Aha

I had an "aha" moment today.  I've been feeling pressure to post something here to mark the end of the year, feeling pressure to make art just to have something to show here.  Holiday pressure.  Family pressure. Pressure.  Pressure. Pressure.  But I've also been thinking a lot about this quote I found on tumblr recently:

"The imagination should be allowed a certain amount of time to browse around."

~ Thomas Merton

So I've been taking the time to browse around.  And I keep looking at this SoulCollage I made several months ago:

I've been having this feeling that I'm on the verge of something, but what?  I couldn't figure it out.  Then today, thanks to a facebook post from my blogging friend Julie-ann Bowden, I finally had the the opportunity to watch a film that I've been meaning to see, a film that has deeply moved me.  I barely even started watching the film, when I had that amazing "aha" moment.   Now I finally *GET* it!

Thanks to the internet, we are all exposed to so many different ideas, but one that keeps nudging at me is the idea that humanity is approaching a shift in consciousness.  It's something I've been wanting to believe, but every time I get cut-off in traffic or hear the news about one more tragic event, I think, "No, humanity will never change."

Then today it struck me.  I've been looking at it all wrong.  Living in this gotta-have-it NOW society, I've been expecting (and wanting) a shift to happen quickly.  Overnight, if possible.  Well, that's not possible.

Out of nowhere, I remembered how my beloved Cologne Cathedral (which was a big part of my early life, when I lived in Germany with my Grandmother), was built over a period of 632 years. 632 years!  If it took that long to build a church, it certainly is going to take more than a day, a week, a year, or even a generation, for humanity to change.  Aha!

I can't tell you how much hope this gives me!  To realize that things will change over time.  Humanity will get it right.  Just because I won't live to see it, doesn't mean I should give up hope and not even try to be part of the change.  It is a gigantic task, after all.  But with the internet and modern communications, it shouldn't take 632 years.

You may have guessed by now that the film is "The Shift" with the wonderful and wise Dr. Wayne Dyer.

"Whatever your age,

you are only one thought away

from changing your life."

~ Wayne Dyer

The entire film is available to see for free, in 13 somewhat choppy segments, on YouTube.  Here are two segments (#7 and #8) that really spoke to me today:

Thanks to the internet and blogging, I have met some truly amazing people who have changed my life and made it much richer and better.  I am so grateful for that and for you.  Thank you, everyone who visits here, everyone who comments here, everyone who writes me e-mails and engages me in conversations I would never be fortunate enough to have in my "real" life.

So, watch "The Shift" if you're ready.  Find what makes you "sing" and do it.  Be the best you can be.

"Don't die with your music still in you."

~ Wayne Dyer

I look forward to continuing this amazing journey with you in 2012.  And I wish you a blessed holiday season.

xo

What next?

It's a gorgeous, bright, but cold, day here today, so I was able to apply the more muted finish to the leaf/tree paintings I wrote about in the last post.  You can see on my other blog (here), that the finish mutes and mellows the acrylic colors so they look less plastic and more organic.

While I was working, I was thinking about all the things I could do next.  Several months ago I was experimenting with weaving things, like wood-grained wallpaper samples.

About a year ago, I learned that quite a few of my ancestors had worked in the textile industry in the 1800s.  I've always been intrigued by textiles, and learned about fabric art (LOVE IT!!!) a few years ago.  I'll definitely be doing some more of that soon.  I can carry on the family tradition. :0)

And I'm not one to throw things away, so I have stacks of muslin scraps which I use to clean my brushes when I'm painting.

Believe me,  I had to restrain myself from putting more paint on that top piece of muslin!
:0)
I wash and iron them when I have enough of them.  Some look like little abstract pieces of art to me already, and in others, I see images I can add to with other materials.

These days, I'm drooling over the work of Flora Bowley.  You can see why at her website (here) and blog (here).

The final three, together at last

Here are the final three 12"x12" landscapes.

I gave you a sneak peek of the center painting on in the previous post.

I didn't have to do too much to enhance the dried, pressed leaf.  The colors were already perfect.  Before I collage these leaves to the paintings, I seal them on both sides with matte medium to protect them.

I also collaged some dried grasses to the center painting.  Love that texture!

Everybody who does landscapes seems to be painting birch trees lately, so I had to paint at least one.

Years ago we had quite a few in our neighborhood, but they have all died and been cut down.  I actually like how dead trees look and have been taking pictures of them lately.

I added a fainter, paler purple line along the horizon of the birch painting.  It reminds me of how the fog sometimes hovers over Lake Michigan, while the shore area is sunny and bright.

acrylic (faux) encaustic, acrylic, mixed-media, collage, pressed leaves

The light was perfect this afternoon, so I took advantage of it to take these photos outside.  You can probably see how the first painting, on the left, looks a bit mellower.  That's because of the acrylic (faux) encaustic finish I experimented with.  I'll be doing the same to the other two paintings the next time the natural light is bright enough for a longer period of time.  Then they'll have a more muted, organic look, too.  The leaves will also have additional protection after I do this.

