Thursday, April 30, 2020

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Monday, April 27, 2020

Hindsight Is 20/20 (Finding God 2)

Way back* in the thick of our busy family life, we lost an auto insurance claim check. What the heck? Where could a check we were so grateful to receive and so eager to deposit have disappeared?

We searched everywhere. Twice. Three times. Four. Logical places, illogical places. No check.

I knew it was likely to reveal itself eventually, at which point its path would make complete sense.

In the moment, though, I knew we were not going to locate that check. We had to let go of searching, we had to embrace not knowing.

We contacted the insurance company; they issued a new check.

Two years later, I went to tidy a small drawer in which we kept the Kodak envelopes that held negatives from photos we'd sent away to have developed (*As I said earlier, this was way back!). In retrospect, I could suddenly see what had happened, even though I had no ability to imagine the scenario at the time. The mail delivery that included the insurance check also included envelopes of photographs. We opened everything, set the stack of mail down, and later brought the Kodak envelopes upstairs to their designated place in the desk drawer in our bedroom, never knowing the stack of envelopes also included the envelope containing the insurance check.

Similarly, my painting process for Finding God only made sense to me retrospectively, after I'd found what I was looking for and could look back.

While creating my painting I was searching, looking everywhere, but couldn't find what I was looking for. Tried this, tried that, did logical things, illogical things. No discovery. Had to let go of searching, had to embrace not knowing.

Then, suddenly, days and weeks later, there it was—a compelling tangle of meadow! I found what I was looking for, and the whole process made sense.

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Want to take a closer look?

For the next few days, I invite you to join me in ignoring the security guard who will surely reprimand us for putting our faces just inches from this painting to find God in the tangle.

Finding God in a Tangle of Meadow
detail
detail

Sunday, April 26, 2020

A Tangle (Finding God 1)

I get tangled up in process more than once while painting this canvas.

Then when I complete the piece, the tangle is precisely where I find God.

God Shows Up in a Tangle of Meadow
(after 60 days!)
30 x 40"; acrylic, pencil, oil pastel, ink, latex, and collage on canvas
abstract floral
2020
in situ

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tickler file: humble beginnings

day 1
day 1, detail






Thursday, April 23, 2020

Surprise Party in My Studio

How funny is it that I can be surprised by what I see on my canvas when I'm the one who chooses the paints and uses the brush?!

But looky where this is going now!

Who knew?

work in progress, 43 days in, 4/2/2020
30 x 40" canvas

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Another Then and Now

I take such pleasure in pawing through old pieces, looking to discover what will catch my eye for reinvention as a birthday card. I find an exercise I did as part of an interactive online Jane Davies class four years ago. I trim it down to a 4 x 6" size for a renewed composition, I fuss and fiddle happily with print collage, I rotate its orientation.

Happy birthday, Scott!

Go Easy, Be Filled with Light, Shine
4 x 6"; acrylic, oil pastel, and collage on cheap drawing paper,
mounted on card stock
abstract
2020 upgrade of 2016 piece