Well I am about ten strokes away from finishing the latest canvas but that ten will have to wait. Thanks to the generous nature of my two men, I am off to San Diego (emergent conference) for a last minute trip. Wohoo! Hope to catch up with some gal pals Jen and Sally plus get in on a couple of diologues about art. One of my other planet artists will be there too so I hope to catch some lunch with her and see what she is up too.
January 2005 Archives
I fully intended for my next canvas to be something highly profound and intellectual. I had a knock down drag out with my muse who seems to think that the next piece needs to come naturally and effortlessly and just sort of fall right out of me. I informed my muse that "don't you know silly that any thing truly worthy must be difficult"? Well after sufficient muse wrangling I was reminded that the last piece just sort of fell out of me and that I will do well not to take myself too seriously. My muse was right and so here is the preliminary sketch of the next canvas.
Hey, why fight it?
Finished this canvas last weekend. I guess I am locked into exploring multiple dimensions (represented by the portals). These represent a "spiritual connection". I have found that while painting I can actually experience a "thin place". It has become my new "place" of worship.
Symbolism that I seem to return to is the visual representation of the Fibonacci spiral. In my dancer it is in the motion of her dance of worship. This dance seen as pure by god and therefore perfect (hence the swirl). Her dress is seen on both sides of the portals and in this way she enters into the spiritual "thin place" experiencing both day and night simultaneously. The square motif shows that reality is always in flux. Another note about the portals is my feeling that they represent oportunities in all forms, change, growth and therefore, hope.
I hope to start another canvas this weekend.
It is rare that I post anything but my own art on my blog, but this is a colaborative work that went onto the planet yesterday and it seems to sum up the simplicity of life that I am presently craving. I made the mistake of overdosing in blog this morning and should have known better. Reading others convictions about the state of the church, the emergent conversation, and it's critics has left me in a funk not unlike the personal aftermath of being in a crowded room with everyone talking at once. It is weird feeling passionate about something but not having the ability to articulate it and why should I when there are smarter people than me doing so. It is sort of a pent up feeling though- like my teapot when it whistles.
I doubt that I will be creative today so maybe ironing Bryan's shirts is in order.
I started a new canvas on friday and I am totally engulfed in feelings. Strong, passionate, and positive. Maybe it is this new raw act of expression that I am rediscovering, I am not sure, but it is cool. And it is good to be inspired.
I find it interesting that combinations of experiences can cause inspiration. It is especially true with music for me. (Maybe that is why I married a musician) A song, or even a specific combination of notes can create an emotional spark. The particular emotion that results can depend on the sequence of notes, sounds, lyrics, or whatever. I can have a wave of emotion crash over me in a split second if the sequence is right. I wonder if the same sequences effect people the same way, or if it is specific to the individual, like taste buds. At any rate it is a great natural drug.
For me it is also true with the visual. Obviously pictures of things that are representational can evoke emotions, but recently I have found that it is true at the most basic level. Like looking at a single color. Lately I have found that the color red stirs up strong feelings. So painting with red paint has been incredible. And, if I put on the right music at the same time, well…it is intense. The one thing that is distracting to my senses though is the smell of the paint. It doesn't quite fit. And in the case of acrylic Cadmium Red Medium, the smell is kind of disconcerting. Honest to god this color smells like red jello. Everytime I squeeze some out of it's tube and dip my brush I have flashbacks of being in the hospital when I was five. So Cadmium Red Medium smells like red jello.
That of course begs the question, "what the heck are they putting in red jello"?
At some point I blinked and found myself here, today. I wouldn't be able to believe it except for all the evidence that surrounds me and has been woven through my life with this beautiful man. I can't wait to see what the next eighteen years hold. Blessings on the man of my dreams on this day, our anniversary.
