seeking antidote for information overload

"a river runs through it"  mixed media on canvas  36"x12"

do you ever feel overwhelmed

by the barrage of information

or sheer amount of words,

images upon images,

(even the relevant/beautiful/powerful ones)?

overload.

do you struggle

with the weight and worth

of your additions

to the massive pile to sift through

as i do?

self promotion seems to be

a necessity of our craft these days...

yet, even when done humbly and respectfully

it feels a little bit like

pulling a bandaid.

and throwing it in the pile.

doesn't it?

"a river runs through it"  mixed media on canvas  12"x36"

my attempt at a respite:

step 1: unplugging.

a walk through the fields.  playing in the dirt.

picking fresh vegetables.  making a child laugh.

jumping in a bouncy house. sipping my tea slowly.

sitting around the fire with loved ones.

leaving the camera at home.

step 2: simplifying

my own input.

editing the heck out of my thoughts.

ruthlessly cutting out unnecessary words.

really digging

to get to the heart of things.

visually,

if i must paint

(and i must),

this is not a joke:

i paint everything white.

i use mostly materials

others would consider trash.

i wash them in white

(paradoxically, covering them in paint

actually reveals their essence to me)

and hesitantly proceed

to add my contribution.

then i feel that even

this entire last paragraph

was perhaps not

entirely necessary.

forgive me.

then i add a few more images,

not even ironically.

and finally i say good night,

without further editing.

"a river runs through it"  detail

would love to hear your strategies for dealing with information overload!  please do share!

july. part 1.

 my apologies for the lengthy absence.

july was packed to the brim

with preparations

for baby evelyn's arrival.

and with plenty of art making

and shipping.

i'll catch you up with two posts

on what i've been up to.

 

first, a walk through

evie's new digs.

turns out the nesting instinct

is no joke.

lamb pelt from tibet code on etsy & refinished vintage dresser

art i created inspired by some wonderful etsy artists

lovely doll hand made by my good friend ramona

babies love contrast!

"born free" - nightlight i made inspired by a gap onesie design

shel silverstein collection + the book that inspired the room's theme

little red mobile i blatantly copied from one found at acorn toy shop

all washed and ready to be taken on great adventures

stay tuned for an update

of what i've been up to

in the studio

in the next post.

unfinished poem - details

 

snippets from the exhibit's audio tour:

i built this piece with hundreds of egg shells, 

broken down just so 

into thousands of pieces, 

painted delicately with layers of acrylic paint, 

fitted together like a giant puzzle 

for which i lacked the solution.

 

while i wonder about the big picture, 

somewhere in wonderland, 

the white queen reminds alice that 

it is indeed ‘ a poor sort of memory 

that only works backwards’.  

 the piece becomes a meditation on longing, 

remembrance, and becoming one’s true self. 

naturally, this process requires 

the slow savoring 

of countless pots of tea, 

which spill into the painting, 

adding the only color. 

as i explore the life and history 

contained in these discarded kitchen scraps, 

and other bits of found objects, 

i allow theirs stories to work 

on my own biases of brokenness and wholeness, 

of vulnerability, 

of being and becoming.   

my work is a relentless search for poetry 

in the debris, 

an affirmation of life and possibility. 

 many thanks to my dear friend albert of secondprint productions, for capturing these lovely shots.