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Rearranged (and Blue)

1/8/2019

6 Comments

 
Picture
Rearranged
"Rearranged" - charcoal and pencil on toned paper, 18" x 24"   "Blue" - acrylic and charcoal on paper, 11" x 14" . Ready to frame.   Each available here and at Artfinder.

"Inevitably, certain experiences rearrange us."
MARK NEPO


Oh, Mark Nepo!  How did you know?  Rearranged.  I have been rearranged.  And still sorting out where the pieces fit well together.

This puddling into the new year is a bit off-putting for me.  Plans?  Schedules? Calendars?  These have always been my crutches.  They're still here, of course, but I am keeping them just out of reach.  Careening through each day like a drunken bull and letting the terrain beneath my feet determine which way I will meander. 

This isn't a graceful method for navigating through life.  But it is something new, which leads to, well, more new things.  Like an urban hike after dark with my sisters - standing on the muddy bluff of Overlook, peering down at the sparkly lights of the rail yard and the glistening Willamette river, navigating flooded back alleyways and streets.  Graceful?  No.  Exhilarating?  Yes.
Picture
Blue
As I contemplate the muddy waters of being rearranged, seeking meaning and direction, Nepo's words whisper soothingly: ​"despite what we're taught, we don't have to choose between meanings.  Rather, we can absorb and integrate many meanings."   The world wants us to choose a direction, a meaning, a purpose, a path.  But there is just this one wild life and so many meanings to choose from.  I am happy to absorb and integrate them all, gathering them in baskets and boxes and with open arms and heart.  

A wise Irishman once told me all of these experiences are puzzle pieces.  Only I never knew the puzzle itself could change size and shape.  Whoa.  I'm gonna need more baskets.

For those who attended my "Once Upon an Artist" demonstrations this past fall (or anyone else who is interested), Andrew Simonet, author of Making Your Life as an Artist​ now has a workbook you can download for FREE here.   The book is also available for download.  It's a little roadmap toward making your artsy dreams come true. 
6 Comments
Carol Edan
1/10/2019 01:13:17 pm

I really have to get reading more of Nepo. Really great philosophy! Wow, you are really going with the figure! Been thinking of you because the piece I am working on, not figures in the study sense, reminds me of you. Not going to reveal...haha! Be well!

Reply
jen
1/10/2019 01:57:11 pm

That Nepo...I swear he is inside my head. How does he know???

Fully immersed in the figure for a bit. It is luxurious to focus on just the one thing for a short time. Getting ready for seascapes in February, though! Cannot wait to see what you're working on...xo

Reply
Carol Edan
1/10/2019 02:53:40 pm

Are you going to Ireland to take a course with Pauline?

jen
1/10/2019 04:56:50 pm

oh gosh I wish! No, she has an online course in February.

Reply
Dotty Seiter link
1/11/2019 06:58:19 am

Jen, I have to thank you again for how you read, what you notice, the way you use language to express your thoughts—even when you are careening through each day like a drunken bull.

Your 2019 posts have been resonating strongly. Something has rearranged me, and I remain in a place of ongoing rearrangement. The swirl has not settled. I find myself somewhere new, which will lead, no doubt, to more new.

Thank you for you.

Reply
jen
1/11/2019 02:25:55 pm

Dotty! Oh gosh, I am so happy these mental meanderings are of benefit to someone. :) The resonating rearrangement is an odd thing - unsettled swirl is a hard place to be, and yet any attempts to rush or hasten will only cause more mud!

More and more new...and then, some day, it will gel into its new formation. Right?

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  • Home
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