Knowing and Not Knowing

This is something which came about purely by accident. I was working on a canvas and wanted to lift some of the paint I had placed there directly from the bottle. I had this piece of 300lb/640gsm watercolor paper which was the exact same size as the canvas, so I grabbed it and did a frottage. This is what came out on the paper. I have been so mesmerized with it I have not done another thing. It is not as though I think it is complete, but I cannot get past the way it appears now. There is so much to look and see on this piece.

This brings me to the work Andrea is doing at the moment with cropping and seeing her work in a new light. You need to go to her blog and read the last several entries to understand fully what has been happening in her studio lately.

I think I love this so much because there is so much to see here. I have an issue, though. I don't want to cut up this piece. I can work with the image on the computer to do some cropping and become inspired by the various parts, but what to do with this piece? It is far too busy, I am thinking, to stand alone. At the same time, I am not eager to touch it. Maybe it needs to go onto the wall of possibilities until I grow tired of looking at it for whatever reason...or go blind...which ever comes first! :) It makes me think of a line I read in the book, 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin:

There is no way to push the river; equally you cannot hasten the harvest.

I thought this said a great deal about needing to be patient with this bit. So what do you do when you have created something you cannot stop looking at, but you know it also is not complete? What do you think I should do here? As you can imagine, I am eager for advice!

I wish for everyone a Delightful Monday!

An Interview with Dianne McNaughton

Dianne McNaughton is a painter living in Cape Town, South Africa. She writes the blog Intuitive Painting which many of us have come to love reading. In this interview Dianne shares so much of her life which has made her such a beautiful person and a beautiful artist. I hope you will enjoy the many lovely things she has to say.Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in the south of England and then spent most of my life in Africa, in Zimbabwe and then Cape Town. By the age of nine, I had attended school in three different countries. I was a shy child and found making new friends quite difficult, I felt “different”, being an immigrant child and was often on the edge, looking in. Another challenging aspect of my makeup is that I have a learning disability, Attention Deficit Disorder. This gives me a poor short-term memory and a low tolerance for anything repetitive or boring. At the slightest whiff of a boring lesson at school, I would be off into my very active imagination, or “away with the fairies”. The upside of this is I think it contributes towards a strong creative need, I love anything new, inspiring, and experimental. I have always been at my happiest, right from a very early age, when I have a creative project on the go. As a child, I constructed models, loved drawing, singing, acting, dancing and music.
My family is typically English; we are all very polite to each other and rarely express how we feel, typically, “Stiff upper lip”. I thought that how I felt inside, deep down, was of no consequence. I have an intuitive nature, which lay dormant and ignored for many years.
Half-way through my primary education, on arriving in Cape Town, I was sent to a lovely school, Greenfields Primary, where the principal was a like-minded soul who loved the visual arts. We staged quarterly major productions in which the whole school was involved, with singing, poetry, dancing, acting, music etc, requiring loads of rehearsals, set building and costume production (mostly mums!). These wonderful concerts were staged in the school’s own amazing theatre. I have such happy memories of these productions and it has given me a life-long love of artistic expression in its very varied forms.
My high school years were as barren as the Sahara Dessert; they were devoid of any kind of creative spirit. I was discouraged from studying art and ended up in the Latin class.
I would have loved to study art at college, but without a high school art education this was impossible. I promised myself I would learn to paint when the time and the opportunity arose.
I was drawn to a career in nursing, I felt it would be worthwhile to spend my days doing something beneficial for those less fortunate. When I had a spare moment, I sang, danced and acted with an amateur dramatic group, where I met my Scottish husband – we were partners on the stage!
My husband is highly expressive, a typical Scotsman, you can tell how he feels just by looking at his face. Isn’t if funny how opposites attract? Something in me recognized a quality in him that was so underdeveloped in myself.
I retired from nursing after 14 years to spend more time with my growing children and to have a look at my “wish-list”, learning to paint being high on this list.

Oh Dianne, this is so beautiful. We are very, very similar in many ways. I love this story of your early life and can imagine this wide-eyed little girl who could see the most amazing things, however would not share them.

When did you realize you wanted to be an artist, and when did you seriously begin working toward your goal?

About 16 years ago, I went to my first painting lesson and was totally, intoxicatingly hooked, I felt a rush of complete passion course through me, I had come home. I set about getting myself an art education, reading art history books, visiting galleries and going to lectures at the local university and art society. I quickly realized that input from one art teacher would be limiting, I would glean as much information from one teacher and then move on. I learned to paint using watercolours, oils and pastels. I started writing my art journal, keeping notes, so worried that my ADD would make me forget something important.
I was given a huge confidence boost when, my paintings were selected for the South African Society of Artists Annual Exhibition in 1994. This was the first time that I had hung up my work for public scrutiny. My paintings were initially very realistic in style and I felt in my very gut a longing to express myself in a more abstract way, I just didn’t have a clue how to go about this.

You know I hear similar stories from other abstract expressionistic artists. It seems as though we all have to have that element of realism and structure which in some ways irritates us until we have to break through. Art is so much more than technique, isn’t it?

Technique, well bedded down in my subconscious, has given me versatility and confidence to experiment and explore new territory.

It is interesting for me to note your science background (which is so much more structured) come out in your painting with technique. Even with your abstract expressions, your need to completely understand and document various techniques seems to me to reflect back to the detailed record keeping a scientist needs to do. Then maybe it is just my personality type which closes down my creativity with this kind of awareness – which I sometimes pay for, I might add. Do you see this?

Isn’t it strange that we can’t help bringing all that has gone before in our lives into our art-making? I have never really thought about this need of mine to understand and document all that I do as being any different from what you might do, Kim. I think it stems from a need of some kind of security and stability in the face of experimentation. During my creative process, I create without conscious thought for a few hours and then spend another few hours contemplating what I have done and try to understand its significance! I can’t help but swing between the two modes. It is so interesting to become aware that the creative process can be so varied according to our personality type, each person has their own personalized path.

What type of art do you make? If you use many styles instead of just one...please explain why.

