Living the Art Life

Love Wins.

2012-02-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

Love Wins.

Fear loses....not hate, but Fear. The opposite of love is fear. For the second year in a row, on Valentines Day I have left messages of love in random public places to help people hear that message....that love wins.

Little clay tiles on a piece of twine. Tied somewhere obvious. Hopefully not to only be admired, but to be captured and brought home as a stolen prize. My hope is that a deserving viewer who understands that this tile was made for them, would take it. They deserve it. What I know about love is that it is not the opposite of disgust or despise or even of disagreement. Love is the opposite of being timid, of being unsure, love is the opposite of "Don't Do That!" it might hurt! Love is the opposite of being closed off from the world, taking no stand on anything. Love is the opposite of choosing to call yourself an introvert, being ok with sitting in routine, even though you really feel like you might like to be with people and take a ballroom dancing class. Love unveils, love uncovers, love is truth and real TRUTH does not have fear. Love has safety and hope.

I thought about the use of clay as a medium for this. You have such a permanent material, something small, sometime you can slip into your pocket. Clay lasts a long long time once it's fired. It's a magical thing to see something that seems out of place, but is claimed by no one.

Sitting there, waiting for you to claim it. Or do you just enjoy it? Claim it without taking the prize....take the message. Love Wins. I think about who might need it at the moment....who might be down on themselves, feel unloved, feeling like nothing works.

I hope that the messages were helpful. The kids sure liked to play cupid. They wanted to wait in the wings and see if someone took the prize. No one in our presence did, but I am sure...almost 5 days after Valentines Day, they are gone. The process of being in the Love instead of Fear state is simple. Just believe that love always wins.

wasting and waiting

2012-02-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

"The world is too much with us....getting and spending we lay waste our powers" - Wordsworth

I found that in an old book that I love called Simple Abundance by Sara Ban Breathnach. Sara talks about people being so spread thin that they can not find their authentic self. That got me thinking about when I create with people, that I feel like the place where they are "making" art they are actually being "made" themselves. The very act of being creative stirs a powerful healing to the maker not just the tangible of the art which was made. The potter on the wheel creating a pot from nothing to something...made. The painter who comes into the studio to make something with their children, leave the studio more sewn together. The choice to sit and knit on a very tired afternoon, will give life and energy rather than put someone to sleep. People leave the studio more connected to themselves than when their frazzled ends came in. Let's face it, life unravels us. Spending, getting, striving, meeting, driving, figuring, deciding, disciplining, cleaning up all the needs of the world...leaves us spent. Wordsworth was talking about the world's demands bringing us to a place of depleted empty but POWERFUL beings. The powers we have to create and love and be in this world are pulled apart by the demands. Our call, as we try to live in this world, is to own our power and own who we are.

How could you spend your time so that you feel more "made" and more powerful?

What are you wasting that is powerful within you?

Building Beliefs

2012-02-03T04:52:00.000-08:00

When you make a clay box, it takes a couple days. Ideally, you let the clay slabs (aka large clay pancakes) that you roll out sit for awhile. You let the soft clay that so easily twists and turns - become harder and less mobile. The reason you do this is so that the walls of your box will stand firm, and not droop. No one can work with droopy walls. The clay becomes what is called leather hard and it's really a beautiful state for clay to be in. I actually like it best...it can be carved, painted, shaved, cut, and handled with ease.

I was thinking about how building clay walls is sort of like building belief systems. A belief system is a set of core values assigned by yourself to yourself for living in a way that works best for you.....a sort of road map of safe places and not so safe places.
Beliefs are built by experiences in the world, experiences in the world are built by trial and error, your interpretation of experiences and people, and "bumping into" everyone else's beliefs. Some of these experiences are not what you think they are.....and a wall goes up. A belief takes shape. No one can get in.

It takes time to build beliefs. You core values take life experience to solidify the list. Beliefs - and clay's shape - will not be instant, it will be a string of moments....and I want to enjoy every moment.

What beliefs have you built that are UNchangeable for you?
What beliefs have you built that might need breaking down?

