March 25th

Morning walks in the desert have become dream - like visits in spring time wonderland. There is actually less walking than stopping, looking, loving and photographing. Thank goodness for patient walking companions.

I have been busy teaching the online painting class, squeezing a few hours of painting in between. So far, the class has been a positive experience. It is exciting to see other artists, some of whom are quite accomplished, explore abstraction and push themselves outside of their normal way of working. I am proud of their courage! (and inspired by them too.) I think I got lucky with a great group of people taking my class. I feel quite certain that I will offer the class again, at some point.

In the studio, there are a number of different directions being explored. Some are still too new to share, but others are continuations of ideas you have seen from me before. I am working larger and making an effort to slow myself down. I want my paintings to reach a higher level of completion than ever before, to push myself beyond former notions of what a finished painting looks like. There has also been a lot of drawing, sketching and playing, just for good measure.

"hedgehog." Acrylic, gesso, ink, marker and charcoal on paper, 12 x 9 inches.

Little elephant. Collage, gesso, ink and charcoal on paper, 12 x 9 inches. 

"i love everybody." Oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches.

What have you been up to?

Permission Granted

Great news! Today, I checked my PO Box and found a letter addressed to me from Japan. I managed to wait until I got back into my car before opening it. I knew who it was from, but not what it contained. (Those of you who have been following my blog know that I had started a new series of paintings based on some REALLY cute animal erasers. I had found out that there were some copyright issues involved when doing paintings of toys, so rather than risk doing the wrong thing and feeling worried about it, I decided to write to the CEO of the company that makes the erasers and ask permission to continue painting the new works.) As I tore open the envelope, I wondered, would they say "yes"? Or would I find a letter from a lawyer saying "don't you dare keep using our images for your art!" There was some heart pounding, a moment of doubt....and then:

There is my permission form, signed by the CEO of Iwako Co., Ltd.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray!!!!!! I love Iwako, Co., Ltd. And I love the erasers they make. Now I have permission to keep painting these imaginary animals. Is that cool or WHAT?!? That is SO COOL.

If you are reading this, Mr. Iwasawa, thank you!!! Thank you for granting this artist permission to keep painting your eraser animals. I am thrilled and delighted! And I will be sending you a thank you note this week.

I am posting a newly completed painting of one of the erasers made by Iwako, in honor of a company that seems to be sympathetic to artists. Here's to you, with gratitude!

"Elephant." Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches. ©2013 Karine Swenson