RyhopeWood

Encaustics in my studio: Day 2

2009-11-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

Today's encaustic session went very well. I spent some time sketching and thinking about the process yesterday evening, and went into the studio with some idea of where I wanted to go. And these two 8"x8" panels are the result. I'm very happy with them. I feel like I'm learning how to make this medium my own. Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow!

Encaustics: The Beginning

2009-11-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I took some encaustics workshops from Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch this past weekend. Had a blast! Intended to take more pictures than this, but I was far too involved in playing with the wax. Trish is awesome, and the other attendees were too! Lots of great energy and laughter. And The Ranch! I want to go back there again and again. A big hug and thank you to everyone there!

These are the pieces I came home with. Learned lots of techniques, and I need A LOT of practice. It's an interesting feeling to be a beginner again.

And this is my setup in my home studio, which I got set up and played with today. Still lots to learn, but I didn't set fire to anything, nor did I pass out from fumes, so I'm doing pretty well so far. :)

At the workshop and today I've just been getting used to the medium, seeing what it feels like, what it will do, and making myself get out of my comfort zone by trying something totally new. Tomorrow I'll start planning a bit more, see what I can do with the medium toward expressing my vision.

um, helloooooo

2009-11-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to write a quick note to say hi. Still recovering from moving upheaval, and really, really sick of it. It's sent me into a free-fall funk. Feeling totally disconnected from most of life. Feeling totally disconnected from my online connections here (I miss you!). And though I've managed a couple of painting sessions, I'm also feeling disconnected from my art and all the activities that surround it. Bleh.

I need some dynamite to get me out of this.

Fortunately I think that dynamite is waiting for me just around the corner. I've signed up for a couple of encaustics workshops with Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch at The Ranch in Snohomish this coming Saturday. I cannot wait!

Our new home!

2009-10-01T12:04:00.001-07:00

We are now homeOWNERS!

Wade took this photo with his phone when he went to pick up the keys yesterday. More photos soon.

testing the waters

2009-09-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

I went to my studio for the first time in about a month this morning. Many factors contributed to my absence there (and here too, and maybe I'll write about those in the near future) and even though I had sensed a need for a break a few months ago, I resisted taking it because I knew how hard it would be to go back. It was a truly nerve wracking experience to step through those doors again - my heart was pounding, my hands shaking - but it finally felt like time to get back to work. I tried to keep my expectations low and just allow myself to play with putting paint on canvas. And while I did manage to do that for the most part, I never really let go of the self-consciousness and anxiety that I entered with.

Even so, it still felt good to be there and I'm planning to go back tomorrow. :)

Call to Artists: Signs and Portents

2009-08-31T16:23:00.000-07:00

The word "advent" is defined as, "the coming or arrival, especially of something important." In the church year, the season of Advent is a time of looking forward to something greater. It is a season of preparation, a time of waiting and watching for signs and portents.

Some of these are signs of a beginning. The three kings saw and followed a star to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph and the shepherds received visitations from angels. Other signs and portents of the season foretell that something is coming to an end: the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and other visions of John in the Book of Revelation.

But signs and portents aren't limited to Biblical accounts or religious seasons. Astrologers read the stars and planets. Comets have been linked to life-changing historical events. Shamans seek the visions of the trance. Farmers scan the skies and consult almanacs for signs of rain or drought. Fortune tellers read cards, palms and auras. We all have dreams and visions. We see pictures in the clouds, and have favorite colors and lucky numbers.

Our gallery seeks artwork that expresses the theme "Signs & Portents" for a juried art exhibit that will be on view in our nave throughout the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, with an artists' reception planned for the evening of December 5th. All genres and media considered. Artwork needs to be two-dimensional – it can extend into the third dimension, but it must be able to be displayed on a wall.

Where: CR Gallery, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore, WA

When: December 2 – February 2, 2010

Opening Reception: Saturday, December 5, 6:00– 8:00pm

How: Submit up to 3 jpegs (72dpi, 600 pixels on the longest side) via e-mail to arts@redeemer-kenmore.org. In your e-mail, please include your name, contact information, and a few words about your work. Also include title, medium, framed dimensions, and retail price of each image submitted. Submission deadline is midnight, November 8th, 2009. The work will then be juried and acceptance notifications and delivery instructions will be sent out via e-mail by November 16th.

Entry fee: There is no entry fee for this exhibit.

