Entries from: June 2007
Q&A
June 12th, 2007, Comments (6)
I didn't create any finished artwork in Seattle, but I did a lot of sketching and I'm just full to bursting with creative ideas. So, now that I'm feeling less jet-lagged, I can get back to creating, uploading art, and blogging!
Much delayed, here are my interview questions from the lovely, Jessie. Thanks, Jessie dear!
1. If you were being sent to live on another planet and could only bring one big tube of paint (along with a tube of black and a tube of white), what color would it be and why?
Oh goodness, gracious! That's really, really tough. My mind roams from my favorite color (blue) to alizarin crimson to raw sienna. I guess, I'd stick with the blue, a warm blue, so I could paint the alien sea and sky and lots of blue trees. 
2. When you get married, do you plan to change your last name? Why or why not?
Good question! I debated this for a long time. I know people who have changed their name, those who hyphenate and others who kept their maiden name. I can understand any one of those choices. The fiansor left the decision up to me, he was completely ok with whatever decision I made, which was good. I feel it should be up to the woman to decide what she wants to do with her name. In the end, I decided to change my name to his. After working for my boss who kept her maiden name, I saw how it often made things complicated with her children and since I do plan to have children, I'd like to have the same last name as them. For awhile I wasn't feeling all that attached to my last name at all. I knew my brother and male cousins would pass on our name. But more recently, I've felt more attached to it and I've decided to keep it as a middle name. It'll make my name longer, but that's ok.
3. You go for a walk and are stopped by a crow who starts talking to you (yes, talking !). What would he (or she) say to you? And how might you reply?
After regaining my composure, I'd probably laugh out loud if a crow were to speak to me. The crow would say to me: "Darling, remember that vision I sent you when you did that warm bath meditation? Yes, the one with me and my twin carrying a note each. Hers said, "bring" and mine said, "love." You remember, right? I appreciate that you painted us and that we have continued to show up in your art from time to time. It's been awhile though and we'd like to appear in your art again. In exchange, I have another message for you. Just one word for now: 'Trust'."
And I'd respond, "Well, I was wondering when you'd start talking with me in this world! I'm glad you enjoyed being painted. Your message really hit home for me, but this new message, what does it mean? Trust what? who? ...Just trust. Trust the Universe. Trust myself. Ah. O.k. I'll get on that."
4. What does your dream studio look like? And don't forget to give us all the details!
It's funny you should ask! I was inspired by a contest at decor8 (a fabulous source of inspiration) to create a mood board. I've made inspiration boards before, but I've never made one for the design of a room. This is probably due to the fact that I rent and I don't feel like I have a lot of artistic control over how things look here. However, we are planning to buy a home in the next year or so, so it has been on my mind more lately. Plus I've been looking for a studio space, so dream studios have been dancing around in my head.
For my board, I imagined designing a creative space that would be in my home. The theme would be trees (hehe) with the inspiration mainly being the gorgeous look of the shape of bare tree branches against a blue sky. There would be some cozy chairs on one side of the room for relaxing, reading, and lounging and a wooden chest for extra blankets and floor pillows for art picnics and general coziness. There would also be a window seat for journaling and kitty naps. There would be a large walk-in closet loaded with art supplies in clear containers and rolling carts that could be easily rolled into the main room when in use. A flat file and racks would also live in this closet space for storing artwork. Back in the room, there would be a tall bookcase with my favorite inspirational reads and a long desk area against one wall with cork and magnetized boards above. The desk would provide lots of room to spread out and a neat filing system to help me stay organized. There would also be a rolling table/storage space (like the one on my board except with wheels) that I could roll to different areas of the room (depending on my mood and the light in the room) to create on. And it could easily be rolled against the wall if I wanted to work on the floor or do some yoga. The ceilings would be high and the room would have a light, airy feel to it. And of course I would have some lovely tree paintings on the walls.
5. You have just been commissioned to create a very large mural on the side of an important building that, in some way, tells the story of your life. Without worrying about your level of talent, what visions come to mind?
