Artfull-ness and vulnerability

Beginning of an installation/performance/interactive art project "1 in a 100 million-gazillion"

And so I begin somewhere over and over again...how many beginnings there are.  Both of these (Excuse my not so great pictures, my camera is broken!) pieces are beginning to become something, a part of the whole unmet and unseen picture...

These last months have been all about creating my classes and workshops and my energy and creative process has been fully devoted to their successful development.  I am truly proud to say that they are very successful!

Starting last week I noticed that I no longer felt anxious and I also feel enough emotional space and energy to approach my own personal art, and so I begin again.  I know it may be cliche sounding at this point but I am continually shocked by the magnitude of fear and doubt that I am met with when I begin my work.  I really hear myself saying "You really are not an artist"  "What is this shit you are making" "You don't even know what your making because it's nothing and total nonsense to be sitting here hitting clay for hours when you could be doing something else helpful"....there is more where that comes from...after two days of long studio hours and no "good" quantifiable results I did not want to go back yesterday.  So I didn't, instead I played hookie with a friend and was very aware of my resistance.  I, probably like you, don't want to look stupid and make unlikable work and so I naturally don't want to face those chances and by being away from the studio and not creating I am much safer and less whole.  The costs end up being high either way...risk the pain of being inauthentic and denying my creative impulses or risk not being understood, unliked, etc. 

I am going to embrace vulnerability like a life vest and jump in.  Begin again and again and again.....and so I expose to you my guts and somehow this helps me.  Somehow telling on myself feels like medicine.  Somehow I will go to the studio tomorrow and I will begin again.

One last side note.  I love my job as a teacher and facilitator of creativity.  I LOVE IT  and I LOVE ALL OF MY STUDENTS.  I LOVE IT SO BAD!!!!!!!  and I LOVE YOU SO BAD!!!!  Thank you and good night.

In Process....Light as Breeze

It has been a month since my last post-wowzers!  It has been a month full of art making, art teaching and art events.  I think that is another way of saying its been a wonderful month.

 

 

One of my Creativity classes in process

I enjoyed an amazing couple of days printing at the Womens Workshop Studio in Rosendale NY.  Me and my friend and fellow artist Lindsey Brown rented the space for 2 days and printed our hearts out.  I literally was printing my heart out...and now I am in the studio working with those heart prints.  I also stumbled in to a delightful gallery in Rosendale, Roos gallery,  a contemporary art treasure box!  I will be participating in their super fun holiday show of small works.  Can't wait!

Prints in process

Corrado in Process

Mid month we had artist friends visiting from Sicily.  Corrado Iozzia came especially to work in the studio here for a self created intensive residency.  After two weeks of solid work we held a beautiful artist reception in my new studio.  Corrado and his work where wonderfully received in NY and we are looking forward to the next visit.

Last week my painting 'Unearthing to be Enough' was hung at the Woodstock Art Museum as part of the Under 40 show curated by Greg Slick.  I was so pleased to be accepted in to this juried show as I had seen a show curated by Greg Slick at the Dorsky Museum that I just loved.  It feels great to be working with other artists and curators whom you admire.

A highlight among many was discovering the unexpected article 'Light as Breeze' written by Paul Smart for the Woodstock Times last week!  Oh my gosh, I am so flattered!  I love how he wrote so candidly of me and my practice.  There is a long quote from this blog, jeez keeping me on my toes now that I see how "public" my blog is!  I actually don't have many words to describe my joy?  I think the best word is GRATITUDE.

Alas, the coming months seem to be plumping up with activity.  I have quite a few studio visits scheduled, I'm working on curating a show, more Creativity & Courage Workshops.....we shall see....

Possibility this Summer: A Creative Adventure

I have been daydreaming about offering a creativity, relaxation and discovery retreat in Sicily this Summer...this looks like a nice work table.

Beauty Everywhere

I am in my dream, I am participating this weekend in the O+Festival in Kingston, NY, which is an amazing arts festival that barters art for medicine.  It is one of the best arts events I have ever had the honor to be included in.  The mission, the art, the music, the healers, the energy is 100% generosity, beauty and new.  I LOVE being included.  I began teaching my course in creativity this week at High Watch Recovery Center.  This was a heartfelt idea two years ago which this Monday became reality.  My class is being held in the founding building, which is the chapel and at one point was also the 'Joy Farm Art Center'.  Next week I will be moving in to my new studio and classroom in Hudson NY, which I mentioned before is an old schoolhouse that sits nestled in the cemetery.   This is where I will be holding my Creativity & Courage Workshops as well as making new artwork.   I feel supported by these new ventures and locations deep within the recess's of my heart, the same place that inspires my dreams in to being.  I am reminded of the many inspired spirits before mine that sat in these places to create and to give.

Above are just some pictures from the last couple weeks, work in progress, walks, classroom, reflections, findings....

Leading a creative path..

 Two weeks ago I lay here, up on the mountain under the apple tree, I painted and wrote in preparation for my first plein air creativity workshop....

 Under the apple tree I saw that in order to "teach" creativity I will always need to be actively creative, which means I will always need to be constantly engaged in my fear, in vulnerability and imperfection. Curiosity and Courage lead me forever onwards. (That is my prayer)

 My students beautiful work....

My first plein air creativity group participating in the workshop titled "The courage to be".  It was truly beyond anything I could have imagined or hoped for-rippling deeply for us all.

 Me taking a day to rejuvenate in between...and then the amazing germantown artist studio tour I organized!!!!

Hello Fellow Fabulouso G-Town Artists!!!
Here it is our official Art Studio Tour schedule 

Prism Women Series, Cell 2 by Dana Gentile

2012

Collage
13" x 8.75

So here is the lowdown take two:
JULY 14th
1pm we meet here at my house(228 main st) and drop off our Potluck BBQ Booty & Drinks, and then we jump into wheels and cruise to our first Artist Studio-reminder this event is only open to invited studio artists(you) and your art buddy's of choice, in other words this isn't public(yet).  Please note that the schedule is not the same as the first tentative one, I adjusted it according to the actual studio address's for our ease and comfort:)  Also please note that the studio visits will be brief in order for us to all be accommodated in one glorious afternoon!

1:15 Dana Gentile 
2:00 Steven Renolds & Pamela Wallace 
3:00  Lyndsey Brown 
3:45 Melora Kuhn
4:30 Michael Eudy
5:15 Dawn Breeze 
6:00Julie Carino  
7:00 PARTY

Studio 1-Dana Gentile

Studio 2: Pamela Wallace & Steve Renolds

Pam & Steve, who built their entire studio themselves!!!

Studio 3: Lindsey Brown

Studio 4: Melora Kuhn

On route...

Studio 5: Michale Eudy (He won the award for smallest studio-amazing!!)

Michale and his wife have created an apothecary herb farm from seed!!!

Studio 6: Dawn Breeze

Studio 7: Julie Carino ( I am so sad I do not have an outbuilding picture-at this point in the tour we all practically had heat stroke-so I will have to go get a picture to fill in!)

Here we are!

Yesterday I took my darling Sunny on an adventure....

 I will be participating next week in another studio tour at the Henry Hudson Studio's which will be an event alongside and promoted with NADA Hudson....