Flattening the Curve, Day 44

Hello friends. Today is the forty-fourth day that I have been on mandated leave from my government job due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and today, Friday, I am here to feature another of my favorite art and creativity podcasts.

When I first heard Brooklyn, New York collage artist Luis Martin of the Studio Confessions podcast say that one of his goals with his podcast is to share how to activate your creativity to live an inspired and beautiful life, I was hooked.

For as an aspiring artist, armchair anthropologist and lover of philosophy, making something - initiating, setting ideas into motion, developing concepts - all require, for me anyway, the ability to connect with the world aesthetically.

But I digress...

On the podcast, Luis conducts interesting conversations with collagists, painters, authors and writers about the creative process and what inspires them, and culture makers such as arts administrators and curators about the business side of art.

Luis also gives museum tours via live podcasting, sending a virtual educational postcard to your ears. Some of the museums featured have been The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (his hometown), New York's El Museo Del Barrio and The Metropolitan Museum. With his extensive knowledge of art and culture, and as an arts educator, Luis brings the museum experience alive and offers practical tips for potential museum goers.

But I would say that it's his poetic monologues that get to the heart of what, as a professional artist and culture maker himself, Luis thinks and feels about art and culture, especially in this time of quarantine. For example, in his most recent expression, Sketches of the Future and a door to meditation, Luis acknowledges the grief, anger and sadness that we all feel about our current world pandemic. And yet, out of our processing of this predicament, it is a call to action. A summons for artists to fully embrace this moment in time to articulate those issues which our society seriously needs to confront - to hold up a mirror, to question. And ultimately, to utilize artistic expression to help society realize its potential for the good of all.

You can find Luis Martin on Instagram as artengineer and visit his website to see the full scope of his talents and offerings at Luis Martin The Art Engineer. And you must read Ava Darling and the bubble, an Existential Fairytale About the Wonder of Being.

Thank you for reading and I hope you are able to stay home, stay safe.

Till next time.

Flattening the Curve, Day 43

Sanctuary of the Esquiline Venus

Hello friends. Today is my forty-third day of mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As I wait for an end to this world health crisis I continue on with a collage practice almost daily.

With this collage, titled Sanctuary of the Esquiline Venus, I was attempting to keep myself confined to working with the Esquiline figure and the pink and blue sheet music, adding just a bit more embellishment. What I ended up with though, is quite a bit more decoration than I had envisioned.

The piece began with the sheet music. Once I cut the section I wanted to use from the sheet music book, I was initially drawn to the idea of juxtaposing it with a figure of some kind, so I paged through a copy of The Horizon Book of Ancient Greece. I chose the Esquiline Venus because of its simplicity.

Once I had those two main pieces sitting next to each other, I knew I wanted to place a large floral element behind the figure and keep that area on the left side open. Then I had the idea to add the climbing vine to the figure. Once I did that it seemed like the sheet music needed some detail.

So much for trying to confine myself to just a few elements! I've discovered that I rather like tiny details and the painstaking process of cutting the thinnest of lines and the curviest of curves. But I do like the idea of the modern sheet music and the ancient marble sculpture placed side by side. It feels new and exciting - like in this sanctuary there is a 'good vibration', if you will. Maybe it's a refuge for kingfisher birds, which no doubt need such a place in the real world.

Thank you for looking and I do hope you have a creative practice that you are able to work on while you stay home and stay safe.

Take care and see you again soon.

 

Flattening the Curve, Day 41

Hello friends. Today is the forty-first day of my mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic here in the state of Oregon.

Last week Governor Kate Brown released Reopening Oregon: A Public Health Framework for Restarting Public Life and Business with the goal being to keep the curve flattened. It has been known since early March that putting in place protective measures to flatten the curve would guard against an unprecedented number of coronavirus cases, keep vital health care services from becoming overwhelmed with patients, and allow the state to properly address testing and readiness needs.

The lifting of restrictions will not take place until certain criteria are met. For example, there must be a downward trajectory of illnesses and cases for at least 14 days and hospitals must be able to treat all patients without crisis care. Of course, testing and contact tracing, along with ensuring hospitals have adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are prepared for a surge of patients are also part of that criteria.

The plan will then shift to protecting the health and safety of workers, with an emphasis on keeping social distancing and face coverings rules in place. Continual monitoring to mitigate rebounds or outbreaks will determine whether any of the three phases (lifting of restrictions) will be restarted or if there will be a return to an earlier phase. (The details of the three phases are in the above link.)

What this means is that we Oregonians will still be in this quarantine for awhile. We must await the Governor's direction before any of the reopening phases can begin.

Which, for me, means I will continue to be out on mandatory leave and I won't be able to see my mom, who lives in a care facility, for several more weeks.

And so, we continue to wait.

Thank you for reading and I hope you and your family are able to stay safe.

 

Flattening the Curve, Day 40

Hello friends. Today is the fortieth day of my mandatory leave from my government job due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Like so many of you, our family has been quarantined under a stay at home order and I've been documenting my thoughts, feelings and experiences here on the blog since the first day I was mandated to stay home.

Do you have a loved one living at a care-giving center? I do. My elderly mom lives in a skilled nursing home in my neighborhood. I have not been able to visit her since March 11th when they stopped allowing visitors due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Today I went there to deliver a bouquet of flowers and a card to my mom. These gifts are allowed however I had to ring a bell at the entrance and a staff member came and accepted the items for my mom. Of course I wore the mask I made and safety gloves. 

