Make Creativity Part of your Daily Life

"Spatial Music", 9x12" mixed media on paper. Available.
First painting of 2019.

Humans are creative beings. Once our daily needs for food and shelter are taken care of, we move on to other things that enrich our lives. Things that feed our souls. Being creative can do that.

Creativity takes on all sorts of different forms. I like to paint. My mom quilts. My son makes music. My husband endlessly comes up with projects to do around our house, be it building a shed to figuring out a better way to store our snow tires.

I know these days everyone is always so busy. But are we, really? My internet was out for a few days last week... I quickly realized how much time I spent surfing, on social media, sucked into binge watching a series on Netflix. While I always feel so busy, I figure I could free up at least another hour a day if I really wanted to. Possibly more. Of course, I don't have little kids anymore. That makes things more challenging, but it can be done if you're really committed.

I follow a lot of visual artists on social media. I hear about these groups and challenges that provide a good starting point for anyone looking to try their hand at being creative. I have even joined a couple groups... they give me a bit of inspiration when I'm looking for a new project. One group has monthly challenges and the members are really supportive of each other. The hosts also put out a podcast specifically aimed at those trying to build a creative habit. There are also lots of online classes available for every conceivable medium and skill level. A class provides a structure that works for a lot of people, with assignments giving them a specific project and deadline.

For me, being creative.... actually ACTING on the creative impulse... is what makes me more creative. Each painting builds on the one before it, taking a little bit of what I learned and using it as a springboard for the next thing. The only time I really hit that "I don't know what to do" roadblock is when I stop working for an extended period of time. A week break is ok, a month is not. It's like I get creative lethargy and can't motivate myself to get back to it. It took me a while to figure this out about myself, but I bet I am not alone here. Once you build a creative habit into your life, it's pretty much self-perpetuating.

I told y'all I was taking a break for the holidays... and while I did take a break from my blog, social media and marketing my work, I didn't actually take much time off from creating. I reworked an old piece that I thought could be better, finished up some half done stuff, did some drawing in my sketchbook, played with my camera and figured out how to use some new software. I got back to the "play" stage that reminds me why I started painting in the first place. It was rejuvenating.

I could have spent my time off watching movies on Netflix. Well, actually I couldn't, because my internet was out, but you know what I mean. It's way too easy to passively sit there and let the hours slip by. But if you really want to watch that new series everyone is talking about, at least do it with a sketchbook and pencil in hand. You just never know what you can do until you try.

Laments of the Easily Distracted

"In The Deep Mid-Winter", 18x18" mixed media on wood panel. That cool grey is actually silver... so of course, this looks better IRL. The metallic gives it a glimmer when the sun hits it. I'm counting this as one of my 100 Squares, because it's square, and I really wanted to hit the 50 mark by the end of the year. By going larger, I got distracted....

Sometimes I feel like i have the attention span of a gnat. I totally admit it... show me something shiny and I will immediately forget about what I'm doing. It's getting worse as I get older. Sometimes I will start 3 or 4 different projects over the course of a day, and not actually get anything finished. It's quite annoying.

Another problem I have is that I get bored easily. I think that's why I have embraced abstract art the way I have. My figurative work was interesting for a time, but then it became almost formulaic for me, and ceased to be a challenge. And once I'm bored of something, that's it, I can't do it anymore.

Abstract work is different. Every painting presents a new challenge. I think my process suits this aspect of my personality... I start by making random marks, and then I have to make that into something that works visually. The more I do the faster things go.... it's almost like playing chess; I'm improving, but I can't yet see a few moves ahead and figure out in advance if something is going to work or not.

Sometimes things go very slowly. I will do something I have never done before, like try a new medium (I've mixed moulding paste in with my paint on this one to hold my brush marks) or something I'm not sure will work (like this piece, where I stuck peeled off bits of dried paint onto my board before I started). Then have to figure out how to make it work. A future experiment is to give a panel and some mark making tools to my nephew's 3 year old daughter, and then work with what happens there. That should be fun.

The advantage of working small is that even though these experiments can take longer than usual, nothing really takes all that long with you're working on a 10x10" panel. 2018 has been all about the small. But I do think it's time for me to move into the world of larger pieces, so while I still have half my 100 Square Project to finish (this is #50 guys! I hit the half way point!!), I will be starting to work a bit bigger. I've got some 20x20 panels, some 24x30s, and a few 30x40". I've also been toying with the idea of doing another large diptych... even though I'm not sure where I'll put it when I'm done. There are not too many walls in my wee house that can manage a 40x60" painting.