I used to paint children's murals and sometimes ones for adults, so I have some experience in this, but not to the scale of the side of a building and never about myself. So, let's see. Honestly, the first thing that came to mind was a large tree, a tree that's hollowed out on the inside by some kind of storm and is now home to wide-eyed owls. It would be night time, a big moon in the sky and swirling stars. In the branches there would be a pair of crows, one holding a piece of paper in its talons that says "trust" and in the trees surrounding this one large tree, you can also see a pair of fox kits. The air is swirling with fireflies and seems to bear a kind of electricity. When you get close to the mural you could see that in the bark is carved my story in little bits and pieces, little random memories..."I rode my tricycle to the edge of the stairs, trying to see how close I could get.", "It was scary to see my dad cry at the therapist's office. I'd never seen him cry before. It was around this time I began to understand my parents were just ordinary people and not gods.", "We dipped paper cups into the pond and caught wiggly tadpoles, odd little creatures.", "I dipped my brush in red and held my breath."
The Soft Launch
June 8th, 2007, Comments (30)
The website is far enough along to share with you folks, so I'm doing a soft launch here. Sort of like an early preview! Keep in mind, that I'm still working on details and I have loads more art to add. Also, I have to get approved for credit card processing, so in the meantime, if you wanted to make a purchase, you would need to use the paypal option which is up and running. But besides all that, it feels a bit like a house-warming party where not all the boxes are unpacked yet, we still haven't figured out which drawers the towels will go in, but we're ready for visitors. Plus, I really wanted to get the site up for today as it was a goal I set. It was helpful for me to push and let go of the urge to make everything perfect. I've got to start somewhere and the details will fall into place.
I've incorporated myself as a business, Blue Tree Studios, LLC, so that is the theme of the website. Why Blue Tree? Well, if you've been following along with me for awhile you know how much I love trees...and my favorite color is blue...the name popped into my head and felt right, so there it is.
So, welcome to my art website! Come on in! Have a cup of punch! In the next couple weeks, I'm going to run a fun contest to win a free print, so stay tuned!
Bearly There
June 7th, 2007, Comments (3)
Don't worry, this isn't a picture of my last moments in the state of Washington. The fiansor and I made a trip to the zoo yesterday in Seattle. They did a great job there of trying to set up animals in a habitat that they're familiar with, with lots of room to roam. The brown bears had a brook running through their space with actual fish in it for them to catch! Sometimes it felt a little scary how close they could get, as in the picture above (I don't have a zoom lens), but it was cool to get to see these magnificent animals up close.
Working away on the website today, but I wanted to stop in and send a few links your way as they've been building up and I just might burst (or forget to tell you) if I don't get them out straight away. So here ya go:
After a little bit of encouragement (hehe), the super sweet Cathy Nichols has started a blog! Yay! She plans to write about the challenges and rewards of balancing being a mom and an artist. Be sure to check out all her awesome artwork while you're over there!
A fairly new find: Jennifer of Life Unfolds. After a bit of encouragement (hehe again), Jennifer moved her blog to one that allows comments. Hoorah! Jen is a fellow introvert who manages to do so much (she's a coach, she leads great workshops, she's just finished yoga teacher training, and the list goes on!) and is just full of creative inspiration.
Recently stumbled upon this jam-packed blog, Ullabenulla, and oh my, it's chock-full of creative inspiration. I'm loving her paper-cut art. oo la la.
I've fallen in love with the art of Jeanie Tomanek. Gorgeous, dreamy work.
I'm not sure if you've noticed the badge I've got in my sidebar now regarding donations for Bernie Berlin's incredible work. A fellow artist, Bernie does the most amazing work with animals, rescuing and placing dogs and cats who need a good home. I'm just in absolute awe of all the good she does. Be sure to check out her blog to learn more about what she does and donate a little if you can. Every little bit helps!
Ok, that should be enough to keep you busy for now. Toodaloo!
Whirlwind
June 4th, 2007, Comments (11)
Woo! This weekend was quite a whirlwind! I was exhausted by the end and spent yesterday napping and relaxing with the kitties. But I also had a really great time at all the events I attended. Lots of fun all around.
