dancing along the red road~day 2

Good Morning sweet creatives!

Sitting here in my jammies with my slippers up on the coffee table while I write.  It's gloomy grey and rainy outside and my Yerba tea with lemon and honey is piping hot. I'm actually thinking about lighting a fire since it's like the Arctic out there. I mean it's 64 degrees or something! Brrr :~)

Anyway...what better way to start my journey? Cuddled up on the couch with my cyber-pen mapping out my journey into creativity. I'm calling today's entry:

What's in my suitcase? 

An assessment of my baggage, if you will. Artistic baggage. But let's not think of this "baggage" as a bad thing. More like looking inside my closet before packing to leave and taking stock of what's there. 

1.a strong desire to make art with personal meaning. I want to make art that is personal to me. It's all well and good to look to others for inspiration, but if there isn't any personal connection to the imagery being made then it's merely pretty pictures on the canvas and decoration. 

2. stronger desire to make "art for art's sake". Often I fall into the trap of making art that I think will sell and I forget to just make what's in my heart. Time to play and return to the very essence of "play".

3. iconic house images. Right now I'm fixated on these folksy houses and barns. Aside from my ridiculous need to "nest", I grew up in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. Red barns, stone barns and houses, rolling countryside and fields. You get the idea.

4. use of Slavic textile designs. My grandparents and ancestors were of Slavic decent. I grew up writing on easter eggs (pysanky) with my grandmother and mother. When I was 11 I got to wear a traditional Hungarian costume while appearing on a tv special about writing on pysanky. This left a lasting impression on me.

5. I'm fascinated with the image of women with antlers. Strong women. I could write a book about that symbolism but for now I won't bore you with all of that!

Think of the next section as your guidebook. 

Where are you in your own artwork? What is the main theme? Write down what is working. Focus on the positives! Forget the crappy parts. This is all about what makes you happy. What are your influences? Where does your imagery originate? Are you relying on other people's designs or do you create your own?

"home"work: Investigate your personal story. Where did your ancestors call home? Recall family stories. Fill the pages of your sketch book with design details from your family home, your grandmother's china, a favorite flower that grows naturally in your part of the world, your uncle's argyle sweater etc. Let your mind wander. Remember to smile and feel the presence of people you love while you are working. 

I'll be back in a few days with pictures of my current/past work. Can't wait to hear from you!

dancing and smiling,

staci

dancing along the red road~day 1

The last several months I've watched my artistic process from outside of myself. It seems I tend to work in a theme, allowing it to morph and transform over time. There've been animals, portraits, trees, and now houses and barns. I love looking back over the work and seeing what's transpired and it's exciting to think where it might go next. 

And then I got to thinking...

What if I chronicle the journey in a thoughtful manner, out here in the public eye? And what if I invite my creative counterparts to join me on my journey and hopefully inspire someone to expand upon their own ideas and processes? After all, I spent 10 years in the art classroom and some habits die-hard! One of the greatest joys of my life is witnessing the creative lightbulb go on above a student's head and I'd love more than anything to hear what's going on with my readers if you choose to travel along this red road with me. 

I will be posting my own thoughts and images as well as how I got there. I will also include questions and assignments for the reader. If you are traveling with me, let me know and I will put a link to you on my sidebar. And please provide a link to this journey on your own pages. Let's see how many travelers we can pick up along the way!

Tomorrow I will post the first of my journal entries and the first of your assignments. Who knows where we'll end up...a year is a long time in the life of an idea!

Care to dance?

hugs

staci

Schedule Schmedule

I am my own worst enemy when it comes to getting things finished. I'm a very results oriented person and too many 'open' projects drives me insane. Almost to the point of paralysis. 

Back when I was a classroom teacher my days were highly scheduled. So much so that when I got home in the evening I couldn't even think. I'd eat something upon walking in the door then flop down in the couch and be asleep by 8o'clock. 

Fast forward two years of self employment and I realize...

Wait for it...

I'm terrible at time management! 

No wonder I rebelled against the system.  It's not that I don't get anything done. Far from it. In fact I probably accomplish more before 10am than most gov't contractors do in a week! 

But everything in my head and on my list of to do's is a priority, at least that's how it feels. Do I clean the bathrooms or paint? Restock the fridge or work on that book I'm threatening. The dog/pony needs a walk but the garden needs water and there are dishes in the sink and this sculpture sample won't create itself, but the bed's not made, and if I don't send in that paperwork I'll never resolve that issue at the bank, and I really need to get my online class open... They all have their own voice and they are all screaming at me inside of my head. (Lord. I sound like a schizophrenic. Someone call my shrink!) And here in lies the problem. 

"Make a list, idiot," you say. I do. I have lists of lists. 

"Number the items in order of importance," you say. Done. 

