Oh yeah, I’m a mom…………

A terrible photo of a new painting.

Okay, so what kind of art thrives in chaos? Not exciting, mysterious chaos, but run of the mill everyday, every family type of chaos? I started this art blog to inspire myself to keep on keepin’ on and to just vent. I really just need one other mother to nod her head while she reads this.

Yesterday, I decided to use my free-time (ha!) to work a little on a new painting; when what I really wanted to do was flop on the couch under a blanket and watch an episode of Friday Night Lights. Well, FNL has moved into TV-14 territory and I’m at home with my 8-year-old sponge, Odessa. Free time you ask?, here is how Tuesday broke down: help get everyone ready to catch the bus, race to get to work (10 minutes late) for the next 9 hours. At five I head home and usually have to walk the dog right away but have switched jobs with my son and am now free to chat with my husband and grab a snack before taking my daughter to gymnastics by 5:30. Last week I ran during this hour by yesterday I chose to sit in an uncomfortable chair to read and catch glimpses of my daughter on the mat. We’re home by 6:45 and sit down to eat a meal I didn’t make! My son and husband have already eaten and are about to go to the YMCA, as Finn has a martial arts class and my hubbie will hit the elliptical. So viola!- here I am with an hour to myself (almost) and so the deer-in-headlights feeling strikes. What very important, fulfilling activity can I do to take advantage of this precious, precious time?! The pressure is immense. I could just hang with my girl but she’s got dinner to finish and a shower to take before the guys return. This doesn’t sound like much but tonight is dessert night and so vegetables MUST be eaten- therefore this could take a while. Then it hits me, “Oh yeah, I’m an artist…” I’ve eaten my veggies so I make a beeline for the studio, knowing the clock is ticking. Enter the parenthood wrinkle, 8-year-old must eat vegetables and must be supervised so that the eating of said veggies is verified by the only parent around, moi. I can handle this, so after a brief, irritated “No, you can’t sit in that chair in front of my easel!” , I’ve got girl and plate settled. Picture sand through the hour-glass, I hurry to start Pandora playing and turn on the space heater at my feet. The next 30 minutes are a combination of an exhausted push to create more depth and just the right shade for the foreground mixed with intense negotiations over the now cold vegetables. There were tears (hers) and sighs (mine) leading to a mostly empty plate and the next hurdle, a shower.

Sure, I moved paint around. I improved a shadow and focused on the black rim of the left bowl. But it is really tough not to think this is impossible, like trying to breathe mud instead of air. How can I incorporate more art making into my life? With time to focus and to think about the next brush stroke and what I really hope for the end product to be and say? Then it hits me, “Oh yeah, I’m a mom…” Isn’t it said that ”Women can do it all, just not at the same time.”? So as I sat there, trying my best not to be frustrated, I thought this- I may not be achieving all that I want, but I still work towards my goals and how many kids grow up negotiating dinner while their mother sits at her easel?

The Art of Chocolate Gala 2013! Yum…………..

Week of Chocolate 2013

Thank you everyone who came to see my recent exhibition at the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center in Bloomington, Indiana. The support was overwhelming and much appreciated. That show led to the sale of 5 paintings!

Three paintings from that show were recently juried into the “Art of Chocolate”, a fundraiser for LifeDesigns as a part of The Week of Chocolate, http://www.weekofchocolate.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=3 , a very popular annual group of events in Bloomington. The art will be auctioned on eBay starting now until February 1^st, 2013. On February 2^nd, the art will be on display at Fountain Square Mall, downtown.

Of these juried works, 15 were selected to be exhibited at the Art of Chocolate Gala taking place in the atrium of the Indiana University Art Museum  on January 27^th, 2013. One of mine, “Red Ribbon”, was chosen for this special exhibit. Please consider visiting the auction site and biding on art, buying a ticket for the Gala or viewing the juried art on February 2^nd- all for a worthy cause.

IU Art Museum Atrium

 

Mama’s got a brand new…..page!

Stefanie’s Pears

Hello all! I have finally figured out how to create a gallery page on my blog. Yes, I know it is a long time coming but please take a look. I will be adding new and old images very soon. My goal is to also note which paintings have sold and which are still available.

Thanks!

Ellen

 

Post Show!

Well, the Opening Reception has come and gone. I felt prepared and was excited to see who might come. Around 4 pm the rain arrived…..and it poured and poured for hours. The reception was to be 5-8 pm. Despite the weather, so many people came! It was humbling to have concrete proof of the support of my friends, co-workers and family. It’s not very often that all the people I love line up to congratulate me for a solid 3 hours- felt like I’d just gotten married! What became clear that not matter what they felt about my artwork, they all recognize the sacrifice and effort it takes to pursue creation in the face of modern life. My “modern life” being a full-time working mother of two etc etc. I know that I find it incredibly inspiring to meet an artist that continues in the face of their own art-making obstacles, whatever they may be.

It was fantastic to be an artist for a night; to stand back and see the fruition of my efforts. It is tough to allow others to take a look and now that not everyone will like it or react to it in any way. Though enough had a smile or needed to stop to take in a small detail- that makes it all worth it. But, nothing beats being able to say I sold something on opening night- Thanks Margaret!

Installation Day!! Opening Reception on Friday, October 5th from 5-8 pm.

Installation almost complete! My husband and I put the kids on the bus, took the dog for a walk and took my 27 or so pcs. of art to the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center on a beautiful Fall day. I will be showing in the Flashlight Gallery during the month of October with an opening reception on October 5th from 5-8 pm.

I took the day off from my “day job” where we have been very busy getting ready for three new exhibitions opening the same night as mine. If I stop to think about it, I am very blessed to be surrounded by art and the pursuit of promoting it to others both at work and in my own life.