I want to do something completely different next.  There are so many things I want to try, I'll need to see which idea pushes its way to the top.

"It is the spectator,

and not life,

that art really mirrors."

~ Oscar Wilde

A sneak peek

Here's a slightly blurry sneak peek at the landscape I'm currently working on.  It's been very overcast here, so my camera wasn't letting me get crisp photos.  This leaf/tree has only been pressed, the colors have not been enhanced yet.  Isn't it gorgeous?!  It's a leaf from the forsythia bush after it was touched by frost.   

This painting has more texture than the previous landscapes I've done recently.  I do love that texture!  But my challenge to myself is to keep it simple, and that's not as easy as it sounds.

Today I'm working on adjusting the colors quite a bit, so it can be a companion to this painting,

which I described in a previous post  here.

So, when this one is done, there will be one more 12" x 12" landscape to finish before I begin to work on something more portable.  When I paint these acrylic pieces, I need to move everything to the kitchen table, and then put it all away again.  Something easier to work on in short bursts would be a nice change.

Ah, the details

As the natural world around me prepares itself for the long, cold winter ahead, I find myself focusing on the smallest details.  The muted colors.  The textures and shapes.

I'm fascinated with patterns.  The endless variations of circular and linear found in nature.

The many gorgeous differences between the end of an old, weathered log and the inner surface of  the trunk of a freshly cut tree.  So many textures, and the startling beauty of  the simple grays and browns.  Sometimes I wish I could make myself very small, so I could crawl around inside all the nooks and crannies.  I know I would find many more even smaller nooks and crannies. Smaller and smaller and smaller.

Ah, the pockmarked rust of a weathered wind chime.  I was told the symbols on the chime say "Peace" and I like to think that's true.  And that it will be possible in more parts of the world.

I'm working on two more landscapes that do not want to be traditional landscapes.  And that's OK, I'll let them guide me so they can be what they want to be.  It's good to be who you are supposed to be.

And I've been thinking a lot about this painting which I did a few years ago, which I called "Energy (1)" because I knew that some day there would be more.  I love the idea that everything is made up of energy, from the smallest seed, to all of humanity, to all the stars in the Universe.  Everything.  Everything is connected.   It's a comfort to me, to know this.

There is so much we do not know, and can't even imagine.  But I do know this.  More art will be coming soon.

"Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature.

And that is because,

in the last analysis,

we ourselves are part of the mystery

that we are trying to solve."

~ Max Planck

I adore Mary Nohl - part 2 (in which I must see this special house for myself)

Since the Mary Nohl House isn't located that far away from where I live, I couldn't sit still until I took a look at it for myself.
:0)

The house is protected by a tall vine-covered wire fence, but a friendly, smiling concrete face urged me to step closer.

The house is not open for viewing, since it's located on a quiet upscale dead-end street.  These signs are posted on the gate at the end of the driveway.

Two more happy faces flank the driveway.  This is the one on the right, which bears the name Nohl.

I was able to photograph through the gate to get a photo very similar to the one on the cover of the book (see previous post)!  I could have stood there for hours.  I didn't notice until I posted this photo here, that there is a light on in the right second story window.  The spirit of Mary, maybe?  If I were Mary, I'd like to stop back to visit once in a while, too

Here's a photo through the fence looking toward Lake Michigan.  The tall statue on the left is the one that I could see looking at me over the fence in the first photo.

And a closer look at the happy couple.  I noticed while I was looking at all these statues, that they all looked happy.  I like that.

Another parting glance at the house and the handsome blue-eyed dude with the pointy head.  It was a pleasure to meet you all in person!

Here's the view from just outside Mary's house looking toward the lake to the right

and to the left. . .  I'm going to take a little blogging break to read my book about Mary Nohl from cover to cover.  She's my new hero, and I know there is much I can learn from her.

I adore Mary Nohl

One of the many reasons I love the internet is how one thing leads to another and another and another. Earlier this month I had the pleasure to meet a wonderful Wisconsin artist I had recently learned about. Her name is Susan Hale, and she paints the most exuberant, magical landscapes. You can see her work at her website (here) and her blog (here).

And earlier today, while taking a quick peek at facebook, I spotted a wonderful video on Susan's page, about an artist I've been wanting to tell you about.  Her name is Mary Nohl, and during her later years she was called "the Witch of Fox Point".

Mary Nohl, who lived from 1914 - 2001, turned her lakeside cottage and property into a work of art.  And although she was misunderstood by many during her lifetime, she prevailed in the end.  I wish I would have known her. . .

Here's the wonderful short video about Mary that I found this morning:





The image at the top of this post is the cover of an excellent book about Mary, which is available from Amazon here.  It's a gorgeous book, with lots of pictures and snippets of her writings.

