Blog vacation

My blog has had a prolonged vacation.  We moved house in 2016 to live in a much smaller house in the same town.  This move was a whirlwind activity and required much sorting out, throwing out and donating many items, all within a few weeks.  I decided it was time to put aside enameling after 44 years learning, practising, and teaching this ancient art form.  Consequently I donated my kiln and all supplies and tools to one of our local high schools.  It we quite some time before I was inspired once more to make art, and this came about in an unexpected and wonderful way; I had an amazing dream.  It was vivid, colorful, terrifying, and inspiring.  I was uplifted for weeks following this experience and was inspired to paint the various parts of the dream.  This led to creating a Blurb book I called "Use Your Wings", and was a delightful experience.

After time out

After a two year lapse I am back to blogging.  We moved house, down - sized, removed excess stuff including metalworking materials and tools etc.  I also decided it was time to give up enameling after 45 years.  It was an easy decision and timing was perfect.  Life requires that we give up that which is no longer so important, but this sometimes takes a while because we tend to hold on to what is familiar, even if it becomes a burden. Lately, I have enjoyed just playing with watercolors, drawing intricate designs with lots of circles, and making handmade books.  these books have several purposes; to accommodate my small drawings, poems, and especially a vivid, inspiring dream I had a few months ago.  I will address these in later posts.  For now it is good to get back to the blog, pay attention to the quiet whispers of soul and listen deeply.

 

Mandala 4

I much enjoy the calm and quietness of making one mark at a time without much preplanning except for choosing a color palette.





More playing with paint

Summer has flown and winter is just around the corner.  I have continued playing with paint, pouring, tilting the board, letting colors flow.  It is freeing and lots of fun.

We recently returned home after attending the Society of Layerists in Multi media,(SLMM), conference in Hays, Kansas.  It was a wonderfully inspiring experience of visiting artists' studios, exploring the outsider art in Russell, Kansas, taking workshops, and most of all enjoying the camaraderie of like- minded artists , spouses, and guests.  I am honored to serve as a board member for SLMM and promote our premise of cooperation, sharing, helping each other, rather than the completion so prevalent in art and life.  On our return home I continued working on collages and find this process great for developing design skills.  Sometimes it is one step forward and two back but the results are gratifying.  Ahh, the joys of intuitive painting!

Experimenting

Creativity requires practice and experimentation in order to learn new ways of working, new ideas, encourage new growth and new directions.  Taking risks go along with this exploring, so we are going to have results which we don't want and may discard.  The treasures are the new discoveries which are revealed as we practice, and the rewards are a deep feeling of joy and satisfaction.  It is well worth the effort, time, 'wasted' art supplies.  I have been playing with pouring acrylic paints and really enjoying the process of giving up some control as the paint flows and moves and mingles with other colors.  The results mirror the actual flowing of water and have a freedom which the brush cannot make.  Isn't art wonderful!

"Flowing Waters"

Continuing the adventure...

Our evenings at home are peaceful; my husband plays the piano, or we watch and/or listen to snippets of music,opera, soloists, old movies etc., on the ARTS channel.  I will draw or plan designs, or do value or color studies for art already in progress.  Lately I have been inspired to draw repeated patterns and combining small designs into larger formats.  A series of three such designs I call "Cathedral Windows" .  I enjoyed very much the calming effects of drawing marks repeatedly and bringing the thousands of tiny marks to a unified and harmonious whole. I then collaged the separate pieces to a larger board, and the results were the cathedral windows series.

                                                                 "Cathedral Windows 2"

Why make art?

