Clearing the studio to make room for new work is on the to-do list. For me, moving work around, discarding the trash, organizing the space gives me inspiration. Sometimes it’s so hard to even walk into my work space, but the idea of cleaning helps.
Available small works
Every piece of artwork has meaning to me. Each one has special meaning, helped me grow and moved my work forward. These were done during the time I discovered I could handle watercolor paints in all their loveliness.
Kassos, 9×12 Watercolor on paper
These works came from places in Greece that I wished to visit, and one that I did visit. The images of Greece have such a pull on my psyche that can only come out with these heavenly deep colors and blazingly bright whites.
Kalymnos, 9×12 Watercolor on paper
Clearing the studio of these small pieces of work is cathartic. It means there’s room for growth, for more, for abundance.
Amorgos, 10×8 Watercolor on paper
Moving these small pieces to new homes won’t bother me a bit either. They were my process. They were my focus. Now they can shine in a new space and make it happy.
Last week during my travels I was chatting with a woman who said she was also an artist. We swapped stories, education, and photos of our work. She was retired, much older than me, and was involved in different activities, one of which was a regular Friday morning sketch group. Like me, she made art since a kid. Cool.
Sketch #1 of model, black, brown, white conte crayons
As she inspected the photos of my artwork on my phone, she critiqued each piece with more and more enthusiasm.
“Look at the composition, how you made the eye travel in and around this work! What interesting shapes! The colors you used in this piece draws me in!”
You get the idea, right?
“I know..” I answered. “You’re not humble at all, are you?” she replied. Well, I do know my stuff. I do have my BFA diploma. How I work isn’t happenstance, it’s planned. I switched my reply to “Thanks!”
Sketch #2 of artist working, black and white conte crayon
When she mentioned I should visit the Friday sketch group, I thought it’d be a good idea if I could get myself to check it out. A model, a company of artists, a new environment, why not try it? I cleared my Friday and took a ride.
Sketch #3 of the organizer, watercolor in Moleskin
The group
When I arrived I found 10 people at work with a male model sitting against a dark fabric as a background. The woman I had met was thrilled to see me, the others, not so much. It seems there’s a limit of 20 adults, but if I joined them regularly it’d be way too many bodies jockeying for a spot. No problem! I was there on a quiet day, and maybe I won’t make another class.
Yikes!
I set up my travel easel in a corner with a view of the model, got out the conte crayons and sketched away. When I was done with the first drawing I next did one of a student at work. After that quick sketch I took out my small watercolor palette and sketched the organizer of the group. Done there, I decided one more sketch and I was out of there so I did a watercolor of the model as my last sketch. Quick and done!
Sketch #4 of the model, watercolor in Moleskin book
The loud, 1950’s music they played was just not for me. The sing-along they all did as they worked was also not for me, “On-ly youoooooo….”
I need quiet. If not quiet, then low volume classical, or talking, like a pod cast.
Next Time
I timed out at 1 1/2 hours, 4 sketches in2 different mediums, 3 poses, sort of. As I looked around at the other artists, also much older group than I am, retired sorts, but they were there 3 hours working on 1 piece in 1 medium, and the following week were going to continue on the same piece in the same pose.
While a good idea, and a change of pace for me, this sketch group is not for me. I’ll have to think of something else. Next!
New oil painting on the easel is this Greek island seascape
Getting to the easel to paint has been both a struggle and somewhat easier than usual lately. Of course, it’s the thing I most want and need to do. Then there are so many things that need attention. Don’t forget that my art studio is at my home, and everyone thinks I’m totally free.
I’m not, but Mr. Resistance is always hanging around, talking non stop, telling me what to do and not do.
Besides, Grandbaby #4 arrived recently and that has been a glorious event. Grandbabies #1, 2, and 3 need attention, too. However, this artist needs to pay close attention to herself. Since this week has been kind of free for me, I was able to put this open schedule to good use. Doing me!
The Greek monastery painting was waiting for more work, but I needed something new. I decided to start a new scene with fresh colors like this Greek island seascape. Having two works going at once could be a good thing, I thought.
