Just enjoying

I am just enjoying looking at my website. Thank you to Christine de Castro for all her hard work. It looks gorgeous.

Maggie and JP Majors

Maggie and JP were married last summer and my promised wedding gift was finally presented last evening! A departure for me, it was based on the Marriage Quilt (ahhh, the grid) and contained images of Celtic wedding symbols and a tree of life. Some time ago in Santa Fe, NM, I bought paper at a store and the wrapped it in a tissue paper that was printed with a Shakespere Sonnet in gold! It took me quite awhile to actually realize the beauty of that wrapping paper. I was excited to use it as a border...the whole sonnet is not there but I was able to remove applicable phrases and "thoughts." All is all, I had fun with this wedding gift. I hope they do too. Happy life, Maggie and JP.

My thanks to Susan Ludvigson.

Check out my website again! Sweet things were said about my paintings.

It's already May.
Contemplating time.

While painting away on the piece I posted a few days ago I have been thinking lots about time. How it destroys, recovers, and, in general, makes us a bit crazy. Over centuries whole civilizations are covered with time's rotting, organic debris turning to dirt. Oceans advance and recede bringing sand and future fossils into sandy deserts. And we, while we are going about or business of painting, wonder about them.

Considering Time.

A studio visitor asked me once if painting was "fun." The surprises are joyful. The development of a relationship with the painting is rewarding. The continual conversation is enlightening. Does that equal fun? I think so.

I post this as an in-progress report. I know, I know. The last posting was not a finished painting either. But this one is fully in the hands of the goddess Serendipity. What an adventure.

I am posting a "shot from the hip" photo of my recent, unfinished, paintings (installation, whatever) for the Sole Journey group of artists. Comments:

Note to all my fellow artists: check out http://www.miraslist.blogspot.com for information about grants, fellowships, residencies, grant writing tips, resources, helpful links and more! Mira says, "Dare to Dream."

My own dream is on its way to reality, I am happy to report. More next time.

On writing a blog

Writing a blog is very akin to talking to yourself. But that's okay. In the process of digesting the information gained at the Boston conference, I can let the heavy stuff rest for awhile. Sharing is my next big thing!

Oh, yes, and don't forget to check:

http://www.janicewmueller.com/

April is the cruelest months - Maybe

I just returned from a multi-day conference: International Opportunities for Artists: The Interconnected World, sponsored by the TransCultural Exchange. It was an interesting 4 days of meetings to learn about what's going on international in support of artists.

For anyone interested in artist residencies I recommend a visit to: www.transartists.org. A wonderful, and admittedly, not complete resource.

I encourage all of my artist friends to reach out to each other and share their resources. If anyone is interested in my experiences and more of my learned resources, please contact me.

There are a lot of passionate people and institutions "out there" looking for dynamic artists to enhance the experiences of different groups in the form of workshops, residencies, and symposiums. Through sharing we are all enriched.

Website Redux

New Website. Comments and suggestions welcome. Not quite perfect, but we're working on it. Intend to make more use of this blog to share my experiences in the new studio (photos to follow) and my thoughts on my painting. Stay tuned.

http://www.janicewmueller.com/