How wrong you are my dear.  All women throughout the world are  Mothers in some way or another.  Women are  Mothers without having to give birth as we are the givers of life.  We care, we share, we help, we plant flowers just for the beauty of seeing the color. Women are strong, vibrant, determined, courageous and most of all……we willingly share our love.

Mothers quietly do many wonderful little things just to make our lives easier. Yes, Mothers are often taken for granted but when a need appears guess who comes without question…….yes, our Mothers.

My Mother passed away from leukemia many years ago.  In her passing she gave birth to me twice.  The first was the actual physical birth and the second was as she died  she showed me the grace and love that life should always have.  She gave me the determination to live my life to the fullest. She was strong, intelligent, resourceful, giving, yet stood up to those who didn’t want to give women equal pay for equal work…… she was my hero.

I lived in England when I received the call that it was time to come. I arrived late that night and was picked up at the airport in Knoxville Tennessee by my brother, Crowell.   We went straight to the hospital.

Mother look so small and pale in the hospital bed  but when she saw me her smile melted my heart.  I lived in the hospital room with Mother for a month.  It was then it suddenly dawned on me I really didn’t know a lot about her life.  Yes, I knew the normal things but what about her favorite color, her favorite flower or what was her biggest dream?

One day I asked Mother was there anything she regretted not doing? Expecting a bit of thought on this subject I was shocked when she immediately said “Yes”.  Had I opened up a can of worms that I really didn’t want to know about?

Her answer was simple ” I regret I never  bought a pair of red shoes”. I sat there in silence trying to absorb the statement……red shoes?  That was her biggest regret?  She then explained “I always wanted red shoes but they were not practical so I never could bring my self to purchase them”

Mother died soon after that discussion and after her funeral I flew back to London to my precious family.  One afternoon my son John, while playing soccer with his sister Mary, kicked the soccer ball  through the window which hit and destroyed  my favorite Lladro.  Others were upset but I said it didn’t matter…..it was an object…..it wasn’t important.  My world had changed as to the importance of “things” over “life”.

One day I took a trip to  London to see the museums and it was then I saw a pair of red shoes in the window of Harrods department store. They had my size, they fit perfectly and I purchased them……I didn’t even ask the price.  I left the store, looked at the sky and said  “This is for you Mom!’

Each year I purchase a pair of red shoes and each year the smile gets bigger.

Wishing Mothers all over the world a blessed day.

love and hugs

gwen

Here are some ideas to overcome those occasional trips to the tissue box.

1.     Know these times come to all of us…..you are not special.

2.     Rejection from shows can be a real downer.  I was rejected from every show I entered for a full year.  I wondered what it would take to finally get accepted.  I wondered what the judges were looking for.  I wondered if I was any good.

2.     Perhaps the workshop that was to be the “one” is only the one to lead you to the real breakthrough workshop.

3.     That painting  you thought was coming along with fabulous  color and design died a sudden death right before your eyes.  There are several ways to look at this and several ways to handle the situation so it isn’t such a big deal.

First, ask yourself why did it die? Was the design off?  Were your colors not working?  Did you overwork the painting?  Or perhaps it died because it never had life.

1.     When the design is not strong the painting will never be successful…..even with wonderful color.

2.     We tend to overwork a painting when we don’t know what to do with it.  We move the paint around in hopes something will happen.  Overworked paintings look tired.

3.     Now we come to the big one…..the painting never had life to begin with.  How does this happen?   I ask you…..if you don’t have a good idea of what you want your painting to say or how is should look, design and color wise,  then how can you make it into something great?

Begin each painting with these ideas in mind:

Develop your design until it is solid.  Remember developing your design can possibly take more time than the actual painting time.

Limit your colors to five (black and white are free). You can expand your colors when you have mastered the first five selected colors.

Have a really good idea of what you want your painting to say.  Is it to have a happy mood, sad mood, high key, low key, cool value, warm value, etc.  The more you know the easier it is to express.

Before you approach the paper or canvas take time to be still and breathe in order to center your mind and spirit.

Hope these tips help……let me know.

With that said…..I forgot to bring my photo cord to attach to my computer so I could  send you an image from Palm Springs, California where I am doing a workshop at their Museum.

So much for clarity!!!

Here in Palm Springs flowers bloom and enhance the entrances of shops, walls, and hotels.  Dogs walk with their owners everywhere.  What I noticed while sitting and having lunch at one of the many sidewalk cafes is dogs enhance our lives wherever they are present.

People relax….. they smile.

If a puppy walks by all eyes turn and happiness fills the many faces.  How wonderful to be accepted as  ”You”, no matter your color, gender or breed.

