Diary of a Tortured Artist: Painful Decisions

Ow,ow,ow,ow,OW!!!!

OMG, but the decision I had to make this week...SUCKED!!!!!!!!!!!

I had to release a regular, creative opportunity that really gave me a sense of accomplishment in the past when I did it. Sure hope it was worth it.

I am feeling the torture.  I pray the decision does not haunt me and make me angry over the circumstances that triggered it.

Tortured Toon

 Arrrrgghhhhhhhh......................................
I'm feeling too tortured to write today. So, here is a toon off of the web.

Diary of a Tortured Artist: An Introduction

Hello fellow artists out there. Feeling tortured lately?  Are you creatively frustrated?  Are the people you have relationships with "not getting you?" Do you constantly struggle with inner turmoil and conflict while directing your creative energies into successful works of art?

Rejoice! You're not alone.

According to Wikipedia these past creators have experienced your angst:


Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway,
Franz Kafka, Frida Kahlo, John Lennon, Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allan Poe, Hunter S. Thompson, and Virginia Woolf.

Such a bloody shame they met such tragic ends isn't it? Darn. Can't you just scream?

So where's the hope? The salvation from suffering the burdens of being a creative, visionary soul?

Hell if I know.

My only recourse at this point in time is to embark on a series of introspective writings (or should I say rantings) where I grapple with the dark side of being an artist. In this way I will attempt to cleanse myself of the gut wrenching places my thoughts can sometimes lead me as I strive to find a sense of creative fulfillment.

A few projects I've made with recycled wool sweaters.

This is a Wovely Wooly Whatsit. He got a tooth added after this photo was taken and is now in his new home with JC Bigornia.

 This is a friendly house elf. He will soon go to his new home.

These flowers are removeable from their stems. They convert to hairclips, or pins that can be attached to clothing. All but two are in their new homes. The hairbands are gone and I didn't take pictures, but I plan to make many more.

Goodness Gracious, Slide loving dogs!

Bilbo and Waldo love to go down the slide at the park. Here they are is some short videos.

I used the video feature on my camera.

We sure have fun with them as you can see. They keep us young!

Loco for Cocorosie!!!

These are my sisters in spirit.  I don't know any other way of expressing how much I admire these two musicians who are sisters.  They create music so incredibly original.  Their penchant for costuming themselves in completely unique ways is also very much a part of my own creative process, BUT it is one that I work at suppressing.  That said, I do very much weaken my guard and give in to wearing some odd outfits for everyday & for storytelling programs. 

Take a look at this interview if you are curious about Cocorosie. http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/music-theatre-cinema/2010/12/cocorosie

I listen to their music when I am creating art. If I start listening to it while doing something else, I have to stop and go create something.  Their work is responsible for my own inclusion of original sounds & music in some of the stories I perform.

Check their videos out on Youtube. Their songs can be really out there, strange, even disturbing...but, I still really love their originality and unique artistic voice.

North Park Mall in Dallas

I love North Park Mall in Dallas!  The art throughout the mall is fantastic!! The whole place is eye candy for art lovers. Even the shops are amazing; Michael Kors, Lily Pulitzer, Kate Spade, Betsy Johnson and Barney's New York are there, to name just a few. My favorite store is Anthropologie!!!

I am creatively inspired just walking through the mall.

Yes, the ten images above are authentic Andy Warhol's!!! Man, I have been fascinated with his life and work since I was a teen. I've read many books about him throughout the years.

This is my favorite store display window there this season. It's for a men's clothing store too!  People literally stop in their tracks when they see it.  More often then not, they whip out their cell phones to snap a picture of the blushing santa. I sat in front of the window and watched the shoppers reacting to it for about 10 minutes. I was highly amused.

Oh my, time does fly!

I'm not doing so well at blogging more regularly. I wonder...should I schedule a regular day & time for blogging into my calendar?  Maybe that would help.

Since my last blog, I have been telling stories and creating new stuff as per the norm. Read a Stephen King book too. Now that is RARE. Reading for fun is not something I do much of anymore. Most of my reading time is spent researching artists and stories for future storytelling programs at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Here are some pictures of a recent sculpture I made for an Autism Awareness event at the museum.

 Alberto Giacometti's sculptural work served as inspiration for this piece. The butterfly wings are made of woven puzzle pieces.
The symbol for autsim is a puzzle piece, so the wings are symbolic.  They represent the transformative power of discovering the unique gifts that autism brings to individuals on the spectrum.  
I linked this art piece with a story for a program at the DMA last Saturday.

Been Busy Creatin' Stuff

Things are still crazy busy with me - especially in the creative sense. I have been very productive making new stuff! Just about everything has been connected with my work as a storyteller at the Dallas Museum of Art. It is such an inspirational place.
Here is an oil pastel that goes with a story from Chiapas, Mexico. I began it in front of a live audience while telling a story and finished it later at home.

