An Artist's Journal

Lots of news that many already know but I'm excited to say we successfully moved our home and my studio to the Midwest. It is a new job for my husband and new vistas for me to paint! I was thrilled to complete a large commission in my former studio in Happy Valley, OR before having the sad job of dismantling that wonderful studio space.  I look forward to creating my next home studio.  For now I am making due in our rental space and finding lots of subjects of interest to put to canvas.  Travels have also interrupted my usual painting time but this all adds to my repertoire of photos, colors, and inspiration!

I miss my painting pals from Orgeon and am currently looking for any plein air painters in this IL area to paint outdoors (as weather permits). I have found an Art League in the nearby town of Ottawa in order to get to know local artists.  Still much to get used to and hope to keep adding to my blog as a journal of this experience.  My first entry is the painting above that I recently painted during a studio rental in Door County, WI.  The Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek, WI allows artists to rent space during the break between workshops.  There is also a wonderful art exhibit currently at their Guenzel Salon Gallery.  See details on their website.  

My recent studio paintings were done alongside art colleagues from WI. Many are part of the Cedarburg Artists' Guild in Cedarburg,WI.  It is so great to be reunited again.  The room we rented upstairs is called the "Garret" Room.  These artists have been painting together for years and have a current exhibit called "10x10 Paint, Color, Blend by the Garret Girls" at Plymouth Arts Center in Plymouth Wisconsin. Jan.25- March 29.  Check it out if you are in the area!

Door County is a vacation destination and a haven for art, artists, and galleries.  There is so much to see and do in every season so please check out the many websites you will find about this area.  It's also widely known for it's tasty tart and sweet cherries and cherry orchards thus my alla prima oil painting above entitled "The Door County Ten" 3x12, in honor of my friends.  What a fun time painting it too!  I'll be back...

Coping with Change

I chose to share a calm painting I did of the coast this year.  It gets me in the best mood to write today.  I have been concentrating on smaller studio works lately.  I could add a number of quotes dealing with the subject of change but for sake of brevity pictures will have to do.  Circumstances have brought on the necessity to sell our home we've loved so dearly which of course includes my wonderful studio space.  I have found it quite a challenge to be in my "zone" when the business of selling a house seems like a full time job in itself and includes scheduled Open Houses and last minute showings.  All necessary of course, but difficult just the same.  I'm missing the quiet concentration time which allows for the process of planning and executing a fine studio painting.  On a positive note it actually has been enlightening for me to evaluate my own process as a painter and I appreciate that new knowledge.

However, little consistency affects my normal routines and exercises which is another reason I have been short on blogging time and have had to forgo future painting events and shows not knowing if I will actually be in the NW to participate. I still enjoy exhibiting my current works at Aurora Gallery in Vancouver.

In the meantime, I would like to share our YouTube video developed by a photographer and our Realty company listed on the video.  It has been a fun professional relationship accomplishing this video.  It  feels like a collaborative work of art in itself.  For those of you familiar with artists and the art process you understand the amount of "stuff" artists accumulate in their surroundings to inspire and encourage creative works.  Knowing this you will appreciate all the work and time it took to clear clutter in order to make the house the main subject of the creative work produced!  Until more quiet painting times I'm enjoying other pieces of my art life that change requires; sorting through art magazines, files, reference photos, etc. For now I leave you with our temporary collaborative video and promises of more updates as my art life evolves...(any artists out there looking for a new home with the perfect studio space?) http://www.youtube.com/embed/IjOAyLW8eA4?rel=0

Happy Earth Day Everyone!

 

I love this message a friend shared with me today and am passing it along to all my blogging friends today.

 

Will leave you with your own thoughts and activities to celebrate the day that makes us aware we are not alone on this planet.

 

I for one have the opportunity to paint today so hope it adds some pizzazz rather than just "EH"

 

 

Also want to add a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who helped, visited, purchased, and/or otherwise enjoyed my Art Studio Sale with me last weekend. I appreciate each and everyone of you!

Congratulations to the winner of the painting "Moored for the Night" which was raffled at the sale.  The winner was notified Mon.
 

Studio Sale Invitation!

New Vision  +  Full Studio =  Buyer's Benefit

Studio Sale Invitation...

I am not a machine!

“Where the Spirit does not work with the hand there is no art”

-Leonardo da Vinci

How true this statement is to me. I had a period of time this past summer when I was not able to work at my art. Instead I dealt with a brush of another kind; Breast Cancer. It just came out of nowhere and hit me like a brick. Initially an entire team of health care professionals swooped in and guided my way through the process. After going through the necessary steps to rid the body, treat the body, and heal the body, the emotional impact of the experience surfaced. My life became a maze of scheduled surgeries, treatments, and procedures. Just as suddenly as the news was given to me, so too was the suddenness of a halt of activity. Next came a time to wait, to heal, to rest, to think. Later the follow up appointments once again. In the meantime; stillness, self talk, sleep, slow down, prayer, inner connections, peace, quiet, reflections, introspection, contemplation, meditation. This is where “Spirit” entered the picture-the bright side of this experience. Much simmered beneath the surface as I let that source guide me. Not a time for action. No outings, no blogging, no painting. But much learning no less. A lot of imagined brush strokes, dreams of colors and shapes different from my usual realism. Mental sketches of images that I was unfamiliar with but somehow felt calming to me and right. I did a lot of reading and guided imagery meditation in order to find meaning in what I was experiencing. Many thanks to my friends and family who supported me through this period of time.

