Two art quotes

Maybe this post is just for me, since I am not going to make any effort to pretty it up.  But maybe it will resonate with someone out there.

Michelle's painting, found here.  I love this one.

This one I discovered today, when reading this interview with Michelle Armas:

"You could spend the day laying around, or spend it painting. Even if you think it isn't your best work, keep going, waste paint, canvas, paint over and over something until you like it. My best selling and most popular paintings were all mistakes and shitty paintings that sat around before I had an idea and painted over them." 

This is of Shelby and Joe, from her anniversary post.  AMAZING the stories she tells with photos.

This one has hung in my mind for days, ever since reading it on my friend Shelby's amazing photography blog:

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through”.  {Ira Glass}

P.S.  Notice how I couldn't resist the pretty after all?

Work in progress

Any suggestions?  Britt?  (Britt is my sister by the way.)

The painting is square but is just leaning against the wall, so the proportions are not right in the photo.  It is also a whole lot brighter than this picture lets on.  It was taken with a yellowish light on it.

I'm thinking about pulling a bunch more light blue over-layer and also minimizing that one bit of pink which looks too blobby.

I'm getting more and more nervous about exposing this to the world so I better just hit send already.

Argh!

Palette

Here is a picture of my palette after doing some painting.  I find myself often more impressed by the random colors and shapes on my palette than I am with my works in progress.

This may be a little unfair, but for example, I've tried and tried to make abstract paintings and I end up with some pretty crappy stuff.  I don't mind saying it.  I can do a combo of abstract and figurative that looks ok.  But pure random shapes and colors that also have emotional depth?  It's not happening.

I wish I could paint every day.  It seems to take an endless amount of time to complete a painting.  I hope to have more paintings to share soon.  If only painting came as naturally as drawing.

Feet in the Bath

"Feet, what do I need you for when 

I have wings to fly?" - Frida Kahlo.

I take baths regularly.  Almost every night.  I think and dream, read, and take blissful refuge from the demands of being mother in the hot, hot water.  

The image I recall when I look at my feet.

Often times, I look down at my two feet near the stopper.  Last night it was to think about how I really need to remove the toe nail polish that is now only partway on about 7 of my toenails.  (But I didn't.)


I also almost always think about Frida Kahlo, which gets me thinking about mortality.  About what happens when you die.  About what it would feel like to have a painful disease and be stuck in bed for the majority of my life.  


And to still persist in making life a vibrant celebration.  That is what Frida Kahlo means to me.

The image which is the source of the quote above, "Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?"

When I was 26 I went to her house in Mexico City.  I was traveling alone and arrived there by subway.  I was struck by how colorful everything was, how prolific.  


I wish I could make my home an inviting escape for all who visit.
I wish I could create something that reflects the life I live, that will persist after I die.

Her loveliness, in color.

See what I mean... morbid.  But sometimes it is worth sharing these kinds of thoughts.  I think death reminds us how lucky we are to be among the living.  And I hope any readers of this know that I mean it in the kindest sense, and do not mean to make light of the very real pain of grieving a lost loved one.


I found the photos via this blog. 

A parting quote:

"I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling." - Frida Kahlo.

Mt. View Public Sculpture

Today I was on a walk in the cold rain down in Ship Creek.  I walked by a quonset hut with Fleetwood Mac blaring.  Inside, I saw someone who may have been welding for all I knew.  The hut was warm and golden with light compared to the drizzly salt-smelling outdoors.  She had the garage door wide open and I could feel heat emanating out.  But what was so eye-catching were the masks.

Photos taken with my iPhone

I walked by at first, but curiosity got me bad.  I turned back and gestured to the woman inside that I'd like to take a picture.  She gave me a thumbs up back.  Ultimately she came out and told me that the faces are all residents of Mt. View neighborhood.  I told her that "my other dream life is as an artist."  She agreed it was pretty cool.  And while my little rendition of this conversation is coming off trite, it was a nice little exchange that left me uplifted and hopeful.


The eventual installation will be a public sculpture in Mt. View, where each mask is embedded in a steel wall and lit from within.  This will be so cool in the dark wintertime I can hardly stand it.  I'm also excited because who knows?  Maybe this could be the beginning of knowing some creative, possibly like-minded people.  I always like that.


See more on the project at their website, www.keseypollock.com.


P.S. It seems like cool things are happening in Anchorage.  I mean, Drew Barrymore is here!  I cannot help hoping to run into her, invite her over for dinner, show her how much our June looks like Gertie...


P.S. 2: There are classes!  I wonder if I could get 15 people?

My Sculptures

Here are some little darlings I made back in 2001. I took a class at la escuela de artes plasticas in old san juan. They were originally supposed to be interactive. I imagined them installed in a playground, where children could constantly be painting and repainting on them.

One day before they moved forever to my cousin Jimmy's yard, they spent on the lawn outside El Morro (where the school is essentially), with paint, my great friend Amy F., and paint brushes of course. But no one stopped by. I was disappointed. And I wonder why Amy and I didn't paint some ourselves. At any rate, they have kept up well.

The holes in some of the bodies are representations of those of us who are missing something.
Now I like them because I think life begins and ends with tunnels. In fact all of time may be a circular tunnel, to my imagination.

I had to add this last little note. This morning on my friend's blog I found a link to this woman's site. Oh my god I love this. I can't think of anything more inspirational at the moment.

Wonder

On the advice of this post yesterday, I came upon a quote by children's book author William Steig. I liked it so well I have to share:

"Art, including juvenile literature, has the power to make any spot on earth the living center of the universe, and unlike science, which often gives us the illusion of understanding things we really do not understand, it helps us to know life in a way that still keeps before us the mystery of things. It enhances the sense of wonder. And wonder is respect for life. Art also stimulates the adventurousness and the playfulness that keep us moving in a lively way and that lead us to useful discovery."

Also in my web wanderings of yesterday I found this post on treehugger about how childhood outdoor play is linked with creativity. My Dad and I talk all the time about the importance of bringing June outside to see the world. So far, outdoor play is limited to stroller time or Ergo time with the folks. But she loves it, particularly in the stroller, where she can use her newfound ability to point at things and make noises.

I have been thinking about Tracy and how she is raising her son in New York City. She posted recently about their decision-making process and where they are going to move next. Then also on treehugger I came across these two links about a movement to remain in big cities to raise families. While I know this will not happen for a couple of country kids like Adam and I, I can sense a conflict of values. We already like to live in the downtown area so that we can bike most places. Our dream of living in a country-side setting will involve a lot more commuting. And yet... I want to preserve the wonder for June by living in an outdoorsy setting. I don't like seeing lots of concrete and big buildings. I feel lost in big cities and as though I've lost my uniqueness.

I don't feel very articulate today. But I am feeling a conflict of values and I encourage anyone to sound in on this topic.