TODAY

Today
by Mary Oliver

Today I’m flying low and I’m
not saying a word.
I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.
The world goes on as it must,
the bees in the garden rumbling a little,
the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten.
And so forth.
But I’m taking the day off.
Quiet as a feather,
I hardly move though really I’m traveling
a terrific distance.
Stillness. One of the doors
into the temple.

—"Today" by Mary Oliver (found in her published book of poetry called "a Thousand Mornings" & winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
This is my mantra for the new year, I am letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep and not just for a day, but for at least a year maybe for the rest of my life. My spiritual practice these days is about letting things be as they are and accepting them.
No more fixing or controlling.
Happy New Year!
xoxo

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very happy holiday. No attachments, but fun and being child like :-).
XOXO
P.S. I found this image on tumblr, there was no credit given, if you know who took this photo please let me know , so I can give proper credit to them.

New Work

I am having fun with thread and sewing. This 10" x 10" has a lot of layers. Venetian plaster, cloth, rice paper, graphite, thread, oil paint, tea, cold wax on board. I have not titled it yet. Click on image then click again and you will be rewarded.
I always love to hear from you.
XOXO

Time Traveler

This is a new collage/assemblage, "The Time Traveler", 11"x 14", Venetian plaster, rice paper, ink, graphite, thread, teabags, rusted bits, cold wax , on cradle board.
This piece is going to the gallery next week, so if you are interested in it, email me for more information and photos.
I always love to hear your thoughts.
I hope you are all well.
XOXO

New Work and New in my Etsy Shop

I have been busy painting and making something new for my Etsy shop and for the shop in Ranchos plaza that carries some of my work. The painting is 20"x 20" rusted tea bags, thread, oil, acrylic, cold wax on canvas, Titled "Art of Tea #2. I am also making art cards, handmade collage art pieces that are cards. They can be an all in one card and gift. Perfect for anytime and for the holidays. I have a bunch in the shop and this one is in my Etsy shop now and I will be adding many more in the next few weeks. Let me know what you think. I hope all is well and happy with you all. XOXO
xoxo

Some of my Favorite Artists

                                                                    Leonardo Drew
                                                                Number 119D, 2009
                                                 Wood, acrylic on paper in Plexiglas box
                                                              61 x 61 x 10.25 inches

 I have been wanting to do a post on artists I love, I finally decided today is the day.
Leonardo Drew is one who inspires me most, I love this man and his work, go here to see more.
Another man who has inspired me so much is Mark Bradford, his collage/paintings are amazing, go here to see what I am talking about.
A man who brings me to my knees with his talent is Lucian Freud.
You can find lots of information on him, but this is a place to start.
Of course there are many women on my list, Jenny Seville is a painter's painter and I have loved her work for many years.
Cecily Brown is another, her paintings are stunning.
Then there is one of my favorite artists ever, Kiki Smith, a woman after my own heart.
I could go on for days, but these are my current obsessions, and all but Lucian are alive and well.
I hope you enjoy the links.
XOXO

The Art of Tea after photo shoot

I ended up paying a photographer to shoot this piece and I did not feel too badly because he too had a hard time and he had a much better camera than me. This is my piece after he shot it. No shadows and much closer to the real color, some details still get lost, but that is the nature of large paintings. I thought I would show you the real version. Click on image then click again to see more detail.
Always love to hear your thoughts.
XOXO

Elusive Muse

Today I am being featured as the guest artist on the wonderful blog the elusive muse, it is a beautiful website full of many wonderful artists, check it out HERE.
XOXO

The Art of Tea

This is the best photo I could get on my own, the real color does not come out, but this gives you an idea, it is very yummy in real life. If you want to see the progression of this piece see my posts below.
47"x 47", 172 rusted tea bags sewed  together,Venetian plaster, oil paint, graphite and cold wax.
I have been calling it "The Beast" while I worked on it :-), but I needed another name, I grabbed a book and opened it at random, pointed to a sentance and it said "The Art of Tea", I am not making that up.
It is a perfect title since it was made with teabags! The Universe is amazing :-). If you click on the image then click again you will see all the yummy detail.
I love to hear your thoughts.
XOXO

Another Sneak Peek

Most of you that come here know I have been working on a large 47"x 47" painting, I finally finished it after 3 months of intense work, I still have the sides and some tweaking to do, but basically it is done. I have not taken it outside yet to get photos of it, but I took a few quick detail shots today.UPDATE: UGHHH, I can't get a good photo of this painting, I have taken it outside all around my yard and played with it in photoshop, I can't even get it close to what it really looks like. I fear I will have to either borrow a better camera, or get it shot by a professional, this could take a while. So for now all I have are these detail shots to give you an idea. If you click on an image then click again you will be rewarded.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
XOXO

Studio Table

This is not a table, but it is my studio and it doubles as my kitchen, though more painting goes on than cooking :-). Seth Apter from the lovely Altered Page blog has challenged us to show our studio table in a mess and link back to his blog, so go here to see more studios. I have included my studio helpers as well, Max my cat and Bella my dog, Zoe has no interest :-). The painting I am working on is in progress and is in no way done. There is much sanding of venetian plaster and tea bags going on at the moment.
The last photo is where it is today.
I also have a tiny spare room where I keep all my art supplies, but it is too small to work in.
To see finished work go to my website here.
Have fun checking out the studios! Thanks Seth!
XOXO

