Edna and the Newness of Spring

Lovely Light in progress

Close up of Lovely Light in progress

I believe this exact moment is my favorite time of the year.  We are poised for May.  The weather delights and the promise of summer is still before us.  The blossoming is not only on the outside but it is within me as well. Yesterday, however, was like Christmas.  I went to Jerry's.  Need I say more?  I had a Groupon and there was a 30% off SALE.  That's some pretty potent stuff!  So the rose exploration continues and it's coming out whether I mean it to or not.  The other day I was perusing my significant paper stash and came upon an old newspaper clipping about Edna St. Vincent Millay.  She had "the passion" and I have always been a sucker those who have it. They weren't always the recipients of long sedate happy lives but they lived however long they lived on their own terms and, yes, they were usually the creatives of this world.  I think Edna said it best when she said.

"My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-
It gives a lovely light!"

This one is for her, it's still sort of in progress with maybe just a little tweaking to go.

TIME FOR NY ARTFIX 2012

So I was meandering along in the Boynton Beach Mall yesterday and what should I see but my rose motif!  Yes it certainly looks like the Mackintosh Rose is gracing the window at Lane Bryant.

Sure wish I could inherit that banner when the springtime blossoms finish their run.  Actually I could make my own stencil and this would be a great way to continue the SERIES :) 

Wednesday I leave for my next great adventure in the Big Apple.  You see I must be unleashed in the city that never sleeps AT LEAST once a year for my annual art fix.  This year I'll be attending ArtExpo at the Pier in conjunction with the Architectural Digest Show which is right next door at the other pier.  My darling diva daughter will be traveling with me and I think it'll be fun to get her take on all the eye candy.  It's also always inspiring to spend time with my New Yorker sister Pam and her hubby Tim who will be graciously hosting us.  I can't wait!  I'll be posting pix over at my "On the Road" Flickr site.  Of course I'll keep you posted.

ANOTHER ROSE

So here's the second in the series I'm endeavoring to create.  (See previous post)  It went through many stages
and revisions.  Some parts I liked, some not at all.  A lot of evolving went on over time.  I guess the final result is a personal metaphor.  I love the luminosity of the colors embedded below the wax.  I don't know if you can appreciated it as well in the photo but it's really appealing in real life.  Other than this I've been in an organization mode in the studio.  Taking stock, so to speak,  both physically and creatively. It was a weird week.  I know there some shifting in the works.  I've had more dreams than I know what to do with too!  Am finishing up the third in Anne Truitt's journal trilogy.  Here is a link to the first one. Her writings are so personal to me sometimes it feels like it is me I'm reading about.  It makes me feel connected and that is the whole purpose of art to me. More on Anne next time, much more!

BACK IN THE STUDIO, AND ON THE BLOG

 Mackintosh Morphed

After one year plus of grieving, grappling, loving, healing, writing and making a living,  I am back.  I'm still loving the lure of the encaustic.  Other pending projects in the studio include an "art guitar", a memory book from my travels to Paris and London and big format paintings. A version (loosely speaking) of the Mackintosh Rose seems to keep popping up lately.  Okay, my version is less graphic, more organic and free flowing, just like the wax.  One thing I notice about my work overall is that it does not have cohesiveness.  This makes me curious to experiment with creating a series.  Maybe to be the best I can be it takes more that just one attempt, further exploration, which I think I'm gonna try with this intriguing rose.

A HIGH SCHOOL INSPIRATION

Do I remember Murf from my days 100 years ago at South West Miami High School?  Well, frankly, no. But I do seem to run into him frequently at all the local art festivals.  I always recognize the COLORS!  His work is simply awesome as you can see.

Story of the beginning of terror

Portrait of Rainer Maria Rilke by Lucia Portretten

Yesterday I transformed myself.  Actually I had some help from a colorist (hair) and stylist. Tyler, the colorist, was my favorite kind of person, very grounded but perhaps a little like Kerouac's "mad ones".

He had an interesting array of tatoos that made me want to freeze the whole salon for a second so I could examine and read them all.  As he mulled over my hair I did notice one that I was able to read.  It said "Beauty is the beginning of a terrible terror."  Wow.  There are some major implications here.  Did he make this up?  I thought not and I was right.

  This is a paraphrase of a quote by poet Rainer Maria Rilke.  It is from a poem called Duino Elegies
What an interesting statement for someone who is in the business of beauty. So what do you think?  Does beauty become terror?  Perhaps the terror is found in deceit.  Beauty seduces and allows a vulnerability.  So now you know.  It's the good looking ones you have to watch out for.  Happy Halloween.

WELCOME INSPIRATION

 
This weekend has felt very creative to me.  Could it be the moon that is affecting this Papermoon Goddess? I'm also reading the historical novel Beneath a Marble Sky: A Love Story and thoroughly enjoying it.  How could it be otherwise?  It is set in India and is all about the building of the Taj Mahal.  This brings me back to my own magical experience visiting this great wonder.  I supposed this must have influenced this mixed media painting that I completed yesterday.  It remains unnamed but I'm up for suggestions.  Here's what you're looking at:  The eye is an image transfer from one of my older collaged pieces.  Gesso was the medium used to transfer the image.  The rest is a combo of fluid acrylic paint and water soluble crayon. The white pattern was created using an antique wooden Indian printing block. I also even worked on my new book today.  If you're interested you can hop on over to my other blog, Kitchens for Living and check out the post about The Intuitive Kitchen.