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What is an Artist’s Medium?| 05 February, 2012 20:00
Sometimes people look at a painting and try to figure out how so much texture got added to all or parts of a painting. Artists can use a variety of things to mix with paints and create texture in work. These types of things are called mediums. Some examples of homemade mediums include wall paper paste and caulk. Some, like caulk, because of their heaviness are used best on wood based paintings. Others, like wall paper paste, can be used on canvas without bowing the art in the middle over time. Artists can also buy mediums specifically made to interact with and adhere to paint and canvas to create depth in our art. These are either designed to either be mixed with artist’s paint, or painted on top of to create various effects. The consistencies available range for the very coarse to the very smooth. In the painting above, I used layer after layer of a gel like medium to create a glossy, 3-dimensional heart on canvas. (And yes, getting it to stay in that shape until it dried was a bit tricky!) The medium was at times mixed with paint, and other times not, until I got the effect I wanted. The result is a raised glassy heart on the canvas with gold color trapped inside. What is your favorite type of medium to see or to work with?
The Myth of the Artists| 14 January, 2012 04:00
Somewhere in the ether is this myth - that artists don’t work at anything really - their craft, their business, their life. We are mythological creatures who blissfully dance through existence. High on life, and paint fumes, without a care in the world. On the flip side, there is a myth that all artists are morose creatures of the night, who love to wear black, drink themselves into oblivion and can only create when deep in the muck and the mire of self and world loathing. While I admit that history has shown us a few poor souls who might fit into either category. The majority of artists are neither blissfully dancing through life, nor trudging through the murky outskirts of society. Most artists are somewhere in the middle. They tend to expend energy on their craft on a regular basis. Anyone with a portfolio of consistent work, does work a bit on creating. And sometimes that work comes blissfully easy. ther times, not so much. Any professional artist I know has a pretty set schedule of times they create. While they might not clock in from 9 to 5, they probably clock in from noon to midnight instead. Art is business. Art is fun. And art is work. You can’t do it high or drunk (although I know a few who try). You don’t sell much or at all if it’s all depressing as hell. And you sure can’t make leaps and bounds in creative progress if you are out surfing or tanning all day. So why do these two myths persist? Is it because it’s easier to romanticize that the thing of beauty on the wall took no effort to create? No countless hours of the paintings created before it to birth this one? Do people secretly wish that artists, who must by the very personal nature of their work, not care what others think, also not operate with the realm of the rest of the world in terms of taking steps to continue progress? I really don’t know... But the next person who walks into my office, takes a look at my white board with all it’s to-do’s on it and says “wow, you really DO work” is getting a slap up side the head. (figuratively speaking of course) Can anyone else relate?
Creation, Destruction or Both?| 10 December, 2011 16:29
Pablo Picasso once said, “Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.” I disagree with Picasso on this one. Technically, he is right, any time I gesso over a white canvas, I have “destroyed” the white that was already there, nicely sanded down ready to work on. And opening a new tube of paint, means that perfectly factory filled oblong shaped is “destroyed.” But to me, art is building on top of something that already exists, not destroying the building blocks of art. What do you think? Does anything that is created destroy what was there before?
Rediscovering Creative Voice| 05 July, 2011 09:00
I know I have written about this before, but as an artist we walk a fine line, between giving people what they want and need, and being true to our own voice. It’s a tightrope walk at times for me because I want to give people want they want and are happy with. While at the same time, I need to paint what works best for me. Sometimes I end up giving away a part of my voice without even realizing it. (Indian Americans would call this a version of soul retrieval - which can happen in three ways - a) soul theft: someone taking something from us; b) soul gift: us giving a piece of our soul away; or c) soul loss: occurring during times of trauma or death, when parts of us are tied up with other. Me, I tend to give away and not even realize it.) A few years ago I was dating someone, and while he was very supportive of my art, he had this idea that my color palette was not right. That it needed to more match his own aesthetic tastes. I tried to see this as an opportunity to expand my color palette repertoire. And came up with a few additional color palettes with which to paint from that would more suit his tastes, and those of similar background. So I painted a new series in his colors and continued to do so, not because I loved those colors the most, but because I forgot I had ever painted differently. Recently I dated a guy who has a very similar color tastes as myself. As a gift I went through my paint sketches and gave him one I knew he would love. The thing is, pulling it out, I realized I missed that color palette. I missed not painting in ways most important to me. So today, I opened a few new canvases and painted in my colors - not someone else’s - my own. And it feels really good. Has anyone re-discovered a part of themselves, they had accidentally put aside?
