Joan of Art

1. I have dubbed both my friend Joan and our painting get-togethers Joan of Art.

2. Did we have fun yesterday, or did we have fun?

3. We had fun.

Calendar posters on lovely cardstock to use as substrates + laughter + shared paints and brushes and whatnot + lunch + partially remembered guidelines for painting flowers + playing loose with brushstrokes = this start for me:

work in progress
11x14"; acrylic and ink on cardstock

Wide-Eyed in Wonder Yet Again

I stand in humble wide-eyed wonder yet again, wonder that passes understanding.

How does this …

painting start from summer solstice with friend Joan:
building layers with acrylic, watercolors, and stamped ink

become this … ?

work in progress

Big Magic, I'm tellin' ya. Big Magic.

Lettin' Loose, Loosely Speaking

Before our recent art playdate, Joan said, I need to loosen up … a problem I've always had with my art. I can't seem to move forward.

She was singin' my song.

Painting in Joan's company was terrific. I felt honor bound to the shared yearning we'd identified.

Two days out and working solo again, though, I feel attachment and fussiness nipping at my heels.

But, with Joan's and my time together as a beacon, I take a deep breath, cut my page into quadrants, and plunge into the water come what may.

detail, work in progress