I overheard a woman say as  an alert cute puppy  passed by my table …….Oh! I want a puppy!  The gentleman she was with responded with the reality that “puppies grow up like children”

I left the restaurant wondering if her dream ended with this statement or….perhaps just put aside.

I am teaching a workshop on ABSTRACTS THAT GLOW this week.   I look forward to this adventure and accept the challenge to inspire others to reach deep within themselves and find  their innate creativity.

I wish you were here!

For those who fill out the survey by 12 noon (mountain standard time) February 14th your name will be put in a drawing for a $50.00 gift certificate to Dick Blick. Let’s face it…free art supplies…..it doesn’t get any better than that!!!

If you are wondering why I am doing this survey, well, it is for me to know what is going on in your world. What is your biggest art challenge? What subjects do you want to know more about? This way I know how best to help and serve you.

My goal is to cover subjects you are interested while helping you become the best artist possible.

Thank you for doing the survey and I hope you win!

Take the SURVEY now!

Well gals…..I am about to share something with you that I have second thoughts about sharing.   So what is it that is such a challenge?

This is a blog about creativity and art but my challenge is not about this ….it is about health.  I want to also be healthy so I can continue doing my art and sharing my thoughts with you.  With this said I am going to tell you what I am about to do……..I am going to juice and eat only plant based foods for three months.

Not a big deal so you think…..think again. I am addicted to Coca-Cola and love salty foods.  I love butter, bread, sweets and many other things  I know will rear their ugly heads when I am in the clutches of desire for something to munch on.

Why am I sharing this with you?  Well, it is really more selfish than being noble…..I need your support.

I am going to keep a journal which I will share with you on my progress.  In three months it will be interesting to see if my blood pressure improves, my restless leg syndrome is better and my energy is on overdrive.  I will be 70 next January 25th and I want to be smoking hot……energy smoking hot…not sexy smoking hot…..oh, you know what I mean.

So, what do I need from you? An email every once in a while to say you are there for me.  Don’t tell me how good that chocolate pie was you had last night….I’m serious!!!

If anyone wants to do this with me feel free to join me and let’s see how we do.  I have attached several websites you can visit and get an idea of how it will be.

It will also be interesting to see how it affects my creativity….bet I am a tad slow  the first week but bet it improves from then on.  Will let you know about this as well.

Thanks for reading and all your support.….now I ‘m going to have my last cookie!

love

gwen

The movie   Forks over Knives……Dr. Oz said about the movie….”I Love It and I need all of you to see it.”

http://www.rawfoodrehab.com

Bet you will never look at a stick again without thinking of sculpture.

Enjoy!

Stick Sculpture

stick sculpture
Close Ties, Dingwall, Scottish Highlands, 2006.
By Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net
Photographer: Fin Macrae.

stick sculpture
Sortie de Cave/Free at Last,
Jardin des Arts, Chateaubourg, France, 2008. By Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net

stick sculpture
The Summer Palace

Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 2009.

By Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net

stick sculpture
Call of the Wild

Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA, 2002.
By Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net
Photographer: Duncan Price.

stick sculpture
Toad Hall

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, CA, 2005.

By Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net

stick sculpture
Sittin’ Pretty

South Carolina Botanical Gardens, Clemson, South Carolina, 1996.

By Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net
Photographer: David Lewis.

Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net

stick sculpture
Roundabout
Tallaght Community Art Center, Dublin, Ireland 1997.

By Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net

stick sculpture
Crossing Over

American Craft Museum, New York, New York, 1996.

By Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net
Photographer: Dennis Cowley.

Patrick Dougherty uses locally grown branches and often recruits locals to help complete his works. www.stickwork.net

stick sculpture
Around the Corner
University of Southern Indiana, New Harmony Gallery, New Harmony, IN, 2003.
By Patrick Dougherty. www.stickwork.net
Photographer: Doyle Dean.

Combining his carpentry skills with his love of nature, Patrick Dougherty began to learn about primitive building techniques and to experiment with tree saplings as construction material beginning about 1980. He quickly moved from small single pieces on pedestals to monumental site-specific installations. To date he has built over two hundred twenty such massive sculptures all over the world. His home base is his handmade log home in Chapel Hill, NC.