The twitter art exhibit postcard was sent out to Edinburg, Scotland. Done!
Armed with new oil paints to try in these amazing turquoise and blue colors I went right in sketching the shapes, darks and lights. It just had to happen like that, without too much thought. I let my instincts take over my actions at the canvas with the brush and paints.
It felt really good to work like that, in a mindful, process only method, using the reference photo for the colors and direction.
I’ll tell you a little about the new oil paints I recently purchased to try. Besides the Gamblin paints I’ve been using, I bought Rembrandt and Michael Harding oils. Buttery feel and vivid colors from both of these companies makes painting with them an absolute joy. Keeps me at the easel longer than I think I’d paint. That is big.
Before I could ruin the progress I made in this work I stopped. Things could get ugly if I get too much in the details. Tomorrow is wide open and maybe I can finish this and move on.
As I try to decide where best to push my blogging/artwork efforts, here at WordPress or at the old Blogger, since apparently now I have 2 blogs.
Winter being what it is with ugly weather, holiday season, the new year, artwork just wasn’t making it to the schedule. Mr. Resistance is always around the corner and laughing at me. It’s not fun.
Still, I have various paintings in different stages of work: ideas, sketch, half painted, completed. Inch by inch work gets attention. If I could figure out this blogging thing I’d be on my way! But not happening, so I slog around on the last two social media platforms I use these days, twitter and IG.Posts of artwork in their stages make the grade. Here and there a finished piece and some people like or comment.
One lovely lady I’m following on Instagram is a chef of Greek origin with a cookbook of regional Greek cuisine under her belt and some really great recipes. We will occasionally like each other’s photos. She’s so nice to say she loves my paintings and just asked me if I would do cover art for her second cookbook. Well, yeah, I would!
She gave me an idea of how she’d like the artwork to look and I went with it in watercolor on paper. I was glad to move away from the oil painting I’d been working on for a breather like this. A quick sketch of a table top with a Greek seascape scene in the background and I was off to work.
All the trouble started when I decided to switch blogging platforms from Blogger to WordPress. Over on Blogger I began my online journey, gained some readers, learned a lot about online art making sites, joined in on some very interesting challenges, made “friends” so to speak with other like minded individuals.
Then WordPress came along, with all its hype and flash, and I moved it all over from Blogger. Not realizing that when I did that I then had essentially two platforms to blog on. Gone were the fun “friends”, the challenges, the readers, the excitement of writing a blog.
Here on WordPress I write my post, link it up to Blogger, where if anyone is still reading my musings, they get whooshed here with a click of the link. However, I don’t think anyone is doing all that. There’s no time left in anyone’s day to be going back and forth, looking for little old me. No comments show up anywhere anymore.
Ho hum..
But all along I’ve been working away on all kinds of things, and no one knows about any of it. Today I decided to once more pop on here and throw some things around, make the place look “lived in.” You know, messy up the living room table so it looks like people actually are present, not like a showroom with only pretty things. A book here, a pen there, nothing too sloppy, just like a good, comfy pair of worn in jeans. That kind of messy.
Messy with a purpose, if you like.
Pictured above is a montage of steps in the latest watercolor painting I just finished yesterday. See? I am at my desk working!
It’s a Greek harbor scene, surprise! I liked the sunny aspect of it, the misty mountain behind the sun splashed pavement, the houses and shops in the morning shadow. Lots of details that I’m not sure I wanted to depict, but sometimes I can’t stop working.
Maybe I’ll repost all of this over on Blogger. Maybe I won’t. Not sure how I’m going to proceed. It’s a process, and Mr. Resistance will surely let me know just exactly in which direction he’d like me to move.
As I contemplate the year that has just passed, and look forward to the new year ahead, I am both grateful and regretful. Full of hope, today I picked up my favorite book, The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield, my guru, and this quote was the first page I opened to.
It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior’s life.
-Telamon of Arcadia, mercenary of the 5th century B.C.
What do you know?