Being In-Flow| 05 July, 2011 08:55  There is a stereotypical image of an artist - heads-down in his or her studio, working frantically and late into the night, working erratic hours and sometimes forgetting to eat or sleep. While I never seem to forget to eat or sleep - I do at times end up knee deep in my studio for days - not wanting to break the stream of creativity flowing from me.
I realized recently that this is actually simply being “in the flow” of things. Some days it is only a trickle and other days it is like a fire hose has been unleashed inside my head that must be put to canvas or paper. Other days, it simply means that painting and creating come naturally and effortlessly. And on days I assigned to painting time, and it’s not happening, it’s not really my fault, it’s just that creativity doesn’t work on a schedule like that. So while I can be productive, I won’t be half as productive as when I am plugged into the flow.
Over the years of painting I have learned that it’s OK to take a break, go work out, etc. (as long as I stay with right brained activities) That the flow will be there when I get back. Although most times it feels way to good to stop,and so plans with friends are cancelled and the workout is put to another day.
I think the reason this activity has seemed foreign and odd to most of the rest of the population is that so many of us spend WAY too much time doing things we aren’t really put on this earth to do - and so we aren’t in flow.
Being in flow - with tons of creativity doesn’t just happen when creating art. Last week, I was knee deep in my office upstairs. Going over work planning, social media marketing and general business strategy planning for the coming 12 months for 5 different brands that I am working on (some art, some not). The same thing that normally happens in my studio happened here. Ideas sprouted from my mind into actionable steps, and answers I had had for up to a year came to me one after another. Every time I was evenly slightly “stuck” for an answer or next step or “how the hell will I ever get to X” - I would get an email or a call that would completely answer my question and continue me on my path to move forward into the unknown.
I was afraid if I left my office I would miss the next great idea or answer to a question I had been trying to find for weeks or month that were now all pouring into my mind at a rapid, crazy speed. It was as if someone had unleashed a fire hose of ideas into my brain and I was struggling to control it. For days I did nothing but work in my office creating spreadsheets, color charts and scribbly drawings of flow diagrams. Going to bed late, only to wake back up an hour later with whatever answers still need to be filled in.
I realized this week - that that was simply being “in flow” on the left-brain side of things. And since it was so rare I just didn’t realize it. I could have easily taken a breath or two and it would have been OK. It was a bit exhausting trying to get everything down as quickly as it was coming to me while also being in fear that if I paused, an answer would vanish. Had I realized it was simply “being in the flow” I could have relaxed into it, instead of fearing it would pass before all the answers were revealed.
I remember a course I took with Matthew Ferry (insert link). He talked about how life flowed in sets of waves, and that we couldn’t always be in flow, because it would exhaust us. That we needed rest, the lull before the next set of waves/flow to relax, recharge and reboot.
The other reason I think so few of us experience flow in work at regular intervals is because we are trying to fit our work into a box of 8am-6pm or so. Flow doesn’t work this way. It goes for days. Then stops - let’s us rest and focus on something else like, our relationship, the laundry and a workout, or nothing at all.
So next time you feel yourself getting a few answers - embrace it - acknowledge it and see just how much more often that flow comes your way.
Thoughts? Anyone else out there able to be in flow while doing left-brain, logical things????
Studio Time| 26 May, 2011 02:33  There are days when I need to paint (deadline, upcoming show etc.) and yet I’m not in the mood. Sometimes this is just because I’m focused on the other left-side portion of my business and so I’m just not feeling creative. But at other times it’s because life has thrown me a curve ball, and I’m feeling something other than joy, love, peace and happiness.
The funny thing is - if I can buckle myself down, and just allow myself to paint. Even if I just paint something that doesn’t / wont ever see the light of day (show or public wise) everything will fade away. All the pain, angst, hurt, worry - whatever it is - will fade away.
