Wise Words, and Things I Love

It seems I am still on a kick with "message art" - paintings and collages and doodles that use words and poems and quotes to convey messages. I think my next challenge will be to convey the messages I want WITHOUT the use of words - but right now this is where I'm at, and I'm embracing it :-). This collage was inspired by something I have been hearing my mother say to me for, oh, the last NINE years or so! "Treat yourself as if you are your own child." We moms tend to be MUCH nicer to our kids than weare to ourselves, by a long shot. These words have been going through my head a lot lately, so I made this:

My camera has been my steady companion lately, beyond my professional shoots - which is great for me. My most recent "portrait" of my 3 boys - I'm loving the shadows these days:

And, the latest iteration of my bridge obsession - this time with a watercolor treatment. Apparently I am in the process of creating a bridge series - didn't realize it till just now :-)

Back to the Fun of It

Since I got back from vacation, I realized that I was putting too much pressure on myself to "make good art" - I had started to lose track of what the process is about, what art journaling is really for, and the JOY that is supposed to be the foundation of art-making. So, I went back to my artistic "homes": photography and jewelry-making.

On one of my photo treks, I spotted a little dance shop window, with pointe shoes hanging in a colorful display, and the cute little town reflected in the window...and I stood there enchanted, remembering my obsessive love of ballet as a child. Then there was my obsessive love of piano and flute, which lasted for many years and edged into some professional work. And all through that, my love for writing and my dream of writing a book someday. I always thought of this as a sort of artistic ADHD and a lack of follow-through - but recently, I've come to appreciate it as different versions of the same impulse, coupled with a passion for learning and exploration. A much more positive way to look at it, right? :-) So I used my pointe-shoe window image in a mixed-media collage. It may be hard to read some of the text because of the reflected light in my photo, but here is what it says: "Dreams do not wither or fade. They shape-shift, waiting in the shadows until you are ready for them. Then they find you." For me, I have found that my artistic loves have found me exactly when I've needed that particular one most. And the lack of follow-through? Well, those are not "withered dreams". I have, at one point or another, returned to each one, but perhaps in a different form and with a different purpose or viewpoint - when I was ready.

And then there is the jewelry. I've been making jewelry on and off for 15 years, and it has been MY thing - meaning, I have refused to sell it (until recently, for charity) and have made it just for me and as gifts. It is not a matter of accessorizing for me, it is art much the same way as my collage work. Each piece in my collection contains some special memory of a bead or pendant picked up on a trip, given to me as as gift, designed from an inspiration, recycled from my grandmother's old jewelry, or features a miniaturized photo or painting that I have created. For some reason though - probably stress and overwork and focus elsewhere - I hadn't made jewelry just for me in a while. It is such a relaxing a meditative process though, I sort of pushed myself back into it, and am so glad I did. My husband gave me a unique key inscribed with the word "Happy" as part of my birthday gift, and I used labradorite and vintage chain to incorporate it into a necklace. I used a focal bead I picked up in Portland, Maine (a special place for us) and moonstone, my birthstone, for another necklace. The green locket (I collect lockets) was purchased from a wonderful etsy seller and I found beads in my stash to go perfectly with it, and the pyrite necklace was a random inspiration. I actually feel my breathing expand and my heart rate slow down when I make jewelry; it's worth it just for the process if nothing else. Though, I have to say, selling it for charity and making that first donation from the sales to International Rett Syndrome Foundation felt great :-)

Finally, I want to give a shout-out (do people still say "shout-out", or did I just date myself?!?) to Erin Keane of Art-is-Try. I ordered two of her gorgeous handmade books from her etsy store (http://www.etsy.com/people/ArtIsTryArtistry) and they just arrived today, and WOW they are beautiful! They are obviously made with love, one-of-a-kind, and the perfect non-intimidating but plenty sufficient size for art journaling. I can also see them being used as dry-mount photo albums or mini scrapbooks, as well as travel journals. Each is a piece of art in itself. If you write, draw, or paint, or know someone who does, I highly recommend these for a special gift! Thank you Erin! I'll surely be getting more in the future!

Show Up

This past week, I was lucky to spend time in beautiful Ogunquit, Maine, enjoying my family and a lovely town full of artists and stunning views. I thought for sure I'd be wrapped up in a soft blanket of inspiration and create some uplifting landscape paintings, or some nature-based mixed media collages, or some other thoroughly delightful thematic work. Well, I got there, and no such luck. I loved taking my walks, taking in the views, people-watching, spending time with family, and being awe-struck by all the natural beauty - but I didn't want to paint any of it. I didn't want to write poetry about it, or collage about it. I did take a couple of wonderful photography walks though, which I always love - they help me see and appreciate what's around me in a whole new way. Here is what I captured. There are the beautiful sunsets....