Please take note of the following:
•Artwork must be ready to hang, preferably from a wire. Photographs and
artwork on paper must be framed with a wire attached for hanging. Canvases
do not need to be framed, but the sides should be painted, either a solid
color or as a continuation of the image, in order to give a neat,
professional appearance, and must have a wire attached to the stretchers
for hanging purposes.

•For work that is shipped, all shipping costs will be the responsibility
of the artist.

•Artwork can be for sale. The gallery will direct buyers directly to the
artist and takes no commission.

•The gallery will take care of advertising and publicity, and artists with
accepted work will receive postcard announcements to distribute
themselves.

•In addition to being displayed in the nave gallery, accepted artists will
also be featured on the church's website.

•For ease of transport, and so we get to meet you, we are especially
seeking artists in the Puget Sound area, but this call is open to all
artists over 18.

•For more information, please visit our website at www.redeemer-kenmore.org/artsblog.
If you have any questions, please email Angela at arts@redeemer-kenmore.org.

Please feel free to pass this information along to other artists you think
might be interested.

Searching for the Light

2009-08-15T21:18:00.001-07:00

Into the sunset

2009-07-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

"Vashon Sunset", acrylic & pencil on canvas, 7" x 5", ©2009
available for purchase here on my small art blog

This has been a crazy couple of weeks. For those of you that follow me on Facebook (you can find me there as Angela Wales Rockett) you've seen hints of what I'm talking about. So here's the whole story.

Last Tuesday my friend Sheila and I were talking about our careers (she's a musician) and our goals and the conversation naturally started turning toward what the future holds. And without my brain even being aware that this thought was even lurking in the vicinity, my mouth popped open and said, "who knows, maybe we'll even be moving to Tacoma." Sheila lives there, so we joked for a while about being neighbors and I thought that was all there was to it. (for those off you not familiar with this area, Tacoma is about an hour south of where I live now, and a half hour south of Seattle)

Woke up the next day and the thought of Tacoma would not leave me alone. So I decided to look at real estate options there just for the heck of it. What I found nearly knocked me over. Homes going for less than half of what they go for in my neighborhood, and half of what foreclosures gof for in Seattle! I had no idea there was such a huge difference. Suddenly, the old dream I thought was long dead of owning a home, strangled by ever rising outrageous home prices, came to life in a big way. I told Sheila about it and she recommended her real estate guy. (Since she and her husband are both musicians and he found them a house, I figured he might be able to do something for us too.) I called Wade (who was away on a business trip) and told him that we really needed to think about this and I could almost hear the thought "I can't leave her alone for a second…" through the phone lines. And I made an appointment with the Realtor and a date with Sheila and her husband for a tour of Tacoma.

We met with him on Saturday morning, talked about what we were looking for, and about what we thought we could afford and where we wanted to live. After about 2 hours we left his office with about 40 property listings in our price range to look over when we got a chance and a recommendation to take a look at some of the neighborhoods to get a feel for the place. Then we drove over to Sheila's place, had lunch, and started driving around. We really thought we'd just look at a couple and leave with some impressions and work from there, but it turned out that they were pretty determined and by about 8pm, we'd seen them all (some of which were truly scary), and absolutley fallen in love with one. (Yes, we've been warned not to fall in love, but how could we not?)

It's a beautiful old 2-storey home, 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath in a nice neighborhood about 4 miles from downtown Tacoma and a little over a mile from Sheila's place! It's not perfect, but it's in decent shape so we could move in without having to perform any major renovations first.

Then Sunday - a day of rest. Saw new Harry Potter movie!

Monday, got pre-approved for a loan. Tuesday, drove down to Tacoma and walked through the house, decided we still loved it and made an offer. Wednesday, offer accepted! so back to Tacoma to fill out more paperwork. Whew. What a whirlwind. Next week is the inspection and soon after that, the appraisal. If those go well (oh please oh please oh please), we should close in early September.

So, now I'm in an absolute state. I'm not sleeping well, I'm having trouble painting, I'm even having trouble getting into reading! What I really want to do is sit and watch HGTV for hours on end, but we had to give up cable in order to afford the house we're renting. (Oh, did I mention that we'll be paying a lot less on a mortgage payment than we are on rent?)

Of course, in the meantime, money will be very tight. We're scrounging every corner and looking under every seat cushion to make sure we have enough for the necessary up front costs and the move, and the gas for the drives to and from Tacoma, and still be able to meet our obligations at our current address. This all means that I don't have any money to buy art supplies with for a while :P, and our groceries might have a much higher proportion of Top Ramen and Mac & Cheese in them than they've had since our college days.

