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

New Photos

Photos shot out the car window.  I liked the perspective of the power pole against the sky.  The morning was lovely that day with ground fog and beautiful crisp blue sky.  Taking photos out the car window brought back memories of trips with the family, weekend drives, visits to our grandparents at Diamond Lake.  These shots remind me of resting my head against the car window, the sun, counting poles passing by, the loll of the engine.  Something comforting about all that.  The other shots, one of misty ground fog, the other looking back at Mt. Baker from Cougar Divide Road.  A buggy walk ensued, but heck, what beautiful country we live in.

Dry Spell

Skulls found on my walks!

What do you do during a dry spell? I don't believe in blocks, but dry spells, or times of infilling are rich times and shouldn't be thought of as bad. Think of it as artistic weather. We have some languid days where nothing much inspires us. So, do something else instead.

A therapist once told me about infilling and outpouring. These dry spells are a time of infilling. During this time you can go to the library and peruse art books, you can try your hand at a handmade book, you can go to an antique or junk store and dig through boxes looking for interesting junk, or how about galleries and museums. I love the art museum gift shop. Full of art cards and lovely journals. Bead stores, the beach, a hike to a vista, a run. Anything that shakes up your energy for the good. When it settles again, you're ready to roll.

If this doesn't work, try taking an Artist Way class. Through the years, I've discovered ways in which I stop myself from making art...old beliefs about artists or work ethics learned in my family of origin. We can't be artists without self reflection...I don't think. Some therapists specialize in working with artists. Perhaps look one up.

Another helpful tool for breaking through is the dream journal. Buy something that intriques you...cover, shape, paper texture, (or make one)and keep it beside your bed. Write your dream when you awake. You need not analyse it, just give some noticing behavior to yourself. A part of you will wake up. Ah, such richness to follow in the psyche.

Have a creative day!
Nancy

In Process

The interesting part of the creative process is watching a painting develop, sometimes the artist feels frustrated with the image, even disliking it to the point of painting it out or even slashing the canvas.  Yes, I've heard of this. I believe painting is about decision making--so keep a cool head. One decision after another: Value? Compliment? Composition? Repeat!  And maybe the decision comes to go back to a blank canvas...gesso is good for that.

So, let's say the painting develops in stages. Some of the stages move forward more quickly than others. My favorite stag...Flow. This is when the magic happens. This stage evokes a feeling of excitement, actually excitement in the chest, a buzzing sort of feeling.  And my visual focus becomes acute.  It's one of the in the present moment attributes that Eckhart Tolle talks about.

Here's the beginning of a new painting. This stage is questionable for me...what next is what I'm saying, feeling a push/pull toward the canvas.

The creative process seems to be idiosyncratic with individuals.  What is your process?  Getting to know your own process will help you move past blocks.
Nancy

Daily Painting

Some artists like to paint a small painting each day as a warm-up and practice, just as the writer writes each day, not necessarily on a project, but to practice. This practice could be likened to physical exercise, daily stretching, or a daily practice on a keyboard or other instrument, to limber up the creative muscles, so to speak. There are several places on-line where artists can sell their work, on e-bay artists sell small paintings for between $100-$200.

I started a daily painting practice at one point, but didn't get too far. Now I'm painting larger paintings, but considering painting small pieces on paper as warm-ups. I will upload a couple of pieces here that I painted a year or two ago, with just this idea in mind. These are acrylic on paper and they are framed. They are $150/each, plus tax and shipping.  To order, contact me at wildcanyons@msn.com

Art Show Open House

This Saturday, from 10-4, I will have my studio open for a showing and sale of cards, paintings, and shadow boxes.  It's a retrospective of sorts, all of my work, including multi-media boxes, collages, cards, and small originals.  I'll be donating the proceeds of the sales to my grandnephew's medical fund.  He got his new heart on Labor Day.  It is such a miracle, let me tell you.  Now his sweet parents have these huge medical bills to pay off.  The piece shown here is one of many pieces I will sell for $15-$20 each to help them out.  I hope you will come by and see my work, meet me, and enjoy some hot cider and cookies.

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
1000 Harris, #206
Bellingham, WA 98225

Entrance between Artwood and Goodearth Pottery in Fairhaven.  Huff up the stairs to the third floor and take a right, #21.  Other studios will be open too, so bring your checkbook or cash and do some Christmas shopping.

Thanks,
Nancy

Studio #21: East Wall

Curled Leaves

This is the east wall of my art studio.  The painting you see is 4' x 6' acrylic painting entitled Curled Leaves.  Below it are a series of small collages that I've made over the past couple of years.  This is the size I make with participants who attend my collage class.  We make a number of them and use them later to find answers to life questions, much like you might use a tarot deck.

To the left of the artwork is a non-functional chimney that adds to the ambiance of the room.  On the chimney, a multi-media shadow box.  Above it, an abstract painting on plywood.  Then my bookshelves filled with supplies and books on writing and art. I have tables that seat up to 10 people set up in front of this painting where I work on collage and at  my writing.

The Morgan Block Building is historic, as are many buildings in Fairhaven.  MBB was a brothel originally.  Up the street at around 20th is an old boarding house.  Folks came and went between the two buildings and the waterfront, where a lumber mill spread out along the water front.  Now Amtrak comes through Fairhaven, as does the ferry from Alaska.  

Creatively,
Nancy

Artsmith: Announcing the 2012 Artsmith Artist Residency Fell...

Artsmith: Announcing the 2012 Artsmith Artist Residency Fell...: We're very pleased to announce the fellows for the 2012 Artsmith Garden Party Artist Residency have been selected: Lana Hechtman Ayers, poetry
Nancy Canyon, Painting
Lin McJunkin, glass and metal sculpture
Katherine Ryan Ross, Sketching after Van Gogh
Shirley Sachiko Kishiyama, Chinese calligraphy and poetry