time management in an age of distractions

I hope that I may always desire more than I can accomplish. 

Michelangelo 

During my recent trip to Italy, I was essentially disconnected from the world of social networking, blogging, podcasting, gaming and all of the other technological distractions I use to amuse myself on a daily basis.  It got me to thinking....how many of the great masterpieces I was so lucky to be able to view would have gone by the wayside had the artists of the day been so distracted?  Would they have allowed themselves to be lulled into spending hours posting their every thought on Twitter and Facebook or tackling the next level of Angry Birds?  Would they have been constantly communicating with their paramours via texting?  I hate to say it but in all likelihood the answer is yes.  They were not so different from us.  What a shame it is that many of our most creative minds are hijacked by these addictive applications.  I intend to make a conscious effort to avoid these pitfalls and if I encounter a creative block, I will find a chisel.

- my take on a da vinci angel - 

And so I am turning off the TV in favor of a good book, limiting my internet browsing to research and necessary communication, putting my i-pod on shuffle, and allowing my muse to guide me down the road less traveled.

Back in the Studio

Nature is the art of God.

-Dante Alighieri-

After taking a much-needed break to recharge my imagination, I am back in the studio this week.  The past week has been spent in search of new inspiration and I have done a bit of experimentation.  I have several new ideas to explore.  The above image was taken during an early morning bicycle ride on a nearby trail.  It was already quite warm, despite the time of day, so Arturo & I took a break to explore...

We descended...

The cool spring-fed water is beckoning...

We venture in.

feeling eyes upon us...

  What an unexpected surprise to see such an urban art-form in this countrified area.

The art of man intermingled with the art of God. 

On a Lighter Note

The tenor of my art changes frequently.  After I create one of my fiery pieces, I often feel the burden lift and change gears to create something more amusing.  I have finished the subject for my next piece and am nearly done perfecting her stage.  

I only use original vintage postcards, copyright free pages from well loved books (they are often falling apart as I cannot bring myself to savage a usable volume) as well as pre-1925 ephemera taken from old publications.

I have also been playing with hard molding paste which is what I embellished this bottle with.  It is difficult to see in the above pic but it brings an opaque sheen to the bottle, giving it an interesting appearance. 


I will finish this piece this weekend and post it soon.

Wandering

I know I haven't been keeping up with my blog as much as I should but life seems to be getting in the way lately.  We have had more than our fair share of issues over the last month or so.  I can hardly believe it has not even been a month since Christmas.  I won't go into the details but suffice to say it has been a month with many ups and downs (more downs though, unfortunately)  I will try to post more often.

I am currently working under a deadline for a new competitive submission.   I have been advised to  attempt entry.  My current work is veering away from the cutesy and turning towards more serious issues.  I am certain this is due to the current tenor my in life and I will relax into more upbeat subjects again.  But I do feel I am growing as an artist and as an individual.

Window Dressing

My work is currently featured in the front window of Margot’s Gallery (http://margotsgalleryframe.com/), a lovely little shop in Oxford, Michigan.  I am so grateful that the owner, Margot, offered me the space to display my work.  She is very knowledgeable and a valuable resource to me as I attempt to expand my artistic horizons.  

 Oxford is a quaint, little, nearby village and the main street is traversed by many commuters daily.  My work is getting so much attention lately and I am inspired by the encouragement I am receiving.  I have several thought provoking pieces in the works and can’t wait to share them.  

I wasn’t sure about the red background but I think it works!

A Work in Progress

Aside from all of the holiday preparations, I have been trying to squeeze in studio time to finish several new pieces and I thought I would give a sneak peek at one.  I have been contemplating a new idea for this blog starting in the new year and hope it will not go by the wayside as many of my resolutions seem to do.  One of my resolutions from last year, though,  is just about to come to fruition. So, without further ado, here is my newest project.  She is a work in progress...much like me. 

being sincere

 
                                 *****

A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing.   William Dobell


Quite frankly, I don't seem to have enough hours in the day to accomplish all of the ideas that are currently coming my way.  I sometimes wish sleep was optional.  I realize I don't blog as much as I should.  I get caught up in the creative process and although I do take many pics along the way, it usually takes them awhile to make it onto my pages.  Alas, I will try, yet again, to be better. 

 I was frankly a tad disappointed at not winning the CPS Artisan of the Year 2011 contest but in reality I am still thrilled at being one of the finalists.  I did make my goal and will be published in the Jan/Feb issue.  The fact is I don't know if I was ready to be Artisan of the Year because I am just hitting my stride and haven't been creating my unique collages for even a year yet.  I did, however, create the following piece just after finding out the results.  She is a new favorite.

Adding embellishments is becoming easier as I go.  I coffee dyed the vintage lace I used to enhance her skirt. 

 

One of these days, I will receive a comment on one of my posts.  Who will be the first one to break the silence?  All are welcome. 

 

And on that note...

 

 



 

Hope your Halloween was as curious as ours. 

 

Too Shy

*****

“The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid”

Claudia Lady Bird Johnson quote


 I am just beginning to understand why I am drawn to the subjects of my art.  In preparing for a piece, I browse through dozens of vintage photographs and eventually settle upon one that whispers to my soul.  It is only when my piece is finished that it dawns on me that my inner feelings have been captured.  I then realize how connected we all are and despite the fact that my subjects are long departed from this existence, we share a humanity that cannot be denied.

This piece speaks to the unbearable shyness I sometimes feel when I share my work. I began this project just after learning I had been selected as a finalist in Cloth Paper Scissors Artisan Search 2011 and I had to send my originals out into the world.  A little overwhelming, but also very exciting. 

Perhaps Lady Bird was right, the cure is at hand.  It beckons to me behind the curtain that leads to my studio. 

*****

Something Different

I have been busy with new projects but want to take the time to document a project I am currently working on as well as a fairly recent, very different project that is a tribute to individualism...

First - Some new endeavors:

A work in progress.  This is a little experiment I have been working on for several weeks.  Both the girl and the fish are created from fabric.  Her dress is vintage lace.  I painted the silly sea life and embellished them with some vintage silk yo yo eyes I picked up at a flea market.  Now I think maybe bubbles?

 

Below is a project heralding individualism that I worked on for several months.  It involves a printers drawer, some scrapbook paper, photographs, quotations printed and haphazardly cut and other relevant items.  It was probably the most time consuming project I have done, but I am happy with the results.



Gone but not forgotten

It's been over a year since Michael Jackson died.  Hard to believe.  Extremely talented.  Extremely sensitive.  Misunderstood.  Vilified.  And loved by many although I'm not sure he realized this.   As a tribute to his life, I created the following collage.  It was created only for me and he joins Jim Morrison in my studio as an tribute to individualism.  They serve to remind me that life is short and it is important to use my time wisely.