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!