As a painter, I have worked with every type of drawing and painting media I can get my hands on, I love to experiment and get very bored with repetition.
My method of painting continually changes so I will talk about my method at this time. At the moment, I am painting, using my imagination and my intuition. I am painting to please myself, it is a bonus if others enjoy the painting as well. I start in a purely abstract manner, using mainly acrylic paints, dealing only with line, colour and texture. I start my work devoid of any subject matter, allowing the images to be revealed rather than dictating the direction of the painting. As the painting progresses, it may germinate thoughts, ideas, feelings or dreams which need to be transformed into visual images. During the process, I get a sense of what the painting is about, I love to tap into the subconscious and bring up images that have a strong association for me. The painting may take many transformations, until the work arrives at its destination and is complete.
I have been a member of a Plein Air painting group for the last six years. I am now trying to look at reality before me and transfer this into some sort of abstract expression. I have found if I only take huge brushes out with me, I can’t get into too much fiddly detail. It is all about simplifying and getting to the very essence of the subject.

This is wonderful. It sounds to me as though you abstract when you are painting with your Plein Air group, but when you are in the studio the emotions completely take over. The thing is in reality, anything which is abstract has to come from within, do you not think?

I think when I abstract from reality, it is usually an emotional response to something in that realistic image that moves me. Abstracting from reality is a whole different process.

Okay, so I understand. When you paint Plein Air, your abstractions are simply an emotional response to your environments – well, not so much simply, but clearly an emotional response. I think that is really wonderful and you make me think how exciting it would be to paint this way.

I think your horizon series may relate to this type of painting. I read on your website that this series was a response to living on a “Small island”, i.e. Britain after coming from the huge continent of America. You were aware of water being all around you and you created these works. Is this not abstracting from reality?

White Petunias

What or who inspires you to create?

Recently, my circumstances completely changed the way I painted:-
In 2007, my husband and I spent eight months in Sharjah, The United Arab Emirates. I thoroughly enjoyed living in a different culture, meeting people who lived their lives in a way so very foreign to me. I was fascinated talking to women who were one of four wives, we had many questions for each other! As an artist, I struggled to find suitable subjects to paint, high-rise buildings sprung up like
mushrooms on the flat desert sand, so close together, they blocked out the light. Almost nothing growing, just the odd palm tree encrusted with sand grew limply in the 44 degrees and 95% humidity. Frequent dust storms and humidity obliterated the sky for weeks. I felt trapped in air-conditioned rooms where a sensory deprivation set in - no music, nothing visually inspiring and nothing to smell or hear. I realized that I need to have a connection with what I am painting; because everything was so strange and alien to me, I couldn't find a subject to paint. I have painted in an abstract manner before, but I did not understand really what I was doing.I started painting in a purely intuitive manner. I had no external inspiration and so was forced to look within myself for some sort of subject matter.
I lay the unstretched canvas on the floor, squeezed out some acrylic paint and just played around with it on the canvas. My spirits were lifted just by splattering on the paint and moving it around in a sensory manner. The strange thing is, I didn't really believe that what I was doing was valid in any way. I wasn't painting with an end in sight, somehow it didn't matter, I was simply diverting my mind by doing something that I love. I continued to work on two pieces over the next few weeks and I would spend time just gazing at the paintings and images would appear. As I progressed, images would come and go - this process amazed and delighted me. I began to wonder if others would be able to respond in some way to my "doodling". The paintings, "Meditation" and "The Dance" are the two works completed in Sharjah. They have sent me on a new and exciting journey.

These two paintings are amazing without a doubt. I just love this story so much. To me, it completely shares the essence of Abstract Expressionism. If you really think about it, the story is very similar to that of Jackson Pollack when he called to Lee Krasner (his wife) to ask her if what he was doing was art. Like you, he questioned what he was doing, doubted it and kept doing it anyway. I love that about artists.

Out of all of your works, which would you say is your favorite?

Meditation, this is my breakthrough painting from Sharjah. It is intensely meaningful regarding how I was feeling at the time. It was a time of introspection and isolation, this painting is about those feelings.

I can understand how this can be so special to you…a good reminder of a breakthrough time.

Meditation

What is your time management secret?"

A lot of challenges come along with being a female artist. I have so much to do to keep my home environment ticking over, besides finding time to paint. I find I am pulled in many ways by my friends and family, I almost feel selfish demanding time to paint. I would love to paint every day but find myself allocating some days in the week as full painting days and during the rest of the days, I paint in between my other tasks. I paint while I am cooking – I set my cell phone to ring when something has to come out of the oven.
I think the most important aspect of time management, is to have an abundance of energy. Malaise is my worst creative enemy! The only way to keep the energy levels high is to maintain a healthy life-style, eat a healthy diet and working out regularly. I spend an hour every second day working out in the gym. A great spin-off is that I do my creative thinking while exercising; I often have to go home quickly to write down the thoughts before I forget them.

I think I would have to take a notebook with me, even to the gym. J I have to agree with you about being a female artist with a family…tough to be sure, but we would not have it any other way. Maintaining a very healthy lifestyle is also imperative as we cannot expect the best from ourselves without providing ourselves with the best.

What has been the biggest artistic risk you've ever taken?

The biggest risk was deciding to stop painting realistically and to forge ahead expressing myself using my intuition and imagination.
Another big risk for me was coming back to Cape Town and exhibiting my works done in Sharjah. It’s great to paint experimentally, but very hard to put them up for public scrutiny.

You are right, but an artist pushes and challenges themselves in this way. I think blogging has given me some of the greatest comfort with friends who are there as support when others do not understand works. With some art it truly takes another artist (of some type) to connect with it.

You are right, Kim, blogging has provided me with a co-operative virtual studio, I have found artists who are able to connect with my work and give me encouragement and the confidence to proceed.

The other thing is they can be there when you need them and not there when you need some quiet. I create better alone but also love the interaction.

What is the most unexpected side effect of your success?

Finding the real me – coming to understand who I am and finally accepting who I am without wanting to make any changes at all…. this is me…
I have come to realize I can express myself in a unique way and that I do have something to say.

I have come to understand that my work is valid because it is genuinely a true expression of myself and that it shouldn’t matter if others like it or not (I am still working on this…)

Art really helps move that aspect forward quickly. Some people spend a lifetime trying to get to this place and never quite get there.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishments to this point?

