Decisions

Don't make their decisions for them! You have to put things out there because you don't know who will respond.

It is easy for artists to decide for other people: there's no point putting my work out there because no-one will want to buy it. I won't talk about my workshop again because the flyers have been out there and no-one is interested (yes, this is me!). 

But this is making someone else's decision for them. You've already decided that they're not interested. Really, lots of people need to come into contact with something several times before they decide they want to go ahead, especially if it's not something they've considered before. 

Don't decide that people aren't interested because then you take away their chance to be.

Unexpected

 

Most of the fun things that I've done have happened out of the blue.

Jobs have come up because I've been asked to do something more often than applying for an interview. Moving around the world came about without us planning for it to happen. Taking a chance has often led to something new.

So when the door opens, walk through it. 

Working in series

 

So I've been working on a series of five pieces using the same palette (black, white, ochre, magenta, and cerulean). They're in various stages of creation with a couple possibly finished and another couple in the early stages - I'll let you guess which are where! 

No-one can say they're not colourful :)

If the technology works properly, there should be a video above. If not, there are stills below:

Sorry for the wonky photos - I had to prop the canvases on the floor so I was at a funny angle in my crowded studio. Here they are individually:

marks

Making your mark looks different for each of us. 

So it's time to stop comparing yourself to everyone else. We all have something to contribute and we should do so boldly. Don't hold back - the world needs you!

5 minutes

 

Even five minutes counts - it all adds up over time.

Too often we say we haven't got enough time to do such and such a thing, but if it's something that can be done in small parcels, even five minutes counts. And when we talk about giving time to others, taking that five minutes to send a message to touch base with someone is definitely worth it. It counts. You know it does, because you've felt the benefit when you've been on the receiving end.

What will you do with all the five minute parcels of time you have between things today?

Growth

 

You are responsible for your growth.

You can't just expect to grow without putting in the work. If you want to develop skills in a particular area, you have to put in the time and effort. Sure, you might have some natural talent, but it will only take you so far. It is up to you to work at it. No-one else can do that for you, and wishing doesn't make it so.

This applies to personal growth in character as well. If you want to grow in kindness, you have to practice it. The only way to grow in patience is to be patient (annoying, isn't it?!). Surround yourself with people who have the qualities you'd like to grow in yourself - it rubs off! 

The good news is that the rewards are worth it.

New canvas

 

This is the first of my new canvases in the limited palette that I'm doing a series of five in. I haven't named it yet as I want to see if something emerges when all five are done. I tend to work in that way - not having an idea to start with but stepping back and seeing what comes to mind when things are almost done. I may end up putting words on it, I may not. I'm sure when all five are done that there will be commonalities. I can already see some of them - the squiggles, the finger spots, and the misty bits of white where I rub a palette knife with a tiny amount of paint over the fibres of the canvas.

Really, I'm just having fun :)

Trajectory

Do you need a change of trajectory?

The red shapes on this page made me think about a bouncing ball. When we drop a bouncy ball straight down, it will bounce straight back up again unless there is something on the floor that causes it not to be flat. If the floor isn't flat, the ball will bounce off at a different angle, not returning to your hand. 

It is easy for us to keep following the same path, backwards and forwards. If we want to change trajectory, we need to interact with something new. 

As an aside, I love the way Alice Sheridan explains our artistic journey. Rather than a wavy line going up and down, she sees it as a simple drawing of a flower. If we think of the circle in the middle as our centre, we travel out from ourselves to new things, and then come back to our centre, bringing the new things we've learned, making the petals. A much nicer way to think of it rather than peaks and troughs. 

Unclear

 

It's not always as clear as you might think.

These colours made me think of the binary genders and how trying to fit people into one of two very distinct boxes doesn't work for everyone.  I do not necessarily fit into a 'typical' female mould. I do not wear make-up, and haven't for decades. I am not interested in fashion and don't wear high heels, even though I am short. I own two handbags and my husband has more shoes than I do. But as a cis female I am happy to use the 'she/her' pronouns. I identify as female. 

