Entries from: November 2007
Day 12 – Mini Cat Collage
November 12th, 2007, Comments (8)
Not a lot of time for art making today, but it was the perfect opportunity to make a mini kitty collage! In my continued cleaning of my office/studio, I rediscovered these teeny tiny frames that I bought at a yard sale years ago. I made a mini kitty collage as the ones I had up for sale have sold and I because they're just so darn cute. Oosheebooshee! (that's a noise I make when things are too cute!) This is also an excellent way to use up little scraps of paper from other collages. I have a ridiculous supply of seemingly useless little scraps of paper, but I always find a way to use them eventually. So, here's my little green kitty friend in the little black frame. The frame is 2 and 3/4 inches x 3 and 1/2 inches.
And that crazy pink paper in the background which is a piece I printed in a fun class about a year ago using a printing tray full of gelatin. So cool! I want to do that again. O.k., that's all I got tonight.
Day 11 – Sirens II
November 11th, 2007, Comments (22)
There's one thing I do get about series, they can take you unexpected places. I learned this in a drawing class in college where the teacher would give us homework of doing big drawings (at least 18"x24") of one object. We'd have to do 20 big drawings in a week. I remember choosing a pair of scissors and after the first initial stiff drawings, I started to really loosen up. I drew those scissors with wild perspective, with dripping ink, in a surreal setting. They were awesome. So, sometimes, taking an idea past the initial one can lead to interesting places. The talented Wyanne, suggested I do the sirens from yesterday in collage form, so today, I did! It was fun.
It's been kinda fun being at work this weekend. I loved spending time with the sweet dogs there especially. They've been so sweet and lovey, like snuggly shadows, always close by. It's so funny and wonderful how dogs will adore you. What is that quote? Ah, here it is: In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him. - Dereke Bruce
But I'm glad I'm going home tomorrow. I like how my cats have a mind of their own and visit when they are good and ready. 
Here's some more fun kitty quotes for ya:
When your kitty purrs to you, doesn't it break your heart that you can't purr back? ~Candea Core-Starke
I love cats because I love my home and after a while they become its visible soul. ~Jean Cocteau
There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat. ~Tay Hohoff
The problem with cats is that they get the exact same look on their face whether they see a moth or an axe-murderer. ~Paula Poundstone
Are we really sure the purring is coming from the kitty and not from our very own hearts? ~Emme Woodhull-Bäche, translated
Linkaroos and Art for day 10 – Sirens
November 10th, 2007, Comments (13)
Got some links for ya:
First off, the amazing writer of the blog, 37 Days has posted a cool challenge. She is working on a book based on the essays she's written for her blog and she's now looking for artists to create ATC's based on these essays. Check out this post for more info.
eb from Be...Dream...Play posted a fantabulous link the other day to a video of Maira Kalman, illustrator and author of a new book called The Principles of Uncertainty. I *loved* this video of a completely authentic and unique woman telling her stories. I hope to get the book. Just looking at her whimsical illustrations and listening to her stories, I felt so inspired!
If you need a laugh, like I do today, check out this post. Too good.
And for my art, "Sirens", a piece of totally spontaneous art. I sat down with some caran d'ache water soluble wax pastels and watercolor paper (10"x14") and reached for the red. I drew a few swirls and thought maybe they were the fire from a dragon, but then the first red woman came to mind and it went from there. This piece came partly out of my frustration today and the blue figure was a surprise and feels a bit like a cooling element, a peace offering.
Very different feel from yesterday, yes? It occurs to me that I jump all over the place with styles and enjoy following the flow of how I feel at the moment. I mean, I think I have a recognizable style, but I know that artists usually work in series or that working in series is good for showing work and is a good marketing tool.
I guess there's a balance I can find, between following my whims and working on series too. I have a few series going at the moment, the memory trees and the subway series pieces and then there are always my female figures. O.k. I'm just getting over a killer migraine and I'm wiped, so I'm not going to try and think about this any more today. Hope your weekend has been a lovely one thus far. Happy creating!