I would say my greatest accomplishment today is that I have come to understand myself and accept who I am and be able to live my life in a way that fulfills all my dreams. As a child, I was shy, introverted and living with a poor self esteem. Being hypersensitive with ADD made me put up a wall around myself in an effort to protect myself from hurt. I rarely allowed others to get too close and so isolated myself. I have learnt to accept who I am and love the real me.
I taught myself to concentrate and pay attention! While attending lectures during my nursing training, I realized that I would have people’s lives in my hands and so I had better concentrate and learn what needed to be learnt. I timed myself initially for 5 minutes, to listen and not think about anything else. I continued to train myself, until I could concentrate for 45 minutes without letting my mind wander. As a result, I was placed 2nd in the whole of the Cape Province in my 4th year of study!

I have learnt to value my feelings, listen to what they have to say to me and express them in written words, paint and conversation. I have learnt to listen to my intuitive voice as my inner guide when making important decisions.
I have maintained a good relationship with my husband through 31 years of marriage and raised two children who are considerate and caring members of the community.

Congratulations on these wonderful accomplishments. Many people have not and will not ever see even one of these. I think you are so right to note them as your greatest, indeed.

Genetic Connections

I really love your abstract work. Will you share with us the mediums you prefer using?

I tend to work in acrylics when painting my abstract works. I seem to work in layers and so I need a medium that will dry quickly. I have experimented with mixed media where I have used collage papers and acrylic inks. I also paint in watercolours and pastels and hope to create abstract works with them, but am still trying to find a way of using them in an abstract mode.
I have also worked in oils but find I suffer from terrible headaches and nausea after a painting session, even after using water soluble oil paints, so I have decided not to work with anything that is toxic to my system.

We do have to be very careful about the toxic issues. I might recommend oil bars or oil sticks (which are oil paint in stick form and different from oil pastels as they dry harder). As you know I also have issues with inhalants, and art materials are notorious offenders.

Thanks for the recommendation! I have tried oil bars since stopping oil painting and had no ill-effects. I think we are lucky that our bodies tell us when we come in contact with poisonous chemicals.

I feel lucky to have an artist-nurse-friend who understands these issues.

What do you think was most influential in finding your artistic voice? Is there anything you wish someone would have shared with you early on in your artistic career?

Spending 8 months in Sharjah, isolated in an air-conditioned room, 16 floors up, in 44degrees Celsius outdoors, in the dessert with only high-rise buildings and having no friends to support me nearby, I retreated into myself and found my artistic voice.

I wish someone could have stood up for the 12 year-old me when I wanted to study art at high school. My wishes were swept aside and I ended up in the Latin class, which I hated with a vengeance. I look back and wonder why I didn’t stand up for myself more.

Because you were twelve and because you, in some way, knew you needed these other experiences in your life in order to be the artist you are today and value these wonderful lessons you now hold so dear. I was the same as a child (a very different person from my family) and yet I know I had to do it this particular way for some reason. Does this feel true for you?

I have never thought of it that way! I might have had my, “Artist’s voice” completely squashed by insensitive lecturers if I had studied art formally as a young impressionable teenager. By studying art as an adult, I was able to nurture and guide myself in the right direction and avoid those negative people that love to crush emerging artists.

Oh yes, I can understand that, since I had my fair share of watching that happen in design school. Today, I think maybe it is a matter of the program, but that was not the method 20-30 years ago. I am sure there are others out there who can identify with that, too.

Koi

Will you talk about the color selection process for your abstracts? What influences the colors you use?

I feel the need to work initially with a very limited palette. I make a conscious decision about what few colours I would like to use on a particular canvas. As the painting progresses, other tints may creep in and then be obliterated or become the dominant colour. I think this is very much part of the intuitive approach, I have favourite colour combinations that I work with on a few canvases at once.
I am fascinated by the way colours can represent certain emotions and feelings. I sometimes paint in very high-key colours and at other times, my colours are somber and dark. I am sure they relate to my emotions and would like to study this aspect more thoroughly, perhaps studying art therapy.

I also think this is an incredible field. In interior design we study a great deal about how colors can affect the emotions and the body (along with light without which you could not see color), and this was the most interesting part of that practice.

I would love to hear what you have learnt about colour and emotions, Kim.

Mmm, you make me think the subject might make some good blog posts. I can tell you my designer self approaches color in a different way than our colleagues who studied fine arts. I will give some thoughts to posts about color and emotions.

How do you like to work? Studio conditions, frame of mind, etc.

I love to play relaxing, classical or contemporary music in my studio, it seems to get me into the painting frame of mind.
My method of working continually changes, so I will tell you how I am working at the moment.
I usually paint flat on the floor, using large brushes. I sometimes use stretched canvasses or otherwise I have a roll of canvas that I cut a piece from … I can then choose my format there and then and not be confined by what I have in stock. I strap the canvas to a board so that I can stand it up to view it from a distance. I use polystyrene fruit packaging to mix up various tints and colours, these I store in plastic food containers with air-tight lids. I recycle other containers from my kitchen to store colour glazes.
I love the random marks made by splatter and spraying, so I have a large drop sheet that covers the carpet in my studio/3rd bedroom. Texture is fascinating to me and so my paintings usually end up with multiple layers of paint taking weeks or months to be complete.
I can spend hours gazing at my work, turning it around, looking at it from all angles, from a distance, until an image emerges, I then get an idea of what the painting is about and proceed in that direction. This idea may not work and I obliterate some of the work and continue in an abstract way until I find a new direction.

I love this idea of working flat on the floor. I have done some of it from time to time, but not often. I also like the idea of working on un-stretched canvas, but then stretching it stops me. You can call me a wimp.

I have some great young guys down the road who make stretched canvasses to order and also stretch paintings onto stretchers - they fetch and deliver free of charge!
My knees have been playing up a bit, so I have been using a trellis table to work on over the last few days, as I say, my method of working adapts to whatever is needed at the time.

Oh you lucky girl, you! Now I would go with some huge paintings if I had this option available to me!

These guys make enormous canvasses, the trouble is, you need to hire a truck to transport them! I see some artists are creating huge images using six to eight similar size canvasses that are hung close together to make up one large painting.

Eeek, you do have to be careful of those joints. Maybe some knee pads gardeners use could be helpful, too. So this trellis table is a low table?

