Ok, so I admit...I have actually been resisting the very idea of writing on my blog for awhile now (well, yes, since November). I'm not entirely sure why, but I it may have something to do with the fact that I still have this false belief that I'm 'just pretending'... in my head it often sounds like this: "I'm a pretend artist, so what the hell do I have to offer?" (and I'm sure it is definitely not the thing I should post on my blog...BUT... I'd rather be honest and raw otherwise what is the point?). It gets brought to my attention more and more frequently just how uncomfortable I usually feel when I'm referred to or introduced as an 'artist'. I'm actually grateful for this because it gives me a pretty clear idea of the negative thought patterns I need to let go of still - what I need to keep affirming for myself. It just seems like the biggest contradiction for me, because I don't know how many times I say to people - "everyone is an artist!" I actually came across this description from an art magazine the other day, and it really stuck with me. When asked the question, "what does art mean to you", Mirka Mora answered:
It's your soul...you're art is your art - never dilute yourself.
Nobody is allowed to tell you how to paint.
Sometimes I try to tell myself what to do, but it never works!
Because it's not art if you decide to do something.
Art is free, but of course you have to be alert to catch it when it comes onto the canvas.
I don't choose the ideas, they choose me.
I don't wait for them.
They come without my permission."
This just resonates so deeply with me - never dilute yourself - you are your own artist - there are no rules - be ready to respond to your intuition on the canvas - allow ideas to flow freely and with ease - accept what is. All these things that I know and am constantly working toward in my studio. This month at yoga the focus has been on 'letting go', and so I've been paying particular attention to any old negative thought patterns and beliefs that I need to release in order to continue moving forward - including this one. So I'm releasing it, and opening my arms out wide to accept every opportunity that the universe is waiting to present to me. I am an artist.
Here are also just a few snaps I've taken over the last month or so that have inspired me. I've been so drawn to colour recently, probably because I've been trying to push myself out of my comfort zone in relation to the colours on my palette so I've been searching for some extra inspiration! (...I AM learning to just accept it though when old favourites just have to work their way in there...sometimes that is what feels right!).
These are just a couple of snaps of some of the amazing street
art in Melbourne. Street art is so undervalued! Imagine if
more streets were brightened up by art like this?
For Christmas I was given the b e a u t i f u l book 'Bowerbird' (by Sibella Court).
When we noticed the children at Bambini making their own collections
we introduced Sibella's book to them - this is our bowerbird collection so far:
(this also inspired me to add to my own collections
displayed in my studio!)
'Abundance'
I finally finished this mixed-media painting that I had put aside
out of frustration a few months back...it went in all kinds of
new directions when I just let go!
Today, I also happened to pick up the book Colour: A Journey by Victoria Alexander while I was in the art store. So much beauty to share, but here is just a little bit of inspiration for you (from p.29):
Our eyes are sensitive to the nuances of colour and our emotions to the messages they send. We interpret and distinguish them in our own unique way. Choosing colours that feel right for you gives you a heightened sense of self, and being confident with bright choices gives an impression that you have an appreciation for life.
Everyone can have a colourful life.
Dare to inhabit yours.
Use it to the full. Live a colourful, lived-in life, one that's well worn from use and feeling.
Little scratches mend, shines fade, patina builds up and becomes a part of who you are.
Some parts of you - a hope, a love, a philosophy - may get lost. They probably weren't a good fit.
Make quick repairs. Or at least try to by being in touch with your soul. Shooting a smile into the air helps mend a hole. A joke can push a dent or act as a wedge. To forgive is sublime, a miracle.
Show your true colours.
Life's as bright and simple or as dull and difficult as you make it.
(from Colour p.34)
1 comment:
I like reading your posts. I relate to what you said here about not diluting or rejecting your own artistic expression. What it is, is usually pretty magnificent and there's no point being hard on oneself all the time for one's level of development in any field.
It's clear to me you've tuned in to your 'painting voice' to a degree that makes it worth sharing and blogging about.
It encourages me and makes me think: what's wrong with sharing the state of one's progress in any area, even if one is only dabbling in a minor interest? But yeah, it's obvious painting is more than that to you, so it takes a bit of extra courage to share it:)
On colour: While I agree that, "We interpret and distinguish them [colours] in our own unique way" - I like a graphic I saw once that showed the rainbow colours corresponding to objective emotional meanings, in this way...
Red is the most earthy and external, and Violet is the most sky-ey and internal. The balanced middle is between yellow and green. The primary emotions were laid out like this:
violet: depression, grief (internal extreme)
blue: sadness
green: joy
yellow: excitement
orange: aggravation
red: anger (external extreme)
Of course violet and red aren't always just those emotions etc., but the internal ↔ external spectrum makes a lot of sense to me. In this model, balanced happiness is in the very middle - between green and yellow, chartreuse I think (like sunlight on leaves). But this colour can also be a colour of sickness which is weird:)
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