And yes, I love checking things off and drawing a bright bloody line thru the finished items, symbolically triumphing over the chaos of my day/week/month. I just can't seem to quiet the chaos. Like medusas snakes (or was it Hydra? I can never keep my mythology straight!) I  finish one project and another 5 spring up in its place. 

Deep breath. I know I'm not unique in this battle. Although somehow taking a minute to recognize the beast within has made it all better for the moment. 

Maybe I'll get a little writing accomplished for the magazine. Or sit and watch the storm roll in over the lake that is my backyard. Or take my laptop out to the porch and write from there...

color me multitasking :-)

staci

birches for dad

"ashes seek heaven"

A few months ago my dad passed away after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's brought on by Parkinson's. During that time I was supposed to be getting ready for a show at PB&J Gallery in Atlanta. (I'd like to add that one of the owners, Bob Burkhardt, was kind enough to take and edit the photos of the finished pieces and I'd like to pay credit where credit is due.) Well, as you can imagine I put off the work, and put it off and put it off to the point that I had 10 days to complete 6 paintings for the show. This could have been a total disaster but instead, what ended up happening I was forced to work quickly without thinking. Just go with the intuitive process, balls to the wall, and make art without stopping to question what I was doing. 

The show came and went and I never took the time to talk about some of the process I used to create those paintings. But guess what? It's your lucky day because I'm currently avoiding another deadline as well as a mountain of laundry:~)

I started with a 4x8 sheet of plywood and some vintage wallpaper.

after gluing it all down i filled in the edges and around the papers with white and black gessos.

just checking to see if your paying attention. this is waldo when he was about 6 months old. yes, his paws are still HUGE!

i added red paint and drew over top of the pieces with my usual floral designs. then we cut the board into 16" wide strips and broke them in half by wedging them under the truck trailer and jumping on them. They all range between 48"-52" tall.

as I worked on the pieces I was imagining an old stone mansion that had fallen into disrepair, the roof caving in and trees growing up into the middle of the rooms-nature taking back the land. The finished pieces turned out better than I could have imagined. i incorporated some collage into the tree trunks as well and kept the color pallet much more subdued than I normally paint. After painting I sanded the heck out of them and really softened up the edges. 

Painting these pieces really helped me work through those first few weeks after dad's passing and it further illustrates how art can heal. 

"wheels wander outward"

"sparkle shines forever"

"she gathers rain"

"i'm coming home"

a view of all 6 pieces together

so what's the moral of the story, dear artist friends? sometimes it pays to just work without inhibition and without time to think about it. maybe that's why I'm avoiding working on this next project. Or maybe I'm just being lazy. I'll let the editors decide:~)

guess I'd better get to work.

color me crazy

~staci

urban renewal

Seeing as how I'm selling my sweet cottage in Old Towne, I think it's time to reshare some of the home makeovers I did a while back. All of these houses exist in one reality or another and my only contribution to their renewal was all in my head and on the canvas. (The house in the middle, the one with the sailboat, is not in a state of disrepair as are the other two. In fact, it's in great shape. But I really liked the look of the house and I thought it would make a good subject.)

I forgot how much fun I had creating these paintings! There is something meditative in the illustration layer of the pieces. All of the paintings have quotes on the roofline that came from stories people shared with me or conversations I had with my neighbors. Maybe I should send the photos to the city planners and tell them to get on the stick! :~)

Meanwhile, if you'd like to learn how to create one of these collaged paintings yourself, come visit me in Chicago later this month at Create Retreat. Seriously. Come on! I'll save a seat for you!

"fine. I'll go. But the purple cowbell is mine!"

"let me tell you about the time we were running from the cops. the monkey in the backseat bit the cop"

"well, if you don't want it you'll have to carry it back up the stairs"

I'll miss the little Old Towne Cottage and the neighbors who changed my life for the better. If I could bundle them all up and move them out to the lake to enjoy the country I would! At least I know I can always go back for a visit and a glass of wine. Hey boys...get out that bottle opener!

color me smiling

staci

Post-vacation let down

Well. Panama City Beach will be another movie in the can for future day dreaming. But for now...we are Jammin to the oldies on the back highways and byways of South Georgia.

back to work monday. Until then,

-color me vintage :-)

Staci

 

Spirit Guides and Houses

The spirit guide sculpture class is such a fun time. Who doesn't love playing with cardboard and plaster gauze? Here's a finished   piece from a student last month. 

This darling was created by Suzanne Streeter. Love his beads! This girl came prepared with plenty of adornments to use in class. 

Earlier that day I taught fantasy house portraits. Here are a few lovelies for you to drool over. 

The yellow one is by Susan Cirigliano. Unfortunately I don't have the name of the artist who did the lower piece. But the papers she used in the sky and background were created at another workshop and WOW, what a great result!

That's all from me for now. Wrapping up our Florida vacation. Back in the studio Monday. 

Over and out. 

Color me TAN:-)

Staci