hands & patterns

i have a strange obsession with hands.
a few years back i made it my personal goal to be able to draw the most beautiful hands... probably after i had seen an illustration or painting by audrey kawasaki (which if you haven't seen her work, you should probably take a few minutes).
last year i stumbled across the illustrator, Sandra Dieckmann, who i've been trying to keep up with since i saw her work.  she has incredible use of design and patterns, and it's pushed me to incorporate and explore that world a little more.

hands and patterns. here we go.

big things are happening. be ready.

-k

loom & beckon

at some point in my life i'd love to spend a considerable amount of time at the sea. studying every creature. taking in every smell. observing how the night's sky reacts with it in comparison to the day's sky. eating breakfast, and every other meal along side it. and falling asleep whenever sleep decides to loom, and dreams begin to beckon.

it's so vast and unexplainable, my heart aches and swells. usually left in awe, speechless, muttering and stumbling over thoughts and words so big they can't be produced.

it's a beautiful thing. so this is my first study of it's creatures (that i spent more than fifteen minutes on). i hope you like it.

- k.

eureka! a totem.

somewhere along the line i began to believe this skewed ideology that to be a great artist, you must be a great painter as well. and all this time i've been kicking myself for not loving painting as much as i'd like to, or as much as i believed i should. does that make sense?

realizing that being a great painter is not the highest head on the totem has been an epiphany with a whole lot of eureka!s at the end.  the greatest an artist can be is different from every other artist... and that is something to have hope in. 


so here's to creating what i love, and working my hardest, because this will be an entirely different battle than the one i've been fighting... and probably a much sweeter one. 

- k.

oh, yes, almost forgot. bonnaroo was magical. in pretty much every way. my heart is full. and i've got a few rolls of film to develop & i'll be ready to share that experience with you. 

fox skulls

nathanael mehrens is going back on tour for summer/fall. on and off, but the majority of these seasons he'll be all over the US, playing shows. so. don't miss out - dates will be up as soon as possible.

i got the privilege to sketch/design the posters for him, so i thought i'd share with you a little of what i've been working on. i tried so hard to push the limits, make something so obscure, incredibly brilliant, blah blah blah. but i couldn't pull away from the fox. and i can't really ever get away from bones. so, here you go:

oh yeah, and happy june.

- k.

mid-week

my dad has generously given me a little portion of his library, along side my ever-acquiring collection of medical books, has become a well rounded resource for what i've been working on. and these photos are telling me that i need to a. get my vision re-checked or b. actually wear glasses/contacts.

while everything is coming along nicely, i'm in serious need of some good lights down here - any suggestions? - as well as an easel, and a couple other odds and ends to make things a little more organized.
great things are happening. there's life inside of me. i'm still creating, and will continue to create. thank you for being you, listening to me, and supporting me.

-k.

birthday swell

a dear friend turned 24 about a month ago. this was the best thing i could come up with to give him. 

all in all it was a fun night, with good friends and a lack of sleep, but worth every second because it was an evening that i'll look back and remember my heart being full. 

 - k. 

geez. i've gotta get out of here

nashville is wearing on me, and i have a feeling mexico just won't pull through (for the second time this year)... it's never a good idea to stay a. landlocked and b. in one place for more than 4 months... i'm running on 6, and my soul is begging to travel and explore. 

creativity needs to be rejuvenated and i keep forgetting that i'm better with a pen than a paintbrush... leaving more frustrated than when i wasn't creating at all. (keep in mind, that it just turned 2... and if i don't call it quits between 2 & 5, i'm a disaster...)

so, who wants to take me to this lovely temple... i saw it in a National Geographic, and i'm fairly confident it's in Southeast Asia somewhere... 

listening to the new Fleet Foxes on NPR's First Listen. a good suit for today. 

image ©kbaergen

- k.

three parts

about three months ago i started buying old photos - from the 1800's & early 1900's - so i could draw on them. partially to learn the human body better, but secondly, because i really like the concept of seeing a body in every aspect - skin, bones, muscle, etc.

however, with those really great photos, came countless amounts of baby photos - which really just makes me look like a creep if i draw skeletons & muscles over children. thats wrong, right?

so, drawing over them has become a quick way to prep for drawing & painting... here's what i've got:

all images ©kbaergen

any questions? email kamariebaergen@gmail.com

enjoy your friday,

- k.

ps. listening to The Black Keys today. so good, so perfect for a friday.

i've really been loving egon schiele, lately, his lines and perspective are beautiful

today starts the preparation to (perhaps) live in new york (see. i haven't even committed to it yet):

go to bed early.

wake up early.

hangout less.

work all the time.

work out - to de-stress & be fit.

make art, every day (work on those illustrations).

read regularly.

...

i mean, the list could go on, but if i'm really supposed to be there i believe the right doors will open and the appropriate doors will close, hopefully making it a smooth transition. all of these are things that i need to be practicing anyway, to be efficient & hopefully successful... especially if i'm going to call the Big Apple 'home'.

here are a couple pieces of artmail that i have sent out this past week:

so much love,

- k.

check this blog out ROCKOUTURE - really lovely, pertaining to fashion.

and Lykke Li. listen listen listen. especially this video, with Bon Iver.

also Yelle. listen too! (gotta love the french music).

different countries

having your own space is one of the most necessary aspects of being a healthy person.

so, today, i bleached the floor of the studio and began unpacking.

i cannot wait to see what comes from this space, and see how i create here... please come along for the journey.

here's my three minutes of creating that happened today (sorry for the poor quality):

i've been listening to The xx all day (i heard them on garance doré's recent video, thankyou!). it's lovely. combined with the back door open, and a breeze on this perfect day... not much could be more relaxing.

its friday. enjoy the weekend.

- k.

valentines atrium[s]

here's a little love for valentines day.

when i say love, i mean love from the atrium

hope today is great for you

all images © k baergen

-k