Joy in the Paint

Changes in 2012; No More Prints and Painting over Paintings

2012-01-05T19:37:00.000-08:00

As a new year begins, I know deep in my soul that it's time for a change. After a year of pretty intense family care giving, I'm finally able to refocus on my art. Last week I took down two solo shows and was able to spend some time with all of my art back in the studio. It's pretty crowded in there. I need a clean palette to engage in a new body of work. So...

#1 Effective now, I will no longer be offering fine art prints. The prints I have in stock are all half price while they last. I have no plans to reorder and I will not be making prints of new originals in the foreseeable future. At this time, I feel it's more important for me to focus on creating new work.

#2 It's time to paint over my paintings. Many of you are aware that I prefer to paint over my paintings rather than start on a blank canvas. In the way we grow and change for the better throughout our lives, so do my paintings. In fact, I feel many of my best pieces are the second or third painting on the canvas. I love the way color and texture layers new over old and yet, at times, allows the old to speak into the new creation. I have plenty of blank canvas to work on as well and I am excited to get started creating on whatever calls out to me.

If you have an interest in a print or an existing original, I'm holding an open studio on Friday, January 6 from 6-9 as part of Lowertown First Friday. If one of my original works has been speaking to you but the timing isn't right, we can work out a payment plan. Come on down and say goodbye to a body of work that has served its purpose and is ready to be born again.

Blessings and Peace in the New Year,
DeAnne

Jax Building
253 E 4th St , studio 306
St Paul, MN 55101
www.artdeanne.com for links to maps
or call 612-616-5040 to arrange for a private showing

Crawl Recovery

2010-10-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

After weeks of intense preparation, I opened my studio for my 22nd consecutive St Paul Art Crawl. About 2000 people wandered through my studio over the three day event. I had many incredible conversations about everything from paint to faith to the terrible third grade art teacher that squelched a kid's artistic dreams. Shame on her! An adult in her 60's is still hurting over it. I hear similar stories at every art crawl. It is nothing short of amazing to me how many children love making art and yet will stop creating because of something an adult says to them. I hear wonderful stories as well, the beloved aunt who always gave art supplies as gifts and the father who let his son paint on the basement walls. I see parents accompanied by children of all ages, pointing at paintings and smiling together. Well done! Quality family time and no electronic screen needed.

When I close my studio door at 6 pm on Sunday, I am still amped up. It is impossible not to be. I have just spent three days talking to people about my passion and my process for baring my soul. I've explained my visual images that portray my thoughts and beliefs on faith, community, the environment, social justice, joy and music.....heavy stuff. My head is stuffed full of the stories, good and bad, that crawl visitors have shared with me. 22 crawls have taught me that when you are up this high, there has to be a coming down. I refer to it as being "hit by the art crawl bus". It is a physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion.

It takes about 2-3 days for me to process all I have heard, felt and experienced during an art crawl. It takes an intentional sabbath. A quiet time alone to abide. I feed the birds and squirrels. I watch the fish swim in my pond. I lay on my back and watch leaves flutter down from the trees. I write. I draw. I do yoga. All the time the words of crawl visitors loop through my mind. I know that at some point they will stop and I will be able to reengage in whatever "normal" is. I will emerge from crawl recovery with fabulous phrases the crawlers gifted to me. Like the small dark, gray headed woman who entered my studio on Friday night. She stepped in from the hallway, eyes wide open and scanning my paintings, she raised her arms as if she planned to hug the entire room, "Oh!" she exclaimed with a rich south American accent. " I feel as though I have been following a white rabbit and he has just led me down a tunnel. It is Wonderland!".

Yes, it is Wonderland. Tire tracks and all.

Journaling with My Unattractive Friends

2010-07-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

Nuts. It's raining nuts. Not really. The squirrels are eating black walnuts in the tree overhead and I'm trying to journal by my backyard waterfall. It's rather distracting trying to write when the sky is falling.

