What's new

"Uplift." Oil on Canvas, 12 x 12 inches

We are still digging ourselves out after the big thunderstorm of last week. I am being entranced by the mud - patterns, textures, and quantity. Here are some "mud photos" from my camera phone:

I love mud cracks

These are antelope ground squirrel tracks. So tiny! Such long toenails!

backyard mud patterns

More backyard mud patterns.

It only took 5 days before little bits of green appeared after that rain. FIVE DAYS. I think that's impressive. I am living with the daily hope of seeing a hungry tortoise, now that there's something green to eat. I also live with the daily hope of seeing a tarantula - this is the season!!!!

What's new with you?

Art and the rational mind

You may not know this about me, but my husband and I lived in Hawaii for a few years. We lived on the island of Maui. It was an incredible experience. We loved being near the ocean, where we could snorkel, surf and swim, but I also enjoyed having a chance to learn more about Hawaiian culture. I took a beginning hula class and really loved it. We miss it, but life had other plans for us, and now we are in the desert. Lately, I have been pining for Hawaii, for some of the things there that touched me so deeply. Since the hula was such a big part of living in Hawaii for me, I have been watching videos of hula to reminisce.

Some of you may be more familiar with Tahitian hula, rather than Hawaiian hula. Tahitian hula is much faster than Hawaiian hula. The dancers tend to wear elaborate headdresses, and the movement is focused more on the hips and less on the hands. There are two different kinds of Hawaiian Hula. One is the Auana hula. This is the Modern hula - the one with guitars, ukulele, dresses, flower leis - the one most of us are familiar with. My favorite kind of Hawaiian hula, however, is the ancient hula, called Kahiko. There is a lot of chanting, the dancers are usually adorned with greenery rather than flowers, and the instruments used are mostly the rhythm instruments like the Ipu (which is a drum made from a hollowed out gourd.) I have attached a video of women (wahine) performing kahiko hula, so if you haven't ever seen it before you can experience it for yourself.



It's often interesting for me to think about why I love the Hawaiian hula and chants so much. I don't speak Hawaiian, so I don't know what they are chanting most of the time. Yet it touches me deeply, and sometimes when I watch a hula performance, I am moved to tears. Have you ever loved music that is sung in a language you don't understand? What I have decided is that when we hear or see something that really touches us, it doesn't necessarily touch us intellectually. It touches our hearts. It touches our souls. Visual art can be like that too. There is always this initial desire for people to "understand" art. We think maybe if we understand it intellectually, then we will really be able to enjoy it. I don't think that's true. I think if it's something that touches us, it can touch us without our rational minds. It goes beyond that - it goes deeper.

Maybe the rational mind is a barrier between us and an ability to be touched by art. (Music, dance, painting, sculpture - I am putting all art into this word right now.)

I am curious to know what you think about this. Do you think you have to understand the words of a song to enjoy it? Do you think you really have to know what a painter is thinking in order to be touched by their painting?

"Untitled - arrangement on blue." Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches

Quail

I have been seeing more fast-moving quail families lately. I can hear a male quail calling from the top of a yucca as I type this, but I can't see him. (I know you're there, Mister!) I thought I would share a few of the better photos I have taken. I wish I had better photos of the family with the really tiny ones. They are so amazing - you can't believe something with legs that short can move so FAST!!! A wonder.

Do you see the cottontail rabbit in the shadow? Well, every now and then that rabbit would chase the quail. I have no idea why - just to see them scatter?

I have recently updated my website with some of the new work. I would love it if you have a chance to take a look and tell me what you think. Can you navigate with ease? Do you have a favorite new painting?

Temperatures are creeping up - 93 today.

I think cool thoughts and paint with cool colors and that works just fine.

"Drifters." Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches. 

 I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I do appreciate your comments and emails. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your comments.

The Bald Tailed Coyote

This morning I saw my first family of quail with scurrying chicks!!! It was so exciting that I stayed at the window for awhile to see if they would come closer. Slowly but surely, they were making their way closer to me and my camera when out of the desert comes a coyote, scattering the quail and causing quite a din! The coyote turned and I realized he (she?) was either recovering from mange or just beginning to get it. No fur on tail!!! I was able to snap two quick photos before the sight of me through the window frightened Ms. Bald Tail away. Just another day in the desert.....

