Tennis Anyone?

i don't play tennis because i have carpal tunnel and my hands can't take it but i like to follow the major competitions. watching the men's final of the French Open i was thinking how dedicated and hard working the top players must be. most started very young, play long hours and work hard on strength training during the off season. but there is something more-even the players with the best technique and strength don't always reach the top-so what is it-raw talent, reflexes, nerves?

as and artist, if  (plus i didn't start young) i spend more time working on my painting would that make me a better painter or just better with technique? if i am better with technique does that allow my mind to freely go to that place where the creative process resides? how does one become more creative? maybe there will be answers for these types of questions in the future. maybe some of you have some opinions.

P.S. the Third Encaustic Conference is this weekend. congrats to all who made it possible-especially Joanne-and i hope to see you all next year.

Vote Earth

i hope everyone will "VOTE EARTH" on march 28 and  turn off all your lights from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. this painting just happens to be called "seachange"- something that will happen if we don't address global warming now.

Up & Coming

several items of interest you might want to take a look at. the first is Laura Moriarty's painting (?) process video at the R & F website or you tube and a different type of artist is portrayed in Man on Wire, an Oscar award winner for best documentary on Phillipe Petit the tightrope walker who walked across a steel cable between the World Trade Towers not just once but for 45 minutes! his story is quite amazing. there is another interesting story about the African artist El Anatsui in the New York Times who creates beautiful hanging paintings out of bottle caps. you might have seen one of his pieces at MAD.

i will be having a weekend encaustic workshop at Silvermine Guild Arts Center on March 13 & 14 for those who have basic encaustic skills. details on the Silvermine website. There will be more workshops offered this summer and i am also available for private workshops in my studio.

Do you know Spenser Wells?

i should probably just call this blog "the process page" as those who read it know it is not just about encaustics. what is process anyway- "a system of operations in the production of something". ok. my process in the production of a painting  is: an idea, do research, collect materials, glue paper on to a panel, stencil letters, paint a layer of medium, begin to add imagery and layers-on and on. Spenser Wells follows the first three steps of my process but to collect his materials-samples of DNA-he travels around the world from australia to outer mongolia and beyond. maybe you saw his documentary or read his book titled The Journey of Man. he wants to trace our journey out of africa, to create a map that represents the range of human diversity, to learn where we came from and how we are all related. you too can be apart of this process by going to www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic that gives you all the information to get your own kit and have your DNA tested. i am waiting for my results as i write this and plan to have my results added to the 100,000 samples they are trying to map.

a new year is almost here. what an amazing time we live in. whatever your process keep creating. happy new year!

More art/Less smoke

you probably don't know this but november is national lung cancer awareness month. most people don't & that's a problem. i happen to know a little about this as my husband died from lung cancer. so do on average 400 people a day in the U.S.  women are twice as likely to die from lung cancer as from breast cancer. smoking is a primary cause but the number of people diagnosed with lung cancer who have never smoked is also on the rise. if you smoke-please try to quit. or if someone you care about smokes, encourage & help them to stop. it is the single best thing that you can do for your health- so you'll have more time to create more art.

MAD

i was recently in nyc to receive an award from Lilly Oncology on Canvas. i was honored to be chosen and the prize money went to the charity of my choice. to see all the artwork and narratives by cancer caregivers, supporters and survivors was very moving. the exhibition will tour the u.s for the next two years and there will be a book available. thank you Lilly.

while in nyc i visited MAD-the Museum of Arts and Design in Columbus Circle. Mad is the recreation of the former American Craft Museum that was across from MOMA. the museum has a fantastic exhibition on display (besides the perm. collection) called Second Lives. it includes 3-D work by contemporary artists using a wide range of materials not commonly associated with art-plastic spoons, combs, old records, paper bags, etc. that have been  made into the most unique creations. try to see it-worth the $15.00 admission. before i concentrated on painting i was a craft artist. over time the term craft  seems to have acquired a somewhat negative connotation- the directors of MAD did not use it because of this, craft being "handi-craft", a hobby, cute stuff. i'm not sure how this happened. any thoughts?

Painting Pain

The studio is almost done and i have been doing a lot of painting (not the kind i prefer to do) so that at least for a short time everything is white on white but it is killing my hands. those of you with carpal tunnel know the feeling. my workshops will be starting on oct. 4-the listing is on the silvermine guild web site. information is also now available for the third annual encaustic conference to be held the first week of june in beverly ma and there are benefits to signing up early. and keep an eye out for the prospectus for the R&F juried show which will be exhibited in 2009 at the castle gallery in new rochelle, ny.