I just finished a new piece that I decided to title “Waiting”.  Waiting for what, well I have an idea or two.  There are so many things that she could be waiting for but I usually like to let the viewer make up their own story about the subject.  However, as she came about and her features unfolded, I got the definite impression that she’s waiting for someone or something.  Which got me thinking.  (Oh boy… here we go.)

Waiting requires patience.  Patience often requires study.  Patience is an art.

The official definition of having patience is:  the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

I prefer it to be explained this way:

“Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.”  –  David G. Allen

Wow!  Aha!  Eye opener!  (Can you tell that I really like that quote?)  It’s perfect when applied to the creative process, no matter what your passion is.

As someone who likes to create with paint, etc. and oftentimes gets frustrated at the way things are going on the paper, the canvas, the board… it really jumped out at me.  Because having patience is NOT something that comes naturally to me and, I’m pretty certain, to lots of other people.  How often do we want or expect, something (or someone) to turn out a certain way and then when things start going off course…  puts us in a frame of mind that leads to, well, being impatient and all the negative things that go along with that state of mind.   Boom… exit feeling good, enter feeling the need to throw something.

Having patience, allowing things to develop slowly, allowing something (even something planned) to “show itself” is definitely an art form.  It’s something we can learn.  Being mindful is also an art form that can be learned.  What’s being mindful?  Glad you asked.  Being mindful is the ability to be present, composed, and to pause before reacting.  Read that last line again.  Let it sink in.

Being mindful goes hand in hand with having patience.  They are perfect partners.  Want to be better at your art, hobby, passion, your life?  Put mindfulness and patience into it.  Neither comes easily to most people.  There are some lucky enough to be born with these attributes.  Others have to work at it.  (Confession.. I have to work at them.  Sometimes, really hard.)  I won’t go into them, but studies show that having these two attributes, whether naturally or by learning them via workshops, etc., can have really positive effects on us.

“Patience is not passive waiting.  Patience is active acceptance of the process required to attain your goals and dreams.”  –  Ray A. Davis

If you’re interested in knowing more of the positive effects or the health benefits of having patience, there is a truly interesting article by Kira M. Newman on the website mindful.org.

Oh, one more thing.  Having patience as the letters on your tiles in the board game Scrabble is worth 12 points just as they are.  Put them in the right spot and you can rack up some points!

#karrencaseart  #havingpatience  #paintingwithpatience  #patience

New Theory on Climate Change

There’s a new theory on climate change that has nothing to do with scientific studies, conspiracies, opposing political parties, or any other group.  It’s the Persephone Theory.  Never heard of it?  You probably have, it’s been around for thousands of years, you’ve just never put two and two together.  Well, I have.

Climate Change and the Greek Connection

Let’s take a little walk back in time.  WAY back.  Back to the ancient Greeks.  They understood, and we have forgotten, what (and who) is behind changing weather patterns.  No mystery here.  We just don’t want to acknowledge it.  We no longer accept myth and legends.  But the ancients knew… and here’s the story.

First, The Players

 

Sweet, beautiful Persephone was the daughter of the god Zeus and the goddess Demeter. She was exquisite and “the bachelorette” of her time.  All the gods were hot for Persephone and many approached her mother to ask if they could marry her.  Now here’s the rub, the thing, the problem.  Demeter was an overprotective, obsessive mother.  NO man (Olympic god or otherwise) was good enough for her little girl.

Trouble is brewing..

Enter Hades.  He is the brother of Zeus, God of the Underworld, and much too old for Persephone.  He repeatedly asks Mother Hen Demeter for permission to marry her sweet little mini-goddess.  Mother Hen… ok, Goddess Demeter repeatedly says, “No effing way.”  Hades is not happy.  So…. one day while Persephone is out picking flowers and away from her mother, Hades comes roaring out of the Underworld in his chariot and snatches up dear sweet Persephone!  Mama doesn’t see it.  However, daddy does and so does Helios (the Sun god).  Not wanting to start a fight with Hades, the two play dumb and don’t tell Demeter.  (Which soon leads to a little climate change on Mount Olympus.)

