Malarkey Trifecta

"Fowl Play" (16 x 16), "Bird Circus" (12 x 12) and "Balancing Act" (16 x 16) each mixed media on cradled board, ready to hang.  Available on Artfinder.

A trifecta of malarkey to start your week!  These quirky girls and their rambunctious feathered friends were inspired by early morning journal drawings and the feeling of juggling many priorities at once.   Perhaps even priority juggling can be whimsical fun???

After a weekend of workshops, art extravaganzas, deadlines and another outdoor festival, I felt my inner whiner beginning to, well, whine.  "It's too hard", "It's so much work" and "I want a nap."  Even good stress is stress!  But then I picked up Clear Seeing Place and read the chapter titled Let It Kill You.  Two pages of AHA and QUIT YOUR WHINING were all I needed to get my attitude straightened out and get back on the horse.  Thank you, Brian Rutenberg, for slapping me in the face. 

Painting is a living, breathing thing, and, like all living things, it has to be fed.  It demands constant attention and sacrifice.  That's why it's called a discipline...find out what you love to do and let it kill you.  Whoa.  Yep, so that's why I am painting at 5 am before my eyes are actually open.  I do love to do this.  An artist is willing to work harder than anyone in the room at stuff no one else cares about..." Yep.  Tweaking, adjusting, painting over, mulling, pondering, scraping, contemplating, cleaning.  When it's just right, I can rest. ​...what often passes for artistic merit is just an insensible set of priorities.  The next time you hear an artist referred to as "critically acclaimed," substitute "colossally lucky and tragically lonely."  Oy vey!  An insensible set of priorities - maybe to the rest of the world, but here in the studio, even bird-balancing girls need to be just right.  

One thing I disagree with...there is no loneliness in my studio. I am surrounded by these characters and emotion-infused canvases of color.  It is a magpie gathering in here.  The only way to truly be alone is to walk out and close the door...nah. I think I'll stay. :)