My Creativity Journal
Sorry it has been a long time between posts. December was a very busy month for my business and for me personally. It feels good to be writing on my site again. Seven new works have been put on the site since my last post. Four of them are additions to my quote series. It amazes me how fun it is to add more paintings to my series. I have never been one to create a series, my work has always been on an individual basis. But this has been a really neat experience, almost like they are sisters, connected only like a family can be.
This yellow one, Life Is In Your Hands, is my husband’s favorite of the new four. I have heard that from some friends too. I always enjoy hearing the feedback of others. Mostly I enjoy hearing why it is their favorite. But if you know me, I like to know why we do everything. He feels it is very balanced composition wise but also the most realistic portrait I have done. Realistic is secondary to me, first I want to convey a single moment and emotion side by side with words that narrate your experience. This quote probably pertains to most of us from time to time:
Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.
That would be my wish for all of you this new year, to live all the days of your life. Just like I hope to capture small moments of life on canvas, I hope you live each moment with all the breath and spirit you have inside.
I came to my computer tonight, checking my e-mail more so out of habit than anything, but I got a wonderful surprise. I received an e-mail from a college student majoring in Art History and Art Conservation. She had stumbled across my site and sent an e-mail filled with compliments. I felt like I was reading a note from a dear friend, but I was hearing from a complete stranger. My art work had reached another, left an impact and moved someone enough to write to me. I can’t tell you what that means to an artist, at least to me. I appreciate it. So thank you. Thank you for taking your time to write to me and for taking the time to look through my work and read my journal. Our many similarities made me smile and I wish you all the best in your artistic future. May you live with the courage to pursue your dreams.
This Saturday, November 12, 2005 is the Mattie Rhodes Center Mask & More Auction. I was introduced to the Mattie Rhodes Center through my Regional Manager at my old graphic design job. She is on the board. Knowing my interest in art, she encouraged me to make a mask to donate to the auction. But more importantly to the cause. The history of the Mattie Rhodes Center is pretty fascinating. Mattie at a very young age died and left $500 to the children of Kansas City. Today, the center offers art exhibits and classes to the youth of our city that would not have those opportunities otherwise. Needless to say I was happy to make a mask, and find myself looking forward to it each year.
As I made my mask for this year, I found myself reflecting on the sad reality that art is no longer being offered to our kids. My sister is a first grade teacher and they don’t have art. THEY DON’T OFFER ART CLASSES! I just can’t believe it! If we stop the creative encouragement at such a young age, why do we think they’ll pick it back up as young adults? How many studies need to be done to prove the importance of art and music in the development of our children. Although I sound like an angry parent, I am not, I don’t have kids. But I do feel passionate about the arts being offered to our young future. I hope it changes. I hope that our schools can stop making cuts in the fine arts department. I hope we as a society will stand up and say it isn’t ok, so if our kids need to be exposed in other ways, we will do that.
If you are free this Saturday, I would suggest going to the auction. It is at Rees Masilionis Turley Architecture, 908 Broadway, KCMO. It is a wonderful evening of food, live music and art. What else is really cool about the auction is not only are local artists featured, but the children that attend the Mattie Rhodes art programs all make masks as well. You would be surprised at the talents and variety shown. The masks are wonderful and this year they have included paintings and jewelry as well. All proceeds go to the Mattie Rhodes Center to continue its outreach to the youth of our city. It is a wonderful cause and should be a great evening!
I am sure that my thoughts are nothing new. I am sure that many artists find themselves thinking about similar situations. Some days I find myself more positive in my thinking. I believe that my paintings will be hanging in a gallery (hopefully my own at some point), that I will have a solo art show in New York City and that my paintings sell out in that show ( I have watched Great Expectations too many times; Ethan Hawke’s first exhibit sells out). I have all kinds of thoughts like that. Good thoughts. And other days I struggle.
Sometimes I feel like I run an orphanage and my paintings are the children. I want to find them good homes, I want them to belong in someone’s life and make a difference. I want them to touch their parents’ hearts, to be an extension of themselves. I want someone to walk past one and feel like they can’t live without that, they must take it home. Some days I fear I will be surrounded by my paintings forever, that my “children” will never be “adopted”. What if they don’t touch someone’s life? What if they don’t find their match? What if I am Miss Hannigan and Daddy Warbucks only comes for Annie and the other 32 paintings surround me forever?
I know I need to move past the fears of those thoughts. Doubt stops the progress. Most days I continue to work on new paintings and ideas. I can only control my efforts to continue painting. I can only control the vision that I have and put it onto canvas. The safe part of my job is painting what others ask me to paint. I come into a home and paint the requested mural or painting to match an existing decor. The scary part for me is when I put myself out there with my personal work. What then? Who, if anyone likes that? Is it speaking to anyone besides me?
I will never stop painting, it is like oxygen to me. And I will keep my goals out in front of me, reaching toward them at all times. But if I haven’t been heard from in a while, check my studio, the pile of paintings may have buried me alive. Until then, I look forward to the day my paintings hang in a gallery, and to my first solo art exhibit, and to my first entrance into the Plaza Art Fair, someday…
I never intended to develop my Quote Paintings as a series. The funny thing is the original idea I had for a painting that included words hasnt been done yet. It is still locked in my head. Sometimes my ideas stay there for a while until it is time to put them down. I know exactly what it will look like it just hasnt come out yet. In the mean time, four others have emerged rather quickly and about eight more are in the beginning stages. The first one I actually committed to canvas was the painting Soul Mates.
My quote paintings happen in different stages. Sometimes the image comes to me first and I search for the words that will be married to the image. Other times I have the image and I try to find the perfect words to express what my painting is saying. With Soul Mates , I had this image I wanted to paint for about six months because I found it to be so real. It is a small moment that happens between a couple, a moment where the man brings his hand around to the ladys waist and she instinctively places her hand on top of his. It could only last a few minutes, but it does happen, and there is something very sweet about those expressions of affection that go on between two people. Although I loved the hands on their own I wanted to capture the moment in a thoughtful way, find a way to reflect on a feeling or memory…and then it came to me.
One of my favorite books has always been The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
I am nothing special; of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts, and I’ve led a common life. But I have loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.
I find this to be one of the most amazing quotes on love. Because love isnt the extravagant celebrations or the glamorous locations, it is daily, it is unconditional, it is a connection that one feels with another. And that connection is special and rare. Some would say when you find that, you have found your soulmate. The title of the painting comes from a couple different places for me. One is from my own, personal definition of love that I have experienced with my husband. Another is from the book because Allie and Noah exemplify my definition of soulmates. And a final reason would be the image itself, because a moment like that of the hands may be meaningless to some couples but to soulmates, it is the connection that will hold them together forever.
When my husband was redesigning my web site I told him I wanted to have a journal on my site to discuss some of my projects. I have always enjoyed hearing artists talk about their work. I always understood a painting more once the creator explained it. So I wanted to have a place where I could talk about some of my paintings and murals you see on my site. I also wanted to have a place I could extend my gratitude publicly to my clients.
I have the opportunity to work with many wonderful people and my experiences with them mean a lot with me. Please visit my journal often as I plan to post to it as much as I can. I will talk about my work as well as other artists I admire and where my inspiration comes from. I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to comment on any of the entries. I look forward to welcoming you into my creative journey.