More trouble brewing…

Eventually, Mama finds out and, of course, she’s livid.  Zeus won’t help, so she begs Helios to step in.  However, he basically tells Demeter hey,  maybe it’s not such a bad thing for Persephone to be the new Queen of the Underworld, and to let it go.  (What a coward.)  Demeter gets really angry now and decides fine… I’m not going to do my goddess duties.  She stops caring for the earth.  No more growth, new crops, fertility, etc.  Enter famine and a lot of angry humans.  Without Persephone, climate change has begun.

 Persephone.   Goddess of Spring, the Underworld and… Climate Change

With Mama Demeter making life miserable on Mount Olympus as well as for everyone and everything on earth… Zeus finally gets the hint and promises his wife that he will bring Persephone back IF it’s found that Hades is keeping her in the Underworld against her will.  Meantime, Hades gets word and somehow tricks Persephone into eating some pomegranate seeds.  Seems that pomegranates were the nasty little secret of the underworld.  Eating seeds from this fruit would forever bind you there because you would be consumed with the insane desire to not want to leave.  Fast forward… there’s a big meeting with Zeus, Demeter, Hades, Persephone and all the other residents of Mount Olympus.  When asked, Persephone (under the influence of the seeds) says she is staying with Hades willingly.  Mama freaks and knows something is amiss.  Once again, she is livid.  Not wanting another repeat of what Demeter did before, Zeus works out a compromise.  Persephone would spend half her time in the underworld with Hades and half her time on the mount with her mother.  As long as everyone follows the “plan”, Spring emerges on time as Persephone emerges from below.  Happy once again.  SO…

What the Heck Does This Have to Do with Climate Change and The Persephone Theory?

Well, think about it!  I figure that there’s still a lot of bad blood and bickering going on between Hades, Persephone, and Demeter.  Every time Persephone is delayed in the underworld by Hades or is delayed by her mother from going back to her husband, we see weird weather.  Her being pulled back and forth, and having her happiness being messed with, directly impacts her ability to do her job and it impacts her mother’s ability to do hers as well!

Persephone is the key to and reason for climate change!  Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the Persephone Theory!

Ok, I had my fun.  I painted my interpretation of Persephone and wanted to share the legend…  my way.  On a serious note, climate change is a real concern and I sincerely hope that people everywhere are paying attention and working on ways to lessen it’s impact.

#karrencaseart  #goddessofspring #climatechange #Persephone

We all have those days.  Our beloved hobby (or profession for some) is screaming at us to “do something” and we just draw a blank.  You just don’t feel creative!  Your canvas is blank and so is your mind.  (That’s when I usually wind up painting an “abstract”.  LOL!)

Maybe your computer screen is blank and the cursor is patiently blinking waiting for you to hit those keys, but words just don’t come.  Your stash of yarn is demanding your attention and you can’t make a decision on what to do next.  Your tools and bin full of scrap lumber is calling, but you can’t answer.  You are in the dreaded “slump” zone and you can’t get going.  And you’re NOT happy about it.

Does Being Creative Make Us Happy?

You just don’t feel creative and you need to be.   “Being creative makes us happier and healthier.”  I read that somewhere.  Wish I had written down where I saw it.  It was some kind of study.  Anyway… ok, I agree.  When I’m “in the zone” (the creativity zone) and everything is coming together like I want, yep… I’m a happy camper.  Man, I’m feeling GOOD!  The happy connectors of my brain are on fire!  BUT… often before we get to that zone of creativity, we’re grabbing the eraser, we’re backspacing, we’re tossing paper, the cat (whatever’s handy), aside and getting frustrated.  Sometimes I even start questioning my ability to do what I’m doing!  There definitely IS a “path to happiness” and that path is not always a straight one.  I’m not going to even touch on the idea that we “suffer for our art” or craft or whatever it is we love to do.

So… What Do You Do When You Just Don’t Feel Creative?

Well, if you’re like me and just plain curious, you get on the internet (while still in your pajamas) and look for ways to get motivated again!  Have you checked out ways to unleash your creativity on the internet?  You’ll be bombarded with websites on the subject of what to do when you don’t feel creative.  Like all things on the internet, some sites offer realistic and helpful information, and others… well, I guess for some people, clickbait is how they get creative.