Friday night was the opening of the Wish Studio. Congrats to Mindy! Mindy is just the sweetest girl on the planet. It was a pleasure to meet her and see her awesome space. Check out her blog for pics of the opening weekend and you can see me at dinner with a big goofy smile. I got to see sweet Melba again and also meet some bloggers that I've been conversing with online, but hadn't met yet (Jes and Tammy) and also some bloggers I'd never met before. You never know how it will be to meet someone you've only spoken to through comments and emails, but I just loved meeting Jes and Tammy. It made me wish I lived in Maine, sitting between them at dinner! It looks like we're going to have a fun creative weekend in the near future though, so I'll be seeing them again soon.
Tammy asked me to bring The Lighthouse for her to see in person and I was happy to do so. And it was so fun to see Jes's jewelry in person around Tammy's neck! And then Tammy brought me a surprise stack of collage goodies. Thanks so much, Tam! Melba and I got to walk around the building that the Wish Studio is in because the same night as Mindy's opening there was also an open studios event going on (the building houses several floors of artist's studios.) This made me wish I lived on the North Shore as this would be an ideal place for me to have a studio space. Apparently two women started up this studio space and have done a fabulous job at putting together a cohesive creative community. The space is fun and funky and had a great vibe. And on the first floor they had some commercial spaces including a gallery, a cafe and now Mindy's yoga & creative space. So cool! Well, I'll be spending some good time there this summer doing the Artist's Way workshops, so that'll be nice.
Saturday I drove up to New Hampshire for a baby shower. My best friend is 8 months pregnant and just glowing all over. It was so much fun...all the little booties and blankets, little everything. I then drove home, put my hair up as I was sweating profusely (it was so sticky out) and then met up with a friend who drove me into the city for a surprise bachelorette party. It was really loud and the crowd was pretty young and even though I look young, I felt pretty old there. I was getting pretty tired, so I was glad I had to leave with my ride, who had a babysitter at home. I ended up spending the night at their house as I'd had a drink and a half and that's all it takes. In the morning I got to play with their adorable baby girl and then went home and took a nice nap.
In the evening I heard from the fiansor who is away on business. He said he missed me and wondered if I'd like to meet up with him and spend the rest of the week out with him. He'll still have to do some work. And I'm still determined to get my website launched by Friday (as I boldly told Tammy and Jes that it would be), but in between we'll get to do some exploring in the lovely city of Seattle which I've never been to before. Fun! I'm excited! What a whirlwind week this has turned into! Ok, I'm off in a couple hours, so I better get packed eh?
Introverts Go Out
June 1st, 2007, Comments (16)
In about an hour, I'll be leaving for the opening of the Wish Studio where I'll meet some wonderful new people. If you're in the area, be sure to check it out or if you're not, stop by the Wish Studio blog for a chance to win a nifty gift package! Who doesn't like to win things??
I'm totally frazzled and behind today. I was up too late, awake too late, running around like a crazy woman who left a bunch of stuff til the last minute. Doh! I've got a series of social events this weekend and my introverted self is in anxiety mode. I've got the opening tonight, a baby shower tomorrow afternoon and a bachelorette party in the evening. I often feel like, what's wrong with me? Why am I so anti-social? It's not really that I don't like people or parties, I mean, these are happy social events with friends! And usually, once I'm there, I have a great time. It's more that I'm a bit self-conscious and that I get really drained in big groups. I read a great book last year called The Introvert Advantage (which I think I've mentioned 5 times today in response to comments regarding my last post on energy waves). Anyways, it's all about not seeing introversion as a flaw, but instead, recognizing it and working with it. It doesn't help to fight your nature, but it's also good to know when and where to push a little. If I stayed away from group events all the time, that wouldn't be good for me either! So, I'm learning to try and take better care of myself around times with group events and plan some down time afterwards to re-charge my energy stores. So, you can probably guess what I'll be doing Sunday...yes, re-charging. I'm looking forward to it.
I hesitate to mention my feelings about group events sometimes because I don't want to hurt someone's feelings or make them think I don't want to be there, as that's just not the case. I am excited and happy to go to each of these events. I'm just also aware of my energy and anxious about how I'll feel. Deep breaths. I know some of you can really relate to those waves of energy though. I did some yoga this morning to help bring me down to earth and now I'm off to shower and put on something light and airy.
