Around the Studio ... Agnes Martin

I've been busy with details this week.  Canvases to stretch, supplies to order, inventory to put in order, emails to answer.  I happened to catch an hour long interview with abstract impressionist Agnes Martin one night on the Ovation channel.  Part of the interview, now on YouTube, follows.

I have to admit that I have never understood Martin's work until seeing this show.  Sure, I have viewed her works in museums, but never could grasp what they were about or why she painted them.  Now, I understand; I was looking too fast.

Martin spent forty years of her life painting mostly six-foot canvases of lines.  Just lines, in many colors and patterns.  Now, that's dedication to a theme!  

Hearing Martin speak about her work made me realize that I cannot dismiss these works as just lines.  They are each a mood, an emotion, a wisp of an internal reality rather than a representation of an external thing.  To understand such an artwork, a person has to slow down to the vibration of that painting.  To create such an artwork, an artist has to be empty of everything else but the work.

A reminder for me to slow down, don't let the business details get in the way, and simply enjoy the process of creating.   

Happy Birthday Al and Donna!

Here we are after three hours of dancing: Al, Nance, Mitch and Donna.

Last night, we danced the night away at a joint birthday party for my husband Al, who reached the big 60, and our good friend Donna.  Thank you to all our friends for attending and sharing in the fun.  

Around the Studio ... The Artist in the Recession

"The world needs artists. We live in troubling times. Uplifting artwork puts people's attention on positive things and makes them feel good about being alive."  -Scott Menaul

Being an artist has some distinct advantages during a recession.  

First of all, in this time of higher unemployment, I can't lose my job.  My job, as a creative, is to make art.  Recently, it occurred to me that I have now painted for almost 50 years.  I certainly can't stop now!

Also, any person who lives a creative life 24/7 is used to insecurity. We are risk takers, often jumping without a net as we passionately pursue our art without any promise of exposure or sales. We create for the sheer joy of creating, although finding a new, appreciative home for an artwork is also a great joy.

My life hasn't changed because of the recession.  I still spend each day looking for beauty in everything, searching for just that right subject to put down in paint on canvas.  Lately, I have been looking at all the flowers blooming in my garden as well as in friends' yards. I see them bursting out of gloriously large canvases.

The recession?  I recognize that has made life difficult for many people, and I feel deeply for them.  Even more now than ever, an artist must keep creating.  The world needs more beauty.

Cowboy Hat on Chair

oil on panel

6 inches by 6 inches

This white chair appears in several of my paintings.  Sitting in my living room, it often has various objects thrown haphazardly upon it.  Today, it is one of my husband's hats and a denim shirt.