Vanishing Bees

A few weeks ago, I saw a movie entitled "Vanishing Bees" and attended a discussion afterwards where I learned about the vanishing population of bees in my local area and around the world.  Our food supply is being adversely affected by this problem because we are dependent on a healthy and populous community of honey bees for an affordable and fresh supply of fruits and vegetables.  Unfortunately, in Virginia, as well as in other parts of the United States, beekeepers are loosing 30% to 40% of their bee population every year, as compared to 10% to 20% just a short time ago.  Beekeepers can not prove, but are reasonably certain, that the use of systemic pesticides is the cause of our vanishing bees.  The EPA, created to protect the public from harmful practices that threaten our environment, has inadequately tested the long term effects of pesticides on  honey bees.  One farmer in the movie referred to the EPA as "pestitutes" because of their illicit behavior when it comes to protecting the public from harmful pesticides. 
Unfortunately, the use of pesticides has increased over the years with the increase in mono-cultural farming.  Most of the problems could be solved with the return by farmers to diversity farming where a variety of fruits and vegetables are grown, creating a more balanced eco-system.

We, as consumers, are all beekeepers and can help sustain the bee population by simply making the right choices three times a day.  The right choices are, whenever possible , to eat fresh, locally grown food and to buy organically grown fruits and vegetables.  I have chosen to really make an effort to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables (so easy in the summertime) and to buy organic foods as much as possible.  The painting I have included in the post is of a pomegranate that has a flower that has to be pollinated in order to bear its delicious fruit. 

Round Robin ATCs

At the Artful Women's Retreat in Sandbridge that I wrote about previously, we created Artists Trading Cards to share.  It was fun to see what would happen when each of us started with a couple of cards, added a little "something" and passed it along to the next artist.  When the two cards got back to the original person, each had been touched by eight different artists who had enhanced them with their own personal aesthetic.  The result was a beautiful collaborative work of art.  I especially love my cards and have included an image of them.

New Birth

Last week, my first grandchild was born....a little boy, so sweet and so small.  I think about him all the time and every time I close my eyes, I see his little face.  It was love at first sight!

I follow Donna Iona Drozda's blog, Following the Moon, and in her last post she wrote about celebrating the arrival of a new natural year and about renewal and the birth of new things.  I can not think of any better way to celebrate a new year than with the birth of a child and I find it a perfect way to reflect upon the experience of rebirth and renewal.  To associate that with my ART/LIFE, I purchased a Visual Journal sketchbook and plan to use it to capture images of  the new grandson, Owen, as he grows.  I will photograph or sketch him each month for at least the next two years creating a visual journal of his early life to be given to him on his second birthday (or maybe I will continue it longer?).  The first of such images is pictured here as the first installment in the series.  It was created from a photograph taken shortly after his birth.  Charcoal was used for the preliminary sketch, then collage materials and finally acrylic paint.  I will post others as they are completed. 

The Great Escape

Last weekend I had the pleasure of being at "The Great Escape" with six wonderfully creative ladies. 

That was the name of the beach house that we stayed in at Sandbridge, and what an aptly named location for a weekend of relaxation and renewal.

Along with flavorful wine and delicious food we managed to also get our creative juices flowing in the form of fat books, ATCs, fiber arts, and "shrinky dinks". 

There is nothing more stimulating, nothing more rewarding or life enhancing than being around other artists.  Their generosity and love for all of life feeds my soul and lifts my spirit.

