Tag Archives: painting

May21

Introducing … Project 24

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To make you look at things in a different light. To reveal what’s beyond the visible and enter the spirit of a place. Going right to that feeling you get when you’re in a sacred space of beauty. This is my job as an artist, and it’s the premise behind my latest project: visiting all 24 wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula and creating art that represents the spirit of each place.

As an American landscape painter, recording the landscape and begging viewers to look at it differently in an effort to honor the land ties back to the role artists played in the founding of the national parks. And it’s a tradition I’m honored to take part in.

The Leelanau Peninsula is truly a “heart place” to many, including myself, and it is with the deepest love of the land that I set out on this journey.

This is a landscape that needs to be seen, a beauty in our own backyards that is rivaled by none.

I hope you will come with me along the way and enjoy this land and its people with me!

Mar11

Mexico: Filling the Creative Well

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(Part 2 of my recap of a week in the Boca de Tamatlan artist retreat)

Learn, grow, learn, grow, and then learn and grow. May we never stop seeking. Never stop filling our creative well. When we are 80, may we still be taking classes and stretching ourselves.

Casa de Los Artisas is a magical place to do this. We went snorkeling. We dined on a secluded beach while watching the surf roll in (let me insert here we ate very, very well, always). We discovered a small mountain town that seemed ready-made to film a old Western, and as I recall, a movie was filmed in that enchanted little village. We explored a tequila producer that actually produced raicilla. There were even drumming and salsa lessons on the side. And lots and lots of painting. Creative and spiritual wells are definitely filled up at this place.

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Every day in life we output. We produce. As a full-time artist, I produce art everyday. We cannot keep producing without replenishing our creative wells, or we are running on empty. There are many ways to do this, but that is a subject for another blog post. Today, we will focus on the learning vacation.

Art and travel just go together, and I dare say they are two of the rare things in life you can buy that make you richer — spiritually, that is.

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After a week in Boca de Tomatlan at the Casa de Los Artistas, I am richer in spirit and my creative well is full to the brim.

Every teacher has something different to remind you of or introduce you to. Sterling Edwards, our maestro for this week, was masterful at this. He hit on all those basics that simply can not be ignored, like value studies, simplifying and contrast. Then, he brought in his own voice in art to show us things we may not have thought of, like what can be done with long, narrow brushes and negative shape painting. And a credit card. An old discarded one on paper. Plus, that abstract demonstration I mentioned in my last blog that has me playing in a new and unexpected direction. It has me making time to play. Art is about discovery, and discovery happens in play. I’m playing again, and it feels as good as it did as a child.

I’d love to know: Where do you make time for play? How you fill your creative well and when/where are you booking your next learning vacation?

Until next time, happy learning and growing!