I am kind of hoping this coyote was recovering from the mange, because I do always enjoy seeing a healthy coyote. I saw Bald Tail again this afternoon, while out with Pono, and fortunately I saw him/her before Pono did. (I was able to grab Pono the dog and prevent him from a good coyote chase.)

I am almost wondering if this is the same young coyote who visited the backyard last year with even less fur:

I also have a pigeon (I know, a PIGEON?!!???) that's been trying to take over a dove's nest under the eaves in the back of the house. Crazy bird!!! I have resorted to scaring the pigeon away with a broom, when I see her. I don't know why she thinks she can take over someone else's nest. And you thought only people were nuts.

In the studio, I am progressing on the new series with a new format:

"Convergence." Oil on canvas, 36 x 12 inches. 

I will be shipping three of the new abstracts to The Red Arrow Gallery in Nashville, TN tomorrow!!! How exciting!! (Thanks, Katie!)

Happy Mother's Day, to all of you Mothers out there!!!

Bliss

It's so easy to enjoy living in the desert right now. The days are warm, the nights are cool. There are still a few remaining bits of flowers in magical bloom. The front yard is full of colorful flowers, and the palo verde tree is yellow and filled with bees. I am beginning to see more lizards and quail. I was so happy on Tuesday to see our old friend the desert iguana - the one who must live in our backyard. He (she?) has gotten HUGE since we last saw each other. He didn't feel like posing for a photo, but I will get one yet. Just you wait.

I am reading de Kooning - An American Master. I have always felt a connection to de Kooning, and this book has me in thrall. I feel like I am getting a much clearer picture of the Art Scene in New York during the 40's and 50's, as well as a greater understanding of de Kooning's work. Highly recommended!!!

As promised, one more painting from the new series:

"Curiosities." Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches.

There are three more in various sizes in the works. The whole painting is so much better in person. (as always)

In other news, I am offering free shipping in Jackrabbit Junction, the etsy shop where I have some of my desert art for sale, until the end of April. Click here to see what's available.

Have a fantastic weekend, and thank you so much for all of your comments about my new painting!!! I appreciate it.

New Direction

Hello everyone! Lately, I have found myself unable to write about what I am doing in the studio. A new series is in the process of being created, and I needed to avoid words for a while and focus on image only. For me, painting is a way to think, a way to sort out the ideas in my head. When I write, the words seem to confound the issues I am working out in paint. Trying to describe painting in words - is it a futile endeavor? Perhaps. Or maybe I just needed to turn inward in order for this new work to become something. In any case, I think I may be far enough into it now to feel comfortable sharing some of it.

It all began when I was getting ready to teach my online class "Intro to Abstract painting." I had created a series of exercises designed to help artists explore and experiment. I wanted to see if my exercises had any merit, and began doing them myself. I had done many of the exercises before, years ago, in a modified version. As I was testing my exercises, I stumbled upon an idea.

small watercolor & gouache studies - approx. 6 x 6 inches

What if that wonderful, lively quality of watercolor or gouache could be replicated on a larger scale using oil paint? I have always loved watercolor. My first experience with painting was watercolor painting. When I am feeling stuck in the studio, or when I want to go back to the basics, I always reach for watercolor. I decided to try working from some small watercolor sketches.

Whenever you take an idea or sketch and push it to a completed work of art, there is always a transformation. In this case, I found I was exaggerating the qualities I love in the water media. I was not aware of this. It just happened.

"What Was Found." Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches. 

Above is the first one I finished. I have about five others in various stages of completion. I will be interested to hear what you think.

What do you see? Does this painting remind you of anything?

If you missed my online class, it is now available to take as a self study. Just click this link for more details.

Lizard Wrangling

I made a new friend last week. If you are on Facebook, you've already seen this, but some of you aren't on Facebook, and I thought you might enjoy seeing the photo. Pono and I had just returned to the car after a nice hike one morning and I found this wonderful creature underneath the car. I didn't want to run over it, so I poked it, to get it to run away. However, it was in the shade, and it was a pretty cool morning (for us). The lizard didn't move. I picked it up to move it, so as not to run over it. While it was hanging onto my fingers, I decided to photograph his (her?) handsome mug. 

Horned lizard.

Desert Camouflage extraordinaire!

If you would like to see another post I wrote about the horned lizard a while back, click here. Many people on Facebook said that they used to see a lot more of these lizards when they were young. According to some research I have done about them online, one of the main reasons we see less of them is because their diet is pretty exclusively ants. Since more and more people are using poison to kill ants, the horned lizard has a hard time. So if you want to see more horned lizards, let the ants live. (preferably outside.) I have been told that borax or dish soap will create a barrier that ants won't cross. So if you can find where they are coming in to your house, maybe try something like that to keep them out. 

