Getting Ready

Booboo's favorite nap time space.

Pets at Christmas

This is Riley, my 4yr. old Westie.

This is Bongo, the new Pup.

Christmas Spirit

I am really struggling with not being able to work. There are so many things that are going on. Family deaths, running errands for family members and out of town guests. Then there are the holidays, right around the corner. I am so excited that guests are in town. We also have a new addition to the family. A little puppy, Bongo, that I will post photos of soon. Much to keep me busy and out of the studio. I am thinking that by Monday I will be able to get back to work. I have a commission I am doing right now and have some matting a framing to do for the gallery. I need to take care of that tomorrow. Plus the Christmas decorations. Still haven't managed to get our tree up either. For many years I also have made this elaborate Christmas village that I am putting up this year and adding some new things to. Art and the Christmas holidays just don't seem to mix. Bring on the New Year!

Can you keep the Muse waiting???

Still no new work...

A death in the family has caused me to change studio time. Today a funeral and tomorrow a trip to San Juan to buy some frames. feeling really restless and am very cranky from not working. Where does the creative energy go when you are not being creative?

I do have a new painting concept in mind and cannot wait to begin work. Am gathering images now and hoping to begin the initial work next week. Ahhh, the joy of spending time in the studio with nothing to think about but my work...

Holiday Rush

Wow, it seems like forever since I have worked in my studio. Since my last post, I managed to clean my studio and set up a new table for my encaustic work. But I haven't actually gotten in there to work. And I am really feeling the withdrawals of not doing so.

Last week I prepared for the Thanksgiving rush. We celebrated the day with some friends and had a great time. Over the weekend, we started getting things set up for Christmas and ventured out to the mall on Friday to get some shopping done. Got about 90% completed. Just a few more things to pick up and then we can call it done.

This week I am finishing up some cleaning projects, like my bedroom closet. Almost finished with that. Tomorrow I have to take my mother in law to the hospital for some dental surgery and she will be staying with us for a few days while she recuperates. Wednesday I need to pick up some paintings that have been exhibited and head over to the gallery to swap out some work and decorate. Then on Thurs. I am planning to get back to work. I don't know where the time goes. I really wish sometimes I could just forget the house and family stuff and just hibernate in my studio working until I drop. I need to head over to Home Depot to buy some more wood for panels also as I have gone through the ones I made last month. This time of the year is so hard to plan and schedule studio time.

Spring Cleaning

After spending this past weekend getting our EAG juried show in place, I thought that I would take a couple days off just to rest. HA! I ended up doing some things that I had been putting off for quite a while. The first thing was cleaning my upstairs bedroom. Our room is the most neglected plac in our home. It has been quite some time since I really cleaned it and felt it was time. The weather was rainy, so Monday I headed upstairs to do some major overhauling. I spent 2 whole days up there moving furniture around, cleaning sinks, dusting and wiping grime off ceiling fans. I threw out 4 hefty bags of stuff. So much for a break. Today I will be in my studio doing the same. I bought a new table for my studio to hold all my encaustic materials and need to find space. My studio is 20 x 17 and when we built it, I thought there would be plenty of room. How quickly I outgrew it.

After my trips ut of town and a change to put some distance between myself and my Samson painting, I have decided that it is soooo not finished. I need to get on it and really make some changes. The figure and the background is not integrated and I need major repairs to try to salvage it. I am confident that I can do this. Ths will be my goal for next week as I don't see myself getting any work done till then. Friday will be a busy day with my A.M. Spanish class and an afternoon EEAG board meeting. Saturday will be the EEAG general meeting and then a late afternoon baby shower and another friend who is having a kiln firing party. Sunday will be spent with hubby here helping my move some furniture from one guestroom into our master, that I was unable to do earlier. My walkin closet leaves a lot to be desired, so I need to improvise to make some more room. I also have the beginning of a major toothache and see a visit to the dentist in the very near future. Oh joy!!!

Preparing for our EEAG Juried Show

This past weekend has been a whirlwind for me. As President of the EEAG, I had to prepare for our annual juried show. On Thursday I arrived at the museum and waited for our 12:00pm cutoff for receiving works to be judged. We received 168 pieces. Many of these were fabulous pieces of art. I walked around and studied and selected my favorites hoping they would be selected for the show. I also selected works that I felt should win prizes. On Friday, I met with the jurors and stayed in the background as they selected our show. I was really amazed at the choices they made and surprised with some winner selections. Only 2 of the pieces I selected in my mind for prizes actually received one. I often wonder what goes through the mind of jurors as they are selecting a show. We had three jurors, which btw, I believe is way too many. First, there was scheduling issues, then all three had to be in agreement as to whether a piece would be selected or not and they all also had to agree on the prizes. It was interesting to see how one juror would try really hard to convince the other two to choose a piece that she fell in love with. On Sat. we shot photos of the selected pieces, all 90 of them and then returned to the museum yesterday for the ick up of pieces. It is really hard to face an artist who has worked so hard on a piece and then tell them they were rejected or that their favorite piece was not selected. Our show will open on Feb 2 and promises to be very exciting. Now the fun begins as preparations begin for the catalog design and press begin.

Interview with Glenda

Here is a video of my exhibition in DE as I am being interviewed by Kevin Melloy, gallery owner.

Done???

I think he is finished. I am leaving for Miami tomorrow, and when I return, I will take another look and see how I feel about him them. Some distance will bring me a bit of clarity.

So far today...

Today's progress: More details. Defined foot more and just placed in a generic background for encaustic tomorrow. I really hope this works, cause I enjoy working in oil and am so excited about coming in with the wax.

Silly Birds

I didn't get as much artwork done this past week as I would have liked. I hoped to be finished with my Samson piece by now, but things just kept coming up. But I have a whole day today and the rest of the week to finish him up before leaving on Friday for another unexpected, but welcome, trip to Miami. Saturday my friend Ruthy and I have scheduled a Spa day. We are getting facials and massages. I can't wait.

