Nature Inspired Art – Page 3

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I’m currently reading “The Reluctant Artist” by Karen Kinney. Its a fast read and offers a lot of insight into the creative journey. I highly recommend it. I’m lucky enough to be reading along with a small circle of creative women who work in a variety of mediums. This book seems to speak to all of us at some level.

In her book, Kinney writes about feeding our creativity by consistently showing up which, in turn, creates forward momentum in our creativity. One feeds the other. We always want to be moving forward in our journey, the consistency is what feeds our soul. The problem with this is staying the course. It isn’t easy. Kinney references Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art“ (another good, quick, read). In it Pressfield writes “The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.”

So, if you’re a creative person, there’s this battle going on. You may realize your creativity is very important to you, but you also find that you’re facing resistance too. Maybe you’re finding excuses and making other things more important (e.g. laundry, cleaning the cupboards, etc.). Maybe you’re critical of yourself, your art or your motivation. Granted some “excuses” are valid activities that need to be done, but do they have to be the priority all the time? Is there room in your life to make adjustments? Can you hush the inner self-criticism? Are you willing to change some things to free up extra time and show up for your art practice? The more you show up, the more you’ll accomplish and the more you’ll want to want to show up.

I admit its challenging and I’m always seriously confronting my own resistance. But, I am also showing up. Does it matter if we show up for full day sessions of creative activity? No, small increments of time and attention are equally valuable to conjure momentum.

Think of it as climbing a hill; its steep and you’re tired. If we stop moving our feet, our movement stops. The longer the pause, the more time it will take to get to the top. BUT! we will still be traveling, just not as quickly if we forced our way up. It is the consistency of stepping one foot, then the other, that will get us to the top.

What you make others see

Recently someone asked me “What does it mean to you when someone says ‘artist’?” I thought I knew, but then as I thought some more I questioned my ingrained beliefs. My first thought was a creative person, but is that really what I thought? I have always been a creative person, but there definitely was a time that I truly wished I was an artist!

I think society leads us to believe that a true artist is much grander than just someone who creates. I’ve definitely remember carrying the imposter syndrome with me when I’ve attended some art shows. I’ve have felt a level of snobbery when someone looked at my art work, turned up their nose and walked away. I have even experienced rejection from art guilds which outwardly excluded certain media (e.g., photography or textiles) from their exhibits.

I guess this is why I’m so proud of Bisa Butler and her textile portraits. This past year her colorful fabric portraits hung in 3 gallery rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work proudly displayed near artwork of the world’s masters, Matisse, Rembrandt, Picasso, Kahlo, etc. Bravo for breaking (many) barriers!

So is it the media or the perceived skill level? Some might argue that Jackson Pollock didn’t use skill making his paint splattered canvases. But, Pollock is a highly regarded “artist.” So perceived skill is not what it takes to make someone an artist.

Another issue is that many people think the word “artist” means painter or visual artist. When people ask me what I do, I tell them I’m an artist. Do you know that a good majority of the time their response is “What do you paint?” Hmmm? What limits their view? Why aren’t they including musicians, potters, photographers, authors, cooks, etc?

Awhile back, I wrote about the limitation of classifying an artist based only if they sold work or not. Using “professional artist” as the definition is another argument that has little value in defining the word.

Its a lot to think about, but my lesson is that we must embrace and encourage a wider view of the word. As a dear friend said, there’s a spectrum to all of this. We have big name artists who we recognize as masters and a range of artists that are lesser known. There’s also the artist that no one ever thinks of or knows; the one who creates amazing art and never shows it to anyone.

I guess there never will be an agreeable definition, but I say embrace them all because:

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” (Edgar Degas)

Roller coaster of life.

Why do we create? I believe it is because we have to. There is an intrinsic drive calling to us. Some don’t feel it as strongly as others. I’m of the latter population; I can’t remember when I didn’t have the calling.

So you create something, then what do you do with it? Years ago, after making so many things and gifting them away, I decided I had saturated my pool of recipients. In order to have another outlet, I decided to make a business from my art and sell my work. Its been a journey of twists and turns with feelings of great motivation and other times great disappointments. This is the path I signed up for.

Art has a way of connecting with people, so I also like to get it seen. Last month I had the honor to send “The Messenger” on a road trip to La Connor, Washington. I was excited packing it up and, after paying a goodly amount on shipping, I sent it on a truck ride across country. The box was suppose to arrive one day before the deadline, … however, it didn’t.

