In my Mind is where the Adventure begins. See it. Believe it. Make it happen. Swans are my animal, when I see them I feel so much joy!
http://humormood.com/13121/love-grace-purity-and-yeah-beauty/swans-2/ thanks for the photo.
The Adventure Begins…
Born This Way
When I find information I share it with fellow artists. After doing this repeatedly, I get a lot of interesting reactions from people: don’t give too much information away, don’t share all your knowledge–other people will get ahead of you, don’t be so kind or nice because people are out to get you, they will take advantage of you—any and all of these statements may be true.
But I don’t care. I will continue to do what I do in spite of that. My best advice to all artists: stop concealing information and help other artists. We can all succeed if we work together and help one another. Do favors for other artists, give your best advice, talk up your fellow artists, share a venue you think would be good for them, help them when they need it most. I have friends that help one another pick up their work from exhibits, teach framing techniques, or send each other information about calls for artists. It cannot be all about the money—we all need to make a living, but making art comes from an internal desire to make something. We are born this way; to create. And the gifts we give can come back many times over—and for the few that don’t return the favors…they have a need to be the way they are. Forgive them and move on.
While I Talked To You
This charming and delicate work is layered richly with color and ink at 3 am during rain showers and a dreamy conversation. Girlie Show June 2nd 6-10 pm at Suddenly Samantha in Easton, PA – this is a little preview of the type of work I am selling at the show.
The Wind
Tonight I will be attending East Side Poetry in Allentown, Pa with Yodi and will read The Wind, a poem that I have been working on for a few weeks.
The Wind
A rhapsody in motion
That ruffles my hair
Swirls me into itself
Lifts my spirit
Ripples my skirt
Flutters my edges
Tears my buttons –plink plink!
But the wind
Thinks
Away it can blow
And away from all it knows
But it knows not
That when it buffets earth
Solid
And is held still without power
It is bound to be little more than an ineffectual breeze
But if it would stay by my fiery edge
And bow to me
On bended knee
Kiss my hand
And flick my palm
The Wind knows well
Its purpose is to raise my flaming star
And we would shine
In fiery flame-light
To make all around us bright
Burning a steady blaze
Warming all the world
And have it submissive
At our feet
As Earth Day April 22, 2012 approaches, I want to share a poem today. The poem came to me through a Word Wednesday poet from Allentown, PA. I have little to say, because I just prefer to let his words shine through.
Salt by Ismael Street
A mother is the salt of the earth . The salt of society. The light of the world. A natural resource far and above your Comprehension. She preserves, reconciles, and adds Taste to the fruits of life and love we enjoy We inspire to be. Her mirror reflects our soul. Her light lamp brightens our night. Giving rhythm in the dance of the ocean And the sun. Nourishing our minds, our bodies, And the world.
http://www.facebook.com/events/300367116698966/ – there is also an Earth Day celebration at Muhlenberg College today.
Umi
Ishmael Street – a friend and poet in Allentown, Pa shared this work with me. I feel that with Earth Day right around the corner, his timing is so very appropriate. Ishmael has an uncanny sense of timing–he shares the right poem to the right people at the right time. Or perhaps his poems are like the threads of our culture that we can pick them up and wear them like radiant garments. 
In Japanese UMI means Ocean
Drowning myself in the mystery of the ocean.
Magnetizing by the waves currents..
Inhaling the ocean perfume.
Drenching in the depth of the ocean precious
Nutrients and jewels.
Craving its roughness
Needing its salinity
Wanting its purity
Enamoring by the beauty of its tide and
Nakedness which illuminates and arouse
The sky.
To read more by Ishmael his poems can be found here – http://thelovejonesexperience.com/Poetic_Libations.html
Do You Know Your Worth?
A friend and poet Ishmael Street performed this piece at http://www.thebrewworks.com/allentown-brewworks/ Ishmael, thank you for sharing your words and intellect with us. The night was an ending to a day I don’t want to relive–but hearing your voice speak those words changed how I see the world. Ishmael – I put this piece up for you in return for your generosity. It is a watercolor I painted called Baroque Love.
UNTITLED by Ishmael Street
Do you know your worth?
Are you an Earthly Queen or
Eternal Goddess?
See a Goddess knows she more worthy than
The sun and moon
She is never subdue
She is worth everything
She is the universe and the stars
Are her children
Love is she and she is the supplier of
Unlimited love
She is never alone
She is exist for eternity
Do you know your worth?
