Whole New Kettle of Fish

Unexpected adventure today—a departure from the neurographic series I've been painting for several weeks. Thank you, Amanda Evanston! She offered a free sample class for kids online. I forwarded the info to granddaughter Emmy. 

Yes. yes. yes. I would definitely like to do that! 

Me, too!

So we each called on our inner Claude Monet and painted us some water lilies, I tell you what!

The class was short and high speed, 78 rpm to my 33 ⅓—I opted to watch and listen while it was live. Once the class ended, I turned myself loose to PLAY. 

So. Much. Fun.

Painted up a green chaos layer. Let it dry.

Used tape to mask off some would-be lily pads, painted up a blue chaos layer on top of the green. Pulled off the tape.

work in progress … will return to this tomorrow

Amanda has a gift for tapping the child in me for sure; little Dotty was giddy with delight with paper, paint, brush, and an 'unfussy' role model leading the way.

Receptivity to Wonder

More resonant thoughts from Lyanda Lynn Haupt's Mozart's Starling:

Receptivity to wonder is not economically productive, marketable, quantifiable. The rewards, also, stand beyond such calculation. But it is in such receptivity that we discover what draws us, and along with it our originality, our creativity, our soulfulness, our gladness, our art. Mozart found inspiration in the presence of a common bird. For us, too, the song of the world so often rises in places we had not thought to look.

I wandered way into wonder, gladness, and complete absorption while adding finishing touches to this patch, embedding little secrets en route.

The Song of the World So Often Rises
in Places We Had Not Thought to Look
5.75 x 6.5"; acrylic, ink, and collage
floral
2018
[sold]

detail

Exams

Once I (a) recognized and (b) set aside the unconscious mindset that I was taking an exam upon which my life depended and for which I hadn't prepared, and (c) saw this work in progress as the basic color-mixing and composition study that it is, I (d) relaxed more receptively into the process.

However, calling this a study puts a whole new spin on the word.

I sure never studied this hard when I was in school.

Just sayin'.

Could stop here and might be wise to do so.

…

newest patch (finished? not finished?)

detail

new patch in the bigger picture,
work in progress,
working title: Core Values
[and, yes, our lawn does need mowing]

Uncovering What You Really Have to Say

An article about writing came to mind today as I painted:

Clark: … writing is a way of thinking about something. A way of coming to grips with something. It's a way of uncovering what you really have to say. 

VT: I think a lot of people come up with a main idea once and just want to leave it at that. 

Clark: [But] … then they start writing and all the chaos of the subconscious wells up, and all the disjointed stuff comes out. Somewhere in there is the main idea -- what you really have to say. But you're going have to crush and sift and smelt it out of there. Refine and hone it … [Y]ou don't really know what you're writing about in the beginning. In writing you don't completely know where you're going until you get there. 

VT: It's that feeling of being lost I don't like.

Clark: Well, it helps if you go into it knowing you're going to change your main idea a couple times. Know you're going to start off with a map that is going to get redrawn as you go, which will leave you feeling lost and confused. But know that as the map changes, something solid is going to emerge from the fog and come into sharp focus and lead you forward. It definitely will. And it's exciting to watch your unexpected ideas unfold.

Can't say I'm feeling excited right now. In fact, why did I not stop with yesterday's 'main idea'?

Clearly, the chaos of my subconcious has welled up and landed me in the fog. Now I've got no choice but to get down to crushing and sifting and smelting. Refining and honing.

patch in progress

Lost Love

For Valentine's Day I painted my valentine a painting.

He was entirely delighted with it, took it to work, propped it on the fireplace mantel in his office, showed it off to many a colleague.

A week or two later I had cause to stop by his office with him on a weekend so he could pick up some papers he needed.

Huh.

No Valentine painting in sight.

I inquired.

He turned reflexively towards the mantel and then stopped in his tracks.

Huh.

No Valentine painting in sight.

Did someone appropriate it when no one else was around?

Did it land in the wastebasket regrettably situated where it could easily have been an unintended receptacle for art when an oversized item on the mantel got bumped a week earlier, taking all manner of items crashing downward with it?

Don't know.

May never know.

I've painted up a new Valentine to give my valentine on his birthday today.

My good sense says to reuse its original somewhat sentimental title, 'cause my guy is a somewhat sentimental guy, but each time I picture that Valentine in the wastebasket, the mischief-maker in me hears an Everly Brother's song of yore.

I finished this painting during our third nor'easter in two weeks—
figured it deserved an outdoor photo shoot in snow!

Don't Want Your Lo-o-ove, Anymore!
6x6"; acrylic, collage, India ink, and pastel on gessobord
abstract
2018
[gift]

Another 'Quilt'

What I was not doing while I started another patchwork 'quilt' grid composition painting:

• wrapping birthday gifts for Caroline and Emmy,
• figuring out what I'll pack to wear in Virginia,
• folding the dark load of clean laundry,
• responding to business email correspondence,
• making a deposit at the bank,
• emptying overflowing wastebaskets …

grid composition #2
6x6" gessobord
work in progress 

Wholehearted

Pink postcard series, huge new painting, free canvas #2, and free canvas #3 be damned! Gotta paint hearts on Valentine's Day, which is just exactly what I did!

Lucky me: Instagram artist friend Kathy @digikat2 introduced me to artist Amanda @amanda_evanston who posted a video about painting hearts, with an open invitation to 'copy' her process. So 'copy' I did!

Every aspect of this painting experience put me in a happy place, including the fact that Kathy and I have decided to #PaintOutWinter by painting over one old painting at a time with the goal of shortening winter at the rate of one day per painting.

shadow painting exercise from 2015,
charcoal pencil grid added

painting the grid

adding collage

inking in heart outlines,
adding oil pastel

Unafraid and Able to Experience Small Joys
6x6"; acrylic, India ink, collage, and oil pastel on canvas board
abstract
2018
[gifted]