Sunday, November 1, 2009

ON THE EASEL - THE VASE




Strangeness. I'm all over the place. This is a painting in progress for Six by Six in NYC. Amazing setup, that. I read about it on another artist's blog and decided to send for the kit. I'm a big fan of packaging and the way this arrives is too cool! Beautifully designed and  just plain fun.  And the canvas surface is perfect. I'm going to take my time and do this right. Layers, stages, patience, remaining true to my reference color value etc. See what happens. I'll be posting the stages to see how it goes.


I've been very critical of myself...again. I really haven't been working enough. Graphic design jobs were coming in and I was grateful, but they were a rush, they dragged on with multiple revisions and compensation was far too slow. I was whining about not having enough time to paint and himself came up with an amazing  solution! He suggested I remove myself from the free-lance arena and concentrate on painting. All day! I was thrilled, I felt free and couldn't wait to start and end the day painting. Of course the first day I did that, I sat in front of the easel and did a lot of heaving sighing and not much else. Surprise!

Another dry spell. Whatever. Self imposed, like all my pain and frustration. Feel the poop and move on. Even I'm getting a tad weary of my all consuming artist angst. What's the big deal? Just paint.

The pups are really a handful. I'm following a schedule but they are taking up a lot more time than I anticipated. But they passed the button test, with flying colors, so that's cool. What is the button test you ask? Whenever I make a life-changing decision, and for me the pups were just that, I visualize a big button, not unlike the Staples big "easy" button. Each week that passes after the big change has taken place, I see the button in my minds eye and ask myself the simple question..."If I could push this button and -  fill in the blank -  would disappear from view and memory with no consequences, would I push it?" Absolutely not! I do ask myself at 5:30 in the morning, on a dark, dreary, rainy, nasty day...Ok, just what the hell were we thinking, but that's only because they think rain is kryptonite  for dogs and refuse to do their business. Not fun. Other than that they are pure joy.

10 comments:

  1. You get it all worked out, dear Suzanne. Like you said, "just paint." You have so many wonderful ideas and having more leisure time to let them surface is a good thing. After all, if it turns out you want a few deadlines later, you can always add the pressure of taking on a few jobs.

    I'm glad to hear you got the Elderberry for you and your sweetie. I hope he's feeling better and you stay well!

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  2. That 6x6 project sounds very cool. I wish I could afford the $40 to participate! Love where you're going with this. Puppies are a handfull and part of this dry spell is probably just exhaustion! hang in there!

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  3. "Rain is kryptonite for dogs" is one of the most profound statements I've ever heard...and one of the reasons I'm a cat person. ;-)

    Keep pushing thru, buddy. You've got the talent. You know you've got what it takes because you've done it before. Now, just do it. (Hey, somebody should use that for a slogan - maybe shoes?)

    BTW, Your description of the recent graphic design work sounds a lot like every graphic design job I've ever done - ridiculous deadlines, multiple revisions, and "the check is in the mail"...

    -Don

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  4. same for every graphic design job I ever had! In the old days where getting type set was a 4-day turnaround, things were a tad slower...more suppliers to share the responsibility of deadlines. Then came the computer and every boss' secretary could now do logo and newsletter 'design' albeit horribly. Expectations changed!

    love the lighting on your jar!

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  5. Your simple jar is simply stunning! It took my breath away when I saw it, superb.
    The luxury of being able to paint all day, enjoy.

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  6. Suzanne - I love the start of this.

    You know I found the transition last year from work to full-time artist difficult too. I feel your angst.

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  7. Ah yes, puppies. One minute you're cursing, the next you're cooing. Glad to hear they have stolen your heart completely.

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  8. I always love stopping by to see what you're up to, Suzanne, not only your lovely painting (and this deceptively simple set up is a real stunner) but also to read your thoughtful and witty insights on life (and one more graphic designer absolutely agrees with you on all that).

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  9. Diana, your comments are so calming and supportive. I can't thank you enough. I need to chillax and stop taking it all so seriously. Again, many thanks, your words mean a lot.

    Sheila, thank you so much! I think you're right. tim takes them on weekends, I get up to do the early morning duty so he can sleep before work, but I have them all day while he's working. I guess I'm just tired.

    Maybe Santa might gift you with a Six by Six pack? I hope so, I'd love to see what you'd do.

    Don, I mean really, what's the deal with dogs and rain? All they need do it let go and we could go in, but no, they just look at you like you're torturing them. Arrrrrgh! Cats. I miss cats.

    The free-lance thing just came to a head. I spent too many years designing work for people with no vision and little taste, in my humble opinion, and it just crushes one's spirit.

    And thank you for the reminder. each time one of these empty phases shows up, I forget and think it's never happened before. Silly.


    Vicki, wow! me too. I remember when we used rubber cement and pasted lines of copy on illustration board. It still feels like magic every time I use a computer to design something. And, of course, when my client received my design and then proceeded to change every little thing, I knew it was time to move on. thanks so much for your comment on the painting as well.

    Diana M., thank you so much! I really appreciate your words. And painting all day is something I'm so looking forward to, thanks. Just gotta steer clear of the dark place.

    Lisa, thank you so much.

    Leslie, so true. They whine, I stop what I'm doing annoyed, but when I see their little faces, I just melt.

    r - thank you so much! I really appreciate your kind words so very much!! Ah yes, the graphic design battle. I'm not gonna miss it. Thanks again.

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  10. Suzanne!

    Go ahead and be critical of yourself....just don't make it a habit!

    You've got mad skills, girl! Everyone that checks out your blog can easily see that.

    It just sounds like a lot is on your plate right now and it's bleeding into your artwork.

    Keep going strong!

    -Dean

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Your visits to my blog and the comments you leave here are an integral part of my creative process. They are helpful, supportive and well, let's face it, they feel really good! If I don't thank you personally, please allow me to thank you in advance for taking the time to stop by and leave your thoughts, they mean so much!