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The Fear of Being Hidden Began to Fade

8/30/2018

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"The Fear of Being Hidden Began to Fade" - mixed media on paper, 22" x 15".  Ready to frame.  Available here and at Artfinder.

Unplugging can be highly productive.

Earlier this week, Comcast crashed in our area and we spent the day without internet.  So the house of minions decided to tackle some long overdue projects, including a huge studio purge and cleaning.  The minions were RUTHLESS I tell you - and the trash man none too happy.  But the results are spectacular and the studio is pristine (for a minute, anyway).

Thanks to a brilliant suggestion by artist Carol Edan, I started taking an online course from Jeanneoliver.com to make my time here at healing central more purposeful.  This course, taught by Irish artist Pauline Agnew, is getting me ready for fall and figure drawing. 

It's a double treat - art lessons AND the sound of a lilting Irish accent.  Now if I only had Winegums and Jaffa Cakes and Wagon Wheels.  Life would be nearly perfect.
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​Now, for the rest of the art heroes out there in the world, you are just a few days away from 30 Paintings in 30 Days.  Although I am sidelined this time around, I know each and every one of you is ready to do this.  Paint something every day, no matter what, no matter how small.  And post it.  It's good for you and it is good for the world. :)
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Bo Peep

8/27/2018

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"Bo Peep"  - mixed media on aquabord, 18" x 14".  Ready to frame, or can be leaned against a wall upon a shelf.  Available here and at Artfinder.

Little Bo Peep
lost not her sheep
but rather sat upon him


A little malarkey to start your week!  Inspired by the very colorful sheep of Ireland, and by a glitter-full friend and collector who was dreaming of artsy sheep. 

I'm back into "paint over mode" - ruthlessly covering pieces which no longer make my heart sing and transforming them into something new.  There are many layers in the painting underneath this one, which give a lovely rich texture to the sheep's bottom.  He is not amused.

I happened upon a review of Ever Yours​, the letters of 
Van Gogh recently.  This quote made me smile:  "If one wants to be active, one mustn’t be afraid to do something wrong sometimes, not afraid to lapse into some mistakes. To be good — many people think that they’ll achieve it by doing no harm— and that’s a lie… That leads to stagnation, to mediocrity. Just slap something on it when you see a blank canvas staring at you with a sort of imbecility."

A blank canvas staring at me with a sort of imbecility...which is completely eliminated when I am painting over something else.  A mistake.  So clearly there is nothing to lose by painting over an already ghastly painting, and the fear is gone.
But there are more reasons than conquering the imbecilic canvas to launch your paint at things with abandon.  The book review began with this quote from Amanda Palmer: "Everyone in this room is going to be gone pretty quickly — and we will have either made something or not made something. The artists that inspire me are the ones that I look at and go, ‘Oh my god — you didn’t have to go there. It would’ve been safer not to — but, for whatever reason, you did.’ And every time death happens, I’m reminded that it’s stupid to be safe…"​
In the wake of the passing of John McCain, a man who wasn't afraid of danger and who didn't mince words, Palmer's words should inspire us all to get out there and make something today. Something awfully bold and brazen.  You don't have to go there, but you'll be glad you did.
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Waiting in Silence

8/23/2018

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"Waiting in Silence" - mixed media on paper, 10" x 14".  Available here and at Artfinder.
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There are plans I need to make.  Realities to face.  Losses to mourn and big girl pants to put on.  Am I doing that?  No, I am waiting in silence.

Like telephone poles, billboards, lifeguard chairs and roadside stands, I wait.  My structure has a purpose when adorned or inhabited.  But it can also be empty and waiting.
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Mind you, this is a new approach for me, this waiting.  I've always been racing toward the next thing, good and bad.  It was uncomfortable at first.  Slowing down, sitting with it, letting things be.  Action makes me feel in control.  Waiting feels like surrender.

And it is.  But SO WHAT?  Surrender is the right response when we aren't in control (which we rarely are, it appears).   Surrender gives us time to build our strength for the next thing.  Which will will surrender to.  But it is a cycle we are called to participate in over and over again.  A maypole of dancing in circles.

"​Like musicians who wait in silence for music to come out of the forest of their hearts..."  -  Mark Nepo.

I am waiting in the woods for the music.  If I am very, very quiet, I might catch the first opening notes.
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The Struggle with Being Invisible

8/20/2018

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"The Struggle with Being Invisible" - mixed media on paper,  14" x 10".  Available here at at Artfinder.

I've been following the fiber art Facebook posts of Rebecca Carter Hayworth.   Sweetness and introspection stitched into fiber assemblages of wonder.  The Wingmaker Arts Collaborative in Charlotte was where I took my first ever art class, so Rebecca and her creations will always have a special place in my heart.  

This piece was inspired by her stitchery.  Painted over whimsical sketches on a piece of watercolor paper headed for the recycling bin, it brought a huge smile to my face when I realized who I was thinking of as I painted.  

My arms and shoulders are regaining a bit of strength.  I can paint a little longer, hold books and read without tiring and even wash my own hair now.  The simple things are bringing me great joy.

