Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Art
March 26, 2020

Iconic Album Covers Are Reimagined With Social Distancing in Mind

As the novel coronavirus continues to drastically alter our daily lives, social distancing (more accurately called physical distancing) is the new normal. It’s the only way in which we will slow the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve to save lives and medical resources for those that need it. By living this way, it makes you look at everything in a different light.

Read Article

Art
March 17, 2020

5 Online Art Challenges to Help You to Stay Creative and Connected During Coronavirus Lockdown

As many of us are experiencing a life of self-quarantining, we understand that the coronavirus lockdowns are essential in flattening the curve and slowing the spread of the virus; however, there's a side effect to social distancing—it's loneliness. Luckily, in the age of social media, we are never truly alone. And with the extra time spent indoors, artists are stepping up to help us all pass the time.

Read Article

Painting
March 12, 2020

Dynamic Palette Knife Portraits Beautifully Balance Order with Chaos

Artist Françoise Nielly creates dynamic portraits that find order in chaos. Using vibrant oil pigment and a variety of palette knives, she depicts her subjects' eyes, noses, and lips among angled strokes and layers of neon paint. At first glance, the paintings read more abstract than figurative. But thanks to Nielly's masterful handling of the palette knife, we can easily see the features emerge through the mounds of scraped-on texture—ultimately bringing their humanity into focus.

Read Article

Creative Products
March 10, 2020

Diy Kit Lets You Create Complex Marble Courses That Stick to Any Magnetic Surface

If you enjoy puzzles, then you'll want to “make way” for a brilliant kit called Makeway. The modular puzzle invites you to design your own marble obstacle course with their series of tracks, connectors, and trick pieces. Every element can be moved and arranged in any way—allowing you to create complex and exciting paths for the marbles.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.