WTF have I been doing??

Good question. Since this is an art blog, one would think I might post art on it every once and a while. It is true that the frequency of my posts have been waning, but before you shame me for being a bad artist and not drawing in my sketchbook all the time to post it on the Internet, realize that I have been making art. I've crossed over to the dark side: music. Shit.

I think that the transition from visual art to music has been relatively smooth. I'm an artist, I'm used to no one giving a crap about what I put my heart, soul, and time I should be sleeping into. I know there's no money in it. Plus, I can design all the press kits and album covers or free. Though when you play music with a bunch of guys who have actually studied music, it can be...intimidating.

Being out in the world is a little weird too. Artists are notoriously shy, and I am no exception. I've spent a big chunk of my twenties staring at my feet and smelling of turpentine. It's a little daunting to have to have a voice and make eye contact with people. But I think it's been good for me. I've made a lot of new friends.

I'm in two band right now: Dancy and Labor of Giants. Dancy plays around the Manchester area. Labor of Giants has an EP. I designed the cover:

The inspiration for the design came from the "cat scans" I did a few years back. I always wanted to work in that medium again and as we recorded the songs and they started to come to life, it felt right.

I don't feel like I'm a good designer, but I faked it as best I could. I figured if I kept things very simple, it would have the quiet impact I was looking for. I hope it worked out. I think it did. I hope.

Because I have an art degree I feel moderately confident about my abilities as an artist, but as a musician...I'm not so sure. No one has told me to fuck off yet, so I've kept on going. I guess that's what artists do.

You wanna hear the EP? Here you go.

And here comes the trickle...

I've been exploring abstract work, which for me, requires a lot of restraint. I tend to overwork my paintings. I tried allow the paint (and gravity) do its thing with little intervention on my part.

Mainly, I'd apply a layer of paint, manipulate it a little, then walk away. This is a very slow process, since paint requires time to dry, but the time allows me a chance to really step back and look at what I'm doing and where the paintings are going. Perhaps, if I wanted to delve deeper, waiting for paint to dry has given me time to look at where I'm going as a painter, or as a person, for that matter.

...And where am I going? Good question. I think it will take a lot more layers of paint to find that one out...

"Slip into the forest"

"The moon is out"

Gravity

No pictures yet, but I am very excited about some new pieces I've been working on. They're almost done, and will be posted soon. Gravity is involved in some way, hence the title of this post. And paint, of course.

I Dream of Alaska.

"I Dream of Alaska" Acrylic on Canvas

I just finished this earlier today.

I obsess. It's a bad habit and I've been working on breaking it. I spend far too much time on the details of paintings, focusing on one square inch after another to the point where I can't see the big picture because my nose is glued to the canvas, or bristol board, or whatever the heck I'm working on.

The last thing I experimented with before my "sabbatical" was the dripping of paint. I thought it would help me loosten up. I placed a canvas on an easel, spread a watered-down wash of paint all over the top, and let gravity do the work. After a few layers of this, I worked on the lines formed randomly and tried to work with them. For a while, I worked against them until I placed the canvas on its side. I saw a landscape, so I went with it.

In spite of its questionable politicians, I have always wanted to live in Alaska. Not that I'd ever move there - its so far from all my family and friends - but it's a nice dream. This landscape isn't based on any specific place, but it's what I see when I dream about Alaska (in the summer, that is).

This is a painting that I donated to the New Britain Museum of American Art annual Summer Art Auction on August 30. It was on August 20. I wasn't able to go this year (again), but I hope to make it next year because it seems like a good time.

Sorry.

I've been bad. I have not posted any art on this blog for a year. All of the wonderful people who taught and mentored me over the years must be deeply disappointed in me and my dust bowl of a dry spell.

I consider this time I had away from art a "sabbatical", a time to pause and reflect...a time to really think about where I was going instead of running with my eyes closed, playing "Marco Polo" with a career in art. Mostly, it has been a time for me to enjoy my life, something I hadn't been doing for far too long.

I needed to stop for a while because I was spending too much time thinking about how to market myself as an artist, and not enough time on the actual artistic process. The result was a bunch of work that wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. I tried to paint what I thought other people would like - and buy. I forgot that if I just worked on my skills, and painted whatever I wanted, people would probably like it anyway because it was good. Plus, I wouldn't be stifling myself as an artist.

I work full time. A fact that I can't change. My job is very rewarding and interesting in many ways, but it is time consuming and tiring at times. When I turned making art into another job, one that made very little money for the amount of work I put into it, I felt like I was working 80 hours a week...and I was. Slowing down - and exploring other interests - has been rejuvenating. Though many people in my life kept telling me they wished I would paint again, I needed the break, and I think the has taught me how to pace myself in the long run.

I want to paint for as long as I can hold a brush and see what's in front of me. I want to be good at it too. I don't want to be a hack that hawks garbage. Even if no one buys them, I want to paint great paintings.

I know I've neglected it, but I promise there will be new art up on this blog soon. Actually, I have something to post now (next post), and it's not bad for a lady who hasn't painted in a year. Thanks to whoever might still be reading this blog (anyone?) and I'll keep you posted, I promise. Just don't expect a flood, because you'll be getting a trickle.

Trip out West

This month, Marcin and I had an adventure. We flew out to Portland, Oregon to spend time with his sister, then drove around Olympic National Park for a week, and met up with his sister again in Seattle, Washington. While we were travelling around the park, I drew in my sketchbook. Here's what I saw:

The Pacific Ocean

(there were tsunami cautionary signs all around)

Rock formations
(it was very windy and cold,
it was hard to hold the pages of my sketchbook down)

Our one-day duck friend

(Marcin is afraid of ducks)

A boat launch on an oyster-filled beach

(there were massive amounts of tiny crabs under the rocks)

The ferry ride to Seattle

(I'm always paranoid about loosing my sunglasses)