“Unity” is artspeak for success.
Unity is a state of integrity; a harmony where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Everything in the artwork contributes toward the intention of the artist; every component belongs and amplifies the potential web of deeper and richer meaning.
There is no 10 point checklist for unity.
We know it when we experience it in poetry, in music, in sports, and in art. Unity is sometimes called “gestalt”. The Picasso painting below may be complex but it completely unifies the artist with his message about the horrors of war. The more we study this painting the more it reveals to us.
Our ultimate goal as artists is to unify our internal world with the world created in our art such that it adds meaning to (amplifies) the world of the viewer. Guernica certainly achieves that for me.
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As I watched this year’s Olympic athletes perform I became aware that only a few were able to unite us, the viewers, with their art, to make our hearts soar with the daring, grace, and beauty of their performance.
Every athlete in Beijing dedicated years of practice, failure, and commitment to perfecting the same series of movements within the same constraints and from them creating a master performance.
As a teacher and coach, I am curious to understand what it takes to lift a performance into the realm of art.
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I believe we begin by integrating our authentic self with our art form so that our art becomes an expression of our inner world, our way of being.
Brene Brown says “authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we really are.”
Becoming truly unified with our authentic self means sacrificing cherished thoughts, relationships, and things we have held onto long past the time they stopped serving us.
The journey isn’t becoming someone new, it is more about releasing and unbecoming everything that isn’t true so we can come into union with who we were meant to be in the first place.
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In this time of pandemic, I have had more time alone to hear my own inner voice bouncing off the four walls of my home. This has been an incredible time of introspection, self-care, and transformation for me. I am grateful for the time to practice listening, being quiet enough to get into a place where I can’t hear the “shoulds” of the outside world and my people-pleasing persona. This year I am dedicating myself to listening to and learning to recognize the voice of my inner guidance system and acting only when I have a “whole-body” yes or no.
I am as frightened as you are to show my real/true self to the world, to create art that is unique to me alone. I've spent years perfecting and experimenting with technique and now it's time to stop hiding behind it. I hope you will join me in this journey and hold me accountable if you don't see "me" in my art.
Brene Brown declares that this is the only way we can actually belong: “true belonging [Unity] is not passive…it's a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we really are.”
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Unity with self is the journey of a lifetime. The practice of discerning your own voice, your true power from the noise that surrounds you is long and slow. The world shifts and what was authentic 10 years ago no longer fits - beginning the work of self-discovery anew.
But when all your parts and pieces belong and integrate together your inside world aligns with your outside world and you attract your own truth. The things you need, the people, the lessons, the abundance, and even the teachers appear before you.
Artists are fortunate to have a practice that mirrors our inner world. With each new artwork, we have the opportunity to unify self and message.
In every piece, we create there is an intention to share something in particular, some aspect that inspires us and engages us in persisting throughout the creative process. By holding true to the singular idea we selected it is possible to recognize what draws energy away from it, to recognize which parts are clear and which are amplifying, supporting, accepting, contributing to. and agreeing with our original intention.
This makes it easier to release (paint over!) the beautiful players who do not belong and are not serving the greater whole. It even makes it easier to repaint the entire piece or generate a series, in order to clearly manifest our vision for the work.
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My most recent painting "SunGlow"
Oil on Canvas 20" x 20"
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If our intention for each artwork is to share our authentic self then there is no comparing yourself to any other artist. Other artists may have spent years honing their craft and are much further down the path - a path that ultimately bears little resemblance with our own.
We are on a journey and the skills we value will improve with practice. Our artwork is finished when there is unity - all the parts belong and contribute to the meaning we selected for the greater whole. Our painting is complete when it belongs to itself, when there is a balance between energy and stability, competing and complementing, and when we have fully shared the thing that inspires us with the world.
Knowing when it is done is subjective - we feel the voice of the painting in the same way we feel our own authentic voice.
Our ultimate goal as artists is to unify our internal world with the world created in our art such that it adds meaning to (amplifies) the world of the viewer. Since we cannot be responsible for, nor truly understand, how the viewer will interpret us, our work is to contribute our personal truth from the place we stand right now for the benefit of the greater whole. True belonging (unity) doesn’t require you to change who you are, it requires you to be exactly who you are.
We belong to our community and our art when our authentic self is personally accepted, respected, included, and supported by ourselves and those we respect and admire.
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If you are feeling lonely or isolated after the long pandemic you are invited and welcomed to join my growing art community. As your teacher, I can walk beside you and support you in the exploration of your authentic/true artistic voice. Start right here where you are.
Art that has unity is attainable.
You are not alone.
You belong.
Your art belongs
And it gets better.
Your art will get better too.
Please reach out to me. I welcome the conversation.
With Light and Delight,
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P.S. If you didn't get the chance to download your free gift from me: Here is my "Inner Artist Inspiration Package" - a series of illustrated quotes in watercolor based on flower photos taken by family and friends.
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Quote:
Worthy now. Not if. Not when. We are worthy of love and belonging now. Right this minute. As is.
- Brene Brown
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Retrospectrum is the most expansive and in-depth exhibition of Bob Dylan's artwork ever staged in the United States. Spanning six decades, Retrospectrum features over 180 paintings, drawings, ironwork, and ephemera, showcasing the development and range of Dylan's visual practice, in tandem with that of his musical and literary canon.
