Sticking Ideas Together

The Art of The Fool

2011-09-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Recently I was invited to participate in a group show celebrating the artwork and history of the Joker card. The curator's partner has an impressive collection of these playing cards and wanted a forum to display and share them; therefore, sharing a passion of his with the boutique's collection of artist was a natural development.

My entry, "Who is not a fool?", is approx. 8"x24" made with acrylic paint, collaged paper with a final resin coating on a wooden cradled panel. I approached the challenge of creating a painting based on someone else's interest the same I would a graphic design job. I researched, sketched out ideas, planned, referred to the "design brief" many times and then executed & refined my painting. In the end I felt I had successfully interpreted the brief. However, I was concerned that maybe I was being too literal to include numbers, card symbols, even the set up of 2 card-like forms. Perhaps I it is too organic. Maybe not enough (apparently self-doubt is abundantly thriving in my mind).

Eventually I made my peace with the painting telling myself it is a new expression of techniques I learned in the workshop I took with Jill Pilon. "If it sells," I told myself, "I will have paid for the course." Off I took it to the gallery/boutique, tartooful, to be hung.

What enthusiasm I received! I am filled with appreciation from all who commented on it so favourably. Your support made the entire experience that much more satisfying for me. And happy time, my piece sold on Opening Night.

Painting & the Art of Balance

2011-06-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to balance anything such as standing on one foot, or holding a cup full of tea on a saucer while walking quickly, or 2 dates in one evening...? Tough stuff, right? I find a challenge in balancing my time so I can paint.

O.K. so I don't have copywrites to that issue, but it's still a struggle. Local artist Robert Genn regularly address this complaint in his bi-weekly newsletter. His suggestions often include the direct approach such as prioritize. And he's right. For me I believe that prioritizing is a huge challenge. Because my livelihood is currently not dependent on my painting, it falls under the category of "hobby". And, between my family, work, and standard house-hold duties, personal time is limited.

So why I am bitchin' about this? Well basically because it's my blog and I can. Additionally because I am reflecting on what's real and what am I putting up as barricades & excuses.

Lately I have taken a different approach to investing in my "hobby". I have reviewed what other personal interests I have prioritized over painting such as going to bed slightly early in order to read. Of course there is a strong argument for the restorative experiencing of relaxing in bed, but there is an equally strong one for the restorative experience of creatively expressing. And I am choosing that path more often.

When I paint I feel a release of energy, of joy, of need escape my body. I feel proud of myself, excited by the results of my efforts and connected to my innate creativity and talents. I can go to sleep knowing I have nurtured my soul by honouring what it craves to share. My goal is to continue on this path which will ultimately result in a new show... I guess I better get back to it! Please send me your supportive thoughts to keep me on track!

i am enough.

2011-06-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

A colleague of mine forwarded me a link to a truly inspirational speaker. Below is the intro as posted on TED as well as the link for you to listen to. I believe the world is healing as a result of the actions and sharing of people like Brene:

Brene Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share. Brene Brown On Vulnerability.

Can I learn to create raw, uninhibited works?

2011-05-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

No words are actually needed with this post, but I will write something anyway. Basquiat. His work is raw, energetic, inspired and uninhibited. I strive to express as he did. Maybe the more I practice not to care about the results, the rawness of my original intent will shine through. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I'll be attending a weekend workshop this weekend hosted by local Vancouver artist, Jill Pilon. Her work has a similar graffiti spontaneity to it. I'm looking forward to learning some new techniques!

I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Staus Quo & Not At All Status Quo

2011-03-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

In spite of noting that my current art is "status quo" I feel it's evolving. I am continuing to explore the concept of creation via pregnancy; the concept of growing a human within our own body and as well as the fact that some couples cannot have a baby. Some choose to adopt, some in vitro and some simply hope & pray. It's all deep soul and heart-aching material that's beautiful but not pretty. In fact it's usually messy & often tumultuous. And it stirs me.

To support my interest not only do I have my fairly recent status as Mother to inspire me, but close relatives, friends & a family member of mine have also become proud parents after years of trying. I feel humbled by the ease at which they have adapted to their new roles & their new lives. The deep joy of having their heart's desire fulfilled makes most of the common new parent challenges seem like a walk in the park compared to the past pain of living month to month wondering if this time will be different.

Concurrently while I am emotionally and mentally examining all to do with creation, my mother-in-law is dying of pancreatic cancer. This is not at all status quo in our world. This approaching end of creation causes me to grieve for her death on a daily basis. I am seeing her get smaller and smaller. I still see light in her eyes and a smile on her lips but she is tired and in pain. I know she does not feel ready to die but she isn't scared. But we are all very, very sad.

