pedestrians and bicyclists.

The City of Grand Junction’s decision to purchase the burned-out Whitehall building on the corner of 6th and White streets is a prime example of commitment to the economic importance of a people-friendly downtown. Fruita and Palisade have nice, people-friendly downtowns too.

The June 10 editorial in the Daily Sentinel supported the city’s decision. “It will either be an indication that people here don’t care about a dangerous, unattractive, charred shell remaining in the core of their city, or a representation of a community’s determination not to let the city deteriorate a little bit at a time,” the editors stated.

Our city centers are success stories. But what about derelict buildings and unsafe areas beyond downtown? Don’t they also merit our “community’s determination not to let the city deteriorate a little bit at a time”? Aren’t city council members elected from districts throughout the community?

We can’t all live and... 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

More art using alcohol ink!

I had a bit of free time while visiting family in Nebraska this weekend, which means I was able to sneak in a little art time.

"Roots" by Krystyn Hartman. Alcohol Ink on Yupo
My husband's youngest sister was in the hospital when we arrived and was eating a yogurt when we walked into her room. (She was released the next day and is doing much better.) I told her that I brought some of the alcohol inks with me and she asked if I would paint something for her. Seeing the shiny yogurt top on the table next her, I told her yes of course then asked for the yogurt top.

Here is the piece I did for her, incorporating the shiny yogurt top, complete with sell-by date, into the piece.

Thinking family, and that her brother (my husband), and other two sisters were all together, I decided to paint "roots" in the piece over and around the yogurt top.

There is no art supply store in Chadron (if there is, we sure couldn't find it), so I found a nice little frame for $4 at Walmart and voila! A personalized piece for her and good practice for me.

"Dichotomy" by Krystyn Hartman. Alcohol Ink
On a roll, and eager to do more, I decided to try another piece the next evening. It was so blasted hot out that I was reminded of the bare red slick rock in our high desert of Western Colorado but was also thinking how refreshing it would be to jump into some cool fresh water.

The result of that mood? Desert rock, a lone juniper, and thundering waterfall. I named this one "dichotomy" because of the beautiful contrast yet harmony between the hot desert rock and cool water falling in the distance; from the vantage point of the rock.

I do so love painting with these inks! I may try something more abstract next. Something purple, I'm thinking... Of course, by the time I get around to making another one, my color mood may have changed!

Great fun. I'm glad I had the chance to do some art while away because I have a super busy few weeks ahead so it is doubtful I will have much time to do art for a little while. I take advantage when I do have time!

Monday, July 9, 2012

My first art piece with alcohol inks!

I am completely hooked on this medium: alcohol inks on yupo paper! Artist and poet Wendy Videlock gave a demonstration of the inks on the yupo yesterday at the Blue Pig Gallery in Palisade. (Wendy's alcohol ink paintings are extraordinary; she is the featured artist at the Blue Pig this month!) I sat there and watched and asked questions for about 45 minutes; taking copious notes! She is delightful! I was completely fascinated, mesmerized, hypnotyzed!

This morning, I dashed over to the Artists Haven for the basic supplies and this afternoon I broke out my notes, opened up the inks. Wendy said, "play with the inks at first, each color behaves differently, so get familiar with them -- and have fun." So, that's exactly what I did and I am completely hooked!

"For My Uncle" by Krystyn Hartman. Alcohol Inks on Yupo.
Here is my first art piece using the alcohol inks on the yupo paper! Fun!

I used six colors (Brand: Jim Holtz Adirondack), applied them using H2O brush pens, spritzing the piece occasionally with acohol blending solution.

I am so in love with this medium!

Can't wait till I'm more familiar with it so I can incorporate objects like sticks, stones, and metal into the pieces. I just love it!

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Circle skirts: Fun, comfy, and easy to make!

Last Saturday, I had this overwhelming want to make and wear a black-and-white polka dot circle skirt for some reason. Something about it; fun, breezy.

So, I headed to JoAnn's Fabrics in the mall, discount coupon in hand, and found an inexpensive, light-weight cotton polka dot fabric, then thumbed through the skirts section of every pattern book there but could not find a circle skirt pattern. Finally, I took a chance and looked in the "costumes" section, and voila, a 1950s "costume" poodle skirt, full circle with waistband (Simplicity 5403).

But it required fabric 60 inches wide. The fabric I'd found -- the only black on white polka dot fabric in the whole store -- was only 44 inches wide. What to do? I was immediately distracted by a jolly but loud customer chatting with the store clerk behind me. "No, I'm a custom clothier and needed more thread."

I turned around. "Do you have a card?" I asked, then explained my problem. She took the fabric, unrolled several yards, then with great enthusiasm, told me how to make it work, including tricks and tips on how to put in the zipper. She was absolutely delightful!