In the studio, I have once more gone off in another direction. I would love to hear your thoughts about this new work, as I always love to hear from you, my readers.

(This one is still untitled.) Oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches. ©karine swenson2013

Have a fabulous day, and thanks for reading!

What IS talent?

tal-ent \'ta-lənt\
Noun
1

a: any of several ancient units of weight

b : a unit of value equal to the value of a talent of gold or silver

2

archaic : a characteristic feature, aptitude, or disposition of a person or animal

3

: the natural endowments of a person

4

a : a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude

b : general intelligence or mental power : ability

5

: a person of talent or a group of persons of talent in a field or activity

A young boy is bored one day in class. He begins to doodle in his notebook. His father happens to see the doodles and buys him a sketchbook. Shows him books about art. Takes him to museums. Introduces him to working artists. The boy draws and paints throughout his school years. He eventually goes to college and then graduate school where he studies art. He graduates and immediately gets recognition for his work and gallery shows. Is this talent?

A young girl who is shy and awkward in school doesn't make many friends. She doesn't get good grades. She reads a lot, alone in her room, and begins writing in a diary. Her parents don't make much money, and they are too busy with their own problems to give her much attention. She makes it through high school and college without any major accomplishments. Her guidance counselor worries that she doesn't show any real interest in school or friends. She floats around from job to job. She works as a waitress for a while, all the time writing in her journal. She never marries or has children. When she dies, her journals are discovered. They are filled with magnificent stories and poems, many of which are published posthumously. Her writing is read by millions worldwide. Is this talent?

I have been reading about talent, genius, creativity and success, always hoping to gain a little insight. Maybe hoping to learn something valuable. I have yet to read Gladwell's Outliers, but I am familiar with some of the ideas he outlined in his book, particularly the ten thousand hours theory. The main thing that I have so far concluded is that there is no one thing that leads a person to succeed. Not only that, but success is defined differently by everyone. Talent is also defined differently. Many of you probably already know that I have never put much faith in talent, whatever it is.  I am a proponent of the parable of the tortoise and the hare (and that's not just because I live near them and paint them!) 

I have spent too many hours writing this post, and reading about all these ideas, and now I sit here wondering why. I suppose it's because for most artists, there is always a point in time (sometimes more than one point) when we look at how we spend our days and we wonder. "Why do I paint?" "Should I paint (write, dance, sing, etc.)?" "Is creativity important?" "Do people who aren't artists even care about art anymore?" Introspection is a big part of the creative life for me. I question everything. I doubt everything. And then I go back into the studio and paint some more. Because I don't know the answers, and making art is how I search.

"A question of Time." Acrylic on cold press watercolor paper. 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches. ©Karine Swenson 2013

"Pools of Light/ pools of water." Torn envelope and acrylic on cold press watercolor paper, 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches. ©Karine Swenson2013

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” 
― Calvin Coolidge

What do you think?

New abstract painting

"Somewhere Between." Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches. ©2013 Karine Swenson

Today is going to be visuals only. Hope that's okay...
Oh, and just a quick but heartfelt THANK YOU for all of your encouraging words. It helped me so much, knowing all of you are out there, rooting for me!!! You guys are awesome.

Happy almost Easter!

Released

"Released." Oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches. ©2012 Karine Swenson

New Year, New post....finally!

2013! Here it is.

"Priority." Security envelopes, oil and graphite. 16 x 20 inches. ©Karine Swenson2012

I had to crawl into a little hole for a while there, but I am slowly emerging, back into the cyber world of blogging. And what an interesting world it is! I have begun to catch up with some of my fellow artist/blogging friends. They are all doing wonderful things. Just one example is Liz Holm, who has challenged herself to paint 30 paintings in 30 days. Stop over and see how wonderful these paintings are! I have been thinking of doing wonderful things, but I often feel as though the things I do are still not wonderful yet. You may think that sounds slightly pessimistic of me, but I see it as a necessity. If I really believed what I was doing right now was wonderful, do you really think I would keep painting? Would I continue to stretch and push myself as an artist? I tend to think I would not. I would keep doing the same thing, convinced that it was wonderful. I would never stretch. I would never push. I would stop exploring. And, in all honesty, I would most likely quit painting out of boredom.

