I want to tell what the forests were like.

Story in a Forgotten Language 

14 x 14 

Leslie Avon Miller

I want to tell what the forests
were like.

I will have to speak
in a forgotten language.

~W.S. Merwin

Close some doors.

Not because of pride,

but because that no longer fits your life.

~Paolo Coelho

I keep trying to change what I do all because of too much thinking, 

instead of letting it happen. 

What I do keeps on insisting to be here the way it wants to be. 

For that I am grateful.

You can’t help but be true to who you are; 

nobody can tell you how to be a good artist. 

Your soul is going to be in there anyway, if it exists at all.

 It can’t be some programmatic, rigid, 

ideological thing that’s outside of your own experience.

~Ellen Phelan

The only way you have anything to 

offer as an artist is to please yourself. 

~Steve Aimone.

 I am still telling stories in the studio, and dancing in the process.

Story to be continued.

And you may tell yourself this is not my beautiful painting

Take me to the river

Drop me in the water

Art is an ocean

I don’t know why I love you like I do

All the trouble you put me through

Some days things are a little rough in the studio.

We’re on a road to nowhere

Come on inside

Maybe you wonder where you are

And its alright baby, it’s alright

When things become a bit surreal, I may as well go with it.

And you may tell yourself this is not my beautiful painting

And you may ask yourself how did I get here

You may ask yourself, how do I work this

You may ask yourself, where is that beautiful painting

 Seems all my work goes through phases.

I’m checking them out

I’m checking them out

I got it figured out

It’s only the river; it’s only the river 

 It's just part of the process, part of the flow of it all.

And in all fairness to these paintings,

none of them were involved in today's 

long deep breath/sigh in the studio.

It Takes A Long Time To Look

Prajna by Leslie Avon Miller

To look at a thing is very different from seeing a thing.

One does not see anything until one sees its beauty.

~Oscar Wilde

Mary Nomecos

It takes a long time to look.

~Mary Nomecos

In this video Mary talks about her art, about play, and painting.
I loved the close up views of her work.
You will see fabulous brushstrokes and mark making, which I perceive as beauty.

She says that it takes a long time to look,
and looking is an important part of her art practice.

Perceptive observation is seeing with your brain,

feeling with your eyes,

interpreting with your heart.

~Robert Wade

Nota Bene by Mary Nomecos

Prajna is the Tibetan word for clear seeing,

the innate intelligence we all possess deep inside

that allows us to look at ourselves and others with humility

and compassion, but without judgments of good or bad

attached to those observations.

~Cynthia Grahm

Wide Open by Mary Nomecos

The most satisfying and most basic art experience is looking

– pure, unmediated observation and sensation.

~Roy Thurston

What's Your Art Fantasy?

So what's your art fantasy? I'll tell you mine. It's to have a fabulous art gallery. My gallery-in-my-mind is full of great innovative art of all kinds including paintings, mixed media, textiles, sculpture, contemporary basketry and more.

I can see it now - a spacious and well lit space with lofty ceilings. The cohesiveness comes from the quality of the work and the vision. And like all good fantasies, my gallery is about the joy - no problems!



Androgyny by Denise Marts

Ultimately, there is only one meaningful question
concerning the nature of the self and human consciousness
and that question is, "Who am I?"

Sincere self-inquiry is the philosophical pursuit
and an artist that pursues his or her art deeply enough
becomes a philosopher by default."

~ Denise Marts

Venus Sketch by Denise Marts

I'm beginning today with an intermittent series of posts featuring figurative art. A virtual gallery of sorts. I think these artists are phenomenal.

Their work pulls me in to consider their unique visions. And they can be in my fantasy gallery any day.




Blue Nude 2.1 by Denise Marts


What immediately grabs your eye when you walk into an art venue?



Angelica with two old Tanzanian African sculptures by Denise Marts


I love nonobjective, funky or elegant abstract art. It speaks to me and calls my name. My eyes soak it all in - colors, shapes, textures and line. Oh the thrill, the satisfaction of seeing great art!






Three Dancers, from the Stone Sculpture series by Denise Marts

Here for today's opening are two talented and visionary artists, Denise Marts and Linda (who's last name I don't know.)

Please be my guest and help yourself to a glass of wine, have a chocolate and while you listen to the live music playing in the background, mingle with fellow art lovers and feast your eyes.





Family Portraits by Linda. Linda's blog is called entre les mots et l'image or between words and image.






