Artist Interview - Lindsey Warren

Interview by Monika Bullette

Delaware Fun-A-Day isn't just for visual artists! We interviewed Lindsey Warren, the recipient of the 2015 DDOA Emerging Artist in Poetry Fellowship. Says Delaware Poet Phillip Bannowsky, “Lindsey Warren has a gift for metaphor. Her words pour out in a luscious serving of relations and revelations.” She is a 2 time participant (2012 and 2014). Thank you, Lindsey!

Are you a Delaware resident, born and raised?
Yes, I was born, raised and still live in Delaware.  I will probably suffer some weird disease by the time I'm 50, thank you, DuPont.

Please describe your previous Fun-A-Day projects?
I've participated twice before (2012 and 2014).  Both years I wrote (or tried to write) a poem each day.  The main difference was in the display:  2012's efforts were simply hung up as individual poems on individual sheets of paper and 2014's were made into a chapbook entitled Luminous But Not Clear.

What advice can you pass on for this year’s first timers?
Advice?  Erm.  I'm not sure I should be giving advice.  I easily lose my mind over projects. However, the people who orchestrate Fun-A-Day are incredibly supportive and celebrate this community's talents.  Let that be a comfort if and when you get discouraged.

How long have you been writing poetry? How did you get started?
I have been writing poetry since I was about twelve.  At that age I wanted to be a nun and immersed myself in the literature of the Catholic Church.  I wrote a lot of prayers and even re-created the Litany of the Blessed Virgin to fit my own subconsciously burgeoning love of the feminine.  Even though my passion for the Catholic God morphed into a passion for poetry, I still write from a place of yearning to communicate with someone or something with which I have a profound mystical (however imagined) understanding.  That stuff doesn't wash off.

How do you combat creative blocks? 
Combating creative blocks can go down one of two roads:  Either I sit there at my desk/bench/rock, go through a poem or several and make a list of words I really like in an attempt to jump-start my imagination (May Swenson poems are excellent for this, for the record), or I throw everything across the room in a temper tantrum and go do something completely unrelated to writing in order to clear my mind.  The latter usually leads to a re-discovery of poetry in surprising and powerful ways, especially the throwing-stuff part.

Many great writers have day jobs (Melville a deputy inspector of customs, Kafka a legal clerk, Angelou a street car conductor). How do you think your work at a claims-processing facility helps your writing?
Processing asbestos claims...hmm....well, there's free coffee in the break room!  Really, though, I work with a few people who inspire me just by virtue of their being alive.  I hope to incorporate them into my poems at some point.  

Do you have a favorite place to write in Delaware? Any hidden gems we should check out?
Yes.  There is a bench next to a stone wall in Rockford Park.  I have had many an idea there for the past decade (I sat there almost every day for all of autumn back in 2005).  I call it my Epiphany Bench.  Sit on it now, thank me later.

If you could travel in order to get inspiration, where would you go?
Oh man.  I would probably go back to Spain, or maybe to the American Southwest.  I like places that are uncluttered and bare to the elements - it encourages my mind to do the same.  I wouldn't mind going someplace boreal, either, someplace so close to the ceiling of the planet that I bump my head on the Northern Lights.

List 2 "desert island books" that you'd never burn for warmth: 
Easy.  The Neverending Story by Michael Ende and The Branch Will Not Break by James Wright.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
"What, are we leaving the lights on for God?"  - my father, 1985-present

Light is a precious thing and I have learned over the years to not take it for granted.  It pops up a lot in my poems.  My favorite time of day is the blue hour, the hour right as the sun rises and the world's lingering silence is muffled by the music of arrived photons.  I also find myself stupefied thinking about the entities and processes that exist outside the earthbound cycle of day and night.  Thank you, dad, for your words of economic and metaphysical wisdom.

Please describe the project you're doing for Delaware Fun-A-Day 2016:
The project I am doing this year will be my cavernously amateur foray into the world of environmental art.  Each day for the first two weeks of January 2016, I will write a brief poem and then display that poem out in the world by means of paper, chalk, stones, etc. as well as take a photo of it.  I will return to that spot two weeks later to take another photo of where that poem was or still is and compare it to the original photo.  I want to leave these poems out in the rain, so to speak, and see what the elements do to them.  Our language is not infallible. Exposing it to mighty forces might help make it seem more vulnerable and pliable.