This is the ups and downs of being an artist. While the box was in transit you can’t tell where it is. I kept pulling up the tracking number and … waiting. A couple days after the delivery deadline, I decided to inquire with the shipper. Thankfully, I received a quick response back that the box was safely sitting at the distribution center – 20 minute drive from the museum! They were short staffed and had to wait to send the shipment on to its final destination. What a relief that it was safe, but would it get there in time for hanging?

I can say prior to calling, my worst fears were running through my head. I envisioned the box and quilt destroyed. Or maybe lost or stolen. My anxiety was high. I notified the museum and … we waited.

The thing is we have to have faith that everything will be OK. When my brain moved to worried thinking, I had to pull myself back from the edge by calmly thinking “be patient, it will be ok!”

You can see from the photos that it did make it on time. Deep breath. The lesson learned is hang tight, everything will be alright, this is just another roller coaster of life.

See “The Messenger” at the
5th Annual Birds of a Fiber Exhibit at
Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum
Jan 26 – Feb 27, 2022
La Conner, Washington

Process of learning

Part of what I have to do to create my artwork is to take photos of birds. I have some drawing skills but not enough to feel confident about drawing freehand. My college education is in wildlife biology. So, I personally like what I do to be as accurate as possible in representing the species I’m featuring. This is why I rely on a camera so much.

The screech owl piece I finished last week was generated using this photo as a starting point. I took the photo during a public event for an animal rehabilitation facility. These events are great ways to raise awareness and money for the organizations. But, they are also great opportunities to get photographs of animals you may never see in the wild. You don’t even have to be that great of photographer or need a fancy camera. This photo was taken using my cell phone.

Judges/jurors of art shows don’t take to kindly to artists submitting work where a photo by someone else was used to inspire the art (yes, even if the photographer gave permission). It falls within the messy business of copyright law. Copyrights are a tricky thing. This is why I’ve decided to source my own reference photos.

Its just another layer to the art I create. I have to practice/improve my photo skills and seek out opportunities to capture the images. It is all part of the process of learning.

Tenacity to Embrace Fear

Between the holidays and trying to complete several projects, this has been a full month for me. I mentioned a few weeks ago that the company which hosted my online classes is closing down in April. I’ve been thinking about what to do next. I’ve been researching different platforms to work with and I’m pretty sure I know which one I will choose.

February is going to be a month of catching up and creating things I can share with all of you. I was asked to join 3 other women for an art exhibit next year. So I’ll be in my studio creating art. I was honored to be asked to join these women. We all work in very different mediums, so it should be interesting to see the results of our combined efforts.

Over the past couple months, I have had several ideas for working in a series. This exhibit opportunity will give me a reason to work on what has been flying in my head. I received grant money last year to purchase a new camera. I am using the camera to photograph birds to create a bird textile art. The screech owl here is my first piece in the series…(note: you’ll be seeing more of him this year).

You probably can see that I don’t like monotony. I always want to try new things and grow. However, the older I get the more I realize that its difficult to stay on one path too long. Life is always throwing zingers. It is hard to look back to a year ago and realize all that I was doing then is very different today. You have to be ready, flexible and willing to face the uncertainty. That’s why I titled this new owl piece “Tenacity to Embrace Fear.”

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See “The Messenger” at
5th Annual Birds of a Fiber Exhibit
January 27-February 28, 2022

Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum
703 South Second Street
La Conner WA 98257

Continue moving forward

This month (year) has started with a mix of emotions; excitement about moving forward and apathy toward the constant obstacles with doing the same. In a way, I feel like I’m picking up where I left off 2 years ago. This is a good thing. But with ice storms, power outages, threats of illness and cancellations, … and an MIA art quilt … I’m a bit over it all already.

Just breathe.

As a deadline looms, I will keep going. However, in the back of my mind I have a suspicion my email program isn’t mailing out these blog posts to my subscribers and I have to start working on creating new online courses. The technology issues will have to wait until I can find the time and mental capacity to work on them.

I have made some decisions about some fun things I want to start doing. I’ve also cleared my plate of other things that have taken energy from my path. There’s such a mix of things going on. Yet, isn’t this what a fulfilling life is all about? Even if my heart sometimes wants to argue about it, I will always try to look for the bright side. I will maintain my tenacity to embrace fear and continue moving forward.

Godspeed

I set “The Messenger“ free, again. I packed it in a box and now it is traveling across the United States in the back of a FedEx truck. I’m sharing it’s good karma with the Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum in La Conner, Washington.

“The Messenger” was selected to be part of the museum’s popular 5th Annual “Birds of a Fiber” exhibit. The exhibit runs from January 26 – February 27, 2022.

