It Just Happened...

You may be wondering what in the world I am up to here today with these two images. Mind you, they are just cropped corners of some work I have been focusing on lately. At any rate, do you see the darker purple on the lighter in the above photo? Those are dried ink flecks. I use pre-stretched canvases a lot for a variety of reasons. These come wrapped in plastic which both makes me crazy and makes me glad. I hate the waste of the plastic, but I appreciate the protection, too. Recently, I have been carefully removing this plastic along the heat sealed seams. When I do this right, I can get a nice wide piece of sheet plastic which is double the length of the canvas (plus the depth). I like it because the plastic is strong and not as clingy as plastic kitchen wrap.

So what, you say? Well, I have also been squirting acrylic ink on acrylic painted canvases and then mushing it under the plastic sheeting. This allows me to see the ink moving on the surface of the canvas and have some kind of control - sometimes. I found if I continue to do this the layers of ink will build up on the plastic sheeting. I mainly just leave it around to get the most use of it I can.

One day, I was moving a piece of this plastic and some flecks fell off. What? This is beautiful...it was all irridescent and beautifully caught the light. So I scrunched the plastic with the heavy, flaking, dry ink over wet ink and paint...beautiful. I just let it fall where it might. Then, I decided to see if I could peel it off in sheets. Yes, I could!


Here you can see where I have applied some of the sheets to this painting. If you look closely, near the top, just to the left of center there is a piece of this dried ink which is not lying flat. Do you see it? There are others, too.

Now I can't toss out these sheets. I wonder how long I can get away with using them over and over...saving the dry ink...reusing the plastic? Now the ideas are flowing.

Do you have a good way to reuse plastic? I wonder if I painted thick enough, in reverse order, if I could pull entire paintings off this plastic and adhere it to another support? Do you think this might be messing up the archival qualities of the work...using this plastic like this?

As always I am interested in your thoughts.

Have a Great Day!

Process

Over the last few weeks I have been trying to trust the process of my work and life. Sometimes this is difficult, however I have found how important it truly is to do this from time to time. As an American I have been raised to believe the more time I put in, the more productive I will be. All of these years I have failed to recognize just what it is that encompasses "time put into my work". Lately I have concluded there are many aspects of this art making which involves putting in that time and it is not always in my studio producing the next painting. Sometimes I have to step back and evaluate what I have done, read things which have an influence on the direction I am heading or where I have been, sometimes it means I have to explore other art forms and how they impact my own work...or allow them to impact it.

Recently I heard about a company in the US northeast who felt they had to cut back their work force since they were not getting the clients in this economic climate. They did not really want to lay people off, so they decided they were going to try the basic French model of working. Their employees were all cut back to a 35 hour work week (yes, I know the French have recently increased that back to 40 hours), required to take a month off (without pay at this point) in addition to their regular paid vacation. Do you know what happened? The productivity and creativity of the employees increased, their client list began to grow again and they are doing well now and have happy employees and clients. I thought this said a great deal about not only this company, but about how we sometimes have to take more time to effectively produce.

No, I have not stopped painting, I remain true to my mark a day (at minimum), but I have started to evaluate what it truly takes to do this work. So now you know what I have been doing over the last little bit. Yes, I have been painting, but in a different way and with a different attitude. It feels fresh and exciting, so I think that is a good thing.

I also appreciate you being so patient with me throughout this process. I hope to be a more regular blog poster and reader...not every day, but with more substance, too.

Oh, and this little photo at the top...just another crop from some recent "play".

How about your process? Do you sometimes have to step away and take stock in your work and your work process?

Have a Great Weekend!

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.

Whew!

I want to begin today by thanking each of you for your kind words and your patience with me as I prepared for our Thanksgiving meal. I am truly exhausted and plan on relaxing for the remainder of the weekend. We had a lovely day and had many things to be grateful for as during all of this time my father was dealing with some possibly daunting health issues which were resolved positively.

