Living in the moment

My son's advice to me is to always live in the moment and lately those moments seem to be flying by way too fast. Since I've been trying to finish a game room/studio, moving all of my art supplies to this area, getting ready for a birthday party at our house, going to and from out of town golf tournaments with my son and getting all of my appointments in before school starts (wheww!), I haven't been painting or doing any fiber work. But...I have been thinking a lot. For one, thinking about my art and what direction I need to be going with it.  Having chronic pain (even though it's just my hands) really makes me think about things differently, especially since what I do for a living largely involves the use of my hands. When you suddenly can't do the things that you used to do, you really want to find something that you CAN do and do it well. So, that has been on my mind a lot lately.

My current home. Again, not big, but too big for me :)

I've also come to the conclusion that maintaining a 'not-so-big, but too-big-for-me' house is just not a priority and something I'd rather not use most of my energy on anymore. Don't get me wrong, I love decorating, arranging the furniture, painting and caring for my house so it is like a haven to anyone who spends time here.  I just don't necessarily believe that it has to have a certain amount of square feet and have a bunch of expensive stuff in it to be a comfort to those who are in it. So, downsizing to a much smaller house has really been on my mind lately. Less house means less stuff and less cleaning and less maintaining which leads to more time for my art and more time to spend with my family and more focus on prioritizing. Sounds like a winning combination for me :)

Blessing in disguise?

Well, I'm still waiting for the miracle cure for the pain in my hands. In the meantime, I've been trying to find ways to do my fiber work without having to use my thumbs very much. I know that sounds weird! So, what I've thought of is hand dyeing a variety a fiber pieces (tie dye, batik and hand painting/dyeing), then using my trusty old sewing machine to create the texture. The texture is what draws me to the fiber work and without it I don't really think the end result would be as interesting. I've also considered doing some printing on fiber pieces, as drawing and painting don't hurt my hands at all, and making printing plates requires the same general motion with the hands.

You'll be seeing a large variety of experiments as I find my way through working with this aggravating pain. I'm hoping it's a blessing in disguise and I'll find the perfect niche for me and be closer to having a cohesive body of work. (I'm finding out that I NEED to work with my hands, (specifically the fiber work) because it's good for my head!)

I started the fiber experiments with something easy- tie dye. But only certain techniques proved to be pain free for me. Tying the little knots to make the bubble design is definitely not happening again. The other ones- shibori (tying the fiber around a length or pipe or dowel rod) and folding and clamping were much easier (although I don't like the result as much). Some of these experiments will be listed in my Etsy shop and some of them will go to Peanut. I'll leave you with a few pictures:

My trusty, old sewing machine (no, I don't own a fancy Bernina!). This is the only sewing machine I've ever owned (a high school graduation gift from my parents) and it has served me very well over the years. Many curtains, clothes, furniture covers, Halloween costumes, baby accessories, etc,. were made with this machine. I absolutely love it.

 

 

 

Some of the tie dye onesies- drying in the sun.

Kate, close up

Kate, close up-oil on canvas board, 8 x 10 inches

So, here is another version of my go-to girl, whom I've named Kate (thanks, Michelle ;)) This is another shot at keeping it loose. Also, some areas have really thick applications of paint, which adds a little dimension and emphasis. This time I tried to mix a few colors of paint before I started and tried not to work each brush stroke too much. It was going really well until I got to the face, then I felt the need to tighten up and keep re-working. I think the face would look better if I would have kept it loose and not worry so much about it looking perfectly proportioned, shaped and clean. Another learning experience, which is good, right?

Go-to girl

Today's painting is another one that I started a while ago and never finished. Tomorrow's painting will be a different take on this same subject, done in oil. I guess you can say that this little statue that I found in an antique shop a few years ago has become my "go-to girl" for subjects to paint. She's been shuffled around my house, kept in the car for a while (just in case I needed something to paint or draw while I'm out and about), been in many student's hands and used as their painting subject and she's even been in our principal's office (since she is naked and all, I had to get permission to use her in the classroom :) )  She really is a perfect model- a great example of the human figure (minus arms and legs), she stays still, she's portable and  she's always available. In all seriousness, though, she has a great patina, great curved lines, and just enough detail in the face to get some great practice for feature placement and proportion. An artist can get so many different paintings out of just this one subject-by turning it, by zooming in on it and/or by painting exactly at eye level or just above or below it. I guess this would apply to any subject, really. But, personally, I really like her. I'm guessing she needs a name by now, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)

Olive, oil on canvas board, 8 x 10 inches

Olive of Olive and Ash Studio- my constant companion at home. She is the sweetest thing :) Again, trying to keep it loose and quick.

Compliments, oil on canvas board, 16 x 20 inches

Well, I've definitely fallen off of the painting-a-day wagon already, but I am definitely ready to jump back on it. In my defense, though, I have been doing some painting of another kind-painting bead board paneling. Needless to say, not nearly as creative! Actually, very boring, time consuming and tedious. But, hopefully, it will be worth it when our game room/studio is finished. My kids don't know about the studio part yet, I'm going to sneak that into a corner when it's finished. The light in the room is great, so I can't wait to paint in there.
This latest painting is one that I started a while ago and never finished. As I was gathering my unused canvas boards, I came across this painting and realized that it needed a complimentary color in the background. So, I added that and carried the color throughout the painting to tie everything together. I also tried to make it more textural by not blending the paint too much when I placed it on the canvas. After many layers of paint, I finished up using a palette knife.