A Few Ideas You Might or Might Not Have Tried

Here are several things I came across in my “research”.

Meditate – It relaxes your body and your mind.  You’ll be less stressed about the fact that you just don’t feel creative that moment, or that day… or that entire week!  I don’t meditate; however, I assume that random daydreaming works.

Turn on the Music – This is one that I use.  A lot.  The music playing also depends on my mood.  However,  the outcome is pretty much the same.  I get motivated!  I also have found that the tempo of the music affects my creative process.  You get it, right?  I know you do.  (Housework + music = creative cleaning.)

Find something to laugh about or just plain laugh out loud for no particular reason –   Laughing boosts the brain’s “feel good” center.  It boosts your mood, your decision making abilities and your emotions.  Don’t feel creative?  In a slump?  Start laughing!  People might think you’ve lost your mind… but we know better.

Write or draw something with your non-dominate hand – Your brain has two hemispheres (you know that right?), using your non-dominate hand forces the two “sides” to work together more than if you just use your dominate hand.  This also affects your ability to think creatively.  “By activating the right brain so that it works with the left brain, we are able to unlock powerful though processes.” (quote in an article by Jyl Lytle).  Artists already understand this and a common warm-up exercise is to draw (or begin) their subject with the non-dominate hand.  (When I do it, my “subject” looks like it was drawn by someone who is falling down drunk!)

Talk to people. Look at what others are doing – I’m certainly not suggesting that you “steal” ideas, images, etc.  Talk to people who do what you do.  Brainstorming often unleashes ideas and new approaches to all kinds of different things!  Surf the web in general or specific sites.  Sometimes, we just need a few visuals to get going again.

Look around you – There’s inspiration all around us!  STOP and smell those roses!  Colors, nature, emotions… those are things that inspire me and often help me when I’m in a creative slump.

These are just a few ideas.  You probably already have one or two things already that work for you when you experience those times when you just don’t feel creative.  I can honestly say, that just by writing this blog today, my mind is a lot more awake and creatively thinking than when I opened up my laptop.

Just don’t feel creative?  Don’t worry…  it won’t last.  Your creative juices are right there in your brain.  They just need you to prime the pump to get them flowing.

#karrencaseart #feel creative #getcreative

 

 

 

No more chocolate?!  Please say it ain’t so!

I recently saw an article regarding the depressing fact the world could be without chocolate by 2020.   My reaction was, of course, a rapid heart rate combined with an increase in whatever causes the fight or flight response.  It put me into a temporary state of panic.  I LOVE chocolate.  Especially milk chocolate.  Not so crazy about the darks.  Yes, I love chocolate.  I even like using the many colors of chocolate in paintings.

Ok, I don’t live for chocolate, but chocolate does help me to live!  It’s been helping me to live most of my life.  My addiction started probably while I was still wearing diapers.  Truthfully, I’ll still be addicted when I go BACK into wearing diapers.. the adult kind.  I will go to my grave loving chocolate.  If I think about it, I can conjure up many happy memories of events that included chocolate.  Bet you can too.  I can also remember events involving chocolate that weren’t so happy.  Like the time I left a chocolate mint in my jeans pocket and didn’t remember it was there until I had a dark mess to deal with.  Or having a kid that got a sick stomach after eating chocolate…. I wanted to get sick with her.  Yikes.

Not Our First “No Chocolate in the Future” Warning

After I calmed down, I realized that this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this news.

We’ve been warned about having no chocolate in the future for a long time.  Red flags about the marvelous cocoa beans, from which our beloved chocolate products are made, began being waved back in 2010.  I just didn’t remember.  I mean, as long as I’m still seeing it on the shelves… I’m happy!  And oblivious to any impending doom.

The world consumes more chocolate than growers of the cocoa been can provide.  Did you know that it takes around 400 beans to make one pound of chocolate?  Can you just imagine how many pounds of chocolate people eat every year?  Sadly, I’m part of the problem.  I have a candy jar full of  “fun size” snickers, several boxes of brownie mix in the pantry, and a bottle of syrup in the refrigerator at this very moment.  Bring me chocolate covered strawberries and I’m over the moon.