I will be creating new works in her name in the coming months to honour, love and celebrate the life that is and has been Eileen Wilma (née Ruttberg) Nelson.

Please keep Eileen in your heart and prayers for a gentle journey back to God. Thank you.

"Moore" Art

2011-01-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

Well 2011 is well underway & I'm only just surfacing to say hello. Hello! I thought I'd chat about a fav collage artist of mine, Tisha Moore. Tisha, who BTW I've never met but been a fan of for a good 10yrs, lives in neighbouring Seattle. She has evolved her art way beyond personal interest. She is integral to a number or annual retreats, such as Artfeast & Fiberfest. She holds workshops & is a guest speaker at many events. Additionally she's designed for Stampington.

Before I go further, check her out. How cool is all that?

What I love is Tisha's use of colour, her "jaunty" juxtapositioning of elements. I love how she seems to design with abandon. Always a strong focal point but energy & vibrance abound. And of course her ever present & obvious love of typography! She offers a great overview of her style on her journal pages. I'd like my bedroom to feel the way that looks!

After immersing myself in her Journal Pages for the past 15min., I have found myself in Tisha-inspired dreamland now & I am very happy. So many concepts, so many textures, so many colours...

Enjoy. Be inspired. Use a glue stick today.

Motherhood

2010-11-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

OK so this blog is off topic. It's not about art. Well perhaps about the Art of Living or even the Art of Living Sanely. My daughter is 2 1/2 years old. Of course she's lovely & the most beautiful, talented, cutest etc. ever! However, did I mention she's 2 1/2 years old? What an age. Curious, expressive, busy, demanding, bossy, defiant. Yes I am digressing here. I'm exhausted.

Apparently from the age of about 2 until maybe 25 we know EVERYTHING. I vaguely remember my own mother complaining about my attitude. OK so I'm saying it, she was right. I was a royal pain. And now I get another 20+ years of payback.

Sorry my dear daughter that I'm complaining about you online. However, maybe the Art of Living Sanely is partially accomplished or reached through such expression -- an "installation" that expels stress through the act of typing out one's frustrations. Perhaps it could be interpreted as public journalling. Whatever. All I know is that I feel better already. Also her Dad is tucking her into bed right now so that helps too : )

My latest favs

2010-11-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

From Canada to the States, print is alive & well.

Currently I'm crazy about these two mags.

Uppercase is published from Calgary. Yes, I too was surprised that Cowtown could be so design-stylish & typographically sensitive. But that shows how ignorant/prejudice I can be. The mag features designers and artists from across the globe. Additionally interviews include folks that run their own business in a creative manner, such as the British family whose business is to refurbish retro trailers and caravans and rents them out for personal & business use. The mag is delightfully detailed with illustrations and graphics that support each story. The stock is hefty and over-all a joy to soak up.

Where Women Create is fully American. But don't let that leave you feeling excluded. The stories are warm, inspiring, & drenched with rich, detailed photography. Each page I turn leaves me enthralled. I envision myself in each studio (and secretly, being featured in the mag as well). Each story reboots my creative drive and stimulates my imagination.

If you get the chance, or chance upon these two treasures, leaf through them. You'll be happy you did.

Retro Illustrations

2010-10-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely crazy about retro illustrations. Specifically late 1950s through 1960s. I love the colour-ways, the loose illustrative approach and equally loose print registration. I recently tripped across this site, Uptown Avenue, that showcases a few samples. Great, eh?

Admittedly I have confiscated a few books that friends have given our 2 year old that have super illustrations in them. I'm not proud of that. And I do periodically take them out to read to her. Don't judge me : )

Anyway, this is just a quick note to introduce you to these works in case you hadn't noticed them before. Enjoy!

Jesse Reno

2010-08-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

Does this name sound like a rock star's? In the art world of "live painting" Jesse Reno
is exactly that. Jesse paints with his hands, with crayons, pastels, kid-quality paint & brushes. He paints on canvas, cupboards, wood panels - anything he can get his hands on. In addition, Jesse has painted many murals, done live shows (both public and private commissions), publishes his own books of his art as well as a line of running shoes! His work is primal, soul-filled, naive & honest. He is a music-loving, tattooed-frenzied artist. And he's driven to succeed as a self-supporting artist. And successful
he is.

