Stickin' Ideas Together

I figured it's time to follow up on the Jill Pilon class. Wowzers was it fantastic! Jill is a true inspiration and a natural teacher, (being a mom to three children likely helps). The painting above is simply my sample board from the class. To me it's a great painting in its own right. Jill encourages experimentation, curiosity, pushing of comfort zones and accepting happy accidents. The freedom, permission and sense of accomplishment I felt after attending her class is a testament to her supportive nature. I'm hungrily reworking my on-going ultrasound paintings with a revived urban edge and some of that raw expression I've been craving to express. Feelin' good... and frankly lookin' good! I'll post one of them soon.

Recently I was invited to participate in a group show celebrating the artwork and history of the Joker card. The curator's partner has an impressive collection of these playing cards and wanted a forum to display and share them; therefore, sharing a passion of his with the boutique's collection of artist was a natural development. My entry, "Who is not a fool?", is approx. 8"x24" made with acrylic paint, collaged paper with a final resin coating on a wooden cradled panel. I approached the challenge of creating a painting based on someone else's interest the same I would a graphic design job. I researched, sketched out ideas, planned, referred to the "design brief" many times and then executed & refined my painting. In the end I felt I had successfully interpreted the brief. However, I was concerned that maybe I was being too literal to include numbers, card symbols, even the set up of 2 card-like forms. Perhaps I it is to

Have you ever tried to balance anything such as standing on one foot, or holding a cup full of tea on a saucer while walking quickly, or 2 dates in one evening...? Tough stuff, right? I find a challenge in balancing my time so I can paint. O.K. so I don't have copywrites to that issue, but it's still a struggle. Local artist Robert Genn regularly address this complaint in his bi-weekly newsletter. His suggestions often include the direct approach such as prioritize . And he's right. For me I believe that prioritizing is a huge challenge. Because my livelihood is currently not dependent on my painting, it falls under the category of "hobby". And, between my family, work, and standard house-hold duties, personal time is limited. So why I am bitchin' about this? Well basically because it's my blog and I can. Additionally because I am reflecting on what's real and what am I putting up as barricades & excuses. Lately I have taken a different appr

A colleague of mine forwarded me a link to a truly inspirational speaker. Below is the intro as posted on TED as well as the link for you to listen to. I believe the world is healing as a result of the actions and sharing of people like Brene: Brene Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.  Brene Brown On Vulnerability.

No words are actually needed with this post, but I will write something anyway.  Basquiat . His work is raw, energetic, inspired and uninhibited. I strive to express as he did. Maybe the more I practice not to care about the results, the rawness of my original intent will shine through. Time will tell. In the meantime, I'll be attending a weekend workshop this weekend hosted by local Vancouver artist, Jill Pilon . Her work has a similar graffiti spontaneity to it. I'm looking forward to learning some new techniques! I'll keep you posted on my progress!

In spite of noting that my current art is "status quo" I feel it's evolving. I am continuing to explore the concept of creation via pregnancy; the concept of growing a human within our own body and as well as the fact that some couples cannot have a baby. Some choose to adopt, some in vitro and some simply hope & pray. It's all deep soul and heart-aching material that's beautiful but not pretty. In fact it's usually messy & often tumultuous. And it stirs me. To support my interest not only do I have my fairly recent status as Mother to inspire me, but close relatives, friends & a family member of mine have also become proud parents after years of trying. I feel humbled by the ease at which they have adapted to their new roles & their new lives. The deep joy of having their heart's desire fulfilled makes most of the common new parent challenges seem like a walk in the park compared to the past pain of living month to month wondering if thi

Well 2011 is well underway & I'm only just surfacing to say hello. Hello! I thought I'd chat about a fav collage artist of mine, Tisha Moore. Tisha, who BTW I've never met but been a fan of for a good 10yrs, lives in neighbouring Seattle. She has evolved her art way beyond personal interest. She is integral to a number or annual retreats, such as Artfeast & Fiberfest. She holds workshops & is a guest speaker at many events. Additionally she's designed for Stampington . Before I go further, check her out . How cool is all that? What I love is Tisha's use of colour, her "jaunty" juxtapositioning of elements. I love how she seems to design with abandon. Always a strong focal point but energy & vibrance abound. And of course her ever present & obvious love of typography! She offers a great overview of her style on her journal pages . I'd like my bedroom to feel the way that looks! After immersing myself in her Journal Pages for t