The continued rise in the demand for chocolate probably isn’t going to slow down.  I read that countries like China and India also have a high demand for chocolate.  Looks like they’re taking more than just our manufacturing and telecommunications jobs!  Now they’re taking our chocolate!  Just kidding, MANY countries have this sweet addiction too.

Chocolate Has Been Part of the World’s History for… Ever??

I refuse to believe that we won’t overcome the threat of having no chocolate in our future.  It has a long and close history with humans.  It’s considered the world’s “greatest confection”.   Did you know…

•  For most of it’s history, chocolate has been consumed as a liquid, not as a solid.  Its been recorded that Montezuma drank up to 50 cups a day from a gold chalice.
• Benjamin Franklin sold chocolate in his print shop in Philadelphia
• In World War II, the Nazi’s at one time considered killing Winston Churchill using a chocolate bar with an explosive
• During the Revolutionary War, soldiers were often paid … in chocolate.  Not chocolate play money…. chocolate.
• According to the ancient Mayans and Aztecs, it’s the “food of the gods”
• The blood in Psycho’s famous shower scene was actually chocolate syrup.
• Dark chocolate has as much caffeine as a Coca-Cola?

It also has a tremendous effect on our senses.  Eating chocolate can give a mental high greater than one gotten from kissing.  This must be why so many women want chocolate after a breakup!  It makes them feel loved.  Want more fun facts?  Check out an article by James Grebey on BuzzFeed.com.

Chocolate Companies in the Fight Against No Chocolate In Our Future

Thank goodness for giant chocolate producing companies like Hershey’s and Mars and a few others.  These companies are right there on the front lines.  Of course, they are!  Producing chocolate products is a multi-billion dollar industry.  Since the earliest warnings about the rise in demand for and the fall of production of cocoa beans, these companies have spent close to (maybe more by now) a billion dollars trying to save the industry.  I include them in my list of everyday heroes.

70% of the world’s cocoa is produced on the Ivory Coast in in Ghana.  These are areas that have been suffering.  No more chocolate in our future?  There are lots of reasons for the decline in production of cocoa beans.  If you go on the internet and do some research, you’ll find out about fungus, crop failure, farmers giving up on the crop for other crops, lack of understanding good agricultural practices, and that farmers are giving up on farming and moving to better paying jobs in cities.  Money is being spent to help change this.

These companies are also looking at alternatives to the cocoa bean.  Like jackfruit.  Never heard of it?  Me neither.  According to an article by the American Chemical Society in March of 2017, jackfruit seeds “produce many of the same aromas as processed by the cocoa bean.”  Remember your high school science classes… our ability to smell highly influences our tastebuds.  These beans must have many of the same compounds as cocoa beans.  So, let’s hear it for Jackfruit!!!

No Chocolate in Our Future? 

Deep down, I don’t believe it.  What I do believe is that there is a cocoa bean producing problem and that we will find a solution.  As for me, I will continue to buy and eat chocolate in its many forms.  And occasionally, paint pictures with colors that remind me of it.  Geez, now I’m thinking about chocolate swirled ice cream.  Reminder to self… add that to the grocery list.

#karrencaseart #chocolateinourfuture #declineinchocolate

 

It’s that time of year again!  New Year Resolutions!  Yep, people are talking (and writing).  Well, it’s a long and accepted tradition.  One I will not be participating in.  I’m saying no to making or writing down new year resolutions.  I guess I would have to say that I’m a realist who occasionally experiences periods of optimism.  The reality for me is… it’s a waste of time.

The practice of new year resolutions can be traced all the way back to the ancient Babylonians.  According to a really interesting article by Alison Kroulek earlier in 2017, these early people made resolutions to keep themselves in good standing with their gods.  I’m thinking they also made them to keep in good standing (or to at least show an effort) with their neighbors!  You know, things like, “I will return that reed basket I borrowed as soon as I finish with it… not six months later.”  “I will keep my donkey from leaving droppings in your yard.”  Being a better neighbor got them points.

