New Artwork and New Venues

The art season in beautiful Door County is off to a great start! Over Memorial Day, I partcipatated in the Sturgeon Bay Fine Arts Faire along with 94 other artist. The weather conditions were windy but we had a great turnout and fun.

In July I will have a solo exhit at The Fairfield Center for Contempory Art, 244 Michigan Ave., Sturgeon Bay WI from July 2 to July 31. The opening will be on Friday July 6 from 6 to 8 pm. Please come!

From July 20-22 a group of female artist, "Women Create" will show our work at the second annual Art in the Barn fair at Off the Wheel Pottery, 4234 Hwy E, Egg Harbor. The weekend with begin with a concert by Jana Holland followed b a 2 day event featuring 11 regional artists. Everyone is welcome!

August will bring other opportunities: August 9 and 10 is The Hardy Gallery Tour. I will be demonstrating at Off the Wheel Pottery, 4234 Hyw E in Egg Harbor. August 11 is the Ephriam Art Fair from 10 am to 5 pm. And from August 12 through the 31st, my art will be in a group show at Mr. Helsinki' in Fish Creek. Hope to see you in August.

If you would like to visit my studio please call me at (920) 743-5108.

Galleries featuring my artwork are: Gallery 10, Gills Rock, WI; Wisconsin Arts Gallery, Green Bay, WI; Art Neuvo, Milwaukee, WI

I have been fascinated with rocks. They are so beautiful. Rocks are so individual with different textures, a multitude of colors and shapes. The most interesting thing about rocks in the southwest is that many of them have cracks and hidden crevasses. Which spurs my creativity to look for what lies within those davits.

We too have hidden parts of ourselves. The parts of our psyche that is unknown to us or unknown to others. Our secret thoughts and dreams. Our disdain or attraction. All that is hidden provides fertile ground for growth. it is through our honesty that we can heal what is hidden within ourselves.

Creativity is an avenue for exploring what we hide. Meditation that happens when we are in the moment releases the tension that suppresses our subconscious. Through creativity we can express our inner longings or sooth our inner turmoil. Creativity is not solely making art but it is a way of life. Planting flowers or doing the dishes or dressing a child or listen to an elder are creative endeavors when we are in the moment. Writing this blog helps me to remember.

"It was only a dream" was created when I was coping and healing from a close relationship in which I was disappointed and sad. It was created on handmade abaca and cotton paper with acrylics and soft pastels. 18" x 18" unframed $200

After doing household things, exercising, working and a host of other things that I never imagined, I am feeling tired and need of a few minutes of quiet time. After reflecting, I know that I have to turn my day up side down. I read of an artist who paints for one hour every morning or one arts paints a picture each day. Super for them. What do these artists have in common? They are males. I think that men put their wishes first (read this disclaimer: I am not a male basher or am a victum!). I need to learn from men to keep my priorities straight. Some days I get lost in the morasse of things to do and am very distracted from my own priorities. So Carol- get with the program! Do art first! Be happy and create! (I can do that.)

What about you? How do you put your creative life first?

About the artwork: I am a handmade paper artist. The paper was made from cotton and abaca fibers. I title the painting "Bloood Lines". I painted the background with acrylics and finished the surface with soft pastels and inks. It is 15" x 16" and sells for $150 unframed.

Many people believe that they can control their lives. To some degree, I agree. We make our best decisions based upon the situation at the time. However, most of life we cannot control. For example the other day another car almost hit us. It looked to me as if we were a magnet and the other car was out of control. It came right toward us. I screamed and my husband swearved away from that vehicle. Were we in control of our day? No. We were just coming from the store and having a happy day when the unexpected happened to us. This is only one example that demonstrates how the unexpected happens. There are many examples of how our life changes in wonderful ways that we did not even image.
I remind myself to be open to whatever the day brings and ask for wisdom to make the right choices.

Any Regrets?
If I died tomorrow I would only have one regret- that I was not present for most of my life. I was not present in each moment to enjoy life's richness. Instead I was worried about the future. I spent too much time worried about accomplishing my goal, meeting other's needs and maintaining our house, finances, etc. There was always something to race to or race from. My daily lists were long- I mean long! Too much to do in too little time.
Now that I have come to this conclusion, how do I want to live? I remind myself to pay attention to the "now". All we have is NOW. Then I must take the next right action. ( I also pray for guidance.) I am focused on being the best person that I can be, give to others and take care of myself. I guess it is pretty simple but very hard to practice.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Since November life events have occupied my time and energy. At last I have settled down and am doing more artwork. Creating is necessary for me to thrive. Being in a creative space restores me. I feel renewed and balanced.

Robert Farber ( a photographer) said, "The only thing I know is that if I get to my studio that means I'm alive today."

I encourage you to fill youself with creative energy.

The Balance of Guilt and Perfectionism
As the holidays came and went, I thought about the illusion of the perfect present, the perfect family or the perfect hostess. For many rushing around equates having the Christmas spirit. Shopping too much. Too many parties. Eating too much. Of course we want a wonderful holiday. We want others to enjoy our gifts and cookies. But trying to create the "perfect" holiday may be an unreasonable expectation for us. If we do not live up to our expectations or try to achieve our perfect holiday then we feel guilty. What a rollercoaster!
I will share what I learned this holiday. I learned that I have limits. I learned that I am not perfect! Whew! I learned that my family has quirks. I learned that Christmas is in my heart and I appreciate the abundance of love and beauty that surrounds me.
For me, guilt is for the person who committs crimes against society and not for me for making ugly cut out cookies. If I feel guilty for not being perfect then I am using guilt as a way of punishing myself. In fact, if I feel guilty then I am believing in the illusion of perfectionism. My goal is to be real and accept myself, love others and do the best that I can with what I have. There is no room for perfectionism and guilt.