Do you have any other projects or events that you are working on? Where can we see you do a poetry reading?
I am working on too much at the moment.  I'm working on poems about music (mainly jazz and Kate Bush), art (chiefly works by Niki de Saint Phalle, Joseph Beuys and Julia Condon) and where I grew up (Elsmere).  I'm working on love poems, poems about goddesses, poems about autumn.  There is a long poem I've been writing about an archangel I've created from my rib. There is an even longer poem I've been writing about the act of creating itself, which is probably my favorite topic.  As far as readings, I hope to put together one at the Bellefonte Cafe sometime in the new year.  Poets of Delaware, raise your hands!  Let me know you exist!

Where can people check out more of your work?
I do not have a website.  I should probably get me one of those.

Delaware Fun-A-Day 2016 DAY 1!!

Congratulations to everyone on making the Delaware Fun-A-Day commitment! (You are one of 166 participating in this COMMUNITY ART PROJECT!)

We encourage you to THINK SMALL! There are a lot of first-timers this year. Sometimes participating artists are ambitious with the ideas and frustration sets in. Advice - if you took on something too complicated or time consuming, scale it back, change it, stay motivated, don't give up!

One of the best parts of FUN-A-DAY is that it motivates you keep your creativity flowing all month long. Don't get discouraged - instead, consider changing your project, doing a smaller version. The only thing to remember is: if you change from 2-D to 3-D or vice versa, you must let us know, email us at delawarefunaday@gmail.com !!!

Also- a thank you to everyone who has donated so far through our online donation link and the fundraising at Oddball Art Hall. The online donation link is active all year, make a donation anytime, and we will have our donation box at the event on February 5th. This event cannot happen without the donated funds, and if we keep growing at this pace, we will surely need funds for a bigger space! http://www.delawarefunaday.com/donate/

Artist Interview - Heather Siple

Interview by Monika Bullette

Delaware Fun-A-Day is exploring all the types of media used in the projects. Heather Siple is a Delaware Individual Artist Fellow in Photography, with work hanging in Delaware Senator Carper’s office. She is a 2 time participant (2013 and 2015). Her 2016 venture is an extension of her 2015 project - photos of lights along roads after dark. Learn more about her investigation of hidden wildlife in Wilmington and unique photographic processes. Thank you, Heather!

Are you a Delaware resident, born and raised?
Almost.  I was an import when I was a toddler. My parents moved to Newark when my dad got a job at DuPont. Somehow he ended up just about the only DuPonter who never got transferred anywhere.

How did you get introduced to Delaware Fun-A-Day? What or who inspired you to participate?
A friend who had participated in the first one passed on a link for year 2 when it came around on Facebook. At the time, it was just the excuse I needed to really develop a printing technique, lumen printing, I had recently learned about. I was just starting to play with it thinking about it as a means to give elementary school students a darkroom experience without the darkroom. A month of daily practice let me really get the hang of it. I’ve been participating off and on since then.

Did you have a favorite project from Delaware Fun-A-Day 2015? Any Artists you are hoping to see participate again?
There were so many cool projects last year from all levels! So many that I have a hard time picturing some that just really struck me at the time. I really liked the dolls in the shadowboxes and the skyscape paintings that incorporated bits of real twigs, vines and such as landscape features.  There was another one using a photographic technique that played around with the shapes of sea life in ways that made you really look deep into the pictures. It’s always interesting to see what people come up with!

Your "crystal ball" photos can give the viewer the sense of being either very small or very large. Could you describe your technique and why you print mostly in black and white?
I use a peep hole for a door mounted to a lens cap on a medium-format film camera.  I like the look of film for this and the larger format means I can see what I’m doing in the tiny lens much more easily than a 35mm or DSLR. The lens itself warps everything in a 180-degree field of view into a circle.  The brass barrel of the peep hole reflects what is in the lens and creates halos that are unique to the scene, angle, time of day and weather, like a thumbprint of each photo. I use them to create fantasy worlds that are firmly grounded in reality.

