Wednesday, October 31, 2012

More Shack Wackiness Aversions ...

No internet for me this month again...too much month at the end of the money. After visiting a friend I joked that I was needing to remind myself again why I was an artist.
 It was a no brainer when I was left with the option of choosing between food and my phone and online connection. Knowing my addictive personality I am accutely aware of how tempting it was to pay that bill so I'd have my internet and phone connection again, however wasn't relishing the idea of eating dust sandwiches for the remainder of the month. And so I will take advantage of the opportunity to come visit the local library,  use the internet, get out of the house to socialize, and daily channel my creative energy, doing the remaining egg tempera paitings of Celtic Totems. I intend to take them to the local Farmers Christmas market to sell for the much needed cash. These are the preliminary under ink paintings I have posted.

There are days when I face the question, why I am an artist, and I go on the hunt for answers I know exist that affirm, sustain and erase my doubt. Today I found such re-affirmation, confirmation and inspiration in the artist Eden Maxwell. I ordered his book here at the library entitled , An Artist Empowered.
Horse Totem
Eagle Totem

Sea Horse Totem


Wren Totem
Fish Totem
                                        
                           "Art is a vision of God created in the material world."

                                                                                    - Eden  Maxwell

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Imagination Averts Shack Wackiness

Fox Totem
Cat Totem
Stag/Deer Totem
Snake Totem
Bull Totem
Swan Totem
Butterfly Totem
Wolf Totem
I am happy to know I will be reconnected to my home internet, and phone next week! I finally have my car fixed, which is working better than ever and have averted becoming completely shack wacky. It is times like this that I am so grateful I am an artist and have CBC Radio to listen to, because it fills my day with a sense of comfort, purpose and CBC Radio can be so educational, enlightening and stimulates my imagination.

I am posting my newest egg tempera paintings of Celtic animal totems, done on small four inch ceramic tiles. It's been an enjoyable, relaxing, creative process, not having to be too cerebral about my subject matter.

Last week I heard a wonderful Ideas program on CBC radio about  imagination that was inspiring and very thought provoking and reaffirmed my own belief of how essentially significant and necessary imagination and creativity are to our lives.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear my old mime teacher on the radio, who ran the, Mime School Unlimited in the late 70s in Toronto Ontario. Ron East was an Ideas guest, speaking about the topic and was fascinated to know he was now obtaining his PhD in the study of neuroscience, imagination and the creative process.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

New Ink Underdrawings

These are my ink under drawings of Celtic animals for my new series of egg tempera paintings.  






Okay Here Are My New Paintings!

Well finally got back to the library and here are my paintings I worked on in the month of September. I have about exhausted this subject matter for now, but have greatly benefited from the closer study and meaning of these stories and myths.

I started another more lighthearted subject matter about Celtic animals, and have completed six under paintings which I am enjoying and will post these in my next blog entry.

These six paintings are the continuation of my "Wild Women" series of egg tempera paintings, based on Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes book, Women Who Run With the Wolves, Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype.



Baubo/The Belly Goddess
Seal Skin/Soul Skin

The Crescent Moon Bear

The Woman With the Hair of Gold

Mariposa/Butterfly Woman

Three Golden Hairs



Friday, October 12, 2012

Too Much Boredom

 


Just in case anyone out there in cyber interweb space is looking for a posting of my newest work I am at the library camera in hand without the camera adaptor cord to plug in to the computer. My apologies. I will post my work next week, if not tomorrow. I am hoping to get to town, if and when the car is fixed, which is in the shop today. Seems lately the thought for the day is, hurry up and wait.  It can be rather stressful because well it can be tediously boring, waiting. I have been thinking about this increasingly the past month because I have found myself in this very stituation several times and it appears to be a re-occurring  theme in my life. When I become aware of these predominating themes, I want to analyze and understand them so I am better equipped to know how to cope with them.

 "Patience is a virtue" my boring grade nine school teacher use to mumble to herself, while we drove her over the edge, I'm sure as a result of our own boredom. It wasn't all her fault I'm certain.