I was going to say hello to mom through the window in her room but she was in the dining room having her lunch and the windows there are too high off the ground for me to see her. So I will try that again soon. But I was able to refill the bird feeders Jim and I had placed outside of mom's window back in February. I think next I am going to plant some flowers in the flower box which is also outside her window. The nursing home usually does that in summer but now is a better time, right?

Well, that's all I have for today. I do hope if you have a loved one being cared for somewhere that you are able to, at the very least, send in a greeting of some kind.

Till next time. 

Flattening the Curve, Day 39

Defenders of the Golden Tree Forest

Hello friends. Today is my thirty-ninth day of mandatory leave from my government work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Since the chaos of the pandemic settled down and our family established itself into the new reality of quarantine for the foreseeable future, I've been able to develop an art practice that is consistent and am making steady progress towards having a body of work.

I am a slow maker. There is never a lack of ideas for content, rather I enjoy the process and take my time. I usually know what my starting point is and have fun anticipating the direction the creative process will take me in and what supporting elements will show themselves.

For example, in Defenders of the Golden Tree Forest, above, I knew that I wanted to place the woman and the spoons together somehow. Yes, those are spoons. Art Deco spoons. Gold Art Deco spoons! (Did you notice that shine?) Hand forged, no doubt. Once I cut out the woman and the spoon elements and placed them together I realized that the woman's hands are positioned exactly right for wielding one of the 'golden trees' from the forest she is defending. When I did that, I had to laugh to myself because I was sure that my son Tayo would like it as he has a great interest in role playing video games. And sure enough, he did like it!

The rest of the composition came together by searching around in my stash of vintage books, where I came upon the coyote (the other 'forest defender' in this story), mushrooms and birds.

I'm looking forward to showing you my next collage that I am currently working on. Plus I have one other one ready to be glued down. Progress.

I hope you are also settled into comfortable routines in your quarantine and are finding interesting ways to keep your body healthy and your mind sane.

See you again soon.

Flattening the Curve, Day 38

Hello everyone. Today is the thirty-eighth day that I have been on leave from my government job due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

It's Saturday and Jim and I ventured out just one time the entire week for groceries. Before we headed out on the trip I contacted our daughter Audrey to see if she needed anything at the stores we planned to shop at.

Really though, it was an excuse to see her. Since we live in different households we have been keeping our social distance. So, since Audrey did need a few groceries, I was happy to pick up the items and stop by her place to drop them off. Of course, that means when I arrived I placed the items on her porch and walked out to the side walk. Then Audrey came out to retrieve them and we talked for awhile...at a distance. No hugs.

Such is life in this new and strange time.

As I mentioned, it's the weekend and on that same shopping trip the other day I picked up ingredients to make a chocolate cream pie. The kids like it quite a bit and it feels like everyone needs a bit of a treat. I also bought flowers. I always need flowers - they brighten my kitchen and elevate my mood.

I spent most mornings this past week working on collage projects. Above you can see a sneak peek of what I'm currently working on. I finished the piece today and hope to get it photographed and share it here on the blog soon. I'm reading the latest issue of kolaj magazine. I enjoy seeing what other collage artists are working on and reading the essays.

Such are my weekend vibes.

I hope you are safe and that you are finding activities to keep you busy during this great pause.

Till next time.

     

Flattening the Curve, Day 37

Hello friends. Today is the thirty-seventh day of my mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and there is still no definite news on when I will be going back to work.

So while I am waiting for the world to open back up again, I've been spending my quarantine days either in our small backyard garden weeding, planting and watching the grass grow or working on a collage project. In the evenings I've been here on the blog talking about my thoughts, feelings and experiences regarding the pandemic and sharing my collage work, nature photography, and love of collectables.

Last week I decided that each Friday I would share one of my favorite art and creativity podcasts here on the blog. So today I am excited to tell you about Canadian collage artist Danielle Krysa, host of the podcast Art For Your Ear. The podcast, Danielle tells us, is about the "inside-scoop stories from the artsiest people I know." She interviews contemporary artists, mostly women, about what it's like to be a working artist - how they got where they are, the challenges they face and what their favorite snack is. There are plenty of business tips and advice on facing your inner critic.

Danielle started her blog The Jealous Curator in 2009 as a place where she could show artwork that made her jealous. She admits that she was jealous of other artists' work, their lives, successes and their studios. As if the jealousy wasn't enough, Danielle experienced bouts of inner criticism and comparison which kept her from discovering her own creative journey. Not to mention an art professor who, back in her undergrad days when she was an art major, told her she should never paint again.

The blog has developed over the years to become a very popular site that showcases the art of a wide variety of mostly women artists, whom Danielle can now call her friends. From colorful paintings to fun and imaginative sculptures to thought provoking installations, there is something for everyone.

Oh, and Danielle also runs a companion Instagram account for the blog, also called The Jealous Curator.

As if all of the above isn't enough, Danielle is an author of several art and collage books, a public speaker, and has presented her ideas about the challenges of dealing with the inner critic on the Tedx stage.

So if you are interested in hearing real and delightful conversation between artists, need inspiration for dealing with your own inner critic or want tips for how to navigate the professional world of showing your art, then Art For Your Ear is the podcast you should be listening to!

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a peaceful evening.