I like the way black and white takes the viewer a step back from reality.  It brings out the shapes, shades and textures, the abstract qualities, in what is in front of my lens and invites the viewer to linger and see what is going on in the picture, maybe even get lost in it.  I find that too often with color people jump to instant recognition, read the high-impact photos in a second or two and then just as quickly walk away because there is nothing more to the photo. Having said that, sometimes I like to play with color because it adds to my story. Sunsets in the background just aren’t sunsets in black and white. With the crystal ball series in particular, I tend to do more black and white for technical reasons as much as philosophical ones. Unless the conditions are right, the halos tend to be muddy, reflecting the brown of tree trunks, old leaves and stone walls, rather than the brighter elements at the core. 

The Night Lights series I am continuing this year is very much the color, with the occasional black-and-white because the scene was pretty much black-and-white, but more about that later.

I get the feeling that you are open to "accidents" and "mistakes" - how does the unexpected play into your work? 
It’s not in my nature to be terribly precise and controlling. I tend to go with the flow, observe and discover rather than do anything heavily planned. Sometimes that means miscalculating. Sometimes that means things that were totally unexpected crop up. It starts to rain and I get water drops and bad lighting.  I can’t get to the angle I wanted and have to try from another spot. My kids (my main human elements) are playing around and do something unexpected and wonderful, and I’ll tell them to freeze. Sometimes the results are trash and sometimes they are inspiration for a new direction. If I can’t do something one way, I’ll see what happens with another, take what I get and experiment.   

Are there any photographic processes that you haven't explored that you yearn to?
I’ve played around a little bit with homemade pinhole cameras, and will probably pick a warmer month to explore that in greater depth. In the mean time, I subscribe to, and have written for, a web site called alternativephotography.com where people share all manner of antique and off-the-wall photographic processes. When I need a change of pace I can always look there for ideas to try. That’s where I learned about the lumen printing that I did a few years ago for Fun-A-Day, along with another process that I like to play with, anthotypes, which uses plant dyes instead of photo emulsion.

Do you have a favorite place to photograph in Delaware? Any hidden gems we should check out?
I like taking pictures in my own back yard - often literally. Growing up as a kid who read a world of photo magazines showing great pictures of exotic places and never going anywhere myself, I became very attuned to exploring the beauty in my immediate surroundings, whatever they may be. Even now that I am able to travel more, I like to find the beauty in things as simple as the ice in the neighborhood rain gutters. Away from my house, my two favorite places to explore right now are Beaver Valley, which straddles the DE-PA state line near Concord Mall, and The Russell Peterson Wildlife Refuge at the south end of Wilmington. Beaver Valley is all rolling hills, horses, corn fields and woods, with some ruins dating back to the 19th century hidden here and there. Some of it is national parkland, but much of of the rest is slated for development or already sold off and under construction. If you’re going, better make it sooner rather than later! The Peterson Refuge is 212 acres of marshland with a little boardwalk around a pond that allows dry access for a close look at what is living out there. At first broad glance from I-95, there is a monotony to the landscape. So many endless acres of reeds and cattails! But, every time I go there I find something new. The magic is in the details!

If there were only one photo that you could hang over your mantel, what would it be?
Anything by Jerry Ulesmann. He can create such wonderful worlds out of what he finds in our own.  What’s more, the man was a master of making fantasy montages decades before Photoshop. I don’t actually alter the reality in front of me when I do my own work, but there is definitely the element of reimagining where I am that comes from his influence.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Take LOTS of pictures to get the one you want.

Please describe the project you're doing for Delaware Fun-A-Day 2016? what didn't you accomplish in 2015 that made you want to continue this theme?
Last year I started a project that I’d always wanted to do: photographing the lights from cars, lamp posts, etc, reflected in the gloom of bad weather. I loved the colors, the quality of the light in the glow and the reflections! Because it was a daily thing, and the weather wasn’t always gloomy last February, it ended up an exploration of mundane things lit up against the darkness and the trails of light left by cars passing in the night, as recorded by very long exposures. I had so much fun, I kept going for a few days into March. It was just so cold all last winter that I lost momentum to the desire for fingers that were not numb. There were quite a few nights during the project that I was only out for 15 or 20 minutes, bundled up against the cold and the wind with ski pants, face warmer, thick gloves and really heavy, waterproof snow boots. I’d like to go back and revisit some places where I may not have spent much time last year - when the weather is a bit warmer than 7 degrees! What’s more, I keep staring at the lights when I am a passenger on night trips. I haven’t gotten it out of my system yet.  Probably won’t for some time. The crystal ball project started out as 4 pictures for a show at the Biggs Museum seven years ago. It turned into a book and I am still doing them five years after the book was published! Who knows where I’ll end up going with this?