Ganesha

While working on my big painting (still in progress) I also finished this 12"x 12" Ganesha, I think I will be keeping this one, at least for a while as he is the great remover of obstacles and we can all use a bit of help :-).
Also good news, I sold two more paintings and I am definitely on a roll.
Always love your input.
XOXO

Sneak Peek

 I feel a resurgence of my 6-year-old self…that little warrior, goddess of a girl reminding me of who I was when I was little, before the world got its hands on me.- Jennifer Elisabeth

I love this quote, it is how I feel lately :-). If you have been coming to my blog for any length of time you know I have been working on a big 47"x 47" collage/painting. I spent many weeks sewing 172 tea bags together and also making burn holes in much of it. Then like a crazy person I plastered over most of the tea bags and then sanded it down to reveal bits of it. Now I am in the process of adding graphite and paint. I wanted to show you a little sneak peek of what I have so far.
Love your input.
Happy week.
XOXO

Slowing Down

We have a strange anxiety in us; that if we don’t interfere then it won’t happen. Now that’s the root of an enormous amount of trouble. - Alan Watts
I just wanted to check in and say hello.
I am still working on my large painting, 47" x 47" and I have much left to do, but I refuse to rush it, I do however start to get nervous and sometimes work on smaller pieces, so I feel as if I am getting something done :-).  I love this quote, because it makes me smile and slow down. I realize I am not in a race.
I hope that you are all having a wonderful last bit of Summer. Enjoy every moment and slow down.
I also wanted to mention how sad I am about Robin Williams. I lived in San Francisco for 20 years and he was a presence in that town as well as the world. I loved him and will miss him. Prayers and love to his family and friends.
XOXO

Thoughts on Being an Artist

 “Contain your experience with the divine so that it does not escape you but rather shapes you. Be silent. Silence will help you avoid engaging in the games of competition and illusion that regularly seduce us in the outside world. Silence also helps you avoid distraction. It helps focus the busy mind—-the mind that always has to be doing something, thinking something, the mind that always has to be otherwise engaged lest it become introspective and allow the soul’s voice to override its own. The silence I am describing is a silence that you use to contain the grace you receive when you enter the Castle of your soul. This quality of silence allows you to engage in discernment. You carry this silence within you, even when you are with others. It allows you to hold your center amid the chaos of your life; it keeps you clear so that you do not do or say things you will regret or make decisions out of fear.” Caroline Myss

Painting, art, creativity, they are my life. Add in family, friends, animals and nature and that sums up my passions, add in books and movies and the list is complete. *Oh my I forgot to add in spirit or god or whatever you call source, my spiritual practice is so combined with my art practice that I forgot to put that on my list of passions :-). Art is top of the list and always has been, it is why I am not married and why I have no children, not that you can't do art while being married, many have, but to me it was too big of a distraction to really consider seriously, not to belittle love, I also never found the right man :-). To do my art I have given up money, very few vacations for me or fancy cars or fancy houses as I work little, so I can paint a lot, and have not yet made enough on my art to live on, I say yet as I believe that is coming and already on it's way.

I love my life, every minute of it and I would not trade it for anyone else's life. Money and my own family are not too high a price to pay for this life of constant art making and quiet and peace.

I sale my art in many places, galleries, websites, Etsy, Redbubble and something has come up that has been bothering me, a lot. Branding! They all ask, what's my brand! First off I hate trendy things and I hate that name. I am not a cow. I think if you have a clothing line or make cupcakes then yes, have a brand, but for those of us that make one of a kind, handmade, unique pieces of art  having a brand is not something that is possible.

I see so much cookie cutter art out there and it may in fact have a brand, but it does not fit what I do at all.

How do the rest of you deal with this? No offense if you have a brand, this is just a personal feeling I have about such things :-). I needed to rant a bit. Let me also say that there is much wonderful art out there that inspires!

I have no art to show as I am working away on my big 47"x 47" and it is very labor intensive, I will say there is much sewing, and burning of holes going on :-).

Happy Sunday. XOXO

Large New Collage

It has been over two weeks since I posted, I have been busy the whole time on this large 36"x 24" collage.
First I burned a zillion holes in rice paper and then at the last I drew more than a zillion little circles. The details show the work, in person the painting looks like some kind of animal skin, but in my photo the tiny circles disappear. This piece is too big for my light cube, so this is the best I could do for the photo.
Venetian plaster, burned rice paper, oil and acrylic paint, tea, graphite and cold wax on found canvas.
In other news I have had a great two weeks, I sold two paintings, one to a neighbor and a raven sold at the Velvet and Horns shop in Ranchos! The dry spell is over :-). I hope you are all having a great Summer.
Now I will be working on a very large 47"x 47". xoxo

New Work

This is a brand new 12"x 12" mixed media collage. I used an image I have had for a long time of a flute player. This is a first for me, using an image I did not paint and I have to say it felt like cheating. I know many people make a career of doing this, but it is not something I did easily. I do love it however and I will get over it :-). The title is of course "The Flute Player". Love to hear your thoughts on this issue and this collage.
XOXO

Sneak Peek-Exciting News

Remember when I told you I was working on a secret project? I have been given the go ahead to share a sneak peek and let you in on a bit of the news. The beautiful, wonderful artist Roxanne Evans Stout
has invited me along with a number of other artists to create a collage for an upcoming book she is doing.
I finished my collage and I have been told I can share a detail of the piece, so here is my sneak peek.
It is going to be a while, but I will let you know as soon as the book comes out. I am so honored to be included.
In the meantime I am painting and will have things to share soon.
Happy Summer.
XOXO

What Makes an Artist?