Collage College

2012-01-09T19:15:00.000-08:00


Lucy's 4th Birthday Party

Art Life is really a special place for birthday parties. One of the things I love about it is we get to make some really BIG messes....but it's not the kind of mess that comes with loud bangs, and high pitched screams, and kids making messes just to see the kind of face the grown up might have when they see it. It's a real mess, the kind where you are so involved with what you are doing that you don't realize that an entire plate of glue has just dropped on the floor...or confetti is stuck to your cheek. In fact, one of the things that children often do is sort of get upset if they make a mess, thinking I might get upset. It's not often you hear an adult say....don't worry about the table....the more paint on it the better.
I don't say that to challenge the average parent who says..."keep it clean" I tell my kids that in our main house, it's just that an art studio doesn't follow those rules. An art studio says....don't worry about the results....just create. I titled this post "collage college" because of the collage work I did in the studio this weekend with a great group of kids. I also had my first discussion about what college is all about with my 6 yr old. He wanted to talk about when "he goes to college" The things I have told him about college (on a 6 yr old level) are things that only college can teach you...1) you have to show up to make it 2) things won't get done unless you do them ( i.e. the laundry) 3) you are free to make the experience what you want it to be, a good one or a miserable one.
College is kind of like working with the confusing medium of collage. So many choices, you better decide quick, look at your neighbor to see what they like, think fast! I literally put about an acre of raw random materials on the table for the parents and kids....and they DUG IN! As any 4 year old would do...if it's shiny...it's mine! I appreciate the unbridled zest they have for experimentation with art materials. It's easy for a 4 yr old to show up, do it so it will get done, and to create an experience of freedom in the art materials as only the little ones can.
Granted it was supposed to sort of look like this when it was done....and resemble a dog.

or this

but most of them looked like one big "piece of glitter-beaded-pom-pom-mosaic-collage"

no more dog.

Just as they wanted it, because that's what being 4 is all about.

Happy Birthday Lucy.

Photo Book

2011-12-02T04:46:00.001-08:00

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transformation is just a moment away

2011-10-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

I worked with 20 painters last night, they were ending a conference weekend with a fun event and a celebration together (with me). The focus and goal was to help these folks let go of limitations by literally burning an old word and painting a new word. They were asked to turn the page. The new word was painted on the canvas, the new word was given a place of honor with color and paint. I saw people changing...as they painted and thought with a fresh perspective. The simple act of saying them out loud, changes. Most of the participants last night had never painted. I told them to pick a color that was out of their comfort zone. I told them to write a word that was out of their comfort zone. I told them to paint and not think. I told them there are no mistakes only things you would do differently next time...things can be fixed...everything can be painted over....things are not permanent unless you see them as that way. Things are not tragic and black and white and wrong. Things are just what they are, and if you don't like it, well change it. By providing the place, the challenge, and the simple act of taking something old and worn out, and painting over it with a new word...a new color, a new word, they were transformed. Some people left a lot messier than they thought they would. The ones that spoke the loudest about not being creative...were the most transformed. It was a letting go that helped those most transformed. It's really nothing you DO. The act of creating something transforms...a creative process is a spiritual process, the two can not be separated. Try it, it just takes a moment...but you have to set the stage. What can you do that feeds your creative self today?

there is a war - creative bandits

2011-08-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

I am notorious for being optimistic and seeing the good in people. My high school class voted me "Most Gullible" -really? I was in the running for best legs, but it seems people saw me as deeper than that....thank God. My legs may have changed since high school, but my ability to believe people as they present themselves has not. There are events in my creative journey that have made me a little jaded. There are "traumas" that go along with pursuing a creative life. Today I am challenging myself to write about those who may (without knowing it) try to sabotage. People are going to try to steal your thunder...your creative velocity. They may not always be recognizable, they may come in sheep's clothing, they may be in your house. They may be at the grocery store, or worse, in your art class. The bandit may come as a teacher, a friend, a spouse. Staying true to your creative path may resemble war at times because it's a LOVE for what you want, the LOVE for a creative life, and the LOVE for yourself that may threaten these bandits. The thing to remember about the bandits is they are full of FEAR. Their fear is driving their comments. The comments are not grounded in LOVE for your creative path, but the FEAR of losing theirs. Th ey are not always intending the robbery, but nevertheless, the crimes are committed.

What do these crimes look like? What do they steal? These bandits try to steal that part of you who believes you can DO IT! They are not stealing your ideas or your work. These bandits are much more covert,. They may or may not know they are even stealing. When you leave the bandit's presence you feel a little naked. You feel like you had the gold, and now just straw. These bandits try to steal the pure part of your creative self. These bandits try to steal your enthusiasm, your velocity, your innocence, and your instinct for your next creative move.

"Wow...I am so excited to have finally finished that painting"
"That must feel good...but I think it's hard to tell if a painting is ever really finished, you may or may not know when it's done...when the time is right I listen and then I know.....blah blah blah...."

There are also the know it alls....those who throw facts about things that might be wrong, go wrong, or any terrible trivia that might try to scare you.