I picked up Mark Nepo's The One Life We're Given​, which
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opened to a chapter called The Story Behind the Story.  Oh synchronicity!  And this - "​We live in an era where our attention is so scattered that we just skim events...But storytelling has always been a deeper, more connective art, preserving the story of life that's at the heart of all news.  The most important  stories show how we're connected."   Here I am, after a month of being housebound and feeling more connected than ever to many of the people in my life.  Why?  Because there is time in every day to share our stories.  Is that a luxury?  I used to think it was.  But maybe it is a necessity instead.  

Sharing our stories is necessary to really see each other and to be seen.  Nepo writes: "We all  long to be accepted.  And we all struggle with being invisible..." I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the people who have taken the time to know my story and make me feel seen.  

The Storyteller's Apprentice
(an illuminated novel by Dana Kumerow.  Illustrations by Brittany Tate and Jen Walls)

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Except from an early review by author Karon Luddy: 

​"
Sitting alongside Samira in the wagon, Arella’s dented sense of self makes her long to find her own kind, her own wild tribe. And luckily, Kumerow takes the reader along on an adventure of vast growth and transformation that delves deeply into Arella’s psyche to reclaim her birthright as a genius in listening to stories and eventually into telling stories herself.  And perhaps against all odds, Arella becomes herself.​"

Pre-order your copy of  
The Storyteller's Apprentice at www.thestorytellersapprentice.com/shop

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Jennie Again

8/15/2018

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Jennie Again
"Jennie Again" and "Jennie" - watercolor and acrylic on paper, each 15 x 11.  Available here and at Artfinder.

Bridget's beach photos were a ticket to trouble, I tell you.

​With little to do but paint and thumb twiddle, I decided to pull out our own family photos (well, I asked my husband to do it, truthfully - we have at least forty pounds of photos).  Hidden in the stacks of birthday and holiday pictures  were some real gems from waaaaaay back in the day.   Photos of family, pets and even a few of my own self.

My mentor, Caroline C. Brown, used to push us to tackle portrait challenges head-on - beginning with ourselves.  So I channeled my inner brave seababy and started with a photo of me.  I'm experimenting with a new painting set-up to accommodate my neck, working more vertically instead of flat or slightly tilted.  It helps me to paint a little longer before becoming tired, and the large, flat easel surface allows paper to be taped right on it to keep it from buckling.   Two birds, one stone.
The easel nearly holds a full sheet of watercolor paper (though I am not strong enough to work that size just yet).    The surface board is thin enough to use binder clips or clamps on the edges to hold up photos or even the substrate.  I'm pretty tickled with this thing.

I have a lot (and I mean A LOT) of time on my hands these days, so I decided to take a couple of passes at this painting. Normally, I cringe at painting anything more than once, but in this case I quite enjoyed it.  Who knows?  Maybe there will be a third.
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There is wisdom tucked inside each of our inner children.  Spending the week with mini-me in the studio revealed a few interesting and unexpected pearls...I wonder what other treasures she holds within?
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Jennie
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Seababy Learns to Fly

8/13/2018

4 Comments

 
"Seababy Learns to Fly" - acrylic and oil pastel on aluminum panel, 10" x 14". Ready to frame, or can be leaned against a wall upon a shelf.  SOLD.  Reprints are available here.

I could not resist a return to Ballybunion and the castle on the cliff...another gorgeous beach photo from Bridget inspired this piece  on aluminum panel.  

Aluminum requires patience and many thin layers, but its texture and muted beauty makes it worth the wait.  A bit of oil pastel over the acrylic underpainting softens the brushstrokes and adds a luminescence.
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It is pod week here at shangrala....no, the alien pod people have not arrived, but this massive pod in the driveway is a bit like an awkward, ill-designed spaceship.  Our son is shopping for furniture in our house to outfit his first apartment at school.  He left us a few chairs and a bed.

Pongo was fortunate that none of his things were deemed desirable. :)  The rubber chicken stays here.
The pod is more than just an odd sighting...it is a symbol of the near end of summer and the looming beginning of school.  Vacations draw to a close, backpacks appear in stores and school buses begin practice routes before the first day of class.  It does not matter how old I get or how grown our children are - I still get a little sad at the end of summer, as if all of our  playtime will be on hold for ages.

And that is reason enough to head into the studio and to throw some paint around.  Want to join me?
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Big Brother

8/8/2018

12 Comments

 
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"Big Brother" - mixed media on 300 lb watercolor paper.  Deckled edges.  15" x 22".  Ready to frame.  Available here and at Artfinder.

"Be wary of surveillance."  

This advice was given to me repeatedly over the last two years.  Ever since the day I was hit by a car while bicycling in my own neighborhood, big brother has been watching me.  Yep, you read that right.  I was hit by a car, yet I was being surveilled.  Because apparently in the great state of Florida, you are guilty of insurance fraud until proven innocent.  That's how epidemic fraud is in the sunshine state.

