arts

Haiku July 8, 2012 Sun Beams

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Sunlight beams through clouds

Hot humid air smells like rain

Swallows swoop and sing.

Art Prescription:  I spent most of the weekend in my studio and outside in the garden, despite the heat. Finished my two newest works: Fireworks I and II. These paintings have 10 plus layers of paint and modeling paste on them. I sanded the final painting down to get back to the under-painting. This work was weeks in the making and took a lot of patience…drying time. Try a new medium…it might open an exciting window for creativity!

Haiku July 3, 2012 Hot, hot, hot!

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Sweltering, fiery

Sultry July comes in hot

Hazy thick moist air.

 

Art Prescription:  It is July, but dog-gone it’s HOT! 99 and above is the forecast. Flowers need water almost twice a day, especially in pots. I’ve had two uninterrupted days in my studio and playing with some new mixed media, modeling paste and collage. Very experimental and I’ve painted about 5, really, paintings on two matching canvases, not satisfied yet with the results. I’m always amazed at how much time it really takes to create! It takes time to day dream, sketch out ideas, think about composition and color, and at times it’s really hard to manifest what you have in your mind onto the paper or canvas. Always remember to work, step away, look at your painting from a distance, go for a walk, and come back with fresh eyes!

Haiku June 27, 2012 Clear Sky

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Cool clear blue sky morn

Spring-like temperature, June

Nice “cold front” surprise.

Art Prescription:  What an unexpected wave of cool temperatures! Almost needed long sleeves for our morning walk. A perfect day for plein air painting.  Nothing makes me happier than being right in front of the plant I’m drawing, trying to describe its personality and curves with line and paint, so much richer than working from photos. This brings me to a conversation I had with a friend yesterday…we talked about how different people are in how they choose to live their lives. Some people live just on the surface, never diving into a deeper meaning for their circumstances. For me and my friend, depth is important. Each and every day we seek to find meaning and purpose and if we can express this creatively! bravo!

Here are the paintings I’m working on:

Haiku June 26, 2012 A Creative Life

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Generate happy

A place for the mind to go.

Do work then step back.

Art Prescription:  My mission with The Art Prescription is to motivate everyone to live a creative life, with the underpinning that it is good for your health. When we create we are in the moment, like meditation or yoga, focused, sending our brain good messages to increase our well-being chemicals like serotonin. Realizing that most people work and feel the time constraints of daily life, I’m brainstorming on a list of creative projects that are attainable in the busy life we all lead. What ideas do you have? What would work in your life? Send me your ideas!!!

“How to be creative in 10 minutes or less”

a la “how to have great abs in 10 minutes or less”

Creative prompts for the busy working woman who wants to have a creative spark into her daily round!

1. have a little space set up for daily journaling

2. save scraps and/or quotes you love – fortune cookies

3. write, scribble, draw with crayons, colored pencils, pen and ink – just put something on the page

Chances are if you give yourself 10 undivided minutes, you might want to continue…

4. just do something everyday to keep the well from drying up

5. even if it’s just commentary on your work day – write it, and paint the page red

6. list what you accomplished that day, instead of a to do list

7. list 3 things you are grateful for

8. See, hear, or taste something new – write it down

9. Notice at least one thing about nature.

10. Allow your imagination to have a life of it’s own, always write down your spontaneous thoughts – they might lead to something!!

A few random thoughts after a glass of wine….

Haiku June 25, 2012 Wife

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Precious beyond all

Who can find a good woman?

She is his reward.

Art Prescription:  Saw my little female blue bird again in the yard. Will she build another nest? Started two new paintings today with lots and lots of layers, kind of like a relationship. Started off with big broad strokes of many colors, then added a dimensional coat of just red. Then I painted the whole canvas white. From there I sanded the areas of red that I want to stand out. Big plans for these paintings!! While all that was drying I did a little sumi-ink painting of the Spice bush Swallowtail I saw the other day!

Haiku June 24, 2012 Home Improvement

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New minty green walls

Bright white trim, two coats, team work

Next stop bamboo floor!

Art Prescription:  Sam and I have been working on our home improvement projects for two solid weekends now. The painting is done! Next is the bamboo floor, which has to “rest” in the room for 72 hours before you lay it so the wood can adapt. We work pretty good as a team…a bit of irritability here and there, but overall we both enjoy a little hard work for the reward at the end. As with the many facets of life, you get back what you put in…Oh, and while doing this kind of painting, an idea for a new series came to me and I can’t wait to get back in my studio…stay tuned!!

Haiku June 18, 2012 Girl Talk

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Girly walk and talk

Unselfconscious friends stride

Say what’s on their mind.

Art Prescription:  No matter how close you are with your significant other, a friend who you can walk and talk with is precious. This afternoon I took a break from my home remodel project to go for a nice afternoon walk with a good friend. We took a sandy path through a bit of woods to get over to the North Carolina Botanical Garden. I wanted to see the current art exhibit that features the teachers of the Botanical Illustration Program. Colored pencil, pastels, watercolor, and graphite, nice! a chance to have a meandering conversation, priceless! Black-eyed Susans at the garden, cheerful yellow dots of color.

Haiku June 17, 2012 Clean Slate

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Clean slate, start over

Neoteric, ambitious

A canvas of hope.

Art Prescription: Doing some home-work…painting, new floor, new bathroom design. WE are do-it-yourselfers. We obviously both enjoy hard work and the reward that comes from it. Our bonus room is getting a new coat of paint on the ceiling and walls, and a new bamboo floor. This room is my home office.

I went to swim after a day of painting to undo soreness, and I thought about how many people wish they could start their life over with a clean slate. Now that you know what you know, what would you do different? Fresh paint, fresh perspective…

 

Haiku June 15, 2012 Sunflowers

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Bout to bust open

Show off big yellow petals

Wide rich green veined leaves.

Art Prescription:  So, the squirrels planted a couple of sunflower seeds last fall in my deck pots. Now with regular water and sun, these “volunteers” are growing tall and about to bust a bloom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sitting quietly and sketching with pen and ink is so Zen. No matter what’s on your mind, you can escape for the moment and study your specimen. Stay in the moment…stay in the moment…life is all about moment to moment. When we spend too much time worrying about the past or the future we are literally losing the moments we are living. I’ve tried meditating, but sitting still is a problem for me. A moving meditation like walking or drawing, or swimming, works magic. Namaste.

Haiku June 14, 2012 Swallows

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Swallows swirl and float

Soar, twitter musically

Catch a ray of light.

Art Prescription:  After my first day back at my nursing job, I went out to water my garden and breathe in nature. I spent some time working on some pen and ink sketches…so rewarding studying something up close, and getting to knows its curves. I noticed a small flock of birds quite active over the tall pine trees. I sat down to watch them. Swallows! I sat for a while watching them swoop and dive and float chasing their evening meal. They are insectivores. It was like watching an aerial ballet! So relaxing and their calls to each other sweet, clicking I haven’t heard before. As they occasionally flapped their wings to stay afloat,  their pale colored bellies would catch the evening sun… take my breath.