Following my Bliss (#47)

Sometimes I feel like I know what I'm doing.  I have a strong sense of direction in my life or in my art.  I love that feeling.  I wake up in the morning clear-headed, excited to begin the day, looking forward with anticipation to the loveliness lined up before me.

Bathed in Light,
oil on canvas
24"x30", $950
one of the Beyond Barbie Beauties

When I was in the midst of creating the paintings and performances for Beyond Barbie, my mind was alive with plans, ideas, the beauty of my models, meetings with other creatives, time in the studio, and more. I worked so hard and so relentlessly, I gave myself a six-month headache - literally - I leaned over the computer in ways that caused muscle tension that caused excruciating headaches.  I didn't understand much about moderation or that the headaches were caused by my actions, so I just plowed on through without stopping.  Those months and years were filled with exhilaration and pain and wonder and joy and excitement.  My dad died during that time, and I was hit with a load-of-brick depression I had trouble excavating myself out from under. But I persevered because I had a vision and was fueled by that vision to complete it.

A set of four images painted during this time,
after my father died, in response to his death and
events surrounding it.
titles (from Top L, clockwise): Grief,
Compassion,  Pleasure, Presence
oil paintings on canvas, framed as one piece
$2400

Beyond Barbie was a great time. A wonderful experience. I'd do it over again in a heartbeat if the opportunity presented itself - though I would learn how to treat my precious body with greater respect so I wouldn't have to contend with the headaches.

Since then (2011-13), I've had a few other projects which lit me up and turned me on. The major ones had to do with Iceland.  

Anyone who knows me at all knows I fell in love with that country while on a 3-day stopover on my way back from Europe in 2015. Since then, I've been back 4 times, leading tours of friends and their friends twice. I've lived in artist residencies and a cottage on the lake, I've traveled solo, with strangers, with my children and my husband. However I get there, and whatever I do there, it is my happy place. I thrive under the majestic blue sky with pure white clouds, on the volcanic, beautiful vast ground where my eyes see nothing but beauty.  I began painting landscapes because of Iceland. There was more beauty than I could contain inside myself so I had to express it through art. I want that beauty around me all the time. 

To be continued...

Midsummer Meadow
pastel
36"x30"
$1250
created after my first trip to Iceland.