It is a beautiful day here in Sedona. I peer between the evergreen branches at the awesome red rock vista ahead of me. I have lived here a long time, but I never cease to feel a sense of awe at my natural surroundings.
For me, where I am is important to my sense of creativity. Nature is my truest mentor . Being here seems like living in a national park. It never gets boring.
Certainly people produce great art in gritty surroundings. Essentially, we must look inside our own sense of imagination for the creative process. It just seems easier here, more inspiring.
I lived near the ocean before I landed in this small Arizona town, some thirty years ago. I resided in an area full of people doing creative things, along with the bizarre. That was OK. I think Sedona has an element of the unusual in some of its residents. And why not? Sometimes going far out brings us closer to our inventive side.
But always, there is the humbling reality of those beautiful mountain vistas all around us. It shows up in my ceramics, my calligraphy, my sense of being.
Inspiration is all around us here in Sedona, Arizona.
It is fall in Sedona. The leaves are falling. The red rocks stand out against the blue sky in all their hues and shadows. To me these mountains look like a painting with all their variations of light and dark, shadow and brilliance.I like to bring this into my art.
This is an original watercolor of mine, approximately eight by ten inches. I printed out the calligraphy first, then applied the paint. I like using a lot of water with these pigments. The two elements seem to have a mind of their own as they meander over the paper. I turn the paper first in one direction, then another, achieving a blending of colors. Watercolor has that element of chance and surprise to it.Rejoice in that quality! Don't go back over your strokes, or try to blend a lot.Then you get muddy colors and torn paper.Once the mark is made, leave it alone!
I chose a quote by one of my favorite authors and noted philosophers, Henry David Thoreau. He passed away a hundred and fifty years ago, yet to me, his writngs ring clear and true. I find such a relevance to his words. Nature was his inspiration, and always, it is mine.
Well I have returned from my journey to the Rocky mountains of Canada. Yes, they are different than those in our country, with lots of glacial lakes that took my breath away when I viewed them. I was however, almost never alone at the water's edge, until I walked quite a way from this vista, at the the famous Lake Louise. There I was inspired to write a narrative poem that I will share with you .
Vast aquamarine oasis in the hunter green folds of
Evergreens and spruce and lodge pole pines.
Ancient blue white glacier, receding in the distant V of
Two mountains meeting.Victoria is the name of the mountain on the right, memories of a distant Queen,
Thoughts turning inward to this one who shares her name.
People teeming like colorful flags, waving to and fro.
Images and sounds from every country present,
Japanese, a constant intonation, with German, French, English and more, superseding sounds of nature,
Until I walk towards the outer edges of this ancient Lake.
Canada, vast wilderness that takes me on a caravan of modern day inquiry.
" Lake Louise",written on July 14, 2012, Alberta, Canada
The peace before us.The peace before us. This is a 5" by 7" card I designed as part of my "ripped torn" collage series. I decided to use my own words instead of another's on this design and hopefully, those yet to follow on my creative journey.
I remember looking out on the red rocks and noticing how peaceful the image looked to me.Shades of reddish browns, glimmering in the sun; ragged edges of rock formations that tucked into each other; a sense of harmony that nature always seems to offer to me.
This of course becomes the artist's first challenge. How to convey these impressions in the creation? I chose a Canson paper with a pattern for the darker shade. The lighter shades was something I had in my paper file. There is always the element of surprise when one is tearing paper. So there is always the element of going with the flow, a way I like to work.I think the words I chose here came to me this way.
The materials actually help give direction, and then I adapt..Less is more. Empty space actually brings attention to the image before us. The vast, western blue sky sets off the smaller silhouettes of the mountains.Our attention then focuses on what is in that space.
I notice when I am out in nature I find it easier to look inward. So, if there is peace in front of my eyes, can I take it inside of me? This is a journey I am still on.
Your thoughts?
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