More Marbles

Triple Play

I have been doing a lot of work in the studio, but little of it has anything to do with artistic expression. It has been mostly sanding, wall and trim painting, dusting, sorting and general organizing of supplies. Over a lifetime an artist collects enough materials to open their own art supply store. For these materials to be usable they each have to be stored a certain way. Some papers should be rolled, some should be stored flat and all must be stored out of direct light. And that's just the papers. There are the exacto razors, scissors, pens, pencils, tapes, glues which need little cubbies and drawers. Then there are the shelves for gesso primer, painting mediums, glazes and paint. Stretched canvases need to be stored on a wrack that we are designing and building to suit my specific needs. Let's just say it's enough to keep me busy for quite a while.

There's busy, and there's productive. As an artist I have not been productive in too long a time. So I challenged myself to enter a juried competition. I looked through a series of listings and decided to enter a small works show. The description is deceiving, because it means big time art in a limited number of square inches. Since I had no current works, I would have to produce the work, ... in ten days- three works in ten days. It took five pieces before I had three that I thought were good enough to enter.

I love these marbles. I love their spherical shape. I love the crazy wonderful colors. I love the highlights and the shadows. I never tire of drawing them. They are equally sophisticated and playful. They pose a number of challenges, but there's excitement about solving the design problems and watching these shapes come to life on a sheet of gray pastel paper. In the past I used pastel to render marble drawings. This time I decided to use colored pencils so I could crispy render my subjects in this small space. I stretched myself as an artist and although it was a lot of pressure, I'm glad I did.

The Date

On a glorious June morning, I had a" why not" moment. I had been constrained by schedules and promises to others for so long that I felt like the proverbial mouse who runs through a maze. Feeling parched, I thirsted for something that was lacking in my life. That particular Saturday morning I put aside my list of things to do and drove up a winding tree lined highway. My destination was the botanical gardens. A place that I've spent a lot of time doing plein air. That day I just walked around drinking in the sounds, the light, the feel of the gardens. A week later, I brought along my sketchbook to a sprawling park that hugs the Huron River. This, too, was a place where I have been painting for years. This day I sketched the park and the people along the bank of the river who were fishing. Later that week I was caught in a snarl of traffic because of construction and the Farmers' Market. Now this called for a detour of plans. Luckily I had enough change to feed the parking meters. I found my favorite vendor at the Market and had enough time to slip into a few of my favorite shops. I left with bits and bobs of things I can incorporate into my art.

Julia Cameron would call these experiences, "Artist Dates". If you don't already know her writings start with THE ARTIST'S WAY. It's the book that probably saved my creative life. I am by nature a people pleaser and by experience, a dutiful person. Unlike the current pop psychology, I see the value in these traits. The problem happens when you never make it onto your own "To Do" list, when you shirk the duty to be the person you were created to be. It's called artist block. I fought my way out of just such a block with the tools and techniques that Cameron writes about. One is journaling, which she calls "Morning Pages". I have been doing them for a dozen years. This alone is a gift to self. Another is the "Artist Date".

This "date" is with yourself, your thoughts, your dreams and wishes. It's about spending a least an hour a week with yourself. We seem to lose this ability in the service of being responsible adults. Remember when school was out for the Summer and after you made your bed, had breakfast and brushed your teeth the rest of the day was yours to "puddle about"? For me that would have been sitting under an ancient lilac bush heavy with scented blooms or riding my bike as fast I could up a hill so I could coast down the other side with my feet in the air. An Artist Date is just that simple. It's whatever feeds your soul , tickles your fancy. It's the opportunity to dream with your eyes open.

The Things We Do For Love

I have been "out of studio" for way too long. My fingertips itched to be making art. I've wearied of dragging my things somewhere else to work. I wanted to be surrounded with north light from the skylights, not dangling off the corner of the kitchen table. Hubby and I had a talk and found a way to give me some working time in the studio. Since the studio isn't quite finished it's a temporary situation. My usual way of working is to pin up reference photos. Hmmmmmm? That's when I noticed the ladder and painter's tape. Eureka! I do believe every artist should have a ladder in their studio!

Just The Spot

My home is decorated in a style I can only describe as quirky with a vintage feel. Those things that surround me daily are souvenirs of my life's journey. They are more likely to be from Indiana than India. Last year I did an experimental piece which I blogged about 1/19/10 (What The Lilies Know). Although I'm not sure if the piece is finished yet, it seems to have found a home above my china cabinet, which surprises me. I certainly didn't do it for that spot. It's a very personal piece and I always knew that I was going to keep it, but above the china cabinet....! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I painted that too.

The Studio, Now...

My studio is a "work in progress", as they say. Packed my last studio into boxes and loaded them onto a truck in the Autumn of 2002. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd still be visiting those boxes in the storage locker nine years later. Being a creative person I've come up with temporary solutions, like sketch books that I can drag around, switching to a more portable media and plein air painting. I attend workshops to sharpen my skills, but mostly I dream .... of when or if the studio gets finished. I have drawn sketches of where the drawing board will go and the desk. I can see this room in my mind's eye and where every last brush will be. It will be the best studio space I will ever have had. It's on the second floor of the house and stretches along then entire north side. The main space is about 240 square feet with three sky lights and we installed French doors which open onto an exterior deck that looks out into the woods. Now that it's Spring, we hope, soon, to install the spiral stairs down to the garden below. Since this was once the Master Bedroom, there was a large walk in closet. It now has a stainless steel hand sink, counter and we're building in cubbies and shelves next. As you can see I've been bringing home this and that from storage and it's all stacking up. The only painting going on in the studio is the ceiling and walls, but I do have walls,...and a floor! I'm still dangling off the edge of the kitchen table or using the steering wheel for my sketch book. Yet do I dream.

The Studio, Then...

Winter's Rest

For so many years, I lived and worked in a major city. I spent a good deal of time negotiating expressways. One wintery evening I was weaving through urban traffic while listening to the Fine Arts station. An author was being interviewed. She had recently published a volume of poetry that praised the wisdom of the seasons. There was a question about Winter. She patiently explained that in the city, Winter is a hardship because we feel the need to keep to the same schedules and have the same expectations that we have the rest of the year. As often as not our experience and our expectations do not meet and we are disappointed. In the country however, there is this pause. You might call it a seasonal palette cleanser. Winter is a silent, peaceful time when the land rests. The beasts rest, and so too does man.

It would be years before I packed up my urban studio and moved to the country, but since that very first Winter I knew she had been right. There are no more salty curbside puddles of gray slush in my world. I am surrounded by monochromatic splendor. I embrace Winter like a dear friend whose visit I have eagerly awaited. We sit together, close to the fire in the evenings, and take our rest.