There's something new to see around each corner. Enjoy!






by Linda

I love playing with glue and paper - touch - feel -
discover textures with the tips of my fingers -
I like to have paint stains on my hands and my clothes -
I like the mess on my desk -
I also play with pixels - scan my collages - mix them together
- overlay - observe - the fragment -
I see emergence of other forms - other colors -
I like the mixture of me and chance.

~Linda

Please be sure and sign the guest book, and share your art fantasy. I'm glad you're here. Would you care for another chocolate?

Humming in the Studio

Several large works are coming together in my studio, and I am contemplating some companion pieces in a smaller size. The work is evoking mood and thoughts of stillness, and of the evolutionary movement of continents and islands. I continue to create deep layers of texture and marks, exposing parts of each layer to compose the whole. I find that my methods evolve naturally, and the work is deeply satisfying, engaging and also challenging. Making art is doing good work.

I have started reading a new art book, Art Revolution, Alternative Approaches for Fine Artists and Illustrators, by Lisa L. Cyr. The imagery is compelling and rich. There are 20 contemporary and cutting edge artists represented in the book. As delightfully enticing as the images are, I am even more interested in the messages about contemporary art as it exists now, the interviews of each artist, and the encouragement the author provides for all of us to be authentic, innovative and content driven.

Lisa provides a summary of the history of contemporary art, a snapshot of where we are now, and a call for high standards as we move forward. She points out the almost homogenized aesthetic that results from formula driven art. In the chapter titled Content Drive Approach, Lisa says “To move forward, artists must adopt a success-based work ethic. They have to be willing to strive for greatness every time, refusing to compromise and settle for the mundane. This means doing their best in every aspect of their work, regardless of the rewards or accolades that may or may not come from their effort….Visionary artists don’t limit themselves. They are always thinking ahead, seeking new ground for their work. Even in the face of adversity, artists who are determined to succeed do not give in to fear and anxiety or accept a state of defeat. They see the uncertainty of a situation as an opportunity to try new things, reveling in the potential it can bring for upward mobility. Instead of trying to fight adversity, they embrace it and use it as an incentive to move forward. Some have described the feeling as riding the wave of life. “

She also says “They need to innovate, embracing entrepreneurial thinking and authorship as a way to penetrate the complacency that exists. They must seize the opportunity to turn the tide of mediocrity. To create a more vibrant and robust cultural exchange, artists need to become inventors of their own content, asserting a viewpoint all their own.”

Her book combines techniques demonstrated by the artists, and thoughtful writing designed to inspire each of use to put forth our best efforts. “As an artist grows and matures, the work evolves naturally in a free and almost effortless way.”

In the interest of supporting that entrepreneurial call for artists, I can also recommend the July/August edition of Art Calendar, the business magazine for visual artists. The issue is devoted to marketing art in the digital age, including web design, using social media, targeting your market, boosting your web site’s search engine positioning, and protecting your images on the web.

Studio Time

I’ve had three good days in the studio. I usually work on several pieces at a time. That means sometimes a lot of things are coming to resolution all at the same time. That is always a good feeling.

This piece is one that I enjoyed creating. It is on birch panel, 20 inches by 20 inches. It is mixed media; gauche, acrylic, and conté crayon. The number 5 has some personal meaning for me. I am showing you a photo and then scans for detail. When Jeane was here the other day, the one thing we complained about was the difficulty of getting colors just right between digital imagery, the differing computer monitors, and – at least for me – my skill level for adjusting colors to make them most like the original. The color in the close up scans is more true to the actual painting.

Here is a thought for the day, from Ian Roberts – “The quality of your attention influences how you see things. And, what you put your attention on grows stronger in your life…If you want to paint and put your focus on paintings you will unleash a torrent of energy and enthusiasm.”

So true.

Jeane's Studio Visit

Jeane’s Visit to the Studio

Hello!
Tour the studio
Art work
Jeane’s art work is so deep!
Technique talk
Oils
Wax
Acrylic
Canvas
Birch Panels
That great soft yellow bag
Talk
Laugh
Bits of life stories
Tea
Dreams
Visions
Intensions
To brush or not to brush?
Scrub is a good thing
Laugh
OMG!
Show and Tell
Meet the kitties
Meet Wire Man
Talk
Laugh
Little gifts
Good By until next time

Great Energy!

I loved your visit Jeane!

