Going in Circles

Couldn't find balance, so I painted me some.

BALANCE

Hoping you had a lovely weekend. I spent some "relaxed quiet time" with the kids after a week of trying to find balance between home, art and my heart (family). Looking for my rhythm as we all do when we add new but welcomed challenges in our day, in our lives. I posted this picture on my Facebook page last week. I wanted to share it here because I know some of you who are stopping in do not have a Facebook page.

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Going in Circles





Going into this week with a plan, enthusiasm and an open mind. 
Did some workspace organizing because 
my studio and writing area do not share the same real estate.

The studio is out in the barn and the writing area sits in our family living space with

our books. Books and magazines are my other oxygen besides coffee, as you soon will 
find out as we get to know each other better. I am not a writer but I thought 
I should have a spot to do so without ink, paint, brushes, etc…

Some of you know and some do not… I am taking this incredible online class with Kelly Rae Roberts not just for the sole purpose of starting an online presence with this blog, opening an Etsy store and establishing a website. While they are definitely on my list of goals I want this class to be the foundation. The foundation where all the pieces come together and are strongly tied together with a sense of self, the artist self to form a solid foundation.  
Kelly Rae is an incredible force.

As I put my toe into the waters of blogging, my hope is to pause. 
I believe blogging keeps you in the moment of what is important. I say this because it does make you pause, reflect and take stock. I suppose it is like a camera or a journal where you pause to capture moments. 
No matter which one makes you slow down to have a look and 
at times you crack a smile, that’s a good thing. 
I figure there is no right way. There is no wrong way to this. 
I just plan to find my way.


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When I started to write this morning all this conversation was not my intention.

 I had other thoughts but somehow this is where the words led so I followed.

Vintage Velásquez

Now back to where I thought I would be going today. In getting to know and meet my classmates from my online class I am spending time looking their blogs, websites and I have visited their Facebook pages. It had me thinking about art, other artists, why we paint, draw, design, write, sew or make what we do. What defines our styles, our artistic hand. 

Is there an icon or a symbol that comes up in your work either consciously or subconsciously? 

When you doodle, draw or put inspiration in your sketchbook. 

What shows up all the time? 

Possibly it is:

Birds

Water

Trees

Color

Animals

Symbols

Circles

People

Shapes

Clouds

Nature

Time

And so on…

What is your icon? 
Look back at your older works. Interesting isn't it. 
Sketchbooks are very telling as well. The same can be said about attraction. 
What attracts you to that pattern, to that artist, to their work?

I figured my icon to be the circle. When I paint, it is circular and confident in motion. 
I am attracted to the letters e and o, especially “e”, the moon, smooth beach stones, snowball hydrangeas, 
the eyes of an owl, artists Calder and Miró. I see a pattern here. 
I can go on with my list but I won’t. 
I would love for you to share and join in on the conversation.