What a great word, dwell. Emily Dickinson wrote "I dwell in possibility." This is the mantra of an artist. The belief that if you can remain aware, any emotions, good or bad, can be channeled through a person and molded into an image, a song or a sentence that inspires. I had a roller coaster ride of emotions this week and I am so grateful to have been able to focus it and and release it onto these 4 panels of wood. I've said it a hundred times, "Any day in the studio is a great day". This is my therapy. This is for me. Esther Hicks-Abraham says that when we talk about creators, we are talking about the creating of your state of being. I hope to always linger in the idea that art in all its forms has the potential to fill me, to heal me, and to save me. I dwell in that possibility. Dwell
It has been brought up before, but I believe it's worth repeating. Should a 90 year old try to learn to play the piano? I say yes! Because by the time that 90 year old learns how to play, they will be EXACTLY the same age if they hadn't. It's NOT TOO LATE. It's never too late. It's not about mastering piano or conquering concert halls. It's about PRACTICE. Doing it. Loving it. Being in the moment with it.
My dear friend is teaching her Mother (who has Alzheimer's) how to paint. Every lesson starts anew. But she says that its bringing pure joy to a frustrated woman who is forgetting her children's names. You are an amazing daughter Kathleen! (See her great work here: http://kathleenbrodeurfineart.com) If they can do it, we can do it. Go try something new today!
"What we know as life is but existence, A waiting place, a haven by the sea, A little space amid immeasured distance, A glimpse, a vista, of that life to be." -Cheiro The Line of Life
A work of art is above all an adventure of the mind. Found this great quote by Eugene Ionescoand had to collage it! We are attracted to people and situations that mirror our energy and awareness, but art can really pull us past the conscious zone and take us on a voyage into the unexplored. Make some time to get lost in art this week! Make some, look at some and by all means enjoy it. Mind
Some of my collages I love too much to put a face or figure onto. This is one of them. Each panel has its own composition and then each panel is arranged into a final composition. Abundance
Since Nate and Nick have been born, I have wanted to paint them. I have drawn them numerous times but I have spent more time staring at their precious faces than painting them. And to be fair, I've spent more time being a mother to them than an artist by about 99 to 1. So now that I have gotten around to it, I wanted to paint for them. So here you have it Nate, "you can do most anything" and "for the extras that add so much to life." Imagine
Life must be lived as play. Read somewhere that Plato of all people was quoted as saying that. I wonder if he spent his days building sand castles or drawing his children. I hope he did- for his sake. Lived As Play
I remember reading somewhere that Picasso said he would keep working on paintings even years after he originally thought they were finished. Paintings can be the silent flat children of artists, so as we grow, so do they. Our work and not just our careers are a continuing work in progress.
Comfortable Being originally got its name because of the ease and relaxation of her pose. But as I stared at the painting in my studio, I realized that comfortable was the one thing I was not when I looked at her. Time to keep working. Now that I have completely redrawn and repainted her face, I can say that I am now comfortable being renewed.
All stay-at-home mothers are performance artists. Children are our mediums....especially in the everyone-staying-at-home days of summer. School will be starting soon and once again I'll be able to concentrate on my own paintings. In the meantime, I'll be working with my two greatest creations.
