Never underestimate the power of giving things away

"Practice giving things away, not just things you don't care about, but things you do like. Remember, it is not the size of a gift, it is its quality and the amount of mental attachment you overcome that count. So don't bankrupt yourself on a momentary positive impulse, only to regret it later. Give thought to giving. Give small things, carefully, and observe the mental processes going along with the act of releasing the little thing you liked." Robert A F Thurman

MAIL

This is second phase of the 100 day project; here the first 100 people that send me a self addressed stamped envelope will receive one of my 100 day paper cut outs. This has been really fun and interesting. So far I have had mail from 4 states Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan ( both the upper and lower peninsula) Getting the mail is fun, sending out the cutout piece is like releasing a butterfly out into the world.
I wonder what it is like for the recipent? I had 100 now I have 86 left. I wonder if these simple cutouts are as interesting as a piece or more interesting to view as a series of 100. I kept it simple and only used color paint swatches, a old philosophy of art book, glue and scissors.

If you are participating in this phase 2 with me please feel free to send me your thoughts.

100 days

I made it!!!I should have made a cake. It is something to celebrate.
Maybe next time.
Also,
congrats to all that are still engaged in the habit of a 100 days project, or a 10 days project or a daily practice. It is all good for the creative brain.

Day 99

My mind is experiencing a subtle pressure---what did I accomplish--what was it all about-- how was it different?
I am in the process of working on an artist statement. The 100 day project definitely infiltrated my paintings. I painted 15 30x30 paintings. All under the theme a Sense of Place. As the 100 day project intensified I think the paintings did too.

Art to the people

The house has exploded with paper cut outs. And I have been thinking about art in relation to the artist and the viewer. This equation is essential to complete the artist process, beyond creation. In regards to this I recognize that in this day and age we are becoming more and more connected to one another via on-line networks, emails, cell phone, photo sharing sites etc. Here the viewer has an opportunity to witness art electronically ---which has a place--- but it cannot compare to seeing art first hand. With that in mind, I have decided after Sept 8th (the end of my 100 day project) to take my 100 plus cutouts and distribute them to the first 100 people who send me a self addressed stamped envelope.
To receive one of my paper cuts outs,
send a self addressed stamped envelope to:
Benda
100 Day project
9426 Freda Rd
Atlantic Mine MI 49905
Bonus:
There is the added sensation of receiving something tangible in the mail, an experience which is becoming rarer as we become more addicted to social networking.

More on Matisse

During the last decade of his long life, Henri Matisse produced some 270 paper cutouts. Although they constitute independent works, many also served as maquettes for projects as different in scale and purpose as book illustrations or designs for liturgical vestments and stained-glass windows. During the 1930s, Matisse had already used paper models to help him compose his paintings. Then, after two serious operations in 1941 left him in poor health, the artist worked more and more with paper cutouts—something he could do sitting up in bed or in an armchair. With scissors, Matisse cut shapes from sheets of paper that his assistants first had colored with gouache. These would be pinned into position and, once finalized, glued onto a white or multicolored ground. After the late 1940s, when the size of these cutouts increased so much that they had to be executed on the wall, he would direct his assistants as to the specific placement of the shapes and they would carry out his vision.



Source: Henri Matisse: Snow Flowers (1999.363.46) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ode to Matisse

Matisse
Got a book on Matisse at a garage sale, forgot how much I love his work, especially the paper cutouts!
Matisse's infuence on my cutouts: Matisse Right, Benda bottom.