The making of new year resolutions was also a popular practice with the ancient Romans.  They offered up resolutions to Janus, the god of beginnings, endings, and the (can you guess?)… new year!  Studies also show that the progression of the concept of new year resolutions was most likely due to the spread of the Protestant movement through Europe and beyond.  Well, eventually the religious aspect was lost and the making of new year resolutions become more of a social thing.  And now that we have facebook and twitter, we get to see and share them!!  Whoopee.

Ok, so do YOU make new year resolutions?  Or, like me, do you just say No.  Want some statistics from 2017?  Too bad, here are a few.  According to statisticbrain.com, 41% of Americans make resolutions.  42% of Americans never make resolutions.  That leaves 17% who from time to time, will make some.  Of those who DO make new year resolutions, slightly over 9% feel that they succeed in attaining their goals.  Last year, the top resolutions had to do with “getting healthier” and “spending less/saving more”.   However, they way I see it, we spend money to attempt to get healthier… so we just blew the second resolution.  Another top resolution in 2017 was to “read more”.  Now I LOVE to read.  However, in the age of youtube and audio books… I kind of figure that’s another resolution not attained for a lot of people.  And the “be kinder” resolution?  Yeah right. Turn on the news.

I say NO to new year resolutions, but if you say YES then I applaud you.  They are supposed to be good motivators.  Not for me.  I’ve tried.  Years ago.  I find, they just aggravate me.  If there is something I need to be better at, or to attain to, I don’t need to write them down at the beginning of a new year.  I remind myself pretty much every day, that I have these things to strive for.  Well, that’s me.  May your resolutions be obtainable and fruitful.

Happy New Year.

#karrencaseart #newyearresolutions #nonewyearresolutions

During this time of year, I often wish I could see Christmas through the eyes of a child.  I remember there was a time when I once could.  Of course I WAS a child at the time.

Growing up in my family, any mention of the season until after Thanksgiving would result in a stern lecture from my dad and a stern glance from mom.  There would be no Christmas through the eyes of a child, teenager, young adult, any immediate family member until the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers were completely used up.  Ah, but once the fridge was at last empty of any reminders of Turkey Day it was all systems go!  At last… the Christmas season could officially begin!

Christmas through the eyes of a child, for me, began with the excitement of getting the tree!  The tree, the tree!  The picking out of the tree!  The smells, the decorating, the lights!  And as I got older, “who forgot to water the tree!  Get the broom!”  I think Christmas trees are an important part of seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child.  I wish all who wanted one could have them.  For years while growing up, we would have a real tree.  Then one day my dad came home with something different.  A fake silver foil tree.  It was all the rage at the time and my dad loved new fangled things.  He was seeing Christmas through, well, HIS eyes.  Once he added the three color lighted wheel, Christmas through the eyes of a child took on a whole ‘nother concept.  We went from traditional to modern the minute the last silvery plume was attached and he plugged in that three colored revolving light.  We all sat in the darkened living room and got slowly hypnotized.  I had to rethink Christmas trees for the next four or five years.  They weren’t green anymore.  Not at our house.

Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child absolutely has to include the thrill of what’s under the tree as well.  Presents!  At my house, they weren’t just under the tree.  They were hidden on it, behind it, and everywhere else that something could be stashed.  As I got older, part of the fun of the season was trying to find all those hidden presents that weren’t wrapped yet.  And we would.  Ok, I would.  My brothers weren’t as good at it as I was.  Or maybe they weren’t as devious.  Like others of my generation, when I was growing up we only got presents at Christmas and on birthdays.  Other holidays might include candy, but real presents happened only twice a year.  Now that I’m an adult… well, presents come whenever the amazon boxes show up on my doorstep.  Which is, sadly, often.  I want it, I want it!  Yep that inner child lives on.  So, this time of year,  I wrap what I have ordered for myself and stick it under the tree.  Yippee!!  Presents!!

Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child is about colors, lights, sounds, smells, anticipation, wonderment, a bit of greed (come on, the minute the holiday catalogs show up we ALL experience it), holiday goodies!  It’s the taking in of everything related to the season!  (It’s also about whining, tantrums, etc., but that’s NOT what we’re focusing on here.)  It’s not about how many bills need to be paid.  Our adult aches and pains.  Who has to travel where.  “Great, we have to spend it there, with them,  again?!  Why can’t they come THIS way!”  “We spent how much?!”  “How much did they spend on us?!”  That’s certainly not Christmas through the eyes of a child, though it is… childish.

