Thursday Musings

"Push and Pull" - mixed media on aquabord, 11" x 14".  Ready to frame, or can be leaned upon a shelf.  Available on Artfinder.

Ahhhhh bliss.  Back in the studio, hard at play!  The daily painting discipline instilled by biannual 30 in 30 challenges has taken a firm hold.  There are three paintings in progress this week.  This one emerged from listening to the art, following the trail of shapes and emotion.  Continuing to experiment with the chalky-ness of gesso mixed with paints and the exquisite satisfaction of mark-making and carving into paintings.  Aquabord is particularly adaptable for all of these layers and for allowing the little surprises underneath to peek through.

There is a lot going on in the world. Words, emotions, actions...all trying to get a foothold in my thoughts.  I am working on manifesting a bouncer in the dance club that is my mind - a big, burly tough guy to give unwelcome thoughts the heave-ho.  A little cloistering and hermiting helps, too.  Along with hours and hours in the garden.

Moving right along in Art & Fear, now in the chapter called "Conceptual Worlds."  Yum.  What a fabulous title.  It begins with a quote from Henry James (the writer) about how to question an artist's work by asking three questions: "What was the artist trying to achieve?  Did she succeed?  Was it worth doing?"   Ouch!  That last one is tough.  But it resonates...I will ask myself this last question about my own art going forward.

There was one more sentence in the chapter that truly made me smile: "Where the scientist asks what equation would best describe the trajectory of an airborne rock, the artist asks what it would feel like to throw one."  I am not suggesting we should throw rocks today.  But if I happen to have a pocket full of them, I might at least imagine the feeling of launching one or two at whatever frustrates me. :)