Exploring Again

I am feeling the need to explore; specifically I want to explore shapes and line. While I am completing a few more Bone Prayer paintings, I have also decided to start in a different direction. I have been thinking of this new direction for a while. Today was the day to begin because I had some left over paint mixed up and needed a place to put it. Kurt had made me some birch panels sized at 12 inches by 24 inches, which is a nicely exaggerated rectangle. Paint plus panel equals a start.

I am showing you the very first layer of the many I am sure I will add to this piece. I am also showing you a page from my art notebook, where I tried out the ideas after I had already started the painting…I suspect this will be a series, and go in directions I don’t even envision yet. I like funky, loose drawings, so I did these with my non-dominate left hand.

I’m still working on meaning; vessels as a metaphor, and Joseph Campbell’s talks about the Native American concept of the “long body.” My stage in life where the view back to the beginning is longer, I think, than the view out to the future…. experiences poured in, and poured out, weathering and firing, the polish of time.

In the past I have made pots and bowls on a potter’s wheel, and woven baskets from natural materials I gathered. I used to dream about the feel of wet clay spinning under my hands. I have entered natural cathedrals of tall trees and moss covered under story in the rain forest while seeking cedar roots, and left them all there because the sense of place told me it was too sacred to touch…..Now its time to explore the same shapes in collage and paintings.

Studio Time

Mixed media painting by Leslie Avon Miller, 20 by 20 inches on panel

I love long weekends – with time to create, think, write, relax, experience life at a more human pace. Lovely. I have finished the painting I wanted to make for our mantel. I’m going to share my inspiration. I saw these “woman-kins” in a book I have called Pottery Barn Living Rooms. I also saw the white and grey painting with some warm tones in the same book. I have had the page with that painting ear-marked for years. I like it a lot. So combing those two sources of inspiration I made my painting, which is 20 inches by 20 inches on birch panel. I also happen to have two woman-kins to which I added paint and ink to make them look aged and interesting. With luck, they will be displayed on the mantel as well. If I am pleased with the way my mantel make over project turns out, I’ll post a photo.
Tomorrow will afford me more studio time. The second coat of gesso is dry on the 36 inch panel, and I have started four more Bone Prayer paintings. I also made some collage papers.
Studio time is like a health tonic. My life is so much more comfortable when I get some on a regular basis. I can’t think of a better way to spend a holiday weekend. I wish everyone a great weekend. Everywhere in the world its spring or fall – the most tender of seasons.

I Am Complete

The four Bone Prayer paintings are done. These were satisfying to paint. When I put the black gesso on the edges of the birch panels this afternoon, the work just looked complete. Earlier today when I was working, the largest Hawk I have ever seen flew overhead, and just now, as I began to write this post, an Eagle was soaring over the ravine, circling. No doubt it was looking for supper.

I wrote a lot of thoughts on these pieces, writing that is now buried under paint, with just bits peaking out. As I worked I held memories of women in my life who nurtured me – my Mom, my Gram, a dear friend, and me. I decided to include myself in these prayers of gratitude as I strive to be a good friend to myself. All of the love is perfectly imperfect. This work is as personal as I can imagine being in my art, this remembering and honoring what was and what still is.

A while ago I ran across a Statement from an artist I admire – Lenore Tawney. She said in part “Creation is a defiance of ordinary verbal communication. Its origins lie in the ineffable part of one’s own being….Art is always just beyond language.” That is how these Bone Prayers are – ethereal and just beyond words. My satisfaction comes from having expressed myself this way about a topic that is too big and multifaceted for me to put into words.

You can see the web site where I found Lenore’s statement here. Click on the statement tab to read From Scraps of Memory, her statement in its entirety.

At the closure of a gathering I attend, we speak in turn, and close by saying “I am complete.”

Meanwhile in the Studio

“Nothing determines the success of your creative life more than doing it.” – Ian Roberts
Don’t you just love to make art? My current small pieces are Bone Prayers. They are 8 inches by 8 inches, and on birch panel. The panel is ¼ inch thick plywood that Kurt mounts on a box he constructs. (I promise more details this weekend, when I can get him to tell me about it, and take photos.) The birch panel itself is very smooth. I apply two coats of gesso prior to beginning the painting or collage. All four of the prayers are in the final stages. I am calling this one done …but you know how that goes…if it is in the studio it is subject to alterations. I’m happy with it, so I will try and focus on the others and leave this one alone.
I create the texture by applying paint, taking some back off with a variety of techniques, sanding between layers, adding transfers, writing with graphite, and using crayon d’arch, a high quality water color crayon. It is all sealed with acrylic medium. I really enjoy the process, which extends over several studio sessions to allow drying time and time to ponder the direction the piece is headed. I kept the design simple, so the textures and organic shapes could be complex. As I work, I think about my subject matter, and personal meaning. These prayers are humble, and are about the connections I have experienced in the past with my loved ones. Love is the skeleton of a relationship, and hence these are Bone Prayers – of gratitude and appreciation.

