Searchlight

Remember the other day I mentioned brain research's indicating that feeling gratitude leads to an upward spiral of happiness? Awesome, yes?

But guess what else?

Turns out, when you cannot find one single thing to be grateful for, it doesn't matter. You don't have to find anything. Remembering to search in the first place matters most.

From the research: Remembering to be grateful is a form of emotional intelligence. One study found that it actually affected neuron density in both the ventromedial and lateral prefrontal cortex. These density changes suggest that as emotional intelligence increases, the neurons in these areas become more efficient. With higher emotional intelligence, it simply takes less effort to be grateful.

I'm in!

Many's the time I search really hard to find something to be grateful for when I look at what I've put on a canvas.

In fact, I've got my searchlight on right now. I'm irritated by my "messing up" the first of the two bookmarks in progress below (naming what one's feeling is another upward spiral, by the way, but I'll save that for another day), so now I'm searching both for gratitude and solutions to the problems I've created.

I'll let these refrigerate for a couple of days.

All good, I tell ya!

bookmark in progress

bookmark in progress

 

Fireside Chats

Fireside chats is the term used to describe a series of 30 evening radio conversations given by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944.

My knowledge of history extends just enough to know that such fireside chats existed and that they were associated with Roosevelt. The term was familiar enough that it's the name I give to an annual get-together I have with long-time friend Wendy, at her home, beside a fire in her fireplace.

Our friendship doesn't go back to the '30's or '40's but, much to our surprise, does span several decades now. Is several the right word? Is several more than a few? Our friendship definitely spans more than a few decades. But I digress. Wendy and I have been friends for a long time.

We connected instantly when we met, and we can talk about anything anytime. Our friendship reminds me of summer camp friendships—we don't see each other every day, or even very often, but when together we pick up right where we left off, and we're all in.

We had one of our fireside chats a short while ago. The best. Always the best.

One of the topics of conversation was art and the many ways it can be shared. This bookmark's for you, Wendy!

You Don't Have to Knock to Come in the Door
1.5x5.5"; acrylic, paint markers, and oil pastels on black cardboard
abstract
2017
[gift]

Plan B

Plan A, as reported yesterday, was to paint a bookmark to match the cover of a book I plan to read. Actually, I was going to paint two bookmarks and send the second to friend Sheila, letting her know that if she wanted to read The Door by Magda Szabó, here was a coordinating hand-painted place marker.

Plan B: I'm sending a different bookmark to Sheila. If she hopes to coordinate it with the cover of a book she wants to read, she first has to find the book—talk about choosing a book by its cover!

The Go-Aheadness of It All
1.5x5.5"; acrylic, ink, and oil pastel on black cardboard
abstract
2017
[gift]

Trickster Art

I have a collection of bookmarks I've painted, and I love finding just the right one to go with the cover of whatever book I read. I moseyed into my studio about a week ago with the idea of painting one to go with the neutrals on this book cover:

Tricksters were waiting for my arrival.

trickster start, work in progress

trickster start detail

trickster start detail

trickster start detail

Paint All Over Creation

OK, I started this piece—the second in a possible series—wanting to play with paint, mark-making, and pastels. Pretty quickly I felt the call to tap into some uninhibited, childlike free-play. Then after a bit, the painting wanted structure and refinement so I responded accordingly.

I reached a point where the painting felt complete.

I gave it a title.

I perched it on a shelf in my study (where I tutor) which gave me the chance to glance up and see it from a few feet of distance off and on for the rest of the day and into the next.

Oh.

Not done.

Wasn't sure where to go. Felt familiar constriction—fear of 'wrecking' what I liked in the piece. Gave myself a quick talking-to: So, do you want an incomplete, unsatisfying painting that sits in a drawer because you don't want to display it? What'll happen if you go back in and start playing with it? Seems to me that you either won't like it or you will. If you don't, status quo. If you do, good to go!

This piece feels crazy-quilt busy but I like it.

It has asked respectfully that I title it and post it for sale but if it hasn't sold in four weeks to please cut it into quadrants, play with the resulting volunteer compositions, make them into postcards, and send them out into the world.

Deal.

All Over Creation

9x12"; acrylic, ink, pencil, collage, and chalk and oil pastels on watercolor paper

abstract

2017

detail

detail

detail

detail

Feel Gratitude

My friend Bo sent me some cool info recently. Turns out UCLA neuroscience researcher Alex Korb has some insights that can create an upward spiral of happiness in your life. One finding: the most important question to ask yourself is, What am I grateful for?

Feeling grateful activates the brain stem region that produces dopamine, a chemical released during pleasurable situations. 

Feeling grateful can boost serotonin production in the anterior cingulate cortex. Serotonin is a chemical responsible for maintaining mood balance.

Awesome.

I am grateful for the fun of spreading some acrylic paint, making a bunch of marks, making another bunch of marks, affixing collage, making a few more marks, and playing with chalk and oil pastels. Oh, and paint pens, too.

pmmp-2 with ; work in progress

Go Way Inside

I started this current series with the idea of playing with the interaction of paint, mark-making, and pastels to see if a more specific idea for exploration might arise.

What calls out to me again and again when I look at the art of others are the paintings that feel the most free, the most uninhibited, the most childlike.

I want to go way inside to that deep place of spontaneous creativity within me.

I carry that awareness into today's studio time, continuing with pmmp-2.

Work in progress:

pmmp-2 with India ink linework, work in progress

pmmp-2 with pencil and pen lines, circles, scribbles, and tracings,
work in progress

detail

detail