Creative Influences » art friends

Reminders and Gratitudes

Kim — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:48:15 +0000

You have seen this small triptych before and possibly know it is in the McIver collection in New Zealand. I am showing it to you again to day because once again this small, but incredibly creative and vibrant country has been hit by a powerful earthquake near Christchurch. Unlike the last large one, which hit about 5 months ago, this quake has taken lives and many people are not accounted for. My heart breaks for these wonderful people. Lesley McIver tells me her family is all well, but her country people are devastated. I hope you will join me in remembering these people in your meditations and prayers today and into the future.

I am working hard to get back to blogging these days. I have a new painting to show you soon and others to come, so I am filled with gratitude to tell you I have been in the studio doing a bit of work. All of you working artists know how great that feels after a time of diligent left brained activity. I want to thank you all for your patience and your support through these last few months. While there is a lot going on here, I feel as though I can move forward with some positive work and hopefully get back to your blogs soon.

Please, do not forget our friends in New Zealand as you move through your lives.

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Seeking Wise Artist’s Advice

Kim — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:01:48 +0000

Happy 2011 everyone! Some of my day-to-day challenges from 2010 have spilled over a bit into 2011, however I am working each day to bounce back into my work here. Thank you all for your patience (past and future) and know I will be making some blog rounds in the near future.

So when life hands you opportunities which push your art aside for a bit, what do you do to get yourself immersed in your work again? I have talked about that before, a lot, on this blog, however I often wonder how other artist get themselves back on track. Are you a person who craves routine, or are you like me and balk at a rote life? Sometimes I think I would find some of this easier if I truly needed routine to move me through my days, however I find that kind of living to be unsettling. Mainly, I think I need to give myself an art project! I am the queen of slow, you know.

At any rate, I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on the subject of re-immersion into work. What is your wise advice? I do have a few bits of excitement up my sleeve I will be sharing with you as 2011 unfolds. I hope you have some wonderful plans, too.

Thanks to all of you who wrote me regarding my parent’s health issues. They are both doing much better and hopefully they will both be back home and returning to their own lives soon. All of your thoughts and blessings were greatly appreciated by all of my family.

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Reminders and Gratitudes You have seen this small triptych before and possibly know...
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Giving Thanks

Kim — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:28:10 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I know many of you are not Americans, however this is an exciting week for us in the US. We remind ourselves to take a moment to reflect and celebrate all the reasons we are thankful to be here on this earth. No matter where you are, I hope you will also find a moment to reflect on your own reasons for being thankful. I include you in my many reasons for being thankful this very special year.

I also want to thank you all for bearing with me. There have been a few personal issues I have needed to take care of here. I think, for now, these issues will be ongoing, so I beg you to please stay with me. My studio time has been very limited, so you might see a few other things appearing from time to time. I am thankful for you all.

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Christchurch Earthquake and The Forest for The Trees!

Kim — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:42:15 +0000

I would like to take a moment here to say to all of our friends in New Zealand we are thinking about you and wish for you all the healing necessary to get through this horrible earthquake. A frequent contributor to this blog, Lesley McIver (please read her blog post about the earthquake) tells me her hometown of Christchurch is like a war zone and the stories are horrific. The world is with you, New Zealanders! It truly must feel as though you can’t see the forest for the trees.

As I was looking through some of my paintings and sketches the other day I noticed something. I have had a thing for finding my way through the forest or at least I seem to be making that analogy from time to time. First I noticed this one which reminds me of a bamboo forest and someone (a woman) is trying to find her way with that darn flashlight (torch).

Then I found this in my sketchbook which is also about finding my way through the forest…

It is interesting to go back and look at some of these things from time to time. I often just draw or just paint without thinking about it, but sometimes there are links. I suppose I am just trying to find my way at the moment. With all of this forest talk and door talk, I seem to be looking looking for something, waiting for something or just down right procrastinating. If truth be told so far this year it has felt as though there has been change in the air. I still have not been able to put my finger on it, but I feel as though maybe I haven’t been listening closely enough. So I am working on that, too. It is a slow process, but slow art is a good thing…slow living is a good thing.

