Success or Failure

This from my tumblr blog:

Creating a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul is a rare achievement. In a culture that relentlessly promotes avarice and excess as the good life, a person happy doing his own work is usually considered an eccentric, if not a subversive. Ambition is only understood if it’s to rise to the top of some imaginary ladder of success. Someone who takes an undemanding job because it affords him the time to pursue other interests and activities is considered a flake. A person who abandons a career in order to stay home and raise children is considered not to be living up to his potential-as if a job title and salary are the sole measure of human worth. You’ll be told in a hundred ways, some subtle and some not, to keep climbing, and never be satisfied with where you are, who you are, and what you’re doing. There are a million ways to sell yourself out, and I guarantee you’ll hear about them.

—Bill Watterson

I think about this a lot, for all accounts and by most people's standards I am an utter failure. I took a few art classes, but never went to college because I knew I wanted to devote my life to making art, I have known that since I was 8 years old and have never wavered. I have worked low paying labor and sales jobs because I did not go to college, now I work for myself taking care of other people's houses, it pays well enough that I can work 20 hours a week and live, no extras, no traveling,  but it pays the bills and I have more time to paint, I paint from my heart and never have painted what was popular. I make very little money off my art, I am not in a gallery, though I have been in many, but never in a very successful gallery. Now on ETSY I may sell one painting or drawing every 2 to three months.
I have never owned a new car or my own home. Never been married or had children. I just never met the right man or if I did it did not work out, I kind of have sucky taste in men and for the last 5 years I have had no interest. I live in a small house with a tiny yard and next to most of you I live in a hovel.
I am not a success story, but I will tell you what I do have: I have joy, I have spiritual practices that sustain me, I have nature and furbabies, I have more GOOD friends than anyone I know, and family I love with all my heart, and I have integrity, not to mention my talent and my art which creates for me more joy than anything else in my life. So yes, I am a failure at money and romantic love and career, but a huge success at happiness :-).
I would love to hear your thoughts. XOXO

Missing You

I have not been blogging much, or visiting blogs much. I have absolutely no art to show, though I am working, I am working on two paintings I am doing for the juried Fall Arts show here in Taos New Mexico,The Taos Selects. I am starting early and taking my time as I want to create pieces that will wow and stand out from the crowd. I want to do my very best work and that takes me a lot of time as my process is very labor intensive, I don't do a piece in an hour or a day or even a week, mostly they take a few weeks and some a month. I am always working on more than one piece because it is not so slow that way, so when I am finished I usually have a few done at a time, but it is not a race after all :-). It will be a while before I have anything to show you, not sure how much I will be blogging. I have noticed when I am on Facebook, which is about once a week at most, that most of you who are facebook friends seem to always be there posting, and hardly every blogging anymore. I hate facebook, and only began doing it because of family and it is a way to stay connected, but I prefer phone calls and emails and cards and blogging as they are so much more personnel. I find facebook annoying and surfacy. I wonder why it is taking over? Is it the time factor?
Why is everyone running around like chickens? I have learned in my life and I am still learning that the biggest time stealer is the fact that I can't say no to certain people, I gave up all my time to make their dreams come true and in the meantime my dreams and painting got put on hold. It does not matter that I sometimes got paid for the service. Now I say no, to clients, to friends, to family because as I get older I need time. Time to sit and look at my birds, to play with my dog, to walk, to stare at nothing and most of all to paint. I don't do facebook often because while some may see it as a time saver, it steals time and very quickly the hours pass.
I don't blog as often or visit as often because I have to make choices and sometimes watching my birds is just more important. Having said all that I mostly want to say that I miss you. Even if I hardly visit I am thinking of you and I remember the early days of blogging when it felt so wonderful. Everyone is leaving now and it makes me sad, but I do understand. I always love to hear your thoughts. Happy Memorial weekend, I will be spending it thinking of all those I have lost in the last few years, and mostly my mom. XOXO

New Collages

As an artist I know some of you will relate that sometimes you love a new piece and sometimes you don't.
I don't love these collages, I don't hate them, not ready to plaster over them yet, so I am showing them and putting them in my ETSY shop because sometimes other people like pieces that I don't. Each collage takes from a week to 2 weeks to complete, so it seems better to see what other people think of a piece before I
plaster over them. You never know, to each his own :-).
The top piece is 16"x 16", venetian plaster, oil, acrylic, micro pen, paper, rust stains, cold wax on cradle board, the second piece is 12'x 12", venetian plaster, oil, India ink, micro pens, paper, rust stains, cold wax on cradle board. I am going back to my studio/ kitchen and hopefully I will love the next one :-).
I always love to hear your thoughts.
Have a wonderful weekend. XOXO

Kiki Smith and Why I Love Her

                                  Lithograph by kiki Smith


I am a huge Kiki Smith fan. I relate to her as a person and to her work. If you don't by some miracle know who she is go here to read about her. Go here to see images of her wonderful work. In a sea of mediocre and soul less art Kiki stands out as authentic and real.
"One tries to follow one's work rather than willfully lead it" Kiki Smith
I love this quote because it is so true, I am often surprised as to where my work takes me, sometimes I am screaming, "but wait I am not ready to go there", but go I do :-).
I have one new piece and one on the way, but I need to photograph and work (play), so I thought rather than not post at all I would give you Kiki, as it is Sunday, my favorite day and Kiki is my favorite woman in the world right now.
I hope you are having a wonderful day.
I always love to hear from you. XOXO

New Crow Collage

At least I think it is a crow, the photo I drew it from did not say and it seems a bit small and does not have a curved enough beak to be a raven, but I love crows too :-). It is titled "Crow Contemplating", 10"x 10", again not a lick of paint, just paper and rust stains and micro sepia and black pens and cold wax on cradle board.
This one was labor intensive, and a labor of love. I included detail and side views, double click to see more detail. I always love to here your thoughts. XOXO
P.S I am tumbling this image for those that like to tumble :-).

Another New Collage

This one is titled "The Music Room" 12"x 12", venetian plaster, oil, rust and tea stained paper, sepia pen, rusted bit :-) and cold wax on cradle board. If you triple click on an image you get wonderful details.
I am having fun, fun , fun. I don't want to do anything else :-).
I always love to know your thoughts.
XOXO

New Collage, "Raven's Treasure"

This is a new piece, 12"x 12", venetian plaster, oil, India ink, pen, rust and tea, charcoal, graphite, rice paper and cold wax on cradle board. A friend gave me rolls of paper that I think is rice paper, it is very thin, I have been in drawing heaven :-). I painted some with black India ink and then drew on them with white charcoal.
 I get all my drawing out and play, awesome fun :-).
 I always love to hear your thoughts.
Have a wonderful weekend. XOXO