This little painting is just watercolor on rice paper. I did this the same time I did the flower one I showed here earlier. The same method was used with rubbing some paint from the tube onto the paper and using a spray bottle to move it around a bit.

Soulbrush has tagged me. While I have run out of people to tag, I thought I would share with you the 7 different things and open up the tagging to anyone who would like to run with this. I have found sometimes having a tag or an award in my back pocket helps when I need a blog post. :) I love to get the conversations going, however I also have to be in a place to get my head around it. Anyway, here are the 7 more unusual things about me:

1. The best place for me to solve problems is in the shower. I have been known to take a shower at all times of the day.

2. My favorite movies are humorous ones.

3. I can't go to sleep at night without an hour or so of reading.

4. I am often easily overwhelmed by crowds.

5. When something is important to me, it consumes my entire life.

6. I often refuse to follow directions just because it is someone (somewhere) who has told me how something must be done. This is why I am a terrible baker.

7. I also do not do all that great with anything requiring great precision.

So there you have it...do any of these resonate with you?

I hope you are looking forward to a lovely weekend and please consider yourself tagged!

Wildlife or Wild Life!

My apologies for not making this an art post, but my daughter leaves tomorrow and my focus is in a different place today. Actually, my husband and son have taken the day off from their respective jobs, so we can have an additional family day! I hope you will understand and will also understand about the quality of these photographs. They were taken just before a storm late yesterday afternoon. I had to take them through a window and take them fast. This little guy has been kept under lock and key by his very protective mother, so when she allowed a little freer roaming, I did what I could on short order.

She had this precious little baby in the wooded area of our back yard. They have been there ever since. I am not sure about where she is getting water, though. I have caught a little glimpse of them both from time to time as they would venture forward for some grass in an area we are allowing to return to forest floor.

In this photo, s/he is looking back to encourage Mama to come a bit closer.
And in this photo, Mama agreed. Isn't it cute? When I see it, I don't dare hardly move, so taking these photos was a huge risk as Mama is very, very protective and would have sent Baby running for cover.

We all stood enthralled as they ventured close to the house (maybe within 10 or 15 feet) last night.

Are you having wildlife (of any kind) adventures? I will be returning to the wild life of art soon!

See you Wednesday!

Sharing the Source and a Little More

Yesterday's post (written on Wednesday evening) has generated some really great conversation. I am enjoying it a lot, too. I wanted to share with you the thinking was spurred on by this book by Ian Jackman, editor. The Artist's Mentor has a chapter titled "DWM" (...dead white males...). Here is a quote where he brings that term up to define it:

So has anything changed since 1971? Art has reflected changes in society that have taken place over that time. There surly are more opportunities for non-white, non-male artists. The canon of Western art through the end of World War II or through man-centered abstract expressionism will remain dominated by the DWM (dead white males). Most artists do not set out on a career in art trying to become great; their ambition is to make art and the Western playing field, if not even has certainly leveled out some.

So this might give you a bit more of an idea of where this editor took this idea. Basically this book is made up of a series of historical quotes which relate to each chapter. Below are a few quotes from a chapter titled, "Intention":

I don't paint pictures in the hope people will understand them. They understand or not, according to their capacity. -Pablo Picasso

I am not satisfied to tell myself: 'You are a painter, do your job and let those who can, talk.' -Max Beckmann

When an artist explains what he is doing he usually had to do one of two things: either scrap what he has explained, or make his subsequent work fit in with his explaination. Theories may be all very well for the artists himself, but they shouldn't be broadscast to other people.
- Alexander Calder

Now have you noticed not a single one of these is by a woman? In reality there are not a lot of quotes from women in this book...maybe we don't talk all that much, at all. :) Or maybe it is just not as interesting to this editor. At any rate, what are your thoughts on these ideas about intention?

I will leave you with these thoughts for the weekend. I wish for you the greatest and most creative few days.

And next week, I think we will be enjoying another Conversation. This time with Fiona Long.