So, into the studio I go once again. To keep striving. To impress myself. (The toughest critic I've ever had.)

I have found one of the best things I can do at the end of one year is reflect and write down everything I accomplished that year. It is an extremely rewarding exercise, and I highly recommend it. It helps me create the kind of feeling I want when thinking about all I want to accomplish in the New Year. One proud accomplishment for me in 2012 was completing 76 paintings. Ten of those paintings were 36 x 36 inches or larger. What about you? What accomplishment are you proud of last year?

Sketches and studies

It's August in the desert. Yes, hot. And oddly humid. Rain clouds build, sometimes even thunder is heard, but so far, not a drop of rain has been seen. Perhaps one fell and evaporated on the way down.

All of the animals come to drink from the water I put out. I make sure to keep it full. I love to watch who comes for a drink - jackrabbits, cottontails, the little ground squirrels, birds, and, ...AND a BOBCAT!! The bobcat liked it here so much, he/she stayed for the better part of one afternoon. He/she spent most of the time here hunkered down behind a clump of Mormon tea, which means not too many sketching/photo opportunities presented themselves. I did get a few photos, and I have begun to do small studies with ink and brush.

I just want to get a feel for the shapes that make up this creature. I need to study how it moves. Only then will I begin to try to paint it. I still hope to see it once more, but I am thrilled with the visit.

I am still working on the smaller studies in acrylic. They aren't as satisfying to me now, but I think sometimes when life is challenging, the work reflects that. Or maybe I just need to push them further. One must sometimes work through frustration to come out with a painting that satisfies.

"No Postage Necessary." Acrylic, collage, graphite and ink on paper. 12 x 9 inches. ©2012 Karine Swenson

The Winner!

This is going to be a quick post, but I wanted to let you know that I had M help me with my drawing, and we have a winner!!! Cynthia Schelzig - congratulations!!! I am not sure I have your address, Cynthia, so if you don't mind sending me a quick email, I will send your new copy of The War of Art. Hooray! Thank you to everyone who entered. I know there will be more giveaways here, so don't despair if your name wasn't chosen. I love all of you who read and comment. This blog would not exist without you.

I also want to thank you for your feedback about my blog. You have encouraged me to continue.

We had rain today! Just a bit, but even a little hail was mixed in there. I didn't know hail happened in the desert. It does. Who knew?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

It is important to stretch oneself, and so I have been pushing myself to experiment with more neutral colors. This was in part inspired by my blogger friend, Robyn. I think I have a ways to go, but for me to not use color is REALLY hard! A few more of the studies I have been working on using neutral colors: (these are so much better in person. As always.)

"Sketch #2." Acrylic and ink on paper, 9 x 12 inches. ©2012 Karine Swenson

"Sketch #3." Acrylic, ink and copic marker on paper, 9 x 12 inches. ©2012 Karine Swenson.  (okay, so I did put a bit of color in this one, but not that much, I swear!)

The Dreaded Question

I was delivering a painting to a gallery on Maui the first time it happened to me. I was standing there, holding my painting, waiting for the gallery owner to get off the phone. A man walked in. He saw the painting, and I could tell by the look on his face that he liked it. He asked me if I was the artist and I said yes. AND THEN HE ASKED THE DREADED QUESTION. The question feared by all painters. "How long did it take you to paint that?" Since it was the first time I had ever been asked that question, I was completely unprepared.  I am pretty sure my mouth dropped open and stayed that way for a minute or two. "Uhhhmmm,...well, I don't really know." Was my reluctant answer. Did he want me to build value in the painting and tell him it took months? Did he expect me to produce a time sheet of hours logged on that one specific painting? Or did he want me to say it took only a few hours, proving my mastery? I am pretty sure the desired answer is different depending on who asks the question.

This is the painting I was delivering the day of the QUESTION.

"How long did it take you to paint that?" Let me tell you something my friends. That is a loaded question. And one that is virtually impossible to answer. I am an artist. I work for myself and I work at home. That means I don't clock in. I don't arrive at a certain time, have a set period of time for lunch and coffee breaks, and then leave at five. Now those of you with jobs where you have a set schedule probably think that I have it easy. You think I am lucky. (well, yes, I am lucky.) But what you may not realize is that I don't always get paid for a full day's worth of work. Sometimes I don't get paid for a week of work, or even a month of work. Some artists work for YEARS without selling anything. Artists only get paid if we manage to paint something that someone can't live without.

