Detachment

Detachment, oil, 48 x 36 inches

Detachment is the second oil painting in a series where I am exploring absence and silence. This painting is pretty large. I wanted the size to make a statement in and of itself. I used three colors only- Titanium White, Lamp Black, and Cadmium Yellow-medium. The first one that I did can be seen here Dialogue.

cabin

Cabin, mixed media on wood, 11 x 10 1/8 inches

Just finished this today. The picture of the cabin is a polaroid transfer that I did from a slide that I took on Lopez Island. I am really happy with how the texture turned out on the wood panel. I never know what's going to happen and I had my doubts when I began.

Perhaps that is why I love working in mixed media so much. It allows me to explore texture and layers in innovative ways. This piece was made using acrylic paint, beeswax, oil pastels, and a polaroid transfer.

Illustration Friday- Wisdom

Green Tara, mixed media, 6x8 inches
I have never studied nor practiced any Eastern religions, but the art associated with those religions emanate serentiy and wisdom to me. I created this piece that became a journal cover. She is the Green Tara. I printed her image on a transparency and painted and collaged layers under and around her image.

Another quick Google search brought this tidbit of information: Green Tara (Dölma) embodies the female wisdom activity of the mind and is basically an emanation of the air-element (Amoghasiddhi Buddha). In some lower tantras of the fire-element (Buddha Amithaba). She is also called 'Mother of All Buddhas' and has many peaceful and wrathful emanation forms. -http://www.iol.ie/~taeger/bio/greenye.html

Illustration Friday - Empty

Dialogue, oil, 20 x 16 inches

Empty. Absent. Oftentimes conversations can be empty, especially when two differing points of views come together. This is what I see as the political discourse in this country. It doesn't matter what the truth is, people don't want to hear it.

Ferns I

Ferns, mixed media, 10 x 8 canvas panel

Just finished this mixed media piece today. It had been sitting in my studio for a few weeks, just not feeling finished. I added the 4 tack nails to the top and rusted them out. Now, it tells me it is done.

Ferns speak to me with their simple form, geometry of shape, fragile strength. They echo eternity and history. Ancient life. Survival. Shelter. I created this polaroid transfer from a slide taken on a hike on Orcas Island. I had to hang by a branch to take the shot!

A quick google search of ferns brought me this little tidbit of information. Ferns are a very ancient family of plants: early fern fossils predate the beginning of the Mesozoic era, 360 million years ago. They are older than land animals and far older than the dinosaurs. They were thriving on Earth for two hundred million years before the flowering plants evolved. http://www.home.aone.net.au/byzantium/ferns/about.html

Me + art

Self Portrait, mixed media on canvas, 6 x 6 inches

Creating has been a driving force in my life whether I listened to it or not. I have come to realize that creating is not an option, but rather a demand that I must listen to. My passion to create comes from a need to express myself, to relate to the world around me. My hands were made to create what I feel. My eyes see form where there is nothing. My goal as an artist is to listen to myself and speak what words cannot say. Whether it is a painting, drawing, ceramics, or bookmaking, I try to speak to both the physical and spiritual realities of my experience.

This journal will be a a testimony to my journey as I attempt to pull out what is inside of me.