by Susan Lobb Porter | Art, Life, Sisters |
I was talking with sister Marjorie Ellen today. On the phone. Her life path took her to Norway after art school. Mine took me to California. Sisters by birth, sisters of the heart and yet for most of our adult lives, sisters by telecommunications. That’s just the way it is.
Fortunately I’ve found an uber cheap phone plan. PennyTalk. At two cents per minute we could talk all day and not break the bank.
Both of us are artists. Of course we talk family, jobs, weather, health, politics, all manner of things…but most of all we talk ART. What we’re working on. What we want to work on. New materials. New ideas. In other words…we talk shop.
Today Margie said something that really hit home for me. She talked about making art from the heart. Being true to what you really want to do. Which is what I’ve been doing ever since I began painting again last summer. Experimenting. Playing. Parking my ego at the door.
But it’s not easy. I have a degree in art. I have training. And an employment history as an illustrator and art teacher. I knows me the rulz. And I know there’s good reason for a lot of them. Like balance. Proportion. Contrast. Fill in the appropriate term here ____.
But…and this is a BIG but…THEY. CAN. BE. BROKEN. Yes indeed! Stretched. Bent. Twisted every which way…if only I’m brave enough.
Which brings up another question. Can I be brave, can I be bold and STILL be financially successful as an artist?
I’m saying yes. In fact, I’m shouting YES!!!
I’m putting my intention out there. I’m putting my heart out there. My big, brave BEAUTIFUL heart that’s willing to take a chance and create the life I want.
Now here’s your assignment. Assignment? Yes, really. Go to Jennifer Richardson’s blog and read her yummy luscious beyond WONDERFUL poem Dear Heart of Mine. And check out her Etsy shop while you’re at it. Because she’s got some good stuff and you should buy it.
Then come back here. Yes, come back here. It’s all part of the assignment, remember. Come back and join in the conversation about being brave hearts. There will be a conversation, right? Because you are the best of the best, my sweetums! Every one of you. And I can’t wait to see where this goes.
by Susan Lobb Porter | Art, Sisters |
Show hangs Monday. As I write this, that’s day after tomorrow. Although tomorrow is less than two hours away.
Oh. My.
There’s much to do still. Can’t begin to say what sister Margie has on her plate. Well, there’s some canvas stretching involved with the wrong size stretcher bars but…but…but that’s her thing, right? And she’ll figure it out. And if she doesn’t, friend Christina is lending a hand tomorrow. Hey and YAY!!! Christina! She’s a Virgo. And an artist. Which means she’s incredibly capable at doing things right.
Whereas I’m an Aquarian. Which means I drink lots of water, pee constantly and run around like a crazy chicken with ADD.
Mr. Spouse decided this would be a good weekend to go somewhere else. Far, far away. He’s hangin’ with da boyz in the mountains of Georgia, dangerously close to Alabama. Figured being with Sisters Lobb just before hanging a show would be akin to being the sacrificial male at a PMS festival. Safety lay three thousand miles and a whole damn continent away.
Smart move.
So here’s what Studio Grande looked like today. The following photos are taken in the kitchen of the cottage. I work in the two back rooms but this is where the heat is and these suckers need some encouragement when it comes to drying.
So that’s SOME of my work. The big pieces. Cold wax and oil. The encaustics are smaller, a few medium size, the rest 12×12 or smaller. I’ve got around thirty finished pieces. Finished except for wiring and touchup. Probably won’t use them all but it gives me stuff to choose from.
And hey, there’s a couple panels just begging for some wax. Aww geeze, whack me upside the head if I even THINK of starting something new, okay?
Now here’s a look at some of Margie’s work. Just some of it. She’s set up shop in Mama’s old bedroom because there’s not enough room for the two of us in my work area. Sounds like a line from an old western, “Sorry Pard’, ain’t ’nuff room for you ‘n me both in these parts. Now skee-daddle. Shoo.” But there isn’t. Really. So here it is, what you can see of it.
Hard to see what she’s got here but trust me, her work is spectacular. She’s amazing.
I can’t wait to see this all up and hanging. It’s going to be an awesome show!
by Susan Lobb Porter | Art, Process, Sisters |
She be here! Marjorie Ellen, chief tormentor of my youth, flew in from Norway yesterday. Today I drove down the hill and picked her up at the train station. The first thing we did, after the hugs and kisses, was hop back in the car and head to In-N-Out for a couple of burgers. I will NOT tell you how many burgers my skinny sister can pack away at one sitting. But I can tell you I am jealous–absolutely lime-green-with-envy-kind-of-JEALOUS of her metabolism.
After dinner we headed home. Home. The last time she was here was April, when Mama died. But the cottage isn’t Mama’s house anymore, it’s my studio again. A place where art happens. Smells like oil paint and beeswax. It’s messy with art supplies and cat hair and things of Mama’s that don’t know where else to be.
She started unpacking her stuff. It was like Christmas…bubble wrap, newsprint and ART! Gorgeous, glorious sister paintings. Etchings. Oh. My….. Photos tomorrow.
Meanwhile here’s a few photos of my own. Things I worked on today. This is new to me, COLD wax mixed with oil paint. I’m not experienced enough with hot wax yet to get where I wanted to go with the large panels, not with a show hanging on Monday. Actually I’ve got my fingers crossed that these will be dry by then.
Everyone, send some good dry mojo this way, okay? Thanks.
So this is what I did today.
Not this. (arrow pointing up) I did this last week, It’s the underpainting for (arrow pointing down).
This is after playtime with cold wax. It’s not the final photo, I straightened out the horizon but forgot to take the picture.
I’m REALLY liking the cold wax. Probably because it’s more in line with the way I paint. So it’s less of a learning curve for me.
Here’s another one. First, the underpainting, It’s 1’x3′ on plastered cradled board. Lots of fun with the texture here.
Starting the process. Just got to jump in and be bold.
And this is how it looks now.
Now it’s time to visit with Ms. Margie. YAY!
