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Monthly Archives: May 2008 I just finished reading “Make the Impossible Possible” by Bill Strickland! It is so inspirational to read about how making a clay pot back in high school allowed him to follow his passion for creating and helping others. He began a school to help others find the motivation and empowerment that he discovered… Bidwell Training…  Good morning! Just working on the concept of ordinary moments taking on greater significance as I notice and record what is in front of me. Sometimes in the translation form daily course of events,such as wrapping up a room to be painted, and drawing and painting it, I see metaphors that I was never able… show 5 comments 
Dear Beth, 
As usual I can not find the most recent posting, but this will suffice. Went to the Whitney Biennial Friday. I generally prepare myself for this event by remembering there are three easy responses I generally have to the work 
Hi Karen,
By the way, the watercolor is lovely and breezy.
Things are never as hard and fast or as clear as they appear. The physical world as we know it is made up primarily of empty space. This has been confirmed by scientists who have studied the structures of all atoms and sub-atomic particles. They can tell you that even the hardest densest substances are made up mostly of the empty space in between all of those floating whizzing particles. This certainly changed my notion of the “physical” world. In the Baha’i writings it talks about God being closer to us then our life’s vein. That makes sense to me now.  …Just another expression for reflecting upon and readjusting priorities to suit where I am now! Looking at it that way makes it much more motivating to get to that seemingly mundane job. The bonus is that after having sorted my work by both size and medium, I can now find a piece in a matter… show 1 comment
How do I reflect? How do I reflect? it has been too long awhile to know if my art is that reflection anymore. It used to be. Sadly my reflection comes now mostly in the form of daily prayer and looking at m y teaching as my actual engagement in reflection and change. |
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Karen Renna - Sally, the journaling sounds like an excellent path to some release. your work has been astonishing all along. As i went through the gift shop of the Whitney the other day, they had woven beaded pieces for sale as key chains. I thought how ironic that these little gems (which were nothing in beauty or tactile desire compared to the woven beaded pieces i saw at your studio) were being perceived as nifty gifties when your pieces especially and these had more “juice” in them for a relative experience then half the show.
to Laurette, Motherhood has changed us all. May you continue to enjoy the bursts and slow leaks of inspiration from it.
Beth, i did not read Mr. Stricklands book but i have a wonderful book which has given me more reasons to keep looking and going to see other art and to keep believing in the Whitney’s efforts despite my lack of enthusiasm this year. We are so fortunate to have the opportunities that we all have for moving forward with whatever we wish to do. If anyone is interested- Ross Kings the Judgement of Paris about Manet, Monet and Meissoneir in the 1860′s in Paris and the power of the salon.
Karen Renna - Sally, the journaling sounds like an excellent path to some release. your work has been astonishing all along. As i went through the gift shop of the Whitney the other day, they had woven beaded pieces for sale as key chains. I thought how ironic that these little gems (which were nothing in beauty or tactile desire compared to the woven beaded pieces i saw at your studio) were being perceived as nifty gifties when your pieces especially and these had more “juice” in them for a relative experience then half the show.
to Laurette, Motherhood has changed us all. May you continue to enjoy the bursts and slow leaks of inspiration from it.
Beth, i did not read Mr. Stricklands book but i have a wonderful book which has given me more reasons to keep looking and going to see other art and to keep believing in the Whitney’s efforts despite my lack of enthusiasm this year. We are so fortunate to have the opportunities that we all have for moving forward with whatever we wish to do. If anyone is interested- Ross Kings the Judgement of Paris about Manet, Monet and Meissoneir in the 1860′s in Paris and the power of the salon.