And all that is left is me, in my studio, in the present. Brush stroke by brush stroke easing away the angst and just allowing myself to be in the here and now.
Being as some would call it - in the flow.
And it’s at these points that I’m reminded just how lucky we artists are to have a passion that puts us in the flow. And strictly in the present. So that all the past can effortlessly melt away.
What do you think? What other passions are out there, that help you become more in flow, more in the present?
A Creation Myth:| 26 April, 2011 22:39  Many creation myths and stories have been told over time. The most common/ well known in the Western World, is the story of Adam & Eve. This story tends to bother me because it blames Eve for everything. And through time, some who have believed in this story, have literally blamed women for so much and have also propagated the belief that life is pain, because this story made it so.
I would like to offer another story - one that holds no pain, and no blame of women. Once best told by Fiona Horne:
“Yhi is my favorite goddess from Australian Aboriginal mythology. She is the goddess of light and creation, a sun deity who lived in the dream time. When she opened her eyes, light fell on Earth. She then walked the earth, and green things grew where her steps fell. Soon the whole world was covered with plants, fruits, trees and flowers. She next decided that, in addition to plants, she wanted to make something that could dance and move. Insects of all kinds were created. The she explored ice caves in a mountain. She shone her light inside and fish and lizards came out, along with countless kinds of birds, mammals, and amphibians. But ultimately Yhi returned to her own world, and when she left, darkness came back and covered Earth. But the next day Yhi opened her eyes again from her home in the sky, and her light returned for all to enjoy.
Many millennia later, Yhi saw something strange. It was a man, alone, and she realized he was not anything she had created, and she was intrigued. While the man slept that night, Yhi focused all here power on a flower so that it became more magnificent than anything any god had ever created. When Man awoke, he, joined by all the other animals of Yhi’s creation, gazed in awe at the beautiful flower. The flower then blossomed and turned into Woman. She looked at Man and found him interesting. Man ran around doing many things to try to impress her and wanted nothing more than to make Woman happy. She was amused and thrilled - in fact, all creation was laughing and enjoying their coupling, declaring man and woman good for each other.
Cheeky| 26 April, 2011 22:30  As an artist, I feel that “good” art is art that elicits some sort of response. The worst response I could get for a piece of art work is no response at all. If someone loves it or hates it, then at least the work has been noticed and felt on some level.
The interesting thing about being an artist publicly showing work, is I get to hear what people are saying about my art (the good and the bad). It can at times be great instant marketing feedback and at other times an interesting look at our culture.
I love this painting because it's fun and slightly provocative. To me this is a very girlie piece of art, and I love it for that reason. I have had it, or a limited edition giclee of it, up at a lot of shows because it gets people to stop and notice my booth or wall space. But as with any good piece of art - the opinions on this one vary drastically depending on who is viewing it.
There is one thing, I've heard from multiple little girls that I don't understand. More often than not, when a young girl passes this painting she will point it out as "disgusting." Which makes me wonder, what are we collectively as a society telling our kids? There are areas of the world where this response would not be the initial thought coming out of the mouth of babes.
On the flip side, the funniest thing that I hear a lot is from mothers of teenage daughters, insisting that this painting is a picture of their daughter. This is interesting to me. First, to discover that women pay this much attention to their daughters’ bodies and are proud of their fit nature. And second, because I think it’s sweet in a way that moms feel their daughters are flirty and sexy all at the same time.
So what do you think? Does a piece of “good” art generate some type of response, even if it’s negative? Or do you only think of art that you like as “good?”
Rediscovering A Passion| 17 February, 2011 04:52  Growingup, I was a classically trained dancer. I stopped dancing when I decided that career wise it had very little up side - given the short career lifespan. But I've always continued to dance, just in my home, oron the dance floor. A few weekends ago a girlfriend invited me to an ecstatic dance workshop. I had never been, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Well, I really didn't like the slow, can't really dance tempo - soI started doing ballet warmups. It felt sooooooo nice. And this weekend, I put in the New York City Ballet's workout - which is a basic dance warmup. And that too felt sooooooo nice. And so right. My body just flowed and afterwards I felt amazingly good. I think it's great to somehow let go of a passion, but rediscover it again. At just the right time. Anyone else had that happen?