"I like the days best when I have a lot of projects - 

each so much fun that I don't know which to do first."

~ Mary Nohl

"Keep getting more ideas - 

all of which I have to try."

~ Mary Nohl

I hear you Mary!

You can see more photos of Mary's house here.  And read more about her and her work here, here, here, here and here. (Or just google :0) )

We are very fortunate to have quite a number of incredibly talented outsider artists and outsider environments in Wisconsin.  Many of them are generously preserved and supported by the Kohler Foundation.

Before and after

(detail)

I think this landscape is finished now.  I didn't do too much more to it.  Just highlighted parts of the leaves with a little oil pastel, adjusted some of the colors, and added some texture to the bottom portion.  It has an acrylic encaustic finish, to protect the leaves and to give the whole piece a warm, more organic feeling.

(detail)

The broken purple line along the horizon reminds me of Lake Michigan, of how it looks when you're driving toward it and suddenly catch that first amazing glimpse of the water along the horizon.  It never looks the same twice, ranging from the palest gray to the most intense Mediterranean blue.  And it's gorgeous every time.

This landscape is my interpretation of Wisconsin's golden corn fields, the Lake, and the short but glorious fall foliage.

So here it was before:

and here it is after:

Wisconsin Landscape

acrylic encaustic mixed media collage with leaves

on 12 x 12 wrapped canvas

Two more 12 x 12 landscapes to go, and then - who knows?

:0)

Keeping it simple

These last beautiful warmish days before our long cold winter make me appreciate the simple things even more.  Like the last few odds and ends from the garden displayed in a tiny vase.

Our sleepy cat, dreaming blissfully on the one and only pillow she knows she's not supposed to be on.

Two surprise late-bloomers sunning themselves on the trellis.

A few relaxing moments enjoying a favorite book outside. And appreciating the beauty of a robin's nest here,

and here.  Loving the bright colors of the crisp leaves and seed pods from a maple tree.

Treasuring the words of the wise ones who came before us,

and trying to notice the details of the many things I rarely took the time to notice before.

I hope you have some time to notice and appreciate the simple things all around you this week.   I've left the images larger, so you can click on them to see more detail.

Do you ever think about food?

Sunday, October 16, is Blog Action Day 2011, and this year's topic is food.  Let me assure you, that while there will be quite a bit of bad news in this post, it will end on a serious note of hope and good news.

image from an interesting article here: 

Chicago Press Release Services

Just yesterday I saw a short but eye-opening article on news.Yahoo.com entitled "More Americans than Chinese can't put food on the table" (read it here) which I must admit shocked me.  I knew things were bad, but this was worse than I expected.  According to the article:

The number of Americans who lack access to basic necessities like food and health care is now higher than it was at the peak of the Great Recession, a survey released Thursday found. And in a finding that could worsen fears of U.S. decline, the share of Americans struggling to put food on the table is now three times as large as the share of the Chinese population in the same position.

  According to Feeding America, these are the most recent US hunger statistics:

In 2010, 48.8 million Americans lived in food insecure households,

32.6 million adults and 16.2 million children.

You can see all the statistics for yourself on the Feeding America website here.  


It is estimated that there are over 1.02 BILLION hungry people in the world.

I don't know why the US, or North America for that matter,  isn't on this chart.

You can find more of these sad statistics for yourself.  But today I want to also share just some of the promising things that people are doing to help ease this food crisis.  In Wisconsin, we are fortunate to have Will Allen, a pioneer in urban farming and the founder of Growing Power.  Growing Power aims for sustainable food production, as well as the growth of communities through the creation of local gardens.  You can see more at their website, here:  http://www.growingpower.org/index.htm

Here's Will Allen, describing his amazing work:






Will Allen and others who are reclaiming urban lots to produce food are working on just one of many potential answers to dealing with food shortages.  While his ideas are new and innovative, others are looking to the past to find answers to today's problems.  One such person is Britain's Martin Crawford, who in this next video takes you through his edible food forest garden, which is a model for resilient local food growing.





Food forests are not a new idea. Here's a short video about a 300-year old food forest in Vietnam:




And another short video about a 2000-year old food forest in Morocco:




So you see, I think there is hope.  Great hope.  But we need to work together, we need to help those who are less fortunate, and we have to stop using access to adequate food and water to keep some people down. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are enough ways to grow food and distribute it fairly, so that not one single person on the planet should die of starvation.

What kind of world of world do you want to live in?

In case you are interested, I wrote some other articles about food earlier this year on my other blog here:

http://amazingmotherearth.blogspot.com/2011/01/we-are-what-we-eat-bad-news-and-good.html

and here:

http://amazingmotherearth.blogspot.com/2011/06/farm-of-future.html

"Never doubt 

that a small group of committed people 

can change the world.

Indeed, 

it is the only thing that ever has."

~ Margaret Mead