Women in Art (post for Thursday 19 June)

I did not grow up around art. I grew up doing things like sewing, snapping beans, cooking, freezing and canning food from the garden, hanging clothes on the line and taking care of my baby sister. Sometimes I would drive the tractor, but that was usually the responsibility of my other sister. In my spare time, I would read. I think I read almost every book in my elementary school library. In the summer, Mom would take us to meet the bookmobile if we were able to get all of our work done and she was not at work. While I was doing these things, I had a lot of time to think. I would think about what it would be like to live a life where I could read or sew a lot…you know, I could write things or make practical items for people who could not or wouldn't sew. But my little girl self only knew of one of our local legends in art, Grandma Moses (1860-1961). Our school did not provide much in the way of art education. We had the obligatory art class once a month where we were given a sheet of newsprint and some crayons and told to draw something. If it was not a good representation, then we were subject to the paper being held up to be laughed at. Most kids came to the point where they hated art.

Joan Mitchell "Land" 1989 oil on canvas

Then I went to high school. Taking art class was not something “normal” people did, and appearing normal was important in being accepted in my community. I remember there was one girl who took a lot of art –she and her family did not care what people thought of her– and I used to adore looking at her paintings. She was really cool and would talk to me about the art she was making, too. That was my first introduction to anything really artistic, but I never thought I could do anything like that. Today, I understand that girl does not paint at all.

Lee Krasner

But when I went to Va Tech (the university I attended which has probably become famous for all the wrong reasons now), the art world opened up for me. I met this great student on my dorm floor who was an interior design student. She was great encouragement for me and remains great encouragement to this very day (she has been my best friend for 32 years now). Because I changed my major and was so drawn to the creative I took some art appreciation and art history courses…there I was introduced to the American Abstract Expressionist. I fell in love…yup! Total love!

Joan Mitchell "Piano Mecanique" 1958 oil on canvas

Then lots of things happened called life, but my daughter became interested in women writers and started encouraging me to explore women painters. I fell in love all over again…How come they did not share the likes of Lee Krasner (1908 – 1984) and Joan Mitchell (1925 – 1992) with us in Art History? Uh? We only heard a little tiny bit about Anni Albers (1899 – 1994). Maybe that is because she worked with fibers and that was okay for a woman or was not as much competition for other artists.

Lee Krasner

Most of the people who comment on this blog are women…although that has nothing to do with this post. But here is what I am wondering, do you think male artist approach their art in a different way than women artists? I do think so and that may be why I do not know of any regular male readers here. Do we want different things from the process? I think that is a possibility. Do you have an interest in women in art? I do because they were left out of my earlier studies and they have played an important part of art, if for not other reason than they supported a lot of the famous men. Do you think it influences the work you do? Probably not very much, I just think it is interesting.

You might remember in April I posted about Babs sending me a painting she and her grandson had made as well as some seeds for my garden. then in May I posted where I had planted those little seeds and they had sprouted. Well, today I am showing you how they are looking this day in June.

Don't these look wonderful? I have moved them to be near a railing on our deck, since Babs says they like to climb. As you can guess, I will be showing you how these grow throughout the summer.

Now this morning is lovely here...it is much cooler and the light is dappled in my yard. The birds are singing and there is a baby faun living in our back yard - it is so small...complete with spots on it's back.

My son was going to walk into our village to his job this morning, so I decided to go along as we needed a couple of things from the grocery store. As we got to the rails-to-trail path, I hopped on my bike and went along leaving him to read as he walked. As I was stopped waiting to cross one of the streets a man on a racing bike was on the other side. He said he liked my basket and added, "you look so French!" I really laughed, but thought of Andrea in Paris. I don't look French, at all...just my bike, maybe. My features come from further north in Europe and a bit of Native American blood. I thought I probably looked more like someone in Denmark, Norway or Sweden on my bike. What do you think?
But as I was returning on my bike with my fennel sticking out of the top, I did get lots of attention with my basket (one I had to special order as they are not common here) and cruiser bike. Most of the people here do not ride their bikes with a great purpose (some use them to go to work, but that is a new thing), but use racing bikes more for exercise-not as a means of transportation.

