New Series: Portals of Joy

“Scatter Joy” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

After filling many sketchbook pages with circles and grids, I finally admitted that my artwork was moving in a new direction. I needed to explore the use of geometric shapes and to get back to spending most of my time working on canvas. First I had to let go of my attachment to the Transcriptions series and allow a new creative flow to take shape. Once I explored the symbolism of this new focus, I was able to assign meaning to the paintings I would be creating and move forward with a new series. At the same time, joy had become more and more of a major influence in my life. This is how the Portals of Joy series came into being.

“Hooked on a Feeling” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

This series is a reaction to the year we have been experiencing and the times we now live in. These paintings are created in joy, with a focus on joy, and with the intention of putting more joy out into a world at a time when it’s needed. The paintings each have a quote about Joy embedded into the background of the design, under the paint, present yet not readable… as JOY seems to be more often held under the surface this year, although still present in our lives. The grid of colors represents us as individuals but part of the whole. And the presence of the circular shape represents the wholeness, oneness, and unity that we all share, beyond the illusion of what we are seeing in the outside world.

“Uplifted” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

“Ennobled” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

“Third Story” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

“Integral Flow” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

The Portals of Joy paintings will be available here at the Website on December 5th. Prints and products of this series are currently available at Pixels.com

You may be interested in a recent post… Joy: a Morning Practice
and for more on these paintings… A Process Story

Street Scenes

As I reflect on this year’s art explorations, one of the experiences that stands out is the group of paintings completed at the very end of the 100 Day Project. To close out the project, I played with a series of Street Scenes, painted in a new way, with a very blue color palette.

"Street Scene" 6" x 6" acrylic and color pencils on paper.

It was the painting I posted on the 82nd day of the project that inspired me to create this little mini series. Using black paint, I had made some quick lines and marks to start it off… but then I had absolutely no idea how it was going to develop. Totally by accident, I stumbled upon an image of the Moroccan village of Chefchaouen. The lines in the photo were unbelievably close to the lines of the undeveloped painting sitting before me! And I loved the idea of having fun with that color palette… blues and orange!

Three Street Scenes at different stages of development

So, during the last nine days of the project, my focus was on painting more images inspired by the blue walled streets of Chefchaouen.

These works took me down a path I never would have traveled if I had continued art-making as usual, without the months of exploration. I'm thrilled to have given myself the opportunity to take this intermission, to explore new ideas, and create works on paper. So curious to see how these experiences "color" the work I do moving forward.

At the time, I wondered if I would end up painting more Street Scenes at some point, larger in size and on canvas. During my recent trip to France, I took photos of street views wherever I went, just in case I one day decided to create similarly focused paintings. Of course, they would inspire a different color palette. I don’t have any plans to do so at this time but the creative door is always open.

A Frustrating Day in the Studio

I don’t have too many frustrating days in the studio. I guess you can say, I am spoiled. I’m used to getting an idea and playing with it, getting into a flow and experiencing the process as the guidance comes easily and the joy of creating fills the studio. But I had a day that was unlike any other.

My first effort just didn’t come together at all! The focus was on a new way of working with canvas cloth. I was feeling excited and looking forward to waking up and exploring an idea I’ve thought about for a couple of years. This was going to be the day I finally brought it into physical form. (no great expectation there!!)

After a couple of hours of nothing happening, I moved onto a variation on the original idea (plan B). It too was a no go. I could not seem to get anything off the ground. So I let it all go and went for a whole new focus, working on paper rather than canvas. (Plan C?) But, still wrestling with the earlier goal, I soon found myself returning to try out another approach.

What a yo-yo experience!! Although I seemed to have moved the project a step forward, once again the idea had no traction. Luckily, it was time to meet a friend for a walk. That forced me to step aside and step out of the studio. In preparing to leave the house, I suddenly came up with an ideal alternative project. It became easy to drop all the plans I had for the day and turn my attention to a totally different focus.

“The Merge” - a painting in process

That night I prepared 5 canvases with cloth and was ready to begin painting the first in the series the next morning. It may have been a frustrating day but a new series was born and the steps I took and my willingness to keep trying became the stepping stones for work that will come together in the future.

Crayon Challenge

Last month I had an opportunity to participate in an Instagram crayon challenge. I joined for the last ten days of a 30 day challenge. For the first 20 days, I watched as other artists were having fun with these sticks of color. I wanted in! I was going to be away from home and crayons were the ideal media to take on the road. Not only was I going to see what I would create with crayons, I decided to use this challenge to explore asemic writing as well.

While away, I awoke early each morning to play with my collection of colors and each night I drew until I finally turned off the lights. It was a joy to return to my roots as an artist, to the first art medium I used as a child.

I knew I was getting more comfortable with the crayons and making it my own when I added the book element to the drawing.

It’s been about a month since I completed my last posted crayon drawing. The experience has definitely left its mark on me and the crayons have found a place in my heart.

I have tried to return to the studio and continue working as before, but I know the crayon challenge has changed me. I feel as if I am just setting off on a rerouted track and about to travel the path of a new adventure.

Meanwhile, the crayons keep calling to me. I think I will have to make a commitment to continue playing with them as a gift to my inner kid as she becomes one with my playful adult.

Changes

Establishing a new website, blog, and newsletter can be very positive. It feels like everything has a fresh new look and feel which can be quite energizing. But, there's another side to this.

Last night I spent some time at my old blog. I have been posting articles and artwork there for almost ten years. Although my experience with Blogger has had it's frustrations recently, it has been home to the Shared Easel blog and newsletter.

Finding a new home through Squarespace means letting go of the past and moving on. Even when change is good, it still has it's moments of needing to embrace the new and release the tendency to hold onto the old. This is true whether we are talking about a website or a life experience.

Life is a series of changes... changing times, changing relationships and experiences, changes in mood, beliefs, thoughts, and dreams. We are constantly faced with new opportunities, challenges, and obstacles. 

So, as I travel the path of my fresh start, I am reflecting fondly on the past and the steps of the journey to this point. I am very excited to be where I am now. 

What changes are you making in your life?

New Website

I am thrilled to welcome you to my new Website!!

After weeks of trial and error, editing and tweaking, it is finally ready to go live. I view this site as a work in progress, with lots more to add and change in the coming weeks and months. But, today I have an updated WendyMegSiegel.com to share and it comes with a newly revitalized Shared Easel Blog, incorporated right here on my site. 

With the help of the Squarespace platform, I will easily be able to add my latest artwork, update images and information, and add new pages and elements. I am very excited about the greater flexibility I will now have to alter and change anything on this site.

Although quite a bit of the old site has been left behind, I've added a few new elements: an area to feature Recent Works, an individual page for every painting with description and related artworks, and a section with images of the creative Process.

One thing I was unable to do was import the many years of posts from the Shared Easel blog at Blogspot. So I will find ways to add the link here wherever I can. (It's now a sidebar link.)

In future posts, I will be writing about some of the many changes I am making to refresh just about everything (including the Shared Easel Newsletter). It feels like a new beginning for me, my artwork, and what I have to share. So stay tuned.