So, if you've been thinking about buying art from me, or starting a purchase with a downpayment, now would be a great time! :)
(Seriously. I might even consider making a deal – I'm what's known as a motivated seller in real estate terms. Check out my website and my Flickr, email me at arockett @ gmail dot com to let me know what you're interested in and we can talk, or you can buy some of my small canvases directly from here on my small art blog.)

this and that

2009-07-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

It bothers me when there are no pictures on my blog, and the last two posts don't have pictures! So here's a bit of this and that of what I've been up to lately. (you can click on the images to enlarge them)

In early June I went to Ocean Shores, WA for the first time, with my husband and our friends Glenn and Sheila. We had a really lovely time in spite of the constant fog and mist that descended as soon as we arrived. And I took lots of misty photos which you can see here on Flickr.

I've been gardening. This photo is from a couple of weeks ago, and everything is so much bigger now. It's so satisfying to get dinner from the backyard! And with the berries, breakfast too. :)

Starting a new altarpiece for church - actually got to start this one from scratch and make a new canvas! More on that at Redeemer's Arts and Music blog. I'll be updating the progress on that as we go.

And, of course, I've been painting. I haven't managed to photograph everything yet, but here's one I completed a few weeks ago. It's kinda different for me, isn't it. I saw this composition in a vase on a table next to a window, and I had to paint it. So I guess it's an abstract still life.

Great blog and artist opportunity

2009-06-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

Check out this amazing opportunity for artists over on Tony Moffitt's blog:

Independence Showcase

I've just recently discovered his blog myself and I am so impressed by it and by Tony's generosity.

Art & Meaning: Treffinger Daily

2009-06-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Katherine Treffinger has started a wonderful project on her blog about Art & Meaning, and she asked me to be part of it! She describes it as follows:

Art and meaning is a project in which I am including in my postings the answer to a question from various artists. I will introduce one artist at a time along with an image of their art.
The question is: "What meaning does doing art have for you? In other words why do you show up in your studio, or wherever, and pick up your tools day after day?"

Check out my answer here!

And as long as your there, check out Katherine's wonderful artwork and the other artists' responses. :)

Light in the Storm

2009-06-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

I completed this piece last week but had no idea what to call it. Then one of my contacts on Flickr said "I love this little light in the storm… Strange feeling of security inside huge forces." And right then I knew what this was a painting of, and what the title is. I love it when people can make me see more deeply into my own work!

detail of Light in the Storm

cracking up

2009-05-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

Having trouble getting my brain to settle. Feeling a bad case of the "why bothers" coming on. Not so much in the realm of creating art. I don't have much of a choice about that – it's as much what I am as what I do. But in the efforts required to share (and, yes, hopefully sell) my work, well… Though I'm not the best at motivating myself to do the marketing stuff at the best of times, that's just because I don't really enjoy it much. I'm usually pretty good about ignoring the naysayers (I'd say most artists have to be) and the pessimistic talk about external forces (the bad economy for instance), but for some reason there has been a breach in my defenses recently and it's all starting to get me down.

How do you (yes, you) keep at it even when it doesn't seem to be worth it?

The Unknown Region

2009-05-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Darest thou now O soul,
Walk out with me toward the unknown region,
Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to
follow?
–Walt Whitman, "Darest Thou Now, O Soul"

Details of Unknown Region

Every time I looked at my blog this week I was surprised to see that my last blog post was still my last blog post. Working with my morning pages and The Artist's Way I've been thinking and writing about so many things it seems impossible that they haven't appeared here. But all those words are on (*gasp*) paper. Crazy, I know.

I completed this painting last Thursday, and the title finally came to me when I happened upon the quote above. That's exactly what I'm trying to do, let go of the need to control the outcome and just "walk out". As part of that effort, this week I've been staying away from canvases and playing with some small color studies on paper, and with being more visual in my journal. It's hard because there's a part of me that is trying to convince me that I'm wasting time if I'm not actually putting paint to canvas, but that's the part that got me all blocked up in the first place.

Catching up with myself

2009-04-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Don't even know where to start here. It's been so long since I've really done a blog post, so I was going to write about what's been happening over the past month or so, but there was so much that it feels a bit overwhelming, so maybe it's just best to start with now. Quick overview to get caught up on the past month or so: Easter and all the preparations that went into it, including a new altarpiece and a new art exhibit; recovering from all that; my garden; probably more that I can't think of just now. I'm slowly adding photos to my flickr account for all these.