Day 9 – On a Cloudy Day
November 10th, 2007, Comments (10)
Ooo, I got this up late today. I had to catch up with the girl I used to nanny for (I'm house-sitting/supervising/etc at my old job this weekend) and didn't get to the computer til late. But I'm still working on the bird piece from yesterday. I did some more to it and I'm going to let it sit over the weekend and get back to it next week. In the meantime, I started this piece this morning and worked on it in small bursts throughout the day. . I like it.
It's 6"x6" with acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas (still need to paint the sides.)
O.k., my sleep schedule is way off track, so I gotta try and wind down for bed.
Day 8 – New Moon Bird (In Progress)
November 9th, 2007, Comments (10)
Oops, posted this later than I intended to! It's not quite done yet (as you can see, still wet with medium, as I laid it on real thick), so I'll have to finish it another day. (Remember all you creators out there that it's totally fine to work on a piece over more than one day! I did that last year and it was very cool to work on a piece over time, as I continued working every day.)
This piece, partly inspired by the fact that the new moon is tomorrow (and I totally didn't realize that when I drew that new moon in my art yesterday.) Seems like there's a lot of art going on around the idea of transitions and this idea of a bird in the moon, came to me today. So far, it's made entirely out of torn collaged paper on wood panel, 8"x8".
I'm itching to do some more encaustic work, but I need more wax. I'm going to be working at my old job (keeping an eye on the teenager in the house and the dogs of my former boss while they're out of town) to make a little extra dinero. I'll be able to make art there, but no encaustics.
My sleeping patterns are all out of wack. Hopefully, I'll get on a better schedule this weekend when I have to get up to feed their dogs.
Day 7 – Phases
November 7th, 2007, Comments (14)
10"x14" with caran d'ache on watercolor paper. This one just came out when I sat down to make something this evening. I like the phases of the moon on her and in the end I put the suggestion of a new moon in the sky. Life is all about transitions, changes, re-birth, the flow of seasons and the rolling tides.
Today is Wellness Wednesday and for this week I'm going to simply refer to my "digging into defining beliefs" post that I posted yesterday which goes into depth about believing in yourself, an essential tool for wellness I believe!
day 6 – Broken Open
November 6th, 2007, Comments (16)
Collage and acrylic on watercolor paper. I'll have to measure it later. Oo boy, busy day and I'm pooped. So, no more words tonight, I think I've said enough for one day anyway!
Digging into Defining Beliefs
November 6th, 2007, Comments (21)
No art for the day yet. I had wanted to write more last night, but posting art takes time and so, I bumped it to today, which is probably for the best as I feel so much better than I did yesterday. Yesterday was a little rough for me. I felt it was probably the day before my period (and today I found out it was), which is typically a rough day in which I feel extreme sensitivity, sadness, irritation, etc. It's a lot like how I feel when my depression has taken hold. This time of year can be a rough one for me and whenever I feel a day or two like this, I have this twinge of worry that it's not going to ease up. I was at my worst in late October/early November, 7 years ago, which sounds like a lifetime ago, but doesn't feel like it. It was weeks and months of feeling the way I did yesterday until I nearly gave up on life. I'm so glad I reached out for help. And I'm so grateful to be in a better place now.
I'm going through a major cleaning/purging in my home with the focus being on my office/studio space which as I mentioned earlier is frighteningly cluttered. My best friend has been helping me with it with her super organizing skills, which has been so awesome, but some of the stuff I really have to go through alone. Last night, I was pulling things out of my desk and came upon two old notebooks. I flipped through them finding budgets, a period of time where I was writing down everything I spent so I could see where my money went, writing exercises and such. This stuff was probably from about 6 or so years ago. Some of those soul searching exercises you may do from time to time are a wonderful treat to come upon years later. It brings to light the ways in which you've changed, things you've forgotten about perhaps because the transition was slow and gradual. Much like it's hard for a parent to see how much their child has grown because they see them every day.