Do you have any other projects or events that you are working on? 
I just had a show of crystal balls this fall that centered on the Peterson Refuge, after shooting there for 9 months.  I’m going to be spending more time exploring that site this year and may be doing something with Delaware Nature Society with the results, but that is very tentative at this point. Meanwhile, I have it in mind to keep working on the Night Lights and do a solo show with much larger prints than the 4x6s I do for Fun-A-Day. 

Where can people check out more of your work?
I’ll have regular updates on this year’s project as it happens on my Facebook fan page, Heather J. M. Siple. I have work on my own web site, www.sipleart.com. I also have two books available at blurb.com. See some of my photos in a group show called “The Light Fantastic at Colourworks Photo Space in WIlmington until the end of January 2016 .

Artist Interview - Carol Maurer

Interview by Monika Bullette

For our second interview leading up to the 2016 Delaware Fun-A-Day, we asked Carol Maurer to describe her experience with Delaware Fun-A-Day. Learn how nature, movement, and textiles (even guerrilla yarn bombing!) play into her artwork - thank you, Carol!

We like to know how people are connected to Delaware - are you a resident, born and raised?
I moved to Hockessin 11 years ago from Swarthmore, PA, but - prior to living full time in New Castle County - I spent summers in Bethany.

How did you get introduced to Delaware Fun-A-Day? What or who inspired you to participate?
I do not recall how I first heard about Fun-A-Day but 3 years ago I create a Mouse-A-Day. I was unable to drop it off for the exhibition but it was so much fun committing to a daily creative experiment. Last year I created A Leaf-A-Day – I knitted a small leaf every morning (it became my February morning meditation) and attached them to cotton on an antique spool. 

What advice can you pass on for this year’s first timers?
Start with a small easy project. If the daily project is too daunting then you may give up.

How long have you been making art? How did you get started?
All my life… I received a light box when I was 5 to encourage my creativity.

Tell us more about your interest in labyrinths? Will you be walking the labyrinth at the Delaware Art Museum on the Winter Solstice Walk on December 22, 2015 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm?
When I lived in Swarthmore there were 2 labyrinths (one at the Presbyterian Church and one at Pendle Hill, a Quaker Study Center); I would walk them often. At the time I was a fitness instructor and I taught yoga and tai chi and I loved the connection of moving/walking meditation. I became involved in The Labyrinth Society, attending the annual Gathering and eventually joined the Board (I am currently Special Project Coordinator). 9 years ago a small groups of us approached the Delaware Art Museum to see if we could build a labyrinth in the reservoir of the Sculpture Garden. Using 7 tons of Delaware River rock, a group of volunteers installed a temporary labyrinth. The temporary labyrinth is still used by the community (it is open during daylight hours and free for the community to walk) and I continue to facilitate labyrinth walks.

How do you combat creative blocks?
The best way for me to combat creative blocks is to go out into nature – walking in the woods is especially grounding to me. I sometimes carry a small sketchbook and I like to find a good sitting space and doodle or write.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Life is not a dress rehearsal…do what you love. I know, boring but it is true!

Where did you get the inspiration for your project in 2015?
I have been playing more with embroidery and cross-stitch so I want to play a little more…

You do a lot of handwork (cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, etc., where did you first learn?
My mother never sat still, she had 5 children but she loved to express herself creatively. She taught me the skills of sewing, needlepoint and some basic embroidery stitches. My daughter taught me to knit when she was 9 on a long car ride home from Vermont.

Do you have a favorite place to be in Delaware? Any hidden gems we should make time to check out?
Delaware has many gems…I especially enjoy hiking the trails of Ashland Nature Center, sitting in the quarry at Winterthur, visiting Valley Gardens (a great place to walk, explore and picnic), and sitting in LOMA coffee enjoying Market Street and a great cup of coffee.

Please describe the project you're doing for Delaware Fun-A-Day 2016:
Originally I wanted to do a cross-stitch a day but I wasn’t exactly how I wanted to display/arrange them. So, wandering on the internet I came across an artist in Portland who was willing to hand cut small embroidery hoops (1”) so I have decided to create small embroidery pieces (including cross-stitch) on antique linen. 