"My name is Dolly Jo," she said, extending her hand. I thanked her and made a note to myself that when times get better, I'm so going to her for some custom dresses!

I made my skirt that afternoon, using all the tips and tricks she explained to me and I couldn't be happier with the results! (Important note, if you decide to use this pattern, it runs extremely small! I normally wear a size 4 skirt, but had to use the size 12 pattern, which fit perfectly -- so, on this pattern, size 12 is actually size 4!)

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to wear it, finally! I was speaker for a small group of retirees who meet every Friday morning to discuss politics -- local and national. I had a great time and my polka dot skirt was quite comfortable and I was happy as a clam.

Then, last night was the First Friday reception at the Art Center (I have three art pieces hanging there as part of the Instructor-Student exhibit -- me being a student obviously) and, again, I felt so happy in my polka dot circle skirt!

So happy, in fact, that this morning I rummaged through my fabric box and found a fawn and ecru light and breezy cotton fabric that Margaret Allyson, my dear friend and editor, had sent to me months ago in a happy box. It too was only 44 inches wide, but thanks to the tips and tricks by Dolly Jo, I knew what to do!

My husband came in out of the garage and saw me with the fabric. "Another skirt?" he asked, then added, "I have to run to the store, need anything?" A zipper, I said, laughing. "Are you serious?" He asked, shaking his head. I handed him a small fabric swatch. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he mumbled, taking the swatch and headed out the door, still shaking his head.

Long story short. Ta da! I made the second skirt -- with zipper support from my oh-so-understanding and wonderful husband.

I do realize this is a silly topic to blog about (I'm not even sure which topic category to post it with), but I had such a great time making them, met Dolly Jo, and well, just had to share!

Now I'm hoping I can find time over the next few weeks to make another one, because I have a few more fabrics in my fabric box that just might work! (Unlikely though, as I have a pretty full plate the next few weeks. But, we'll see!)

Thursday, July 5, 2012

What to do with those empty big-box stores?


I was so happy to hear about enthusiasm for revitalizing North Avenue here in Grand Junction. Intended efforts are clearly under way as reported in the June 3 edition of the Daily Sentinel. The extraordinary transformations of downtown and the Horizon Drive corridors over the past decades were made possible with a lot of foresight and commitment by dedicated members of our community, so the North Avenue project looks promising. But it has three major challenges the other revitalized areas didn’t have.

North Avenue, as Highway 6, is owned by the state. And until recently, the City of Grand Junction has pretty much taken a hands-off approach.

North Avenue is about four miles long, covering considerably more commercial frontage area than downtown and Horizon Drive.

Third, and the point that most...

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Hey, what happened to civil discourse for solving our nation's problems?

Is it time for a national chill pill? What has happened to get folks so darned mad at one another? Schoolyard bullying seems to have replaced civil discourse. When did we start fearing rather than celebrating the richness of our diverse citizenry and differing points of view?

I’ve heard way too many vicious, hateful statements over the past few months — in the news, from lawmakers, from acquaintances, some subtle, some in the form of crude jokes, and some just plain ignorant. And a disturbing number came from people in positions of leadership.

Maybe I’m naïve, but I simply don’t understand the growing intolerance in these United States of America. After all we’ve stood for? Fought for? Sacrificed? Wasn’t freedom our goal? And doesn’t freedom include tolerance?

Where are the civil servants willing to at least try to represent all of us? To at least try to work together to solve our nation’s problems. What has happened to civil discourse in the halls of Congress and the Senate?

What happened to the ...

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Campaign ad targeting with media quants: Personal and thoughtful or eerily intrusive?

Recently, my husband and I spent a glorious week camping and hiking on a remote mountain, home to 3,000-year-old trees living 10,000 feet above sea level. Oh, and by “remote,” I mean no cell phone or internet coverage for miles and miles in all directions.

The first day was a little weird without the constant stream of online updates and messages tailored just for me (thanks to sophisticated algorithms and media quants), nothing but the sound of rustling leaves, babbling brooks and birds singing merrily overhead. By the second day, much to my surprise, I actually felt liberated, free from the constant tracking, targeting and profiling by a “they” I don't even know.

Every time we use the internet or turn on our smart phones, nearly a hundred data points...


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Ignorance of the law is no defense, but should it be?

About 40,000 new state laws went into effect the first of this year throughout the U.S., according to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures. With a total of about 16 million laws in the United States, I can’t help but wonder how ignorance of the law is not a valid defense in today’s world.

For a nation that prides itself on being the most free country in the known universe, how is it that we have more laws than any other nation on earth? No wonder there is so much hollering for less regulation since we can’t even keep up with the laws we already have.

