In the last month I have experienced a break-through in my art practice, a shattering of boundaries, a dissolving of barriers. I am sure I cannot fully express, with words at least, the joy this breakthrough has brought, though I think it shows in the new art that came out of it. For many years I craved a flow of cohesive collection-creating. There was, and is still, a certain amount of struggle that goes into the creating of a successfully resolved, complete piece of original art. That said, I still had this nagging feeling in my core that there was TOO much struggle in my process of creating art. Much of this stemmed from the many interruptions I seemed to encounter ( I know, life, right?) But these interruptions (kids, property, cars, bills, pets, allergies, etc, etc, the never-ending etc). And in my case, there were even more distractions and "extras" than normal this year. My instagram post from last week expressed where I am going with this: "In October I decided there would be no 2023 calendar, because I’d had too many commissioned pieces & too much on my plate to create enough cohesive paintings for a new calendar collection. Then one of my favorite Collector’s asked about the calendar and told me how much joy the last two years’ calendars from my studio have brought her. Then another collector that I ran into told me something similar and another, and another asked about when the 2023 calendar would be available. I kept reminding myself that it was not wise to rush, & that it would be OK to wait until next year, but then came a sudden surge of energy and creative flow and before I knew it there they were, 12 cohesive paintings, all completed in the loose and brushy style that I’ve been craving for years. I also experienced a new level of ease, productivity and enjoyment while these paintings flowed out. So for those who have asked, there is news! The calendars have been printed and are currently being trimmed and packaged just for you! They will be at the studio stop-by this Saturday and online for my wonderful collectors. If you are not subscribed, and would like to get first dibs, go to the site and put in your email address, so you’ll get the notification when they’re ready for purchase. I hope you feel a peaceful calmness, confidence & simplicity when you look at these images. I worked hard to not work hard on these 12 paintings, and I think the joy and the flow really does show. Cheers to this holiday season and 2023!"
So, indeed, the 2023 calendars are HERE, woo hoo!!! And please don't think this is about selling you one, though they do make such lovely gifts :) In this case, though, this entire chapter and blog entry is more about sharing the FLOW, finally achieved, after yearning and beckoning it for many years.
But wait there's more... after all of the "Peaceful Plants" paintings were complete, in record time, I heard a faint rumble of something new that desired to emerge. Still rolling in the momentum of this FLOW, another visual adventure started to spring to life as if it was borrowing my hands, eyes and art supplies to swirl itself into existence, and BOOM... a dozen mini abstract paintings on 3x3 canvases popped to life. Abstracts have long been a fascination of mine, an untouchable, unattainable genre, so deeply admired when other artists strike that inexplicable, inimitable chord of non-identifiable ~ yet totally & instantly identified upon first sight ~ imbalanced balance & perfect imperfection. And then, hand-painted ornaments happened. And THEN, I found the most beautiful fabrics for a whole new collection of ArmScarves, and then, well, Christmas break started, my 2nd grader out of school, and "productivity", (measurable studio business stuff) came to a halt. Still, though, the flow continued, because this kind of flow is immeasurably and infinitely more real-life cool. It crosses right over into the roller rink with the 7 year old, the finding of perfect gifts and quality times with the first-born college grad, and even rolls gracefully (somewhat) through 19 degree weather in Florida that, as it turns out, pushes our heating system over the limit on Christmas eve and day. Today school is back in and the studio is giddy with excitement for all the possibilities 2023 holds. I wish this flow for you, too. And I promise it is there for you. It is your natural state and your birthright. I know like I know like I KNOW this to be true. So take this truth and run like the wind! You too can be free again! Happy new year. Pick up your paintbrush and let it flow.
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