Rejection

How you react to rejection is important. It is not the rejection of others that truly affects us, the problem occurs when... that rejection by others causes us to "reject" ourselves. (Chris Tyrell)

If I need someone else to validate me that I am not committed enough to who I am.

inspiration

do less with more

There are a few schools of thought out there. The predominant one is: "Do more with less". The problem with this is that we are always seeking for more and we a steeped in a scarcity mentality. Why is more better!
There is another idea that surfaces every once in a while. "Less is more".
And I would like to purpose a third thought process, "Do less with more".
Here is how that works.
Do less thinking and more creating.
Do less whining with more smiling.
Do less, consume less, with more satisfaction.
Do less judging more complimenting
Do less, breathe more.
Do less, need less and be more happy.


We pile on our self a more, more, more notion of success.
Where does that get us? Cluttered and encumbered.
In art the minimalist embraced the notion of less--and it proved to be a great statement.

And the famous designer Coco Chanel said it best:
"Before you leave the house look in the mirror and take one thing off."

LOVE

Jim Dine artist

The creative mind plays with the objects it loves. (Carl Jung)

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. (Steve Jobs)

Self

Paul Klee

 I think the absence of self in a painting is a common problem. The more self a painter allows to come through-- I believe the stronger the piece. 

Picasso said " Enough of Art. It's Art that kills us. People no longer want to do painting: they make Art. People want Art. And are given it. But the less Art there is in painting the more painting there is."

The end of another 100 day project

Feb 8th I ended a 100 day project started Nov 1 2010. I was attempting to work on one continuous shape with a change in medium each week. I didn't get very far as I got bored, and just when I started to loosen up it was the end of the week . So I decided to stay with one medium for the remainder of the project. I stayed with pastels. The shape I used morphed and I found myself doing birds again, and other organic shapes. This is documented in some of the previous post. The designs I worked with started to look a lot like my last 100 day cut out project, but with a new twist. Here is the last few drawings in my 100 day project.

the Artistic Dialog

(Richard Diebenkorn)

I don't go into the studio with the idea of "saying" something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few arbitrary marks on it that start me on some sort of dialogue. (Richard Diebenkorn)

We all need to have an Artistic Dialog. Sometimes it is just with ourselves, other times it is with fellow artists. We grow and broaden our horizons with this dialog. Without it we become stagnate, dry and predictable.

Foundations

Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau

What is your Foundation when it comes to Art? Students take foundation course all the time. We say things like "such and such is the foundation of my work". What does it mean to you. What is at the core of  your foundation?

FOUNDATION
noun


1. the basis or groundwork of anything: the moral foundation of both society and religion.

2. the natural or prepared ground or base on which some structure rests.

3. the lowest division of a building, wall, or the like, usually of masonry and partly or wholly below the surface of the ground.

4. the act of founding, setting up, establishing, etc.: a policy in effect since the foundation.

5. the state of being founded.

6. an institution financed by a donation or legacy to aid research, education, the arts, etc.: the ford Foundation.

7. an endowment for such an institution.

8. a cosmetic, as a cream or liquid, used as a base for facial makeup.

9. foundation garment.

10. Solitaire . a card of given denomination on which other cards are to be added according to denomination or suit.

Winter

I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter.  Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.  ~Andrew Wyeth

Benda: Winter

Andrew Wyeth

The Road Less Traveled

Boliva: Yungas Rd

A Point of Age--We must travel in the direction of our fear. John Berryman

I think of art and painting as a journey, not simply a destination. I believe an artist needs to start by painting 100 works. Love the journey. (Ken Campbell)

Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn't, it is of no use. (Carlos Castaneda)