Do you have any other projects or events that you are working on?
I am easily bored so I am working on several projects… including training for at least 2 (maybe 3) walking pilgrimages - in Maryland, Paris, and possibly Pennsylvania. I am playing with the idea of incorporating movement, maps, and fibers together as a way of expressing the sense of place and travel. And I’m considering a few more yarn-bombing ideas.

Where can people check out more of your work?
www.backyard-pilgrim.tumblr.com

Artist Interview - Maia Palmer

Interview by Monika Bullette

For our first new interview leading up to the 2016 Delaware Fun-A-Day, we asked Maia Palmer to expound on her work and Delaware. Here are her joyful, optimistic answers - thank you, Maia!

We like to know how people are connected to Delaware -  are you a resident, born and raised?
I was born in Delaware and lived here through high school, then I traveled quite a bit. I lived in Japan, Spain, Hawaii, and a few other states, and then I moved back to Wilmington in the summer of 2014. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made! 

Since you have been documenting parts of Delaware... do you have a favorite place to hang out in Delaware? Any hidden gems we should make time to check out?
So many! Delaware has a ton of wonderful state parks, and I love them all! I also really love the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge down by the Riverfront. It’s tiny but very peaceful.

How did you get introduced to Delaware Fun-A-Day? What or who inspired you to participate?
I actually found out about it the day before the deadline last year when I was getting a pedicure. Ashley Messatzzia of Spookymess Creations told me about it while making my toes look beautiful!

Did you have a favorite project from Delaware Fun-A-Day 2015? Any Artists you are hoping to see participate again?I don't remember the name of the artist, but I loved the one that was all drawings on index cards of various true but impossible sounding science things!

What advice can you pass on for this year’s first timers?
Just do it!!!

How long have you been making art? How did you get started?
I think I was around 7 the first time I remember consciously making a choice to do more drawing. I had copied a drawing of Peter Rabbit out of a book, and everyone told me how great it was. I liked all the attention, so I figured I should do more of it ;)

What types of themes do you like to pursue in your work? 
I like painting and drawing local scenes because it’s a great excuse to spend time outside and take lots of pics. I generally prefer buildings with a lot of angles, an interesting perspective, and a strong sense of light.

Where did you get the inspiration for your 2015 project?
I had already been working on a series of miniature oil paintings of local spots, but that would take too long, so I decided to go digital. I liked the idea of postcards because they are naturally small format, and I liked that it was both artwork and also something that could actually be used.

How do you combat creative blocks?
Whenever I can’t think of anything to draw/paint/make, I almost always resort to blind contour hand drawings. It’s easy, there’s always something new to observe, and it’s very meditative! Plus, filling up a sketchbook is always very satisfying.

You have done a fair amount of 3D work... who is your favorite sculptor?
That’s a tough one! So many favorites! One sculptor who influenced me a lot is Steve Pi – he’s an amazing teacher and artist! I also love the figurative sculptures by Kiki Smith and the fiber art by collaborative duo Guerra de la Paz.

List 5 things that have been inspiring to you lately…

1. Teaching – coming up with projects for my students forces me to create work outside of my normal activities. And I love seeing all of the creative solutions that my students come up with that I never would have even thought of!

2. Running and being outside

3. Seeing work by other great artists at events/galleries like Oddball Art Hall, Talleyville Frame Shoppe, and Hardcastle Galleries. I love the diversity of the Delaware art scene.

4. Weird bones and skulls! A bunch were donated to school, and they are super fun to draw!

5. The holidays – I like to make presents for my family, and it gives me the opportunity to make things that I wouldn’t normally consider! Right now I’m making some fun jewelry out of shark teeth.

Please describe the project you're doing for Delaware Fun-A-Day 2016:
I will be creating a “Portrait of Delaware” coloring book. It will include quotes and drawings of Delaware residents as well as more local scenes. The work will be presented as both loose-leaf pages and actual coloring books. I like the idea of finding out interesting or random tidbits about the lives of all the different people I interview.

Do you have any other projects or events that you are working on?
I’m always working on a couple of different paintings, and I also have an ongoing series of drawings on dictionary pages.

Where can people check out more of your work?
I have several paintings up at Hardcastle Galleries, and most of my work is online at www.maiapalmer.com.