A second one has been begun along the same lines as this one.

I am trying my hand at weaving and Jeff made me a loom. No photo yet though - not done.

This one is hard to explain. It was created as part of an interactive storytelling program at the museum. The inspiration was Jackson Pollock's, Woman and a Dream. See Below.  I recreated the most relevant lines of the woman with black ribbon on window screening. Then encapsulated 3D lines within the screen. It made a very uncomfortable pillow. There is a feather embedded in it for a story I told. The name of my piece is Feather and a Dream.

Here are dolls and a bird marionette I made from recycled wool sweaters. Jill Foley's work in the installation The Living Room inspired me. The bird and doll with the red cap are characters in a story I tell. The skinny blue fella at the end is Jack Sprat who could eat no fat. His wife is not yet complete - she could eat no lean, so she's good & plump!

My Dad's birthday was last week. I made his gift using a 1975 photo we took together with Grandpa Peterson.  The photo was greatly enlarged & transferred unto a 12" X 12" board. I added copper coated old wallpaper that I cut & shaped into a tree.

Here is a close-up of us, if you want to see what we looked like back then. I was 11 years old, Dad was 29 years old, and grandpa was 72 years old.

So that's a little catching up for now.  There's other artwork that I don't have photos of to share. I have one sculptural piece that I left at the museum for this coming Tuesday's show, then I'll take it home. It's double as a story prop.

I'm off to finish up some projects and create new ones. Ta-ta!

Summer Camp Classes

One of the reasons I got so far behing in posting was due to my teaching four, week-long summer camps at the Dallas Museum of Art. I did this in addition to my usual storytelling programs for them.

My creative working process is total immersion into whatever it is I'm doing. I become super focused and the ideas just flow forth. There is a sacrifice involved. The house doesn't get cared for, I go for long periods of not eating or drinking water like I should, I don't keep in touch with people who are outside the scope of the project, and exhuastion becomes my constant companion. But by golly! I can do some of my best work during times like this. So, as you can imagine, a sizable recovery period is necessary.

I was not going to share photos from my camp classes because you can see me age visibly before your very eyes, BUT I had such great kids and the last camp in particular was really neat. For "World-Wise Art!" I was able to fully merge visual art, storytelling and performance into a complete package for the kids and they were awesome in the final show!!!

Here are the Flickr links where the Dallas Museum of Art posted photos from all their summer camps. You can see all kinds of photos taken of past Dallas Museum of Art workshops, classes and events. It is a fun, fun, fun place!
My camps were in this order:
1. A Picture is Worh a 1,000 Wordshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/centerforcreativeconnections/sets/72157624588965854/

2. ArtCycle!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/centerforcreativeconnections/sets/72157624464290439/
3. Sculpture Mania
http://www.flickr.com/photos/centerforcreativeconnections/sets/72157624595786706/

4. World-Wise Art! Http://www.flickr.com/photos/centerforcreativeconnections/sets/72157624595972494/

Where do I start after getting so far behind?

Let's see...

How about the trip I took to Reno, Nevada? Jeff went to the national bowling tournament. We asked my sister Ruth who lives in Boise, Idaho to meet us there. She did and boy did we have fun together. While Jeff bowled and visited the casino's with his friends, Ruth & I went exploring together around Lake Tahoe & downtown Reno. Jeff spent a day with us and we went to Carson City and to a rendezvous festival in the park. Here are some photos. Ruth's dunce cap photo is sideways, and by golly, I can'tfigure hout how to correct it without losing this whole post.

So, it's just going to have to stay sideways.

OMG!

So I know I haven't been blogging lately, but I had no idea how much time had passed! I have lots of stuff to write about.

Stay turned.

Outside the Bath House Cultural Center

After viewing the artwork (see post below), we admired the sunset over White Rock Lake. The sunset photo is a bit blurry, but without my glasses on, that is what it looks like. Kind of soft & peaceful to me.

"Todo Sobre mi Madre/All About my Mother"

Photos from Maria Teresa G Pedroche's artwork opening called "Todo Sobre mi Madre/All About my Mother" It is a perfect theme for an artshow during Mother's Day. The exhibit ends June 5. It's at the BATH HOUSE CULTURAL CENTER, 521 E. Lawther Dr., Dallas, TX. Maria Teresa works at the DMA in the C3 area. She and I are in the first photo. She is a very lovely lady, inside and out!

My favorite work of hers were the flower scented, glycerin shapes that had images and other items embedded in them. Leah Hanson, who works at the DMA admired the pleasing scent.

The last photo is one of Gayle and I. We had a really good time looking all the art.

Esty Dallas' Spring Bash

I have been thinking about selling my scarves, headbands and other handmade items on Esty.com. However, I keep procrastinating on figuring out how to do it. Then Leah, who works at the DMA sent me an email about an event tomorrow. Think I'll go.