This trellis table has seen a lot of action. I used to make toys out of bits of material and sell them at local craft markets, this table was my trusty sales surface. No Kim, it is not that low – I find if I can move all the way around it, I can still paint in a similar way.

Are there other artists you admire – living or not – and what makes their work/lives appealing to you?

I find the process of working and reason behind the work is equally important as the finished painting in the artists I admire.
I love artists that are able to express their thoughts, feelings and emotions in their work. My taste ranges from realism to abstraction, the underlying thread being the emotional content, the baring of the soul and working from the heart.
There are so many that I admire, but would love to talk about just the few below:-

Frida Kahlo painted for herself for many years without any thought of exhibiting her work. Her surrealistic paintings tell stories of her daily life and many of her paintings really hit me in my gut, they are so expressive! One that really stands out for me is the painting of her sitting on a chair with her hair all cut off and lying around her. Her husband has just left her – she feels an acute sense of low self esteem and loss of desirability and so cuts off her hair. The painting is incredibly powerful.

I love Vincent Van Gogh paintings and letters. He manages to express his emotions in his choice of colour and expressive brush-strokes. He wrote wonderful letters to his brother describing his life and painting process. I seem to be drawn towards tortured artists!

An Australian self-taught sculptor, Ron Mueck, creates these fiberglass sculptures of people that just blow me away. I visited his exhibition in Edinburgh three times, I couldn’t keep away! His hyper-realistic figures are never life size, always slightly exaggerated – his aim is to get an empathetic, emotional response from his viewers. He tries to capture the key moments in our passage through life, dealing with the themes of birth, infancy, youth, adolescence, sexual maturity, middle-age, old age and death.

His figures emanate feelings of joy, introspection, anxiety, depression, detachment and self consciousness. Truly amazing! His figures are often enormous, filling a whole room or can be tiny, never life-size. Have a look at the link, although his work needs to be viewed personally to get the full impact.
A South African, outsider artist, Helen Martins lived in a tiny Karoo village, Nieu Bethesda in her own work of art, The Owl House. Her transformation of The Owl House was entirely motivated by the desire to create a space with expressive significance and personalized meaning. As an undertaking, it was obsessive, spiritual and celebratory. She had no formal training and created her work from unconventional materials, mainly cement, broken glass, bits of wire and even parts of abandoned cars. She hired an assistant to help her with her work, never regarding herself as a fully-fledged artist. It was a private and personal endeavour, a form of self-searching, of personal creative discovery and never created for public viewing.

Oh, these are going to be so much fun to explore. I know this is one question which leads so many people down paths which they may not have ever traveled before. I know it is true for me, too. Thank you for these lovely introductions and reminders of other artists.

Let the Winds of the Heavens Dance Between You

I have been drawn to a great deal of your writing on your blog. Do you enjoy writing about art?

Thank you Kim, I am so pleased you have been able to connect and relate to what I have to say. I have never considered myself a writer, but have found recently that I really enjoy expressing myself in words. I love to express my thoughts and feelings relating to my creative life, I feel the writing has become an extension of my art-making.
Since I started painting, 15 years ago, I have kept an art journal where I have recorded my thoughts, relevant quotes from books and teachers, experimental techniques learnt at workshops and photos of all my paintings. I have a poor short-term memory and was worried that I would forget interesting and important information. By recording my creative journey, I have been able to build on every experience and bit of relevant knowledge.
So many artists fall into the trap of finding a comfortable style of painting and then just repeat themselves, never moving on, never experimenting. My journal doesn’t allow me to do this!
Initially, my writing was wooden and impersonal, but with time and practice I have learnt to write how I really feel and be genuine about my choice of words. I sometimes write a paragraph and when I read it back, I think, good grief, where did that come from? I love the way the words can sometimes just spill out onto the page. There are so many similarities to painting!

I also love my journal. I think I may keep one a little different from the way you keep yours, but it is also a lifeline for me. I just want you to keep writing and keep sharing those lovely ideas. I have found so many visual artists rely on their journals and so many creative writers rely on being able to express themselves visually to keep things going…I find it so interesting. Do not stop writing, though.

Are there other things you would like readers to know about you, your art or your experiences?

Kim, I think I have rambled on enough!

You make me smile…I could listen more and more to what you have to share. I think sharing what is true for us helps so many to begin to evaluate what is true for them, too.

Thank you so much, Dianne! I have so enjoyed our conversation so much and know readers will enjoy getting to know more about your work and your process. This has been a wonderful experience.

The Dance

Painting in Nature and Natural Painting...A True Ramble

On Tuesday morning, my son came in and said, "Bring your camera and do not dawdle." He took me outside on our deck where some water had frozen on top of a glass table. In the ice, some oak leaves had fallen and frozen. When he pulled up the leaves, this is the kind of imprint which remained in the ice.I was reminded of this beautiful image nature made when I read Dianne's post today. Earlier I had asked Dianne about painting in 'Plein Air' and any concern for debris which might blow onto the wet canvas. In the post, she talks about how she rather goes with the flow allowing to happen what will. As Dianne talked I thought I should like some leaves to fall where they will on a wet canvas. Would I also appreciate the debris kicked up from the neighbor's landscaper's blowing machines? (Truth be told, I can't stand those machines and all their noise.) I am not sure I would, but that isn't a natural act, either. Isn't this just like allowing the muse to take you where it will and creating with what you are given? Isn't that what nature does? So is this called natural painting or natural creating?

Don't you think the same is true the way Andrea creates the Metroheads on her daily commute in Paris? It is not 'Plein Air', but it is what is natural for her each day. Suki does similar creations, too, with her wax collages and the well series she is working on. I suppose Dianne has a greater opportunity to paint outdoors with the milder weather in South Africa and I am glad she does - her paintings are amazing. I think the rainy months in Paris might make watercolors difficult for Andrea and the very cold of the North Country would prohibit Suki and the mediums she uses, but in their own way it is natural painting. When you follow your muse can you also say it is natural painting? While I do see the difference in natural and 'Plein Air' paintings, I think that 'Plein Air' is also natural. Okay, I am circle talking now. I will leave it at this, but would love to hear your thoughts. Do visit Dianne's blog as she has so much to share. If you haven't already read the post just before this one, do...you will get a real chuckle!