This morning as I was sitting out back, drinking my coffee, I heard an all too familiar sound of a bird hitting my back window. This happens so often. It is so sad to see these birds fly right into my windows. Many end up breaking their necks and dying in my yard. Usually the birds are a smaller variety, but this one was pretty good sized.


I have these 3 really large window facing out to the ocean and the birds think they can fly right through. My dog Riley heard the thump also and ran out to investigate. I had to run quickly to keep him from attacking the poor bird, who lay still on the grass below. I did notice that it's eyes were still open and there was a whisper of movement, so I was hoping it would not die there and just take a breather to get over the shock. After about a minute or so, I noticed it's eyes had closed and I was dreading having to box it up and bury down below. I went inside for a few more minutes and heard Riley barking again and ran out to make sure he wasn't ripping the poor bird to shreads. The bird was gone. Whew, I was grateful that the bird was only stunned and headed back to wherever it had come from.

Yesterday there was an interesting post and much debate over on Ed Winkleman's Blog regarding an exhibition in Costa Rica. I reserve making comments, but the thought that this exhibition took place, really turns my stomach. Reading his thoughts and the thoughts of others got me thinking about how far an artist and gallery will go in the name of art.

More progress

Samson lived when God was punishing the Israelites by giving them "into the hand of the Philistines." An angel from God appears to Manoah, an Israelite from the tribe of Dan, in the city of Zorah, and to his wife, who is sterile. This angel predicts that they will have a son who will begin to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. In accordance with Nazaritic requirements, she (as well as the child himself) is to abstain from all alcoholic beverages and all unclean meat, and her promised child is not to shave or cut his hair. In due time the son, Samson, is born; he is reared according to these provisions.

Studio time

I had a good day in the studio yesterday. Finished a new piece in hommage to my finch that died last month and got started on a new larger piece that I have wanted to do for a while. I got the drawing done on canvas and now I am ready to start with the painting. It is my Samson painting. It is a larger piece, 26 x 36, than I the small pieces I have found myself doing recently. I love painting large, but I have a hard time storing the larger pieces when they are complete. I have my small gallery space, 8' x 8' at the gallery, but it can only hold smaller pieces, for the most part. I am trying something new with this new piece. I am working on canvas, beginning in oil, then going in with the encaustics, which is what I have wanted to learn to do when I started working in wax. With my husband in Winston-Salem till Sunday, I get lots of studio time at night without feeling guilty about neglecting him. Today I am doing a favor for a friend and will be gone most of the day, but can't wait to return home to begin working.

Va conmigo

Oil and encaustic on Clayboard

After a week of running around and traveling, I am finally ready to get back into the studio tomorrow. I am really getting withdrawals from not working in a while. I received my new order of beeswax along with some microcrystalline wax that I am going to experiment with. The beeswax is a little too soft for me and I think if I add a bit of microcrystalline to it, I can get it to a better consistency for me. I am still playing with formulas to find just the right one.

I am sitting in the Ft.Lauderdale airport on my way back home. After a week of shopping and parties and a beautiful wedding under my belt, I am so ready to return home to get back to work. It seems like forever since I have been home. While sitting and surfing the net to pass time, I came across this interesting article on Eric Fischl. I also ran into a fellow artist here at the airport and I am looking forward to catching up with her on the way home.

After a crazy week of receiving artwork, hanging a show and preparing for next month's jurying for our annual (EEAG) show, I am exhausted. I head out tomorrow early for Ft. Lauderdale, where, this weekend, my friend will be getting married. I won't have any studio time until after I return on the 9th. I will get to work out some ideas for some upcoming paintings in my sketchbook with some travel watercolors I have for such times.

Mantra 7 - Inspiration of a Memory

I have finally finished my 3 pieces that will be going tomorrow into a group show at the University of PR. I was really hesitant as to whether I would show some older work, or be brave and do something new in my new medium. The new medium won out. I really love the freedom that the encaustic affords me. Since it is quite impossible for me to get really detailed with my big brushes and quick drying medium, I find that I can express myself in a way that comes from my soul and not my mind. I am hoping that one day my mind and my soul processes will meet and become one. But until that time, I will settle for my soul taking the lead. If anyone who sees these images of my paintings and would like to comment or make suggestions, I am so open to hear them.

I just found this really great article about Lucien Freud. ArtNewsBlog Then another from Telegraph here: Telegraph

Mantra 6 (Key to a Memory)

Mantras (Cont.)

Preparing for the Week

Time consuming necessities that help me get into the painting spirit and process. I am ready to begin preparing the panels for wax.

Is it my Imagination or....

What! Traveling lately, which I have been doing a lot of, seems to be more difficult these days. Planes never seem to arrive and leave on time, making it nearly impossible to plan anything on travel days. My latest experience was in NY. I drove in from Wilmington, which should have only been a nice two 1/2 hr jaunt, and ended up getting stuck at the Verazzano bridge for more than an hr, then got stuck in traffic on the Belt Pkwy, reaching my destination at JFK airport 2 hrs later than anticipated only to find, thankfully, that my flight had been delayed. I was supposed to leave NY at 4:50 and arrive back home in SJ at 9:00pm. We ended up leaving around 8 pm and arrived in SJ at 11:30pm. I felt horrible for hubby, as he had to work the next morning. We didn't arrive back home until after 1 a.m. Julio's flight out of JFK the previous week had the same problem as did our friends out of LaGuardia. I am beginning to think there is a conspiracy of some sort going on with the airlines that will cause another huge rate hike soon. My trip from Atlanta in July was a disaster as well.

I spent the last couple days back home just unwinding and unpacking. My box of paintings arrived back yesterday, all in good shape. I was concerned about my encaustic piece, but it fared very well. I have a few more things to do before getting back into the studio to work. A trip to SJ today will keep me out of it today. But I am itching to get back to work. There is a pang of guilt though, as my house is feeling neglected after 2 weeks on the road and there are things that just need to get done.