A small gathering around Christmas made me realize how much I had missed my friends near and far which impacted my need to get back in the saddle again. But so like my “old self,” I immediately started explaining and apologizing to others about not painting, blogging, or keeping up with social media. A friend put his arm around my shoulders and said: “Pam, it’s OK, you are an Artist, you are NOT a Machine...it is a process to create.” What a heavy weight off my shoulders once again. All artists are different in their approach to their work. We are all affected by outside forces but each has a unique way of incorporating and utilizing what is happening inside. For me, the connection with my inner source or spirit was so necessary that it was worth the time to process the meaning of what life was throwing my way. I also learned that I don’t have to feel badly about taking time for myself or not having daily paintings to show for it. What I need to remember is that paintings don’t begin with the hand or the brush but rather the inner guidance of Spirit.

So however the Spirit moves me....

Looking For New Homes

As I look back at my last post I realize how time flies when you're having fun. Working in the studio makes time fly faster than seeing your children all grown up and wondering when that happened! Art works are like your family. You live with them all around you, some you know are ready to fly out the door, some still need a little 'tweaking' here and there, and others are so precious you don't want to part with them. But no holding back, my paintings are ready to find fresh new walls! That said, I have two concurrent solo shows in the Portland area to share with you.

Thanks to Providence Health and Services and Clackamas County Arts Alliance, I will be the exhibiting artist at Providence Milwaukie Hospital Gallery from Tues. Apr 19th through Tues. July 19th, 2011. Directions for the hospital can be found on the Providence site. The Hospital Gallery is in the first hallway on the right after entering the building from lot D. Hopefully you will enjoy the works as a visitor, patron or employee. I have heard so many good things about the gallery space from other artist friends and health care professionals.

I am also pleased to have been invited to exhibit at the beautiful new location for Dwell Realty at 5625 NE MLK Jr. Blvd in Portland. The offices have plenty of windows to enjoy an artistic view inside and out. As a participant in Portland's Last Thursday Art Event please consider this your invite to join in the festivities Thurs. April 28th at their new digs and enjoy music, snacks, beverages, fine art, and great company! The exhibit will be up through the end of May. Hope to see you there to celebrate with professional (and fun loving) owners, Tracy Hicks and Chris Guinn. Check out their Face book page. There you will find a descriptive post card announcing this event. You can also see fun photos from their grand opening party in the new neighborhood. Maybe my paintings will literally find NEW HOMES! With a few dozen works leaving my studio space, I am already enjoying the elbow room for working on larger canvases! So this is what an empty nest is all about.

As always I appreciate you taking the time to peruse my blog, events, and artworks on my website as well. The image above "Window Box Geraniums" is one of 14 art works at Providence Milwaukie. Click here for one of the images appearing at Dwell Realty.

Have an art filled month, a Happy Easter, and hopefully SUNNY SPRING WEATHER SOON!

Winds of Change or Where I want to be?

"You're always on your way somewhere. The key is: find a way to be happy wherever you now are on your way to where you really want to be."

--- Abraham (Excerpted from the workshop in Detroit, MI)

Having just returned from a fabulous family vacation this inspirational message arrived in my email in-box. I realize it has many levels of meaning but having just been basking on a tropical beach in Mexico for the first time in my life, I am honestly feeling like I WANT TO GO BACK! Especially looking ahead at our weather forecast in the NW. I felt so happy and warm on that beach, and the ocean was so clear and inviting...OK, but that was vacation. Back to reality!

You can compare the painting above that I did in the rain last spring across from the Woodburn Tulip Festival , and compare it to the photograph below that I took in Mexico last week. Which would you choose? Silly question. However, there is a lot to this message considering what is going on in our world today. For example one year ago I entitled my painting "Winds of Change". How could I have even dreamed of the current 'winds of change' in world news originating in Egypt, Libya, or even WI?? Look at what people are feeling and doing for the sake of freedom and happiness. It is exciting, exhilarating, and a little scary too. As an artist I feel so privileged to be able to create a work of art that can be beautiful and meaningful and inspired by any of these happenings; my feelings during vacation, my emotional reaction to world events, whatever. These could all influence my mood when I'm at the easel. At any given moment depending upon what is happening around me I may feel happiness, sadness, elation, fear, etc. But as the saying goes, life moves on and so do our emotions and reactions to the experiences around us. As an artist I want to be able to leave others with the joyful, warm feelings I love to experience. Like when I'm actually in the zone of creating a piece of art. It in itself makes me happy and that's a beautiful thing. I realize having taken a vacation recently I came home refreshed and renewed with such a light feeling that I want to savor it as long as possible. By visualizing it, reliving it and painting in that 'space' my paintings should in essence convey that same message to the viewer. So I decided to CHOOSE to paint that which makes me feel so. It seems while being in that mood other externals, like the news or politics, etc. seem less intense, serious, or morbid. I will see how long I can hang on to this 'vacation' space that I'm feeling now and try to carry it forward with me. After all, I'm "always on my way somewhere." On another level, it also means that even though I may be happy where I am now in my art process, I am still on my way to where I want to be! Great concept; rather than being disappointed with where I am (not far enough for that inner critique for instance) I can just remember I'm already on my way! To that next level? Of course, that's where I want to be! (Or maybe the next vacation? Better stick to my imagination there in order to keep it financially realistic!) After all artists have to have enough cash for those paints, canvases and frames that make us happy too.