These black walnut trees must be so much fun if you're a squirrel. A great, green playground with built in snacks. Talking to your friends in the neighboring trees via tail signals. A sort of silent squirrel walkie talkie system. Secret spy squirrelies on a mission to infiltrate the deck box containing birdseed. They leave a calling card of nut shrapnel on my chair saying, "Yes! We have been in your most precious space, your journaling chair! And someday soon your birdseed will be ours! Ha ha ha!".

I do think that an evil squirrely laugh would sound a lot like someone who has inhaled helium from a balloon.

A few days ago I caught a prisoner. I didn't mean too, as I'm sure he didn't mean to get caught. A "squirrel proof feeder" I have that sort of has a cage around it (small birds can get in but squirrels are too large) was broken into by a marauder. I came outside and found that this squirrel had somehow wormed his way into the supposably impenetrable fortress...I'm guessing through the top?...which had then shut tightly behind him leaving him "caged" in the feeder. I wonder how long he happily pigged out on seeds, laughing at his own cleverness, before he had to send out the first tail signal, "Houston, we have a problem".

When I discovered the thief, he was frantically chewing the wire trying to free himself. I can't imagine how hard and fast his little heart was beating as I rolled the feeder around on the ground in an attempt to solve my new "release the squirrel" puzzle. Warning: This puzzle bites. Once I popped the end off, we both stared at each other for about 5 seconds. Now, as squirrels go this little guy was not what I would call attractive. Not to brag, but we have some pretty darn good looking squirrels in our yard. Soft gray coats, bright white bellies, full fluffy tails....these are the traits of a beautiful squirrel. This little pirate was dirty brown in color, thin tail, had an unusually small head.....perhaps containing the kind of small brain that would lead to getting caught in a squirrel proof bird feeder. Finally, realizing he was free, he shot up a tree and out of sight.

So, now I recognize this guy when he comes around. Does he appreciate that I freed him from his embarrassing (if not deadly) predicament? I really do think so. When I'm outside he comes closer to me than the other, more beautiful squirrels. He's not afraid to eat the pile of sunflower seeds I put three feet from my chair. Perhaps he considers me trustworthy, a friend, dare I say, a hero to squirrels....or maybe it's just that little tiny brain that got him into trouble in the first place. It really doesn't matter, because when I'm journaling by the waterfall and drinking the coffee made for me by my handsome prince, all the woodland creatures are my friends. Especially the ugly ones.

Cotton and Wood: 2 Blank Canvases

2010-06-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

It's always hard to get back into the creative swing when you've had to stop for a while. Having a special needs kid, school ending, travel to visit family....everyone has their list of "Life Things"... those things that are important, good and sometimes hard. They weave the fabric of our lives yet often take away from our creative time. I've been weaving life instead of making art for almost two months now. It's time to paint. It's time to sculpt.

Here they are, my two blank canvases. Usually when I start a project, I have no idea what it will be. This time is different. This time when I see this...

I hear...."Last Supper".

and when I see this...

I hear...."joy dance"

So...
I'm curious.
I'm excited.
I'm fully prepared to dive in with both feet and succeed or fail.
I'm exactly where I need to be in order to find out what the cotton and wood will become.

I'll keep you posted.

Distracted by Dirt and Ducks

2010-05-22T09:44:00.001-07:00

I'm blaming Fred, Myrtle and my great, great grandparents. The weather has been so nice the last two weeks that I haven't been able to come inside. After six months of Minnesota winter, generations of farming blood will not allow me to pull my hands from the dirt in exchange for tapping a computer's keyboard or slinging paint. Even once flowers nest in their pots and vegetable seeds snuggle into the warm earth, I sit outside. I sit by my waterfall drinking in the lilting and bubbling sounds of birds and water. I am keeping an eye on the poultry.