Do you have anything additional for us?
I had such a great time last year – both in the making of the project and at the opening! It was one of the first shows I was in since moving back to Delaware, and it really helped motivate me to stop making excuses and just get to work! Thanks!

Meet the 2016 Organizers!

Colleen Master - Lead Organizer 2016  - Colleen is a two time participating artist (2014 & 2015). She was a volunteer organizer for the 2015 event helping with fundraising and art collection efforts. She is a graduate of The University of The Arts in Philadelphia, with a BFA in printmaking. Colleen is a process oriented artist. Learn more about Colleen from her Fun-A-Day artist interview

Monika Bullette - Communications - Monika is a 2 time participant in Delaware Fun-A-Day (2013 & 2015). She has returned to visual arts after dedicating many years to musical pursuits with her solo project BULLETTE and playing drums and singing with The Sky Drops. She just finished illustrating a children's book titled "Sir Francis Goes to the Zoo". See and hear here: www.bullette.net

Joy Smoker-Liedel - Graphics - A 2 time participant in Delaware Fun-A-Day (2014 & 2015), Joy is the Art Director for the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware and the Graphic Design and Typography Continuing Education Instructor at the Delaware College of Art and Design (DCAD). When she isn't working, she can be found in her mini metalsmith studio where she creates delicate modern jewelry from silver, gold, and gemstones. You can see some of her work on her website arcusatelier.com

Kerri Fitzgerald - Event & Artist Management 2016 - Kerri is a graduate of Delaware College of Art in Design, where she studied Fine Arts.  She is a 2 time participant in Delaware Fun-A-Day (2014 & 2015). She changed careers this past year to give herself more time for art. Lately, you can find her at a state park practicing her new hobby - disc golf.

Artist Interview - Jason Olney

Note - this interview by Amanda Thiel was conducted in early 2015 before the 2015 Delaware Fun-A-Day. More new interviews coming soon!

Today we are getting to know Jason Olney. He is a past participant, a math and science lover, graphic designer, robot illustrator and one of the first parent-participants to inspire their children to do projects of their own. He tells us all about fractals, one of his favorite participant projects from last year (who is showing again this year – yay!) and also what he’s working on for the upcoming Delaware Fun-A-Day 2015. So let’s find out more of what inspires in our Delaware Fun-A-Day blog interview!

We like to know how people are connected to Delaware, are you a resident, born and raised?
I am a true Delawarean. I was raised in Newark and I still live there today.

How did you get introduced to Delaware Fun-A-Day? What or who inspired you to participate?
I was introduced to Fun-A-Day by Kati Driscoll. For whatever reason I didn't participate the first year. However, I've been doing it ever since and I really love it and look forward to it.

Have you introduced/hooked any people into participating in Delaware Fun-A-Day?
I got my friends Liz and Nick Allen to participate for a couple years. I don't think they would consider themselves artists, but I believe that anyone can be creative. I really enjoyed the projects that they did. Liz's was more abstract and Nick's was about his passion, martial arts.

How long have you been making art? How did you get started?
I've been making art for as long as I can remember. I didn't take it seriously, though until college. I went to the University of the Arts in Philly where I majored in film and minored in animation. What I took away from that was a good sense of color, composition and technical know-how. Although I didn't pursue film, I now am a freelancer. I do mostly graphic design and web design, but I will take on any creative project including illustration, photography, photo restoration, etc.

You are a seasoned Delaware Fun-A-Day participant; tell us about your past projects and what inspired you.
My first project was Robot-A-Day. I love math, science and tech, and I'm really interested in A.I and robotics. I used Illustrator and Photoshop to draw both real life and imaginary robots. Some of the real life robot portraits I did were of Big Dog, a quadrupedal robot created by Boston Dynamics; Asimo, which is Honda's bipedal humanoid robot; and Hearoid, which was my pet robot as a kid.

What is your preferred medium? Do you like to branch out into different mediums?
I love computer art. My favorite mediums are Photoshop and Illustrator. Of course, I love trying anything. I've tried my hand at colored pencils, oil painting, photography, origami, calligraphy, and woodworking to name a few. In the future I would really like to try holography or stereoscopic photography.