The Bone Series Continues

Old Bone Prayer

Painting Detail

“Own your creativity. You are a creative being by nature, and your creativity is one with the unending energies that flow throughout the universe. The question is not whether you are creative “enough” but whether you will free yourself to express the creativity that is uniquely yours.” – Ian Roberts

The Bone Series continues. This is a smaller piece on birch panel, measuring 12 inches by 12 inches. I have four more small ones in progress in the studio. I remember that in the past I have been told my work invites one to come up close. That is apparently how I am currently creating – a lot of small details, an invitation to come close, eye to painting as it were.

These pieces have personal meaning for me, and are containers or vehicles for rich awareness and “beingness”. I’m beginning to think about the artist’s statement I will write for this series.

I haven’t forgotten that I said I would post about the birch panel fabrication process or the cold wax final coat for the paintings, but family duty calls this weekend, and I suspect it will be next weekend before I get time to put that information together.

Wish Bone Revised

Wish Bone, 20 x 20 inch on birch panel, by Leslie Avon Miller

Today I enjoyed a fun Saturday morning at home with Kurt drinking good coffee, reading your blogs, and then it was off to the studio. I think Wish Bone has come together now. I added a checkerboard which I blended in to the whole, lightened up the value of the “tide of black” at the top, and added final details. I like it. I’ll let it cure, and then if I still like it I will try the cold wax top coat I think. That will give it a very soft sheen, and depth. I like the depth of small details which go on and on in this piece. I had fun as the painting was coming to completion. It felt right somehow.

I am finding I am appreciating the strength of the birch panel. I’ll wean myself off of using paper and just start painting on the gessoed birch. I have several sizes of panel waiting for me in the studio. I might gesso up the three 36 inch by 36 inch panels so I can work larger.

I also have another Bone Painting going now, and nearing completion; called Elephant Graveyard. I like the name for many reasons. It is much more organic than the other bone paintings, as I have gone with the look of many small worlds. I will still be making small collage on paper. It is easy to do in the evenings, and I made some yummy papers as I transferred paint on and off of the Old Bones paintings.

Wish Bone

Wish Bone, by Leslie Avon Miller. All the paintings in the Old Bones series are 20 x 20 x 2 inches, on birch panel. I painted the 2 inch side section black, which makes them stand out nicely. I’ll try to get a photo so you can see. Wish Bone is still in process.
After my last post and receiving so many encouraging comments I have been inspired to continue to work on the Old Bones paintings. At first I wondered if I hadn’t just been complaining right out loud on the internet, which didn’t seem like such a good thing. But then I realized that I really had benefited from stating what had been such a challenge about this particular series. The benefit came from hearing the things you all had to say. And that’s because I am an Extrovert. As such I tend to process information based on having thoughts and feelings reflected back to me. For me, it is the process of communicating about my ideas that creates clarity. That’s how I tend to get to “oh, I see!” I need time to talk about it.
Introverts tend to come to understandings by reflecting inside themselves, thinking things over quietly and then coming to “oh, I see!” They need time to think about it. Then they are ready to talk about it.
I am continually fascinated by people and how we work. So I find this kind of stuff really interesting, and now I tend to think about how our personalities influence our art and the process of making art. If you want to know more here are a few links. This article talks about the differing communication styles of Introverts and Extroverts. This link talks about personality traits, and provides a list of questions you can answer for your self to find out your possible personality type.
Thank you all for communicating with me!




This is Old Bones, in the landscape orientation. I had originally thought the light part would be vertical on the left. I am not so sure now.

Out On A Limb

This is another scanned section of the Old Bones Painting, by Leslie Avon Miller

It takes a lot of guts for me to paint in nearly back and white, with a bit of grey, beige and brown. It takes a lot of guts to post paintings and collage on my blog that “break” so many design “rules”. It takes a lot of guts for me to follow this series along where it leads. I think my Muse has an astute wickedness about her, although she defies being defined or categorized. She is too individualized for that and she is fiercely creative and independent. And I think she laughs right out loud when I take delight and stand back from a delicious texture appearing on the surface of my work. She isn’t easy on me. And of course, I have to honor her, because I choose to and I know she has something to give me from all of this. I just don’t know what it might be.

