Clay Paintings

Over the last year, I’ve been doing a lot of drawing and doodling with no agenda in mind. I’m just letting my brush or pen take me where it wants to go. If I see a line I like, I follow it. If a color jumps out, I swoosh it on my brush and onto the paper. 

I’ll admit, my first art class was a landscape watercolor class at a small local gallery when I was in high school. I was surrounded by very serious people with way more talent and expertise than me. But, I hung in there. I watched. I mixed colors. And my favorite thing was using the wet into wet watercolor technique. 

I’ve taken many art classes since then, which might make its own blog, but here’s the thing: I don’t call myself a painter. Ever. 

Relaxing and recovering. 

When I had my surgery, I needed something to do. A way to create. A way to get back into my playful spirit. Watercolors and gel pens were just what I needed. 

I filled a sketch book with landscapes, flowers, trees, blue skies and sunsets. That’s all. Simple. Easy. Not art with a capitol A. They started to pile up, so I had to find a shelf in my studio to keep them out of the way. 

But I think they had other plans. 

The mystery of art. 

When I threw clay on my wheel, I knew what I was going to make: cups, bowls, and  vases. But that’s not always the case when I roll out a clay slab. Over the last year or so, things began to slowly change. My slabs sprouted petals and leaves and stems. Some were landscapes.

What I didn’t see then is that I’d already made them, I just didn’t know it. 

Down on a bottom shelf in my studio was a pile of papers from my drawing pad. In the pile were flowers and landscapes and sunsets that I’d drawn or painted when I couldn’t do clay. I did them and stacked them on a shelf and moved on. Or so I thought.  

The painted flower 

The tulips

The orchid

All went from doodles on paper to reliefs on clay. 

So I’ve decided to call them Clay Paintings.  

What do you think?

Restore

While my word of the year is still, enjoy, new words are popping up all around me. These three words came from  a wonderful free, online gathering with Tara Mohr. Reclaim. Restore. Reimagine. I felt an instant connection with all three. 

And at first, I focused on reimagine as a way to get myself back on the creative track. But it didn’t seem to work. The harder I tried to ‘reimagine’ the further away things seemed. I journaled and doodled and crocheted, but my imagining got me nowhere. 

Giving in isn’t giving up. 

I knew what I had to do: give in. Trying and pushing and thinking was not the way to get my creative train moving. So I gave up. I stopped pushing. I gave up trying. And although, it’s really  hard for me to not do it, I didn’t think through everything around me. 

I stared out the window. I watched the snow fall and the sky change and the day move. And I got it. Just by looking across the room at the wall. 

What’s in the word restore?

 

The word REST. Yup. Duh. Hello? What I really needed to get my creative juices moving? REST! And then, to wait for the ORE, which is defined as the metal substance that lies within a rock. Gold is an example of an ore. What is gold? Precious metal that lies hidden within a rough, hard surface. And it takes time for it to change into gold. 

I had to laugh. And then, I reprinted the word like this: REST ore. 

Laughing and moving on. 

Sometimes, I just don’t see what’s right in front of me. But as I once told my kids when they were pointing out the obvious problem in a friends life: it’s always easy to see the forest for the trees in someone else’s forest. 

Suddenly, I had energy. I knew what I wanted to do next. So I got out my sandpaper and wax and got those Lily vases on my shelf ready for glazing. Then the next day, I woke up energized and ready to glaze.

Next thing I knew, the kiln was full and ready to fire. Voila. 

New Lily Vases.  New Luminaires.  New ‘Wish’ Bowls 

I’m glad I saw the trees, finally. And all it took, was time to RESTore. Try it and see for yourself. 

Enjoy: Experimenting

 

Entering this new year, I felt a little lost. How was I feeling now? Where did I want to go? What did I want to do. These are questions I haven’t looked into in the last few years because all I could focus on in those years was survival.  Maybe you feel the same. 

Taking an online workshop this week, I was able to see it all more clearly. Tara Mohr presented a free workshop called “Restore and Reimagine”. As I listened to the recording, I felt calmer and more centered. Hearing other women talk about how they were feeling in this new year, I felt less alone. 

Restore. Reclaim. 

I love words and I respect their power. Words can challenge and comfort, give insight and inspiration. When I pick my word of the year, I look for one that helps me move forward. I also look for phrases and quotes. I mix and match all this with sketches, small watercolors and pictures and make a collage on my studio bulletin board. And I put some up on my refrigerator. 

Phrases like: ‘take life back’ and ‘fresh start’ popped up. I wasn’t sure what they meant for me or my art, but I put them up anyway. The online workshop helped me see these phrases more clearly. What I really wanted was not to go back to my old life back but to restore and reclaim my life now. 

How do I do that? Reimagine. 

I had so many things fall apart around me. Closures. Shows. Work routines. Home disasters. I worked hard in and around it all. I knew what I had loved to do and make. But now it’s time to take stock. It’s time to ask questions and open up to new ideas. What do I want to create? Where do I want to be? What brings me enjoyment? 

