What Came First - The Egg or Creativity?

Good Morning!  It has been a week since I last posted and I missed me writing.  Funny, the past sentence reminded me of Friday confessions when we had to spend our morning school sessions thinking up really appropriate sins for afternoon confession. I wouldn't dare confess to stealing a ball point pen from Sears with my Irish twin brother on a dare, or contemplating "touching myself", but I would admit to not watching my baby brother as he crawled to the garbage can in the kitchen.  I even admitted saying "shit" once.

But no confessions today.  Today I want to tell you about my first felted egg and how they came to be.  Moving here over a year and a half ago (North Carolina), I started going to an open studio evening at M's School of Art (http://www.msartschool.com/) where for $5. plus supply cost I could learn how to do anything "M" knew how to do.  I love fiber, sewing, quilting and beading, but never really followed through on any of those mediums as a life long passion (except hand sewing - I'll even mend strangers clothes if they let me).

My first project was a wet felted dog bone.  It is so durable we still have it around, and in the process I gained a new puppy who has yet to destroy it.  Then I made a few boxes.  They are nice, kind of cool and yet not quite, for me, a good use of the medium.  During the year I was planning the move here, I felt like I was incubating and I had collected a handful of rocks and gems and stones and called them my creativity mojos.  I kept them under my pillow, and whenever my plan started to look too overwhelming or bleak, I would pull them out and remember what each one was supposed to mean and why I chose it.  Sometimes I would throw a few in my pocket to carry me through the day.

This is what the gems and stones look like....each one has meaning, and I have added more.  My first egg, looking back I can see it is a bit clumsy and flawed.  Making it I thought to myself, this egg will be a creativity container to hold all my creative goals and ambitions. And the floodgates opened and I remembered all the drawings, sketches and fun things I had done with eggs since I was a child.  Not including the normal Easter Egg traditions. Eggs have always been calming to me.  Mysterious in their potential and elegant in their design - such simplicity creates such complex creatures.

I knew I had to make more...to be continued..................

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-egg-project-a-solo-show

Getting Ready for Company?

More Egg Tricks!https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151416481173411

YES YES, I am still painting my daily eggs!

I realize I have not posted for a bit here, and I have a good (or several) reasons.

1. I am spending an inordinate amount of time on Facebook - not really.  OK maybe really.
2. I am writing a grant proposal for a The Egg Project, a solo show I am doing in June and will need a bit of funding for it to be awesome.
3. In order to do the grant I have to do a video slide show, so I am learning how to do that in under 90 seconds.  It could be longer, but I know better.
4. I am painting eggs, but not posting them because I am using the computer that has a hard drive ready to commit suicide and until I put the new hard drive in I am only doing what is important, besides Facebook.
5. I am worrying about how to transfer programs over once I put in my new hard drive.  Especially since I don't have all the original programs.  I think they were lost in the move. Or I just never thought it was important to hold unto them more likely.
6. I am preparing some classes for a friend who wants me to teach 2 hour fun, wine and paint classes at her studio. They should be a blast with me teaching!
7. I am catering to Sunny's very urgent demands to have five meals a day.  Or she will bark at me more than usual.
8. I am writing press releases, artist statements, artist bios, entering some shows, writing my "Great American Memoir", and writing this blog!
9. I have been performing ritualistic spring hygiene activities - coloring hair, plucking eye brows, shaving legs, and washing the winter grit out of my eyes!
10. I am walking a bit more every day (ok - I know how to walk, but now I have a purpose - to lose my bigger half) and meditating.  Which makes me relaxed and happy so I play with the dogs and Doug.

In the meanwhile I have a great recipe for you:  http://gardenercommunity.blogspot.com/2013/03/hard-boiled-eggs.html

Why a Painting a Day.

Actually, I was not taking a few days off, but rather, painting like crazy and doing a fair amount of socializing which both feeds my spirit and distracts me.

A friend sent me the article I have enclosed here, and many of my artist friends know of this man.  Those of you who do not, take time to read the article as he talks about the importance a painting a day has had for him.  Not just in terms of sales, mastering his craft and opening doors to a new audience, but how it is a way of life.

I have attempted doing paintings a day for several years now, and until last month, I just never "got it".  I was trying to do a good, or great and complete painting a day.  Something I would be proud to show the world. I started keeping sketchbooks and do those almost daily, but the painting a day was too much for my ego to handle.  "If I can't be great, then I can't show people my work." was my mantra.  I judged myself before I let others jump in and even say' "hey, not so bad!"

I paint other things besides my daily paintings.  I also work in a few other mediums at a time and am working hard to prepare for a show that incorporates all of them with a cohesive flow.  Daily painting for me, as others have discovered long before I have, is the only way I seem to learn well.  Thinking, dreaming and doodling my way up to painting just does not make for good paintings.  Taking a brush to canvas and diving in finally has allowed my ego to step aside and just paint.  I know when something is not good, or doesn't work.  Sometimes I let it go and move on.  Other times I paint over it, but mostly I just try to see what I am not seeing and keep learning.  My only concern is I will die before I will learn everything I know I need to learn.

And no, I am not sick or old enough to die (I hope), but I am so excited about opening myself up to learning that I feel I have wasted years pretending to be a good artist.  Pretending time is over, I am an artist, good or bad and best of all, I can only get better.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-seed/duane-keiser-a-painting-a_b_2776043.html

The 30 Day Art Mob Challenge Day, 2,3 and Part of 4

Did you know the pleats of a chefs hat originally indicated how many ways they knew how to prepare an egg?  Just an interesting bit of information.  

I was running a bit behind and will be painting a lot today, after shipping off some commissions.  Take my advice - don't stay up all night.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 4 - in process

Day 3

30 More Days of Eggs – Day 1

The first day of my challenges always seem so weird.  I think – what – an egg, so what?  It’s easy.  And tonight it was easy.  Sort of. The shadow got me and I had to rush out to warm up, so here it is!  I also did a few other paintings today and I will post the dog one on Facebook.  I really like her.  Quick, using oil and acrylic (by accident), she came out pretty sweet.

Another 30 Day Challenge!

JOIN ME IN THIS CHALLENGE!
ALL MEDIUMS ACCEPTED

Here are my 30 day challenge canvases waiting to be attacked by crazy eggs!

This month, starting today until the first day of spring I am doing another 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.  I will be working again on small canvases for the most part.    I am trying something new.  Actually a few things.

WHAT:

• All of my work for the challenge will be on 3"x 3" black gallery wrapped canvas. 
• I will be using, for the most part, Golden Open Acrylics.
• I will still be working with eggs as my subject matter.
• I am working with Art Mob Studios and Marketplace to host this challenge so that in the end all of those who participate can show their work at a special show. 

WHY:

• Small canvases give me the time to participate in a challenge and not feel overwhelmed.
• Black canvases - who knows why - it looked interesting.
• Eggs because in my first challenge I wanted to really see what I was looking at and paint it. I did that about half the time.  I want to see if I can do it more than half the time now!  And I love eggs as a subject in all my art forms (dogs too).
• I love sharing and learning from other artists and Art Mob is giving us a space to do just that.  Even if you join a little late, as long as you have 30 pieces we will include you in the show.  Just remember to keep them small enough to have space.

For those who are not local we are working on several ways for your work to be part of the show and publicity   Contact me if you have questions  and I will be posting some ideas over the next few days.

Stay committed, motivate, join us and have fun!