Of course, the most prominent thing on my mind has been my recent frustrations in the studio. I've managed to paint a few good pieces, but my creative flow feels all gummed up and it's like trying to swim in molasses when I work. In frustration, I found myself turning for inspiration to my bookshelf. After flipping through a few books, I finally opened The Artist's Way. This is the book that started it all for me, and I've read it several times since I first read it about 13-14 years ago, but I hadn't picked it up in years. Thought maybe since I am a working artist now that I'd learned all there was to learn from it or something.

After just skimming through it for a few minutes I had several "Ah-ha!" moments and I realized that there was still a lot to learn from this book. The words that really stuck with me were on page 153:

Over an extended period of time, being and artist requires enthusiasm more than discipline. Enthusiasm is not an emotional state. It is a spiritual commitment, a loving surrender to our creative process, a loving recognition of all the creativity around us. Enthusiasm is grounded in play, not work. Far from being a brain-numbed soldier, our artist is actually our inner playmate. As with all playmates, it is joy, not duty, that makes for a lasting bond.

I've gotten so caught up in making sure I have a good finished product, I think I've forgotten how to have fun! I've forgotten how much I love the process of painting, the joy of color and texture. The fun of making a mess! And what's worse is that I realized that I've also lost enthusiasm for a lot of other things in life too - let myself get mired down in boredom. And then I read this on page 18:

Boredom is just "What's the use?" in disguise. And "What's the use?" is fear, and fear means you are secretly in despair.

Wow.

So, I'm doing the Artist's Way again. I'm doing my morning pages and artist dates. I'm only on Week 1, but I can already feel the gears turning more smoothly. And I'm already much more excited when I paint. This painting was the first one to feel the effects of letting go and having fun again. I had been working at it for weeks and getting nowhere, but when I consciously decided to just enjoy making colors and textures, it came almost effortlessly.

I'm very interested to see where this turn through the Artist's Way will lead me, how will it be different now that I've been a working artist for a while now. I'll let you know! And hey, if anyone wants to join me, that would be great!

golden

2009-04-08T07:38:00.001-07:00

untitled (goldnpurple), acrylic on canvas, 5" x 7", ©2009
(available for purchase here)

"The situation of the soul in contemplation is something like the situation of Adam and Eve in Paradise. Everything is yours, but on the one infinitely important condition: that all is given."

–Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

Spring Walk

2009-04-06T15:17:00.000-07:00

The sun is finally shining and it's actually over 70 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside! After a morning spent in the studio, I could not resist taking a walk along the river. I was very glad that I'd brought my camera when I spied this heron patiently stalking something good to eat.

It's amazing how uplifting such a day as this can be after such a gray and soggy stretch. And energizing. I love the rain, but I must admit to feeling a bit waterlogged lately. I feel a renewed excitement toward my painting, a breaking out of late winter inertia.

Lent and the internet, and an update

2009-03-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

We're currently in the season of Lent in the church year, and this year I decided to use the internet less as my Lenten discipline. I was going to give up refined sugar, but then our priest mentioned how part of the purpose of Lent is to simplify our lives in order to make more room for God as we prepare for Easter, and it struck me that I've let the internet take over a bit too much lately. So I decided to simplify by limiting it.

It wouldn't have been very practical for me to give it up completely for the entirety of Lent (40+ days), so I decided to become more aware of how and why I use it by only allowing myself to sign on 2 or maybe 3 times a day (instead of checking it compulsively every hour or so), and then only with a clear idea of what I wanted to accomplish while I was there. I've still got a little over a week left of Lent, but so far it seems to have been a very good idea to do this and I'm pretty sure I'll still be doing it long after Lent is over.

In other news…

I've managed to complete a few more paintings, including this large one. It felt good to paint big again. I don't have a title for it yet, but this one feels like some of my impressions of New York City are expressing themselves.

Three of my paintings (here, here, and here) were accepted into SOPA Fine Art's Under 8 Event in Kelowna, BC Canada. The show opens on April 2nd and will be my first international show! I wish I could be there for the opening, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

the madness of art

2009-03-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

"We work in the dark–we do what we can–we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art." -Henry James

New work - finally!

2009-03-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

I finally completed these two paintings - the first in about a month that I feel good about (the photos aren't so great, but I'll retake them later). They're each 9" x 12" (no title has come to me yet), and I picture them hanging together side-by-side, though they each stand alone just fine. And so far I'm pretty happy with the canvas currently on my easel. Can you hear my sigh of relief?

The weather is also turning around (for now at least) and there's a strong sense that spring is right around the corner. Renewal is in the very atmosphere.

Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity

2009-02-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

Still struggling in the studio. Came across this video (thank you, Ellen) which speaks to this sometimes maddening journey by the author of the wonderful book "Eat, Pray, Love". Enjoy.

practice and preparation

2009-02-13T18:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a frustrating week in the studio. Nothing turning out right. Some sort of barrier between me and what I want to express. Had a couple of days that were actually pretty good studio days, in that I was in the studio a lot and I felt good being there. But the results left me feeling like I'd spent all day doing nothing. Not my favorite part of the artistic cycle.

But I'm re-reading "Creative Authenticity" by Ian Roberts (awesome book!) and yesterday I read these comforting lines: "The making of art offers a poor example of efficiency at work. Yet all that practice and preparation makes us ready when for some reason everything gets lined up and we become as if conduits for the spirit. It shows in the result. The rest of the time we work to keep the channel open until things realign."

So, I keep working.

(and I post a painting completed a couple of weeks ago)

Call to Artists: Gift of Water

2009-02-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

Our gallery is seeking artwork expressing the theme “Gift of Water” (exploring the various associations with water and baptism: renewal, rebirth, resurrection, cleansing, life, oceans, rain, etc.) - a juried art exhibit that will be on view in our nave gallery throughout the 2009 Easter season, April 8 - June 3, with an artists’ reception planned for the evening of April 16th. All genres and media considered. Artwork needs to be 2-dimensional–it can extend into the third dimension, but it must be able to be hung on a wall.

Where: CR Gallery, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore, WA

When: April 8 – June 3, 2009

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 16, 6:30– 8:30pm

How: Submit up to 3 jpegs (72dpi, 600 pixels on the longest side) via e-mail to arts@redeemer-kenmore.org. Please include your name, contact information, and a few words about your work. Also include title, medium, framed dimensions, and retail price of each image submitted. Submission deadline is March 23, 2009. The work will then be juried and acceptance notifications and delivery instructions will be sent out via e-mail by March 25th.

Entry fee: $15 (USD) for up to 3 images, payable via PayPal. This needs to be paid before work can be submitted to the jury.

Please take note of the following:
•Artwork must be ready to hang, preferably from a wire. Photographs and
artwork on paper must be framed with a wire attached for hanging. Canvases
do not need to be framed, but the sides should be painted, either a solid
color or as a continuation of the image, in order to give a neat,
professional appearance, and must have a wire attached to the stretchers
for hanging purposes.

•For work that is shipped, all shipping costs will be the responsibility
of the artist.

•Artwork can be for sale. The gallery will direct buyers directly to the
artist and takes no commission.

•The gallery will take care of advertising and publicity, and artists with
accepted work will receive postcard announcements to distribute
themselves.

•In addition to being displayed in the nave gallery, accepted artists will
also be featured on the church’s website.

•For ease of transport, and so we get to meet you, we are especially
seeking artists in the Puget Sound area, but this call is open to all
artists over 18.

•If you have any questions, please email Angela at arts@redeemer-kenmore.org.

Please feel free to pass this information along to other artists you think
might be interested.

New Painting - Cloister View

2009-02-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

The painting above was inspired by the view from the water of The Cloisters in New York. Sadly, I didn't end having time to go there, but it's first on my list for next time.

I've been spending a lot of time over the past few days photographing several of my most recent paintings, adjusting the files in Photoshop, and uploading them to my website, and playing with the design of my website too. I'd love to hear what you think.

I feel like there's probably more to say, but the sun is actually shining(!) so I'm going to go take a walk now.

Branching Out

2009-01-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

(Ha! You get it? Branching... out...?)

Ahem…

I've really been enjoying playing with my Diana+ camera, and with it I've taken some pretty cool images that I'd love to share. I shot the above photo this past December during our first snow of the winter, and I finally got the film developed a week or so ago.

So, I'm adding frameable photographic prints to my Etsy shop. As I write this post there are only a couple of images available, but I'll be listing more over the next few days, both color and black & white, along with more size options, all beautifully printed on Kodak Professional Endura paper. I'll be adding notecards soon too, so be sure and check in often.

I took photography classes in college, but this is a relatively new arena for me, so I'm starting small and simple, and I'd love to hear what you think of the images. Also, if you see any other images in my Flickr Diana+ photostream that you'd like as a print or notecard, contact me and I'll see about getting that done for you.

In the meantime, I'm still painting, though you can't really tell by my blog lately. I'm planning to photograph my most recent pieces tomorrow so look for posts about them very soon.