First finished product from Cancer Therapy

Just a quick post while we're packing for the Safari Club convention!  It's been busy here with lots of substitute teaching, sewing costumes for the school musical...not enough painting.  The pirate king in Penzance will be awesome next week in his blue jacket with striped lining!  For now, I want you to see the first finished box by Bruce in the Cancer Painting Therapy class.  He is really taking off with this...inspiring me and the other students.  Bruce will handle the class this week, while I'm "vacationing" with the wild African animals and super hunters in Nevada.  I'm googling about art galleries in Reno right now...will definitely check out the Stremmel Gallery.  It will be a great trip...if the weather allows us to even get there!  Happy January!

Willingness

WILLINGNESS is the focus word here for 2010.  From smARTist Career Blog, an article by Barbara Bowen says, "in a state of willingness, your tensions loosen and your creative joy increases."  That's what I want--increased creative JOY!  What a magical, positive way to start a new year.  I see the relatedness of intention, commitment, work ethic, business planning, giving, sharing, organizing, prioritizing.

After a stressful, end of semester week of substituting as a music teacher, I learned a lot about my willingness to commit to full time public school teaching!  I am also reminded that knowledge of music, beyond just listening, is an incredible gift.  It's like learning a foreign language, which adds so many layers of understanding, enjoyment, and connections.  It is part of the collage of my life, and I am thankful that my parents were willing to put the time, money, and effort into piano lessons and school music activities.  So, today, the painting to the right, titled "Merci" is my way of thanking the world for music!  Maybe I should work on some paintings about music....  Resolve to know what is important, what makes you happy...and be willing to focus time where it belongs!

Merry Christmas. Wishing joy and blessings to all who visit here.

Barbara Bowen: Willingness to Resist

Barbara Bowen: Willingness to Resist

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What Can I Share?: FineArtViews Blog by Clint Watson

What Can I Share?: FineArtViews Blog by Clint Watson

Jumpstart Christmas

Wow, November just got away from me, and now it's time for Christmas!  We enjoyed a big showchoir festival in Scottsbluff, and a trip to Lincoln to watch our son in the All-State Chorus.  It was dad's day at the sorority, so we also got to a UNL basketball game and the UNL v. KSU football game (which means I went shopping!)  I was subbing at the school a lot, and then hosted my family here for Thanksgiving. The school's one-act play (Something's Rotten in the State of Denmark--a spoof on Hamlet) took first place at the conference competition, and will go to District's this week. Oh yea, and the family has been hunting a lot.  They got three deer in the first hour of the season. Corn harvest is late due to early snows, so the pheasants are just now being forced out.  It's busy here.

My big art news for the last month is the painting class I've started for Cancer Survivors.  We are meeting once a week (Thursdays at 10:00am).  The hospital foundation has generously purchased supplies for us on a six month trial basis.  I've had 3 students so far, and others are welcome whenever they can make it.  Caregivers are also welcome as long as space is available.  We are starting with an old standard for me:  JoSonja Jansen's Slavic Round Design on papier mache boxes.  Later, we may try watercolor or collage, but I've found that this project gives a great introduction to the acrylic medium and forces brush control, because of the amount of strokework, which also creates a very showy piece.  And, there is so much there that people can't see any mistakes!

I also sold a painting and 5 doodleboxes this week.  I'm working on a new website...up before Christmas! Trying to meet at least most of those goals I set last year.  Have you been thinking about new goals for 2010?  It's time!  Happy December everyone!

Professional Development

It's hard to justify time and money spent on something you love. It feels selfish, especially when you come from the motherly viewpoint of taking care of everyone else, as well as the little or no income position in the family. But, with the goal of becoming a "real" selling and producing artist, part of the journey must include "professional development" opportunities. At least identifying art workshops with that lofty heading, justifies the time and money!

After several plan changes involving school musical and football games rescheduled due to October snow storms and swine flu, family catching the bug, and auto repair delays, I was able to make it to a creativity and collage workshop with Nita Leland. It was organized and hosted last week by the Beatrice Art Guild.

Completion of a new sunflower painting (shown here), progress on a couple of other works, and journaling with creative prompts adds up to important professional development. Nita is a great colorist, with insight to the world of paint manufacturing and color wheel selection. However, the best part of this class for me was the chance to be with other painters and friends. They inspire me to persevere. My friends, Sandy Meyer and Susan Hart were there, as well as two artists from Columbus, Nebraska who remembered me from an art study tour in Chicago 12 years ago! Most of these ladies had been to other ANAC (Association of Nebraska Art Clubs) workshops at Halsey. We were a creative, supportive, and extremely talented group of Nebraska artists. Our capabilities surprised our eminent teacher!

Since Beatrice is 5 hours east of here, I took the opportunity to visit a high school classmate (thanks Connie!) as well as my girls in that end of the state...a little wedding stuff exploring with my wedding blogger, necessity shopping with my college student, art supply shopping, and of course...great eating. So now I am renewed, professionally developed??, and busy organizing my studio (Nita re-encouraged this, as does every success forum ever known!), planning a painting therapy class, framing art and headed to Guild meeting. Blessed renewal.

Labyrinth

The idea of a labyrinth has intrigued me for quite a while.  Labyrinths seem to keep popping up along  my journey.  Several years ago, after taking my teen-aged daughter to a concert, we walked the rock labyrinth at the Community Garden in Comstock, Nebraska.  Years later, I stumbled upon a blog by Joannah L. Merriman, M.A., a holistic psychologist, counselor, and writer in Fort Collins, Colorado (lifeprintsjournal.com) She has a labyrinth on her property and encourages full moon serenity walks--the next one is this Sunday, October 4th at 7pm.  I searched for more information about the circular meditations after discovering a classical labyrinth in the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE.  The Labyrinth Society (source of image above, with permission) lists 15 sites in Nebraska.  I recently visited the 11 circuit medieval labyrinth outside the Methodist Church in North Platte, NE.  There was no wind on that bright September day, and it was almost too warm.  I was hungry, but energized after painting with a friend--the first watercolor I'd attempted in ages!  I thought I'd just run through this labyrinth to see what it was like.  But, even with the guy watching from his porch across the street,  I got caught up in the process and amazed at the 1/4-1/2 circle balance.  Rather than just absently following the path, I found myself analyzing the next move, wondering what those Christians of the Middle Ages thought about as they followed their path in the Chartres Cathedral, and actually feeling relaxed and refreshed as I came out of the center.

"At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are."

So, when that watercolor painting I'd started needed more depth and interest, I took out the old compass from my college design courses and executed some concentric circles--not really in the true labyrinth style, but with that feeling in mind... which led to painted-tissue-collaged lines and checkerboard patterns inspired from my recent exploration with Frank Lloyd Wrght's ideas on graph paper (see post from July 18).  Sometimes my thought processes are pretty random, but I love the layers in this finished product.  It's already framed (20"x16")!  Now I'm ready to try more watercolor.