The gorgeous purple flowers lining the streets.....

The footbridge along the Marginal Way, because bridges are a "thing" with me, a personal symbol..

And then I departed from the classic views. My reflection in a bakery window. Not your typical fine-art shot from a gorgeous place, right? Well I really wanted those pastries. I can't really eat them, for reasons too numerous to mention...but I really wanted them. So this image is telling of how I felt at this moment :-)

So, after my little photo safari, I thought for sure the key to artistic brilliance must have been unlocked. But still - no big ideas, no overwhelming desire to paint the textures of the rocks and ocean, not even a truly deep thought to be had. And I had so many expectations, creatively, for this trip! I mean, it's SCENIC! Peaceful! Artsy! I should have been overcome with the MUSE!

It didn't happen. BUT - I had fun. And I felt HAPPY. So, while I didn't have any creative breakthroughs, I did pull out my markers and paper and SHOWED UP. I just made some STUFF. I had a favorite Shel Silverstein poem that was stuck in my head, so I did this....

And then I gave some thought to the very concept of vacation. I KNOW we're all supposed to be happy on vacation - but why, exactly? Is it the change of scenery? The removal from daily responsibility? The permission we give ourselves to indulge a bit? And why do those things have to be limited to just big trips? I think vacations are not so much TAKEN as they are MADE....so I made this little reminder to make a little vacation for myself every day, in some small way.

Oodles of Doodles

After my last post with my Dr. Seuss pieces, I was all geared up to do a series of Seuss-inspired paintings. Alas, life had other plans, and I just didn't have the imaginative gears going to build another fantasy world at the moment; I needed to go simpler for a while. So, I did some doodling. I never thought of doodling as art fodder before, but it really is - I've seen it in so many different places and have developed a real appreciation for it. I don't quite have the patience of the sense of precision for Zentangle, but I did take Traci Bautista's online Creative Doodling class and loved it. A class on doodling, you say? Really, you needed a CLASS to learn to doodle? Well, I've always doodled - the class just gave me different techniques, ideas and inspirations to use the doodles to create art. And oh it is SO relaxing. I will return to the Seuss series sometime soon, when my attention span is a bit more functional.

These 3 pieces all incorporate doodling in some way, and I think they are all pretty different. The second piece, on the right, even incorporates my kids' names in doodle-writing. The collage uses cut-outs from doodle sheets I had previously worked on. Who knew there was so much

potential in a doodle?

Play

There is no question that creating art can be wonderful therapy, an incredible tool for soul-searching, and a very deep, meaningful experience. But I have come to the conclusion that when all the searching and depth and gravity becomes the overwhelming focus of your artwork, it is time to switch gears a bit. I have been SOOOO focused on creating deeply personal, expressive, meaningful, soulful art and journal pages, that all that gravity and seriousness has worn me out! So, I decided I needed to get a bit more playful for a while and lighten things up.

Here I wanted to try a lighter, airier color palette, with less STUFF everywhere like I tend to do. It was inspired by a Dr. Seuss quote.

I had so much fun with this piece that I decided to do a full-on Seuss-inspired painting. This idea is actually suggested in one of my favorite art technique books, Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists by Carla Sonheim.

I looked through a bunch of Dr. Seuss books that I had laying around the house to

get a better feel for the colorful, whimsical style of the fantasy worlds in his artwork, and painted

a piece to go with a favorite quote of mine from Oh the Places You'll Go. I had a

GREAT time with this painting, and am now thinking of doing a whole Seuss series for our

playroom!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

When I first started this blog, I vowed to myself that I would be REAL about everything I posted - so not just the "mission accomplished" works that I feel good about, but all the intermediate steps too (plus some of the outright c%$p that signifies you are practicing and challenging yourself!). So - I am posting my very first painted-from-scratch face. I have painted from photographs in Corel Painter, but never on actual paper with actual physical brushes. It is ironic, given that I do portrait photography for a living, that drawing faces has always been an achilles heel for me - it never came naturally to me, so I just assumed I couldn't do it. Well, now I'm working on it, and here is my first full-on attempt:

Without assessing this attempt just yet, I want to talk about what I learned:

(1) Good brushes are a MUST. My normal mode of buying cheapo brushes or - um - BORROWING from my kids' craft stash is fine for mixed-media or abstract work, but not so much for faces. In particular, a good detail brush is key. So is a blender stump; I should have known this from working in Corel Painter. A baby wipe just won't do for this. Neither will a q-tip.