New year’s resolutions are well and good for some, but I find that every time I make them, I break them soon enough. So why bother? It’s futile.
However, there has to be a strategy to mark the months ahead. Some grand plan to not just study “war,” but “live” it. I’ve been on the losing end, in a way.
The last year gave me a lot of grief, and plenty of hope. Early on I had my first solo art exhibit that went very well and taught me some valuable lessons. Selling some work gave me validation. No sooner was the big event over that I fell into a work slump. Dashed the blog, the painting, the creation, the Muse left my side and I let other things get in my way. Resistance at it’s worst.
Here and there I pushed through only to fall into more Resistance. Why bother was my mantra. Hence, the grief.
Then a ray of light, a commission came out of the exhibit and I got myself together to get the work done. Great! Once I finished and delivered the painting I felt a sense of accomplishment. Soon after the Twitter Art Exhibit info came out and I painted and sent off my postcard sized watercolor painting. Hurrah!
Since then the tumult of winter holidays and obligations began, and there went everything to the trash.
Boom.
The hope is that I made it to the blog today to complain about it all. Spill it out, tell the story, stop studying the war and fight it.
Working at my favorite spot at Pt. Lookout Beach, NY
As it turns out, saying I’m going to get work done and actually getting work done are two totally different things. I’m the kind of person who does what I say, but Resistance is in high gear and there’s nothing.
Since I “work” from home (art studio is in the basement) I am elected to get to the stuff that all the “working” people can’t do.
You name it and it’s been thrown my way: my stuff, family members’ stuff, house emergencies, husband’s stuff, kid’s stuff, errands, appointments, business stuff, car stuff, and everyone needs me to help in their stuff one way or another.
Hey, excuse me, I know I’m at home, but I have work to do over here.
Three weeks worth of everything but painting, has been way too long away from the easel. It becomes a bad habit. Promising myself I will ignore all forms of communication and start my work every day at a set time has not been fruitful.
Never mind blogging. Who has time for that?
An artist I follow on twitter wrote a tweet this week that read: “Hi I’m David. I haven’t painted in 24 hours.” I countered with, “Hi I’m Dora. I haven’t painted in 2 weeks.” Resistance is running high with other artists, too.
However, ending my 3 week dry spell by sending myself to the beach on a warm, sunny day with an open window of time proved just the thing I needed. Food, drink, travel watercolor equipment, sand chair, and I was golden.
After I plopped myself into my chair, I set up my supplies. I chose the shells I bring along in my bag and started sketching in the watercolors. Twenty minutes maybe, and I was done.
Let’s see how my week unfolds this time around. I’ll let you know.
Painting of Patmos, Greece on the easel today, 9×12 acrylic on stretched canvas
So the Greece dream visit is over. Wonderful as it was, it’s done. August is almost finished as well, and it is high time I get myself back to making art. Being in Greece for any length of time and one can lose themselves in the beauty, the deep blues, the ocean, the light and white, the weather, the music, the food, the people..
Yeah, it’s all that, and more.
Work has been a struggle this past year. More than once I let my head get in my way. Life happens, yes, but it shouldn’t mean work, the blog, the whole thing, needed to suffer. Soon as my solo show was over I was spent.
Now that I’m home from dreamy Greece, and feeling a little better, days are my own for right now, artwork just has to happen. This week I pushed Mr. Resistance aside more than once to make sure I painted something, anything, to get into the process again. He wasn’t happy either.
Yes, I worked a little while I was away. No, it wasn’t any big deal, just some sketching in my Moleskin with watercolors a couple of beautiful beach days. I’ll show you soon enough. It’s more than I’ve done on other visits to our Greek island home. The plein air palette I purchased specifically for travel painting never made the trip with me. I was too stressed about where it would go in my bags that I couldn’t handle it. Next time.
All that being said, I have made a pact with myself. Posting to the blog must become a habit again. Rededicating my inner child artist once again to working at the easel regularly is the direction. Work isn’t going to happen by itself and the hustle has to pay off in the long run. The next art show is my focus and goal.
As long as I can continue in this manner we’ll be okay!