Where did you get the inspiration for your project in 2014?
Last year I did Fractal-A-Day. Fractals are patterns that repeat themselves at different scales, Like the branches of trees or the chambers of a nautilus. The fractals that I worked with are graphic representations of a certain kind of mathematical formula that create these patterns. I have been playing with fractals since the 80's. A teacher had an early fractal program and I used to spend hours on it finding interesting shapes and patterns. My next step with fractals is to try and write new formulas myself rather than relying on formulas others have supplied.

Do you have a favorite place to hang out in Delaware? Any hidden gems we should make time to check out?
 I'm a homebody. I love hanging out with my wife and kids watching movies and playing video games. I love nature, so when I do go out, it's usually to a park. My favorite is White Clay Creek. I've been hiking there since I was a kid and it feels like a giant back yard to me.

You are planning to participate in the upcoming 2015 show. What made you want to come back?
I love the people involved and the art. I'm also usually very busy with work and kids and this gives me an excuse to create something for myself.

Tell us more about "Crappy Clip Art-A-Day! That sounds fun.
This was an idea I'd had for a while. I have a bunch of disks full of all kinds of clip art from the 90's. Some of it is totally surreal and I started playing around with it and making these ridiculous collages. I'm having a lot of fun just creating stuff that makes me laugh.

Did you have a favorite project from Delaware Fun-A-Day 2014? Any Artists you are hoping to see participate again?
I really loved all of it, but Alisha Jones' photography for May-A-Day sticks out in my mind. I can't wait to see what she does this year! 

We love having new participants in the Delaware Fun-A-Day show each year, what kind of advice can you pass along to this year's newbs?
One thing that I learned from my first show is to really do a piece a day! It can be very easy to fall behind if you skip a few days. Then you're trying to catch up by doing two or three a day and you're not giving them 100%.

Do you have any other projects or events that you are working on this year?
I got a lot of positive feedback for the fractals, so I'm continuing to make more of those. I also want to improve my photography skills this year.

Do you have any personal Art-throbs or idols?
I love M.C. Escher. One of the things that really attracts me to him is that he just has an intuitive sense of mathematics and the infinite.

Are there any other places people can check out more of your work?
Yes! You can check out www.jasonolney.com as well as my Etsy store https://www.etsy.com/shop/JasonsPixelStuff

Do you have anything additional for us?
My daughters, Allison and Mika participated in Fun-A-Day last year. One of my favorite things was the overwhelmingly positive response they got. They were so proud of themselves.  Mika is doing it again this year - look out for Cloud-A-Day!

Announcing Delaware Fun-A-Day 2016!

The MAIN EVENT, when you are making things, starts Jan 1, 2016 and runs through Jan 31st! The show opens February 5th at DCCA! Opening night celebration is from 6 - 8 PM and the exhibit will be available until 1pm on Saturday, February 6th.

Get all the FAQs and Register!

Photos from 2015's Fun-A-Day

We're ironing out the plans for next year's Fun-A-Day. Until that big announcement, check out this slideshow of March's Fun-A-Day! Photos by Sheila Master and M. Bullette.

Continued success in 2016!

Hello Delaware Fun-A-Day family,

I’m very excited to continue Delaware Fun-A-Day with Sarah Houghton! We are looking forward to making 2016 happen with all of you! I am so grateful for the opportunities Fun-A-Day has provided me thus far, and can’t wait to see how it will grow! The organizers from each year have done so much work to make this event what it is, and I’d like to thank them for all they have done and for placing their faith and confidence in me to be the point person moving forward. I hope it will continue in a positive and creative way.

We will be picking a date and location soon. We appreciate any and all help. If you would like to help organize, please fill out the form. THANK YOU to those that have already filled it out! I will be in contact with you via email about the details, very soon!  I would like to make sure anyone participating in this annual community event has the chance to contribute in any way they can. Please feel free to also contact me directly at mastercolleen@hotmail.com

 The 2015 event was a huge success and we have some funds to carry over into 2016. However, we will need more to fund the event, in particular the deposit needed for a location. Donations are welcome all year long! Please donate what you can, when you can! And if you can't, please ask family, friends, and colleagues to consider making a donation.   This is an event for the community, funded by the community!!! I am hoping to have a fundraising event this year in addition to online donation fundraising. Stay tuned for more details!

Here’s to continued success in 2016!!!

Colleen Master