to live poetry

Monday, May 6, 2013

out of hibernation

hello, world!

i'm alive and well once again.

"everything is blooming most recklessly"

and i'm inhaling the miracle of it all

in big gulps.

loads of life are blowing up all around me,

deep within,

my days are overflowing with loads of life.

isn't spring simply wonderful?

in this season when so much needs to be done,

i've been reflecting

on how to make the non-art work

meaningful, artful, poetic...

how to infuze every living moment

and every bit of work

with joy, creativity, beauty.

"you are worried and upset about many things"

jesus says to martha

"but few things are needed -

and indeed only one.

your sister has chosen

what is better

and it will not be taken away from her."

in reaching for the one thing,

i breathe through my work.

i take out the trash gratefully,

i do the dishes lovingly,

i grocery shop creatively,

i hold on to the joy of the studio

as i go about the million little errands

that make up life.

back at my workbench,

i let go of what i think should be,

and play with textures,

keeping it light.

here is a glimpse at details

of a new work in progress.

"but listen to me for one moment.

quit being sad.

hear blessings

dropping their blossoms

around you."

-rumi

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

outside inside

the view from my studio window

granted, from two weeks ago.

yet this has been the look,

the mood,

the tone,

the feel,

the temperature.

and here it is reflected in my work

(which there hasn't been a lot of

since shaking off hibernation

takes its toll)

ask seek knock. detail

ask seek knock

what there has been a lot of:

freshly squeezed orange juice

(substitute for sunshine)

long walks,

meals with dear friends,

learning to listen

to the madium,

to the process,

to the little voice within,

to my body,

to the little person within.

and finally,

a new painting

bursting

with yearning for spring.

yielding to grace

Monday, February 18, 2013

back in the studio and grace

echoes of spring. mending with sunshine.

it's been a season of taking it slowly,

of learning how to rest

and offering myself grace. accepting it too.

instead of pushing

when i come to the end of my strength,

napping.

instead of beating myself up

for not getting it all done,

books.

let me tell you,

there have been lots and lots of books.

and movies.

and long slow walks with a dear friend.

tea and art museums and more naps.

back in the studio today

i eased myself in

with some playful abstract work.

echoes of spring. detail.

but the important work

is taking place on the inside

these days.

i just have to conspire with grace

to let it take its course.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

something old. something new.

our lady of perpetual incertitude

something old.

an icon.

that familiar feeling.

being the person you've been growing into.

exploration on a beloved theme.

worn out, yellow pages.

comfortable in your own skin.

this and that and other secrets

something new.

assemblage.

lost in play.

exploration of fresh materials.

the joy of discovery.

that fluttery new feeling.

the miracle of life.

hearty apologies for such a severe

absence of updates in the past month.

we've had life altering news,

joy,

overwhelment,

extreme exhaustion,

overwhelming

joy.

i will do my darndest

in the next few months

to update regularly

with new work

in the midst of sequels of elation

as we prepare for the arrival

of little baby gray.

cheers!

and a wonderful - if belated- new year!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

simplicity and possibility

“emptiness

which is conceptually liable

to be mistaken for sheer nothingness

is in fact

the reservoir of

infinite possibilities.”

- d.t. suzuki

'nothing to lose'. mixed media with quote by pablo neruda.

i've taken to

emptying

these gray days.

finding life in simple things:

the pouring of tea,

the richness of silence,

the light in the studio,

the mystery in the blank canvas.

'on longing.' mixed media on canvas board. 24"x20".

“for artists,

like the rest of us,

sooner or later notice

that the power of longing

is more durable than

the thrill of possession.”

- francine prose

Thursday, November 29, 2012

getting to know crystal neubauer

power and fragility inhabit their shared space

harmoniously

in crystal neubauer's work. i discovered her collages,

mixed media paintings and encaustic pieces on etsy

a couple of years ago and i have been enraptured

with the visual feast and sheer poetry of her work

ever since.

equal parts the nature of the material

and the sensitivity of the artist,

her work tucks unutterable prayers

between delicate layers

of vintage ephemera.

i know you will enjoy getting to know the woman

behind the breathtaking work

as much as i did.

some things you love:

old books falling apart and slightly musty with ragged torn covers.
my cat curled up on my lap, or following me from room to room begging for milk. hanging out with my family over a meal. spending long quiet hours alone in the studio. walking out the front door and bumping into a friend. comfy clothes. long hot baths. perusing the magazine aisle at the book store and then lingering with a stack of them over a cup of coffee.

some things you love about yourself (go ahead, brag a little):

i see things a little differently then others and i believe this is evident in my art. i am learning to use my voice after having lived most of my life believing i didn’t have one. i tend to be a defender of the voiceless minority, a rooter of the under-dog. i don’t believe in going against the status-quo just to be different, but i have a hard time remaining silent when i see an injustice. i am learning to stand in the uncomfortableness of that moment and i think that is pretty cool.

what you're working on at the moment:

i have been experimenting with encaustic painting in combination with drawing on the surface of the wax. recently i’ve begun “sculpting” on a 2-d collaged surface by drawing on top of a layer of wax and scraping, adding ink or chalk or graphite and scraping some more. the process begins to resemble a sculpture being chiseled from a hard surface.

where do you draw inspiration from?

i am inspired by texture and line. i will squint at a landscape and see the color blocked look of the scenery or notice the way a few random objects are lying in a drawer. i love to decorate from the items i collect and i carry this inspiration into the studio. and of course, the internet has a plethora of inspiration, almost to the point of overkill.

what is your creativity nemesis?

over scheduling my time to the point of not making it into the studio for days, sometimes weeks at a stretch.

and our most effective weapon against it?

remembering that I am the keeper of my schedule and prioritizing the studio time. allowing myself to work in my pajamas, early in the morning before the tasks of the day begin to press in.

something you've learned the hard way:

everything does not depend on me.

would you please recommend a book?

i am a huge anne lamott fan. 'bird-by-bird' is excellent for the creative process, it is geared toward writers, but i read it with my art goals in mind.

favorite natural food to snack on:

tender white buttered popcorn with sea salt. frozen dark chocolate peanut butter cups from trader joe's. i think they qualify as natural? i love pears and freshly cut pineapple too, but those frozen peanut butter cups are hard to resist.

when i say feminine you say...

beauty wrapped in many packages.

i don’t have to be girly to be feminine and i don’t have to be masculine to be equal.

something you need to do less of:

worry

something you need to do more of:

pray

your perfect day:

my idea of the perfect day changes with my mood and circumstances, but today it is having a good friend who lives far away come hang out with me in the studio and then unwinding with my favorite gluten free pizza and a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. and ice cream. the perfect day always ends with ice cream.