It is a very unsettling feeling as a victim.  There you are, busy going to doctors and adjusting your lifestyle to accommodate injuries, struggling to cross busy streets without fear and watching your bicycle gather cobwebs in the garage, all while trying to think positive, healing thoughts as you prepare for the inevitable start of spinal surgeries.  And, apparently you are supposed to watch out for mysterious surveillance people who are trying to prove you are faking it.   I even received this cautionary advice again in the first days after surgery....as if I could do anything but drink from a straw and use my arms like a T-rex to avoid straining my cervical spine.

I come from the midwest, where people pretty much are who you think they are and mostly try to do the right thing.  My family had a pretty tough ethical standard (my dad was a notoriously bad exaggerator because it was just too close to lying) and the thought of committing fraud would be untenable.  But insurance companies don't know me or my family.  

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brothers emerging
This painting began with a lot of frustration and sadness wanting to be expressed...but I followed the paint from a watery watercolor abstract to these brothers I never had.  Instead of feeling surveilled, I felt watched over.  A completely positive spin, thanks to the miracle of paint and process.
So this all got me to thinking about the term big brother and how the word brother in there is being held hostage to an unpleasant meaning.  Brotherhood and brotherly love are more like what I associate with that word.  I'd like to free brother from malicious surveillance meanings and let him run free, buy the world a coke and keep it company.

I can't help but hum this tune.  It shows my age for sure, and also makes me long for bellbottoms and simpler times. There.  Now it's in your head for the day. :)
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Leo Spirit

8/6/2018

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​"Leo Spirit" - acrylic on mat board, 12" square.  SOLD.  Reprints available here.

It is the season of Leo...that big-hearted, fiercely loyal, fiery energy lion of the cosmos.  There are two Leos in our house.  Yet it take the both of us to match the energy of the Gemini head of our household. :)

This piece, inspired by my leonine son, consists of many layers of acrylic paint and gesso on mat board.  Letting the under layers peek through while preserving an overall neutral color theme.  My favorite sumi-e brush and some black gesso added the leo symbol.  Once again, the mat board proves tough under many layers of paint and sprays of water.  I continue to be amazed by its resilience.

If you are drawn to the lion as your spirit animal (even if you are not a Leo sun sign), you face challenges head-on and often assume a leadership role.  Opportunities don't pass you by, as you jump on them immediately.  You find and use your voice in challenging situations.

The Chinese Buddhists believe lions safeguard humans from ghosts and spirits, so your big cat spirit animal may be protecting you from unseen negative influences.

If you are trying to reclaim your space in the world or in your social circle, the lion is the right power animal for you to call upon.  Both lion and lioness are fierce protectors of space and of freedom.  Those with a lion spirit animal are often devoted protectors of religious freedoms and the right to make personal choices.

The message of the lion is one of prudence...not to overdo things, to balance and weigh activities. (oh boy oh boy!  is this message for ME?)  They are the protectors of hearth and home, which includes de-stressing and relaxing.

Let's spend a few minutes with the lions...the only social cat group (the others are solitary), as one researcher asks "are lions lazy?  Or just really patient?"
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Seababy Storms the Castle

8/2/2018

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"Seababy Storms the Castle" - acrylic on illustration board, 16" x 12".  Available here and at Artfinder.

​Another piece inspired by Ireland and by Bridget's darling brave girl.  In this painting, under the dark shadow of the Ballybunion Castle, the determined wee one appears to storm the castle - once again boldly going forward fueled by curiosity and determination.  She is my hero!

I have been on this very beach, standing in the shadow of the castle.  It is a behemoth sentinel on the cliff's edge - you can almost hear the horses, wagons and the clinking or armor.  Were my childhood to have held such a  tower, my imagination would surely have run wild with reenactments and sword-brandishing in the sand.

The illustration board absorbs paint and leaves a more muted result.  Arm restrictions left me with paper towels and fingers as tools for the most part, which made it even more loose than the last piece, and quite a bit softer.
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This painting and the photo that inspired it have me contemplating the symbolism of dark towers and castles - fortresses which can keep out or keep in.  I am guilty of building "walls" around myself at times, and also of not erecting any walls at all when really I should have for my own protection.  And then there is the last name my husband gifted me...Walls.  Hmmmm.

Walls keep us safe and dry, sheltered and warm (or cool here in the land of incessant sun).  But they also keep out fresh air and sunshine, adventure, opportunity and friendship.  As long as we have a bounty of windows and doors in our metaphorical walls, we can have the best of both worlds.  Keep this in mind if your fortress is formidable!  Not everyone is a fearless Seababy who will storm your castle to be sure you let love in.
The phrase, "storming the castle" isn't very commonly used anymore, but there is one quirky take on it the movie "The Princess Bride."  Take a look, then storm the castle of your day!
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Pre-orders for ​The Storyteller's Apprentice have begun!  Reserve your copies at www.thestorytellersapprentice.com/shop/  Orders are anticipated to ship September 10, 2018.  Quantities are limited!
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Here's the blue wild, where
tiny dreamers ride beasts, speak
​ birdsong, hold the moon.

(by poet Mary W. Cox)
​


​Art prints available on request
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