Making art is a wonderful way to deepen and strengthen intuition, and increase our awareness of what needs to be changed  in our way of thinking.  Art will show us to ourselves if we are alert enough to pay attention.  In the ancient wisdoms it is one of the four ways of deepening spirituality.  Meditation, art, religion, and love in action if practiced regularly will show us how to let go of the past and be less concerned about the future.  They will help us develop compassion, givingness, caring, increase our listening skills, will reveal weak areas and guide us into new directions which may amaze and delight us.  We have to be willing to listen to our heart and not be afraid to step out into the unknown.  When we put a mark onto white paper or place enamel on copper and place it in a hot kiln, or pull a sheet of handmade paper, or start any medium, then this starts the process of change.  We have an opportunity to  allow the vast store within to unfold and let it be our guiding light, rather than using the intellectual mind to be in charge.  I am often amazed at completed works,- had no idea this was in my consciousness.  Artists,- trust your consciousness, your intuition, to lead you in the adventure of art-making.  You, too will be amazed and find a deep joy bubbling up from the depths, and will be blessed with contentment and inner peace.
This Zentangle inspired drawing was worked step by step intuitively, allowing each mark to guide the next step.  It was a joy to work and complete.  

Society of Layerists in Multi-media

It has been a while since I updated this blog,-  summer flew by visiting family, some vacationing, and a recent Society of Layerists in Multi media conference in Atlanta.  It was a wonderful gathering of like- minded artists sharing ideas, techniques, offering solutions to challenges.  We were inspired doing a couple of workshops; one using collage,  and a Zentangle workshop.  The Society of Layerists is a term to denote those artists who are more interested in cooperation, sharing, and holism, rather than competition.  We understand the truth which both scientists, theologians, agree on,  that we are all connected in myriad ways, and what happens to one part affects everything else.  I am happy to serve on the Board of this organization and do what I can to further understanding and expression of our premise of holism.

I work in several mediums and lately have been enjoying painting on plastic and applying heat, which causes the plastic to bubble up in various ways.  I find this exciting and will continue to work on this process.  The Creative energy within is always finding different ways of expression and new ideas emerge when we least expect them.  This is a glorious way to live; remaining awake and alert to intuition!  More and more I feel a deep connection to all that is, and this brings with it more peace, contentment, and real joy.

Detail of" Genesis 3"

Origami class

I recently presented an origami class at a Wyoming elementary school.  Grades K.-2 made kitty cats and puppy dogs, and grades 3-6 made dinosaurs.  Both classes had fun with the age-old fortune teller.  Origami helps concentration and promotes the value of persistence and practice, both of which are needed in today's high tech, fast-paced world.

Thoughts to ponder

                                                                       "Inner journey"

This is another watercolor expressing the inner life.  I am pondering the various voices which would try to get our attention as we go about our lives.  The voice that is often the loudest,  (ego), reminds us to look out for ourselves, to fear the unknown.  The quieter voice, which we can only hear when we are quiet, says we are all connected to our loving source, trust this Presence, share what we are
given. This is the source of our peace and joy.  We make the choice which voice to listen to, whether we are aware or not. 

Thoughtful Artworks

"Whispers of Soul"

This is a water media collage containing certain words and phrases expressing my thoughts regarding the inner life.  These meaningful artworks often reveal something new which gives me fresh insight into life.  Sometimes they are reminders of truth I already know yet have forgotten.  It is indeed true that we need frequent times of stillness and quietness in order to listen deeply to soul.  This is our peace and our joy.

Encore Exhibition

"Patterns"

Fused glass on metal assemblage

It has been a while since I added to this blog...life stuff does interfere!  The above image shows another glass on metal assemblage recently completed.  The title is "patterns", but it is also about different textures.  I enjoyed moving the pieces around until balance and harmony was met.  I have been told this piece looks very complicated,  but that is because of the variety of patterns and textures involved.  when I do an assemblage with such variety I have to remain aware of keeping balance and unity, otherwise chaos reigns.  Artists as creators live on the edge of chaos for this is where the creative fire is aflame.  This fine line is where we are happiest and creativity flows.  We are co-creators and are happy because we are with the flow of life.

I have watercolor weavings  on exhibit as part of a 13 artist show at the Nagel Warren mansion in Cheyenne.  These are watercolors in which I explored various techniques, or which were unsatisfactory on completion   They were given new life by cutting up and weaving together.  There is always something we can do to improve  artwork.  See the poster above.