It is just a beautiful day here, and I wanted to share it with you. This post is not so much about art as it is about life...but I will be posting again later today as I am not going to be near my computer tomorrow morning.

I hope you are also having a lovely day where you are!

A Simple Turn

I just looked up this morning and saw this deer in our back yard. I did not want to spook her, so I took these photos through the window (literally 2 minutes ago) and about 10' (3.5 meters or so) from her. This is the reason for some of the reflection you see here.

Here is a shot to show you how close she was to the house. This is the edge of the deck area which is just about 6' (2 meters or so) from the house.

The strength of so many animals to live in our suburban environment just a very few miles from a very urban environment never ceases to amaze me.

What amazes you today?

Mentors

Among the books I recently ordered was this one Ian Jackman edited. The Artist's Mentor is interesting and thought provoking. Jackman admits at the beginning he is not a visual artist but a writer. However that is one reason I decided to purchase this book. I felt it was to my advantage to understand a non-visual artist's take on visual art.

The book is set up in two parts. The first part is more about defining art, making a living at art and working in the field. The second part is about creating art and what it means to be an artist. Most of the book looks at quotes from famous artists and puts them in relationship to the various topics covered and reminds us to consider them in context of time and place.

Do I like this book...well, it is not a book which you sit down to read cover to cover and it isn't one you go to for suggestions, but it is a book I find myself picking up to poke me along sometimes. One of the things which I found interesting was how so many artists used to have tremendous self-doubt. Oh, believe me, I have my moments, but many artists used to completely obsess about it. Most likely we have them to thank for clearing that up for us all as well as having the technology to connect with each other instantly. Then there is the part that gets me riled up when there are the quotes indicating only men can paint (then I keep remembering I am supposed to be taking these quotes in reference to time and place, but it still gets me going). I know I will pick this book up from time to time as a reference and it is small so I an carry it around, too. I usually need more pokes to get going when I am away from home.

Now, I do have lots of people I consider mentors (you are most likely one of them), but these are artists of the past. Those we have studied and read about over the years and that makes a difference. I think having this small book with these bits of information spread out in a quick to read, quick to find fashion is helpful on a daily basis. I also think this is probably a good book to give as a gift, if you have that need. :)

So sometimes when you are working in the middle of the night, the person you wish to talk to about something is on the other side of the world, you just don't want to talk or if you just need to add a bit to the cart for that free shipping...this book might be a nice one to have on your shelf. Now, if you don't often have these needs, by all means don't spend your money on this particular book.

Another book I am patiently waiting for is Creative Authenticity however it is on back order and I am now waiting another month for it. Oh well...I have plenty to read these days.

So do you find it helpful to talk about your art concerns with other people? Do you like to know what some of your favorite artists had to say on a particular subject of art? Who or what is your mentor? Do you know if you are a mentor for anyone? What are you reading?

I hope you are filled with inspiration and pleasure today.

Slow Art

I am, by nature, generally a slow person. I like to savor life and the things it has to offer, and even the lessons it has to teach me. Sometimes I do not go through the latter with as much grace as I would like, but I often move through it slowly making sure I have learned as much as I needed to learn.

With this in mind, it would be no surprise I am also a fan of the Slow Movement and Slow Food. One of my favorite books is In Praise of Slow by Carl Honore. My family thought it was hilarious I would read a book which encouraged slowness in life, but I learned a lot.

So lately I have been enjoying time in my studio and really getting meditative with every little brush stroke (or card slap or finger poke - well, you get the idea) I place on the canvas. I even can't stop brushing clear glaze layers on...which really intensifies the colors, by-the-way. Since I took the time (slow, again) to recognize I was doing this, I thought I would explore the web presence and idea of Slow Art.

This is a work in progress I have been working on almost daily for several weeks. In my mind, there is still plenty to do.

