Back to drawing again.

                                                                           

Release

Just saw this video this morning.  I've been wanting to share some things about my sketch book blog, all the drawings are about a series of work I want to do in the future. A series that is incredibly important to me. The work is embryonic and raw right now, and that's where it needs to be.  I'm learning it takes time, patience and persistence with your art to make the work you want to make.  Certain emotions, ideas and my own perceptions started coming through this summer with a lot of drawings I was doing.  And the movement and realizations I've been having with many relationships in my life in different ways.  I started seeing things outside of myself a little more clearly, I started seeing  relational patterns and it started a spark.
The experiences in my life I've felt the most alone in are actually experiences that I'm finding more and more people in my own life have experienced also.  We can all know statistics of things but when you start to open up with people in your life you start to realize just how many others share unspoken similar stories.  I don't think I could have ever guessed it to be this many.  But I'm grateful, grateful for that one little word empathy that has so much power.

Own Conclusions

                                  

Own Conclusions

I was planning on this being my final painting for my show but it just didn't happen, I ran out of time.   I've been wanting to start adding more to my shop online, so I've been thinking about ways my art can reflect the title Meander Through Life.  I've got lots of exploring and monkeying around to do, new horizons in my art making, I'm finding hope in that.

I've been feeling like I'm going through tests, tests in life lately.  Tests in trusting myself, big steps in trusting myself,  it hasn't been easy and I'm going through some mourning over relationships that were never honest. It's frightening to look in the mirror, it takes a huge amount of strength and trust to face our actions at times but we do it because of love.  Sometimes though the people we love for their own reasons choose not to do so,  even with the knowledge of how much their actions have hurt others or continually hurt others.  The more I open up myself up truthfully with others, the more I claim what I feel is important, and the more I take a firm stand with others on things I feel are right and true, the harder some of my closest relationships are becoming.  Putting to rest the need for approval, being responsible for others emotions and finding some sort of acceptance with others, I can't say I'm doing this perfectly or even well at times, I'm human but I'm committed.  I'm also trying to keep my heart open to seeing and finding the better parts of relationships; empathy,  mutual respect,  compassion,  honesty,  patience,  understanding  and my new favorite,  agreeing to disagree.  Every day, otherwise I find myself turning into one bitter and isolated woman, and I can be really talented at isolation.

I want to live my life more this way, I'm the one in charge of me.

Show and Tell

These are photos from my trip to Northern Minnesota, of my show and class.  The top one is of my friend Heidi and I.  The last three are of the wonderful ladies who were in my painting class and their creations, Donna O'Conner, Bethany Clawson, and Rebekah Clawson.  Rebekah has drawn illustrations for a book before but none of them had painted a painting.  And even though I can think of a hundred things I could improve upon for teaching a class it was a great experience and I enjoyed it.  It was also fun to finally see Smith's Infusion and meet the owner Jenni Smith.  Heidi and I found her to have a wealth of information on the Arts in Minnesota, which she shared with us.  Lots of good stuff to check out.

There is always certain charms to smaller towns and we found that to be the case for Virgina.  On the night of my show there was a big function of sorts going on for women in a neighboring town, because last weekend was the start of the hunting season.  Don't quote me on this but I think there were Chip and Dale dancers in that same town too,  needless to say my show wasn't too big of a fanfare, I don't think my art can compete with that.  In the end I was content with how things for this show turned out,  I've had a few different personal goals with the show and those I've been happy with.  Also I got to meet and talk with a couple who were both artists and made

beautiful things together, very inspiring. 

And the best part was spending time with my friend Heidi, we had long deep personal talks, we had long talks about art, and she had me laughing for about two straight hours on the drive home.  No matter how big or small friendship is with someone else, it's such an amazing  and incredible gift. Always and everyday that's something to be grateful for.

Perceiving Reconstruction

I'm relieved to be on the other side of October, I did enjoy thoroughly throwing myself into making the work for my show happen, and in fact even after painting ten to twelve hours a day I still would want to stay up at night and draw.  I'm not the greatest at multitasking, in fact it's an area at times I feel deficient in as far as my roles as wife, mother, and homeowner go.  But I'm learning in my art I actually need to multitask,  I need to have different projects going simultaneously,  I need to have emotions and ideas connecting back forth around in my brain.  Today I realized I have this future, past, and present thing going on in my art, and  it makes sense  I have to look at something from every possible direction I can find to understand it. Or to fully make meaning of it I guess.  So far it seems each project has a process that comes about organically.  I'm learning more and more to trust being in my element of intuition, emotions, and imagination being in the drivers seat.  And then allowing the other parts of me to follow behind,  investigating,  putting the clues together, seeing what my subconscious has been pulling out and bringing to my consciousness, tracking down and being on the look out for new inspiration and researching.  Love that researching part.

1. Disburdenment

2. Take

3. Pure

4. Some Fun

5. Softly Contemplate

6. Compasion

7. Open

8. Mine

9. For the Love of it

10. Pass

11. Sincere Communication

12. The Gift

13. Room for Questions

     

More Paintings for the Show

1. Fresh
2. Golden
3. Go
4. Start
5. New Ground

I think I'm coming down with some bug now but dang it!  I have a goal,  I might just be doing a little painting in bed this weekend.  Also I posted some new drawings the other night.

Inspiration for Days

Holy cats and kittens!  Angela's got a bunch of work posted on her blog The Shape of Secerets check it out,  you won't be sorry I promise.

More Paintings.

1. Handle with Care
2. I.Worth
3. Excavate

This month is flying by it's been pretty crazy around here.  My youngest son is just starting to get over the flu which has been with him for two solid weeks.  They didn't test him but they thought he probably  had the swine flu and my husband has had some bug the last two weeks too.  It's been quite the balancing act but I've been thankful to be immeresed in getting ready for this show.  I have a hard time adjusting in the fall and I'm finding comfort in making my art, getting outside, walking, looking at everything around me, and music. Always music, somehow you know your not alone with the music, somebody created the music. The conversations we can't have or don't know how to have we can find a way with our art. And that just seems  important and so needed.

Perceiving Reconstruction

1. Keep

2. Breathe on

3.Electric

4. Aware

The name of my show is Perceiving Reconstruction and I got my sketchbook blog started.