stick sculpture
Ground Beneath, Oulu 1996 – 99.  9.5 m, by Jaakko Pernu www.environmentalart.net

stick sculpture
For the Big Family, 2006, by Jaakko Pernu. www.environmentalart.net

stick sculpture
Beacon, 2002. 4.5 m www.environmentalart.net

stick sculpture
Organ of Hearing, Fiskars 1999 – 03 by Jaakko Pernu  www.environmentalart.net

stick sculpture
Flux by Jaakko Pernu

Jaakko Pernu was born in 1958 in Kälviä, Finland, he currently lives and works in the city of Kokkola. “My working techniques are a direct continuation of the traditional Finnish itch for “hands-on” methods, in which in one form or another, materials derived from nature were always used. I feel that my completed works can be a part of the defined art world of galleries or museums; however, they can also be within reach of the so-called man in the street, who might bump into the artworks by chance along unfamiliar paths. In that instance, you could say that the intuitive ball of comprehension has been thrown to the viewer.” Some in process images here: www.environmentalart.net

stick sculpture
Unen Silta by Jenni Tieaho. www.environmentalart.net

stick sculpture
Flame by Jenni Tieaho

stick sculpture
Tree Bark Snow Foals by Jenni Tieaho

Jenni Tieaho lives and works in Uusimaa, Finland. “My work tells stories about the Finnish forest, lakes the mossy mountains and vast open fields, in an often folkloric, mystical and magical way. Pineneedles, pinecones, hay, moss, the roots of plants or the tree bark weave into stories in which are hidden the powerful expression of nature. They express various, human feelings, longing, closeness, hurt and belonging. Exploration and adventure are the making of art, also a part of me as a person. Art as a way of life is a playful interaction for human beings. It is a language with which I communicate with my own surroundings.” www.environmentalart.net

stick sculpture
By Jonathan Brilliant

The Goldsworthy of the Coffee shop uses coffee stir sticks, the seven inch birch ones from Starbucks, which have the appropriate bend and weave-ability. ‘In his ongoing series of work, Jonathan continues to explore his sense that the coffee shop and related consumer environs are more organic and nurturing than the “real” natural environment.’ jonathanbrilliant.com

stick sculpture
Jonathan Brilliant

No glue or other adhesive is used, the sculptures are created entirely in situ using only tension and compression, so therefore the pieces are not permanent. jonathanbrilliant.com

Treehugger at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY.

“Treehugger Project” by Agnieszka Gradzik and Wiktor Szostalo is an ongoing work of environmental art made from twigs, branches, vines, and other natural materials in the shape of human figures hugging trees. The works represent the artists’ ongoing mission to help people rediscover their relationship with nature. www.pratt.edu

stick sculpture
Silent by Jenni Tieahon of Finland.

stick sculpture
Otters Moors Centre, Yorkshire by Emma Stothard
www.northyorkmoors.org.uk

I personally wanted you to know how very much I love, appreciate and respect YOU!

It is because of your love for creating…

Your intense passion to become better…not just as an artist but as a person…

Your willingness to put yourself “out there” for the world to see and judge your world…

Your trust in yourself to go deep and find the artist that resides within your soul….

It is YOU that makes my world a brighter place to live and I thank you.

Wishing you a peaceful Holiday and may your New Year be filled with Smiles.

love and hugs,

gwen

.

My workshop in British Columbia was beyond the word fabulous.  I taught on Victoria Island in the town of Nanaimo which is about a twenty minute flight from Vancouver. Mary Stewart, CEO of www.vancouverislandartworkshops.com ,  runs her workshops with a firm velvet hand….in other words…she is fabulous !!!

I arrived with a raging sinus infection and discovered the Canadian health care system to be wonderful….thank goodness for penicillin !!!

There were things I learned on this trip :

• I had forgotten how the low dense fog of  late afternoon embraces the winter fields as if protecting them with a soft thick gray blanket.

• I had forgotten the deep trance brought on by the tide as the water comes ashore with its rhythmic sound.

• I had forgotten when seagulls gather there is at least one bully.

Not only were wonderful memories made in Nanaimo with many beautiful people there was loads of fun for all.

Here are some images of the work produced during the workshop.

This class learned to eat their broccoli and they were happy they did.  Their paintings turned out great and they left the workshop knowing they were better artists with confidence in their design ability.  Each student worked hard, some shed tears,all laughed a lot and many shared their artistic fears.

This class was filled with many talented artists but one stood out.  She was 90 years old and had never painted abstracts.  Her expertise fell into the category of flowers and teapots.  She was an absolute inspiration for us all.  The abstract she produced is the first one below.

Once the students got into their rhythm they all produced paintings that shouted YES!!!!! Smiles told the story and I felt like the mother hen that had just produced the best brood ever.

I had three fun filled workshops this fall in Taos, NM.

What makes workshops interesting is the students not only come from different parts of the country but from different areas of expertise.  Combine this with individual silent expectations…… it produces a workshop filled with exciting conversation and reluctant growth.

In the end….all is good.