(2) I found the mouth to be the hardest to do. The eyes were tough, but the mouth was the toughest. I was going for a serene, content expression, and I think I did OK,

but I don't think I am at the point where I could paint a real open-mouth smile.

(3) Neck and chin shading: very important, and very tough. Gotta work on that.

(4) While I feel like I have made some decent attempts at sketching, and an acceptable first attempt at painting a pleasing-looking face, I am a LONG way off from painting the likeness of an actual person. But, I'm taking steps, and it feels good. I want to get better at this, so that if I have faceless people in my artwork, it is a choice, not a default :-)

OK, so that was the bad and/or the ugly. Now the good: I got my etsy jewelry shop for charity up and running! I have sold a few pieces so far, with the net proceeds benefiting IRSF, to help find a cure for Rett Syndrome. I will add more pieces over the next week or so. Here is the link; I would appreciate if you would pass it on to others! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShiningStarrDesigns?ref=pr_shop_more

And now - a combination of good, bad and ugly. I've mentioned that I'm working my way through The Artist's Way with my friend Amy, and it seems like we both hit a bit of a

stumbling block right around chapters 4/5. We were both doing so well - really getting

into the process of the morning pages, doing the artist dates, really thinking through and discussing the tasks and learning so much. Then - life happened. I started asking Amy (and my husband, and G-d, and anyone who would listen) if Julia Cameron had kids, if she had a full-time nanny and maid, if EVERYONE who has followed this method faithfully has a full staff of helpers round-the-clock or is drinking so much Jolt that they can stay up all night to attend to their responsibilities AND their inner artist. I was getting frustrated and pessimistic. Then this afternoon, I decided to just let all my tasks (work, birthday party prep, house chores, etc.) sit, and go on an artist date. It was only 90 minutes, but I feel like it really saved me. I took a ride and then a long walk around Cranbury, NJ, a nearby historic town; my camera came along as my trusty companion, and I felt like I started to SEE again - and as I walked, I felt my stride actually changing, and some ME thoughts were coming into my head again. It's amazing how little it takes to get your inspiration back- yet how hard it can be to actually do what it takes. Here are some of the things I saw:

If I didn't have my camera there, I doubt that I would have noticed the intriguing patterns reflected on the roof of the bridge. That, to me, is the beauty of photography, from the photographer's standpoint: yes, there is the preservation of the moment, but it's also about SEEING MORE in the moment.

And now for the REALLY ugly - a very obvious metaphor :-) I saw this and I couldn't help myself. These outings are really like a LIFESAVER for your inner artist; just to get out of your own head, to see something new, to look at the world from a different perspective, can make all the difference in the world.

Challenges and Personal Goals

I've noticed two different patterns in my art: my photography work tends toward the clean and simple, with bright colors and sharp contrast, and my painting/mixed-media work tends to be layered and complex, with moody colors and blends. In the name of growth, I wanted to challenge myself to steer away from my "preferred modes" - starting with this mixed-media piece. It is based on a type of project that is done in one of the e-courses I'm taking, but I took a different approach than the one used in the class, and also a different one from what I've been doing for a while now: I went for bold colors, sharp contrast, a simple focal object, fewer images and layers (though I still incorporated my own photography - that's kind of a deal-breaker for me :-)

So that's the "challenge" part of the post; now for the personal goals. One of my most deeply held values involves doing good, and using our talents to further causes that webelieve in. For example, last year I was fortunate enough to be able to "adopt" a child's wish through the Make-a-Wish Foundation and raise enough money to grant the child's wish through a Family Portrait Fundraiser day in NYC. I also participated in the creation of a wonderful cookbook to benefit the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. I have not yet been able to hold a similar event this year, and while I plan to, I want to start with something smaller right now. I have always loved making jewelry, but never wanted to make a business out of it - it is one of those creative activities that I wanted to keep "just for me" - for gifts, and for relaxation. Now I have this HUGE collection of handmade jewelry, and while I still don't want to make it into a business, I would love to be able to sell it to raise funds for my two favorite charities: IRSF and Coalition for the Homeless. I will be creating an etsy store, and 75% of the purchase price of each of the pieces will be donated to one of the two charities (the other 25% will be used to make more jewelry for fundraising!). Here are a few examples of the jewelry that will be available. I'll post the store link when I have it up. All the pieces are made with semi-precious stones, sterling silver, and lampwork or other handmade focals. I hope you will help me spread the word and raise money for these very worthy causes!