I was able to find some information about Slow Art, but there isn't a great deal out there, yet. One of the most thought through sites I found was a blog called, Slow Making. The two writers of this blog, MS Maker and Ampersand Duck, actually have a manifesto which reads a lot like the ones for Slow Food and the Slow Movement, in general. They asked for links to artist which met their manifesto, but I did not meet all of the requirements. I lacked in areas of sustainability where my materials were produced locally and my use of acrylics isn't exactly the most environmentally friendly. I do re-use a lot, though and meet many of their other needs. There is not a lot produced in this area where I live....well, with the exception of political bull**** (yes, yes, of course I mean "crap").

Of course I had some ideas in my own mind, which were similar to Grayson Perry's article in the Times Online. I thought that Slow Art (in my case) was creating art which encourages people to slow down and contemplate what the work means to them. In order to create Slow Art, you probably have to have a Slow Muse. Slow Art is really about creation as opposed to assembly, in-other-words, Slow Art is not "make-it and take-it" creations. I am taking my time with each work and really getting into where the process leads me.

This is another work in progress I have been working on for a while. It is no where near complete, but I am having a good time with it.

All of this Slow Talk got me to thinking about the other things I take my time with or which you can't always successfully rush. Slow doesn't mean you always move slowly, it just means you savor the parts of your life which are important to you. I thought raising my children took time and was really great. Growing plants and creating a beautiful meal takes time. You know you have to spend some times with all of that aroma, taste, textures and blending. Painting a room an entirely different color takes lots of time and provides great rewards. Learning a new language is often a slow process...at least for me it is...but I meet wonderful people and laugh a lot in the process. And real observation is truly a slow process, but I usually find the good in the places we live and visit. All of these things are well worth the time they take for me. When I can slow down enough to savor all life has to offer, I learn so much more in the process. And that makes my life so rewarding.

Now I am having a good time talking to you here this morning about slowness, but you might not have a day where you can linger over a lot of words. I really need to end this slow talking now. I wanted you to know why it seems to take me a lot of time to get works posted on here. I always want to reach out and make a connection with you. But sometimes I am just slow, or I need more time to contemplate. But rest assured, I will probably re-visit this topic.

So how about you? Do you move through life savoring the moments or the blocks of time? Do you find yourself wanting to linger over your art? Do you like to linger over life? What have been rewarding times for you to be slow?

Have a nice, slow day...

Paper Presentation

It is interesting that one of the reasons I prefer to work on deep, stretched canvas is because I do not want to have to deal with presentation once the work is completed. Now, how is that for laziness?

My woven pieces are a case in point. If you read this blog, you know I like doing these woven pieces with papers where I test various materials and techniques. As a matter of fact, I have been testing on rice paper because I know I will use these pieces for one thing or another.

So now I have a stack of woven pieces which are unmounted or unframed. I decided I was going to test out the Ampersand 3/4" Cradled Panels. If I had chosen the flat ones, then I would have been right back to where I began with how to present it...framing.

The weaving above I tried a ton of things. Babs had thought it would look good placed against a grass-cloth type backing. I also thought that texture might be nice. You can see, I worked on the string like appearance, but getting this thing right was brutal. After tons of trial and error, I ended up with this solid color over the texture I had worked with earlier. This particular wine hue does set off the weaving nicely, though.

This piece is one I did quite a while ago. I actually showed it as a WIP, but received so much encouragement to keep it as it appeared in the photograph. So I chose to do just that. The delicate gluing of this piece was very, very time consuming. It is quite fragile, but I also know glass over it would take away so much of the texture I worked hard to keep. So, I am just going to leave it this way. The cradled board behind it has many, many layers of glossy black paint and the edge of the cradling retains the clear wood (without paint).

I am not all that excited about these boards, but I am glad I tried them. They are fairly expensive, but they are very rigid and strong. I would like to find some other way to present these works on paper.