I also wanted to say my heart goes out to Suki who has recently lost her mother. I send you lots of love, my dear friend.

Tuesday's Bits and Pieces

So I am a sucker sometimes for containers. If they are unusual, then I will consider purchasing them. So this is an ink bottle, and it is full of black ink. I don't use ink all that much, but the bottle drew me in when I saw it. You, too, can purchase one at Art Supply Warehouse for $7 or less if you act soon and have the current coupon. I really like seeing the bottle sit on my table. Silly, isn't it?

I have also come across an article about what makes people successful in their chosen careers. Of course, artists are not profiled and a portion of this article suggests just what artists have known all along. Actually, I was reading it when I remembered a story I read from a source I cannot put my hands on now (if you know it, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due). A professor of art teaching a pottery class at an American University decided to divide his class in two parts. Those students in one half of the class would receive an A if they could create the perfect pot by the end of the semester. The students in the other half of the class would receive their grade based on the quantity of pots they produced during the semester. As you might guess the "perfect" pot came from the students who also produced the greatest number of pots in the semester.

I do not get nearly the quantity of time in my studio I would like, because there are so many people who depend on me. Maybe I should spend time at night painting. Do you feel you get as much time as you would like in your studio?

Everyone have a beautiful day.

Seeing Colors And Making Shapes

This is an old, old piece. It is pastels on black paper...about 10" x 14". It is just basically something I did fast one day to do something in a short time frame. One thing I have found interesting is the feather shape. I often want to make this shape for not any known reason. Do you have a particular shape which comes naturally to your hand?

Yesterday I talked about seeing colors when I dream and yes, today I found a quote from Audrey Flack about color perception. In her book "Art & Soul: Notes on Creating" which I pick up from time to time, found this:

Perceiving Colors

We see colors differently. I see blue hues with one eye, my right, and warm yellow tones with my left. I've found that many artist see this way. I believe this is a function of a highly developed color sense.

Now I am not so sure this is the way it works for me, but you can be sure I am going to be testing myself to see if Audrey's theory holds true for me. One thing I have noticed, though, is how two people with different eye colors see a hue differently. I attribute this to the reflection of the light as it is perceived by the eye. But I am not talking about colors in different locations, but people actually looking at the same color at the same time in the same place. And the other thing I have said to you before is how I am able to create and see various colors in different places where we live. I pointed to the example of the blues being so different for me when we were living in England. And the colors I worked with when we lived in the western part of the US were different from the ones I work with now here in the Eastern part of the US.

Have you ever noticed any of these subtle differences in how colors are perceived or how you work with them? Clearly both Audrey and I assume it is the eye which makes the difference, but maybe it is the brain which is translating them differently. What do you think?

I hope the day is sunny and delightful where you are today.

You Just Never Know...

The Heart 9x12 inches Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

You may remember seeing this painting before, but I have a story to tell you about it. I was never crazy about this piece and really considered it a test. It was hanging out in my corner of shame waiting for me to do something else with it when it was spotted by a woman visiting me. She said, "I really must ask you about this painting." Now she had seen a lot of my paintings and never asked much about them. Of course I said it was mainly a test canvas and there was not a lot to really tell about it as I was trying out some techniques. She said how much she loved this painting and how it resonated with her. Of course I had to ask more. So here is the story.

She is a nurse and during some of her training she was called in the middle of the night to come to the hospital to observe a heart transplant. While many parts of that process was miraculous to her, one of the things which stood out was the lack of blood in the heart...it was white! Pure white!

Apparently this painting was a perfect example of her experience that night during the heart transplant. With her story, the painting came quickly out of the corner of shame. She now owns the painting.

You just never know what is going to be meaningful to someone. I am glad this painting was meaningful to her. Interesting isn't it?

Now, this brings me to another somewhat related topic. I read this article which talks about a study done showing art classes helps teach physicians to better diagnose illnesses. Sad, though, isn't it that we have to introduce physicians to the arts in medical school! Shouldn't this be happening all along? Oh, I forgot, you probably can't test for that very well! When in the world did we let go of a balanced education? I suppose it is when we decided intuition wasn't good enough to follow...oh, I am getting on my soapbox now!

So I am interested in your thoughts.... on do you ever know?...and do you think it is sad we have to backtrack on arts education?

A Conversation With Lesley McIver

Lesley McIver is a glass artist who lives in New Zealand. She creates some of the most beautiful glass jewelry and sells her work in several galleries, at art markets and through her Glitz Art Glass web site. Lesley and I have been friends for a number of years, so you might read a bit of that. In addition, she is not a blogger (although she does read here), so this is new for one of my Conversations.

Lesley working in the early days.

Lesley, you have always been a creative person and have explored a lot of art forms. Would you give us a brief background on your creative life? In other words, tell us a little about yourself.

It’s funny, but as a child I never considered myself to be creative. Creativity was part of survival – you cooked, gardened, made clothes and maintained house and home, but I never considered this to be creative. Creativity was rather frivolous and for those people born with “talent”!

So, I began with an absolute obsession with fibre when I was about 10 years old. My maternal grandmother, a woman who had a huge influence on my early years, taught me how to crochet, and knitting was done by everyone in my family – even my father knitted his own jerseys. The fact that one could manipulate the fibre to make patterns in colour, texture and shape was a revelation, and I was soon making items of clothing – always useful :o) – for anybody who asked.

The “love bead” craze happened in New Zealand when I was just starting high school, and this gave me another way of creating patterns. I drilled seeds – pumpkin, sweet peas, apples – anything I could get my hands on, and strung them into long necklaces. I guess this was the first time that I made anything that wasn’t strictly useful.

When my son was a baby I learnt to embroider, and this led to a whole new obsession. Suddenly I could really express myself on fabric, and from beginning with tiny formal stitching like cross stitch and hardanger, my work got bigger and bigger – my creative genie was trying to escape! In the end I was using ribbons and wools and dyed cloth, and incorporating hard materials into the work. I now think that this was an effort to make my work more three dimensional.

In the end I developed sever over-use syndrome in my right hand, and can now only pull a needle for a very short time.

By then my creative genie had escaped and I was desperate to learn how to express myself. I began to use pastels, paints and pen and ink.

