Old Year

Here it is, the last day of the old year. Looking back is a good thing to do as long as I do not linger there. It has been quite a year. I did a series of drawings that danced across the walls of several venues and I won a few prizes. The workshops I attended were very enlightening and the wise words of mentors persisted into my awareness: the only way to master what you do is by doing, in other words, paint. I finished off a couple of watercolours for the latest show and recorded their codes in my book; according to the records I managed six paintings this year. Six. Sigh…. So what happened? As I pondered the dilemma I realized that moving into new quarters had snuffed my creativity. I had lost the connection. I have since moved again and the paint has come out once for a couple of days to finish off some old inspirations….. This will not do. All is not lost. During the last couple of months I have had the opportunity to repriorize and bring into alignment what it is I really want to do. I am looking forward to spending more productive time in my studio and that requires planning. The time and energy consuming exercises that bring me the most revenue will be curtailed, I am going with my heart: more painting, less commissions and less teaching. More heart means less head, more intuition and less adrenaline. I am looking forward to moving through 2013 with ease and prosperity. May your year be prosperous, healthy and fulfilling as well.

Light

There is light! I am so thrilled! My studio is now functional to the point where I can actually paint in it! The framing is done… I had several pictures to frame for myself and others… The school is almost prepared. I go to Peace River at the end of January. The murals are on the way, ideas formulated, sketches to do. The boxes are close to being unpacked. I unpacked three today. I am looking for paint, for the students at the school. Soon there will not be any boxes to search… What does not fit on the shelves is recycled or trashed. I am downsizing. And there is light! ‘Tis the season to celebrate light. We are fast approaching the solstice and the days will be getting longer… Alleluia! I will not be publishing a blog on Christmas Eve so have a blessed and merry couple of weeks. See you in the new year!

On the road

As the car was moving I took some pictures on the way home this weekend. Many ended up being discarded and some of the patterns were interesting. The original picture is blurred; the road was rough. I like the movement and the contrast. I could enhance the bridge because I am not a camera, manipulate the colours, play with the textures and add some whispers. Whispers are elements that cannot be perceived by the naked eye. Poetry would be one of my whispers. Spirits of the land would be another. The possibilities are endless. To begin with I played on the computer. Since the original was such a poor resolution many of the computer manipulations did not work well. Cutout did a good job of simplifying things. I adjusted the brightness and the contrast, the colour balance and I tried again. Cutout picked out some different shapes. Fascinating way to spend a few minutes. Have a great day!

Munn Creek

There is a place, remote, quiet, rugged. Just my style. Often when the children were young we would pack up the van and find the most natural venue for our camping experience. “The most natural” meant the necessities included an outdoor toilet (the smelly kind), firewood and water. We preferred being beside a stream, not for the fishing really though we did attempt it, rather for the sound of running water, soothing, calming, healing. Now that my bones are older they protest sleeping on the ground and so Rocky Mountain Escape is a great compromise. Just below the haven of bed, flush toilet and shower, wood stove, sink and comfy couches there runs Munn Creek. I did not have my paints with me when I first ventured down the path. It was late in the day and the sun was setting. Gold laden branches caressed by the breeze stood in stark contrast to the violet purples of the distant hills. Complementary colours. Sometime during our stay I took the time to draw and paint the morning view and in my studio I did a tracing so I could splash down the colours I remembered from that morning. It is time to go back. I can hear the creek calling…..

Adjustments

So, to fend off discouragement, I put down my utility knife, ignored the boxes and cleared a table surface. I found my paints and began to prepare a couple of watercolours for two different submissions. Today is the deadline for one of them. The painting is not finished but I will submit anyway and sometime today I will pick up the necessary glass to frame them before next weekend…. There is a lot to be said about deadlines. The watercolour on display this week has been done several times. I decided to make an adjustment in the drawing of the figure in the foreground before I send it to Vancouver for the Member Show coming up in January I believe. I will need some more corplast and Styrofoam to build a shipment box. I do appreciate knowing how to go about things with that part of the process. In the meantime there are several other shows to which I have been accepted. One is under control and the others are…. imagined! Priorising events will help get things done as I weave in and out of personal and professional responsibilities. Hahhhhhhhhah! Panic is not allowed.

Jetlagged

I got home in the afternoon on Monday after having slept in the Los Angeles airport for the night….long story.  Choosing to sleep in the next morning did not improve my mental capacities and I completely forgot to put out my blog. My studio is slowly improving and I am about to embark upon my creative adventures once again. There are a few other things getting in the way, nonetheless, paint will hit paper this week. Life is good.

Lily Fountain

Well this is the last of my Cortes Island stock…. I will paint something for next week. I do have some watercolours that I intend to submit to a local show; they are not quite finished and I now know where my palette is although I am still working on clearing a surface on which to work. Unpacking takes a while. I was in the garden for this little painting as you can see. I thought I would try a bit of abstraction on the water fountain and ended up combining two images: the water and the nearby lily. It needs work. I do like the composition, the colours are conservative and the stamen is weak. There are possibilities and it is a good reference if I choose to pursue a deeper abstraction of the image. Time for incubation. Creation always requires a good deal of incubation, rumination and self-analysis through the art of asking pertinent questions. Time to unpack another box.