I have some other plans for 2019. Right now I'm working on a schedule of sorts, so my followers can catch what they're interested in. In the world of magazines (where I worked at the beginning of my career) it is an "editorial calendar". I figure this will make it easier for me to create regular, predictable content instead of the haphazard way I've been doing it for the past few years. It'd be good for me not to be sitting down on a Sunday night wondering what I'm going to write about on Mondays blog post. This happens with alarming regularity.

I'll also be migrating my new art releases over to my proper website... because that's really where they should be if I'm going to be serious about selling these things. I'm trying to think like a business owner instead of a flaky creative, being distracted by every shiny new thing that comes along. I've managed to find a focus for my work, and now I need to focus everything else. I'll be adjusting as I go along and see what resonates with my followers... so please, if there is something you'd like to see, let me know and I will do my best to accommodate.

I'm taking a couple weeks off the blog to catch up on other stuff. Maybe even do some social outings and get in touch with friends I haven't seen in a while. I know I need to do some Christmas baking, since I've been asked if the usual cookies are going to make an appearance this year (I totally slacked off last year, and only made one batch of each. Not enough for sharing. My work friends were disappointed).

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, with time enough to do the things you really want to do, not just the obligatory stuff. I'll see you back here the first Monday in 2019.

Peace and Light,
Marianne

New Painting: Mystic Journey

"Mystic Journey", 10x10" mixed media on wood panel. Available. 

This is me trying to do a monochromatic painting.

When I started, I was thinking light grey and white, maybe a bit of metallic (that orange is actually bronze. It doesn't photograph well). My original thought was to put some darks and colour underneath that may show through in little bits here and there, but overall it would be white. It appears I am not in a state of mind to do that right now. I put the dark parts on.... then I liked it too much to cover it all up.

It's not an unusual thing for me to end up with something totally different than I was intending. Since I work completely by gut instinct, once I'm in the zone all plans go out the window and I just follow what is happening on the piece.

I tried to explain this to someone recently and they just didn't get it. He thought I had been working from photos when I was painting my recent landscapes. Even showing my process videos didn't convince him... I'm pretty sure he still thinks I'm working from photos.

My plan for 2019 is to start doing live stream painting sessions. I imagine these will be long and boring, and I'll have no viewers after the first couple are done. Posting my time-lapse films always get a great reaction...I get the feeling people are curious how things come together. But it can really take a long time to get things just right... when it's sped up to 4x the speed it seems like it would be much easier to watch. I'll give it a go anyway, and see where it takes me. At the very least I can answer whatever questions pop up from people watching.

My open studio last weekend went really well... thanks to everyone who came out. It was great to see so many old friends, along with a smattering of new faces. Quite a few pieces went off to new homes. I realized, as I put everything away, that every year I add to my collection of original works on paper that go into storage and only get pulled out for this one event. They proved to be quite popular again this year. I think I may try having a monthly "flash sale" of paper pieces at a deep discount... that way my young collectors can snag something at a great price, and I can clear out some space. Win/win, right? 

Calendars  featuring my abstract work are still online, for anyone who may be interested in ordering one. I've got about 35 left... given that the Canada Post recent job action made sure I couldn't guarantee they would arrive in time for Christmas, I consider this a huge win! Having an e-commerce site makes life so much easier... I remember when I did this in 2015 I had a spread sheet trying to keep track of orders and which ones I had shipped... it was a bit stressful as I was sure I'd miss something. Now it's all there on the website, and I can mark them shipped as I send them out, and it keeps track of how many I have left! Oh the wonders of technology!!

I'll be here next week, but I'm going to take a couple weeks off from the blog over Christmas. I need a break... and I also need some time to figure out all the little technical details of the things I want to launch in January. I'll keep y'all posted when I figure out what my schedule will be. Any ideas of things you may want to see? Leave me a comment, and I'll see what I can do. 

Guest Post: Sandra Morris Jager

December 2nd is my 2nd annual Studio Sale! There are details and a map on my website for those interested in coming out. It's a perfect opportunity to pick up that painting you have had your eye on, or a gift for the art lover in your life. My entire inventory will be available, plus calendars and a brand new collection of 10x10 squares, ready to go at studio prices.