Do you struggle with having items framed? Do you find it cost prohibitive sometimes? I know I could not afford to pay for framing. Do you ever frame your work yourself? How do you deal with work you do on paper? Maybe I should be mounting these on canvases. What do you think? Do you think I should get into bookmaking? :)

Intuitive Art

As I told you a few weeks ago I ordered this book, and it has arrived.

As I have begun to skim through it, I realize I will use this particular book as a main reference when I need a kick in the pants to freshen up my work and my creativity. It is as good as I had hoped and more. Visit the blog associated with this book. Then take a look at the photographs taken at one of Dean Nimmer's workshops to give you an idea of some of the concepts delivered.

If you considered purchasing this book, I highly recommend you read the reviews and description at Amazon (no, I get nothing for this).

Now, talking about intuitive art, I have something to show you from one of the artist you know. Our friend, Andrea, over at CestAndrea has taken on painting various zodiacs from her own intuitive idea of what they mean. A lot of these paintings are based on women, and I personally find that quite appealing. This is the painting for my particular zodiac and she has hit the nail directly on the head with this one. Is that because Andrea and I have the same birthday? Thank you so much, Andrea, for this. You can purchase originals or copies of these paintings - see Andrea's blog for information and other zodiacs.

And do visit Andrea's blog(s) to see what else she is doing there in Paris.

So what do you do from your intuition? Do you think following your intuition is a positive or the best way to approach your art? Are you interested in this book? I look forward to hearing from each of you as you inspire me with every comment.

Thank You!

The Look of Taste

So, okay...I tried to reproduce what a taste looks like today. I am no where near as successful as Babs, but I gave it a quick shake!

This is berries and cream...specifically, raspberries and blueberries and whipped cream! The taste is fresh, complex, sweet and the berries have huge bursts of individual flavor and sometimes it is all blended together.
This is coffee with cream. Do you think I like cream...I really struggle with a milk allergy, so I don't get much of that...but enjoy it when I take the allergy hit. So coffee tastes very earthy, creamy and there is a lot of intensity at some points and thin-ness at others. The cream works with it to take it deep. I love my coffee strong and rich! :)

So there you have it. I tried the Babs trick. Well, it is my personal interpretation of the Babs trick! That woman has some tricks up her sleeve, don't you agree?

So here is to a great weekend for you all! I wish for you all a beautiful weekend outdoors or in the studio...better yet, both!

What does Taste Look Like?

Note: I cannot say exactly who photographed these particular photos. What I can say is it was either my son, my daughter or myself.

Recently I have been inspired by so many blog posts. Some of them are art blogs and some are not. But our friend, Babs, at Off the Wall Art has shown a beautiful painting (she always does, but this particular one is inspiring this post). She refers to it as "The Day In The Life Of An Orange". When you visit to see this painting, you will totally understand what she means (and do visit it is well worth the clicks). While I am not sure what was in her mind or heart when she painted this, when I first saw it the thing which came to mind was she has painted this in response to how she feels an orange tastes. Have you ever done that? Produced your art in response to a taste?

I thought I would share a few photos of food to see if they might evoke some tastes you might paint...well, I am going to give it a try, since I haven't done it before. These lemons are some of the most incredible I have ever tasted...they are sweeter than normal. Yes, you heard me right! My daughter has a lemon tree in the yard of the little cottage she rents. It produces all year and produces a lot. If I had some here, now, I would have taken a photo of a cut one for you!
Nice, fresh salad, anyone? This was a lovely salad I had at a cafe in Berlin. It tasted especially nice as I sat at the table, with my son, on a wide sidewalk and watched people pass. The tomatoes were not so great, but the red pepper was fabulous!
Well, how do you think these might look if you painted their taste?
Or yummy, yummy...a mocha or espresso for anyone? I think these might paint up quite lovely! What do you think?

If you are wanting some other photos to respond to, consider visiting Taste With The Eyes blog. Of course there are lots and lots of photos of food on the web, but some bloggers really have some delightful photographs. And there are lots of artists who paint some lovely foods...

Let me know what you think about this idea. Thanks Babs, for so much inspiration for this post.

