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.

Autumn is my favorite time of year with its cool temperatures filled with sunshine.  It is also a time to revel in the glory of summer while preparing for the quiet of winter.

I had five fabulous workshops this summer and fall.  I will tell you about the last three in the next blogs but for now I want to bask in the exciting peace of crisp evenings, trees filled with cadmium yellow medium and cadmium yellow deep, purple asters, burnt sienna vines and soft breezes that touch the heart.

We as artists have  a glorious life.

We see colors that others are too busy to witness.

We see design while others see ordinary.

We treat texture as if it were gold.

We sometimes embarrass family and friends when we pick up a piece of trash on the sidewalk to use in our next painting.

We, as artists, see the world as an exciting adventure we can’t wait to decipher and put on paper or canvas……or perhaps a quilt, produce a book, write a song or create a dance.

We are able to touch others with our quirky creativity.

We offer strangers a glimpse into a world they want to see.

We are viewed as “different”…..and we realize this is our gift.

Now tell me…..is there a better life than this?

We all want to be a successful artist and unfortunately most of us hope this will happen by being  “found”.  The chances of this happening  are slim to none. We must be proactive. If we don’t have our goals firm in our mind how are we going to get to where we are not sure we want to be?

Here are five things that have helped me in setting my artistic goals.

1.     Set aside some quality time to  think about what you really want. I realize this can be difficult but it extremely important.  Uninterrupted time is essential for clarity.

2.    Once you have determined what you really want write it down…….in great detail. Remember the Universe can’t give something to you without a detailed  request.  Don’t write I want a to make lots of money and have a house on the beach.  Which beach, what does the house look like…is it white, is it two story, does it have a porch and what is your time frame?  As to making a lot of money……how much money then break it down as to how much do you need to make each month to fill your request.

3.     Set up your time frame for reaching your goals.  Without this time frame you are a boat without a sail.  Without a time frame there is no urgency in reaching your goal.  Without urgency there isn’t focus and without focus there isn’t completion.

4.     Decide and write down  what you need to do to achieve your goal. I do this in a mind mapping format.  Do you need to contact more galleries?  Do workshops? Write articles or start a blog?

5.     Now the serious one.…….take out your calendar and set aside time each day….yes, each day…to do something that gets you closer to your goal.  Without this your goal is just another wish in the wind of time.  I personally set aside one or two hours each day for marketing.  It is the first thing I do in the morning because if I wait it won’t get done.  I don’t open my email until I have finished my marketing. If you do this your career will grow in leaps and bounds.

Let me know if this helps……feedback is always good.

My main form of creativity is painting and teaching….of which I love!  For years, about fifteen, I have been collecting beads.  Don’t ask me why as I don’t have an answer other than I love the history of the beads, their feel plus their color and shape.  With several boxes overflowing with beads from many countries I finally decided to play.  Play is a wonderful form of creativity.

I quickly discovered that creating a necklace filled with spirit required some major thought and, just like painting, required I be in touch with the real me.  Anyone can put beads together but giving the beads life is another matter.

Why do something different? Diversity in creativity is like anything else….it requires growth. Our perspective about our creative ability is put on the line…..this is true no matter what new form of adventure we select.

I can’t think of anything more important than growth in our understanding of who we are and our ability to take this innate power to a higher level.

I know you have dreamed of perhaps writing poetry, learning to dance, developing a book.  So, I ask you…..what is stopping you?

Here are a few examples of what I have created that have been accepted into my galleries.  They are necklaces that have beads from  different parts of Africa, Thailand, Afghanistan, China, United States, etc.  Each bead not only has its own story but has its own energy vibration.

Let me know what you think……

The power we have as individuals to make our world a better place to live is enormous!

“Wherever

we walk

we will make

Wherever

we protest

we will go planting

Make poems

seed grass

feed a child growing

build a house

Whatever we stand against

We will stand feeding and seeding

Wherever

I walk

I will make”

-   Muriel Rukeyser (Out of Silence: Selected Poems)

On December 15, 1913, Muriel Rukeyser was born in New York City. She attended Vassar College for two years and then moved back to New York where she took classes at Columbia University. After college, she worked as an editor of the Student Review and witnessed certain events which would make a serious impact on her life and poetry, including the Scottsboro trial in Alabama, the Gauley Bridge tragedy in West Virginia and the civil war in Spain.

The violence and injustice she saw, in the United States and abroad, led her poetry to function as a mode of social protest. She felt a deep responsibility to comment on human issues and was particularly concerned with inequalities of sex, race and class. With her poems, she frequently documented her own emotional experiences within the context of a greater political or social event. She was a powerful visionary and her work reflects her wish for a greater world community united by love.

Rukeyser experimented with language and form and her wide technical range, which includes lyrical forms and the documentary narrative, is illustrated in her Collected Poems (1979). Many women poets have claimed Rukeyser’s influence on their work, Anne Sexton among them. She died in New York City on February 12, 1980.