poetic therapy

'healing with words' mixed media on canvas 11"x14"

 tired? worn out? in pain?

lost? hopeless?

just a bit confused?

need a break?

 things that heal:

lighting a candle

listening to the music of the rain

the warmth of another

writing it down

a cup of tea (with honey and lemon for extra points)

morning sunshine

water (drink it in, immerse yourself in it,

jump in the puddles)

time with your lovely self - intentional

playing in the studio - no purpose, just fun

that juicy piece of fruit

a piano and cello playing together

getting your hands dirty

giving without expecting anything in return

a good stretch

walking barefoot in the grass

the smell of camp fire in your hair

a glass of red wine

kisses - lots of kisses

a good cry

a good laugh

time

words

 

 quite exhausted 

after an intense week of work on the house.

we made room for the baby,

organized and cleaned everything in sight,

and are now ready to open our home

for lots of visiting friends

for a whole week.

a reminder of the things that

refresh and restore

is in order.

amongst these,

developing a new daily art practice,

loads of stitching,

playing with small abstracts,

finding poetry.

have a wonderful weekend, friends!

'give up' -daily poetry

'little things' -daily poetry

'words to fall' -daily poetry

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

new painting, findings, studio notes

the days are flying by this gray season,

yet not without leaving a mark.

it has been a week of:

- painting, drawing, gluing, stitching, burning

8 paintings at once

- wearing big cozy sweaters

- finishing a novel in 24 hours

- adding whiskey to my tea

- hunting for treasure at the resale shop

(is there anything more wonderful than

digging up unique luxuries for under $10?)

- reflecting, journaling, dreaming & scheming

- making visual studio notes mapping out work in progress

(directly on the canvas,

using materials and tools rather than words)

- simplifying my closet

leaving only things i love wearing and wear to death

- ruthlessly slashing at the shoulds in my schedule

leaving only essential and life giving items

a season of no compromises. no half measures.

no kind of sort ofs.

only full-hearted work

and full-hearted rest.

savoring the luxury of simplicity.

cashmere sweater, rabbit fur scarf, 2 pairs antique leather gloves, vintage dress patterns - lovely lovely resale shop finds

like tissue paper but 1000 times better

visual notes for works in progress

 
 i leave you with a sparkle of rumi via

ode 314:

those who don't feel this love
pulling them like a river,
those who don't drink dawn
like a cup of spring water
or take in sunset like supper,
those who don't want to change,
let them sleep.

this love is beyond the study of theology,

that old trickery and hypocrisy.

if you want to improve your mind that way,

sleep on.

i've given up on my brain.

i've torn the cloth to shreds

and thrown it away.

if you're not completely naked,

wrap your beautiful robe of words

around you,

and sleep.

the ethereal quality of tea filters atop of black

7 steps to getting out of a painting funk

burning stuff once again

darlings,

it's real talk slash tough loving time.

you know those times

when you come out of studio

- having forgotten to eat and sleep for days -

utterly content

and completely spent?

this is not one of those times.

(if it is, how did you make it past the title? and

for crying out loud, pour yourself

a big glass of red, bask in

the glory of it, and enjoy

the fruit of your labor!)

oh, this is different.

you just checked your facebook page

for the 13th time today,

hit refresh on your etsy stats/inbox/twitter,

spent hours/days/weeks getting inspired by 

crying over breathtaking art on pinterest

and even more time staring in despair

at blank canvas.

read on, my friend.

 having come out of a 2, ok, 4 week studio funk

with one glorious full day of painting,

i'm feeling good. in fact,

i feel victorious enough

to impart the bits of wisdom

that really worked for me.

1.admit you have a problem

in the midst of the funk, your creative spirit

expresses itself

in one way only:

by making beautifully crafted excuses.

be honest with yourself.

do you really need more research

or inspiration?

more often than not i find

i'm just procrastinating,

overcome by fears.

2. give yourself a (guilt free) break

don't be tempted to skip this one.

sure you've spent a lot (too much) time

not getting essential work done,

but beating yourself up

doesn't exactly count as relaxing.

take some intentional time off

(a half an hour, even a day if you need).

and make it good!

you'll be much more motivated to get to work

in your newly found

good mood.

3.take a hike

go for a walk. breathe in the crisp air.

get your blood pumping. 

open your eyes. listen.

explore.