Off to workout upstairs now for a bit before heading off. My two week journey afforded me 3 more lbs that I really didn't need. And since the wedding is less than two weeks away, I don't have much more time to shed extra weight. I am having nightmares about this strapless wonder I must wear soon.

More on Kiefer

"One always wants to be someone else. I myself would like to be a poet, and use nothing but a pen, But that's not how it is" Anselm Kiefer

Yesterday I ventured off on a journey by myself. I downloaded instructions from Mapquest and drove out to Philly. My mission? The Philadelphia Museum of Art. As I walked up the steps to the entrance of the museum, I was so taken back by the infamous Rocky image of the victory run as I watched two young guys pose at the top of the steps while their girlfriends snapped photos of the event. I laughed and walked on. Once in the museum, I was in heaven as I perused the halls of many European favorites quickly while making my way back to see a Kiefer painting. Only to be disappointed when I was told I couldn't take a photo of this fabulous piece. I was so disappointed, but I went right to the museum shop and was able to find a great book with all the paintings to purchase. Now I can view many of his works without having to travel the world, although his paintings are so much more impressive in person. There is something so raw and enormous about his works that I am really relating to on some level these days.

There was a great collection of Bosch and Bruegal paintings on exhibition also. I would of loved to have seen Garden of Earthly Delights. That will be another time. There was so much to take in. But what a fabulous collection of work they have. There was even Munch's Mermaid painting.

Possibly today or tomorrow, I may venture to the Brandywine River Museum to see many of the Wyeth's collectios.

All invited

Wilmington, DE

It has been a crazy week following my birthday. I spent it packing up my prints and paintings for my opening. We let Sunday morning and after a long day of traveling, we arrived in PA around 7:00pm. We are taking a brief vacation before my trip to Wilmington for my show opening. We got in a lot of shopping and some golf with the dear husband. We left PA yesterday morning and arrived around 1:00pm in Wilmington. We unpacked my work and began hanging and getting everything ready for our 5:30 opening. Kevin and I did a brief video interview that I am in the process of trying to edit. I will put it up as soon as it is complete. The opening was great. We didn't get a lot of the normal art loop group, but I got a lot of positive feedback from those who did attend. Today, after Julio and our friends left, Kevin and I headed over to the Brandywine Art Festival. I was a bit disappointed in the artwork, but they had some great jewelers and and jewelry there. Tonight we are headed out to Chesapeake City, which is in MD, for some wine, dinner and a great sunset. Tomorrow we will head out to the Ocean here in DE for some gallery walking. Tomorrow and this evening promise to be a lot of fun. I must admit though, I am really itching to do some painting.

Back to Reality

Even though it hasn't officially arrived yet, my birthday is over and it is time to get back to work. Thursday, the 30th, is my actual birthday, but all the celebrating happened this weekend. It was a sad day yesterday when I took my 22 year old son to the airport to return to Miami. I really miss having him around. Today arrives with much to do. I have to pick up brochures from the printer to take with me when we leave on Sunday. I have to pack up paintings and prints for show opening on the 7th. If anyone is in the Wilmington, DE area on Friday, 9/7, please drop by KevinMelloy.com Art Gallery on W 7th for First Friday Art Loop. I would love to meet you.

I am hoping to get one more painting done before I leave. That would be great.

Life's little surprises

The rest of last week didn't end up anywhere near what my plans were at the beginning of the week. After dealing with printer issues, cards for the gallery, brochures and other things, I didn't get any painting done. Sat. I managed to get to my figure drawing class and headed out with a friend to San Juan afterwards. Upon my arrival back home, I was surprised to find that my husband had arranged for me to stay in San Juan for the afternoon so that he could surprise me with a birthday party. I had my suspicions that he was up top something, but the topper on the surprise was that he flew my son in from Miami to surprise me. And surprised I was. My son heads back to Miami tonight, so I get to spend the day with him. Visits with the kids are never long enough but he has to get back to school and to work. It was a great weekend and painting will have to be postponed until tomorrow.

My Journey...stunted

A case of the flu has had me in bed since Thursday. A big pot of chicken soup has kept me company while I recover from fever and body aches. No work in the studio and I feel horrible about it. Today I am up and must venture out to San Juan to pick up a friend from the airport and am hoping to get a bit of work done on my return. I have just ordered more beeswax and damar resin and am so excited about receiving it so that I can continue my new journey with encaustics. I also need to get an exhaust out in my studio for fumes. These can be toxic.

If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse. However, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.
Carl Gustav Jung

Mantra 4

I really had a fabulous time today playing with the encaustics. I know I am really going to enjoy this medium. The possibilities of what one can do with it appears to be endless.

My journey today was to continue my Mantra series while experimenting with the new medium and allowing my muse to drive my direction. I took to the tools very quickly and felt comfortable with the heat gun. I painted with a pallet knife or brush in one hand and the heat gun in the other. I sat up my panel in the same manner as I do my canvases. I have a big wall at the end of my studio and I painted the same way as I always do. I don't think sitting at a table and having the panel in front of me would work. I enjoy the process of walking back and forth to evaluate my work.
This is my progress so far. As for an image, I thought I would use a familiar one that I had just been working with. I like the way it is juxtaposed on the canvas, but it still needs some more work so that someone will know that it is an iris. I am calling it a wrap today, but perhaps after dinner I will come back out and see what happens.

Begin again

After dying to get busy with my encaustics, I haven't quite been able to play yet. I spent the weekend out at Home Depot buying wood supplies for my panels that I will be using and then the afternoon today putting them together. Of course, I tried it the hard way first, trying to put biscuits in angled pieces of wood that would support my panel. To not avail and after ruining a good cut piece, even after testing it on a scrap piece, I discovered that all I had to do was miter the ends and glue them on the panel. Duh!!! Anyway, tomorrow will be spent laying a wax layer on the panels and then I can begin to play.

