Storm of Creation

Arctic Cold Front & New Moon
18” x 12”
acrylic on paper

Have you ever calmed yourself down by doing art? When you are feeling strong emotions, do you channel it into creative expression?

Crevice
12” x 18”
acrylic on paper

Recently on Mary Buek’s blog, she mentioned "art will save the world" and I believe it! Because it can save you, me, and countless others by re-focusing our current emotion—whether it be pain and turmoil or elation and joy—and coming out the other side with art born from pounding the keyboard, flinging paint, gouging stone or wood, or flooring the sewing machine pedal. Being such sensitive souls, artists have chosen to express their deep feelings by creating, not destroying. When our inner storm has passed, an expressive, heart-felt, even break-through piece of creation can be held in our hands. Looking closely, we may be even be communicating with ourselves, seeing a message only we can discover.

Beneath the Dunes
12” x 18”
acrylic on paper

New Paintings

Guardian

12" x 18"

acrylic on paper

These two images signal a return to painting. I am reminded once again how much I love flinging paint around. Unlike craft, there is no pre-planning or pre-sketching with the reward of a theme or symbol emerging in the finished abstract. It is a direct connection to the unconscious.

A few additional pieces, not shown, suggested various figures which I am trying to develop using water-soluble crayon. It is easy to erase lines or whole sections with a wet sponge. Using marks on top of dried acrylics has opened my mind to mixed media, beginning with an under-painting of acrylics. Returning to Mary Todd Beam’s book Celebrate Your Creative Self, I see her examples of refining designs using colored pencils. More discoveries!

Explosion
12" x 18"
acrylic on paper

Avatar

I just saw Avatar and it has just become one of my favorite movies of all time!

Artists will appreciate the gorgeous scenery, flora, and fauna of the alien world Pandora as well as the natives themselves. The colors are beautiful, brilliant, vivid. The movie has strong reminders of my favorite science-fiction books—especially “Midworld,” by Alan Dean Foster and The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey—as well as my favorite movie, “Dances With Wolves.” Some themes come straight out of historic reality, though, such as the military-industrial-corporate complex, the Vietnam war, earth-based/Goddess-based religions, and current events. Even with those reminders, this movie is a fantastic and believable story knitted together with strong characters, a strong plot, and a strong theme.