One thing I enjoy is color. When I was 16 years old, I started doing watercolors and now I do clay. I wondered: what would happen if I did both? Is it possible? And how would it work? I let go of the questions and decided to let myself reimagine. 

Rolling clay, smooth and soft

Mixing watery sunset colors

Washing a sky 

Tilting and turning and dripping

Trees appear  

Enjoying the flow

2023 Word of the Year: Enjoy

 

I’ve been doing a word of the year since 2010. I didn’t realize it’s been 13 years! And maybe that’s why it’s taken me a while to come up with this year’s word. With over a dozen good words already in the past, it was a bit of a struggle to come up with another one. 

I saw the real question going through my head was, why? Why do I feel the need to have a new word for the new year? Maybe after 13 years, I’ve used all the good ones? Maybe I don’t need one anymore? Then why did I have such a long list?

13 wise words in 13 years. 

Here’s a list of the past Words of the Year:

Freedom

Trust

Strength

Live

Flow, Faith

Curiosity

Hope

Understanding

Believe

Act

Heal

Shine

I can clearly see how these words helped me through my life. Some gave me a light to follow through dark times. Some supported me. Some encouraged me. Some asked me to try new ideas or feelings. Others sparked new creative ideas. 

The last 4 words from 2019 to 2022 inspired me to create word bowls. I used the word of the year in the bowl, then surrounded it with ways to use it in daily life. Each bowl could be a little guide to follow with your cereal in the morning. Or support you at your desk at work or your coffee table at home. 

Which word now?

Making some new bowls in December, a new word appeared: wish. I thought, great! Here’s my word of the year. But as the month went on I wasn’t sure. 

While I let it sit in the background, some phrases popped up: Fresh Start and Take My Life Back. After Covid, quarantine and our home’s flood these phrases seemed like good guides for the new year.

But I wanted a word. So like I always do, I made a list. The long list boiled down to five good words: wish, breathe, create, joy and enjoy. I was leaning toward wish, since I’d already started two new bowls. Then one morning I woke from a dream where a woman reached out and tapped me on the arm and said, “Enjoy it a little.”

Wise words. 

Yes, some days are stressful and scary. 

But quickly days turn into months and years. 

Maybe just for today, I can enjoy it a little. 

Goodbye Shine

Every year, I pick a word of the year. Why do I do it? To help me step from the old year into the new. And words are important to me. For many years, I made my living using words. Even now, working in clay, many of my pieces have words on them, in them, around them. 

I’ve always loved to read. As a child the library was a place of wonder and delight. Books were my safe space. A place to go and learn and imagine a life different than my own. Now, I look to words for guidance, inspiration, and comfort. 

Shine?

Last year’s word was Shine. I look back at it and wonder. Really? Shine? At the time, my water damaged kitchen was in pieces: the sink was plastic, the kind you see at outdoor festival bathrooms, the floor was dug up like an archeological dig of the past, countertops and cupboards were missing. 

I know, I was being hopeful and optimistic and determined. I was going to ‘shine on’ anyway. I was not going to let it all get me down. I was going to fight to get what was needed to make my home whole again. I tried. Some days it worked, some not.

Shine through anyway. 

As always, art saved me. Throwing and rolling clay in my studio lightened my spirit. Even spending months in a hotel without my studio space, I painted with old watercolors. I crocheted baskets, hats and a small throw. 

Ok, I also watched a lot of HGTV. I saw old termite infested houses rebuilt. Viewed some amazing redesigned kitchens and bathrooms with gleaming tile, countertops and floors. I looked at all of this while my own home was getting torn apart. It took months but, finally all the messy pieces became whole again. Now, my countertops, sink and floors ‘shine’, too. 

Goodbye 2022.

It’s been a year. If I’m really honest, I’m relieved to say goodbye to 2022. It was challenging on so many levels. But then, so have the last three years! With all that’s happened, I really don’t know what to expect. I tried to ‘shine on’ in spite of it all. But like many, I’m burned out and tired of the worry and the stress.  

But maybe,

Just maybe, 

I’ll find a new word to give me, and maybe you, a little light to follow into this next year.  

February Love Story #3

It’s another week in February and another way to focus on love. 

Welcome to week three of February love stories where I’m focusing on things in my life that make me happy in body, mind, heart and soul. It’s so easy for me to go through my days in a kind of work haze: to do, do, done and more to do. 

While I love to be busy creating with my hands in clay, I don’t want to forget all the connections I make in and around me that bring peace and joy. And places that open my eyes and inspire ideas. 

Life is a walk in the park. 

I know, since 2020, nothing has felt that way. Right? It’s not been an easy three years, but  even on my worst days when fear surrounded me, my park was there. 

Calm waters waiting. Green grass growing. Peaceful reflections. 

Leaves changing. Geese migrating. 

Deer and fawns running through the woods.

Sun, snow or rain. 

No matter what the weather, I walk. Even when water is dripping down off my hood, there is so much beauty around to see. I’ve seen more otters swimming in the lake on rainy days. And geese landing with a slide across the ice. 

Snow covered tree limbs and bridges.  

Heron hanging out and flying closer to the path.

The best of all medicine: Laughter. 