I don’t want to be childish, but I do want to be child like!  I want to see Christmas through the eyes of a child with the same wonder, excitement, and anticipation that children feel.  It takes some work, but I’m doing it.  I’m taking in the sights, the lights, the sounds, the treats, the shows of the holiday season.  Thank you Hallmark Channel!  I love this time of the year with the Hallmark Channel.  (Stop rolling your eyes.)  Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!  Elf!  All the shows, programs, festivals, and events of the season, non-secular and secular, are there for us to see.  It should be a time of enjoyment.  Try and forget, even if just for a little while, each day, those things that cause you worry, sadness, concern.  Find time to be wide-eyed with wonder, with joy, with anticipation!  The holiday season will be gone soon.  So for it’s duration, I intend to try and see Christmas through the eyes of a child… like I used to do.

#dripsstrokessplatters #karrencaseart #christmasthroughtheeyesofachild #christmaspainting

 

Gee, where do I start?  Anyone who has ever shared their life with one or more four-legged babies, knows that dealing with the loss of a pet is, in a word hard.  I can think of more words, you probably can too.  This past year has been a hard one for people with pets.  Hurricanes, fires, tornadoes.  My emotional heart hurts not only for the people who suffer loss, but for the animals that never understood what was coming.  I feel empathy and am so sorry for the people in California right now, but I think I hurt more for the animals who have no way out.  Right now I am dealing with the loss.  Another pet.  Since June 1st of this year, we have lost four very loved four legged family members.

Back in early spring, a young neighborhood stray, a cat, had become (sort of) ours. We named her Kitty.  (Yeah… really original).  I finally got her where I could hold her and was able to get her vaccinated and spayed (this was after we discovered she was already knocked up and the birth of her litter who I sincerely hope are all in good homes).  She lost her life to a stray coyote that got into the yard.  A couple months later, two of our dogs had to be put down within three weeks of each other.  Pepper, our sweet rescue Yorkie got dealt a bad hand in the health department.  She had both pancreatitis and liver problems.  We fought a good fight, but the liver disease won.  She was only about 9 years old and I had only had her for three years.  Not long enough.  Our 16 year old retriever, Casey, had been dealing with quite a few old age issues for a while.  We knew our time with her was coming to an end, but you’re never truly ready.  My husband misses her terribly.  They were truly a “bonded pair”.  Two days ago, our 16 year old housecat, Nala, suffered a stroke.  She passed away on the way to the emergency vet hospital.  It was actually a blessing.  She was in bad shape.

Yes, there’s been a LOT of crying the past several months and my heart continues to feel the loss.  Pets are family and when dealing with the loss of a pet it is natural (and healing) to grieve, just don’t let the grief overwhelm you.  One good thing, we still have NuNu, another house cat.  She probably isn’t feeling very secure right now.  All her pals keep disappearing.  Though there has been a lot of crying, there has also been a lot of remembering.  I remember the fun times, the times they made me want to pull my hair out, the silly things each one did, the love they gave in return.  I am grateful for the time we had together, good and bad.  To conclude this, there are many things we say to ourselves and to others that suffer a loss of either a two-legged loved one, a four-legged loved one, the loved ones of all kinds.  Of all those things we say or hear or have read, I really like this one and have often said something like it to others as well as to myself…

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” — Dr. Seuss

What happened, what we should smile about, were the good times and the life that was shared during the long, or sometimes short, time we had with them.  Smile with me.