Last summer I had the pleasure of attending one of Jesse's workshops. It was liberating, inspiring and frustrating. Jesse's approach is to demonstrate his techniques, provide gentle guidance and offer a class crit at the end. The liberation I felt was attributed to the techniques he employs: mixing paint right on the painting surface and often with hands.

The inspiration came via Jesse's own story of success as well as the philosophy he shares:

"Keep choosing the parts you like. Block out the parts you don't."

"The magic often happens in 5 minutes. Keep moving - don't think."

Lastly, the frustration. My style of painting & his are vastly different; I had a hard time getting beyond that to create a painting... I was lost in trying to marry the two together (which, of course, was not at all the point of this workshop).

Jesse will be back this month for an encore workshop, September 24 & 25. Get all the dets here. Do yourself a favour. Sign up. Liberate yourself, be inspired and most importantly, be frustrated... nothing like a challenge to keep stimulated!

Art Cards

2010-07-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

Art cards are a wonderful, affordable way to share artwork; they are a gift and greeting in one. What I love most about printing my own cards is having multiple images of my work. Since I create original artwork for sale, the concept of "more than one" is novel. And once they are printed palm-size, the images appear extremely tight and crisp and brand new all over again.

Cathy Church at Tartooful and I are currently investigating the possibilities of broadening the sale of my cards beyond her gallery boutique and my close circle of supporters. I hope you'll check back soon for an update of where you may be able to purchase your own palm-size collection of art cards.

When the Body Says NO

2010-05-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

The title of this blog is the title of a book I'm currently reading. No, I'm not experiencing any particular health issues. I picked up this familiar-sounding book after my yoga teacher mentioned it to me. Turns out when it was published in 2004 the author, Gabor Maté, was interviewed by The Georgia Straight. And, as it turns out, I was fascinated by some of his insights and kept the article - which I have since found.

This book is about "the link between emotions and disease". Repressed emotions build up a lifetime of stress. Not surprisingly, to me at least, there is a vast link between the two but many medical professionals and disease-affected people don't acknowledge it. One of the most basic stressors is our lack of personal boundaries -- our inability to say NO.

Another interesting cause of disease is stress from childhood events: "Physiological stress, then, is the link between personality traits and disease. Certain traits--otherwise known as coping styles--magnify the risk for illness by increasing the likelihood of chronic stress. Common to them all is a diminished capacity for emotional communication. Emotional experiences are translated into potentially damaging biological events when human beings are prevented from learning how to express their feelings effectively. That learning occurs--or fails to occur--during childhood."

Gabor goes on to explain that these pivotal childhood experiences when blended with a person's own temperament results in personality traits. As a result, what many of us refer to as personality traits are actually coping mechanisms developed in childhood, "... a response to the environment, a pattern of behaviours developed to ensure survival."

This begs the question, "how much of WHO I AM is habitual patterning based on survival vs. my own, individuated character?"

If I did feel a bit of the ol' daily stress weighing me down before, you can well imagine how tightly strung I am now! Let's face it, my art is all about self-discovery. And I had been feeling like I was getting a bit of a handle on WHO I AM. Now I have a need to re-examine my self-examinations with an eye to "behavioural-survival-response" vs my values and beliefs. As if it wasn't challenging enough!

In spite of my personal, psychological melt-down, I find this is an interesting book. It's not overly medical-ie -- only enough to provide support for the findings. And if you're wondering if removing some of that chronic stress from your life may be a worth the effort, consider the alternative... chronic dis-ease.

Strutting Creativity

2010-05-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I was fortunate to attend the Museum of Vancouver's opening of Fox, Fluevog & Friends. It's a retrospective of Vancouver's own Fluevog phenomenon.

However, I'd like to talk about not what I saw at the exhibit, but rather what I felt: I felt energized. To me, the exhibit celebrates Creativity Expressed. Creating from that deep place of need. Expressing that need like two new lovers in lust - exploding and spilling over with raw, unbridled energy. To me, that is LIVING.

Experiences like that reenergize my own creativity. I came home jazzed up with new ideas as well as a "solution" to a block I was having with a painting. I couldn't wait to get into my own stuff.

Cheers to both the MOV and those who inspired the exhibit. I encourage you to check it out and celebrate these locals who daily strut their creativity.

A Muse to Florida

2010-04-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Recently I received an email from a high school gal, Heather, who lives in South Florida. She plans to study photography after high school so is wisely taking her photo class seriously. Her assignment involved an assemblage project and her research lead her to my site. She inquired after some of the techniques I use in order to apply to her project.