Others who are afab (assigned female at birth) might want to wear heels and make-up but feel very uncomfortable with the 'she/her' pronouns. They might identify as non-binary, or genderqueer, or male, or some other self-identifying label. Gender is about identity not anatomy.  Those of us who are cis-gendered have no idea how painful it is for those who feel that their body does not reflect who they are inside. We can help to ease that pain by giving respect and dignity to all people by using their preferred pronouns, no matter how difficult it might be to start with. 'They' may feel strange to use for a singular person, but with practice it gets easier. The person concerned will appreciate the work you put in to seeing them and acknowledging who they are inside.

Perception

"Don't ever perceive other people's success as your own failure." Rob Liano 

There's enough success to go round. It's not like it's a pie and someone has already eaten three-quarters of it so you'd better get in there and cut yourself a slice. And besides, how do you define 'success'? The dictionary says it is 'the accomplishment of an aim or purpose'. Some days my aim is to get out of bed! When I do, I am a success. 

Our artistic aims are surely our own and not affected by anyone else's success, so let's live that way.

In other news, guess which fingernail bed is infected...

As you can see, my cuticles are particularly ragged and what with sticking my fingers in paint, sewing and occasionally pricking myself with a pin, cooking, and gardening, well, somewhere along the way something got in there and my finger swelled alarmingly over two days. With a dose of antibiotics I'm hoping it will be back to normal size soon. And maybe I'll wear gloves next time I want to fingerpaint...

Expected

 

Not everything behaves as expected.

The red leaves on this page made me think about things that are unexpected. Somehow we always expect leaves to be green, unless it's autumn, but poinsettias and leucadendrons have red leaves. 'All swans are white' ... unless you live in Australia where white swans are the unexpected ones. 

We have expectations based on past experience. Sometimes those expectations will be turned on their heads. We need to be ready for those times. 

Or maybe we need to be the ones doing the unexpected.

Studio art

 

As I've been working on some canvases this week, I haven't finished a new art journal page in time for this post, so I thought it might be fun to give you a tour of the art in my studio.

The one above is one of mine and is quite old now, but I really love it. The wording says 'consider the flowers'. It sits over my desk where I do my morning reading and prayer journal, and is a reminder to not worry!

This is another of my own canvases, just a small one.  Again, it sits over my desk and is a reminder to endeavour to plant good things in others, not things that harm or aren't fruitful.

This is a glass plate made by Sheryl Glassmith, a local Adelaide Hills artist. Echidnas are my favourite animals and I have a small collection in my studio, as you will see. 

This is an echidna print by Janet Ayliffe, another Adelaide Hills artist. 

And here are the smaller echidnas I have collected. The one at the bottom left is by David Clarke and my husband bought it for me on Kangaroo Island when we holidayed there. It fits nicely in a cupped hand and is made of bronze, so beautifully weighted. The sharp-eyed of you will have noticed that a bilby has sneaked in as well. 

This is another of my pieces from way back - about 30 years from when I first started out with oil paints on roof slates. We were living in Sheffield in the UK and lots of the houses have slate roofs. After windy days there would be tiles on the ground, or sometimes there would be some in skips. When you can't afford canvas, you use whatever is around :) This one is called 'The Passion'.

The horse is Zach's from when they were about 5. I love the simple lines and the personality. The green canvas is another of mine that's just been hanging around the studio since I made it however many years ago.

This one is mine with a poem of Zach's that I love. As you can see, it's propped up by my box of brushes and paint. 

 

And this last one is very recent. It's called 'Life's Messy, Embrace It'. I love the bright colours and again, the reminder that when things aren't going smoothly, it's okay, and to keep going. 

So there you go - the art in my studio. Thank you for sticking around to the end!

Play

 

I bought myself 20 canvases the other day in preparation for SALA 2023 (South Australian Living Artists). It's a month-long set of exhibitions across the whole state that anyone can apply to be part of. Lots of venues offer space for it that wouldn't usually exhibit art; some artists open their studios; some people exhibit for the entire month, others just for a few days. A few years ago I exhibited at the Adelaide City Library and it was good fun. I was too late to apply for this year so I'm getting ahead ready for next year. 

All my canvases are 16 x 20in and I just intend to have fun with them. The one above is the first one I've finished and is called 'Play'. I have four others on the go, one of which is almost done and the others are in the ugly stage. There are no expectations for these pieces; I just want to see where they take me. I'm planning to do a set of five with the same palette just to explore. 

If you had a set of canvases, what would you explore?