There are covert words that might injure your artist....take care of her. She needs to be protected from those words just as you would a child. Appropriate material and words for the appropriate time. If it feels like you are in the presence of yucky, zapping energy....you probably are. PLEASE trust your instinct and politely excuse yourself. Your artist has better things to do. Remember - everything in the world is either FEAR or LOVE, decide today what you are going to bring inside. Get rid of the rest.

slip and slide

2011-05-11T03:47:00.001-07:00

The first sign of summer to me came in the form of a slip and slide. I felt the carefree freedom of letting kids be kids, the extra need for a cool drink of water, the throwing out of the clock. I felt free. The school year is full of demands on parents and kids, the summer is our playtime. The summer allows it all to slip away and get rid of the "shoulds", the "coulds", and "if you woulds." I look forward to the summers camps we are having at Art Life. I am finding new projects that will take the ordinary object to a new level of art. I want the kids to take their time on things, I will encourage the use of all their patience. Children are natural artists but they are also natural competitors. I often find myself telling them (especially my boys) that it's not a race...it's about what might happen if you experiment just a little more. When I look around at my paintings, i always find something that I see I could add or take away. I have even been known to work on a painting that has been hanging on the wall finished- for years. Sometimes I believe my paintings are never done...they are just at a really good resting spots.
So, the summer begins, i need to remember to slow down. I need to remember it's not a race, and that it's all a work in progress. If I just experiment a little more, i might just get some different results. It's a busy time for the studio, but then again, the studio is a place to slow down - i am really excited to get started this summer...oops...i mean, to take it easy this summer.

Look around today, you might just see your first sign of summer. What will it be?

Trust the Paint to Dry Without You

2011-01-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

I have heard before to "trust the process" when making art. Art making is 98% process, and the remaining 2% lies in results and opinions. Some of those opinions are ours, some are from others. But we all know that opinions are the opposite of being in creative process...because opinions are left brain "thinking" processes. The creative process dies when we think. When you think about it....if we had the future opinions in our ears of others while we were in the middle of the creative process, it might not ever be. It might not make it off the drawing table. We are so quick to say...."well, it's not done...don't look" "I have so much more I'd like to do to it." "I was thinking about adding this or taking away that." You know....that IS the art, right there. Making it, thinking about it, and frankly sharing it. But art is best when it's shared. What can we do with something that is stuffed under the bed? We can't enjoy the things that have never been painted.
Talking about art was one of the most difficult learning processes for my freshman design college students to grasp- they went kicking and screaming into discussion critiques. No one wanted to discuss their own work, no one wanted to talk about areas that they thought needed improvement. And if I asked them to talk about some one else's work???? Forget about it. However, with time, and mandatory requirements, the students understood that critique was more about an understanding of our fears, of making the ego smaller, of comparing our work from the work we used to do....to see how we have improved, and talking about work that could have been changed, and how.
I am drying some clay pieces in the studio now. There is nothing to it, just let it be. Some really flat pieces should be slightly covered in the winter heat of the studio as to avoid warping. Some were just left where they were to dry. I am also waiting on an oil painting to dry...with the aid of modern mediums, will be ready in another day for more layers of oils.
In the meantime, I wait. I wait for the next step...the next move toward the completion.
I let go while that process takes place.
Soaking, drying, firing, mixing...a pause in creation, so the creation itself can go on with out the creator...to do it's thing.
I like to think about that painting or clay piece sometimes, upstairs in the studio, doing it's work without me so that we can move on towards completion.
It sounds silly, but i even love that part, the part about watching paint dry.
The reasons are because i have been that wet paint before, drying and deciding....hoping that no one disturbs me. Hoping that I can just sit here, and dry. As the creator/artist we are always deciding what our next move is. Although that path is not always clear, we walk away and let our creations be. When the time is right, we will know our next stroke of paint, our next mark on the clay, or our next word to write. In time, if you trust that you will know, you will know.