Mantra 3...

Made it into the studio after all. Just a couple touch ups and I think it is done.

No studio time so far today. Busy running errands, one of which was picking up my package of encaustics from the post office. I cannot wait to start playing with them. Probably should be next week. Maybe over the weekend if I am lucky. Spending the rest of the day preparing things for my show in Sept.

Almost there

Note to self: Never, ever leave eggs boiling or tea brewing when going into your studio.

Preparation for the Day

"In art the search for a content which is collectively understandable is false; the content will always be individual" -Piet Mondrian

Gessoeing canvas this morning for more Mantras. I definitely need to go bigger.

More Progress

Still working on this one.

Studio Day

"If the eyes of a Rembrandt are upon her, she will rise in response and Rembrandt will draw what he sees and it will be beautiful." - Robert Henri

"What is a personal calling? It is God's blessing, it is the path that God chose for you here on earth. Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dreams. WHY? There are four obstacles. First: we are told from childhood onward that everything that we want to do is impossible. We grow up with this idea, and as the years accumulate, so too do the layers of prejudice, fears and guilt. There comes a time when our personal calling is so deeply buried in our soul as to be invisible. But it is still there." -Art & Fear, David Bayles & Ted Orland

Encaustics

I am a little bummed this morning as I know I will not get any studio time until Sunday. I have a meeting in San Juan this morning and won't be back home til this afternoon when I have to deal with my broken refrigerator, once again. Tomorrow I have a commitment to play golf with my husband and business assoc. which I will enjoy.

I have been contemplating working with encaustics for several years now and believe that by painting my Mantras will allow me a natural course to develop this technique. I ordered my first set of encaustic paints from Fine Arts Store. I can't wait to get them. I bought the instructional book, The Art of Encaustic Painting: Contemporary Expression in the Ancient Medium of Pigmented Wax by Joanne Mattera, a few years back and have been waiting to get the courage p to experiment. So now I have. I will be using an old electric frying pan with an external temperature control for the time being to see how I adjust before ordering the electric pallet from a supplier. I have admired the work of Tony Scherman since I was college. I can't wait to get started.

Now it is working

I like this much better and think it is quite done!!!

Mantra #2

Having fun playing once again. Not quite finished with this yet. Something just doesn't "feel" right yet.

More Progress

Working on my mantra, helped me get further with this.

New Work, New Beginning

I am so excited. I have been feeling a pull to go in a different direction with my work, and today I finally had the courage to play and try. I wasn't expecting much with this as it is my first attempt at dealing with only color, composition and space, void of subject matter. I was just playing in my studio today, which is something I have been trying to get to for years. I loved the little accidents that happened with the paint and the freedom of not "getting it just right". I am hoping that this new freedom will spill over into my figurative work. But I will be doing a series of these "Mantras" so that I can just deal with space and color right now.

"The word "Mantra" is a Sanskrit word combining the two syllables: man, meaning mind, and tra translated as deliverance. A mantra is a pure sound-vibration intended to deliver the mind from illusion and material inclinations. The Mantra's (or mantram as it is sometimes refered to) purpose is to assist your mind to focus when it is scattered. By chanting mantras (in my case it will be painting), one is able to produce a spiritual effect which is associated with the physical sensation of the vibration the chant(painting) produces. Thus when the mantra is chanted the effect is felt. This is an easy way to obtain peace of mind, but takes much practice. (Painting)Chanting mantras is also used to make the intent of the mantra a physical reality. Energy naturally follows intent and thus the chanting of a mantra will eventually lead to the physical manifestation of the mantra. (Painting)Chanting mantras affects your subtle body (electromagnetic energy field) which holds your consciousness. Since your subtle body is made up of small vibrations, chanting directly affects the energy vibration of your subtle body. Mantras start a powerful vibration which corresponds to both a specific spiritual energy frequency and a state of consciousness in seed form. Over time, the mantra process begins to override all of the other smaller vibrations, which eventually become absorbed by the mantra. After a length of time which varies from individual to individual, the great wave of the mantra stills all other vibrations. Ultimately, the mantra produces a state where the organism vibrates at the rate completely in tune with the energy and spiritual state represented by and contained within the mantra. By slowly understanding how mantras work, our understanding of the universe which is composed of energy is broadened.

Hmmm...Is there such a thing as too much Yoga???

Wait till when???

So this explains it...

Horoscope for week of July 26 2007

VIRGO

In the language of the Hopi Indians, koyaanisqatsi means "crazy life," "life in turmoil," or "life out of balance." It's usually invoked to describe a culture that's in disarray because of corruption and lack of vision. In the horoscope you're now reading, however, I'm using it to identify a chaotic state that each of us periodically goes through in our personal life. It's a phase when we lose our moorings, when we're out of touch with our moral center. On the one hand, it's uncomfortable and disorienting. On the other hand, the brain-scrambling it stirs up is often a blessing. It flushes out mental habits that no longer serve us. It provokes creative innovations by rearranging the contents of our psyche. According to my reading of the omens, this is such a time for you, Virgo. Happy koyaanisqatsi!

Waterspout in Luquillo???

Yep, I have it on video and in photo. It was pretty awesome to watch.

StudioTime:Hurray

Yesterday was an event filled day, beginning with a trip to San Juan to check on some exhibition space for Guild members. Then returned home to discover a message that one of my paintings,"Baile de las Flores" at the gallery sold. This morning I headed over to clean up the painting and take the COA and registration for it. I did my goodbyes and off she went. It is always a bit sad when a painting is sold. So much of me goes into it when I am painting that a piece of me goes with it when it is sold.

I returned home and headed straight into my studio. I had a successful day today.

Can't wait til tomorrow.

