Tea and books

Today finds the desert bathed in warm spring sunshine. I am going to write this post, and then there's a very good chance I need to go outside and soak up some vitamin D. Spring Fever.

I have been busy in the studio, but now M is home for about a week. This means a little reprieve from the studio, while I follow him around the house for a while. WOW, but it's nice to have another human in the house. Pono is happy about it, too. M has two devoted "followers." One fuzzy one, and one, not-so-fuzzy one.

New work:

"Tea." Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches. ©Karine Swenson 2012

I've been reading a book called In the Land of the Grasshopper Song, which was lent me by a friend. It's about two women who lived in the Klamath River Indian Country in the early 1900s. I am amazed and impressed at these two women. I think this book could be made into a movie - and wouldn't it be nice to have a movie made about two brave women who aren't fictitious characters? Hello? Hollywood? Are you listening? Some of us are getting tired of the usual role women are squished into in your movies: looking for happiness in the form of love from some handsome man. Not that there isn't happiness to be found in love, but most of us aspire to more than Cinderella's fairy tale of love's happily ever after. Right, ladies?

Windy, 60 degrees

Today is the first day it has actually felt like fall.  I have long pants AND a sweatshirt on, and I have been drinking hot tea.  (Those of you who know me well won't be surprised by any of this information.)  I am known for being cold, generally speaking.  The wind has actually died down a bit from earlier today, but it's still windy enough that being outside isn't especially pleasant.  I have been awake since 5:30 am.  I thought I needed extra sleep, so I went to bed early last night. 

It might just be one of those curl-up-with-a-good-book kind of days.  I am currently reading a book called Started Early, Took my Dog by Kate Atkinson.  It is a mystery, which I don't usually read.  I checked it out because of the title.  It's a thoroughly enjoyable book.  I was going to find a good quote for you, but if I open the book, I will end up just reading it instead of finishing today's post.  You'll have to take my word for it when I say it's worth the read.  What are you reading right now? 

"Attraction."  Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches.  ©Karine Swenson 2011

Inspirations

I just spent two long days printing monotypes.  As soon as they are dry, I will post a few of them for you.  Hang in there!

I find that I can't just create art without periodically re-fueling my creative mind.  One of my favorite ways to re-fuel is reading fiction.  I love novels, particularly those with a female main character.  That isn't a pre-requisite, but I do relate to female characters more easily.  The book I just finished reading was a collection of short stories by Nadine Gordimer.  I haven't read any of her novels, but after reading the short stories, I will add that to my "books to read" list.  I am currently devouring Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune.  It doesn't seem to matter what time I crawl into bed, I cannot seem to turn out the light without picking up that book and reading until my eyelids are heavy.  I am also a big fan of National Geographic.  I love to read it in the morning with a cup of tea. 

Another way I like to fill up the creative jar is by watching movies.  We just saw Avatar in 3D on Friday, and for those of you who have not seen it, GO!  Go as soon as you can, and if possible, do try to see it in 3D, just because it is such an experience. We also recently watched a movie about Alice Neel, a favorite artist of mine.  It is called Alice Neel (attention, Lily), and is available with NetFlix.  It was directed by her grandson, and features quite a bit of dialogue from the great Neel herself, as well as interviews with her sons.  I found it incredibly inspiring. 

Of course, the best way to re-vamp is being in nature.  I love to be outdoors, and I love to take time to examine and appreciate nature in all of her glory and wonder.  Fresh air, exercise and a few scratching quail - what could be better?  I am fortunate to live in a place where nature is right outside my doorstep.  This desert is an awe-inspiring place, unlike any other place we have ever lived.  I feel incredibly fortunate, in so many ways.  Part of my job seems to require me to observe, and there is nothing I love to observe more than this world we live in. 

Here I am at Red Rock Canyon near Vegas.  Photo courtesy of M.

The final thing I do to prepare myself for making art is writing in my journal.  It is something I have done for a long time.  I had kind of let my journal go by the wayside, until I read Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way.  She reminded me of how much benefit can be gained by just letting the thoughts roll out onto paper, without censoring or fear.  If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. 

What do you do to re-fuel?  I am always curious for other ideas I can add to my list. 

Books

What I have been reading:

1. Georgia O'Keeffe - A Life. Roxana Robinson. This book was generously lent to me by my friend and fellow artist, Lily Stockman. (Thanks, Lily!) It is a thick book, but I am enjoying it. I can tell that Ms. Robinson did a TON of research for this book. I once hated O'Keeffe's art! As I spent more time developing my own art and studying O'Keeffe and other great artists, I also began to respect and even love her art. One of the largest paintings I ever painted was a tribute to O'Keeffe. Here is a photo of it. It measured about 5 by 7 feet. Oil on canvas.



2. Jasper Johns - Gray. James Rondeau & Douglas Druick. This book was published along with an exhibition of the same title that was organized by the Art Institute of Chicago in November of 2007. A favorite quote: "I have attempted to develop my thinking in such a way that the work I have done is not me - not to confuse my feelings with what I produced. I didn't want my work to be an exposure of my feelings. Abstract Expressionism was so lively - personal identity and painting were more or less the same, and I tried to operate the same way. But I found I couldn't do anything that would be identical to my feelings. So I worked in such a way that I could say that it's not me. That accounts for the separation." J.Johns
This book was lent to me by another friend and artist, Tina Bluefield. (thanks, Tina!)

3. The War of Art. Steven Pressfield. Another borrowed book from the divine Tina Bluefield. I just started it this morning, since I just got it this morning.

Interestingly enough, I normally read fiction. I love the way a work of quality fiction transports me to another time and place. This reading of non-fiction is something new. Or maybe not NEW, but something I haven't done consistently since college.

I am an avid reader. Growing up, my family really didn't watch much television. To this day, I find reading to be a much more interesting past time for me than watching TV. In some ways, I realize this makes me a bit of an oddball. It's almost as though I am actually intended for a different era, when people didn't watch tv, but read books, wrote letters and made clothing by hand. Okay, so i don't make my own clothes, but in many ways I think there is something extremely rewarding to many of these kinds of tasks that we are missing out on in our present day lives. I love writing letters by hand. Even more so, receiving letters written by hand is the most delicious of gifts. See, I told you I was an oddball!!!

Fine by me.

What good books have you read lately?