Wonder - Christmas 2010

2010-12-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

It's a magical time of year. I am very fond of mystery. I am fond of things that just don't quite make sense, things you just have to believe in....like Santa Claus. My kids are 4 and 5 and the Santa thing is really really bringing up a lot of questions. I wonder if they see the conflict in what we tell them. Conflict in the chimney thing, or all the presents in one night thing? I just know there are a lot of questions. It is all very confusing. OR is it mysterious? I guess it's how you look at it.
I don't think young children question mystery, they just ask questions and then fit those answers into their version in their imagination. They create it, then they extend the creation. They add to the creation and take away; so it fits just right. It's a lot like making a sculpture or painting a painting...add, take away, flow with it: and whatever you do don't stop and think too much, just accept the mystery. Mystery is magical. Without it life is plaqued with logic and absolutes. Without it, there is nothing to look forward to. Without mystery the world would have no new books, no new works of art, no future music, no spontaneous adventures. Without mystery, we would know everything....what kind of world would that be? When you believe you don't have to figure it all out, you only have to do one thing, believe.
So I challenge you to think like a child, act like a child, feel the wonder tonight...feel the possibility that just might include newness and the beginning of something within you and within this world. Merry Christmas. May mystery and wonder be your guide as you celebrate together.

dancing like a crane

2010-08-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

The yoga teacher tonight made me feel more comfortable about my crane pose when she suggested "our crane's might be moving and swaying because they are looking for fish in the water. "When you tap your toes down on the ground to keep your balance it's really just a curious playful crane...looking at what is in the rippling water underneath him." I really don't do yoga that much, but tonight I needed some stretching and relaxation, I didn't know I would be so transformed as to become a fowl. As I hoisted my arms up like crane wings and lifted my crane beak (AKA my right toe) I did feel like a bird. I liked the way she told us to dance with our leg, not give into the loss of balance, but see it as intentional movement. She told us that it's ok to explore what still felt like, what off balance felt like, what catching yourself from being off balance felt like, and what dancing like a crane felt like. It's ok to play. It's ok to act silly. It's ok to wonder.
"The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives" Albert Einstein Albert Einstein suggests that kids do it naturally. He also suggests that we can occupy that sphere of activity if we choose. If we seek the arts this will happen naturally. We can say..."I will honestly seek a creative beautiful medium today" It may be music, cooking, painting, drawing, or setting up a beautiful garden. These things are truthful, they are honest. This is because there is no need to judge something like that. There is no ego, just simply simply wonderful...a moment full of wonder. I think my pursuit toward being an artist has always involved my pursuit of truth and beauty. As I have gotten a little wiser I have stopped judging myself so much. I know that the art I make in this moment this day, is representative of me, right now....honest....and searching out beauty. What can you say was beautiful today? Seek it, and you will see it. It's everywhere.

Serving can be simple.

2010-05-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

I put some new lights on the steps to the studio. They were a gift. That makes them all the brighter. I appreciate that someone I care about cares about me. She said "these steps are too dark at night" I have something for you. I let her give them to me and that gift inspired me to also pot some plants and sweep the steps.

I think the light that comes along with receiving is just as important as giving. With the weather events in Nashville in the last week hundreds of people have been forced into a position to receive. No other choice other than... "help me!" In normal circumstances it is sometimes challenging to be in a place of surrender. But during crisis, it is the relying on others that confirms our faith in community. These times make the character of our community visable. The way we serve, we show who we are. Each day that we show up, turn off the water to conserve, make a donation, watch someone's kids, or cook a few meals.

Serving can be simple, take your place in your community....however that looks for you. Don't overthink it, just make one motion in the direction of helping a neighbor.

Play Today

2010-04-13T04:42:00.000-07:00

I traveled to New York City this past weekend. My mom and I visited my sister and brother. It was a reconnection that was long overdue. I picked up a book called "Playful Parenting" by Lawrence Cohen. His ideas about using play to reconnect with your kids and . The pages are filled with examples of a child acting out and then the parent choosing in the moment to not see it as misbehavior but as a cry for reconnection. I have been away from my family for a couple few days and I miss them. In the pangs of a little home sickness I can't imagine being anything but patient with my kids. But the truth is, we are all impatient parents at times. We all struggle at times with the feelings of just being bored with the routine we have. We all feel at times like we don't have any IDEAS. Maybe we feel like we are not CAPABLE in this moment to give our children what we need. I have a friend that jokingly says to her kids as she works or talks with my "Go and DO, go and Do {somewhere else}" In Playful Parenting Cohen writes "The fact is, we adults don't have much room in our lives for fun and games. Our days are filled with stress obligations and hard work. We may be stiff, tired, and easily bored when we try to get on the floor and play with children-especially when it means switching gears from a stressful day of work or household chores. We might be willing to do what they want-but then we get annoyed when they don't play the way we expect or when they demand too much from us"

The fact is we all need play. I am better off every time I connect with my kids on the floor, paint with my kids, beat on drums with them, or run around outside. It's a continual cycle of connecting, disconnecting, and reconnecting. This deep need to be child like, let loose, and be playful, makes sense to me. I opened Art Life to meet those needs in people I teach. After visiting NYC (the city where I lived and found my footing on my creative path), I once again realized that filling yourself up and those you love by playing -can go a long long way. Today I will see misbehavior as just a cry for reconnection instead of misbehavior.