As an added bonus, this year both of my talented sisters will be joining me in Mississauga and bringing out some of their work. My home will be overflowing with art! Here is an introduction to Sandra's work, who makes luxurious, hand-woven wearables. Last week I featured my sister Brenda, so be sure to read that post as well!

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One of Sandy's hand woven shawls

Sandy, at work on the loom

If anyone had told me ten years ago that I would be a weaver, I’d have said that they were crazy. After all, I had a busy home-based fashion business, specializing in bridal design and dressmaking. But after doing this for many years, including a return to school for more formal technical education, I burned out and needed some time off. I took up knitting, which eventually led to spinning. Yes, with a spinning wheel, not a bicycle (though I do that too). It is how you make yarn. It seems only natural in retrospect that I would end up sitting in front of a loom at some point. After all, a love of textiles has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

I’m all about colour and texture. Like my sisters, I paint and draw, but my favoured medium is cloth. I am a relatively new weaver, having only been at this for six years now. With each project, I learn something new that I can apply to future endeavours. Weaving is a multi-faceted activity which combines a variety of elements to produce a finished piece. Some of these seem very obvious to me, yet may not to those without exposure to the process.

First, there is the choice of yarns. This is where I start. The fibre type, whether wool, cotton, alpaca, silk, or another fibre, will dictate many of the characteristics of the cloth; its drape, loft, and warmth. Also too, the yarn diameter and texture play an important role. Colour may be what we first see when considering a piece, but it probably has the least impact on the attributes of the cloth itself. Having said that, for me, colour is the second most important choice I make.

  This has led to experimentation with hand-painting dyes onto my measured yarn (the warp) before putting it on the loom. So much more interesting than flat colour! This also guarantees that no two pieces will ever be the same. This is particularly the case with my tencel scarves. They are dyed with a technique involving snow or ice to break the chemical bonds in the dyes, resulting in unpredictable watercolour effects and sometimes unplanned colours. Next up will be combining these hand-dyed warps with handspun weft yarns.

Layered onto the yarn is the choice of pattern. Weave structure determines whether one yarn dominates or if both are equal partners and how dense or drapey the finished textile is, among other things. Sometimes the marriage of yarn, colour, and pattern is a gamble and other times it is a perfect match. As with all thing artistic, creative play can be as valuable as experience in putting all the elements together to create an aesthetically pleasing and functional piece of cloth.

I’m looking forward to sharing my passion and some of my work with you next weekend!

Another lovely finished scarf.

Guest Post: Brenda Morris-Colley

December 2nd is my 2nd annual Studio Sale! There are details and a map on my website for those interested in coming out. It's a perfect opportunity to pick up that painting you have had your eye on, or a gift for the art lover in your life. My entire inventory will be available, plus calendars and a brand new collection of 10x10 squares, ready to go at studio prices.

As an added bonus, this year both of my talented sisters will be joining me in Mississauga and bringing out some of their work. My home will be overflowing with art! Here is an introduction to Brenda's work, and next week I'll have some images from Sandra, who makes luxurious, hand-woven wearables. 

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Watercolour by artist Brenda Morris-Colley

From my earliest memories, art and nature have been in my life.  I was either sitting in my room drawing or out climbing trees.  I was the kid that always brought home the stray dog or a hat full of baby squirrels.

I’ve always loved being out in nature, at the beach, in the woods or traipsing through the creek.  This is where I feel whole.  I love camping, building camp fires, cooking outside, being away from cities, towns and people.  I’ve always been more comfortable in nature or with animals than with people.  I am an introvert by nature and need lots of alone time.  Nothing inspires my creativity more than being in nature.

"Homeward Bound" by Brenda Morris-Colley

My paintings help you return to a place of nature, so you can remember what it was like to be in that space.  You can almost hear the leaves rustling in the wind, the waves crashing against the shore. You can hear the birds singing their song.

Remember what it’s like to stand on the edge of that stream.  Recapture that sense of awe while watching the pelicans fishing or the hawk hunting.

Remember and relax and breathe.

More of Brenda's work can been seen on her Facebook Page, or our FB event page. 

New Painting: Autumn Path

"Autumn Path", 18x18 in. Mixed Media on wood panel.

