Sojourner
play, explore, create, imagine, live!
Monday 22 April 2024
Friday 19 April 2024
Friday 12 April 2024
Money and how to use it
Money is like s**t - if you pile it up it stinks, but if you spread it around you can grow things. (Paraphrased from Question 7 by Richard Flanagan).
I love this analogy. Making your money work for good, for the benefit of others, is so much more fun - and rewarding - than just piling it up. Sure, we need a certain amount to live on, but really, how much is enough? My own experience is that when we use our money to help others, there is still enough.
Wednesday 10 April 2024
Obstacle, stepping stone, or hurdle?
Monday 8 April 2024
Common courtesy
Is common courtesy too hard?
It seems like it might be for some people. I sent in two expressions of interest for exhibiting possibilities and received absolutely nothing in reply. Not even an email saying that my interest had been noted and they'd get back to anyone who was successful. These are people that are asking for artists to contact them, not people that I'm cold-calling. You would think it would be possible to at least acknowledge receipt of an email. I don't mind not making it into an exhibit - that's all part of the life of an artist - but the lack of response is disheartening and rude.
So please, if you're dealing with artists - or anyone! - at least acknowledge emails. I don't need my ego stroked, but common courtesy would be nice.
Monday 1 April 2024
New framed work
So last week was incredibly busy with all the Easter services going on, plus the creative prep for them. I set up my blog posts for the week and let everything upload automatically, so my apologies for not visiting anyone's blog or replying to comments last week. I just needed to get on with doing my own stuff.
And this is one of the things that I did. It's on a plastic vinyl material that someone gave me a big roll of. I taped off the edges, gessoed it, and let loose with a brayer to start with, which is why there are some great textures that you can see in the close-ups below.
I find myself doing lots of stripes at the moment, and particularly like the ones at the top of this piece where I dragged a mark-making tool through the black and into the pink and made an accidental notan.
What new thing are you doing in your art at the moment?
Friday 29 March 2024
circles or a spiral?
Wednesday 27 March 2024
Simplify
Sometimes you just want to do something simple. No complications, no build up of layers, no difficult tasks. White space gives us a place for the eye to rest, and we need to do that in everyday life as well.
So what is your 'white space'?
Monday 25 March 2024
Critics, cheerleaders, and coaches
I'm reading Adam Grant's Hidden Potential: The science of achieving greater things. He gives a useful definition of the differences of critics, cheerleaders, and coaches. We all have them, but it's good to know which someone is when they give you feedback.
Critic - sees your weaknesses and attacks your worst self.
Cheerleader - sees your strengths and celebrates your best self.
Coach - sees your potential and helps you become a better version of yourself.
It makes a difference to how you receive feedback - and what kind of feedback is given - if you know what sort of person they are in your life. Coaches have a balanced and encouraging function, so listen to them and try to be one for others.
Thursday 21 March 2024
New mixed media piece
So I pulled out an old board and started a new artwork because I wanted to work bigger than in my journal. This is 76 x 51cm. I'm thinking that it's finished, but it will sit in my studio for a bit while I decide. All the layers underneath (from two previous mixed media pieces) have added some interesting textures. I like how parts of this look like bits of the night sky thanks to some black tissue paper with shiny dots embedded in it.
I find myself drawn to palettes that mostly have a red, a blue, and a yellow. Although the middle band of this piece looks black, it contains a lot of Payne's grey, which isn't so evident in the photos.
Do you find your artworks have recurring palettes or themes?