Beauty is marred by ill intent

Oft grace procures a mirror

Illuminate the the lack of love

Peace comes with mercy's tremble.

(During my wind down time- after a busy day and shift bar tending- my brain has been through the gamut of subject matter.  My heart as well. This phrase keeps running through my head...)

For sale

I am stubborn in some things...

I am a lover of art  and art history- seeing artist's work transform as their creativity interacts with their life... I believe an artist should create what they "need " to in a rather altruistic way. An artist creates their own legacy with their work.

I do some commissions- but they are usually a challenge for me ( to say the least)- to pour your heart and soul into a piece within the precieved constraints and then to simply be told- " no, that's not it"  is less then fun.

In fact it's Heart wrenching for me...

I have colleagues that paint what they know will sell. Can I blame them ? But will I do it? 

No.

I will be stubborn. I will constantly challenge myself to grow as an artist. 

Time and energy are very valuable things to me these days. I will not waste myself on the hopes of pleasing a buyer . I will continually challenge myself to do better with all my heart... In faith. If no one likes it, I'm kind of screwed. But thus far , I've gotten lucky...

"I can't draw"

I've been doing some teaching this summer.  While it's on a small scale- it has been refreshing.  I had forgotten how  much I love to teach art to children. 

Recently I had a rather heart breaking experience, though.  During a small class one of the students was having a difficult time on her drawing.  After a while she broke down into defeated tears.  As she hugged her grandmother (who was with her) she said that somebody told her that she couldn't draw.  

Emotion washed over me- how dare somebody say that to a child!  I calmed myself down and tried to tell her stories in which I could identify. It seemed ineffective.  I tried to interest her in other aspects of the project.  She tried her best, but sorrow prevailed.  

I blurted out a story about how a friend was going through a hard time and needed to paint but couldn't for whatever reason.  My solution was to have him over to the studio, hang a large sheet on the wall and just let him throw paint.  She perked up.  "Would you like to do that?"  Yes!

Amen- she was excited!

I tried to set up a mini throwing paint  scenario and she got lost in it. Before I was ready to end it, I was reminded that our hour was well over.  She left  happy and I was joyful as I cleaned up the space but mulling over many thoughts...

Adults often do not realize the obstacles they needlessly create when they tell children that they're not good at things.  The great discouragement taken to their life in general...

And there are many avenues for creativity and self expression. Perhaps drawing does not suit you? There are vast and varied media in which to create- not limited to visual art.

Maybe you don't think that a creative carear is your calling in life.  Maybe you're right.  You may be gifted in the many talents that I admire but of which am not at all gifted in...

But sometimes it's good to have a form of self expression- even if it's only for you to see, read or hear.  

Sing in the shower. Write a poem. Journal. Doodle. Play around on an instrument. Free write. Take  photos of things you love. Get your hands dirty with some clay.  Make up a recipe.  Garden....

Whatever it is that suits you.

It can be a breath of fresh air.  It can help you think through things...

Delight in small things,

Slow down and feel. 

The process of creating can be therapeutic.

And if you really get stuck- throw paint!

Motherwell

For just about as long as I cen remerber there has been a catalogue in my mind of certein pieces at the Philadelphia museum of art. I believe I took my first school trip there in 5th grade. I have gone back many many times since.

Some struck me because of their obvious beauty and some just struck me and I was not sure why.

This pieces falls into the later category,  but as long as I can remember, this piece has been a part of that internal catalogue...

 "More Than Rocky. Reality" Motherwell

The artist creating...

Alter

I stood in a chapel last night for a meeting about my wedding. It's a small, beautiful, old, warm place. As we turned to leave I was struck by the evening's summer light coming in through one of the many stained glass windows. Some chord deep within me was struck.

 I'm finally allowing myself to start a much awaited series conveying hard, sometimes painful but transformative experiences with a concept based on iconic art and church history.  (My reliquaries) it was quite fitting to be so struck in such a place.

Photograph by EBCBrown,LLC '14

Open studio

A couple of weeks ago my studio was a part of the Chester county open studio tour. I have taken part in this event for the past 5 years. It's an event that I very much look forward to and work hard in anticipation of. This year did not dissapoint!

I had a great turn out, a positive response to my work and a good ammount of sales. I was very pleased and grateful. If you were among those who came by- thank you!!!

There is something very special about having people interact with my work in the space where it was created. 

Since then, I've been working hard at tackling the not so fun to-do's besides just creating my work. Once I finally finish my taxes (having gotten an extension) in the next couple of days, I will gladly be back hard at work in the studio. There is a series that I've been dying to start for almost a year now... I've been amassing the materials and I am finally going to let myself work on it. Stay tuned for the Reliquary series. 

Emerge 1,2,3

I am very process oriented in my painting. I love  to see the affects nature has on man made objects...

Over the winter I worked on several challenging commission projects. One in particular was very daunting to me. In the effort to do something more light hearted, one evening I took several wooden panels and turned them upside down from how I would normally work on them. I poured in different mixtures of acrylic and enamel paints that I had left over from mural projects. 

Then I set them outside in our small yard, where they weathered our very snowy and icy winter. Freezing and thawing again and again...

After the last big storm I brought them back into the studio and when the warm spring sun came I put them out to aid in their drying. When they finally dryed, I sealed them thoroughly and worked into them tentatively with acrylic paint. Not all of them were a success, but there are three that I'm pleased with- "Emerge 1,2 and 3".

Something that is not evident in the straight on shot of them is the residue around the inside rim of the frame- where you can make out the level that the paint reached before it dried and the water evaporated. 

While these paintings might be quite different from my normal work, they were a much needed playful experiment. During the process of their evolution, they were an exciting reminder of the fun of art while I was working very hard on tougher projects in the studio.