4. ease into the work with a bit of play

don't start off trying to paint the next masterpiece.

that buys you an express ticket

to overwhelm town.

instead, go non-committal. have some fun with it.

i tear some lovely papers to bits.

burn the edges.

glue random odds and ends to a failed canvas.

throw some paint.

explore a new way of making marks.

pretty geometry

5. meet self imposed deadlines

now that you've been quite nice to yourself,

it's time for some tough loving.

create some artificial deadlines.

push yourself to the limit.

find that you're made of steel

in addition to the ooey-gooey arty stuff.

surgery

6. turn your computer off and get to work

eliminate distractions.

also, literally,

turns your computer off and get to work.

just do it. 

7. celebrate the little victories

you know what to do.

for me, it's the sweet sweet vices:

whiskey & a nice cigar on the patio.

or working on a fun sewing project:

giving an old sweater

edgy & feminine new life.

cheers! you did it!

tell me your tales of painting victory

and beating studio funk!

beautiful decay

art prize 2012 - my entry

'unfinished poem' mixed media on canvas 4ftx8ft

  

this time, a better reason

for having been m.i.a. 

'unfinished poem' is nearly finished.

as finished as it's going to be.

finally vertical

and ready to go, save for

a few subtle finishing touches.

building a crate

to transport it to the gallery on friday.

a strange feeling letting go of it

after being so intimately connected

12-14 hours every day for two months.

 

thrilled to discover

the wonderful curating at

calvin college's 106 gallery

where 'unfinished poem'

will be showing september 7 - october 7.

and ready for the epic ride

that will be art prize,

september 19 - october 7.

if you're anywhere near grand rapids

during that time,

don't miss it! 

 

 more detail shots coming soon.

in the meantime, i am ready

to start tackling the stacks and stacks

of blank canvas

and pretty frames

that have been collecting around the studio.

but first, a foray out into the world

of people and sunshine

via a 4-day trip to grand rapids.

have a lovely, artful, lifegiving,

and poetry-infused week, friends!

 

progress

 “all there is to thinking 

is seeing something noticeable 

which makes you see something you weren't noticing 

which makes you see something 

that isn't even visible.” 

“one of life's quiet excitements 

is to stand somewhat apart from yourself 

and watch yourself softly becoming 

the author of something beautiful 

even if it is only a floating ash.”

“my father was very sure about certain matters 

pertaining to the universe. to him 

all good things-trout as well as eternal salvation-

come by grace 

and grace comes by art 

and art does not come easy.” 

 

"on some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. 

under the rocks are the words, 

and some of the words are theirs.
i am haunted by waters.” 

all quotes by norman maclean 

clean studio. dirty hands.

 clean studio+

dirty hands

_______________

new work

simple math

i can understand.

the way to clear my head

and gear up for work

is to first clear my space.

works every time.

 

counted amongst warriors

 a successful week with almost a new piece

worked out every day.

some i loved,

some that drove me crazy.

and an epic one in the works,

build straight onto the vintage framed canvas

with lots of little tasty found bits.

even the weather conspires to help.

dark & stormy

with looming thunder

and the music of the rain

splashing against my windows.

'there must be those amongst whom

we can sit down and weep

and still be counted as warriors.'

-adrienne rich

a lovely weekend to you,

my warrior friends!

what is left and how to move forward

well, the wedding came and went,

beautiful as it could be,

hectic, joyful.

and so the guests,

leaving behind

acute silence.

followed two days

of proper hibernation,

blacked out windows blocking

any trace of summer.

contentment, tea, pjs.

enter a wave of unwanted guests:

 confusion, dismay, paralyzing fear.

a slow season for the sale

of my works has me disheartened.

the bread and butter thing

looms, threatens... and

it seems i am unable to get side work.

stuck. 

balancing on the edge of screwed.

 but wait, my knight in shining armor

is here to kick my butt.

he tells me the work is good,

good enough to help us survive.

if only i poured myself into it.

no distractions, no excuses.

he is brave enough to tell the cutting truth.

i have not given it my all.

bare before his knowing eye,

i bleed and nod. 

(if nothing else, i know how to pick

a good lover)

 today, exactly four years since

vowing to,

he chooses patience, though it costs him anxiety,

he embraces me, flaws and all,

he helps me up on my horse

and hands me the sword...

he fights for and alongside me,

unafraid.

 oh, and all this stuff?

random piles of junk

i found strewn around the house

when the dust settled.

i believe something beautiful

can come of them.

burn marks, thread, new work, and a sale

 pausing a moment

to share what became

of the burned papers i showed

weeks ago.

fire. tears. punctures.

found bits. drip drip drips.

memory.

thread. mending.

words tumbling down.

 

a page from the book of go cry  me a river

 

love letter

a moment of silence

 

 lots of new work means

i am now low on space and funds.

so i am hosting a 5-day sale in my shop

everything is 20% off until sunday.

please continue to excuse

my meager participation in e-space these days

and enjoy the gift of this new day!