I discovered an on-line Interior Design course run from England which proved to be a turning point in my life, and I discovered art history, and a whole world of art that I hadn’t previously known existed. I also met my dear friend, Kim, who has been such a positive influence through this.

While I decided that interior design was not the direction I wanted to take, it did clarify my thoughts. I recognized that I have a need to be creative, and that I am allowed to create beautiful things – the all pervasive need to be practical has been erased!

Quite by chance my partner and I enrolled in an introductory 3 day glass beadmaking course run by an American glass artist, Dave Klien, and the rest, as they say, is history…I had discovered the medium that let me use all the knowledge I had accumulated, and would stretch my imagination for many years – probably the rest of my life.

A different way of using the same materials.

This is so interesting, Les. Like you, my early creativity was completely practical and going down the fibers/textile road was the perfect expression then. And I still enjoy it! I also found embroidery (which I still adore) which also pushed my hands into some issues with carpel tunnel syndrome (I am guessing it is the same thing). So a world apart and the two of us followed similar paths at similar times.

The parallels in our lives are fascinating! I just love that you live on the other side of the world, yet at a very deep level we are so similar! It never fails to delight me.

I’ve read an interesting book lately called “Thrift to Fantasy” by Rosemary McLeod, which details how women in early New Zealand (but I guess this applies throughout the world) put their fabulous creativity into utilitarian everday items, such as aprons, peg bags, doilies, tablecloths etc etc.

Though this wasn’t really happening in my lifetime, it was definitely part of my mother’s life, and can clearly remember so many beautiful things that we took for granted.

I think these lovely items were even scorned when I was a younger woman, and seen as being part of the bonds that held women in servitude, rather than their sole creative expression and items of great skill and beauty.

Yes, again, very parallel experiences. It seems to always help us progress when we understand from where we come.

The Magic Studio in Pohara, New Zealand built by Lesley’s husband.

You are married to a creative man and have a son who is also quite creative. That must be exciting to have all of that energy around you. Would you say they have an influence on your designs?

Murray and I have been together for most of our lives.

We both come from practical backgrounds, and our families were the typical pioneering New Zealand stock. Make it, mend it types. We are also products of our era, and were very tempted to take to the land and become self sufficient during the ‘70’s.

We both love the process of making things – looking at materials and envisioning them as a completed piece.

Murray became a technology teacher after learning a “trade” and owning a couple of “production” businesses, and continues to explore through his students. His dream is to make a living from his workshop, and we have plans to begin this process quite soon.

He has been a terrific driving force with the set up of my studio/s, and without his technical know-how I would have been sunk! I needed to learn about propane and oxygen tanks and lines, regulators and kilns before I could really learn about the glass, and having the help of his knowledge was hugely significant.

Murray built me a beautiful studio at our home in Golden Bay – a little magic cottage at the bottom of the garden, and the place where the work began.

He built all of our stall setup, which is much admired, and really sets off the work – looking good really matters in the market and show environment.

These days, when he is not teaching, we live a wonderfully companionable existence – he working in his workshop (at the moment he’s enjoying using the burner he’s just built for blacksmithing work) and me in mine.

One of the things on the wish list for my next studio is the space for a second torch so we can work glass together from time to time.

Our son, Iain, has inherited this love of making, and is in his last year of a mechanical engineering degree at university. He is also really creative, and we love to see him working on a project when he comes home for the holidays. He paints, casts, draws, sculpts – and finds his rest and relaxation in creativity.

Consequently our house is filled with hand made stuff – and tools and books and mess! As I write I have the dining table filled with beads and boxes and tools!

It is a joy to be able to share this creativity – we all get involved in each other’s projects and will bounce ideas around the meal table. As I write this I realize how truly blessed we are!

This has got me thinking about how these skills are inherited, and I’ve been tracing this creative line through my family. My great-great grandfather was a lighthouse keeper and made almost everything the family used, and I often wonder if his hands are guiding mine.

Les, this is a beautiful story about your family (all of them). Your studio in Golden Bay is a work of art, itself! I know when you shared that how envious I felt of that little cottage sitting there and the view you have from your property over the sea! So your entire environment there is so creative and that has to be so incredibly encouraging!

Ah, yes! I still dream of that little magic cottage! I wonder if I will return? I stood in the place where my work bench used to be just a couple of weeks ago and just soaked up my beautiful view!

You will return…we will focus on that happening for you.

A typical view from the Magic Studio.

How did you get started working with glass?

Until we did that course with Dave, I’d never even considered glass as a material that I could use, and it was only through sheer serendipity that I discovered it – and that Murray (my technical genius) was with me at the time.

I now wonder if my life will be long enough for all there is to learn about glass – I am completely and utterly in love!

Green, blue, purple, violet lotus flowers on transparent set.

Well, you know how I feel about that material! I can completely understand how you are in love with it! I think you have a long life to learn about glass, yet!

Kim, it would be wonderful if you could share some of the photos of your glass work here, too! How about it? I especially love the piece you made for Steve…and you also have some fabulous and inspirational pieces of other artists work!

Well, I never thought of that because I try to keep the focus on the artist, but if that is something you would like, I would be happy to do that.

This is the stained glass piece I made for Steve (25 + years ago) which Lesley speaks about.

WWhat would you say have been your greatest creative challenges?

In the first place just the technical challenges felt insurmountable!

I had never worked a kiln before and just learning the language of that equipment seemed huge at the time – especially with the requirements of glass, which is so finicky. However, I’m now onto my second kiln, and considering my third!

I’m almost completely self-taught apart from that three day course, and I read everything I can get my hands on. Sometimes I think that this was a handicap – it certainly felt like that at first, but at other times I think that my work is really uninfluenced by anyone else, and is completely my own.

There is a huge on-line lampworking community and a small group in New Zealand, but apart from the odd visit or chat here and there I’m happy to work alone.

You know I feel the same way about being self-taught…you truly do find what is right for you. And the methods which work the best way you work. With so many online communities, you can always get help with issues from others. Being an introvert, the joy in working alone is exceptionally appealing, too.

Another parallel! And yes, the online communities are wonderful – especially for people like us who are a little solitary!