Photography

Note: these three photographs were actually shot by my son, Jonathan. See my response to Kate in the comments for more information.

One of my first (among several) artistic loves is photography. But I learned to love the dark room a lot...that is where the manipulation of the images took place. The dark room was where I could make the image my own, so to speak and I could do so even without a camera. But in these so many years, I have continued to use photography to inspire my other endeavors. When digital photography came about, I was somewhat reluctant to give in, but once I realized I could use the computer to manipulate my images, and without the chemicals, I was sold.

The little cameras which are so easy to carry around are very enticing, but for my photography work, I prefer my digital SLR. I like to be able to change the lens and manipulate the shutter to suit my needs. How much control do you like with your photographic experiments?

Lately, we have talked about how gardening is such an artistic inspiration and being able to capture those beautiful gardens with the camera is ever so delightful. When we lived in England the gardens were like nothing I had ever seen before in the US. I have shared a few of those photographs before. It seems as though flowers just love that environment and everyone seems to have a green thumb there, too. Now these photographs don't show those gardens, but they are some photos taken from the upstairs window of our cottage out over the back garden.

This is a rising moon in the evening sky. If you look closely, you can see the top of a tree in our garden. But what is that green light? We have never been able to figure that out. Any ideas? I have another photograph with the green light closer to the moon.
Obviously, this was taken earlier in the evening. It is looking toward the Channel Coast. Isn't the sky beautiful? We saw many sunsets like this. I also love the way the vegetation presents itself as black against the softly colored sky.
This is a similar photo taken to show the horizon as more defined.

I love these photos and find them inspiring. Photography in this house always brings a smile to my face, though. My husband, and his family, cannot understand photography beyond the human image. In every photo there has to be a person! No matter what! I find that so interesting...of course it is totally what inspires them.

What does photography mean to you? Do you use it as inspiration for your work? Is it mainly useful as documenting your work? Or are you just rarely without your camera and have your computer filled with photographs? Do you find it difficult to delete images because there might be something there you could use?

Responding with Art

It seems to me we have had some very serious and severe weather which has caused a lot of destruction and loss of life around the world. There has been the whole horrible business of the cyclone in Myanmar, the terrible tornadoes in the southern US and now the tremendous earthquake in central China. My heart breaks for those who are in the middle of all of this and my heart swells with gratitude for those who are helping these people recover.

When I am so touched by anything, I often find it makes its way into my art in some way. At least I have had this experience in the past. I think this might be true in many art forms. Last night I watched a wonderful documentary about the NY Philharmonic Orchestra's concert in North Korea, and it renewed my interest in how art can be a wonderful bridge to build when trying to unite cultures. Can art also heal those involved in these natural disasters? Can art be a peaceful way to heal wounds of many kinds?


This is an old painting I did after the earthquake in Pakistan several years ago. We were living in England at the time that happened and the BBC kept showing these people living under draped blankets in the middle of a beautiful park. I kept thinking about how amazing it was these people were living on top of the earth in this very beautiful park, but the earth beneath it was shifting and at some place there was a crack or cracks in the surface. This painting was my response to that. Obviously, it is called Cracked Earth is acrylic on 24" x 36" gallery wrapped canvas.


This is what has been happening where I am right now. Rain is also acrylic on 12" x 16" gallery wrapped canvas. We have had almost 4" of rain in the last 18 hours. Now I have been through more rain when we lived in Texas, however this is a lot different geography than there. Believe me, I am not complaining about the rain here. I do not mind at all.

This particular little painting is so appealing to young teenagers. I have no idea why, but so many of my nieces and nephews have wanted these "Rain" paintings. Maybe it is because when you are a teenager there seems to be a lot of "raining on your parade".

So do you ever respond with your art to news, weather, etc.?

Have A Great Mother's Day Weekend!

Sometimes I just like to browse books. I like all kinds of books and writings, and I have a HUGE interest in creativity. Yesterday I found this book by happenstance. Have you read it, heard anything about it or do you own it?

