It's your Life

I found this photo from my trip to California last summer. The mural was painted on a wall outside the restaurant in Sacramento and really caught my attention.

There it was, all the possibilities before you in living color. To share, with yourself and others, that is what you do with each creation that goes out into the world, whatever your art form. To laugh, can we ever do enough of that? I like to be with people who make me smile. I find I enjoy putting whimsy in my art, whether it's whiskers on the cat , or a mane on my " Horse Tail".

To nurture, whether it is with nature, or your friends or yourself. Isn't that the hardest for all, to be good to ourselves? When we go into the studio it is a gift to ourselves to open up that unlimited possibility of creation.

And of course , to dance. Can't not smile when you are dancing. And finally, to adapt, now there is a real challenge, thinking you have it all planned out, then wham, life gives you that shape shift that you least expected. Art is nothing if not a teacher of how to adapt. When you are at the end of your page and the ink smears, how can you change it so it looks like you Meant to do that? I think some of the most creative work we do it fixing the mistake. And no one ever can know, that's the real fun. Well, I'm off to adapt to life today. Any thoughts to share on this blog I'd love to hear them!

Pruning to Make Things Grow

Well, here I am in my pruning gear. You know it is interesting that we have to take away in order to give space to grow.In trees they need sunlight and space. How does that apply to art? Well you can start in the studio. If it's too crowded you can't find anything and then your time is spent hunting, not creating. And one of the most difficult decisions on your piece is when to stop. You put on the last adornment, then another. No wait, it's too much. Time to take away, so that what you have started can have room to stand out and shine. Complicated. I think I will have to comtinue this later. I must go to a meeting. Now there's a whole other blog.

The Art of Staying in the Present

Staying in the present. Wow, that's a hard one for me. Yet it is what counts the most, because only then can we stay authentic. I wonder if all that time working alone in the studio

sends me to my head too much? But I do realize when I am totally involved in what I am creating, then I do concentrate on just what is in front of me.

This was a totally new creation entitles "Echos of Time" that I created just for my show. It was so different a concept that I had to just keep working on its evolution , without a clear definition of where it would end. Each embellishment led to the next step, so I was always absorbed.

I looked up the word focus in the dictionary. The definition I like is " the place where a visual image is clearly formed. " So, at that very moment we are deciding how to begin, or actually making the mark on the paper, or rolling out the clay,or adding decoration, we are in the present.

When I am in nature I find it easier to be in the now. I guess maybe beauty has that affect on our brain and heart. When I travel, I am so absorbed I can't be anywhere else. Now the question of course, how do we figure out how to take this application to every moment of the journey called life ? I am open to hearing how you practice" the art of staying in the present"

Art is a Dance

Well, I keep coming back to tango because that is the dance I am focusing on at present.. Here I am , with Joe at our last practica. We are training to take our dance to the next level.

Why do we go to the studio each day? Aren't we just working on our skills, be they motor or intuitive, so that what we produce is better than the last piece? A long time ago, someone told me that by selling our work, we are really just being paid to practice. That stayed with me... I would do it anyway, but it is a push to have to replace something in the gallery.Necessity, I believe, is a great incentive to creativity.

In that way, I like to think that every time I work on something creative, I am really dancing, with the clay; the letters; the watercolor; the brushes in my hand. I am able to

try the strokes in a different sequence, hold the tool, or my body, in a different posture. It's all a dance.

So , are there any of you artists, or creative people that would care to tell me about their artistic dance ?

How choosing Food is like Creating Art

Tonight I had to stop at the grocery store after a long day's work.. There I was looking at the red of the strawberries; the texture of the lettuce; the sweet smell of the roses I just had to buy. When I was at my friend's house I drew a card from her feng shui deck, and it said bring fresh flowers into your living space. No hardship there, I love to be surrounded by live flowers.

So , I guess the analogy is how everything connected to our senses is how we go about the creative process in art. We get our idea ( I need some food in my fridge.... or I need a new piece for this upcoming show).....What colors do I want in my palette? What feeling do I want this piece to evoke. Finally , the completion. The meal is complete!

Well those are my musings for today. Just keep those antenna up as you maneuver through life, and the studio. Off to the zen of my bath, with the yellow -orange roses next to me.

Why Tango is like Art

I just got back from my first Tango Festival in Tucson. It got me thinking about how Argentine tango is connected to creating any art form. First you must pay attention to your body, your form , your axis, as you go out onto the dance floor. In art we start with the idea or what we want to create , and then the media we are going to use. Is it pen, paper, watercolor, or clay that best expresses our design. For me , it works best when I see the creation in my mind, then all the rest seems to follow. In fact my idea of success is wheher I can translate my idea as well, or better than my visualization. Then there is the tension. Tango is about the male and female; the smooth and abrupt; the moves and counter moves. When you look at a piece of art you are drawn in by that tension, however subtle. Well, time to get to the studio and try out some of these ideas.

First blog

Lots of white space, isn't that what is the most daunting thing about writing, or life? So , what I do is to just start writing. That's what this art biz is all about. Just start doing it.! I remember a very nice man with a Russsian accent asking me " How you become artist?". My response was, "just do it" I felt touched when he sent me an announcement of his first show. Wow. My words have impact. So that is my thought for today. Don't let fear, or intimidation, or laziness stop you from doing anything. Oh yes, Never listen to those who say" you can't do that" Oh yea, well just watch me.