I’m very honored to have my hawk hang in the beautiful Victorian era museum aviary of filled with art quilt birds. I wish I could travel with it. In a way, a little piece of me is. The Pacific Northwest holds a special place in my heart. Its the first placed I lived after leaving Chicago. I treasure my memories of the beautiful landscapes and the first bald eagle I ever saw. I know a piece of my heart and soul was left behind when I moved back east. It feels good to be sending another part of me back after all these years (even if only temporarily).

Its also been a long time since my artwork has exhibited outside NC. It’s a good feeling. I hope this majestic bird brings good messages and joy to all who see it. Godspeed.

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5th Annual Birds of a Fiber Exhibit
January 26 – February 27, 2022
Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum

703 South 2nd Streed
La Conner, WA 98257

Just follow your heart

“I wish I were creative like you!”

Have you ever said that? I wonder what makes someone think they’re not creative? What is creativity anyway? I know, I’m full of questions today, aren’t I? But if you ever said that, I just want you to know I’ve been thinking about you.

There’s a who lot of self-doubt piled into that statement. I know, because I’ve been there. This statement often hangs out with it’s good friend, “I could never be that good.” So, what does it mean to be good enough? When we say these statements, it generally means we crave to have those desired talents. Or maybe, we’re disappointed we don’t.

We are all so very unique. We have different skills and different life experiences. I think about these statements and wonder when a person decides that these are truths. Somewhere in their life, someone shut them down. The aftermath was an internal belief that they should give up trying.

“Why bother? I’ll never be as talented as you.”

Stop for a minute. Is this really true? Offer a little kid a creative project and they’ll usually dive in. Well, sometimes they might rather play their video game, but they never say, “nah…it’s OK I’m not good enough!” Hmmm? Once upon a time, we were that free-spirited child. When did we lose that spirit and willingness to try? No one is born with self-doubt.

Sure, maybe we might be better at some tasks than others. But, as the saying goes, “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.” If it doesn’t feel right, try something different. There are so many creative things in this world; music, literature, performing arts, visual arts, culinary arts, etc. I say, if you wish to be creative, then be it. How? It’s simply, just follow your heart.

Cross paths along the way

We are celebrating Thanksgiving Day (USA), do you remember last year? We were still in lock down and the first person to get the vaccination wouldn’t receive it for a couple weeks. What a difference a year makes! I write this the day before Thanksgiving and I am scheduled to get my covid booster (3rd shot) this weekend. I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful science works to keep us healthy, because we are now able (for the most part) to travel again. I’m also thankful that I’ve been healthy (knock on wood) these past couple years and my family has been the same. My heart goes out to those who have not been so lucky.

If you have followed me awhile, you know that this time of year I always take time to reflect. I have nothing to complain about. I’ve endured my share of hard knocks, yet here I stand capable of continuing the challenges of life. Giving thanks is a way that I can appreciate what I have and find ways to pay it forward toward those who aren’t as fortunate.

Giving thanks is also my way to appreciate you. I truly thank you for sharing this journey with me.

May our hearts beat strong and kind,
May our journey overflow with magical creativity and joy, and
May we frequently cross paths along the way.
Until I see you again, stay well.

Check out my NEW Redbubble site,
my artwork on a curated selection of merchandise

Bring you peace

As a textile artist, I have plenty of fabric. Even with a closet full, I still find it hard to resist purchasing new yardage when it inspires me. Sometimes I store it away and occasionally pull it out to pet it. If you’re not a fabric person, this may seem odd. I understand, because when I started quilting years ago and purchased yardage I would use it all up before I purchased more for the next project. My friends sort of giggled at my “conservative” approach.

Eventually, I realized that fabric makers have a hold on us. Fabrics usually only have a limited run and then they’re gone … forever. If you purchase a little for a project and decide you need more, you may never find that fabric again. So that’s when my hoarding collecting began.

Sometimes I purchase a fabric just because I like it. Other times, I have a clear vision. That clear vision is what happened with this art quilt, “Seductive Tranquility.” The background is one piece of batik dyed fabric. The horizontal gradient of colors from blue to pink to purple is all one piece of fabric. It reminded me of a sunset and I had to purchase it.

When I made this quilt, I added the mountains, the foreground of grass and the tree. I feel peace when I see this quilt. It reminds me of sitting in a mountain cabin with the building lights behind me and the sun majestically setting in front of me.

Nature can be a very calming and meditative place. But, you have to take time to stop and look. It doesn’t require a big production or hiking adventure. When you see something, like a sunset/sunrise, cloud formations, falling leaves, an acorn in the road, a bird in a tree, whatever …. take a moment and a breathe. Observe, even if for a split second. The tiny respite will bring you peace.