Would you like a little sneak as to what it is about? Visit Ian Roberts web site for the book to read a sample chapter. This chapter is Principle Fifteen - Finding Poetry in the Everyday. I copied this off last night and really enjoyed reading this chapter. If the remainder of the book is similar, I will be buying. The book has very good reviews, too.

Are you reading any good books related to art and or creativity? If so, please share them with me. I did place an order for the book, Art from Intuition which I spoke about a few months ago on this blog. Additionally, I ordered The View from the Studio Door. If you own either of these books, I would also be interested in hearing your thoughts on them.

The main thing I want to say today as we head into the weekend is this is the weekend in the United States, and other places around the world where we honor our mothers. I often think of the passion of motherhood and how that is very much like the passion of art. In this sample chapter, Ian Roberts shares on his web site, there is a paragraph I thought expressed the experience of the artist as well as that of the mother:

When on another occasion we can't find that spiritual level of experience, and so can't repeat it, the frustration can be cruel and the separation painful. Here lies the myth of the suffering artist. It isn't the art making when it goes well that has any suffering in it. That is the union with the beloved. It's the loss that causes the suffering. And the problem isn't something we can necessarily control. We are instruments, conduits for that expression. It comes through us by grace.

What do you think? As artists and as mothers we are instruments for creation and we access that through our grace. So with this, I will say to all of you who are mothers, have been mothers, want to be mothers and have mothers...

HAVE A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

A Little Break Today

So today I thought I would give everyone a break from my studio forays. Many of my blogger friends, I am learning, are also gardeners. We have only lived in this house just over a year. So what you see here is a result of the previous (and original) owners. My husband is a HUGE tree lover. He can't get enough of hardwood trees! Thus one of the big reasons we purchased this house. It is actually on a double lot and this area of our back yard is actually where a house was suppose to have been built about 35 or 40 years ago.

But this is the view I see each day from the back part of my house which is a kitchen and family room of all windows and skylights. I am clearly aware of how blessed I am to enjoy this kind of space and be so very close (just a couple of miles) to the city of Washington, DC...well, not the being close to Washington part, but the lovely area so close to the city part.
And these are the lovely tall trees which have leafed out beautifully this year. I love the way the green looks in that high light.

But here is what I really want you to see:
Do you see these little sprouts? I planted these in a pot. They were seeds sent to me by our dear friend, Babs! I didn't touch the seeds as usually seeds hate me. But I sprinkled them into this pot from the little package Babs sent along. And this is a shock of shocks to me that these little guys have come up! Seriously, I am shocked! But it is very exciting to see this happen. My husband and son covered the pot for me with fine wire fence, for now, to keep the squirrels from eating the seeds...I think they may have gotten some before we got them covered! So this is art, at least for me!

Gardening is such an inspiration for so many artists...I always think of Claude Monet. I wish I were a better gardener. I love planning gardens, I love viewing gardens, I adore flowers and I am grateful for the gardeners of the world, BUT I am no gardener. The one thing I don't care for in American yards (gardens) is the abundance of grass. We are presently working on plans to eliminate a lot of the grass in this yard and to allow the remainder of the back yard to return to the forest floor! Our plans are to keep this house for the long term, now. Those are the plans...but one never knows what the Universe has in store for us as far as relocation. One day, I will show you the front garden space.

So would you say gardening is an art? Does your gardening inspire your art as Claude's did?

Small Painting

My apologies for this photograph, but I wanted to show you this painting I did over this past weekend. It is 14 x 16 rice paper on gallery wrapped canvas with acrylic paints. I was really focused on the wrinkling of the paper with this particular piece. I am not sure it is complete at this point, but I am happy with it so far. If I do any more, it will be in the form of dry brushing to bring up the wrinkles a little more.

While it is not exactly Wordless Wednesday around here, I don't have a great deal to say today. Basically, this is just what it is! LOL I am glad to be back in the studio these days, though.

Do you ever have reflective days where you don't have a lot to say? ...well except in your own head?