Monday Match

{Every week I post an image of an interior that reminds me of a work of art either in its palette, composition or mood. I hope that you enjoy!}

two views of Anouck Lepere's apartment (via miss moss)

Robert Rauschenberg

Happy Weekend!

image via the NY Times

 Did you read this New York Times article? It's not a new subject but an important one nonetheless. In fact, I think that it is so important that I'm dedicating a multi-year, unpaid art project to it. It is called As Is: An Urban Portrait. The project asks a lot of questions, primarily this one: Do we see each other any more?

I'm looking forward to sharing more with you as it unfolds, but for now do yourself a favor this weekend: Look up from your screens for a few hours and really enjoy the people around you. I'm going to try to do the same.  

Happy Friday, Friends!

Painting with Chocolate

Tonight the District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) is hosting a Cuisine des Artistes at Meridian House. My chocolate-making friends over at Fleuir have invited me to team up with them to create a culinary/artistic masterpiece for the event! We spent last Friday night in the studio painting with cocoa butter on transfer sheets that Robert later pressed on to a tray of chocolates. The finished product will be displayed mosaic style for guests to sample. You can check out a sneak peak of my design plan (sideways) above. Can't wait to see what the other artist/chefs have made!

You showed up to create--OLAY!

OK creative people, raise your hands if you've ever felt crushed under the burden of making something beautiful, important, profound. I've been there before. The fear of creating something incredible out of the poor stuff of your being is downright paralyzing.

Now who has also felt that frenzied blur of elation as the train of inspiration plows through you? I can't tell you the number of times that I've looked up from a canvas after feverishly racing to capture some fleeting thought and wondered where the hours went (or why I am so hungry/need to pee so badly ;)

painting by Emilio Valerio D’ Ospina

 If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you need to go watch this TED talk by author Elizabeth Gilbert right now. I'm not kidding. I'll wait.

I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of Eat, Pray, Love, but this talk is so good that I scribbled every single one of her words down in my sketch book this morning. She talks about the necessity of forming psychological constructs to protect yourself from the narcissism and despair that accompanies being an artist. She argues that it is just "a smidge too much responsibility" to put the burden of genius on one human psyche, and explains "the utter, maddening, capriciousness" of creativity in terms of the ancient Romans' understanding of an external genius who helped shape the outcome of an artist's work.

Her anecdotes of poets and musicians' brushes with the muse are hilarious and inspiring. She tells stories about dancers becoming so enraptured in the spirit of their dance on the African plains that the people around them cried out "Allah, Allah, Allah!" (These people where crying out "It is God!" but the meaning has morphed over the years into the "Olay, Olya, Olya" that we yell at big soccer matches.) In other words, we are not alone. This 'genius' is not ours with its glories and burdens, but rather "on lone from some magnificent source." 

image from here

 Josh Ritter's little song, Long Shadows, has been on repeat in my studio lately and I wasn't sure why until today. After listening to Gilbert's talk I know that it doesn't matter if I'm "afraid of the dark." God is not. I am just the vessel to hold his glory and if I keep showing up to do my work, he just might let me do that sometimes. OLAY! Now go make something!

Happy Weekend!

painting by Oscar Arroyo, super full moon @ Big Bear

Are you ready for tonight's huge full moon? I'm taking it as a sign that this weekend will be a bright one. I'll be collaborating with my friends over at Fleurir painting on chocolates, and celebrating an important family event with ice cream cake and whiskey sours (maybe not together)! Monday and Tuesday I'll be in NY for the James Beard Awards, but promise to be back to blogging on Wednesday--MmmMMmm--Can't wait! 

Happy Weekend, Friends!

My dear friend, Laurel Dugan, explaining her current work

The life of an artist can be a solitary thing.  I personally need time and space apart from other people to make my work, but sharing that work and thoughts on art in general is invaluable as well. So I'm beyond thrilled to have been invited to join a monthly creative conversations group. Last night was our first meeting. Over French 75s and plates of cheese, a group of film makers, painters, writes, musicians, designers and textile artists discussed current work, reasons for working in a particular medium, and greatest fears about art-making. It was a smash success and I'm already looking forward to our next gathering!

From the Studio

This house portrait began post-snowstorm.

Here is how it turned out. There is something really lovely about the quality of light on melting snow and ice.