Today I heard a compelling story on CBC Radio regarding Albert Nerenberg the award winning Canadian film maker, who has made a film about the topic and study of boredom. Turns out boredom is a stressful thing. The heart rate actually increases though one would expect your heart rate to decrease, An extremely high percentage of students in our educational system are bored, which means they are also stressed. This comes as no surprise to me, being a school drop out myself and very bored by school when I was in elementary and secondary school. As a Youth Care Worker most of my working life I saw time and time again how bored students were is school. Creativity and individual  thinking is not nurtured nor encouraged, and ceratinly God forbid there was no fun to be had in learning!

I was speaking with a young teacher yesterday who expressed her great frustration finding herself in the situation of not being able to find work in her profession, even as a substitute. She spoke of how she knew of retired teachers actually coming out of retirement returning to the classroom as substitute teachers. She is a single mum, with a child in school, who is also very bored, particularly with a retired returning substitute teacher, as the teacher exhibits no engaged energy, or enthusiasm for her job. This so called "teacher" is simply going through the motions, picking up a pay cheque, taking up space, in a position of employment that is greatly needed by a youthful, passionate young women, who is most deserving of the opportunity to really make a difference in these young lives.  I thought, this retired teacher is an example of what is a big contributing piece of dead wood, that enables the boredom factor. I just don't understand the logic within an our educational system that allows for this to happen. School should never be boring, not full of dead wood, learning should and needs to be fun. School should not be full of stress. School should never be hell!

I also heard yesterday that a very high percentage of folks who suffer from mental illness, particularly depression far out ways any other disease at present, including heart disease and cancer. It is a well known fact the stress can alter the hormone cortisol, which contributes greatly to disease.
I believe we need to seriously consider this link between boredom, negative behaviours within schools, such as bullying, mental illness like depression, and the high incidence of teen suicide.

Not wanting to leave this post on a negative note, I hope you will not find this posting anything but boring.

Here's to Heaven! No more Hell!

 

.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Out in Orbit?

So my loyal and much appreciated followers know, I have not dropped off the edge of the earth, nor am I am out in orbit. I deemed it necessary to provide you all with an update.

I have been having what I'll call internet issues, compounded by car issues, which are soon to be hopefully resolved! I have just had my car repaired and now have wheels back and forth to the library, where I can access a computer. Not having internet access has been a wonderful opportunity to regularly hand write in my daily journal, which always enables me to keep the creative wheels turning. Canning and gardening have been great grounding and meditative outlets for me, so I haven't been without things to do, until my muses returned.

September was a very creative one, after cleaning my slate so to speak, after graduation in May 2012. I can hardly believe it has been almost six months since my formal Fine Art education has come to an end. The student loan vipers have gladly informed me by mail in bold letters at the top of the page, "IT TIME TO START PAYING YOUR STUDENT LOAN!" Gol darn nice of them folks to let me know! How could I possibly forget!
In spite of the vipers, I am certain there are many more lessons ahead and I look forward to the future with hope and optimism.

I resumed my series of  " Wild Women " egg tempera paintings and completed six new pieces to add for a total of sixteen, three of which I sold and this had been a godsend financially to me.

I wasn't certain if I could upload my photos of these paintings here at the library, on to the computer and was happy to learn that I can, and I will do that tomorrow so I can share my new work.

Honestly, I was in a creative slump, or had a creative block, whatever you want to name it, right up until September. This is always a little daunting to me when this happens, because I have this bit of fear and dread that I will never paint again! However, "This too shall pass. " is my daily mantra. I shared my feelings and thoughts with my  artist/professor friends from University. One assured me, the best thing to do for this is create more work. Another suggested  I not get my underwear too much in a knot. He thought as perhaps I needed to take this reprieve as a way to clear the slate, clear out the University cob webs. And so they both where right and I got busy fueling the creative fire through reading, drawing and doodling until amazingly I had completed six paintings I am very happy with. I do feel I am done with this series. I am not certain I will return to them but remain open to whatever I am drawn to create. I am ruminating over two ideas presently, so it is to be seen what my imagination comes up with.  

Until tomorrow I will try not to let my meat loaf and look forward to blogging again as I have missed it a lot!

Thank you to all my fans and readers for your love, support and patience.