Last summer, I had the privilege of taking a Wabi Sabi class taught by Donna Iona Drozda at the Contemmporary Art Center of Virginia. Not having any idea what Wabi Sabi was, I learned that it had to do with beauty created by the impermanence and imperfections which occur naturely in a thing over time. I find myself looking at the world in a whole new way. The camera becomes my mode of capturing and, in a way, making a fleeting moment less so. The aesthetic of Wabi Sabi has helped me to appreciate the changes that life brings......to search and discover....to think and create......to see beauty in the simple and the less than perfect.
"Take your inspiration seriously, whether it comes from another artist's work or a walk in the woods, or along side the ocean. Feed your soul, and your artistic endeavors will reflect it." Steve Aimone

Beauty Trap

Chair Re-done is an annual summer exhibit sponsored by D'Art Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Each artist entering the show is asked to present an artwork that incorporates a chair in a thoughtful, provocative, instructive, engaging and inventive way. My entry is entitled "Beauty Trap".
As I looked through magazines published primarily for women, I noticed that on almost every page there was an ad, a headline, or a story for women to buy something or do something to change how they looked....be more beautiful. If only we had silkier hair, longer hair.......we were taller, shorter........had less freckles.... lighter skin, darker skin.... weighed less, weighed more.......had larger breasts, smaller breasts......longer legs......and on and on. Why do women constantly compare themselves to some ideal beauty......to fall into the beauty trap?

Snowball

This is my newest painting and one of my favorites because it is a painting of the flowers on the Snowball bush in the back yard. I don't know if this is the real name of the bush, but that's what my Mother always called it and it is an apt name since the blooms look like gaint snowballs. The other neat thing is that the "snowballs" come during the warmth of spring. They remind me of people, times and places long past.

new painting, new goals

Looks like its time for some new goals. I attended a workshop last week lead by gallery owner, Jason Horejs. He owns the Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ. The workshop was about successful marketing of your art....how to approach a gallery, how to create a good portfolio, how to price your art, and generally how to be a successful artist. The word "successful" could have lots of meanings, but I think he was speaking mostly in monetary terms. And of course, we artists create to share our work with others and to do that we need to sell our work. (Or give it away.)
Back to my goals.....create more art and be less distracted, which means that I need to spend more time in the studio, preferably a set time each day. I hope to have 25-30 quality works of art in inventory by the end of the year. I will have a new, well designed portfolio and a gallery representation outside of my local gallery. If I write it, it will happen! (I sound much more confident than I am.)
I have include my new painting which is part of the "Following Her Passion" Exhibition at The Artists Gallery. A beautiful exhibition by eleven passionate women artists.

""doorway into Spirit"

I am finding that I am not as diligent I would like to be when it comes to blogging. It is really more difficult that I had thought.......just deciding really what this blog is about and what I want to say. I am not a great writer and I so admire people that have just the right words to express how they are feeling. I love running across quotes that say exactly what I am thinking and say it so much more eloquently that I could. From this month's Oprah magazine, Eckhart Tolle writes, "....In all things that we tend to overlook: feeling the gentle breeze on your skin, the sunlight filtering through the clouds, the sound of the rain, the wagging tail of a dog, the shiny apple you are about to bite into. You notice the in-and-out flow of your breath, the feeling of aliveness inside your body. And then there is the beautiful stillness behind it all, which is deep within you. It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up. So let's celebrate our anniversaries as they arise. What we are really celebrating though, is the present moment, the doorway into Spirit, and all there ever is." That's what I wanted to say!

Journaling

One of my favorite birthday presents from yesterday was a journal. On the cover are the words "Live, Love, and Laugh"....beautiful words for the beginning of a new year. Since, of course, I am getting older, the quote on the first page of the journal was also definitely apropos..."Live your life and forget your age." Norman Vincent Peale

Celebrating Women in the Arts

The Artists Gallery in Virginia Beach is hosting an exhibit of local women artists who have dedicated their life's work to the arts. This exhibit is in association with the Virginia initiative for celebrating women in the arts entitled, "Minds Wide Open". Art has truly been the passion that has sustained and nurtured the eleven women who are participating in this exhibit.

My Artist Inspirers

This is a new project from my Artful Women latest challenge. We were all given a cone to turn into a work of art. Mine became an Artful Women vase with each woman represented by a flower because each woman "blooms" for the group in their own special way. They constantly inspire and amaze me.

The Clock is Ticking

Make every minute count....the clock is ticking. This is my collage project from my Artful Women group on Friday. We chose a photograph of a bird and used other collage materials and paint to create a bird medallion. Each month this group of women inspire and challenge me with their knowledge of materials and techniques and their ability to stimulate creative thought.

My Forecast Chest

This photo was suppose to go with the last post, but somehow did not make it. This little box, made from a paper mache soap container and coverd with tissue paper and adorned with yarn and a wooden star holds the keys to my future each month.

A New Month

It's a new month and the word for April is clarity....ask for some and it will arrive....the beginning of the natural year. Wow, a new year....that's a nice thought and I like the idea of the "natural" year. Now, if I can just figure out what that means for me. According to the lifecycle forecast, I need to create a fresh vision of what is possible. I know it's spring and I can feel the new life that comes with the warm breezes and the budding plants and I know it is time for new beginnings.
But....in real life, I get catch up in self doubt....what am I doing , why any doing it, what have I accomplished, what comes next, etc., etc.
I'm glad that April is here.

Painting

This week is less cluttered with things to do than last week, so I am getting some painting done. Finished work for the Bloomin' Art show at The Artists Galery. Now I'm working on a piece for "Following Her Passion", an invitational women's show also at The Artists Gallery.
Attached are two paintings that are now at Beach Gallery on Laskin Road in an exhibit celebrating "The Art of Gardening" and the 77th Annual Historic Garden Week in VA. Work is on view until April 24.
Seems I am always struggling with the feeling of a lack of content in my work or that is how I perceive others would view my work. I am in love with painting, with form and color and with the ability to create something beautiful that will make a spiritual connection with the viewer. I like making paintings that have the sole purpose of making someone happy and thankful that they are a part of this awesome natural world in which we live.
If you haven't already, watch the show, LIFE, on the Discovery channel each Sunday evening at 9 p.m. It's just a little peak into the the mysteries and beauty of life on our planet earth.

Neighborhood Art Day

Last week my neighborhood art group enjoyed learning a new watercolor technique...at least new to us. We worked on 140 lb. cold pressed watercolor paper that had been gessoed. Consecutive layers were created by the addition and substraction of the watercolor washes and the sketched lines made with watercolor crayons. These are our beginnings. Watch for the finished products next month.

Bloomin' Delight

My hellebores are blooming up a storm! Nature feeds my soul and never ceases to amaze and delight me.

I have added a photograph of some serenely beautiful orchids that I took yesterday at my sister-in-law's house. She has the ability to grow these profusely blooming beauties. They remind me to slow down, take a breath, and take a moment, because right now I feel that I am going in ten different directions. My mind jumps from one idea to another and from one project to another....unfortunately without getting much accomplished.......spinning wheels.

My First Blog

For so many years, I found myself living in the next hour, the next day, the next week. As I get older, I realize how important it is to be in the moment....to see, touch, taste, smell, and to BE. So, In The Moment, will be about recognizing the beauty in each moment of life.