#karrencaseart  #petloss  #dripsstrokessplatters

When I was growing up, one of my favorite places to visit every summer, and oftentimes around Thanksgiving, was grandma and grandpa Miller’s farm in Claremore, Oklahoma.  It was a wonderful place for any kid to hang out and I thank my lucky stars that mom was a farm girl.  It was, for me, better than any amusement park anywhere.  I have many fond memories and many, many stories that could be told of wonderful adventures in the pastures, in the barn, the woods, the house, the garden, the chicken coop, the old outhouse (yeah, there are stories there too!), my word, the list could go on and on.  One thing that will I will always carry with me from those days long ago was that no matter what was going on.. anywhere.. the farm was a positive place to be.  A lot of that positivity came from the man who was behind that farm.  My grandfather.  He was always pointing out the positive side of things around me.  Stepped in a cow pie? (for you city folks, that’s pure straight up, right from the source, manure… also known as cow poop.)  Don’t worry, you’re wearing boots!  Don’t worry, it’ll wash right off!  Stepped on a snake?  Don’t worry, he’s trying to get away from you too!  Don’t worry, THAT one isn’t poisonous.  For me, for the family, for people he knew, grandpa was a source of wisdom, understanding, and a way to find something positive for dealing with whatever came your way.  Have to admit though, finding the positive in today’s environment with all the things that come our way, is a real challenge.

So…. finding the positive when you’re painting can often be a challenge too (and I’m not talking about how you feel or how others feel about your artwork.  THAT is a whole different subject matter).  I’m talking about a specific style of painting often referred to as “negative painting”.  Sounds wonderful!  Right? “Hey guys, let’s do a negative painting today!”  Wow.  Anyway, I’m not fond of doing it … at least with watercolors.  Truthfully, negative painting can be beautiful, I usually screw it up.  However, with acrylics… was I surprised!  And there’s more than one way to do it.  Lucky for me.

This particular piece which I’ve titled “Flowers From the Farm”, was actually FUN.  A lot of fun, which is probably why so many artists do it.  I must admit, this style of painting is very, very different from what I usually do.  Which is probably why I haven’t tried it before with this medium.  Anyway… It’s done by putting down a background of various colors all over the canvas, then looking for shapes within those colors.  Once you identify those shapes you want as part of your final painting, you use a solid color to paint around those shapes you’ve deemed worth holding on to.  The shapes you hold on to are the “positive” space and everything else is the “negative” space.  Discard the negative space that doesn’t add to or help your painting, and hold on to the positive space!  Hey, it’s a LIFE lesson!  Haven’t we heard this same advice most of our lives?  Find the positive, eliminate the negative, and “son of a gun!” … things look a whole lot better!

#karrencaseart #mckinneytexas #acrylicpainting #findthepositive #floralpainting

 

I am a member of the Art Club of McKinney.  Every month we have a guest artist as our speaker who also gives us a fantastic demonstration in one of the mediums that they are known for.  At our last meeting, our guest presenter was Murry Whiteman who is an award winning artist with over 30 years in graphic design and illustration.

Of all the tips and insights he gave us, two hit home for me.  First,   you (i.e. the artist) are not a camera.  Second, tell a story.  This second part is something I often remind myself to try and do, especially if there is a face or figure in my artwork.  Sometimes no story is necessary.  A pear painted in the middle of the canvas is … well… probably just that, unless the artist wants YOU to make up your own story and adds something to the pear.  Like a bite mark or something really strange in which case you start wondering “why” and “what the heck”.  You (the viewer) then become the storyteller and the cool thing is, your story will most likely be different from someone else looking at the same painting.

SO… back to telling a story.  I have titled this painting (which, by the way, is a mixed media collage)  “Home”.  Now you decide what her story is.  I can think of  several.

No matter what we think we have planned, lo and behold said plan quite often doesn’t follow “the plan” and we get thrown for a loop.  For instance, when we bought this house, we knew that at some point we would have to do some foundation work.  We planned on it being several years away.  Wrong!  When I bought my last smartphone, we included insurance.  We planned ahead in case something happened.  Which it did because I, apparently, can be a huge klutz when taking pictures (of the work being done to shore up the foundation).

Another thing, my bathroom sink hasn’t been draining as well as it should.  I planned on doing something about it… really.  This morning, I ran drain cleaner down it.  This afternoon, I ran downstairs to let my husband know that there was water all over the bottom of the cabinet under the sink.

Recently, i bought a big box of disposable gloves for when I do art projects involving things that could stain my hands.  A smart plan.  However… they made my hands sweat which made those suckers stick like glue.  Didn’t think they were ever coming off!  Yep, we plan and life laughs.  And when life laughs at me, I either laugh back or yell.  OR… quite often… I just paint.

#karrencaseart #watercolor #McKinney Texas