Birds Galore....

I received an letter announcing that I was awarded an exhibit of New Mythology paintings at the Howard County Center for the Arts in November of 2011.

On the easel....birds and more birds...

More prints and small paintings available on Etsy....see the link on the sidebar....

On the easel...

Hopefully, with two physical therapy sessions weekly, I can make some serious tracks on this neck and shoulder dilemma. I have been able to paint longer, yet not long enough to really "click in."
Working on paintings for the FCCA solo in July and also this one which I am really excited about....I am using cradled hardboard as opposed to my usual canvas and I may be sold.

FCCA Opening

We had a great attendance at the gallery last night with people moving through all evening. I am a blessed person to have so many "regulars" who come to every opening to support me. I was thrilled to have friends Steve and Eugenia there, as well. These are two people who have been overwhelmingly supportive of my work in many ways. And of course it is wonderful to connect with new people.

This morning I debriefed the event with my friend Pam who will often walk around listening to comments and talking to people. The painting that by far received the most varied response was the "Shepherdess of the Sea." This painting is the most surrealistic and generally cryptic of all of my paintings thus far. It is interesting to find that from the beginning, it evoked strong response. Many people really loved the idea and encouraged me to pursue it, but some felt otherwise. It seemed that as long as I was painting the lovely fawn, all was well, but as soon as the idea evolved in a directly surrealistic direction, I received some opposition. Originally, the initial drawing utilized some of the ideas of "The Flowering Bull" such as using botanical elements for the legs with the thought that she may be his predecessor. But as I went along in the process I realized she had something to do with the ocean, and followed that leading.

Among the common comments were that some did not feel comfortable with the pairing of land and sea life, and others didn't "get it." Working in this genre requires a non-left brained way of seeing. Many people have a hard time connecting with surrealism most likely because the viewer often has to work harder to "get it" in this genre than any other, maybe with the exception of minimalism. It can appear "nonsensical", odd and often times there may be nothing to "get." In most of us the rational brain, the labeling and compartmentalizing brain is the first to respond. I find even in myself this kind of unconscious habit of trying to explain and make sense of art when I look at it. In my painting, this kind of immediate reaction hinders my creativity, so I work at trying to let the work speak to me.

As the artist, this spectrum of reaction is a fantastic thing and in no way a negative. The more I think about the Shepherdesses' evolution and the volume of reaction, the better I feel about the painting. When everyone likes a painting, you have to wonder how challenging it really is and on the other hand, if people are really being honest. The very worst that can happen is no response. A huge part of why I paint is to evoke a feeling and I feel every individual reaction is valid. So thank you to everyone from sketch to opening night who voiced their thoughts on this painting openly and honestly. You bless, encourage and challenge me when you do...

One woman approached me to say she thought my work is scary and indeed, there are dark undertones and notes to be sure (forbid it that I would ever paint a work that is simply "pleasing" or "enjoyable." It wouldn't be authentic for me to do that). So, another wonderful reaction from someone who took the time to "look", let the work speak and so feel what comes to the surface.

I hope that my work is uniquely creative with a strange beauty that others remember and that in some way it will speak to each individual in a personal manner.

Painter's Block

Robert Genn's letter to artists for September 29th: How to Beat Painter's Block

The Unikoi

After spending the morning being reminded how expensive framing is, I gave up and went to the easel. There are a few tiny details to finish up tomorrow....considering adding a few small fish.

Bad coffee and Temperament

We lost our internet connection last Friday, so I currently sit in Panera with a weak cup of coffee catching up on emails. A tech is supposed to come out and make it right Tuesday.

I took the Keirsey temperament test this weekend. I take it about once a year when I feel like I need to have someone confirm that it is OK to be me. I go through periods of feeling like I am so, so unlike most of the folks around me (I realize this is common in artists.) Sometimes, I feel alright with that and sometimes I don't. At the moment, I feel I have been trying to squeeze myself into a way of being that goes against my natural grain. I have a very structured, focused mother who is logical and a fairly black and white thinker. My father, who I did not grow up with, is very much an artistic temperament untapped. All of these qualities are good, but I think being like them both by gene, yet being raised by my mom, I often feel I have to work hard for that right brain way of being. Had I been raised with them both, I probably would have a more balanced access to it all....like it is ok to BE an artist.
Even so, though I am an INFJ/P (J and P are always equal scores), I almost always come out fairly equally left and right brained on these tests...which if you think about it, may cause insanity in some folks. Hopefully, not in my case....although it can fee that way.

There is a side of me that kicks against structure, yet wants things to be structured, a part of me that hates schedules, yet feels the need to schedule......that sees things linearly, yet can see things from all angles....yep, so you see my dilemma.

My weak coffee is cold and I should pack up and go home to paint. Or maybe I can analyze this idea a little more.....

Self portrait in progress....

I cleaned up edges today and delicate transitions, softening things up a bit.... still not settled on the neck down, but I have a few ideas. This has been more fun than I thought it would be since I don't enjoy painting people like I do animals.

I envisioned the portrait being about me as a testimony to God's glory as revealed in His creation. I feel it is well confirmed by now that this creation, nature specifically, is my life's artistic work.

Andrew Wyeth and Michael Jackson

I have read the biography "Andrew Wyeth, a Secret Life" (Richard Meryman) three times and have revisited passages since his death at 91 this past January. While keeping an eye on CNN and Fox coverage of Michael Jackson yesterday afternoon, I remembered that the two had met in 1985 and that Meryman recounts the story in his book.

Jackson sent word to Wyeth that he wanted to have his portrait painted. When Wyeth's entourage of dealers and agents heard of the possible portrait, they were thrilled at the idea of the millions that would be made from the painting and subsequent reproductions. Andrew refers to them "like mafia" who used him for money and didn't care about him at all. And, of course, they all wanted to be photographed with Jackson who apparently had an entourage of his own.

The two artists met at the Brandywine River Museum where they looked at Andrews paintings and talked.
Andy states," I found him a very sweet, sensitive person, very nice, very intelligent."
At some point a man from Jackson's entourage marched in the stated that Michael had ten more minutes and then they were leaving.
Andy goes on to say, "We had a real thing going between us and then these shits got into it. The poor guy was owned by these people. I felt sorry for him. God help any artist that gets caught up in that."
Though he felt a real connection to Michael, Andrew bowed out of the project saying, "Imagine me painting with those guards standing there."

So, we have no amazing portrait of Michael Jackson by Andrew Wyeth, two great artists who sadly now are both gone.

Thoughtful Thursday

Over a period of a few years, the figure has disappeared from my painting. I have thought a lot about this over the months wondering why animals have become the centerpiece of my life's work. In my artist statement, I speak of a love affair with animals from an early age:

"As a child, my three-ring binder full of drawings of horses was a prized possession. In my mind, horses have a mystical, almost phantom-like quality that I became drawn to from an early age. I became transfixed just seeing one in an open field. Today, I recognize this mark in all animals as the fingerprint of the infinite imagination of the Creator. There is a kind of communion that takes place between me and God when painting or in the presence of animals."

Even reading it now, there is a sense of incompleteness to those words, something deeper that I cannot seem to excavate. I suppose it is a journey of sorts and as I find out more about myself, which I believe is expressed in choice of subject, I then understand the connection increasingly. It is very much like peeling an onion. The intimacy with which I feel connected to the work can be very overwhelming. Why? Such mysteries of the human soul.......

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night after seeing a film short about the fate of racehorses once their careers are over, and I feel rather heavy-hearted and introspective today. I see inconsistencies in myself and asking some very hard questions has been a long time coming. Information is power, but it is also often quite painful.

With Dunny