Check it out: http://handmadebash.com/Home.html

Etsy Dallas, the original Dallas team and the first city team in Texas, is a cooperative craft collective of artists and designers living and working in Dallas who sell their wares on Etsy, the web's premiere marketplace for all things hip and handmade. Etsy Dallas boasts talent from a range of mediums and crafts, and is independently run by its members.

Creative Process: Inside/Out

Last night at the DMA, CEO/Creator of Preservation LINK & photographer Dave Herman and I were asked to talk about our creative process with a group of museum patrons who often come to the Thursday night workshops. They are all creative people themselves and so the discussion was a lively one with input not only from Dave and I, but from everyone there. It was so enjoyable, enlightening and well...it was bonding experience for people who pursue creative avenues of self expression. Dave and I will collaborate on a workshop together on Thursday, May 20 from 6:30-8:30. We are still in the planning stages, but let me say now, IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY FUN, CREATIVE and MEMORABLE for the people who attend. So if you're in the area, you just might want to be there.

We also got a mini presentation on the plans for the new C3 exhibition opening in September. It'll be called Space In Art/ Art In Space. It's going to be AMAZING and really interactive. During the two months that the C3 area will be under renovation, the C3 activities will be moved to the DMA tower. An artist by the name of Jill Foley is going to create the most amazing design for that space. I will definitely post pictures of her work when C3 locates there.

Interesting times ahead indeed...

New stuff I made...

Here are some pictures of new work. One is a hanging light using chicken wire, body scrub thingies, wire and broken glass for color. Think of a cloud with raindrops in it. I was wanting to have a light that was cloud-like and this works for me.

The other is a flower made from a record album, coffee filters dipped in food coloring, a plumbing pipe, wire & glass beads.

ArtLoveMagic in Deep Ellum

I've discovered a super cool group of artists in Deep Ellum; a community spittin' distance from downtown Dallas. The group is called ArtLoveMagic. Check them out here:
http://artlovemagic.com/homebase/homebase.htm

I attended workshops they organized & hosted last Saturday. One was called about Art Law (copyrights, trademarking...etc),and the other was led by art agents who gave tips on how to make a living as an artist. I learned a lot, was inspired and met some really nice, interesting artists while I was at it. I plan to keep their events on my calendar and go to as many as I can.

The photos were taken from the DART station in Deep Ellum where I was waiting for the train to go home.

Waiting on the DART...

When I don't have to tote a lot of stuff to the DMA for one of my programs, I like to ride the DART train from Plano to downtown Dallas. It is generally relaxing, plus a LOT less stressful than driving the congested roads into downtown.

Here are Jeff and I waiting for the DART after spending an enjoyable evening at the museum. The weather is pleasant, the city views impressive and I have my very bestest friend in the world to hang out with.

Not bad.

Friday Night at the DMA

The following are photos are from DMA's Friday Night Live event this April. Artist Lesli Robertson, who I have spotlighted in a previous blog had one of the completed woven works at a table along with assorted needles and threads. Museum patrons were invited to embroider into the artwork and "leave their mark". After finishing my storytelling program and touring the new "Coastlines" exhibit, I could not resist sitting down at the table and quickly embroidering a simple tree shape. It was loads of fun!

Can you see the bird?

Alice in Wonderland Hat

JC Bigornia works at the Dallas Museum of Art in the Center for Creative Connections. He is also a very talented artist who can do just about anything he puts his mind to.

Here he is in a hat he created by looking at a picture! The awesome hat was a real attention grabber during the Alice Wonderland themed Friday Late Night at the Dallas Museum of Art. He was gracious enough to let me borrow it for my storytelling concert and one very lucky dad wore it during a song & dance number.

Spring Vacation Art Projects

As part of my March artist of the month opportunities at the Dallas Museum of Art, I was given the chance to try a few experimental art projects. So, during spring break, I took two days to lead storyart walks in the galleries followed by collaborative art projects suitable for all ages. I decided to design two projects around the recycling theme that could be hung at the Plano Centre during the Live Green Expo, Plano's huge Earth Day event Saturday, April 17th.

Here are photos taken of the completed art works and a few during the creation of the Go Green Graffiti Door. We had a blast and the art looks great. Fun! Fun!

Go Green For Our Kids: The tree with the balls of paper is on a recycled old canvas, covered in old copper wall paper, a ceiling tile that was @#%& to cut, scrabble tiles, masking tape for the kids to write their names on, gel medium & acrylic paint and scrap paper from the museum.

Go Green Graffiti Door: An old closet door from Habitat for Humanity, house paints & colored pencils.

Storyteller Retreat to Ruidoso, NM

Here a few pictures from my trip to Ruidsoso with Jiaan Powers, Gwen Caldwell and Genie Hammel who are also professional storytellers. We went at the end of March.

We had a lovely place to stay, a scenic view, gorgeous scenery to hike in, wildlife...sigh...it was all wonderful.