There's No Place Like Home

After two weeks on the road, I am finally back home. My return trip from Atlanta left a lot to be desired. My original flight from Atlanta to Miami went fine, except we had to sit on the runway in Miami for an hr while waiting for bad weather to pass before being able to get off to make my connecting flight. My connecting flight was delayed and then eventually cancelled due to a problem with the locks in the luggage compartment below. Thank goodness I have friends in Miami that I was able to stay the night with. After a short shopping spree to KMart, I was unable to get may baggage back, I managed a good night's sleep and made it back to the airport early Friday morning to catch my 10:20 flight back to San Juan. Upon my arrival in SJ, my bags were no where to be found. When I went to the baggage assistance area, they were able to retrieve one of my bags and sent me on my way. Of course, my other bag was there also, but they didn't bother to look, so I had to wait till Sat evening before getting the rest of my belongings. But all is well and good.

My trip to Atlanta was great. Went to the High Museum of Art where there were exhibitions of Annie Lebowitz, photographer and Cecilia Beaux, a portrait artist. I really enjoyed Beaux's portraits. Lebowitz's photos were amazing, but I didn't feel a connection with them. There was also a huge crowd of people there, making it difficult to view the exhibit.

Of course, once again, my favorite image in the museum was another Keifer painting named "Dragon". I am really loving Keifer. I admired his work in college, but had forgotten how fabulous his textures are and how moving his images can be. The photo just does not due justice to this piece or any of his pieces.

I am heading back into my studio as I have an exhibition in Delaware to prepare for. After seeing Keifer, I am wondering how this will impact my future pieces. Guess we will find out.

Art Quotes

"Above all, it is a matter of loving art, not understanding it."
Fernand Leger
"There's no retirement for an artist, it's your way of living so there's no end to it."
Henry Moore
"Painting is a language which cannot be replaced by another language. I don’t know what to say about what I paint, really."
Balthus
"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
"O great creator of being grant us one more hour to perform our art and perfect our lives."
Jim Morrison
"I just wanted to find out where the boundaries were. I've found out there aren't any. I wanted to be stopped but no one will stop me."
Damien Hirst
"The method of painting is the natural growth out of a need. I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them."
Jackson Pollock
"It's not a matter of painting life, it's a matter of giving life to painting."
Pierre Bonnard

Stone Mtn Parkway

After a day of rest from traveling on Friday, up at 3:45 am to catch my 6:30 am flight, I am ready to begin exploring. Upon my arrival in Atlanta, I picked up my rental car and drove to Stone Mtn. Thank goodness for Mapquest. I found my sister's house with no problems. I then went to Best Buy to pick out my new little Point and Shoot camera. I got the Sony Cybershot. I waited until I got to the states because this same camera in PR was $40 more than if buying it here or online. My Olympus is really getting old and after my media card was corrupted during my trip to Denmark, I was unable to find another card for it, rendering my reliable camera useless. For now I just got a small little take everywhere camera until I am ready to get another SLR by the end of the year.

During my brief sightseeing yesterday, I was driving down this rode and looked up in front of me and saw the carving of Stone Mtn right in front of me. The site was really spectacular and caught me completely off guard. Good thing there was not any traffic in front of me. Anyway, today I am hoping to venture out and do some more sightseeing. I hope to have some photos with my new camera later.

Traveling once again

On Friday I am leaving for Atlanta to visit my sister and hopefully do some museum and gallery browsing. I am also heading to Nashville and Jacksonville for a few days. Lots to do to prepare for my trip. I am planning a trip to the Atlanta Art Center and to various other galleries around.

Before I leave, I also have to put together a small exhibition of about 9 pieces to put in a local exhibition in Luquillo. No sense in having work laying around the house and studio when it can be hanging somewhere. I keep tripping over them in my studio.

I am still trying to fix my PC. What an adventure this has turned out to be. It appears that my CPU is shot and I can't access any of my old files to transfer them to my Mac. I am so glad I have the Mac. I actually have two. My studio desktop Mac, Big Mac, and my Little Mac laptop that I use for traveling. I had been running my PC simultaneously to backup Window files for my Mac when it crashed, I have tried swapping the hard drive from another PC laying around that I have been working on and now because of the difference in Window versions, it is telling me that I need to have it reactivated and of course I cannot get an internet connection to do that. I w ill be ever so grateful when I do not have to be dependent on Windows for anything any longer.

Digital cameras and Media cards

As I was getting the rest of my photos together from Denmark, my media card went into a coma. My last 12, and of course, my best and favorite photos taken on the last day in Copenhagen have been corrupted. I have downloaded over 10 programs to try to recover my lost images to no avail. I could just cry. I had a photo of Michelangelo's 2nd David on there along with this great shot of the marina with all the old fish warehouses that I really wanted to paint. The last day we also went on a canal tour in which I took several fabulous shots, ok even if only in my mind. Lost, lost, lost. All of them. Despair. All things happen for a reason. I must not be meant to have those images right now. The universe has a way of giving you what you need when you need it. So I suppose I will put away that media card and when the time is right, a program will come out that will salvage my pictures. Until then...bye bye Little Mermaid.

After a good heartfelt day in the studio yesterday, I am ready for another. I must run a few errands first. My Epson R1800 printer is out of ink so I must drive for 40 min to COMPUSA to get more cartridges. I won't be able to get into my studio till this afternoon. Hopefully I will have something to upload then.

Progress.....

A good day in the studio.

A New Day, an new start

I awoke this morning really truly excited about working my studio for the first time in months. This past Sat. I attended a figure drawing class that the EEAG sponsors for guild members. I had forgotten how wonderful it was to just have a model in front of you and just draw for 3 hrs. As usual, I have been procrastinating going into my studio and working using the excuse that I have other things that were more important that needed to be done. In reality, my work is the most important thing and everything should come second. I wish there was a way where I could really put my work ahead of everything else. Until I am able to do that, I will not produce anything really truly worth making.

