I haven't really talked much about art on this blog...or have I? I don't remember I've slept since then. It is a passion of mine. When I was young I planned on going to art school and living in Europe as an artist...he he...well that didn't happen. However my love of art has remained. I love painting and in the last few years I have become interested in primitive pottery.
I don't create art for anyone- I make art b/c I have too. My head is overflowing with images and concepts. My emotions are usually tied up into these images so painting and creating is cathartic and necessary for me to function in a healthy way.
The pictures I posted are of a few older paintings I have done in the past. They are all from dreams-usually influenced by my awake life, i think.
I quit painting for awhile, but have recently been filling up with ideas again so I have been working on a series. It is different from anything I have ever done, and it's more from daydreams rather than night time dreams.(did I mention I'm a "dreamer"?)but im not the only one (sorry I couldn't resist)
Here is a brief description of the paintings posted, I apologize for the poor quality of pictures. This is an ongoing theme in my blogs, but I promise soon I will post super bomb diggity pictures...(click to enlarge)
Starting with the left side going down- The top left is called, "
Wine Belly" I painted her when we were living on the Oregon coast. I would stay up late at night with a glass of red wine, listen to Eugene public radio and paint. This is still one of my favorite paintings. It hangs in my kitchen.
Below that, is a painting I did this year for an auction to raise money for a private school. I painted it while my father was ill, so it is strange to see. It was purchased at the auction so I will probably never see it again. There are hidden symbols and words that I painted over, that helped me get through this rough time. It doesn't have a name, but I call it
Morocco b/c of the textile pattern.
Beneath that is a painting I did when I was reading a lot about my Native American ancestry and listening to Pow Wow music. It has an abundance of texture that you can't really see in the pic. I call it
leather feather, It hangs in the living room.
Below this is another painting I did in Oregon. I painted her in a couple of days. I am not sure what it was all about, but I did have a miscarriage around the same time, so I think subconsciously it was about that. I love this painting, especially her shoulders and hair. I used clay and Oregon coffee grounds in this painting. I loved painting her. I don't have a name for this one.
The top right I did at the farmhouse. I had been reading and looking at books about Mongolians and Tibetans. I have a fascination with these areas of the world. I hope to someday stay in a yurt in Mongolia. I also have a slight obsession with nomadic lifestyles. I used clay from the spring on the property in this painting, along with paint.This painting is called, "
Turquoise Nomad"
Below that is a painting of a dream I had. I had been listening to CocoRosie quite a bit...maybe that influenced it. There are secrets in this painting that you probably can't see from the picture, or wouldn't know what to look for. This one is called, "
Fish Dreams".
I look forward to sharing more when they are done.
Routine- schmootine....that is the talk around here. When I am off my "game" and not keeping the house oiled and running everything and everyone seems to go a little haywire. Sometimes I forget just how important my role is at our casa. With this art exhibit now leering over my head- I have been, well...pretty wrapped up in it. Once I get in my creative mode, and especially when there is a deadline- I think, sleep and breath art. It's hard to turn it off. Normally I sleep great, but when I am working on pieces I can't seem to rest my brain. I drift into a restless sleep of paints and images and ideas and awaken groggy. I stay up way too late and my body starts to lose it's rhythm and I begin not to feel well-(it doesn't help that I have a massive toothache). When I am in the "mode" I can't seem to multi-task well- this is a mother's saving grace- so the house seems to run a bit lopsided. My husband has been so amazing. He looks past my intensities and encourages me. ( I seem to get rather moody when I am working.) He has been spending lots of time making dinners and entertaining the kids...but they need and want mom. And the house is grabbing at my feet when I walk through it (literally, the kitchen floor is just plain sticky...) So this is the journey~ I love this walk through life. The one that you must be open to. The one that if you don't remain present and keep your senses aware you miss out on all the important small stuff. The details that make the big picture more vivid. Learning balance is exciting to me,the struggle is exciting to me, growing is exciting to me. Growth is the ride down after you have struggled up the hill. I use to hold the mantra, "this is who I am" now I think, "what can I become?" If I let myself evolve and grow- if I explore all sides of myself I will only become a better mother, wife, friend, and artist. I could go on and on about this because it is something that has been on my mind so much this past year. But I will save it for another time. today I practice balance and peacefulness. 
