mark making with  black gesso, credit card and a branch.

minimizing color

a twirl of the wrist

some collage 

and white pastel.  

cut a stencil.

there are times when 

you need your peeps.

XOOXO

gaining insight from ancestors

not too long ago my ancestor immigrated 

to the land of promise.  their homeland had undergone

upheaval and was in transition.   they heard that there were

opportunities in 'amerika'.   many were disappointed, took menial

jobs yet they felt like guests in this country.  this meant putting 

your best foot forward.  they tried hard to belong and taught 

their children the same.   i still find myself falling into this, 

trying to belong, feeling on the outside, uncertain, trying hard.

The Journey

trio, mixed media, sold

who are your companions

do you listen to their voices?

can you let them into your world?

do you hold their hand

or 

do you set up barriers

too difficult to penetrate 

so you walk alone?

Found Poems

'feels like i dropped into a warm cozy cave waiting for only me,'  journal page, 2011 

ruthless is not a word i usually use for myself.  but that is what i feel like 

as i clear out my stuff from

poetry  books from the days when writing poetry took up my full psyche

piles of papers sorted out kept for what?  collage one day?

old paper patterns used when i to sewed all of my clothes, that's been decades, 

dolls that collect dust

books that i read, loved and thought i'd read again...one day

knitting books with colorful, delightful pictures of potential projects

everything takes up space; both physical, also psychic...and maybe even 

emotional space.  for now i am starting with clearing out the physical space.  

one section at a time.  

already i feel a difference.  i have done his before, cleared out the stuff but 

had always felt the void, the vacuum created and just as quickly filled it.  

i don't have that desire this time. i found a blog post titled de-owning.  I like that.  

i am trying not to make this a big deal 

but it sure is taking up lots of my time.

ps

and i am feeling a wee bit proud of myself too.

when is a piece finished?

do we know because of an inner feeling or are there objective criteria?

if it comes to fruition quickly, can we call it done?

does the artist need to struggle over the final details?

who answers these questions?

....just a few sunday questions

i took a beginning painting class last year.  one of the 

assignments was to make a copy of a van gogh.

when you do this it is suggested that you select an artist 

with different style from your own.  the teacher claims that your art will 

improve dramatically after  three different copies are painted.

  i don't know whether my art changed or 

improved after the van gogh but i did learn about using texture.  

i am now painting a copy of a portion of james ensosr's

christ's entry into brussels (1889).  i became familiar with 

with his work through an exhibit, the scandalous art of 

james ensor, at the getty.   i love his brilliant use of color and 

the exaggerated characters  he created.  so i am giving it a whirl.

i have been printing with a small group for less than 

a year.  i have not found my way with this technique.

this summer i worked with the talented printer, public artist and 

educator, caryl levy at her chinatown  studio.  

we learned to mix our oil based printers inks inks

to a creamy consistency,

and learned how to listen to the brayer when we 

roll through the ink spreading it evenly on the brayer.

how to soak the paper, blot it dry so it is no longer shiny

and is ready to accept the ink.  then rolled it through this press.

here are a few of the pieces i printed.

sold

i have been printing with water based inks. 

i fell in love with the rich colors that result from the oils inks.

while most of the steps were not new to me working for two 

days with a skilled teacher gave me  more confidence

in approaching a blank sheet.  i hope to do this again 

and am in search for a local press i can use.

the day started like this.

two hours later....

already!

it is going to be a hot one.

sending cool thoughts to paint party friday friends.

grateful to kristin and eva for creating this weekly community.