My girlfriend who is getting married in Oct has decided on a dress pretty much for her wedding in which I will be a bridesmaid for. Just as I feared, it is a sleeveless form fitting dress, a beautiful dress, but one that I would not normally wear. So now instead of my 1 hr a day workout, I have to up that to 2 hrs so that I have a shot in hell of looking halfway descent by Oct. What have I gotten myself into??? I needed to get into shape anyway. It always helps to have something to shoot for.

The goes for my work. With the impending opening of my show in Delaware in Sept, I really need to get a move on. I am planning a series of works on paper so that they can be easily transported. The theme of the show will be Mothers and Daughters as the opening of the show will fall on the 70th birthday of my mother who passed away in 1972. What better way to give homage to her than to open the show and celebrate her life as well as that of other mothers and daughters. A portion of the proceeds, if any, will be donated to Compassion International to help children in underprivileged countries get an education.

Kiefer

I have been going through my Denmark photos to get them in order. I came across some fabulous photos I took at the Louisiana Museum in Hillerod. There were paintings by Eric Fischl, Warhol images, and this great piece by Anslem Kieifer I love the texture in his work and the crudeness to it.

I just finished booking my flight to Atlanta. I am headed there to visit my sister and cousin. While I am there I will be traveling to Nashville to visit my dear friend and also to Jacksonville to visit my step mom and my other sisters. I would like to go visit the Art Center in Atlanta while I am there. I would also like to visit surrounding galleries.

I am sure these visits will help boost my motivation to work.

Kronborg Castle and Hamlet

On one of our days in Denmark, we went to the Kronborg Castle, where it is said that Shakespeare got his inspiration for Hamlet. The castle was amazing with all the doorways, windows and fabulous sculptures. There were paintings that were recovered that depicted the Seven Ages of Man, Seven Liberal Arts and Planet paintings. Tapestries lined a room that gave a history of the Kings past and their legacies. Being born in the US, I often forget that there is a whole history out there that has nothing to do with the US. Most of these paintings were painting before the U ever came into existence. It is hard to fathom how young of a country the US actually is.

We also spent the day in Copenhagen at the Statens Museum for Kunst. In the atrium, a huge exhibition by the sculptor Jorgen Sorensen was there. I am still trying to sort out his work. It was definitely socially motivated and he used pigs and dogs to show the human condition. I reserve my opinions for now. There was also a wonderful collection of modern art and expressionistic art there to see.

There is still so much that I am processing and I am still getting my photos into place. Once I get them in order I will post the ones I think are worthy. There are lots of them.

Off to the gallery to check on what needs to be replaced if anything.

World Travels

After 16 days in Denmark, I have returned home with lots of memories and ideas. I am still processing all that was seen and done. I have lots of photos to upload and can't wait to begin painting again. Copenhagen was fabulous. I visited several museums and galleries which I will sort through and post as well. One that stands out incredibly though was the Cindy Sherman exhibit at the Louisiana Museum in Hillerod.

The trip over to Denmark was long and exhausting but worth every second. Our original flight out of San Juan to JFK would not get us there early enough to make the connecting flight to London, so we went to the airport early to see if we could catch an earlier flight out and they accommodated us very nicely. We had a 4 hr wait in JFK for the London flight which gave us time for a couple of drinks before the long journey. After a 7 hr flight to London and a mad dash to get to our gate for the next leg of our trip to Copenhagen, we had 20 min to spare. I have decided that when I fly to Europe or any other place requiring more than a 4 hr ride, I will fly business or first class. The seats are just not comfortable enough to stretch out much or sleep during such a long flight.

Once in Copenhagen, we were met by some friends of Jaymee and Palle who had brought us a car for us to use on on stay. We then drove to Hundested. We stayed in this house that was built in 1797. Poor Julio kept hitting his head on the doorways as they were less than 6 ft high to help save on heating. It was quite a charming place. I did a quick watercolor of the house that I will post up later.

It was quite a trip and I will give the rest of the details later. For now, I have tons of cleaning to do.

Getting the job done

procrastinate |prəˈkrastəˌnāt; prō-|verb [ intrans. ] delay or postpone action; put off doing something : it won't be this price for long, so don't procrastinate. DERIVATIVES procrastination |prəˌkrastəˈnā sh ən; prō-| noun procrastinator |-ˌnātər| noun procrastinatory |-nəˌtôrē| adjective ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Latin procrastinat- ‘deferred until tomorrow,’ from the verb procrastinare, from pro- ‘forward’ + crastinus ‘belonging to tomorrow’ (from cras ‘tomorrow’ ).

Thesaurus
procrastinate verb fear of failure often causes people to procrastinate delay, put off doing something, postpone action, defer action, be dilatory, use delaying tactics, stall, temporize, drag one's feet/heels, take one's time, play for time, play a waiting game.

Working on the edge

As much as I have tried, I just haven't been able to get much work done. Administrative stuff has just gotten out of hand and I have also been too easily influenced to do other things. The three times I tried to get some photos and drawings down, I was pulled in different directions.

I just received my passport back. I had to have it renewed because I am leaving next week for a trip to Denmark. I am going with some good friends and am really looking forward to getting away and seeing a different part of the world. I have been making lists so that I do not forget some important thing I want to take with me.

Over the weekend I went shopping and found this really cool new set of luggage for my trip. I really needed some new stuff as my old luggage was just falling apart. Fortunately, I have plenty of sweaters and stuff from when I lived in Nashville and from my trip to the Poconos this past Christmas. I am also bringing my watercolors along for journaling.

List of Tasks:

Put medicine bag together for trip.
Cut paper for watercolor journals.
Decide which books to bring for reading.
Get all official documents together for traveling.
Pull out clothes and wash if needed.

