A love note to my art families...

I have had the opportunity these past weeks to talk with so many of you on the phone. And, I have to say you are all remarkable! The spirit in which you are facing this and leading your lives is such a blessing and I know is reaching the whole world.

I miss each and every one of you and I know we will be more grateful than ever as we gather once again. Meanwhile, I am getting such nice feedback about the blog and have passed that along to Terry Coolidge who designed and runs the blog for me with such love and care. Terry is a longtime friend who is a wonderful fine artist, and digital design artist. The students would love him! I will be sharing more about his work when we reconvene.

There are some thoughts I’d love to share about this time at home as far as the art spirit is concerned. I was watching my daughter, who is an artist and a mother of a nine-year-old, a 6 year old, and a 9 month old baby. She is teaching her children at home, I noticed they had carved out a time everyday called “dream time.” In my eyes, this should be one of the best times of the day for an artist. It means allowing yourself some quiet peacefulness for a flow of thoughts.

I often share with the students that they problem-solve about 10,000 questions as they work on a picture. So, questions are important! Everyone who works with me knows I’m always asking the students questions – and it’s because I want them to know the questions to be able to ask themselves. So as you look at my blog, just quietly think about the questions and the possible ways of working your picture through. Start with something small. Relax, and enjoy the artistic process as you’ve learned about it in class. Let the process flow through you. If you’re stuck, call me!

I just saw a lovely piece on a news program called “Sunday Morning.” (The show was broadcasted on CBS on April 19, 2020 but here is a link: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/artist-kadir-nelson-after-the-storm) The artist is Kadir Nelson. He just finished a picture about our present situation. It’s entitled, “After the Storm.” He wants viewers of his work to notice that the people in the painting are all looking towards the light. It’s full of faith, hope and love. One of the things he talked about was how he is listening – because it’s as though he’s in a conversation with the painting, and it is telling him what it needs.

The ears of my art students should perk up when they hear a statement like that. I say this to them often, “Your picture is letting you know what to do.” When we are quiet, the thoughts will come. Go back to the blog, look at the examples I’ve shared, and look at the some of the questions you see there. And then go back to the piece you’re working on and take each step as it unfolds in front of you on paper.

When we come back together, I will help you more with this. But for now, use your quiet “dream time” and enjoy the artistic process!

So much love to you all!