Painting color drenched artworks of places and things I love
It’s only because I feel like such a philistine spending all that time in hair and makeup that I started to knit. I used to spend that time studying Italian and French. Then after I had two kids, my brain turned to mush and I took up knitting. ~Felicity Huffman, actress
As if I didn’t have enough to do, I jumped in on two more shopping events in my area. Why? Well, the opportunity to show my work is one, and the possibility of selling work is the other.
Ok, at one event I sold some knitting, but at the last event I sold a notecard. Yes, one blank, folded notecard with a reproduction of one of my paintings.
With an envelope.
That’s it.
Knitting to have enough items, matting art so it looks nice, forgoing other stuff to be prepared, and I sold a notecard.
It’s just how it goes, I guess.
So, it’s a rainy and cold Monday here in New York. I don’t feel like doing anything I’m supposed to be working on. Something has to get done, but Mr. Resistance is looking at me giving me the side eye. The Muse won’t be hovering anywhere near me because, as usual, I’m not at my desk.
What else is new?
Here I am, at the computer, wasting time, in my opinion. Yes, there’s the networking stuff that has to get done, but I’m just not into it.
I’m busy daydreaming. I’m somewhere else in my head. I’m here:
Son#1 plays traditional Greek music here in N.Y. and around the country. He’s gotten really good at it and has had the opportunity to play his various Greek instruments with some top Greek artists. I’m proud of him to say the least.
He had the chance to play on a new song last year and it’s just been released as a single. It’s on iTunes and you can buy it if you like it.
When I heard the music for the first time it gave me chills and tears of pride. His name is even in the credits and there’s a photo of him playing his instrument, a lyra. I had a “That’s my kid!” moment. It’s so exciting to me.
This song reminds me of summer vacation in Greece, the sea, the sun, the deep blue waters of the islands, and the rest.
For right now, I’m on vacation. It could rain outside all day long, but if I listen to my son’s song I could be sailing to the island on a sunny, warm Aegean day, watching the waves of the deep blue water, seeing the white houses dotting the villages, the low mountains with churches and monasteries up high.
Far away.
“The lizard brain is the reason you’re afraid, the reason you don’t do all the art you can, the reason you don’t ship when you can. The lizard brain is the source of the resistance.”
― Seth Godin, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
Knitting is usually relaxing. I enjoy the feel of the yarn running through my fingers as I knit. The clicking sound of my needles is comforting and almost musical. The colors of most of the yarns I choose please me as well. The whole action of knitting, the process, is something I’m addicted to.
See this lovely little swatch of knitting? It’s so innocent as it sits waiting for me to pick it up and continue the click-clack of the needles, the rhythm of knit stitches humming along.
Just look at it. Quiet. Waiting. Pretty yarn.
Don’t be fooled, it’s a monster laying in wait.
I have knit this piece, and ripped it out to that little hole more times in the last day than I can remember. It makes me want to poke my eyes out. It is by no means a simple little knit, as advertised. No way, no how.
It’s a beast.
Just knit stitch in a pinwheel pattern they say, change colors every ten rows as you increase, then do a provisional cast on for the sleeves…
Stop the music! Their instructions for this cast on is so weird I abandoned it and searched the internet for something usable, which I found thank you very much. Still, I ripped and re-knit, finding my count off, the yarn overs unknit, dropped, you name it. Rip again. It’s my newest excuse not to paint, since I have to get this to a place where I can relax a bit.
Resistance, much?
“A victim act is a form of aggression.” ~Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
How many times have you heard of people who always have some unbelievable thing after another happen to them? This week it’s an illness, last week they couldn’t walk, and before that they were having a miserable meltdown. Everything happens to them. It’s almost comical.
Work never gets done.
Relax, I’m not saying this is me. I’m continuing my study of The War of Art because I’m always in need of that kick in the pants. Steven Pressfield brings these weird things to light and I thing to myself “Wow, that makes so much sense!” Who would think that the victim/martyr act was a form of Resistance?
“Casting yourself as a victim is the antithesis of doing your work. Don’t do it. If you’re doing it, stop.”
“It takes a lot of energy to be negative. You have to work at it. But smiling is painless. I’d rather spend my energy smiling.” ~Eric Davis, Athlete
With the holidays upon us, there is no end to the things that need doing now. Needing to address so many items on that long and getting longer to-do list, that painting will probably be the last thing that sees any action.
How is it that there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish it all? Besides, there is just no afternoons anymore here in New York. By 4PM the day is gone and it’s pitch black outside. It might as well be midnight it’s so dark and dreary. Add the wintry bluster of the weather lately, and let me tell you how much is going to get done.
Nothing! Yeah, you heard it right. Nothing is going to get done.
So I thought I would cheery myself up by listing some of my summer watercolor paintings.
A while back I was working in twenty minute segments of time to start and finish my paintings. It was, and still is, a good strategy for getting something down on the paper, or canvas if you desire, and finishing up quickly before I went too far and had to trash the work. It was a wonderful experiment and I’ve kept the strategy going even for larger work.
Twenty minutes into my work I stop. Sometimes I walk away to run an errand. I might work on my jewelry pieces, or finish another painting. Then I can return and work another twenty minutes, step away again and assess where I’m at.
Before I started working this way I would go too far, for too long, and ruin perfectly lovely work. Over detailing, too much color, too much stress, and in the trash!
Now if I could possibly use that little trick during this hectic holiday time, maybe, just a small maybe, I could get paintings moving.
Twenty minutes in the process is a possibility. Maybe not probable, but I’m trying to stay positive.
“Art usually only makes the news in America when the subject is money.” ~Jerry Saltz, critic
I don’t know how he does it, but that Mr. Steven Pressfield is one amazing, intuitive guy. Today I read a post on his blog dealing with Resistance yet again, and again, he hits home. I literally hit myself in the head with my hand as I read it.
Where does he get it all?
His post in Writing Wednesdays: Advance Forms of Resistance stopped me in my tracks because I already had an annoying morning of sorta disaster, like he describes in his post.
Tuesday is my day to study with Mr. Resistance. Did I do it? No. Did I post? No. I thought about it, but didn’t act. I did, however, do some work, thank goodness.
Hitting my stride, working out my kinks, feeling okay about the work that’s happening in the studio. I even listed some work in that Etsy shop I have. Yes I know I should be doing that right here, but I have to figure it out first, okay?
Some how I didn’t post yesterday, and today here’s Steven Pressfield, telling me that Resistance is becoming bad for his health! He banged his hand badly, cracked his skull, broke his toe, all as he was nearing the finish of his work.
Amazing thought: he says it’s Resistance! Yikes!
Surprisingly, I’ve been having that kind of stuff going on with me, but not as drastic. Yesterday inside my refrigerator it was snowing. Okay, had to fix that. This morning I knocked over my beloved fresh hot cup of coffee all over the tablecloth, the floor, and inside The Mr.’s shoes. Okay, clean that up. Just before sitting to write this post I put in a load of laundry, was distracted by some other thing and before I knew it the laundry cycle was finished and I didn’t add the clothes to the machine. Yup, it washed nothing.
Just great.
Thank you Mr. Resistance.