The Artist’s Way

Wondering which way is the Artist’s Way? I am, too! But before I share more, I will welcome new readers and describe the purpose of this post and blog. Okeedokee?

Transitions

Welcome new readers! Each year, I select a theme for my weekly paintings. This year’s theme is Transitions. I am expanding on last year’s theme. 2021’s theme was “Small Spaces Special Places“. Since we were all spending a lot of time in or close to home last year, it made sense to me to keep paintings small and simple.

Why Transitions? So many reasons. Here are one or two. I plan to transition to larger paintings this year. In fact, the first painting I posted this year was huge (for me.) It measures 8×24″…wowza. Here’s the painting and post for that week. Second, I am focusing on transitions within my painting process, too. This includes transitions from light to dark. Something I love to think about as I compose a painting. I also love to think about the negative space around an object. An example of this is the painting I shared two weeks ago called “Blowing in the Wind.”

I’m also trying some new processes that I have never done before including glazing. I’ll share more about that process once I have some results worth sharing. In the meantime, there’s lots of painting going on here.

So there you have it! The scoop on transitions as the theme for 2022.

Anyway, if you are not subscribing to this blog yet and think you might enjoy a weekly dose of unique artwork with a dash of color and musings on life, sign up here. Let’s get to this week’s topic!

Searching for the Artist’s Way

Earlier this year, I was doing what we do in the middle of Omicron in January. I was going through my book shelves to cull and donate any books I no longer needed. How’s that for a good procrastination project? In the process, I came across Julia Cameron‘s book entitled “The Artist’s Way.” And, I found the workbook that came with the book (thanks for that present, Ruth!). The workbook was full of handwriting from me and my world in 1997. Wowza! That’s a long time ago, right?

I flipped through what I had written and confess it was not particularly deep but it was revealing. I was frustrated (read: BORED OUT OF MY MIND) with work, serving on boards of various non-profits and I was sick and tired of knucklehead boyfriends. The highlights were time spent with friends/family, making pottery at NC State’s craft center and planning vacations at Penland School of Crafts. I had no idea that writing and writing and writing would lead me to some, for me, monumental decisions.

Found: A New Path

As 1997 moved into 1998, I continued to write the requisite 3 pages of morning pages as prescribed in the book. Unlike most of you out there, I did not have a clear vision of what I wanted other than change. And, shazam did I end up with that. I left my (12 year) day job to work for a software startup that went public less than a year after I started. After meeting sales goals for said start up, I quit that job and went to Penland’s full-time two month ceramics program in the fall of 1998.

Even though I had been to Penland for 1-week and 2-week (vacation for me) courses in the past, the fall 1998 arrival felt different. I drove up the twisting driveway to Penland with a trunk full of clothes and pottery tools. Every person I encountered was friendly, earthy and I felt as if I had finally found my people: potters, painters, iron forgers, glass blowers, bookmakers and more. I was also blissfully single and ready to ditch any expectation of marriage. Ever!

Ha! Two weeks after I got back from Penland, I met Mr Studly and we were married the following year. So, I am sharing this with you because?

Fill in Your “Way”

I think writing down what is vexing you can be super therapeutic. So guess what? I decided what the heck I am going to do the Artist’s Way exercises again this year. And, so here I am in week 4 of that adventure. Why not?! If Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love” says she has done the Artist’s Way three times, heck I surely can do it again. I don’t have any idea where this is headed except that it feels so great to write down what’s rambling around in my head before I start painting every day.

Here’s one of this week’s color sketches. Notice I’m not calling it a painting. Why? Because it’s on canvas paper and about 3 1/2 by 7 inches. And, it’s an idea from my imagination. It has joined about 45 other color sketches from imagination from the past three or four weeks. Some of these sketches will turn into bigger paintings soon. But right now, I’m having fun trying some new techniques and pushing myself to create these sketches.

Are you thinking about some ideas or projects or plans that have been on the back burner? Would you like to feel as if you are taking baby steps towards making those things happen? Maybe the Artist’s Way morning pages will help you? Or maybe you already have a system for figuring out what’s next on your list of things to do? If either of these are true, I would love to hear more from you. Please share in the comments below and thank you so much for reading today!