You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. ― Joseph Campbell

I have no new work to show, all paintings are on hold as I am doing a special project, very hush hush, so I can't share yet, but I will be able to at some point and you will be the first to know :-).

I have a deadline and that always scares me, but also feels good. I always make my deadlines :-).
I wanted to talk about what being an artist means these days. You have to be good at your craft and that means working. But you also have to be a photographer, a computer whiz, a marketing whiz. A shipper and a packer, or if you are lucky enough to have enough money to hire people to do all that stuff. I dream of the day I have an assistant :-). Add to that if you are single like me, you do all the cleaning and cooking and dog walking and shopping. Then add a part time job, down to 17 hours a week, so not so bad.
My question really is, is being an artist all about the work or do other things factor in? These days everyone is driven, do more, keep pushing. I struggle with this as it is my belief and experience that is not the case.
As an artist I need long walks in the forest, I need to sit and read and watch the birds, I need to see and visit with friends, I sometimes need a good movie. These are all things I love as much as I love art and they inform my work. These things take time and art takes time. I am not one who can do a quick painting, my work is process driven, it is what I love and it takes time. Sometimes one piece takes a month or 2 and part of that time is spent slowing down and living life, taking in each moment and really paying attention to it.
I am wondering what all you other artists, including writers, think of this, do you, like me, sometimes feel guilty that you are not doing your craft while you read a book :-).  Happy weekend. XOXO

 “The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place; from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”

—	Pablo Picasso

New Pesky Devil Done

In my last post I told you I was working on two small pesky devils and I finished one finally! I included details and a side shot also a group shot of several on my dining room wall, I can't get good photos in my dining room as there is little light, but I did the best I could, Judy and Lynne requested a group shot so here it is. Also I included a very blurry shot of the sweetest bird in my yard, anyone know what it is? I have never seen one here and it was alone.
This mixed media collage is 12"x 12", all my usual media, not titled yet.
I always love your thoughts. XOXO

New Work

 Top is a detail shot, then a side view and then the whole painting from the front. This collage is titled "Asia" due to the map I used, 14" x 11". There is a lot going on here and you get a better view if you click on the image to enlarge. I used venetian plaster, maps, ledger papers, ink, oil and acrylic paint, graphite,and cold wax on cradle board.
I am currently working on 3 small pieces that are being pesky :-), sometimes the little devils take a while and there is no rushing them. And two large pieces that are time and labor intensive, so I likely won't have anything else to show for a while.
I always love to hear your thoughts. XOXO

Hello

Don’t worry about achieving.
Don’t worry about perfection.
Just be there each moment as best you can.
Pema Chodron

 This is my spiritual practice, thought I would share :-).
I have many paintings in process and a few done, but it snowed and is windy and too wet to take photos (I take my photos outside), but wanted to check in and say hello. XOXO

New Painting/Collage

This is the only painting in the new series that will be going to my ETSY site for now, it will eventually probably go into the shop in Ranchos plaza, so this is for a limited time only.
It is a 16"x 16", venetian plaster, oil, graphite, pen, paper, cold wax on cradle board, titled "Crow on Wall"
I know boring, if you have a better title please share :-).
Happy Easter everyone! Have a joyous and happy day.
I always love to hear from you.
XOXO

New Collage

The first two photos are detail shots and the last is the painting as a whole.
Using old ledger papers and ink, venetian plaster, graphite and oil and coldwax, 24"x 12", titled "Nine"
Again I struggle with getting a good photo, but this is the closest I could come.
These new collages are coming fast as I am reworking old paintings and not starting from scratch.
I always love to hear what you think.
XOXO

New Painting/Collage

This is a new 12"x 12" collage in the series. Using old papers from books, oil, venetian plaster, ink, graphite and cold wax on board. I have 6 new paintings in the works, two are large. I still struggle with getting a good image of these paintings. A friend came by last week and was delighted to see that the pieces were so much better in person, we discovered by looking on my computer that they looked completely different on his computer at home. This is a problem when submitting to galleries, most do it through email now, so how can I control how they will show up on their computer! I have a hard enough time getting it right on mine. I know one thing that would help is a new camera, but money is tight as I am only working three days a week by choice, need to paint, so giving up money :-). I am making do with the camera I have. My friend told me that on his computer the pieces were pumped up in color and garish looking, I would like to know how they appear on yours? If you click on the image then click again you will get a better sense of how they really are.
Back to work/play, I can't imagine a better life :-). XOXO