Recycling Art

I have a closet full of art experiments and paintings that aren't destined to be finished.
I would like to cull most of it out to keep things simple but I have trouble throwing things out that have such delightful colors  and patterns. The other day I decided to make some of them into portfolios. It was fun to be crafty and the folios are really useful for storing collections of sketches. I have one near my desk that is full of tree sketches I use for reference, another that is full of all the little handmade design bits I use for blogs and such.

If you have old art experiments I highly recommend trying this out!

Attempting Allegory

I love allegorical paintings so I thought it was time I started sketching some ideas for my own.
I have to admit I felt like I was being pretty gimmicky and contrived so I think I will put the allegories on hold for a while.

Crow Cat

The Search

Outside, after weeks of thinking about resumes 

and salaries 

and typing speeds 

and ironed slacks

Of thinking about little else,

finally,

I walk outside and my body feels 

as light and sparkly as the bleached grass 

between the barn and the old plum trees. 

There is rain on the stalks, still in their uneven clumps 

and the plums, over-ripe, are the deepest, dustiest purple. 

The neglected water sprouts bow to the ground 

with heavy, uninterrupted rows 

of fruit nestled tightly in the cover of leaves. 

These trees are old, unpruned, 

and still they make more food than we can eat.

I feel so earnest, 

plucking sustenance from their craggy branches 

under the cover of clouds. 

They do not even ask for my resume.

From the Studio...

I have been spending a lot of time looking for work but do manage to get a little painting in here and there. Here are my favorites of late.

Studies of a common yellow throat, above, and an Oregon junco, below.

I have some new treescapes up on facebook and am reworking treescape 6, below.

Sprinklers and Songs

Business Plan

After reading several business books for artists I got fed up with how easily I forget my priorities and get caught up in trying to figure out how to make money. I don't see this as a personality flaw as much as I see it as a sign of the times. More and more aspects of life are getting monetized so we need more and more income to get by. I'm looking for a full-time job and very excited about the prospect of being able to do art for love instead of trying to figure out how to make it into a sustainable career.

Of course, I still want to leave room for my talents and passions to evolve naturally into a career so I made a business plan that's priority is keeping my values straight. It feels good to let go and make life itself the priority. It's a lot easier for me to enjoy where I'm at because I no longer am attached to a context where circumstances now aren't connected to the circumstances I am trying to create.