Today after school, a family I know is coming in for an art playdate. The whole family making art together, making messes and connecting. I am thrilled to see people connect this way and I want to offer a playful place. A place where people and families are free from rules, obligations, and most of all boredom. PLAY TODAY!

Overthink"ed" = Under-inspired

2010-04-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many times I have heard someone say...I am not artistic, I can't even draw a stick person. I wonder how the person feels about themselves who is saying that in that moment. Just the same, I wonder if the person that is labeled "artistic" likes that too? I think we think too much sometimes about who we label ourselves as, with our gifts, with our talents. They are not magical powers but tendencies. I have always had artistic tendencies. My hearts desire has leaned towards markers and paint and glue and blank white paper. I have not always know what marks I would make on that paper but I have always known that it thrilled me to be around art.

I was talking with Milo the other day and he is just so frustrated with soccer. There are some super duper players on his team and it's his first time playing. He is frustrated because he plays and plays and never seems to get the ball, just a lot of running. We were riding bikes on the greenway yesterday and we watched the golfers. He almost was in tears about wanting to play golf at that moment. I told him about golf lessons. I explained that we have to finish soccer first and then we will get him a lesson. Milo has always talked about golf. I have always thought him too young. But as I put it out there, thinking about it I met a teacher willing to teach young young golfers. Milo's hearts desire is to learn, my hearts desire is to give him those opportunities. So, we will get him lessons.

I think my point is that the expressive part of ourselves is not a thinker, she's a feeler. The part of us that wants to run, paint, scream, sing, or do a cartwheel is not thinking about how she looks. The part that looks in the mirror with doubt is the critical part of ourselves. Stop listening to her, she is really getting in the way of your new ideas. Go out and learn something new today. Take a risk creatively, you know you have it in you-just don't think about it too much.

Painting outside, soaking up the sun

2010-03-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up a long week of cloudy days with some outside painting...we never noticed the dreary days inside the studio, but when the sun came out we sure noticed that!
The pottery wheel was probably the most favorite thing learned the kids learned this week. I think we all got messy enough and learned that the wheel is something to keep trying and trying on...We are all beginning....again and again. The kids were great, and spending 5 consecutive days together is something that doesn't happen all the time at Art Life, so doing it was special and everyone seemed to settle in like "home" in the studio. I especially loved eating lunch together, telling stories about past art projects at school and how many times the kids reassured themselves "it's ok to get messy in art class" as I told them...I WANT you to get messy here. Thanks to all the students and parents who trusted their spring break with me here at the studio.

The Earth has Tilted

2010-03-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

The earth is tilting just a little bit more in the sunshine. We are experiencing warmer temperatures, better moods, and an outdoor sense of wonder. I talked with my kids the other day about bugs, swimming, and the buttercups that we should be seeing soon. It seems like a million years ago. I posted my summer camp schedule, which makes me feel warm just thinking about it. We will Paint Big, have lunch under the sycamore, and create a community through creating together. It is amazing how the sun shining on your face will make you feel like your whole world has tilted a little bit, to the brighter side. Check out my summer camp page - your kids will love to attend!

It seems to be getting a little old (I mean cold)

2010-03-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

It's the doldrums...it's the "I don't want to get out of this warm bed" cold type of cold. It's the I don't know why I don't feel like doing anything type of cold. It's the, let's face it, we are uninspired part of winter. We are challenged when we are not inspired. Inspiration is not always there for ALL of us, artists, mothers, and professionals alike. I think we do each other and ourselves a disservice to believe that some people are inspired and some are not. Some people are artists and some are not. Every one who makes things must find inspiration. Everyone who makes things lacks inspiration at times. Just ask a teacher or a mom who has to write the next lesson plan or cook the next week's worth of meals. It's hard to be inspired all the time. It's not natural.

But when inspiration strikes...It's Murphy's law that I don't have a pen, or a sketch book, or I just can't describe it either way. Then the feeling is gone. BUT, the feeling was there. Even if I didn't get an art piece out of it, I got the confirmation once again, that I am an artist. Those feelings and artistic thoughts-the sheer fact that I had them-makes me an artist. Makes me want to continue on the creative path. Even if the well is dry today...tomorrow is a new day

It's going to be a good one.