This show, “The Spaces in Between”, is a mix of paintings and drawings. The bulk  were completed in 2012 but I added paintings from past years that complement this idea. The idea being the importance of negative space and how alluring it can be. I love my objects but it is the spaces they create, the tension and drama that exists between them that catches my attention.

I am hoping to sell quite a few items, not only for the obvious reasons: to pay some bills, get my name out there, attract new patrons but because it allows me to move on. Sometimes that just means to make more art but now I want it to be about permission to try something new and evolve. In the meantime, please stop by and take a look. I’d love feedback on what you liked and even what you didn’t!

Thanks, Ellen.

Title? What title?

So, I’ve made it through the jury process and have a show scheduled!

This is terrific except for the amount of work I need to do in a short period of time. The gallery director kindly made a studio visit to talk about my paintings and discuss what needed to be done ahead of time. She asked for better “slides”. They are not really physical slides anymore but it gives one a better idea of what it is- I don’t throw away old-school terms. I knew I’d hear this. Frankly, I thought I may not make it through the jury process because my slides stink. Well, I’ve borrowed a better camera and am hoping for better results. The real curve ball was to hear I need to supply a title. This is not exactly a surprise but it is a daunting task. I want to convey a little of my thought process about this body of work, not sound too arty about it and yet a touch of clever is good. Perhaps I’ll put a few out there for a vote….

What’s most frustrating is preparing for a show when I’m in transition, artistically. I feel a change coming but it’s not here yet and I have to show what I applied with months ago. I want to feel “all in” and proud to have these seen but to me, it’s old hat. I hope they are enjoyed and even better- sold! I want to feel that I’m growing as an artist and putting my message out there instead of just making something pretty. Pretty used to be enough for me and still is valid but my brain wants more than that; especially when its art that I’m putting out in the world. The kiss of death was when the gallery director commented that I should include a painting I did of an onion and tomato- items I choose because of color, roundness and the shine. But she said it would be popular because it was “kitcheny”. ouch! I’d gotten a comment at an earlier art fair that my paintings were beautiful and very decorative. That person was complementing me but to me it felt like a punch to the gut.

Ellen, time to decide on your message and the best way to convey it. This new way/style may not appeal to anyone but me but I’ve got to have higher buy-in to my own stuff or its just a waste of time.

Someone get me a pencil!

Onion Reflection

Wow-it’s been awhile since my last post. I did manage to get my application that I mentioned (more about that below). I’ll know by May 25th if I need to get started a new work. I drew the above drawing for the show I was in this past February. I so enjoyed it; the stillness was such a balm to my mom-blizted mind. The process of reducing the noise and excess of the still life I set up was powerful and calming. Laying pencil on paper is magic. So simple, stark yet complex. There is no color to fall back on but there is the weight of each line, the blur created with a fingertip, and the power of the negative space. Anyone that has seen my work knows I am fascinated by ellipses- the roundness of objects, the shape of their rims, the curved space within. To me the most exciting image would be a large composition of just bowls! Weird, huh? Perhaps, I’ve narrowed down my next series? Bowls, bowls and more bowls. I mentioned my application for a show. The application asked three questions of me about my art and limited my answer to a certain number of words. After answering, I thought my responses may be of interest. Here are the questions and answers:

Exhibition Application 2012

1. Briefly describe your life and how it relates to your art.

I feel as if my life is art and reflects the art that I produce. I wear many hats, as most of us do, but the significant “hats” are what inform the art I produce and are ways I express my creativity. At this stage in my life I need the security of a –day- job but I choose work experiences within the art world. I worked in custom picture framing for 12 years; it allowed me to interact with many local artists and to learn to professionally present my own paintings. For over three years, I have worked at the IU Art Museum in the Paintings Conservation Department. I am now learning the care of paintings and am inspired by the close contact with Master works on a daily basis.

Another hat I wear is motherhood. I, without apology, put great effort into my family. I’d like to say that my children are my greatest work of art but I recognize that they are their own individuals and I contribute but a little. However, I do think it is fair to say that parenting takes all the creativity I have and more! Plus, one cannot replace the experience of seeing the world and its beauty through the eyes of a child.

For me to sincerely encourage my kids to follow their dreams, I must continue to follow mine. Following that dream means weaving art into my everyday life. My canvas can be what and where I need it to be: whether an actual canvas in the studio, the clothes I choose to wear or my garden, with its living pigments and constantly changing compositions.

2. Briefly summarize the concepts explored in your art.

I want to bring an intimate, mysterious power to still life using the subtle moments that exist in and between everyday objects. I want to create portraits of these objects that tell a story. That story can be between the viewer and the specific objects or a response to the vibrant light and color. I love bold color and the energy of pattern, negative space and light flowing over a surface. I make images I can return to, that are warm and embracing, with both subtlety and bold beauty. My current work is about the lushness of the commonplace; a sliver of light, a reflection in a surface, the sensual curve of a shadow. This beauty is available to all who know how to look at the world around them and really see it.

3.Briefly explain the technique/s that your use.

I employ both stretched canvases and canvas board. I generally start with a colored ground and sketch my composition in with vine charcoal. I build thin layers of paint to allow more light to penetrate the paint film and reflect back. In some areas I use moderately applied impasto in order to highlight a certain passage or lend weight to an object. I do not strictly adhere to the initial drawing but will make changes as I work to answer demands that the painting itself makes. I enjoy the beginning stages with its broad, free strokes but also the end when I can alternately define edges and soften others to create more depth. I have also added a few drawings to my application. I find such beauty in a pencil line; a starkness and elegance so different from paintings. Without the use of color, I use the negative space to define the image and activate the objects presented.