Shared Easel Blog
3 from the Portals of Joy Series (showing in the PVAC Exhibit)
The Members Exhibit of the Pajaro Valley Arts Center closes this Sunday, March 21st. So, there are a few more days to view the work online. To view the slide show of over 100 pieces of wonderful local artwork, CLICK HERE.
And there will be a Closing Reception via Zoom on Sunday, March 21st at 2pm Pacific Time. You are invited to attend. To access more information and the Zoom link, CLICK HERE.
“Ennobled” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas
The experience of working on “Ennobled,” the 5th canvas in the Portals of Joy series, was a bit like maneuvering a boulder up an incline. All the while, I was able to experience these challenges with confidence and determination. It became an excellent exercise in creating and recreating, making changes, letting go and moving on.
“Ennobled” in process; initial color palette
I began the painting with a color palette that I found attractive but, it just wasn’t quite me. Once on the canvas it seemed goofy, like a Halloween candy wrapper. So I kept altering colors, one at a time, and adding textured papers to cover up some of the colors and create new ones. I found the process enjoyable, without frustration. I was able to draw on my confidence that each alteration would bring me closer to feeling as if I had made it my own. What a time consuming process it was! If I hadn’t been as focused on the unfolding experience of the process, I would not have been able to remain in the joy of creating.
“Ennobled” in process; at the start
Occasionally, a painting doesn’t flow as smoothly. Each time I find myself in that space, I have the gift of letting go and immersing myself in the painting process. I allow it to take as long as it takes, with no expectations and the willingness to continue to apply layer over layer, repainting areas one moment at a time. And with each alteration, I come closer to an image that will look back at me and say, “Ahhh… this is it.”
“Integral Flow” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas
Once I had completed “Ennobled", I shifted my focus to the newly started 6th painting in the Portals of Joy series, titled “Integral Flow.” The experience of painting this one was nothing like the last one. The process flowed easily from beginning to end. Of course, I chose a color palette I was comfortable with from the start. And maybe that attributed to the feeling of lightness that surrounded the painting process.
I experienced joy as I created both of these two paintings but that experience was so very different… neither better than the other. And I am grateful for the wonderful diversity of both.
You may be interested in a recent post: 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
“2020 Reframed" 24" x 24" Acrylic, cloth, papers, strings, and threads on canvas.
2020 is no ordinary year… filled with layers of challenges and unlike any we’ve experienced. Early in the year, I started to notice an unusual presence of RE-WORDS showing up in my life and in the world around me. I am referring to an abundance of words beginning with the letters RE. (Retreat, rediscover, recreate, reinvent, recover...) It’s been a year in which we’ve all had reasons to RE-vise our plans, RE-assess our priorities, and RE-define our lives. We have waited for businesses to RE-open and wondered if and when we might RE-turn to “normal.”
"2020 Reframed” in process
Back in May, I created a RE-WORDS concertina sketchbook, an eight page book built to highlight these words. Once it was completed, I felt a strong need to continue working on this project, but in a larger format. So I printed my collection of re-words in different fonts and sizes and began constructing a painting. “2020 Reframed” is loaded with words appearing on layers and strips of raw canvas. The prepared layers have been stitched together and are sewn onto a 24” x 24” stretched canvas. The loose threads and textures further represent a time in which our personal and societal threads have been laid bare.
Here are some details of the completed painting:
AND not long after the completion of this painting, a new word emerged: RE-population. It’s used when fire evacuees are returned to their homes. (Luckier than many, we are very thankful to have had a home to return to.)