Muse of Inspiration

Here is hoping my muse of inspiration comes and hits me over the head. Having all sorts of technical problems these past few weeks. My camera is on the fritz. Well not my camera, but my ability to transfer photos to my computer is. The cable is shot. How that happened I am not exactly sure, but it is definitely not working. My PC crashed as I was trying to transfer old files from the PC to my Mac systems. I will be so happy when I do not ever have to use a PC based computer again. I have my Big Mac in my studio and my Little Mac (laptop) in the house. I got to love it. On a good note, my model is on his way, so I better get moving. More to come.

Art Organizations

Today there is a meeting of the East End Art Guild, a group of artists that have gotten together over the years to promote art in the east side of Puerto Rico. After the meeting I plan on returning home and doing some serious work. I am still working on compositions for the next piece, but I am also working on a couple of other pieces at the same time. I find that when I work on several things it keeps me from becoming bored and if I have problems with one, I can turn to the other until I figure out how to resolve the other. I am hoping to have something to put up later today.

Day in Vain

I was really looking forward to working in my studio today. Although before I do this, I must drive down to the museum in Humacao to pick up work from the Woman's exhibition that I was in. The show was really a great event and I look forward to doing it again. The best part, I think, was the boxes we asked everyone to do that t hey felt described themselves. It was interesting to see how each of us portrayed ourselves and how it was portrayed. I did a book, as I feel I am a writer and that my life is similar to one. Different chapters for different times in my life. Photos later. More to come.

Smoke free=12 days with no cravings.

Language of the Goddess

Once again the phone line was cut or something and just got my line back this morning after a week of no phone. I finally went to the local Sprint store and got one of those wireless connections. It works great. So now I can cancel my DMax service, and not be dependent on whether my phone line is working. Problem solved!!!

I am finally beginning to get my groove back with my art. I have been researching and studying for my new piece and actually got some drawings done day before yesterday. I am really getting exciting about starting this piece. I will try to get some photos up of my drawings in progress a bit later. I always get really excited when I am almost ready to put paint on the canvas. But I have to hold myself back till I get all my drawings done and my composition worked out.

I jut got this new book from Amazon called "The Language of the Goddess" written by Marija Gimbutas. I also have several other of her books. For the past two years I have been doing a lot of research and reading on the Goddess and the influence she has had on different cultures and how she fits into today's society, if she does at all. The forward is written by Joseph Campbell, author of "Masks of God-Creative Mythology" Masks of God-Creative Mythology: and others.

I have always had this fascination with early religious cultures and how those customs have been absorbed into modern times. It is interesting for me to see how the ancient civilizations worshipped and the similarities between their religion and the different religions of today. I have also been fascinated with how the worship of women during that time has changed into what what the roles of women has become now. I somehow feel that finding a link between them will, in some way, connect me, personally, to the women of ancient times. As I seek my answers it is a challenge to find ways to incorporate them into my art.

Preparing for a new painting

Some artists need to work everyday in their studio. I usually do this also. I find that working everyday, even on a little something, helps the creativity cycle. But sometimes, I find that doing everyday stuff and staying out of my studio for a period of time does the same thing for me. Especially when I am in a transition period, like I am in now. Often my mind feels all cluttered and I need to unload some of the clutter in order for me to move on. This is what I have been doing for the past couple of months. But I feel the urgency to get back into my studio and start producing again. I have a solo show coming up in Delaware in Sept. and I I feel this energy buzzing around to create something in a bit of a new direction for me. As I am researching and gathering information, I formulate my thoughts and get my head together. I have discovered that in my state of unbusy studio work I am still mind busy with ideas. Part of search and gather. During this period, I look at lots of other artwork, search the net and formulate my compositions and painting subjects. I have been working on some things for a while now but haven't yet put anything down on paper or canvas. But that will be coming today or tomorrow. Hooray! Day 3....still smoke-free. I even tested myself a bit last night and went to my neighbor's house for a glass of wine, She smokes a lot and I was sure I would be tempted. But I wasn't. In fact, the smell made me a bit nauseous. So, I think I might have this kicked. Hopefully later today I will have some sketches to upload.

Quit smoking, Pearls before Breakfast and Work

Wow, this past week has been a mess. So many things going on and I feel like I will never get it all done. But I am trying to, one thing at time.

Today is my sister's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The other day I received an email with a link from a fellow artist. I was reading it this morning Pearls for Breakfast while I was having my coffee and keeping my mind off not smoking. This s day 1, but more later. Anyway, I was amazed to read how this experiment ended up. Take a look at it, I think you may agree.

Yes, I have quit smoking, once again. I quit for 8 years until last July when I started back up. I couldn't believe how easy it was for me to pick it up again after not smoking for so many years. I could have kicked myself in the butt. Now, 8 months later, I am back on the non-smoker track. I am using this new medication called Chantix to help me with the urges. So far, so good. I am finding that I have lots of extra time on my hands now that I am not smoking. It is amazing how a habit can take up so much time. I am also ready to begin my diet and exercise regime for the wedding in Oct. Tonight will be my first night as I ill begin walking around the neighborhood. Slowly of course, as I am so out of shape I don't want to over-do it and burn myself out.

Now I am off to clean my SUV so that it doesn't smell like stale smoke.

Computers, diets, and exercise

The newest trend here in PR is to cut the telephone wires for the copper inside. Copper is, apparently, a very hot commodity these days. With that said, I was left without phone and internet service for 2 days. I was beginning to go through withdrawals. I found a local restaurant with wireless access and was prepared to go there for dinner just so I could check my emails. But around 5:30 p.m., my service was reconnected and so was I. It got me to thinking though. How much time do I really spend on this thing and how dependent have I become on being connected? The answer to both of those questions is, way too much.

I realized that nowadays, I turn to the computer for everything. I come to the computer to pay bills from my checking account, check the weather forecast, for online shopping, food recipes, exercise planning, and even this blog has replaced my daily journal. How much is too much? In our daily lives of search and click, have we become a slave to the net? Has this caused us to become less social and spend more time at home with our online niches? In my case, definitely. I rarely venture out anymore. If I can do something online, I do it. It beats the daily hassles of traffic and interacting with a ton of people waiting in line to pay for things. If I could figure out how to go to the doctor online, I probably would. In this world of being able to access the information highway, why bother going out. I enjoy interaction with people, but on my terms. I don't like having to stand in long lines, I don't like crowds and I don't like sitting in traffic. So if those things can be avoided, can it be a bad thing? I hope not.

