Iceland, Germantown, Homeland Diamonds

The beginning of a new piece, I had thought I would be starting it in Iceland--where I had learned to knit.  However, it's beginning in my home.  Size 50 knitting needles and muslin, here we go...

The online studio sale was a huge success and I thank you for your support.  The unsuspected news is that I did not end up going to Iceland or Baer Art Center as planned.  A threatening volcanic eruption halted my journey.  Luckily, my airline ticket is good for a year and I plan to try again sometime in the spring.  This summer has been teaching me about limberness amongst other major life lessons, which will surely find there way in to my upcoming art projects...

Meanwhile, I have begun a rigorous new schedule this semester; balancing teaching, parenting, making art and being a student.  I have decided to experiment with taking some college classes.  As an experiment, there is nothing known or certain, it is simply an experience that I am trying on; exploring an interesting learning experience that will surely inform my work as a teacher, parent and artist in some new and unexpected way.  Hurray for new experiences!

My time management skills are also being tested with this new-full-maximum-super-duper-full schedule.  So far I am noticing that since I have such limited "free" time, I am being scrupulous with what I choose to do in it. I enjoy seeing myself sharpen my determination of what is truly of value in this moment in time.   Maybe diamonds will be formed in this kind of pressure.  It's an experiment.

McDaris Fine Art Dawn Breeze Artist Presentation

Please join me this coming Thursday for an artist presentation.  I plan on presenting the artistic process and inspiration behind my recent works made in Iceland, as well as personal images of my trip to Iceland. 

Enough

Show Opens Next Saturday!!!  Installation begins Monday, I doubt I will be finishing up that new painting until after my opening.  My energy is now here.  I hope many of you can attend the opening.  The show will be hanging until May 27th...a good long time for you to see it!

I love the text on the invite:

....."These works whisper rather then speak, exhibit grace, eschew the obvious, and draw the viewer into a visual embrace.  They manifest a spirituality tempered by wisdom, enhanced by deep gratitude."

Thank you!!! I mean it, THANK YOU!

Save The Date

Unearthing To Be Enough, 2011 37" x 42" Pond Mud, Iron Oxide, Ocean, Acrylic Paint on Canvas

Dearest Friends,

I want to invite you to save the date to my upcoming solo show; 'Enough' which opens April 21st from 5:30-7:30pm at McDARIS FINE ART at 623 Warren st. Hudson NY. This show will be the first exhibit of my recent works from Iceland, it will feature elemental paintings as well as works on paper all created during my residency at BAER Iceland. I am really excited to share this work with you and hope you can attend the opening. The show will run through May 26th and I will send the show's invite as a reminder soon.

My short film, Running Still(which won the people's choice award at Master on Main st. Film Festival in January) will be shown at the opening of the Foundry's Film Series in Cohoes, NY. They are kicking off the season May 1st with short experimental films, curated by Jacqueline Weaver.

And lastly, in case you missed my radio interview last month with Paul Smart about WORK on WGXC you can listen to it here. It's an hour long show about art and work, I start about 15 minutes in to it and its a REALLY entertaining show with fun music too:)

Thank you so much for your continued support and friendship in my life and artistic endeavors.

Much love,

A New Year for everything to be loved

 

(Top picture from Iceland residency, bottom picture from Ashfield residency)

I love my blog as a time capsule, to skim through posts and visually see work as well as to read my musings.   It truly is a gift at this time of year to take an account and pay attention to certain standout particulars in my art and life.  However, this year has an irregular appearance almost awkward like a pre-teen, a little of this and that, intense feelings and questions appearing in poems and collages,  paintings about growth, cellular growth...Iceland about self-discovery (recovery?)...my movie completed, Running Still. 

 What was this past year about?