I had a teacher in the 7th grade like that - Mrs. Smith. She really forced us to learn the parts of speech, and the elements of writing. She wasn’t very nice about it, and she was strict. She didn’t let us get away with “good enough.” It had to be correct. Remember diagramming sentences? Thanks to her, I have the skills to be able to write a decent sentence and to have the guts to also break those rules when it serves my purpose. For instance, the use of an occasional sentence fragment. For effect.

I have on occasion had the thought “I don’t use realistic subject matter, I don’t use color, I don’t use much contrast, I don’t use known, traditional compositions, and I don’t use much variety। I do use a lot of unity and texture। Could I make this any more difficult?”

It’s not like I don’t know the rules; I really do. I don’t know why the muse is leading me out on this limb….I keep thinking that this severely restricted color palette will run its course and I will move to something else, but the limb keeps stretching out before me….

I have been enjoying all the great comments and questions you have been leaving of late. So I’m going to address them in this post, rather than the pop up window of comments. After all, there is a conversational element to the enjoyment of blogging.

When I get to New Zealand and Australia with Kurt and Derrick as my traveling companions, I will definitely be up for all experiences including a secret sister Aussie initiation and a “chiko roll”, which I hope is vegan if it something to be consumed….

Mating and framing. What an issue. I had a 22 by 30 inch piece on heavy water color paper framed professionally once, and decided I better learn to do it myself. A local frame shop owner retired and we were fortunate to buy her professional (manual not computerized) mat cutter, her wall hung glass and straight edge cutter, frame tables, and other assorted odds and ends. The mat cutter lives in the mud room, protected by a cloth, and a barrier of empty cardboard boxes so no one sets anything on it. The space is too small to really use the cutter. The wall hung cutter is hung on the wall of the bedroom that was once the studio. I use it all the time to cut paper and mat board on the straight edge. The framing tables are in pieces awaiting installation in the new studio, which awaits insulation in the high ceilings and then drywall….in other words, I can’t really mat and frame yet, because the equipment is not set up. But yes, I yearn to mat and frame the small collage. The larger birch pieces, which Kurt makes for me, hang on the wall just as they are. Same with the gallery wrapped canvas he is learning to do.

Yes, there is an element here of rawness as well as darkness and light to the Old Bones and the Big Rocks. Thanks for putting those words to it. There is a lot of collage on the Old Bones piece. I don’t think there is any on the Big Rocks piece. Both pieces have been through a few incarnations in their process to be where they are today. As for textures; I have been creating textures for a long while now, and I pretty much know what I am going to get. There is an element of “accident” because it is not a tightly controlled process, which suits me, but I know which technique will give me which texture. And I do experiment and discover new things. I use a lot of acrylic paint, both liquid and heavy body. I use some water color, some inks, crayon D’arch, occasional pastels, graphite pencils, markers, and oil pastels (I love Sennelier oil pastels, as they are butter soft.) I have undoubtedly left out something in this list. Sometimes I use a lot of transfers. I put pigments on with a wide variety of techniques including my fingers, sticks of wood, bamboo skewers, rags, papers of many varieties and sometimes even a paint brush. I take some pigment back off with alcohol, sand paper, rubbing, more reverse transfers. Sometimes I work with my eyes closed, to get closer to intuitive gesture.

I don’t often varnish my work. I should explore that more. I know that Margaret had a list of how to do this at her blog, including spraying a mixture of mediums thinned down with water. I want to try that. That would keep graphite from smearing. Some times I put a mixture of cold wax and Gamblin Galkyd oil as the last layer. I have tried the faux encaustic recipe written by Golden Acrylics. I would love to find new ways to write on my work also.

I believe the Universe has great plans for us, and does smile on us. I think coaching helps us see, believe, and be brave. I love coaching. I love to be coached and the muse is clearly a fan of coaching. I believe that if you have read this whole post, you have read a lot! I’m off to the studio….the muse calls.

The Muse is Happy

Big Rocks is a possible title, by Leslie Avon Miller


Old Bones by Leslie Avon Miller

What a great day this was. I started my day fully focused on creativity. I had a number of phone conversations with artists who I admire and appreciate. I was honored to coach a few artists working in calibration with the artist. The benefits of previous sessions were celebrated, and visions even more expanded. It is truly thrilling to hear about success, and the ease with which it flows when we are working in alignment with our values, or as we sometimes say around here, in alignment with the Big Rocks. It’s like the universe steps out half way to meet us at the place of our dreams.