It is all really quite exciting, really. I am eager to get going with some serious work and looking forward to the snap in the air autumn brings. I began a new project yesterday which I will be sharing with you as I get it settled in. I also will be bringing out some more color around here. It is about time…but I am not abandoning my sketchbook, either!

With that said, I leave you with this small gift of appreciation for bearing with me. It has been a challenge and I appreciate your loyalty.

Please feel free to print this and use it as a bookmark or whatever you wish. I hope you find simplicity and gratitude in your life each day.

Reminders and Gratitudes You have seen this small triptych before and possibly know...

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What Does A Painting Mean To You?

Kim — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:22:44 +0000

As you know from my previous post, I am enjoying Peter Clothier‘s book, Persist. There is so much packed in this tiny book, I wonder if I will ever stop contemplating it all. One of the subjects he brings up is how visual artist have it hard because this is one area where often the work which took hours, days, months or years to complete will be brushed away with a glance. If you look at other art forms, this is often not the case. Consider writing, by nature it takes time to read or with performance art you are often captivated by the story being told and asked to remain in your seat for a film, play or dance. When Clothier observed people in Museums, he found if they stopped they stopped to read the little bit of information by the work, then moved on. He thinks visual artist need more time given to the work they are sharing. I couldn’t agree with him more. Let’s look at some art:

First, let’s look at Shangri-La by Andrea Hupke de Palacio:

used with permission from Andrea Hupke de Palacio

Now take a long look at this painting or go to Andrea’s blog to view it larger. I mean really get into it. Think about the face…look at those eyes and stare deeply into them, consider the head covering, too. I don’t know about you, but I can get lost in there. The colors she has chosen to use are magnificent. I want to swim in the colors. Can you imagine what it took to just paint the colors in the right place? I can imagine she was lost in her own place while doing this. When I really look at this piece, I seem to be able to feel the grit of the dirt beneath my feet, the crunch of the dry grasses and a cold winter wind. It takes me back to a more simple time in my own mind. The countryside is cold and I am looking forward to a warm stew and roaring fire when I bring the goats back to the village for the night. I look forward to the taste of wine and tangy taste of goat cheese. I can feel all of these things and more. Goodness knows, I am not thinking this is what Andrea was thinking when she painted this piece, but it is where it transported me. She started me thinking with the painting and few, well chosen words. I was easily transported from there. The thing is you have to spend time to get yourself into the place of your imagination. The key, by the way, is the title of this piece – Shangri-La. Where does it take you?

Unfurling

You have seen this one from me before. I call it Unfurling. I would like for you to try again with something very different to really spend time with this piece. Allow it to consume you just like with Andrea’s painting. When I created it, I felt one thing, but now I sometimes feel something different when I see it. With paintings like this you often hear things like…”I like it” or “I could have done that” or “My five year old has done something very similar.” I have answers for all of those kinds of questions, but what I ultimately know is that the viewer is not allowing themselves the opportunity to feel this painting. I know there are a lot of feelings in there, because I put them there. Artists do that! What someone else feels is not what I probably felt as they have their own life experiences to draw on.

The point is that it seems viewers want to be told what a painting means to them, if they even take the time to stop and have a longer look. Is it fair to the artist who probably just wants to have an opportunity to bring a bit more humanity to the viewer? They probably just want to help them touch their own shangri-la, right? Clothier suggests an hour meditation sitting in front of a painting to try to get to know it and to understand what it means to you, the viewer. The artists is done with it, now it is the viewers turn to have it touch their heart, speak to them, to bring their own humanity to the surface. If you have ever had a painting move you to tears, you know just what I mean. This can happen with many paintings. Once you learn the technique, you can slip into the world of that particular painting with ease.

Please, share your experiences of really taking the time to look at paintings. I wonder if after the first time you might view them in a different way?

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A New Blog

Kim — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:46:10 +0000

I know many of you have seen this bit of frottage work before, but this post is not about any of my work. Today, I am introducing you to a new blog. Many of you may remember my interview with my glass artist friend, Lesley McIver. Some of you have even ordered jewelry from Lesley, and I know you have an amazing piece of art. Our friend Lesley has started her own blog. You can find her using this link or from the list of blogs at the right. I hope you will go over and give her a welcome to the blogging world. I just wanted to share this with you today.

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