I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN...

Program cover

It has been a busy week and I have a feeling this is only the start of others like it, but I am striving to stay committed to the promised two blogs per week.

In between creating art and framing it and all the little bits and pieces of getting ready for the summer festival there was still time to have some wonderful family time. 

On Wednesday we had been invited to eight year old Felix's charter school in LA to see his class perform a wonderful play based on their field trips to various ocean themed sites.

The kids wrote and choreographed the entire play themselves and did an impressive job. The costuming was fantastic and all was coordinated and very well attended.

After the program we all spent the remainder of the day together. Some of us (and yes, I'm still a bit sore) engaged in some rowdy basketball together. I found it a struggle to match up to fourteen year old Christian, but hung in there. The long shots were what killed me...no three pointers for me!

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together sharing what we found special about the day. Needless to say, everyone mentioned that the play was "IT." And the being all together.

Special family time for sure!!

Felix was an octopus

TWENTY-SIX DAYS?

Surprises abound beyond these gates 

Twenty-six days somehow got me thinking about twenty-six miles across the sea...don't know why, but probably the song..."Santa Catalina is a-waiting for me...."  But I digress. 

Twenty-six is the number of days remaining until the Sawdust Art Festival holds a preview night party for artist's invited guests.

Am I ready? Ha! But I will be, of course. I am excited to be celebrating not only my twentieth year as an exhibitor, but also my decision to hang it up this year. I need to make space for whatever is coming next and feel this is the way to do it. Exciting!!

I hope you all will come visit. I don't think that I will be the only artist with some new and interesting work for sale. 

Meanwhile, guess I'd better get back to work...there is still much to do.

BRINGING FORTH

Another storm coming?

Rainer Marie Rilke said, "Everything is gestation and then bringing forth."What a wonderful description of the process of creativity.

The recent storms that gestated off shore and then came forth and getting ready for summer festivals like the Sawdust Art Festival have this and process in common. 

Am I pushing the analogy? Perhaps a bit, but it feels a bit "stormish" at this time of year as we prep for the several shows that take over the Laguna summer scene for so many of us. The momentum builds from the day in May when we choose our summer spot to build on right through until Preview Night in June.

As with a building storm's energy, there is a gathering of momentum and power right up to that six o'clock hour on June 25th when the gates are opened and the flood of guests surge onto the grounds. It's a lot! And we love it! 

I have new work and some from past seasons this year to display and sell in this my twentieth summer. I will take leave next year so this season has more "weight" than even usual for me as I seek to share my vision with others. Hope to see all of you there at some point between that opening moment and close of show just before Labor Day.

CREATIVITY STEW

Sawdust booth coming along

One might think from the title of this post that I am in a stew about the whole summer festival thing. Let me assure you that is not what this is about at all.

Instead, this stems from these Henry David Thoreau words: If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams, and endeavors to lead a life which they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

So many of us have a plethora of creative ideas, but what is that has some getting results while others do not? I asked myself the questions--Why some and not others? What is the recipe for creativity? 

Aha! A recipe for creativity...perhaps that is what is needed. A simple add and stir and bake kind of thing. Why not? Here goes.....

CREATIVITY STEW

Take 1 dream, any size--stir until a clear vision is formed

5 tsp current reality (start with this amount and add to taste)

1 action (this action may or may not work; be prepared to take another one)

Add a dash of adjustments

Add a splash of learning

1 tsp evaluations

2 dashes adjustments

Stir the above until momentum is achieved for greatest effectiveness

Bake at level of desire until energy is formed and rises

Best served hot

Serves one or many

So, there you have it! This is pretty much the recipe I have been using for at least the past twenty years of doing the Sawdust Art Festival. I will be taking a leave at the end of the summer season this year to leave a space for the next thing to show up. I am pretty sure it will!

ANTICIPATION....

Framed tiles

I have to admit that I am getting really excited about teaching the alcohol ink workshop this Sunday. I have really had a lot of fun trying new ideas and techniques with this very versatile medium. The opportunity to share what has been learned through random experimentation is very titillating. 

I anticipate that everyone attending will be as excited as I am about the joyful play of all of this. 

I am grateful to be able to do something new, especially at this juncture, when the summer festival preparation is usually holding sway over all else. New possibilities abound and I, for one, love it!

Go for it!!

EYE OPENING

Mark Bradford on 60 Minutes

 Sunday night I watched Anderson Cooper interview artist Mark Bradford on 60 Minutes. What a fascinating story of the man and his art. I was mesmerized.

The techniques he uses and how he came to them are so very unique and also inspirational. An amazing story. Check him out if you can.

I keep saying I am working to create a space so that I may see what fills it.  Somehow, Mark Bradford's art and his techniques, while not it, are still a hint, I think.  We shall see.

WOW

The piece here to the left was something Mark Bradford seemed to feel he HAD to do. It came out of a posted video done by a woman who was in the car when her friend was shot by police. These are her words heard on the video.

IT WAS A ROMP

 Watched Wine Country on Netflix last night. These zany women pulled off quite the romp and still it had many heartwarming moments as well.

All eight of my crazy collages they had commissioned were framed and hanging as the ladies visited an art gallery in the wine country. They made it! (I was never sure they would not be on the cutting room floor, knowing how the business goes.) This was a really fun project and I would definitely be up to do more.

...AND HAVE A GLASS OF WINE :)

Out on Netflix tonite!

I'm planning to sit down tonight with a glass of wine and watch this film, directed by Amy Poehler and starring a bunch of SNL gal pals.

When I was asked over a year ago to create a half dozen large-ish collage pieces for this film, I was feeling a bit challenged by it. But what a great challenge it turned out to be. I had a great time creating the pieces(and getting paid well didn't hurt either.) What fun! I would do this again in a heartbeat!

AND NOW IT BEGINS...

X marks the spot

Booth pick for 2019 summer Sawdust Art Festival was Tuesday. For once, my choice was arbitrary and easy, but I do think I chose well...right on the center aisle and near good friends. This will be a great summer festival.

#205