 Rainbow out the bus window on my way to BAER artist residency Iceland

 Rainbow my first day at Wellspring artist residency Ashfield, MA

Reflecting on this question today, the first thing that came to mind was not my artwork but rather this was the first year in 22yrs that I didn't color my hair.  I chose to grow my hair naturally, to live with the color I was born with.  This may at first seem like nothing of importance but I actually think its a symbol of the type of growth I am beginning to experience and maybe my artwork as well.  A sliver of self acceptance. Reasons I never wore my hair brown before was that I didn't think I looked good even my mother always told me I looked prettier with blond hair, changing my hair was like a change of identity, one that was always something more then just me.  Eventually I forgot what color my hair actually was and I became afraid of that.  How could I trust myself when I didn't know anymore what that was?
I think the only way I was able to be willing to try to grow my hair out was ACCEPTANCE of whatever would be, good and bad no longer mattered. 
So perhaps this past year was about growth, a new beginning that seems to be starting from a place in myself that I departed from 22 years ago with a bottle of bleach.
I am really excited to be alive, growing and evolving in 2012.
My wishes for 2012 are that this newly found sliver of self acceptance transpires in my work and that I have the courage to continue opening to what I don't already know, allowing good and bad to fall away so I may be enough as is.  (Please wish me luck.)
My wishes for you are the same, that you experience a time that your truest self shines forth and finds peace in being enough and that we all can love each other as we individually are.
All my heart for 2012 and thank you for being with me.

Bright Wishes

Oh, take me, take me, take me!
With no other place I'd rather be,
I come to thee.


Me a small giant,
crushing a million lives as I lay.
Here under weightless infinity I pray,
watching your clouds tuck me into sleep.

Eyes closed, dreaming further then I can see,
your wet breath kissing me.


The sun opens the lids of the sky, and shines on.
Bright wishes for a new Dawn.

Breath

Breath is a small visual journal of my daily meditations in Iceland this past Summer. When I was at the BAER Artist residency I devised a series of daily rituals that enabled me to move through my intense fears and insecurities. Breath was one of these. Breath is a small journal that I kept, each page has one daily watercolor and one word or sentence that seemed to me the essence of my focus for that particular day. It was the last meditation before I left my chamber and entered the outside world, venturing off into my art making. Although this book can be considered art, I consider it more my art underpinnings, the intimate hygiene I needed in order to breathe and create.

This book will be included in a unique exhibition, the weekend of November 5th.

bookMARKs: self-published photo-based printed matter

The show will be installed in Light Work's Robert B. Menschel Photography Gallery, located in the Schine Student Center of Syracuse University. The Schine Student Center is the location of the SPE Conference's portfolio reviews and we will be sharing the Menschel Gallery with the exhibition "En Foco / In Focus: Selections From The Permanent Collection". This exhibition has been put together by photographer and curator; Carlos Loret de Mola
The opening for the event is November 5th from 1:30-3:30 The regular hours will be those of the Museum.
It is my pleasure to share this humble and precious little book with you, it is for sale here and will be on my website as well. The price of the book is $25 including shipping and taxes. The book is a small softcover book with a total of 16 illustrated meditations. I am taking orders now and will be able to ship by the second week of November. You can use paypal here and include the qty. and your shipping address.

Found: My existence

Me looking through my final installation at Baer; "Found: My existence"

I just posted about this installation on my Iceland blog www.eylenda.blogspot.com I recommend visiting the site to see more pictures and information. It is one of my favorite pieces I've ever made!

I'm back in NY. Still swirling. I have lots of work left to complete-mostly writing and photography. I am wondering how do I integrate a life changing experience into the "normal" I had before? Its funny to observe how I am reluctant to open back to my life here, just as I was reluctant to open to the newness of Iceland. I suppose we are always in battle with life's constant: Change. Perhaps with continued experience change will become welcome with every breath. I do still feel madly enchanted and in love with nature and today on my first walk since Iceland, I found magic here as well.

Me during my final studio presentation.

or come to Sicily!!!

Two art exhibits this week on two different Volcanic Islands. I will be at my exhibit in Iceland and Gianni & Sunny will be here in Sicily for me:) Which are you coming to?

Iceland Exhibition

Planning on seeing you all here!!!!!!!!