Step Back| 17 February, 2011 04:49 
Came
down into my studio this morning and realized that I was much farther
on this painting than I thought. I think that life, as in painting,
sometimes if we just step back for a second and come back with a
different perspective that only a little time can give us, we are
actually making more progress than we give ourselves credit for.
Last
night I felt like nothing was reading right on this piece. I felt the
girl’s hair and her back were just not coming together. But that was
because I was too close to it. And my brain and ego were attached.
This morning, looking at the painting through the kitchen (my studio is
downstairs) I realized that the parts I had been fussing about last
night, were actually quite good - and reading as they should.
Kind
of reminds me of a process Jayne Johnson (http://theclearingsight.com/)
teaches in her goals workshop. That before we set goals for the new
year, take a few minutes and write down all the things we accomplished
in the prior year - and then tell them to someone else. Two things
normally happen - 1st I always realize that I have done more than I
thought (stop beating myself up so much) and 2nd, when I read the list
aloud, I see/feel even more of the accomplishments I was writing,
because it just again, gives a new perspective.
So
- next time I’m struggling with a new piece of art, I’m going to try to
remember what I learned this morning - to step back, take a break,
maybe work on something else. And see if it really is as bad as I
think, or if I’m actually on the right track, but just too in the way to
see it.
Anyone else have a similar story?
The Creative Process| 17 February, 2011 04:48 
The Creative Process is
not one size fits all. I remember writing a paper in middle school.
My desk blotter was my outline, my notes, everything but the final
piece. My teacher reduced my grade because I couldn’t show him a
“proper” outline. As if that was the ONLY way one could properly draft a
paper.
After
this - I tried to make my creative writing process fit with his - years
later - I was still trying to come up with an outline. And since my
brain just honestly does not think that way, I started using colored
notecards, that I could then arrange into thoughts - and then type up
the stupid outline required for professor or teacher. Because they
didn’t get how my brain worked, they wanted me to create in the way their brain functioned best.
For
years - and years - this is what I did. Tried to smoosh my creative,
right-sided thinking into left-sided school and business worlds. And it
worked. Scarily well, actually. I had everyone thinking I was just
like them, amazingly left brained. When in fact I was the opposite.
And it was exhausting. All to get that little star on my paper, or the
top rating on my corporate reviews.
Now,
maybe my life is a little messier. But it is a lot less exhausting -
because I finally allow myself to just be. To create (writing, drawing,
painting, photography) all how my brain works. And I hope that when I
teach, I allow each student to do their own thing. And to not conform
to what I do - because there is no one way to creativity.
I
think one of the things I have learned on this creative journey is that
in the creative process there is no one right answer. Period.
So
ironically, the only time in the creative process where the answer one
size fits all is this truth: THERE IS NO ONE WAY. The paths to creative
development and creation are many and varied and each should find their
own way. Trying out of a few paths for size along the way, and
creating a process that works well for him or her.
Has anyone else found this to be true for them?
Painting Away The Angst| 17 February, 2011 04:46
Started
painting today, as I normally do - with some warm up paintings. (These
end up becoming 5 x 7 originals that I create cards out of.) Not every
painting makes the cut - the idea is to warm up, maybe try some new
color schemes and get focused on the task of creating. Some might call
this "getting in the flow." I think of it as shifting my brain from
thinking-left-brained mode, to creative-right-brained mode.
Well, today I was just all over the place. I wasn't in a good
mood, and it was translating into my work. So I definitely needed to
paint that out - in order to be able to paint with intention and
intended emotion, instead of with the all over the place emotion I was
feeling (which would have resulted in ruined paintings).
So I began to paint hearts - all drippy. Normally I wipe the drips off, but in the beginning today, I did not.
As my time in the studio progressed, I was still not feeling
like if I put paintbrush to canvas I would do a good job, so I continued
to paint hearts. I finally started to feel in the flow. And in the
end this is what progressed.