Sounds like our political representatives could take some tips from the fashion world. You know...

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Creativity is crucial, not only for culture, but for our survival

Creativity represents not only beauty and freedom of expression, but innovation, progress, and survival of our very species.

Of all the related species of Homo — Homo floresiensis, habilis, heidelbergensis, denisovans, neanderthalensis, sapiens — only we sapiens remain. The Neanderthals had bigger brains, but they didn’t progress the way we did.

"The Neanderthals devised neither visual art nor personal ornamentation. Oddly, throughout this static history, they had a larger brain than sapiens,” wrote biologist Edward O. Wilson in his book The Social Conquest of Earth. He writes that Neanderthal tools remained essentially unchanged for thousands and thousands of years despite the extreme challenges and opportunities presented in their environments, while sapiens, on the other hand, were highly creative.

The differences between our two species are clear, but scientists don’t know if the lack of Neanderthal creativity is the result of something missing in their DNA or a cultural agreement not to change anything. Maybe their larger brains remembered all too clearly the disasters of taming fire and determining which berries were poison. Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe our sapiens brains are given to longer memories.

“A group with members who could read intentions and cooperate among themselves while predicting the actions of competing groups would have an enormous advantage,” Wilson wrote, “... the crossing over of a threshold level of cognitive ability that endowed Homo sapiens with a dramatically high capacity for culture.”

We are an innovative, culturally rich, and complex species. We instinctively understand the importance of creativity when it comes to our very survival. Creativity is necessary for innovation. But in some people living today geneticists have found small traces of Neanderthal DNA. Maybe they’re the ones who don’t understand the importance of the creative spirit. Maybe not. No matter.

Here’s to all the Homo sapiens who recognize, support, and champion the creative and cultural arts in our communities, nation, and around the world.

This post is excerpted from my weekly column in The Daily Sentinel as published in the Sunday, May 13, 2012, edition of the newspaper.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The art pieces I'm putting in the Instructor-Student art show are (finally) framed!


"Seeking" by Krystyn Hartman. Collage-Mixed Media
Exciting event for me! My first framed art pieces! They look so "real" framed! Gayle Gerson, the instructor from the Collage/Mixed Media class I took a few months ago with my mom, suggested we students participate in the upcoming Instructor-Student art show at the Art Center here in Grand Junction.

When she first mentioned it, I thought, "yeah, right." But the more art I create, the more I enjoy it, and thought, why not?

This weekend, I selected three pieces to frame for the show. My husband helped me spray mount and frame them. (He patiently photographed them for me too -- despite the lighting challenges in our living room in late evening.)

Seeing them framed was such a strange feeling! They look real! Here are two of them.

"Recovering" by Krystyn Hartman. Collage-Mixed Media
The opening reception for the Instructor-Student exhibit is Friday, July 6, at the Art Center from 7-9 p.m. (Part of Grand Junction's monthly First Fridays art events.) The exhibit runs through the end of the month. I've never had art in a show before, so I'm a little nervous and intimidated (artist Gayle creates collage masterpieces -- she is amazing), but what the heck?

We have the option of making the pieces in the show for sale or not. I'm going to make mine available for sale, just in case?

I am really enjoying creating art pieces in collage and mixed media. I like adding bits of wood, metal, and wire to them. And I love using the powdered pigments in my pieces.

Oh, and circles. I love starting with circles in my pieces. Of course, that's probably that science-nut connection.

Grand Valley Art Students League is simply amazing!

I joined the Grand Valley Art Student's League a few weeks ago and attended my first "session" Saturday. The "sessions" are held at the Art Center the second Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is only $40 a year. The league was founded by popular artist Sara Alyn Oakley of the Oakley Gallery and the Artists Colony here in Grand Junction. That's all I knew going in to my first session. Oh, and I was told to just bring my "kit."

So, I packed up my "kit," which is a lightweight Stanley tool box on wheels, and arrived a few minutes early, so I was able to secure an end space at one of the long rows of tables. Artists were setting up easels, putting on...

Friday, June 1, 2012

This is not the 1950s, so can we move on already?

I wasn’t alive in the 1950s, but recent hot news items make a case that we’re either clinging to that decade or drowning in its detritus — no matter how many cute electronic gadgets lie within our reach.

I’m sure it was all fine and good then. Witness all the wholesome American goodness on display in Father Knows Best, Ozzie and Harriet, and Leave it to Beaver. But isn’t it time to move on at least to the next decade already? I’m still looking forward to all that peace and harmony my teenage babysitters crooned about in the 1960s; you know, when peeeeeace will gui-ide the-uh plannet and lo-ove will steer the stars.

Because peace and harmony was the message that seemed to permeate and form my impressionable years, I was pretty convinced...