A New Painting: "The Giant's Garden"

Here is my latest painting: "The Giant's Garden." Acylic painting on canvas, 14 x 14".  I've also included a poem from Carolyne Wright's book "Majestic Nights: Love Poems of Bengali Women."

Hope you're having a great poetry month.
Nancy

Guiltful
Anuradha Mahapatra

You have taken the sky's face.
I take
               the last flower in the giant's garden.
The love-child comes, inspects
my quiet tangle of hair.
My child, or a mistake of nature?
So blooms the flower
of two lowly guiltful lives.

Translated by Carolyne Wright

Value and the Arts

As an artist, I've given a lot of thought to the value of making art.  Since I believe my life's work must have meaning, such as helping others, does making art satisfy this goal?  The process of making art definitely helps others (and the self) to get in touch with a deeper part of self...perhaps we could call this part the dreamer.  The dreamer is at work all the time making associations and metaphor (right hemisphere processes?) synthesizing our experiences and categorizing them.  This happens while we sleep, when we day dream and as we make art.  If there is no value to making art other than this...I believe we've struck gold.

Again, art serves a purpose to our culture: storytelling, reflection of mores, synthesis of collective beliefs.  Perhaps it could be likened to food for the body: fuel and regeneration.  Each action works with each other action to bring sustenance to being.

Ah, well, this all sounds heady.  Although I'm glad to ponder meaning...as whatever meaning anyone derives from any activity is relevant...still I just like making art.  Do you make art?  Do you want to make art?  Call me...710-7139 and we'll make it happen.  

Focus, focus, focus!!!

As an artist and writer, my biggest stumbling block isn't lack of talent or ideas...it is distractions. Internet, TV, cleaning, eating, visiting friends, even caffeine...if I drink too much coffee, it is hard to settle down. Did you read the Annie Dillard short essay in The Writer's Life about trying to write...she's on retreat in a cabin on some island around here? She drinks too much coffee and is up and down and up and down from her typewriter...outside chopping wood, etc. I can relate...anything but the creative work. This month, my birthday month...I'm focusing on being fully my artist self, even going out in pubic with paint on my clothes.

The retreat at Artsmith got me refocused. My coach, Laura Todd, continues to help me stay with my values...one of them being...authenticity. Ah, being creative isn't all that it's cracked up to be. There are downfalls to having a creative mind...the upside to following through...happiness.

How is it going with you art? If you ever want to jump start with an evening of collage...let me know.
Warmly,
Nancy