Laurette - Hi Beth,
L
I think every artist faces challenges and circumstances that hopefully allow or perhaps make them choose alternate paths that at first didnt seem like the right direction. The biggie for me was when I had my first child. I thought Id be able to put the baby in a swing chair and paint to my hearts delight. At the time I was engaged in creating wall size 6′x9′ paintings on canvas. Besides the sheer size of working on pieces so large it was also a bit physically exhausting. Well, we all know the physical exhaustion we meet when that baby wakes at 4am every morning refusing solace. Not only could I not find the energy to paint but I also found I couldnt concentrate or that the baby wouldnt allow me to pay attention to anything else- at least that was my experience. . What I did find I could do was collage work. My collages were made from images cut from old books, my own recycyled art work and found objects that addressed my new found motherhood and the world at large. I could leaf through the books and cut and glue paper as the baby crawled thru the images that fell to the floor harmelessly playing with the bits of paper. The process wasnt as intense as the focus needed to paint and culling through books was fun for the baby too. At the same time, I also watched alot of television which is sort of foreign to me as a pasttime. This brought my attention to the world arena that now seemed to loom large around me and my newborn .I began to take notice of what I call “sound bites”. Language and pictures that are fleeeting but stay with you. Some made sense some didnt. To this day I employ this sort of “public tracking” for all of my work . Becoming a mother forced me to attend to social issues, form an opinion, and do something with my new found knowledge or insight into the circus of the public arena that I had felt in the past didnt concern me. My new role as a mother demanded that I start paying more attention to the world around me. So, the end result became a body of work that now numbers over 50 in a continuing series of collage pieces that I call A Tribal Love Opera and pushed me to become more of an activist in my role as a citizen of the planet. Change is good. By the way, I love watching this site and your work grow. Absolutely beautiful.
Laurette - Hi Beth,
L
I think every artist faces challenges and circumstances that hopefully allow or perhaps make them choose alternate paths that at first didnt seem like the right direction. The biggie for me was when I had my first child. I thought Id be able to put the baby in a swing chair and paint to my hearts delight. At the time I was engaged in creating wall size 6′x9′ paintings on canvas. Besides the sheer size of working on pieces so large it was also a bit physically exhausting. Well, we all know the physical exhaustion we meet when that baby wakes at 4am every morning refusing solace. Not only could I not find the energy to paint but I also found I couldnt concentrate or that the baby wouldnt allow me to pay attention to anything else- at least that was my experience. . What I did find I could do was collage work. My collages were made from images cut from old books, my own recycyled art work and found objects that addressed my new found motherhood and the world at large. I could leaf through the books and cut and glue paper as the baby crawled thru the images that fell to the floor harmelessly playing with the bits of paper. The process wasnt as intense as the focus needed to paint and culling through books was fun for the baby too. At the same time, I also watched alot of television which is sort of foreign to me as a pasttime. This brought my attention to the world arena that now seemed to loom large around me and my newborn .I began to take notice of what I call “sound bites”. Language and pictures that are fleeeting but stay with you. Some made sense some didnt. To this day I employ this sort of “public tracking” for all of my work . Becoming a mother forced me to attend to social issues, form an opinion, and do something with my new found knowledge or insight into the circus of the public arena that I had felt in the past didnt concern me. My new role as a mother demanded that I start paying more attention to the world around me. So, the end result became a body of work that now numbers over 50 in a continuing series of collage pieces that I call A Tribal Love Opera and pushed me to become more of an activist in my role as a citizen of the planet. Change is good. By the way, I love watching this site and your work grow. Absolutely beautiful.
Sally - Beth,
I love the rumpled bed . . . When I am in a rut, I have to step back – do something different – change medium, read, clean. Then come back to the problem area from a different perspective – then knuckle down and work.
I am taking a class with my studio mate Barbara on journaling with guided meditation and witnessing. It is great – I highly recommend it. Allison had recommended writing in a journal at the end of the day. I’m on my way.
Sally - Beth,
I love the rumpled bed . . . When I am in a rut, I have to step back – do something different – change medium, read, clean. Then come back to the problem area from a different perspective – then knuckle down and work.
I am taking a class with my studio mate Barbara on journaling with guided meditation and witnessing. It is great – I highly recommend it. Allison had recommended writing in a journal at the end of the day. I’m on my way.