Heather's Creative Brief

The project I'm working on is an assemblage sort of like Joseph Cornell.... My meaning for the box is for the viewer to see all sides of the box because everyone has a need to know everything they can about an item and/or person, like Pandora's box. It started as just the box being the center of interest but I started adding a story to it. See my model has a possessiveness of the box so I photographed her with the box in different locations and I'm planning on transferring them into the box in a montage like your work or Robert Rauchenberg then inside I want to assemble it somehow like Cornell to show my model giving up the box, like leaving it behind.... basically I want to portray this mystery of a box so the viewer can come up with their own story for it. I'm still playing with the idea.

Heather & I had a bit of an exchange (we both share a love of Joseph Cornell's shadow boxes and all things Robert Rauschenberg). I offered her explanations of my techniques, sent her a handful of links and wished her luck.

Results to Date

I'm thrilled that Heather sent me samples of her work-in-progress (photos left)!

"I used Modge Podge as my medium to transfer the pictures onto this thick watercolor paper and I plan on reprinting these scans and using packing tape to transfer them and pasting those on my box."

I think these look gergeous already! I'm proud to have influenced Heather's creative process. Thanks so much for sharing and for having the courage and maturity to reach out for advice.

A New Year. A New Awareness.

2010-04-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

Amazingly we're a good 1/3 way through 2010 already! My seeming disinterest in blogging (last entry Oct. 09) is actually a somewhat recent realization that I didn't have a link from my site to my blog so no one knew it existed. Don't bother asking why it's taken so long to correct the issue; the answer is lame.

So I made my way through the entire Style Statement book which, by the way, I bought. I hadn't realized at first that it's really a work-book. And since I'm one-of-those who actually writes in books, I figured I'd best own it. Besides, I am also one-of-those who actually enjoys the whole self-help-like solitary, self-evaluation experience. It's thought provoking and reflective. And quite frankly that stimulates the artist in me.

In case you don't know what the statement is all about, I'll give you the brief low-down: it's 2 words that sum up "who I am". The first word is intended to represent 80% of "who I am". The second, is my "creative edge". It's that accent that makes the 80% sing & shine. Please visit: http://www.stylestatement.com/ for more details.

So who am I? I am COMFORT CREATIVE.

To be honest my first re-action was disappointment. I may as well have been described and BEIGE BLING. The reason for that feeling is that two of the words in my final list (in the process of distilling all my answers down to the two very finals) included SECURE & INSPIRED. I suppose I was secretly hoping that SECURE & INSPIRED somehow would translate into REFINED GODDESS or MODERN CHERISHED, or some other more glamorous combination.

Upon further reflection - which, thankfully, I do a lot of so I don't stay stuck in negative emotion or uber crazy abstract thinking too long - I realized how true the coupling is. Of course, my partner Barry commenting, "I could have told you it would be that" only further supported (and only slightly upset) the truth of my words.

Comfort. Comfortable. Comforting. I am nurturing, require a sense of security / back-up plans in place (poor Barry can certainly attest to my incessant need for back-up plans), nest eggs. An over-all deep seated need to have / be in comfort at all levels; physical, emotional, spiritual, mental is truly me.

Creative. What can I say? Being both a practicing Graphic Designer and Fine Artist, I f-in' HOPE I AM CREATIVE! I need to put my own signature on something, make things unique, experiment, think abstractly. If I am not expressing in some way, I get really squirrelly. Again, poor Barry.

So that's a wrap on my exploration into the very liberating world of Style Statement. I highly recommend the experience. Maybe you will be Tailored Sacred...

Style Statement

2009-10-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Carrie McCarthy of Style Statement. I have her book on order from the VPL. I can't wait to read her book after meeting her. She approaches life from the place of "why not try something new". She exudes ease and fluidity. A very wonderful experience to encounter. I hope I can make use of her talents with you, my clients. How enriching would it be to have your custom painting created based on your own, personal TWO WORD style statement (read: personal brand). Think about it... I believe we could create a powerful, lifelong treasure to hang on your wall. Here's to trying something new. Check Carrie out at http://www.stylestatement.com/

Cheers.

New Art Show

2009-09-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hello;

As many of you know I just had my latest series,

Love Letters (to my baby), open last Thursday at tartooful in N. Van.

It was a wonderful night with friends and family. The star of the show was my happy daughter, Ruby. Please check out the show and the gallery.

Here's tartooful gallery owner Cathy & me at the Opening

(some of my work is in the background).