Not knowing what to do with myself over the long Labor Day weekend, I made a trip to Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center for the first time on Monday.

An exhibit called "Open House: Cincinnati Collects" (running through October 14) takes up about two floors of the downtown museum at the moment. The CAC, which doesn't have a permanent collection, brought in pieces by more than 200 artists from more than 50 collectors.

A lot of contemporary art is hit-or-miss with me—I have an easier time understanding and appreciating traditional arts and crafts. But one piece—simply graphite on paper—had my undivided attention for close to a half hour.

My Future Based on Present Circumstances 4/01/04 by Beth Campbell is part of a series where she—as the title suggests—maps out the ways her life could go from one little decision she must make. I stood there tracing each branch up to read every possible outcome. (Yes, I was a fan of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books as a kid.)

In the 4/01/04 drawing, entrusted with the keys to a friend's apartment, Campbell might only pick up the mail and go, or she might start hanging out there regularly. Or she might get too comfortable and throw a party. And that might make the neighbors mad, or it might make her friend unknowingly the life of the building.

Campbell's quasi-calligraphy is beautiful to look at, and I can't help but feel the exercise could be adapted as a brainstorming too for people with a creative block. I think I'm going to try it later and see what my many futures might hold.

Image courtesy of the Contemporary Arts Center

Today I stumbled across this linocut tutorial with good instructions and very helpful pictures to illustrate the process! (It also includes a margarita recipe, I guess to get your creative juices flowing?)

If you want to try linoleum prints on for size, check out Dick Blick's printmaking supplies. All you need to get started is a linoleum block (I find mounted ones are easier to deal with), a linoleum cutter, some water-based ink, a brayer for rolling the ink and some paper. (There's a basic kit for sale for $15.99 here.)

Here's a two-color linocut of mine from a while back:

These are some of the streams I subscribe to:
Art News Blog
CRAFT Magazine
The Smithsonian's Eye Level
The New York Times' Art and Design section

Do you have any more suggestions for great art-related blogs to read religiously?

We get a fair amount of correspondence from incarcerated artists. So when I saw yesterday's New York Times article about Alfredo Santos, who painted six murals in San Quentin State Prison while an inmate there, my interest was piqued.

Santos was serving four years for heroin possession when he won a competition to paint the murals, each about 12x100 feet. He credits his time in the clink with his development as an artist. (He's owned a number of galleries since his parole in 1955.)

Five decades later, the murals are at risk. San Quentin, which isn't in the best shape, is one of the most dilapidated prisons in California. Although a study called for preserving the murals, no suggestions were made as to how that would be done.

Watch this sweet slide show to inspect the massive murals for yourself.

Other artists got inspired. The Daily Painters Art Gallery, founded last September by Micah Condon, now showcases more than 120 artists. They must maintain a painting blog, updated at least a few times a week with new pieces, for a few months before applying. After they're accepted, their work appears on the site in the daily update with information on the artist and how to buy the piece. Most days there are upwards of 50 new paintings for sale, almost all smaller than a square foot.

It seems like a great exercise in technique and discipline. Have you tried daily painting? Do you think you could keep it up?

Earlier this year I took a trip to Detroit to visit a friend who works at the Free Press. I was stoked to see her, of course, but I was secretly equally excited to finally visit Hollander's, an incredible bookbinding supply store where I've shopped online for years.

I'm not sure how I managed not to max out my credit card on that trip. I left Ann Arbor with a tube of beautiful Japanese chiyogami paper and a renewed will to create.

Do you buy your supplies online? I went with Hollanders sight unseen just because their prices are so good, but I have to admit there's no replacement for being able to feel the weight and texture of paper. Add a comment, and tell me where you get your art supply fix!