The Language of Intuition

The Sound of Rain
by Leslie Avon Miller

What informs the compositional choices one makes? Whether or not you have a sense of self-discovery before or after the fact of “creation” it is helpful to be more conscious in your personal world of art making.

~ Margot Voorhies Thompson

10 years ago I stepped into a classroom on the wild Oregon coast and spent a week with fellow artists and Margot.

She didn’t instruct so much as she helped us discover what was ours. She asked us questions, stimulated our thought process as artists, and helped us to see.

Margot Voorhies Thompson


I invite you to visit Margot's website

What feelings do your brush marks, scrapings, scratchings, drawing, calligraphy, type and other marks lend to your idea?

~ Margot Voorhies Thompson

Winter

by Leslie Avon Miller

I’ve just spent time looking at some of my work from that workshop, and found my entire art language was present in my work even in its infancy. Soft, subdued palette of cream, sienna, white and black – and a touch of orange. Ink, graphite, collage and paint. Calligraphic marks, drips, finger painting, open space, grids, rectangles, abstracted figures.

What invitation are you extending to the viewer through your work?

~ Margot Voorhies Thompson

My work from that time has always been just within my awareness, but until today when I got it out again, I hadn’t realized how complete my language was even then.

Why am I revisiting that time? For one, I know I had an outstanding learning experience. For another, that was my first art workshop. At this time I am in an archeological mode, looking for the essential, the authentic, the elemental components of my work.

I’m clearing my personal airwaves so I can hear myself. I am clearing, so I can create authentically.

Visuals = the language of intuition.

~ Eileen M. Clegg

The works I have posted here are recent works. My works from the workshop are not imaged.

So, what do you know about your personal visual language of intuition?

Seeking My Authentic Voice

I have a new appreciation for winter, after the holidays and the rush have subsided.

It’s a personal time. It’s easy to slip home after work and live simply. I find time for reflection, time for solitude, and studio time.

I think of my thought process as mental composting in a way. I don’t have to actively reflect, just see what comes up. I have no intention of any thing like a resolution. I am experiencing more “being” now, and eschewing goal setting and time frames. I am experiencing myself a la natural. It’s exciting really. What will come of it?

From this richness of space and time (and plenty of luxurious sleep), I have been working a lot in the studio. I’m going in new directions. Ideas tumble in my mind, one after the other, waiting to be acted upon. I’m having fun!

I’m not ready to share the “new” work yet, but I can tell you I have been playing with inks, bees wax, charcoal and egg shells. Even those ingredients sound a bit like a compost pile!

I have also developed a new coaching group – Seeking Your Creative Voice. This topic is so very dear to my heart.

On January 14th you can participate in a non cost teleclass exploring the topic if you like. You can find out more here. You will also find particulars about the group there.

As this idea was developing I started down a few mental dead ends; all a part of the process I suppose. Not unlike making art, for me anyway. Then this popped up from my compost pile:

When I tap into my authentic voice that’s when the doors open, the work flows and my heart knows, just knows “this is right.” Time melts. It feels good. The struggle is replaced with a sense of work; right work, good work, the work, my work.

Voice isn’t style, voice isn’t principals and elements of design, voice isn’t content, but the language we use to express our authentic voice includes all of these. Authentic voice is something more elementary than this, it’s something closer to primal, closer to the earth, and it is uniquely yours.

The authentic voice isn’t found so much as it is invited, finally recognized and accepted for what it is and celebrated.

We don’t choose it, it claims us. What we choose is to listen and dance to the sound. You may even find yourself weeping for the joy of connection with your own creative voice.

Happy January! What is coming up from your mental compost pile?