On another note, I need t o get back to the gym. My shoulder injury and a few other stressful things last year caused some serious weight gain. I received a call from an old friend back in Miami and she is getting married. I am so excited for her. She has asked me to be one of her bridesmaids and of course I said I would be honored until I hung up the phone and realized that that meant probably having to wear a strapless tight-fitting dress. I panicked. I am in no shape to wear anything that shows my arms or my shape. Fortunately, the wedding is not until Oct. so I have 7 months of grueling misery at the gym and dieting to whip myself back into shape. I guess this is a good thing. I really needed something to push me back into taking care of myself. This is the wake-up call.

Alternative spaces and selling out

I just got home from checking out a fellow artist's new work that had been hung in a local restaurant. Here on the east side of the island, there aren't a lot of exhibition opportunities, so local restaurants become alternative spaces to hang work. On my arrival, I looked around and saw the works and immediately thought that when I reach the ripe old age of 80, that first, I never have to hang my work on wall where people are eating and secondly, I hope that I have a lot more work than just a few watercolors of landscapes. I often feel I am torn between being an artist who sells and being an artist. The pressure of creating works that target a certain group of people isn't what I want to be doing, although that is what I am falling into. And it scares me. There are plenty of artists around that paint nice little landscapes and flowers, but that is not what I want to be. I want to be an artist that has something to say. Which means that I probably won't sell. But there seems to be a rule that if you don't sell, then you are not a success. What makes an artist successful? I think it must mean staying true to yourself and having the courage not to fall into the fallacy that success means money. I am grateful that I have a husband who is willing to take care and support me in my search for my own truth through my art. Now if I can only have faith that I will persevere.

Horse of a different Language

I have my Spanish class today. I have been struggling for 2 years now trying to get a command over the language. All my years growing up in Miami laid a foundation for this new language, but did nothing to prepare me for the challenges of living in a country where english is a second language. Grasping all the ins an outs of spanish can be quite frustrating. I recall my first encounter of a seemingly easy task. A drive-through at McDonalds. I drove up, waited for the familiar "Can I take your order" to come over the speaker. What I heard instead threw me into such a tizzy, that I panicked and jut started spewing words, mixed in english and spanish. All I wanted was a cheeseburger and a diet coke, but that was the hardest thing for me to repeat. Anyway, I ended up with some combo, that I really never even wanted. I soon learned that the easiest way for me to order in the future, was just just to get the combos. No special orders. I have discovered that the people behind the mike are really not equipped to take special orders and that if you have a dietary concern about mayo, too bad. Everyone here eats mayo, and lots of it. I just throw the top of the bun away and eat the burger folded in half with one bun that isn't doused in mayo. Through the years, I have come to realize, that most people here in PR understand english, they just don't feel comfortable speaking it. Living here has taught me some new lessons in humility. Whether I wanted to learn or not. I am basically a control freak who likes everything just so, I guess I am a true Virgo, but I have learned that I have to step out of my comfort zone and adapt to my new surroundings. Life here is not easy, but the people are fabulous and the island is full of beauty. The things one in the states take for granted are luxuries here. Home Depots on every corner does not exist here. It is a good 45 min. drive for me to get to one here, on a good day without a ton of traffic. Roads here are quite different. Because of the mountains, there is usually only one road to take to get anywhere and everyone else is trying to get to the same place as you are, at the same time. If there is an accident, you can wait on the road for hours and not go anywhere. That explains all the needs for people who drive with stocked coolers in their car. An accident is cause for an all out party in the middle of the road. They turn up the stereos in their cars, open the doors and sit on the hoods, and wait for the accident to clear. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade! We finally got a Compusa here, of course it is right across from our Home Depot. But it is progress. I remember when it was being built, and I saw the big Compusa sign announcing its arrival. I was ecstatic. Something from home. Starbucks, now that is a true luxury here. It was 2 years before one came here. Before that, I would have my friends stateside send me care packages that included my favorite java brew. Of course the closest Starbucks is an hour drive, but at least I know it is there and fortunately my husband works right around the corner and is able to pick up my blend each week. I have become a big fan of online shopping now. It is much easier for me to just click and pay, and in a few days, I have my order. Barring of course that the postman hasn't decided to take the week off for some holiday excursion. Or that he hasn't forgotten to leave me my pickup slip and then my packages wait endlessly in the box of doom in the back of the post office until someone decides to send me a final notice telling me my package is being returned. I laughed the first time that happened, how can I get a final notice when I never received the first one? When I walk into the post office now, the guy behind the counter just automatically goes into the back looking for my package. Art stores, well that is really something that doesn't exist here. Not even a Michaels. Everything has to be shipped and if you need anything that is now considered hazardous, well you have to do without. If I were a rich person, I would open an art supply store here. There are tons of artists, but no supplies. Ok, well there is one or two, but what they carry is mostly for students and crafters. The selection isn't very large and you have to settle for student grade W&N paints in only the basic of colors. But you learn to adapt. You combine trips to the states with restocking art supplies and coffee and continue to hold on to the hope that one day someone will put a store on the corner that isn't Wallyworld or Walgreen's.

Dead birds, confused memories

One of my finches died. She was 5 years old and I hope to think she had a good life. She had two babies, which are now 4 years old. Death has been such a huge part of my life this past year. The passing of my uncle, my cousin and several others, I find myself questioning everything I do. My perfect little life just doesn't seem so important anymore. My artwork just doesn't seem to complete me any longer. I feel the need to change and go into a new direction. But I also feel the need to bring something more into the work. I am working on introducing encaustics into my paintings.