Fred and Myrtle, a mallard pair, took up residence in my backyard waterfall shortly after the St Paul Art Crawl in April. I think timing played a big part in my attraction to my new friends. Art Crawl is an intense time of talking to hundreds of people about my art (a.k.a. baring my soul and opening it for public discussion by strangers and friends). I was open to the idea of hanging out with beings that offered no more judgement or criticism than a sideways glance. I've spent hours crouching next to Fred and Myrtle with my trowel and plant babies. Yes, of course I talked to them, they are very good listeners. Even with their heads tucked under their wings, they'd open one eye and listen when I spoke.

I tried to give them privacy when they were having sex, but it's impossible. Duck sex is loud and draws a crowd. The squawking, flapping, splashing and technique the male uses...biting the back of the hen's head and holding it under water....tends to get my attention and brings faces to the windows. When they are finished, the ducks calmly wash themselves and groom their feathers. That's usually when my husband would start laughing out loud and I'd hear a neighbor say, "Geeezzz"!

Fred and Myrtle began flying off for longer periods of time. I'm sure they found a more appropriate spot to build their nest. Ducks lay about one egg a day until the clutch is complete, usually 8-10 eggs. Then the female begins to incubate them all. After about a week of watching her sit, the male takes off. Myrtle will hatch and raise the ducklings alone.

This morning Myrtle arrived to eat under the bird feeder without Fred. She stopped eating for a moment when I walked up to her. Her look seemed to say, "I don't have time to play therapist today. I'm here to grab a quick bite then I have to get back to work." She stayed less than 5 minutes, then flapped back to her hidden nest. Heavy clouds started rolling in and the sky grew unusually dark for 9 am. It's going to storm. There will be no gardening today. As Myrtle said, "I have to get back to work".

Too Much Fun Over Coffee

2010-04-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, Art Crawl is past, my last commission is delivered and I have the whole summer ahead of me. It's play time!
I did this little doodle over my morning cup of coffee. It's a continuous blind contour drawing done by feeling my face.
I got the idea from an artist in London named, Amelia. I love her blog, http://101birdtales.blogspot.com
She has an experimental ecourse that gives me fun, creative tasks to do. The really cool thing is that I get to chat with others taking the course and see their creations as well. I hope everyone can take some time at the start of their day to do something that makes them smile. :)

2010-04-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day! Many of my paintings over the last six months have been exploring the concept of creation. Creation of the earth. Creation of life. Creation of community. Concern that we haven't cared for these things and are upsetting the natural balance. I have faith that enough people care and will work hard to change this. I am full of hope this will happen soon. I know that love is the key ingredient to restoration.
"Faith, Hope and Love" 36"x 60", oil, 2010

The paintings are back for the crawl

2010-04-16T13:30:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm one week away from the art crawl. Twice a year I have to clean up the creative mess in my studio to make room for 2000-3000 people to wander through. It's both a good and bad thing. All things creative come screeching to a halt....that would be the bad part.

Then, once the work is up on the wall I have a couple of days where...well...it's like a silent family reunion. Most of the pieces have been moving around to and from various exhibitions for the last six months. Some of them were so new when they left my studio that I don't even really feel I "know" them yet. I sit in the middle of my studio surrounded by all of these paintings. It's like being in a sanctuary with stained glass and the bright shapes of glass are cut from my soul. I can feel the paintings' joy, hope and love. They know me. I look around the room and I often find I'm smiling and speaking to them out loud, "I remember you! How have you been? It's so good to see you again!"

I wish they could tell me about their time away. I would love to hear them tell me about the little girl that pointed and laughed. The young couple that held hands and smiled. The old woman who remembered coloring on the floor with her siblings. When the paintings are on exhibit, they are serving their purpose. But it's nice to have them come home for a visit.

Isaiah 43:19

2010-04-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up do you not perceive it?

And so, here we go, a blog. As I will not be teaching for the next six months I am ready for an intense time of creativity. This blog is a an attempt to hold my self accountable to the process of writing and painting. It would be easy to enjoy a Minnesota summer and get lost in gardening, walks at the dog park, reading by my waterfall, and hanging with art and music friends. But this time is a blessing and while all of those things are important and good, I must also, "do the work of him who sent me"(John 9:4).

Joy in the Paint

2010-04-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!