Making a mess at a birthday party today

2010-02-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

Birthday party today at Art Life, we made clay shoeprint bowls. The kids loved stepping in clay and painting the wet clay to make a bowl. I noticed that they hestitated at first to step on the clay, then once they did they loved it...making footprints, even dancing on it! It's good to get kids to do projects that let them cut loose a little. We painted outside together on a mural - making messes, painting hands, and writing messages to the birthday kid. I couldn't have asked for a nicer group of kids or a nicer day at the studio today.

believe where your wings take you.

2010-01-27T19:14:00.000-08:00

There are things that only can be explained as a nudge, a push, a call to move a little closer to what you are to create. I am getting better at noticing them and being grateful for what they are; close encounters with something that believes in ME completely. Even when I don't believe. I know that my action breeds more action and reaction from the world. If I give then I receive. I am sure that even the smallest steps will make a difference in my dream. I recently made a platter which says "believe where your wings take you" and it has a bird in the center. I think that sometimes even we don't know where we are going, but our wings; our most essential parts, do.

2010-01-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

This is a new year, a good year to make something happen. No need to feel the wave you might feel as canned or in some way insincere. You are the only one that you have to answer to (that and a higher power if you are so inclined). You make the decisions for yourself as to what you can handle. I am pushed everyday by the voice that tells me to make things....anything. Sometimes that is just clearing my studio table so I can see the bottom to start again. Clearing to create. But make sure you create, you were created. I am positive that this is going to be a creative year for us all. 2010, a great place to start. Check out a new film, art show, or maybe an art class to do something different for your muse today.

School is Back in Session

2009-08-12T19:47:00.001-07:00

Well isn't it always, we are learning all the time. The kids learn art just by seeing colors in the sunset or seeing the way the light makes shadows on the wall. The way water in your paint water bowl reflects a wiggly pattern of light on the ceiling. I am a true believer in getting messy too. Give the kids paint, give the kids glue, give them space with no words or comments while they create. Learning can come from all the experiences we have, even when we are not in school or reading, just being, taking it all in. What colors can you notice today that you have never seen before?

In the Messy Moment

2009-06-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

My students left class today with tissue paper stuck to their toes, a shirt full of paint, and 3 new projects. We made tissue paper landscapes with layers of sticky blue, green, sand, and yellow colored tissue paper. We rolled out slabs of clay with a rolling pin and then pressed sea shells, burlap and stamps into the clay. Before we did all of that, this first class deserved a portfolio. This is a large folding book where we can put all of their creations throughout the class to bring home. I helped them learn a little about book binding by using book binding glue (VERY sticky) and burlap. I was engaged in the messes, the pouring of the paint, the desire to roll every color offered into a wonderful thick layer of brown. Often, I held back my explanation to the five year old "how exciting it will be to put all the art they make" in this class portfolio. Holding back, because the porfolio IS the art they are making IN this class IN this moment. The kids don't care as much about what it is they are making at that age, just as long as they are squishing, pulling, rolling, dripping, and brushing the art materials into a wonderful multi-colored memory. I am blessed to be a part of it.

Art Adventure Begins

2009-06-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

Art Life is starting it's real true first Art Adventure class for 5-7 year olds on June 20th this summer. I held the spring classes as sort of a quiet grand opening and they were a lot of fun. Now, after launching the website the students have signed up and the real grand opening is here. There will be a nice group of 6-7 kids meeting and learning every week. Creating fine art, and fun art while exploring how art materials and recycled materials can transform into art.

I have hats, mobiles, trays, prints, sculptures, books, and more than many clay projects planned. I have ideas and ideas, and I can't wait to share them with the kids. I am thrilled to be in the teaching seat again, in my own studio, fanning the flame of these kids already highly developed creative eye.

Principles Create an Ideal

2009-05-25T05:47:00.000-07:00

Space is used by artists to create harmony in their work. Harmony is a unified feeling throughout the piece that is achieved through the use of all the design principles. A few of these design principles are harmony, variety and rhythm. Harmony pulls similar elements together. Variety finds beauty in opposites. Rhythm creates movement in a work by finding direction and a pattern, even if it's hard to see.

I love the way these artistic guidelines can be interpreted differently by different artists, but they all generally create the same result- attractive art. Principles are just that, they are guiding thoughts or "rules" (the term is used loosely) commonly agreed upon to create order. This order represents an ideal. This could be a community ideal. An artistic ideal. A family ideal. Whatever human relational ideal is needed - the investigation of the harmony, the variety, and even the rhythm can shed appreciation on a sometimes chaotic situation.