Awaroa Christmastime. Lesley says, “we have trees here called Pohutukawa and Rata which have a red Haze of flowers right on Christmas time. Not far from Pohara, they flower over golden sand beaches - so this is my take on them.”

From where do you draw your inspiration?

I just love beautiful old china and fabrics! I have a house full to bursting with beautiful bits and pieces that I have collected, and I love to look at them and, say, take a colour combination from them to work with.

Whenever I run dry I pick up a book, or go for a walk or just sit and look through the glass rods and dream.

Oh, now that you mention that, I can see it so clearly! And I also hear you about the love of old china, crockery and textiles…old linens…how I love them!

Aha…I knew you would! That book I mentioned is another source of inspiration.

I love inspirational resources and have often thought organizing mine in some way, but you just never know when something is going to pop up.

Silver Sampler Set inspired by embroidery.

What are some of your favorite glass books, web sites and other references?

Glass lampworking books have been hard to come by, but I notice that there are more and more around lately.

Favourite lampworking books are Beads of Glass by Cindy Jenkins and Passing the Flame by Corina Tettinger.

There are a few lampworking networking websites, but my favourite is www.lampworketc.com – that’s a great site for inspiration, too! It’s good to find out what’s new in the glass world – new glass colours, tools etc.

Favourite inspirational books are Textile Designs by Susan Meller and Joost Elffers, 1000 Glass Beads by Lark Books, and of course, The Artists Way by Julia Cameron

These are great…I am sure you have people running for the book shop, now!

Fair Day as daylight breaks.

What is your time management secret? You get so much done and have been able to make great connections with galleries and markets.

Oh, this is the eternal knotty question, isn’t it?!

I am very driven to do what I do, and I need to make a living from it. So I need to treat what I do very seriously and actually produce the work.

I force myself to live by routines most of the time, though these can become pretty loose when I’m not pushed.

I find the routine part one of the greatest challenges. This clearly works very well for you, though, Les!

The routine part is mostly a chore and a bore, but I grit my teeth and do it – it’s worth it in the end when I get real time on the torch – the payoff!

So many artists feel this way and really do believe it is the best way of working. For me, I close down. I don’t know why, but it is one of the things I have realized about myself over the last year…believe me, it creates a whole set of problems, too.

Busy little caravan (RV) workshop in Tapawera, New Zealand – Jewelers’ bench, cat’s beads, etc. This is Lesley’s mobile studio.

What other artist inspire you?

I love the glasswork of Sharon Peters – her humour is infectious, Corina Tettinger – she’s a technical wizz and I love her sense of colour , Loren Stump – his work is so incredible that I don’t understand how he does it, Kristina Logan – fantasticly simple looking work belying its unbelievable skill, and Larry Scott whose sense of colour style really appeals to me. Oh, and Michael Barley…and …and…

So many lovely choices! It seems most artists have the same problem!

Beads in the Raw

I love the colors you use in your designs. Do you have a special way you make the decisions about colors and designs?

I just love colour! Bright, bold, happy, brave, delicious, juicy, calm, reflective, restorative, inspirational…there are so many wonderful words to describe what it does to us!

Colour is one of my major passions, and the Italian glass that I use fulfills this. However, glass has some added little secrets of colour that other materials don’t. You can mix some colours together and get a magical reaction between the minerals that make them – so suddenly plain colours are spotted or veined or outlined! You can layer it to change the colours, use transparency and opacity to create depth and tone….

Colour also heals us, and I use the colours of the chakras a lot in my work – and I believe that we are drawn to the colours that will heal us if given a choice.

You have a lot of color tricks up your glass sleeve! That is really cool and it is so great to understand all of the various tricks different materials can handle. Color is such a fantastic element of art. And the chakra bracelet you sent me gets to many fantastic comments and it makes me feel so good to o.

I also agree with you about being attracted to personally healing colors. I have seen that in different times in my life I am attracted to different colors…and also when I have lived in different places. So you have taken healing colors and created healing “bling”! Now how great is that?

I think there’s something in the feminine side of us that’s always looking for layers of meaning in whatever we do, don’t you? It lends us personal authenticity, which is so crucial for creativity.

I think you are absolutely correct in this observation of always looking for layers being a part of our femininity. That also addresses some of the issues women artists have had historically breaking into this world. We understand the world around us in a different way and we understand ourselves in a different way. When we honor what we know for ourselves, then our creative selves comes to the surface. It seems to me, when that happens everyone wins. Excellent point!

Green, Purple, Aqua on Black set. These are intended to work from the heart to the throat to the third eye to the crown chakras.

What would you say is the greatest artistic risk you have taken?

I’m not sure that there are a lot of artistic risks in glass…though if this can mean the simplicity and naiveté of some of my work then, yes, I think they are a risk. They look quite child-like, but are actually reasonably precise to make. They also allow me to use the colours that I so love in a child-like way.

And you did stick your neck out when you began with the glass. Being self-taught might also be seen as being risky to many…of course, as you pointed out, it doesn’t quite feel that way to you!

No! That part didn’t feel risky at all, isn’t that strange? I feel that this is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life!

Oh Fantastic! What a strong person you are to follow your dream, know it was right and march forward with it! Now that speaks loudly of your success!

Oh, another great book is “When the Heart Waits” by Sue Monk Kidd – it’s about periods of waiting in your life…

She is a wonderful writer. I am going to buy that one soon! I think we need to understand these cycles in our lives and what each one brings to the table of our lives. Thank you for the recommendation.

Inside the Magic Studio

What is your greatest creative accomplishment to this point?

I think the fact that I am able to spend my days doing something I love so much is a huge personal accomplishment, though I hesitate to take all of the credit for this. When I go into my work “zone”, I let go, and the work just comes to my hand. So the creative accomplishments come from that source, rather than from my brain.

I think through some of the technical issues, like the landscape beads and the cubic zirconia beads and prepare for these, but as long as the materials are to hand, the glass just flows with a will of its own.

I have to say that I think spending your days doing what you love is absolutely one of the greatest LIFE accomplishments! It is good to hear you feel grateful for that!

So very grateful – I give thanks daily for this “gift”!

Creative Mess! Caravan Studio in Tapawera.

Would you share your working technique (days) with us?