I feel expanded, open, flowing, enthused, and delighted! It is better than Christmas.
To be witness and co-facilitator for the expansion of creative visions and dreams, happening right now, and coming into to being as we speak, is a tremendous thrill and a gift to me.

So, from that kind of energy I went to the studio, and worked on the Old Bones paintings. I have been adding layers, and making changes to these paintings, trying to bring forth my vision. I am frustrated however, by photography. I am going to have to learn how to use the newer SLR camera. I just can’t get a good enough photo with the little camera.

So I scanned these images. Since the paintings are on birch, and measure 20 inches by 20 inches, they are much too big for the scanner. So what you see here are cropped portions of the work. I wanted to show you the deep texture that I just can’t capture with the small camera. The Big Rocks painting is the one I wrote on with a graphite pencil which I talked about in my Moodle post.

I think I should clarify my last post. I don’t actually have the ways and means to take my work shop (currently in development) to Australia or New Zealand. I am letting the universe know that’s something I would like to do. I could hold onto that idea and never make it happen. So I decided to say it out loud as an intention. It is a great dream, goal, idea, and vision. Now I am making myself accountable to make it happen.

Sensuous, Sexy Color

Contemporary collage - my current color palette

Nothing pulls me into a painting as immediately as color. Clear across a gallery my eye will instantly find the colors it loves. Books and articles abound on the subject of color and tend to use words like hue, intensity, value, temperature, cool, warm and compliments. I usually fall asleep when I try to read them, for all the good intentions of the author. For me, color is a tool I use daily, that I make discoveries about and that I experiment with intimately. While there is a science to color, my approach goes beyond scientific. The words that describe the “rules” aren’t part of my thinking process. I mix my colors using all I have; my experience, my intuition, and my sensitivity to color.
I think as I am working - deep profound color thoughts like “yummy” and “yuck!” In fact, I think “yummy” is the Nobel prize for color in my studio. Immediately after declaring a color I have just mixed to be yummy, I begin to apply it to any nearby surface that resembles potential collage material. It’s just so much fun.
I collect colors; pages from magazines, photos I have taken, color chips at the building supply stores, rocks and rusty bits brought home in my pocket. My books are full of frilly tags marking the pages where my favorite color combinations are illustrated. I am a fan of design and architectural magazines and books in which designers have produced exquisite examples of perfect edgy color use.
This week Shauna Chapman from Quail Ethical Fashion commented “I was attracted by your collages and the colours you use. Colours of chalk, charred coal, clay, ochre, burnt umber, etc...Your colours remind me of the cave paintings at the Lascaux Cave in France.” And Philip commented “I also see urban art influences by the way.” How satisfying it is to hear my influences have been communicated. Thank you both.
In my inspiration notebooks are photos of old walls, cracked concrete, windows and doors, man hole covers, bleached drift wood, pebbles, feathers, old yellowed stationary from 1940, a winter tree branch. When I am successful, these influences – natural and urban – combine in my work to create a piece that that hopefully evokes a response in the viewer. That is part of the appeal and beauty of contemporary work.
Later today Kurt and I plan to take the cameras for a walk. I know where there are bunches of bare rose hips. A perfect inspiration for red.

Saying Yes to Contemporary Collage

Saying Yes by Leslie Avon Miller

Saying Yes, Saying No

A quiet satisfaction, a sense of anticipation.
Sorting, choosing, releasing.
Listening to myself.
Simplification.

Letting go of old ideas, paths once explored,
but now I turn back. Saying no, so I can say yes.
There is clarity in this action.
I feel the power.

Contemporary collage paintings.
Minimal softness,
textures, shapes and marks.
Non-objective mark of the artist.

Line and space.
Neutral colors of the earth
and of the rocks, of the elements.
Weather, time and thought my subject.

Deepening my voice with knowing and
the mystery of future discovery.

Yes.

My possibility is exquisite expansive
breathing room – to create.
Saying no, I have said yes, and now I find myself
standing inside the room with space, my studio.

My perspective has become more certain.

Few Words

Today I have few words. This piece is part of a painting series I did last year.

Go here to Pamela Farrell’s art blog and see photos of artist studios and work.
Go here to see contempoary sculptural textiles; the work of Gyongy Laky. This includes installations and views of her studio. Go here to see the collage, paintings and assemblages of Roberta B Marks. Enjoy!