Art for the Week

The Mid-Atlantic Home and Flower Show is this weekend, March 4-6, at the Virgina Beach Convention Center.  If you go to the show, please stop by the art exhibit near the entrance to the show. There you will find three of my paintings, one of which is pictured here.  The theme for this year is gardens and this entry is an oil painting of a lotus garden. 
There are two events that I attended this past week that I will write about.  First, the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show was held in Hampton last weekend with an impressive display of amazing and varied talent.  The meticulously crafted examples of every possible design from complicated geometrics to unbelievable realism was awesome. 
One of the quilts had recently been in the news because of controversial display of nudity.  I found that particular quilt to be beautifully crafted and a poignant reminder of the plight of the homeless.  This quilt was part of an international display of quilts on the subject.  The quilt was created by Kathy Nida from San Diego, California.  Congratulations to her for helping to change the perception of quilting from copied patterns made by little old ladies in a quilting bee to quilting as an original art form that is creative, symbolic, and conceptual.  Kathy describes her quilt as "depicting a homeless woman and her unborn child living in a cardboard box....and about being one paycheck away from desperation and begging for help." 
Also, this past week I saw the movie Wasteland, directed by Lucy Walker, about the renowned artist Vik Muniz.  It is a phenomenal movie that I highly recommend.  Vik Muniz has gained my utmost respect and admiration as an artist who had the genius to take materials so disgusting and transform them into images of beauty and worth and along the way, change the lives of the Brazilian people who became the subjects of his photographs.  These inspiring characters worked in the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, in Rio de Janeiro.  The movie sheds light on the utter despair, but proud dignity, of these people and leaves you with much thought for discussion. 
Art has many purposes and both Kathy Nida and Vik Muniz use art to bring attention to deploring social conditions in order to change and lift the human spirit.

Creating a Painting

Stuck inside with frigid temperatures and a winter cold is a great time for getting some painting done.  Recently, that was my predicament and I began a four part canvas, each panel 12" x 12".  The Artist Gallery that I am a member of is having a show this month entitled " One Foot Square".  I began the paintings by covering each with a neutral grey gesso.   I had recently taken a workshop with John de la Vega on "Improving Your Painting in Two Days" and that was one of the things that I adopted for my own paintings.  The grey value allows me to visually identify light and dark values and color intensity as I begin a painting.  Generally, I work from a  photograph as I did in this particular case.  When I work on a large canvas, my photograph, which is often cropped or in some other way altered, is divided into four sections as is my canvas, facilitating more accurate transfer of information.  The image is then drawn on the canvas with a brush and a reddish-purple oil color mixed with liquin.  Sketching the image with a brush is very important to allow freedom of movement and a sense of spontaneity and rhythmic quality in the final painting.  A thin layer of paint is applied to establish the color values and develop forms in the painting.  This is the most exciting part for me as I become totally immersed in the process.  The subject of the painting is completely forgotten and only becomes evident as the process precedes.  Subsequent layers of thicker paint are added layer upon layer.  Every stroke is important and has meaning for the final finished painting. 

My Forgery

The exhibit this month at The Artists Gallery is "Fabulous Forgeries", where artists re-create the work of the masters by using the master's style, or taking the master's work a step further, or re-creating a master's work with a touch of humor to pay tribute to that master.  My own style most closely resembles that of Georgia O'Keeffe, so I always choose one of her works as my tribute.  I had the privilege of visiting the O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe several years ago, affirming my belief that she is one of the great American painters of the 20th century.  I am in awe of her intimate relationship with nature and her unique ability to capture that on canvas.  Her work is so compelling to me that it is never far from my mind and heart.  This year for my painitng, I chose to create an original compilation of her paintings by including a portrait of Georgia O'Keeffe taken from a photograph by John Loengard, along with four of her paintings.  They are Red Amaryllis, Sky Above Clouds III, Near Abiquiu, New Mexico, and Grey Cross with Blue.  Copying another artist's work is not only a learning experience but a kind of spiritual connection like no other.

Zinnias

Here is the painting I didn't get posted for the latest blog.

A New Year

Okay, a new year and a new goal for my blog....to be more faithful to my blog commitment. So, here goes..... I have posted a new painting of Zinnias, finished about a month ago. Seems funny now to be painting zinnias in the middle of winter, but they do brighten the grey days of winter cold and snow. Actually, I had the photo of the zinnias for a couple of years and had always planned to use the photo as inspiration for a painting and then my friend Claudia Finn inspired me with her beautiful paintings of zinnias. Inspiration often comes from other artists. I remember hearing that when Picasso went to visit other artists, they hid their paintings because if he saw them, they know he would copy what they had done. I like to think that was true inspiration from one artist to another.
A couple of posts back, I was writing about feelings of doubt and fear. So, I got out one of my favorite books, Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland......always good in times of doubt, and we all have them. To summarize some points that hit home.....making art is chancy and it's revealing and personal and a lot of hard work. There is always uncertainty. Challenging your fears about artmaking is part of the process. Good art is not made without lots of work ....follow the path of your heart....make "your" art.