Although a few still managed to keep some of their original drippy nature. But hopefully with slightly more hopeful overtones.
Of course, now it is time for bed. Guess the portraits will have to wait until tomorrow. But at least my brain has stopped fighting the process and work should progress much easier. Anyone else have a way of shifting their brain and getting into flow or state?
Step Away From The Paint Brush!| 17 February, 2011 04:45 
People always ask - how do I know when a painting is done. Well... sometimes I know instinctively. Sometimes I think a painting isn’t done and I come back a few days later, and see if the painting is showing what it was meant to show. And sometimes a friends comes over and says wow - Love It just as it is. And sometimes, I just know that it must be done because I have done one or more of the following:
This particular piece, I had trouble letting go of the idea that it was not done. I think because it is a little more raw then I initially planned for it to be. But every time I fight the process, I know from past experience, I will ruin the painting. A painting in some sense, has a voice of it’s own. And to ignore that is to risk taking a beautiful piece and overworking it.
I have two theories as to why a painting can insist on being what it is, instead of what I want. First, there is a belief, of many creative people, that we just let things come through us. A lot of times, when we are in “the zone” we have absolutely no idea how what occurred on the canvas happened as it did. Yes we understand the mechanics of it - but the actual creation, sometimes that happens in spite of the artist creating.
And second, I create my intentions in spite of myself. My objective for this piece - was supple and beautiful. Both of these things are apparent, and I think that is what this piece has created. So by getting out of my own way, the painting has maintained my vision, just not in the way I had imagined when I started.
Has anyone else had similar creative struggles?
Note: This piece has been censored, so that sites such as Facebook might not find it in violation of their guidelines. For an uncensored version go to my website.
How Long Does It Take To Paint a Painting?| 17 February, 2011 04:43  Thisis probably one of the most common questions someone will ask me, or most artists. This is a tricky question to answer. We really aren't trying to be evasive. It just depends.Yes, I know "it depends" is what we were told to say to just about anything in business classes at school, but in this case, it really does! Take today - today I'm in the flow. But yesterday - yesterday was a struggleof crazy proportions. My brain would just not let the right side take over and make things effortless. So as a result I couldn't "see" what it was I needed to paint. And so nothing was working. This went on forhours! And the normal tricks I use to loosen up like grabbing my Starbucks or dancing in the studio were not working. Finally at like 11pm at night, my brain finally switched over, stopped fighting, and I was in the flow. So when we say "it depends" it really does. It depends on our inspiration, on our ability to be in the flow and also our ability to let go and trust. Any artists out therehave similar days?
Love Yourself Gorgeous!| 17 February, 2011 04:40  Ipaint in part to show that women's body are BEAUTIFUL. In an attempt to show women that THEY are BEAUTIFUL. Because, unfortunately, so many women think their bodies are not. There are a lot of reasons for this - social pressures, the ridiculous amount of air brushing that occurs on just about anything you see in print. The absolutely fabulous lighting that accompanies any professional photo shoot or on-camera interview these days. Past sexual abuse, verbal insults from middle school or highschool, or thoughtless comment from a former lover. Whatever it is - many women struggle with self-image issues. Ironically,even I, knowing better, still fall into that trap of not always honoring and loving my body. Of at times beating myself up about my body. Like this week, I was looking at this painting - called Shadow Play - and caught myself thinking negatively about my body. Cause - OK for this one, I was the model. And I was looking at the stomach on thispainting and thinking - "Damn, why did I not suck it in for that photo?" And "Damn - why did I not paint that stomach flatter and skinnier?" When I use myself as a model, it's not a vanity thing, it's a I need a new painting and it's 2 in the morning and I'm my the only model available,kind of a thing. So I have taken pictures of myself to use as reference at the worst possible times likes during my time of the month or right after my miscarriage. But hey, I had the urge to paint something new, something my previous reference pictures weren't showing,or to finish a story I needed to tell. So I did. Isuppose I wish for myself, what I wish for all women - to love yourself, curves, "flaws" and all. I promise, most men and any man worth his weight, will look at those seeming imperfections and LOVE them. So give him a head start, and love yourself first.
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