This is my last painting of this little "mini-series" of Autumn to Winter pieces. It's not my standard 10x10... its a bit bigger at 18x18". I have a few of these boards hanging around, so I figured I may as well use them. But since it's square, I'm going to include it as one of my 100.

I wasn't sure what was going to happen with this one when I started it. I was two sessions in when I realized it was a landscape. I think this one is an even more obvious landscape than some of the others I've done, but when I'm beginning a piece I try to keep my mind open, and look at it in all directions before I decide.

The foggy sky on the right was something I didn't want to obliterate as I went along. I liked the effect of the veil of white over the colour. Even my pencil scribbles show through. For a while there was no defined edge dividing the sky and the ground, but it didn't look quite right with the earth and sky blending together. Sometimes it works, but here it just didn't seem to. It was the hits of metallic at the end that seemed to pull it together. Up until then it seemed kind of ho-hum... I guess because there was such a large dark mass along the bottom and left. The bronze added the metallic effect, along with lightening the area up a bit to add variety.

I like that this piece feels very much like those grey autumn days, where the vibrant colour of the leaves contrast with the grey, misty quality of the sky. Much like how things have been around here for the past couple weeks. But seriously, stop raining already. We've all had quite enough.

My calendars are now online, for anyone who may be interested in ordering one. I got a great reaction to my advance subscriber link, so now that I'm sure anyone there who wants one has got it, I will make the link public for anyone else. Having an e-commerce site makes life so much easier... I remember when I did this in 2015 I had a spread sheet trying to keep track of orders and which ones I had shipped... it was a bit stressful as I was sure I'd miss something. Now it's all there on the website, and I can mark them shipped as I send them out, and it keeps track of how many I have left! Oh the wonders of technology!!

I've also set the date for my 2nd annual Open Studio show and sale. Mark December 2nd on your calendar! I will have most of my inventory at home (I have a few pieces still at Pixie Blue) and out for viewing. As an added bonus, both my sisters are coming out to help, and bringing a few of their creations with them. I will be posting some of their work next week on the blog. Stay tuned!

New Painting: An Early Frost

"An Early Frost", 10x10" mixed media on wood panel. Available. 

I've been procrastinating writing this week's post. I have new work to post, but I'm feeling a bit worn down so I don't really feel like writing. I'm doing it anyway, because I feel like I should... maybe this is a sign I need to take a break for a bit, but I have a lot happening until early December so it won't be until after that.

So... what's going on?

I have been getting my website ready to update with my calendars and my new pieces. There was a wee printing issue with my calendars so I have to have half my batch re-run, which delays my release a bit. The website is ready though, just as soon as I get them.

I'm having an open studio on December 2nd. I've been recruiting some help and trying to get my house ready for visitors, even though it's still a month away. Since I still had some bare drywall from last year's renos, we decided a coat of paint was in order. We painted the entire main floor. It looks great, but we went from a medium colour to a very light one, so two coats were necessary. This led to me going through various closets and cupboards purging. Even though I try not to buy a lot I still seem to accumulate a lot of stuff. And I tend to be a bit of a hoarder... I still had a jacket that I've had since my adult child was a toddler. It's off to the Salvation Army now, because it's still in decent shape. It may even be fashionable again in a couple years.

My amazing co-workers in their "Victorian Gothic" costumes.

My new job is going really well. I work with some amazingly creative people. It's the only place I've ever worked where Halloween was treated like a team sport. The costumes were amazing. I didn't really participate much, as every other place I've worked there was only ever a handful of people who bothered with a costume at all. I thought this would be the same. Omg, no. Departments created elaborate group themed costumes, entire areas were decorated like movie sets, the photo studio set up a backdrop and took professional photos, prizes were given out. I can't even imagine what Christmas is going to be like.

This is my next to last painting in this mini-series of "autumn to winter" paintings. I will be releasing the lot of them for prints shortly after next week's post, so if there is one you love, it will soon be available. The set of original paintings won't be online until after my open house. I still have others to post... I just find that the time it takes to do the photography and create the web page eats into my limited studio time, so I don't update as much as I should. After my studio sale I will take a few days to do what I need to and upload everything.... I don't want to create unnecessary work for myself so I'll wait until after I see what sells. 

Hope you all are having some fun and enjoying the transition of the seasons. It really is a glorious time of year..... once it stops raining, that is.