Are you an Earthly Queen or
Eternal Goddess?
A queen know she is royalty, knows she should be
Treated as royalty
She holds this title of queen at birth
Her worth is determined by how she treats others
She knows can’t make everyone happy but
She must rely on others for the longevity in her
Kingdom
She holds power in her own kingdom and she may
Reign over her kingdom for only a short while
Do you know your worth?
Are you an Earthly Queen or
Eternal Goddess?
Maybe Neither
Maybe just a child of God
Needing a label a crown to define your
Worth told by others who looks into a broken
Mirror every morning calling it
Self esteem
So let your light shine
Liberate from your fear
Revolt against your insecurities
Then your presence will liberate others.
How I Paint
I soak watercolor paper in a tub of cool clean water for 2-3 minutes, remove the paper and press between 2 clean bath towels. Working on a flat surface with large squirrel mop brush I begin with loose watercolor washes. I do not work the a lot, but I continue to add and push the paint with either brushes or my fingers. This is an integral part of the work for me, once dried the fingerprints are like landmarks. Rarely I will use a blotter, but occasionally I will do so with a rough rag to create texture. Additionally, I use found objects placed in the paint and left to dry so as to draw paint to those areas. Other times, I might use harmless natural resists like castile soap, oatmeal or salt to obtain depth in the work.
At this point I usually allow the work to dry. Once dry, I can re-wet and add more paint and texture or move on to ink in the large areas. Inking is done with smaller brushes and pens. There is no planning or completion of inking at this time, the piece is open to re-working or starting collage in an inked area or adding paint. The inking is the mind engaging part where I can get lost for hours, allowing ideas to form, transcending the hum-drum-slow-rattle brain chatter and get some peace.
New Bridge Group
A conceptual art group is being let loose shortly in Allentown, PA – the New Bridge Group. NBG has arisen out of the need to bridge artists and community together.
Allentown and the surrounding area have generated groups of artists and like all groups they go through changes. In 2008, The Chen Arts group was started to provide a place for local visual and performing artists to meet, network and collaborate. The intention was to have open group shows. For a time that worked—artists drifted in and out. In autumn of 2011 a buzz was heard about the future of Chen—changing from the unstructured open format to a more structured organization. In the meantime, the city embraced some serious structural changes and altered the landscape to provide for an arena and remove some older buildings—one is the House of Chen restaurant where Chen Arts group based its name.
Members E.A. Kafkalas and Alison Bessesdotter of the Chen Arts group ran head-long one winter evening into a local sculptor Steven Condra. Alison and E.A. invited Steven to exhibit with the Metamorphosis show. They explained that the next Chen show would be themed Bridges Outside the Box, representing a change that was needed to start a new movement in town. Steven was intrigued—because he had also formed an idea about bridging artists together—snapping together the free thinking 20th century German expressionists with a modern twist called The New Bridge Group. Synchronicity was in full force; it was the mash-up of their concepts about building bridges between artists and the community. The intent would be to create and maintain a vibrant and productive artist group in Allentown with a tribal feel. When asked what that means, Alison explains that the tribal concept is about creating genuine relationships with true freedom of information, and a future of limitless potential bound only by their imagination. Audacious—it may well be, but the New Bridge Group/Chen Arts wants to change the world view of art and the relationship to earth and community. Alison says “The time is right for this, the core is in place and the only thing we need more of is you.”
The 2012 Metamorphosis show was organized by E.A. Kafkalas who is quick to explain, “the success of the Metamorphosis show was truly an effort of everyone involved in the production—it was not the effort of one person.” The show opened with the sale of 9 pieces of work from a diverse group of artists at the 2 week event in January 2012.
Today The New Bridge Group/Chen Arts are planning the next show Bridges Outside the Box. The show runs from May 27th through June 10th at the community room of the Allentown Art Museum. For information on becoming a member or just to see what all the fuss is about, see the NBGArtists Facebook page or http://www.nbgartists.org/ to find our next event.
solitary
Being completely alone in the world…the solitude of painting and the peace of mind that comes with it is something no one in the world can touch or take away from me. The creative spirit thrives in my life and for that I have gratitude. There are friends, people who support one and I enjoy spending time with them. But being alone–without promise of sharing myself or giving anything to anyone is an exquisite sensation.
Boundless 