Tuesday, July 21, 2009

playlist for current painting groove

I love to paint to music, I will paint to movies, but music yields a far better product. In fact I am blaming the slow down of my groove on painting while watching the Masterpiece Theater recent remake of Wuthering Heights-- too heavy.

I always find it interesting that certain songs fit with certain painting grooves. I think there is somehow either embedded in the songs a connection to what you are painting and it's yield is cathartic or else the rhythm somehow fits harmonious with the brush strokes and the very physical act of painting. A lot of artist have very specific types of painting songs, I remember having this discussion with other arts at the art museum on night during a class. For me it's generally kind of mellow mid-range love songs. Really often it is the same over and over again- to the point that anyone else in my studio might find it painful, but it's just the subconscious consistency that makes it work? I have a hard time painting to stuff that is really fast. And if I put on stuff with the wrong sort of groove, it totally shuts me down. So if you are looking to find your creative groove (or at least paint a bunch of grid and lightbulb paintings) I recommend the following

1. Room for squares album -John Mayer- played for 2 nights continuous (maybe it was the square connection?)

2. Fields of Gold- Sting- entire album

3. All these things that I've done- the killers

4. The Man the Can't be Moved- the script

5. Under Control- Parachute

6. Everything I Own- Bread

7. You and I Both- Jason Mraz

8. No Matter What- Boyzone

7. Fall for You- Secondhand Serenade

9. At my most Beautiful- REM

10. George Michael 2000 collection -some bootleg black market cd I got in Siberia
11. What if -coldplay
12. What it takes- Aerosmith
My week of feverish painting is finally catching up tonight after dinner I decided to lie down on my bed- yep slept till 7 even with the din of children around.
And if you missed my last segullah post here it is. I was in vacation not so frequent blog mode at the time.
1. music 2. inspiration 3. a few things off the to do list

Sunday, July 19, 2009

the creative funk and groove


I arrived home from my trip ravenous for painting. Yes between tuesday night and saturday night I finished 8 and 1/2 paintings. I think that is a life record. (4-24x24, 2 10x20, and one 12x12 and 1/2 of a 30x40) I would hit the studio about 7:30pm and paint feverishly till 1:30am when I would make myself go to bed.

I also lost 3 lbs. because I care nothing about food, only getting all these images out of my head and onto canvas. It's hard to know where creativity comes from, what changes almost in an instant and hurls you into a creative storm, There is nothing quite like an intense creative groove. They only come around for me about every year or 2 and they some how change me, define me. Is it the result of some psychic need for catharsis? Why can't it be called out whenever you want it? While I would love to know the whys and hows? I am trying to be content just delve into all the deliciousness of creation and see what comes out the other side.

My new series is off the grid. I still have yet to put them all on my gallery sites but i'll let you know when I do...
1.new series 2. catharsis 3. connection

Thursday, July 16, 2009

dinosaur dilemmas

This morning my son was musing about you could escape being chased by a velociraptor.
Being a born brain stormer like his mother, here were some of his ideas...

1. Use distraction- rig a marshmallow launcher to a bicycle that would shoot out marshmallows with every wheel revolution.
2. Use brute force. Rig sledge hammers to the front and rear of a bicycle that would pound the dinosaur on impending advances.
3. Put batteries in conductive liquid in water balloon and use it to shock the dinosaur.

I have to say these kind of thoughts did not cross my mind as a child. Nor did I calculate my bike riding speed in relation to which of the various species I could escape from in a flat chase.

Also if you are go to back in time, do bring some cable guns, my son reminded, they might be useful for getting away in a jam...

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Summer adventures

Well our brief 8 week summer is already well in force. We left the monday after school got out to visit family in Virginia. I was sick and spent the first few days of vacation in a fog. It got interesting when my mom took three boys on a walk and came back only to tell me that we had to call poison control because my oldest had fed my youngest a berry, thinking it was a blackberry. Well as it turns out it was a lantana berry, which is toxic and although it was only one berry, poison control said every ingestion had to be treated thus began a 4 hour emergency room visit to get my 19 month old to drink activated charcoal- have you ever seen activated charcoal, it is like a thick black sludge milkshake. It was either drink it or have it via NG tube. Somehow, I have yet to know how he drank it- or at least a cup of it so that was enough- but it gets everywhere- and when he decided he'd had enough he whacked it across the room sending charcoal flying everywhere. I can report a full recovery.

I left for Utah to enjoy a few days with my best friend shelah which means lots of laughing, good food: ruth's diner, cafe rio, and baking. We've made chocolate cake, 7 layer bars, lemon bars, white chocolate lime cake, coconut cake. Tonight i am hosting a studio night and then tomorrow I get to enjoy the fabulous segullah staff.

My boys are enjoying their time with my parents and Smart daddy-o is beginning work on the basement and eating our garden!