There are people that bring something that clashes with the group. There are people that are the glue and the unifier in the group. There are people that lead and bring direction to groups. This is why ART imitates LIFE. Art simply takes the reality of what works in the world. Even if what works is opposing the group or the crowd and shows us the beauty in that. We need the entire picture for wholeness. We need the feeling of hunger as well as fullness. We need the emptiness as well as the abundance. We need the longing for others as well as content companionship. Sometimes I need to be reminded of that.

Roots

2009-04-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have heard in several contexts today the word - root, it's uses varied but similar in some ways. I have heard it talked about in terms of wholeness. In terms of problems and their causes. In terms of solutions. I love the idea of the root as a metaphor for the wholeness of our human beginnings. Where it all started, whether a problem or the very essence of who we are. Maybe early messages we were given as childrent. We shouldn't just look at the twigs, branches, leaves, and fruit - but if we understand where the main context started, just as a seed, we can understand the mighty redwood tree. Ideas are roots. Ideas, whether true or untrue, can stay with us for so long they are part of our DNA. Unchallenged and lingering within our artist selves. Speaking to us, good or bad, they are the voices that influence our work.

Creative thought has roots deep within us, sometimes connected by nonsense and illogical fragmented ideas. I love those brainstorm sessions where there is a pulse of ideas with images and colors. There is an excitement with the belief that somehow all these ideas could make great art. That they could express what I want to say. The ultimate goal of an artist. That is why keeping all your sketchbooks and clippings, and images that inspire you is so important. You never know when you might need them in your process.

Creative thought is sometimes born out of problems. We need to understand the beginnings of ourselves. I know that pain or discomfort has brought great painting and writing sessions forth for me. It is the basis of many many songs. Sometimes songs or being in live music settings sends my mind reeling. I embrace pain today for the gifts it can give. Some of the most pained artists; Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickenson, Vincent VanGogh, Kurt Cobain have used this to create the brilliant brilliant madness.

The root of today is that just when you think life is all tucked in a neat little box, you may only be seeing the surface. The tree you see in the back yard with it's green leaves, swaying healthy branches, and ripe fruit just might be artificial under the dirt, or worse yet, hollow.

I painted this painting in 2002.

Oil on Canvas 48"x60"

"Enough"

Painting with Glitter and Pom Poms

2009-04-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

My experience with creating an art project with my 4 1/2 year old neice was just wonderful today. I have 2 boys and they can sit sill for a maximum of like 5 minutes right now. They like the idea of doing art and doing a project together, but like a pinball - they gotta go! So, when I sat down with my neice today to decorate a treasure box I was refreshed with her ever so girly and every so glittery choices. She wanted pink and purple and pom poms and feathers. I was totally into each choice as we moved around the outside of this box tranforming it from a stiff kraft paper surface to one that is shiny and fluffy. Thank you my little niece. You have just placed the feminine back into my very puffed up, pirate, bad-guy, buggy, race car, milk- spitting little boy world! I love you.

A sunny kitchen and the reciprocity of art

2009-04-01T19:43:00.001-07:00

I was sitting in the kitchen with my kids and I was listening to my friend Christy Field's song "If Anyone" (written for the kids in her life) this morning and thinking about the reciprocity of the art I give and others give to me. Christy gave me 3 CD's of songs and I have given her a painting. I read her message to me that thanked me for the painting while I just happened to be listening to that song. This was not a coincidence. My kids were eating their cereal in the sunny morning kitchen and I thought, all is well in this very moment. A gift to her, to me, and my kids (which I proceeded to tell them that Christy "wrote this song for all kids") It was beautiful and I felt an earnest yearing for purity and in the song. The message she sent expressed how the painting has brought her so much light and love in her home. I have traded paintings in the past too. The one pictured here was traded for another painting almost 6 years ago. I don't even remember the name of the girl I traded with. We showed at the same place in Nashville, liked each others work, and we traded paintings. I have bartered with art for services like photography and hair cuts. I think bartering is one of the most harmonious forms of commerce. The giving of things with personal value can only be measured by the receiver. I hope to be giving and getting the gold in this life. We all deserve that. Check out Christy Fields song called "If Anyone" at http://www.myspace.com/christydawnfields

www.artlifeartstudio.com is almost done!

2009-03-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

I am just a couple weeks away from launching the website for Art Life. I am thrilled at the pictures my photographer friend Ned, www.nedsphotography.com took for the site. We are going to have a lot of great things going on at the studio.