In one small notebook from about 6 years ago, I found a few pages about "defining beliefs." This must have been an exercise from some book, but I don't know which one. On the first page, I wrote: "defining belief: I'm not quite talented enough to make it." I nod reading it, yes, I still feel this way at times, but less than I did before. Next I've written, "evidence" and underneath it: "Not having my designs chosen in high school graphic design class; Criticism in my art classes; I'm not creating much; I need projects to keep me going; I haven't sold my art or shown it in any galleries." It makes me laugh a little that my first bit of evidence was not having my designs chosen from a class in high school. I took that a little personally, eh? Then I wrote: "Price I pay for holding on to this belief" and under that, "I feel inadequate; I don't feel ready for grad school; I don't send my slides to galleries; I hide my art." Next line was titled, "Result I'd like" and then, "to be a successful artist (acknowledged.)" And then, "Evidence: I've shown my art in galleries to rave reviews and sold my art for big $." Underneath that I'd written two affirmations: "I am a talented, prolific artist" and "People want to purchase my art."
I wanted to share this because each year when I do AEDM, there are so many creative people who think their work isn't good enough, who feel inadequate or embarrassed, and/or who apologize for their work. And I want to say, don't apologize! Life is short and there is only one of you out there who can express what you can express. So, you've got to share it while you've got the chance! Maybe your skills aren't where you'd like them to be. They may never be what you consider perfection, but you can't let that stop you. It nearly stopped me, but my urge to create was greater than my need to be perfect. I know I'm never entirely satisfied with where I'm at, but it keeps wanting to learn and grow more.
And the other cool thing about finding this note, was to see how far I've come. I have shown my art in galleries, I sold 8 pieces in the last show I was in. I've sold individual pieces for what I consider a lot of money. So, by my standards 6 years ago, I am a successful artist. Now of course, my standard of what success is has shifted, but it was great to be reminded how far I've come and that I have accomplished a lot in the last 6 years. I also feel much stronger than that voice that wrote these pages, which is wonderful to see. Take a look at your own defining beliefs. And if they're limiting you, tear them down. It really helps to write it out if you can.
And here's a little something more. I found this on the first page of another notebook. I'd written out this whole quote from the book, "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg. Clearly it made an impression on me then. And reading it now, I think it's quite relevant to the journey that AEDM is. The author is talking about writing as a practice here, but you can apply it to anything really. She writes,
This is the practice school of writing. Like running, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Some days you don't want to run and you resist every step of the three miles, but you do it anyway. You practice whether you want to or not. You don't wait around for inspiration and a deep desire to run. It'll never happen, especially if you are out of shape and have been avoiding it. But if you run regularly, you train your mind to cut through or ignore your resistance. You just do it. And in the middle of the run, you love it. When you come to the end, you never want to stop. And you stop, hungry for the next time.
So keep on creating, my creative friends. You are all a great inspiration to me. Thank you!
She left a trail of petals behind her – Day 5
November 5th, 2007, Comments (15)
This is about 10"x 15" with acrylic and ink on watercolor paper. When I sat down to make some art, I was sketching in my moleskin journal and drew a teeny tiny sketch of what this would become. I think I want to add a sort of pattern to the dress, but it's late, so maybe another day. Here's a close up of her face:
In my original sketch, I thought of her as a dancer, so that would probably explain her long neck and ballerina look. I love drawing the female figure. I love the long lines and graceful curves. Much like drawing trees for me, another of my favorite subjects, as you may have noticed.
While waiting for the water on this one to dry, I still had leftover paint and didn't want to let it dry up unused, so I grabbed a page of an old recipe book (same one I used in the Alice piece) and just started painting with the two colors I had left, blue and purple. Cute, eh?
I had lots that I wanted to write about tonight, but I want to post this before midnight. My camera ran out of batteries, hence the late posting. Perhaps I'll write more later. Toodaloo for now!
Day 4 – Storyteller Tree
November 4th, 2007, Comments (26)
I'll have to measure this one later. Not sure on the size, but it's collage and some acrylic paint on watercolor paper. It was fun putting this collage together and so much more satisfying than my attempt at working in wax today which bascially turned into a big ball of mud. Not pretty. lol...
O.k., off to watch "Family Guy."
