questing journey
I’m listening to Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring as read by Andy Serkis. Though I’ve read the trilogy a couple of times to myself, and read it out loud to others two times, I’ve never had it read to me and I am enjoying it. This drawing doesn’t have any specific relation to the book, but I’m pretty sure the sense of travel and adventure, with a fair does of discomfort and danger, is leaking over into my art.
this one is from 11-18-24, but I tidied up the paint in studio, and tidied it up some more in digital form, so this is the current state of the print-ready picture. The image from my original post is below; I wonder if the cleanup is a good thing or not, it seems to take out some of the life but satisfies a strong urge I have for tidiness.
my process on this one? I have had “portrait” orientation as a default for a long time. If the thought of “landscape” crosses my mind when I look at the paper, I turn it right then. Usually. This time, I said nope, and the very next image in my mind was a giraffe-like creature that would not fit comfortably unless the paper was tall. Sadly for me, the creature came out more like a giraffe than like what I had in my mind, but for today this will have to do.
after an image behind my eyelids as I lay sleepless the other night.
As leavening, here are two paintings I have updated enough to put them away for now.
Away from studio today, doing a painting project for a friend – decorating her Sukkah. A beautiful structure, in a beautiful spot!
more progress on the ATCs, no regular daily art.
Almost done with these things, I hope to be back on my usual art routine this evening!
i ended up spending my studio time getting started on my Artist Trading Cards for the October swap (I’m late!!) They’re based on an older daily art that I’m still working on, so I included that in the photo as well.
Here’s another view of my worktable, just for j=fun
And below is a photo of my current display at Harmony Collective Artist Gallery. I started a couple months ago to start doing a sort of long term retrospective. Starting with 2013, I’m showing selected daily drawings on the wall and putting more of them (the less-polished ones) in the bin below. I’ve gotten up to April, May and June of 2013.
This post is a walk-through of the art show I have up during the month of June. It’s not in a very easy to access location, and solo shows are not a thing I have often done. So this post is for anyone who wants to see what’s in the show, but can’t get there in person!
All the art in the show is framed, and selling for $70 each (except for “SUM”, which is $500).
DAILY DREAMINGS
The Practice of Daily Art
I have always loved making art, but resisted defining myself as an Artist. Failing to find satisfaction in other pursuits, I eventually went to art school for a couple of years (the School of the Art Institute of Chicago). I loved my explorations there, but decided that I did not want to pursue a career in art-making or teaching. So I stopped making much art, for a long time.
In 2009 I recognized that I missed art-making, and felt sad about it. So that October I began a practice of making a drawing every day. I have continued the practice, more or less uninterrupted, to the present day.
Each day I face a blank piece of paper, and spend time making some kind of picture. I show all the pictures on my website, as a form of accountability. The time is spent in meditation, exploration, and play. I listen to intuition and subliminal inspiration, and find images and connections I might not be able to reach using words. I try not to get blocked or derailed by value judgments or expectations; the point is the music of lines and colors. These drawings and paintings are results of that practice.
“Sum” – 1988,~3′ x 4′, graphite on paper
This was one of the last pieces of art I made before I gave up the practice for two decades. I had it professionally framed, to remind myself of the work that I had put in up to that point.
INNER CRITICS
When I began my daily art practice, I ran into a chorus of inner voices with a lot to say about it. These ideas, expectations, and judgments had led me to give up on art-making for years. They offered me all kinds of reasons to give up and stop now.
As I persisted, it became clear that I couldn’t really make them shut up. But I could get them to go sit in another room and leave me be; I was going to make art, whatever they thought of it.
I’ve occasionally made portraits of some of those Inner Critics, teasing apart characters that offer reasons and excuses for not spending time and energy doing something that I love.
The Critics are not useless; they encourage me to be clear about what I am doing, and why. It’s worth paying at least enough attention to refute their unkind words.
I believe that all forms of creative expression are what gives life meaning. It’s how we understand our existence and connection with each other and the world. Each of the Critics holds a grain of truth, but they lie when say it is the whole of the Truth.
Maybe creative expression will not save the world, but it does give people a reason to think the world is worth saving.
It’s also really true that if you do something with intention every day, you can learn a lot about it, and also about yourself!
DAILY DREAMINGS
…a little selection of my daily art…
I didn’t get to my studio today; I was making signage for my show that’s opening on Friday. So instead I’ll post from my little gallery of inner critics here. As with all my daily art, these are on 9″ x 12″ Stonehenge paper. Mostly all ink and acrylic.
INNER CRITICS
When I began my daily art practice, I soon ran into a chorus of voices that had much to say about what I was doing. These ideas, expectations, and judgments had a lot to do with my giving up on art-making for so long. They offered me all kinds of reasons to give up and stop now.
I persisted, and it became clear that I couldn’t really get them to shut up. But I learned that I could get them to go sit in another room and leave me be; I was going to do my daily art, whatever they thought of it.
Now and then I’ve made pictures to represent some of those inner critics. It amuses me to tease apart different characters that offer reasons and excuses not to spend my time and energy doing something that I love.
Please meet some of my Inner Critics; perhaps some of them may sound familiar?
The Critics are not without value; they lead me toward being clear about what I am doing, and why.
It’s worth paying some attention, at least enough to refute their unkind words.
I believe that the forms of creative expression – art, music, dance, cooking good food, making useful and beautiful things for any reason or no reason – are what gives life meaning. It’s how we connect as humans, and how we understand our existence and connection with the world. Each of the Critics holds a grain of truth. But they lie when they try to make me believe that their point is the whole of the Truth.
It may be true that creative expression will not save the world, but it does give people a reason to think the world is worth saving.
It’s also really true that if you do something with intention every day, you can learn a lot about the thing, and also about yourself!
this is what happened on an evening when I had absolutely nothing in mind for inspiration, and felt like even making yet another art on paper was a pointless waste of time. So I just started a doodle to amuse myself. First came the big eye/fish shapes in the background, then this little being emerged, maybe an emissary from an inner critic? I mean, who is really watching anyway?
eyespider 