43 Human Dramas

Glass on copper assemblage

Enameling, (glass fused to metal by means of intense heat), was my first serious art medium.  The idea of putting glass grains on copper and fusing them by heat,  and to watch the colors emerge as the piece cooled was utterly fascinating!  It is still fascinating after 40 years working with this ancient art form.  I have explored many of the traditional techniques of enameling; cloisonne, champleve, plique a jour, basse taille, etc.  Today I am interested in the relationship between enamel- copper- heat, especially using firescale,( copper oxide formed as the copper is heated).  I can use just one enamel color and get a range of other colors by the use of firescale.  the glass on copper assemblage in this post utilizes this property.  I had a lot of fun in the process of this wall piece.  It has received several awards in art shows.

Paper making

                                                                         "Rock Stories 1"
                                                                        paper pulp painting

The handmade paper making workshop I presented a couple of weeks ago has sparked off ideas to develop more fully.  This is one of the delightful gifts in life; we can't help others without also receiving gifts ourselves. There was a delightful playful spirit with all of us in the workshop, and maybe new ideas are incubating in others, also.  it was a real joy to share this fascinating medium.

                                             
                                                  playing and exploring with paper making

Paper pulp painting

I am back  home after a wonderful weekend attending the Society of Layerists in Multi media 30th. conference.  This art society consists of a few hundred artists who are interested in the interconnectedness of all life, things of the Spirit, Consciousness, the sacred mystery of this human dimension.  See www.slmm.org

                                                                             "Out of rock"
                                                                          paper pulp painting
We met in Taos, New Mexico, the weather was glorious,  and there was a light and joyful sense of belonging throughout the members present.  I presented a handmade paper-making workshop which was fun to prepare  and was well received by attendees who played with paper-making and explored this fantastic medium.  I have no doubt new ideas are already being nourished in the minds of these gifted artists of the spirit.

"An Ancient Song" 

Here is another mixed media artwork with a poem I wrote during a time I was really aware of the Oneness  of all life.  During my morning meditation there was a brief second when the veil hiding the mystery of life was lifted, and this poem was the result......  The art work came a few years later.  There was deep joy in completing this artwork.

The Circle Unbroken

From time to time I add my own poems to collages.  The Circle Unbroken expresses my belief that all that is real remains changeless regardless of appearances.  I enjoy the warmth of the collage and the feeling of connectedness.  This artwork was a joy to create.

Extraordinary Ordinary Women

"Mum's Story"

mixed media

Extraordinary Ordinary women is a series of mixed media artworks honoring ordinary women.  I started with photos of the woman  at various ages, photocopied these on acid free paper and adhered them to a gessoed board.  Next I added appropriate words which highlighted the essence of the woman.  I completed the work by balancing values, colors, textures.  After exhibiting the series all works except "Mum's Story" were given to the woman honored or family members.  "Mum's Story" was to honor my mother and will be treasured by our family.  It was a joy to complete this series, and I learned more about composition and design in the process.

Paracelsus

I often add phrases,my poetry, or fragments of a poem to my collages.  "Paracelsus" is a long poem by the British poet Robert Browning, and I am using just a fragment.  It is about finding truth within and allowing this wisdom to be revealed.  We are always looking outside for answers, yet we have all the answers we need, if we are willing and able to just be still and quiet.

Art and Tea

Probably because of my British upbringing I have a fondness for tea.  I also make handmade paper, and learned that tea bags are made of abaca, which is from a type of banana tree found in the Philippines and south America, and  is strong and can withstand wet handling.  Just for fun I saved used tea bags, put the tea on the garden, and painted the dried tea bags with acrylic paint.  I then collaged them into a collage.  "Teabag Tapestry" was the result.  Lots of fun!

Western art

We had thousands of people in town for Cheyenne Frontier Days, together with bulls, steers, horses, and cowboys.  After our move to Cheyenne I did an enamel assemblage expressing the western way.  It took many hours of work to design, enamel, and mount the separate pieces.