Retrospectrum, organized by Shai Baitel, the artistic director of Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai, positions the Nobel Prize winning multi-faceted artist within his broader body of work, and shines a light on a life-long visual practice that is entirely remarkable in its own right.
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Saturday, March 12, 2022
meet at 1:00 PM
Standard tickets cost $16 for Adults and $12 for Seniors.
Please buy your own tickets and meet me at the entrance door.
This exhibition is FREE of charge to: all children under 17 years of age; FIU faculty, staff, and students; “Museum on Us” Museum Pass program holders (Miami-Dade Public Library System); active duty military members; military veterans; healthcare professionals, and first responders; and ALL Florida educators with a valid ID.
Please let me know if you are interested in joining me for this event.
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April Overnight Art Adventure? |
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Show dates March 26 – July 24, 2022
Initiated in New Mexico in 1938, the Transcendental Painting Group set out to explore spiritually heightened abstraction, employing free-wheeling symbols and imagery drawn from the collective unconscious. Under the guidance of Raymond Jonson and Emil Bisttram, artists Agnes Pelton, Lawren Harris, Florence Miller Pierce, Horace Pierce, Robert Gribbroek, William Lumpkins, Dane Rudhyar, Stuart Walker and Ed Garman sought, per their manifesto, “to carry painting beyond the appearance of the physical world, through new concepts of space, color, light and design to imaginative realms that are idealistic and spiritual.”
Would you be interested in joining me for a visit to this exhibit at Baker Art Museum in Naples, FL on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, for a lecture, tour, and perhaps an overnight stay? I can do this trip in a day or return on Wednesday, April 6th. Please let me know if this is something that interests you and if you would consider spending the night in Naples before returning the next day. We can have some fun dining out and sharing our thoughts while we are enjoying the beauty of Naples. I will start planning this as soon as I have three people interested in participating.
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Thursday Adult Group Classes: |
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This is not a drawing class!
Art is a divine expression of the human creative force.
Every month we will "play" with a canvas or paper to create a work of art using different combinations of tools, materials, and techniques. Every class we will make something new. Come prepared to make exuberant art.
No experience necessary, just a willingness to be bold, free, and open-minded.
Here is a place to problem-solve, be bold, take chances and make mistakes with limited consequences. At the end of the night, you will have spent a few hours in the company of friends known and new, you will have a beautiful (or not so beautiful..yet) decorated piece of paper or a canvas and a sense of well-being that comes from engaging your creativity.
Sign up by the Tuesday before class so I can be sure to have enough materials for everyone.
$80 per person includes all materials, a light snack, and a non-alcoholic drink. (3 person minimum)
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Private Lessons and Events |
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Master Classes for High School Students |
Private, highly personalized classes in mastery for artistically-minded US & international students virtually on Zoom or in person at my home.
If you have a student who is a visual thinker, willing to push the boundaries of their own work, and serious about improving their options for college, I want to hear from you! Schedule a time to discuss how I can collaborate with you to build a portfolio that will give your student the greatest chance for success.
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Art Workshops, Critiques & Presentations |
Invite me to present or lead a workshop for your school, club, or guild.
I can customize a program for your event or present my skills programs on composition, color theory, drawing faces, coordinating light/shadow or understanding the cues for depth. I am available for judging, confidence-building critiques and recorded tutorials.
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Improve Your Artist Statement |
If you would like to delve more deeply into your own inner questions and clarify your thoughts as you create an artist statement for your website, a gallery show, a sponsor, or another project, please reach out, and let’s talk. I have helped many students write compelling statements for AP Art, college applications, and competitions.
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Sketchbook Prompt:
Make a Botanical illustration using a flower from your yard, Carefully observe the shapes of the petals, how the flower attaches to the stem, the leaves, the inside of the flower, etc.
Carefully document what you observe.
On the next page, draw a stylized version of your flower.
Make it abstract.
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This happened in February: |
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This month I was able to attend the monthly art walk in Christianstead, St. Croix. On the third Thursday of each month local artists open their galleries and studios from 5 to 8 pm to share their talent and creative designs.
My favorites were Jan Mitchell, an artist who works in fused glass. Barbara Gelardi who paints brightly colored sea creatures and is known for her murals of St. Croix. And Isabelle Picard whose gallery The Mermaid's Purse was filled with quirky and lighthearted original inventions that made me smile.
The Jumbies were out too. A moko jumbie is a stilts walker or dancer. "Moko" means healer in Central Africa and "jumbi", a West Indian term for a ghost or spirit.
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Please contact me if you are interested in adding any of these paintings to your collection.
I will deliver if you live within a 2-hour drive and if you live further away, I will give you a price for shipping.
Venmo, CashApp, PayPal and Zelle are welcomed.
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Title: SunGlow
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 20" x 20"
Price: $1200.00
Frame: Painted Gallery wrap canvas
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Title: Bluefish
Media: Mixed Media
Size: 20" x 20" unframed, 29"x 29" framed
Price:$600
Frame: Gold frame with 3" Mat
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Title: Heaven Scent
Media: Mixed Media
Size: 22" x 15" unframed, 29" x 22" framed
Price:$450
Frame: Gold frame with 3" mat
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Title: Jellyfish
Media: Mixed Media
Size: 30" x 22" unframed, 37" x 29" framed
Price: $750
Frame: Gold frame with 3" white mat
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