Art Heals

2009-03-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

My day today will be better because of all the things I get to give people. There are things to give that I made that I am going to give, and things that others (including kids) have made in my classes. I am especially moved by a handmade clay bead that I fired for a friend last night. She made it this week to send out of town for a memorial. The family was asking that everyone either make, buy, or find a bead to string as a collective memorial for this child's passing. As terribly inconceivable as the death of a child, something like this gets the family and friends together and doing something. I know my friend felt like she was able to "do something-anything" to help her friends in pain. She left saying "this was therapeautic for me" Art has a way of doing that for people. In the moment we are making it, we are out of the pain, the concentration on the problem, or the feeling of helplessness.

I am meeting another artist/songwriter friend who was just diagnosed last fall with MS at 33 years old today for lunch. She is so positive and focused on eating right and keeping her spirits up. I know a new painting would bring that to her each day. My hope is that as she looks at the colors I painted and she feels lifted. Because it is a gift, I know my friend will see the painting and always know that she is cared for and she is not alone. I can't take away this harsh truth in her life, but I can give her art that reminds her that she is loved. I painted her two (one is pictured above) and placed a quote by Ashliegh Brilliant www.ashleighbrilliant.com on it; "I am just moving clouds today, tomorrow I'll try mountains"

Art does heal, it's up there with laughter, good food, and friends. I am grateful to give these pieces of healing love today in the form of clay, paint, and canvas. I am grateful others do the same in the world. The world needs art.

Rocket Ship Spring Blast Off

2009-03-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

The first day of spring, and the end of a spring break week left us all very fufilled and exhausted. We ended the week with my last of 6 classes with my first session at Art Life Studio. It was great to see the kids show their parents their portfolios - we made so many things and they learned about several mediums. We had hanging fish, mobiles, color wheels, paintings and drawings. The clay pieces are being fired this week. Afterwards, Milo (my 3 1/2 year old) and I painted this appliance box together. It was our project one-on-one, spontaneous and free. We first cut 2 doors and 2 peep holes. Then the color, wonderful color, all over the place. This simple box showed me that all the toys in the world can never add up to the imagination within us all - with no money and no car needed we created another world. I also got some dryer vent tubing from the garage and that served as the way we "fueled up" before blast off. The sun danced off this silver flexible tubing- and I loved the way it looked next to the kid painted sides and hard angles of the box. A sculpture, a rocket ship, a one-on-one moment with one of my kids, a perfect 65 degree day. Totally free, totally us, totally back to basics.

Thursday is a studio day

2009-03-17T04:38:00.000-07:00

I am plotting and planning for my studio day in 2 days. A full day for me, no kids, no husband, no phone, no plans- but to make things. I am going to start with some painting and then travel over to the printmaking studio at Watkins. I am working on a series of moon/rocket images with robots and astronauts. I would love tp re-do my 3 year old's room into something that inspires his little male mind. I appreciate the need for that even at 3 because he is growing out of what is there now. I did a series of oil paintings for his nursery - 4 vegetables. Corn, radish, tomato, and snap peas adorned his gender neutral baby room. Now, we are all boy and I think robots and space images would fit the bill. I asked him what he wanted and he said "robot rockstars" I will try to incorporate the rockstar aspect somehow (not sure yet). I am thrilled to be able to be inspired by the people I love. I have the plans for art peices that come out of the blue, but mostly it comes from the people I love or someone that needs a little gift of art. I love to give people paintings and prints that I have made. Giving is a great source of inspiration to me. I would say that I have given away as much art as I have sold. That is one of my greatest sources of pleasure.

Making Room

2009-03-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

I am working on making room in my closet for new things. Not that I am going to go out and buy a bunch of new clothes right now, but there just might be something around the corner, and I don't want a bunch of old clothes hanging around. I seem to be able to think better when I have room around me. Room in my schedule, room on my kitchen counter, room in my closet, and room in my thinking for shades of grey. I know that I don't know everything and if I allow myself teachable time to fail a little, crumple up that new sketch or idea, try again and again, I will eventually come out smarter. I watch my boys do that effortestly, they don't complain that they don't know how to do something. They ask, they might yell, they concentrate hard, but they don't give up. I can learn from that. I will make room in my life today for things I know nothing about.

the time is near

2009-03-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

The Art Life idea has been in me since I became an artist when I was young. I don't know how I actually "became" an artist. I think others actually started calling me one before I called myself an artist. I think that is why teaching is so important to me, because we as teachers show and guide our students into their strengths before they even know what they are. Even peers, adults, and friends do the labeling before we know what or who we are as artists. That labeling can also be negative - "I can't draw" "My daughter takes after her dad, he's the athletic type" "I don't know what I like to do-I am not an artist" That is why I want to bring Art Life to everyone -to every budding or seasoned artist. Just in case you are sick of the labels or need a new one.