Always Continue the Hunt

I admit it, I'm a bit of an inspiration junkie -
especially tidbits about the creative process.
I tell you, I can glean it from the CRAZIEST places.
But from a Surf God?
Really?
Well, I do live in Surf City.

Last night, we watched Laird Hamilton on OWN network's "Master Class" (while munching our Valentine chocolate dipped strawberries, thank you very much!)

There were many life lessons he spoke to during the show.
But the part that really got me was a segment subtitled "always continue the hunt".

In it, Laird says, and I'm paraphrasing, "One of my goals from the beginning was to love surfing -- to make sure I don't EVER stop loving surfing. To continue to love it, I must create aspects of it that I'm pursuing . . . that I'm striving toward. I have morphing goals . . . when I get near it, I change it. As a hunter/gatherer, when we stop having something to hunt, we lose the whole point."

I feel the same way about painting.
This has led me to many a class, many an artist date and many a book about creativity.

I want to always love painting.
And that means I have to continuously practice, seek inspiration, seek community, grow & stretch.

Sometimes those pieces come easily, often they don't.
Right now I'm having a helluva a time!
I am SERIOUSLY in love with painting!

Here's one I started today.....



(collage, acrylic and pencil on 36x36" canvas)



She's gotta a bit of an attitude, don't you think?
I don't know where these characters come from.....



I'll leave you with a bit of the Laird Hamilton show....
not the segment I spoke of, but it's another goodie.....enjoy!
(Forgive the short commercial in the beginning.)

Laird Hamilton's Toughest Competitor

Surfer Laird Hamilton says he is his own toughest competition. Find out why he only uses his gift on the water for art, not contests.

On the Easel & In the Art Journal

Here's what's on the easel today . . . .







(Collage, acrylic and Stabilo Aquarellable pencil on 30"x48" gallery wrapped canvas)




And here's what showed up in the art journal.....



(Collage, acrylic, watercolor & Stabilo Aquarellable pencil on Fabriano 140lb hotpress watercolor paper bound in my handmade journal).


Looks as if "primitive abstract" is my current direction.
Is that a real art category?
I doubt it, but it's where I'm at!

As for the work on canvas, I doubt I'll do much more to it - I'm digging the unfinished look of it. We'll see how it looks when it's dry...

What's on your easel?

How Things Change

Today, this painting looks like this . . .



Just yesterday, it looked like this.



Not a lot of change, but a bit of blue is good, don't you think?



And for a week, these little cross paintings had no "jewel" in the center,
no glint of gold within the lapis blue,
nor much shading to speak of......



But now, they're different - a little more depth, a lot more sparkle.
Just like my life since discovering I'm an artist -
which wasn't long ago . . . feels like just yesterday.

Surrendering to the urge to create has changed me.
No more corporate sales gigs, no more business suits . . . just paint spattered jeans and ruined manicures.
No more "9 to 5" - I seldom watch the clock anymore.
No brainy sales strategies to implement - instead, I let my heart lead.

Don't get me wrong . . . my "previous" life was not bad - not at all!
I enjoyed my success and had great friends, great clients.
It brought a life I couldn't have otherwise had, including my marriage and our home.

One blessing has been finding my "Art Tribe" .
They seem to see me . . . they understand my SoulTruth.
They understand words like SoulTruth!

I'm so very grateful for these enormous shifts.
I am happy to wake up every day curious . . . excited to see what's next!
Don't you just love how things change?

Be the Vessel, Part Three

I'm continuing to follow my fascination with all things "vessel".
It's becoming an obsession - one I'm happily indulging.



Here's what's "on the easel" today - well, what's tacked to the wall.

It's bigger than the others in the series.... about 2 ft x 4 ft.
Again, it's collage and acrylic on unstretched canvas.

Think there's a bit more to do on it, but letting it sit for a day or two before deciding.



Below are the three smaller ones I completed last week.
I framed them in open frames - they're recessed and touchable.









The vessels have also found their way onto my new art journal I bound using my favorite paper.

(Favorite paper you ask? Fabriano Hot Press 140 lb watercolor paper in the 22x30" sheets, of course. I tear the signatures to any size I like. The paper is thick, smooth and will take ANY medium!)

More decorating of the cover vessels is sure to follow . . .



I love the mushy softness of this journal....way more tactile than a hard bound book.





Signing off for now - but before I go....I gotta make a decision on what to do Friday on my "artist date".....

Here's 101 ideas here.

(Museum was done last week - looking for something a little lighter this week.)

Check this video - Julia Cameron, author of "The Artist's Way", discusses what an "artist date" is:

Have Sketch Book, Will Travel

Living in crowded Orange County CA has its advantages . . .





I'm very fortunate to live near the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art....with it's mood lighting and tribal music, it feels like a mini trip around the world.





What was intended as a one hour "artist date" with my sketchbook, turned into three!





Today, I went early and was blessed with near empty galleries and only the occasional peeker into my sketchbook.

Never mind the rowdy group of teenagers playing hide and seek in the Pre-Columbian room...kind of spooky, them hiding in the shadows.





I visited the permanent exhibits where the Mayan and other Native American art lives.

If I could encourage you to do just one thing, it would be to keep a sketchbook - seek out and take note of what inspires you.

For me, it's other cultures - their art, their clothing, their ritual, their symbology, their music.....

Everything about exotic or primitive peoples fascinates me and leaves me dreaming.





My quick sketches are not meant to be art....
rather it's the place to play, really "see" things - the details.....learn....find what I love.

And that may indeed lead to making art.





This year, I will be doing this more often and I'm taking you with me.





Show me what you love - share your sketchbooks!

Do leave a link to your pictures or blog posts in the comments section.

You see, I'm that girl straining her neck in museums and coffee shops to see what's in your sketchbook.
Come on show me yours, I always show you mine!







Note: The Bowers museum allows non-flash photography - many museums do not, so be sure to check their rules first.
I've never visited a museum that did not allow sketching, however.
They do frown upon leaning on their walls and exhibits....not that I have any experience with that.