Yes, even during covid, there were little feet running around the park playgrounds. It’s one of the things that lifted my heart and soul. When schools were closed, the park was open and  children were learning. 

Swinging. Sliding. Climbing. 

Exploring the bridges. And playing in the woods.

Natural inspiration. 

Walking is, of course, great exercise. It’s a great workout for my muscles and my heart. But it also strengthens my imagination. And stretches my creativity, loosens my feelings and brings new ideas to the surface that grow into new pieces of art. 

I love my neighborhood park.

   

More digging. More discovery.

 

In the last month, I’ve been digging deep. I could blame it on covid or the flood in my kitchen. I see it’s a combination of both that’s sent me into the dark, dusty corners of every closet and drawer in my home. 

First, I excavated a 4 drawer file cabinet, a smaller file cabinet and some shelves in my studio. I wrote about it hopefully, thinking I had cleared enough of the old to start anew. Alas, I was just beginning the dig. 

Everything and the kitchen sink. 

One day as I was doing the dishes in the laundry room(our current kitchen), I looked up and wondered. What was in all those cupboards? Yup, time for another dig. From there the dig site expanded to the pantry, kitchen cupboards, desk drawers and shelves and the closet under the stairs. 

From used up candles, batteries and Christmas light bulbs to flip phones, cds and a telephone book, yes many pieces of past lives were uncovered. I found tooth fairy treasures, prom pictures and a note my dear Gram sent to me when I was in college with a box of chocolate chip cookies. Please note: no crumbs were found. 

Piles grew. Somethings went to Goodwill. Some were given away. Some were recycled. And some like report cards, test scores and prom pictures went back into the hands of my children, now grown. Colorfully crayoned, handmade Mother’s Day cards and notes were sweetly tucked away again. 

Deep discovery. 

In the cupboard under the stairs, I found rows of paintings. Oil on canvas. Watercolor landscapes. Framed acrylics. And pastel portraits of my children. All packed away and forgotten. 

Once upon a time, I spent time painting on canvas or paper, drawing in pastel, using pen and ink over watercolors. None were signed or dated. I didn’t think about it at the time, I just did it. Then I put them in the closet. And forgot them. Completely.  

Creative digging. 

Ever since the flood in my kitchen, I’ve been unable to throw, roll, underglaze or glaze. Part of my damaged kitchen cabinets were pushed up against my kiln, so I can’t use it. And I see now, all that creative energy went amuck mucking out drawers, shelves and closets. 

Now, I don’t regret it. Clearing out is always refreshing. And the dig revealed sweet family treasures from the past. But the biggest discovery for me, was not just the old art I’d done, but the fact that I’ve always found a way to make art. Whether I had minutes, hours or days, with only scraps of paper, cloth, canvas, or clay, I found a way. 

So even if I can’t do clay right now, that’s all right. All I have to do is follow the dotted lines or colorful drips wherever they lead me. Who knows what I might dig up and discover?

Goodbye Act. Hello ?

 

Every year, I pick a word of the year. I look at it as a light, a guide, a mantra, maybe even a marching order. The word for 2020 was ‘act’. Yeah. 

A year ago, there was no pandemic. No stay-at-home orders. No masks. No social distancing. No one knew what COVID was. No one was afraid, out of work, hospitalized or dying. Children were playing in playgrounds, going to school and running around with their friends. Shops and restaurants and galleries were open. People were working and shopping and looking forward. 

Acting on my word. 

Even with everything closed down, I worked. I threw and trimmed and painted and glazed. I was determined to keep creating. And I knew that creating, for me, was the best way to stay healthy. When I work with my hands, my mind relaxes. Throwing works my muscles and helps me stay strong. 

When everything else seemed to stop, my best act was to keep going in my studio. I made teacups for the first time. Trimming those delicate little feet took a lot of concentration that stopped my spinning thoughts. 

Act started to appear in my bowls giving me new thoughts. 

Act Brave.

Act Kind.

Act True. 

Acting in my own behalf. 

This phrase kept appearing in my journaling. I was a bit surprised because I always thought I did a good job of taking care of myself. But looking deeper, I realized, I did a much better job of acting on behalf of others like my husband, my children and even, my dog than I did on myself. 

Many, many times in my life, I’ve kept my mouth shut. Put up with abuse. Waited and waited to be asked, recognized, heard and seen. I kept my ideas, opinions and feelings to myself. I realized that many, many times, I did not act when I could or should have. 

Act helped me this year. Even with the pandemic fears, I acted. I worked. I created. I showed my ceramics. Instead of always depending on some organization or somewhere else, I learned to sell my art myself. I put my art on Etsy. I did social media promotions. 

I did act. In spite of all the closures and cancellations and quarantines, I acted. I acted brave by promoting my own art. I acted kind by going out safely with mask, sanitizer and social distancing. I acted with love by taking care of myself, my husband, my children and grandchildren. I acted true by voting with my mind and heart. 

What will be the word for 2021?

After this year, I have no idea what 2021 will bring. I don’t know what word could possibly help us move beyond this year into a better one. 

And the only act I want to take right now, on this New Year’s Eve, is say goodbye 2020!