Because the work keeps my body so still, I need to exercise every day, so that’s what I do first. Then I meditate – another hugely important part of my day.

From then on I work, usually doing the office and website work over breakfast, then cleaning beads and making up crystal work, ordering supplies etc in the morning. I like to be on the flame by 1 ish in the afternoon, and in the evenings I usually have a tray on my lap, making up pieces.

I spend one day a week in town doing business and Saturday is a huge day at the market.

So your days are down right packed! I suppose it is lucky I was able to get to you in the middle of your winter, so we could work on this interview.

The craziness is all based on getting creative time, though, and I know you get this too!

Yes, it is as though my creative time is the glue of my life.

Chakra Meditation Beads

Can you share with us any interesting experiences with galleries, commissions or the art markets?

The gallery connections are the hardest thing to set up. I worried and worried about this in the early days, but as time has passed I’ve mellowed a lot. I realize now that when the time is right then the right outlets will come my way – you cant sit back and totally ignore the need to make new contacts, but I no longer buy into the “They don’t want my work – it’s not worthy – I’m not worthy” stuff that plagued me at the beginning.

There are just places where my work fits and places where it doesn’t!

Through doing my regular Saturday markets in Nelson – this is a wonderful art market, and has a great reputation – I meet a lot of people, and word slowly gets out that way. We also travel a lot to art fairs and shows through New Zealand, and this is also a high energy but great way to get your work known. I’ve made really good contacts through these shows.

Doing these shows is hard work but hugely rewarding! I get to meet the people who are buying my work rather than dealing remotely through galleries, which I find can be a bit sterile.

I have a few galleries that work well for me, and am looking for a few more, but I don’t want to get too involved with that style of work. Keeping up with what stock they have, what they need next, billing etc is a lot of work, and I will only put my work in galleries where it is well displayed and actually sells well these days.

Marketing our work is a huge deal, and the side we find most challenging. However, like most of our creative process, if we just let go and let it happen, then it usually does just that!

This is great advice for anyone looking for and working with a gallery. And you know, I think that everyone can sure identify with the personal things you faced early on, too. And you are right you do have the right to pull your things from a gallery which does not work for you. That is important to remember!

Marketing…you are right, this is a huge deal. Remembering to Let Go and Let It Happen! I like that…think I will put it in my quote section!

Oh yes! Always remember that you are the creator of your work, and you must be happy with where it sits in any gallery or selling position!

It is a lesson I need to learn better.

Art Fair booth by 10 am - Full of lookers and hopefully buyers!

Do you enjoy writing about your art?

Yes, in some ways I enjoy it, but I’d rather be doing it! I’m never happier than when I’m working, and I tend to get rather impatient with anything that keeps me from it.

I love to be inspired by words, but could never have the patience to write about what I do technically – unless it was just in the form of advice to someone who wanted to know how a certain process was done.

I understand being impatient with things that keep you from creating!

You know, I think you are really great writing about your work. You have always been wonderful explaining things to me and sharing so much of your work with me in emails, etc. Even before you were doing glass, you were the greatest with all of that. At least I always look forward to your emails and hearing about the details of your creativity.

Ah, but I love to chat with you, Kim! You make it so easy!

Sometimes when I explain our friendship to other people I find it hard to get across how close you can become to another person just through the written word. It’s a personal treasure!

It is very much a personal treasure. There are so many people who don’t understand the closest relationships I have in my life, so I understand what you mean about finding it difficult to explain. I am just here thinking how long it has been we have been doing this and building this relationship. I can’t remember exactly, but I think we are looking at about 10 years or so now.

Amber Glow Necklace and Bracelet

What other art forms interest you? In what way?

I’m always fascinated by all forms of creativity, and love nothing more than an afternoon at an art gallery, just soaking up the display of work. I just love to see what other people produce from their inner space.

I’ve always loved fibre, and still love to see fabulous embroidery, though I don’t think that I will become involved in any work of that type any more.

I love to play with pastels and paints, and will pick up a piece of wire and pliers to do a little wirework at times.

Apart from that, I’ve become so involved with glass that it’s rather taken over my life. It has become my grand passion!

And the passion shows a lot, too! I can say I have always loved all of your art, but the glass has really driven you and that is very cool!

Rainbow Chakra Crystal Set

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

The beads bring me close to lots of people in a very intimate way, and I have been very privileged to have been involved with weddings, love stories, funny stories, sad stories, funerals and family stories.

Beads are a part of nearly every society, and they are inextricably woven into our social structure. I’m always aware that every bead that I make will go to be used by someone and become an intimate part of their life story.

Because of the durability of the glass, each bead will probably last for thousands of years, so I hope that they will be passed on through families and create their own legends and stories.

I recently restored a crystal necklace for a woman who had been given the necklace by her mother’s bridesmaid after her mother had passed away – the necklace had been a gift from the bride to her bridesmaid. This is just one of hundreds of stories…

Oh Les, this is a beautiful story and it is so cool how you make these connections, too. Now there would be a great collection of stories collected by you through your work! And it is true about beads and about jewelry…how important have they been throughout history. It reminds me of Native American wampum (beads used as money)…I am sure there are lots of societies who used beads in this way.

Rock Candy Set, full crystal AB

Thanks so much for sharing so much of yourself and your art with us here. I know there are glass artist who read this blog and will be very happy reading all about your experiences. It has been a real honor for me!

Beads are used in almost every single culture throughout history – they were used as money, and human lives were even traded with them.

Yes, Native Americans called the beads they used for trade “wampum”.

Ivory and Gold Heart

You’ve got me thinking now about journaling the many stories…even if it’s just for my own pleasure.

You should…blog them and share. I have a feeling you would have a lot of readers

Thank you for the interview, Kim! It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to share my passion with you.

And Les, it has been an honor to be able to talk with you more about your glass work and to be able to bring your beautiful story to others. Thank you so much!

Gold on Dark Red Heart

I hope you have enjoyed this Conversation With Lesley McIver. As you can see, she is a phenomenal artist. Please remember Lesley is about 17 to 20 hours ahead of US times, so some comments will be delayed. She is also occupied late in the week, but I will be here to comment too. I hope you will take the time to explore her web site from time to time as she is always developing new work.

I will catch you the end of the week.