The Typical Monday

While everyone is not so fond of monday's they do exist and we must be productive. Here at blender we are developing a Corporate Matrix and Product Roadmap. This specifies what a company does and its purpose. While monday's can be a drag it is important to stay focused, creative, and productive. Mix up your monday with some music or any vice that will make it worth attending.

Quote of the day: “If you want to get somewhere you have to know where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Interns to the rescue!

So it has been a while since there has been any activity on the Blender Creative blog but the interns have come to the rescue!
Lets start off by introducing Blender's new intern group. Out of about 40 potential candidates, coming from the Art Institute of Phoenix, Arizona State University and a few from out of state, five were chosen to intern at Blender for the summer. Amazingly enough, those five interns were all from Arizona State University's Visual Communication Design program. What can I say? We are just awesome at ASU!!
Together, Ray, Nick, Zack and the lovely Latinas, Paula and Deny, have formed team Gusto! Don't let that picture throw you off though! We are working hard for Blender on many exciting projects and getting a better experience than we could have ever asked for! No coffee runs for us!
So look out for our posts in the future and also check out Blender Creative on Facebook and Twitter!

Sometimes it takes a great video and an awesome song to take you back to where it all begin. In the early 80's I spent most of my free time with friends skating. We laughed, got a little reckless and during school sketched ideas that would have made the "skate kings" proud. Hope this link finds a place that takes you home...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO2SJmMUr6A

Digital Design Tournament 2009

Cut&Paste's Digital Design Tournament 2009 kicks off in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 21. The competition formats are 2D Design, 3D Design, and Motion Design. Although the call for entries for North American cities is now closed, you can still buy tickets to attend the event. Click here for a list of cities and dates.

Sedona Landscapes

I wanted to share some beautiful photos recently taken in the magnificent landscape of Sedona.

Along with incredible scenery they have one of a kind art galleries to visit. This is a perfect day trip.

The Friendliest 4-Letter Word

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I'm digging the love notes that Night Owl Paper Goods is making. The cards are keepers long after the holiday is over.

A few pics of Brian and the new mural on our studio at the MonOrchid. If you are looking to lease  space in our studio take a look at the following link for a floor plan. 

Studio Tour

Lending an Extra Hand

This photo by James Koepnick symbolizes a very basic human act we all could stand to benefit from. "lending an extra hand" is a great act of kindness no matter how big or small it is. The outcome is always a positive step in the right direction helping people pull together.

Flock

It has been over two years since the MonOrchid gallery has been opened to the public.  I remember back in 2001 when we started the blenderHaüs concept and the collective artist talent that blessed and enriched this great community. The efforts that fueled this environment sparked from an economy very similar to that of today. At this moment it was the crash of the .com bubble and the tragedy of 9/11 that brought so many of us together. All of us were looking for something different.... a concept that allowed us to think freely and join talents to create the perfect synergy. Many of us had lost jobs and survival was the inspiration for our togetherness.

The gallery thrived, artists came from all over the country, SHADE magazine emerged, and people worked together unified with a common goal. Collaboration and the connection of people working together was achieved and it was tremendous.

The doors will open again this March after 2 years of quit and we will work to restore these ideals once again. I'm so excited and it is ironic to me that I find this happening again in a similar economic time. 

It is an honor and a privilege to have local artist and painter Brian Boner paint the mural on our building (MonOrchid) that will set the stage for the next phase of our studio. The painting that you see on the blog is one of his works and the inspiration. 

I ask Brian to speak a little about the birds and what this meant to him as an artist. Brian responded , "It is something about the instinctual way they rely on each other, working together making constant progress. The migration of the flock and the unison, not of one bird but the entire group." It reminds him of the growing community of artists in downtown Phoenix who have been working together. You can see the progress and it is not based on one individual, but the collection of many. 

To see more of Brian's paintings go to his website at:

www.brianboner.com

 

Black and White

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Martin Luther King, Jr.