I may paint for 8 hours or 10, go in to the kitchen to make food, and go back into the studio to paint while dinner is cooking. I may put pajamas on, brush my teeth and discover there's more I have to do to this one part of the painting before I go to bed and end up working for another two or three hours. Sometimes, I have been known to clean up from a day of work, go out for dinner with friends, come home, visit a painting, and end up working on it late into the night. I have even been known to photograph my work in progress to print out and study when I am not in the studio. If I am painting and things aren't going well, sometimes I go outside and stare at the ground or watch ants before I am able to resume working. I will employ anything and everything I can to help me find a resolution.

So when I figure out how long one painting took, do I include all the other paintings I painted before it? Because they are the reason that painting looks the way it looks. Do I count the time I spent staring at the painting, trying to figure out what was wrong with it? Do I count the hours I spent looking at other artist's work, going to school and studying art? Those hours are part of what went into that painting. Do I include the hours spent drawing and sketching in preparation for painting? Or maybe I am to set a stopwatch, start painting, and stop it every time I stop to squeeze out another color, wash my brush, scratch the dog behind the ear....????? I don't think so.

I have now learned to dodge the dreaded question with evasive answers like "I am lucky enough not to have to keep track of my time." Or "I work on more than one painting at a time, so it's really hard to say." And sometimes I do say "I have been painting for fifteen years, so this painting took fifteen years and a week to paint." An answer for the unanswerable question.

Here are some studies I have been working on lately:

"Free." 8 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches. Acrylic, collage and ink on paper.  ©2012 Karine Swenson

"Sketch #1" Acrylic and marker on paper. 12 x 9 inches. ©2012 Karine Swenson

And please don't ask me how long they took. Thanks.

I will announce the winner for my drawing tomorrow, stay tuned!

July 3rd

New paintings.

(Untitled, at the moment) Oil on canvas, 14 x 14 inches. ©2012 K. Swenson

(Also untitled) Oil on canvas, 14 x 14 inches. ©2012 K. Swenson

Happy almost fourth of July!
I leave you with a photo that my facebook friends have already seen, but I have yet to post it here. And it's good enough to share twice.

This is a leopard lizard with a whiptail lizard in its mouth. Crazy desert stuff!

Change

"Stories." Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches. ©2012 Karine M. Swenson

This new painting is fresh off the easel. It was started even before the trip to Germany, and has undergone so many changes. I have been documenting different stages of each painting with my camera. I find that in order for a painting to improve, I have to let go of things that I may have gotten too attached to. It is so interesting how art parallels life. We get attached to comfortable things, and we fear change. Even change that is good for us! But in order to move forward in life and paint, we have to be willing to let go. That is what I am learning to do with my painting (and hopefully, my life.) If I photograph the stages of the painting, I find that it is easier, somehow, to move forward. That way, whatever I may have been attached to in the painting will be preserved as a digital image. What I am discovering, surprisingly enough, is that the things I thought were so good, so worthy of saving, really weren't as good as what came next. Now is that a valuable lesson, or WHAT?! All I have to do is figure out how to "photograph" or document the things in life I think are worth saving, so that I can let go of them. Maybe that's what painting (or art) is, ultimately. A way to document how we are at any given time in our lives. What do you think, fellow artists and painters?

"Artists are visionaries. We routinely practice a form of faith, seeing clearly and moving toward a creative goal that shimmers in the distance - often visible to us, but invisible to those around us. Difficult as it is to remember, it is our work that creates the market, not the market that creates our work."

                                                                                                                ~Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way

Apres Easter Treats

It is already much later than I had intended it to be. I had all these things I was going to write about, but it is 15 minutes past when I was going to start getting ready for bed, and so my energy has waned. Maybe I can make it up to you later this week. Since I have already prepared the images for this post, I will forge ahead with mostly images and not so many words. I find myself doing this more and more...

"Celebration." Oil on Linen, 40 x 40 inches. ©2012 Karine M Swenson

This painting had more variations than my haircolor did in the 80's!!! But I finally think I can say it is done.

Tonite's magnificent sunset. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend.

Blooming Things

This is the time of year when things in our yard begin a magical display. So much fun! My favorite cactus is in bloom. These blossoms are big - about the size of my hand, and they are short-lived. Usually, they only last one day. But what they lack in longevity they make up for in grandeur.
Oh, and they smell divine!

The two fuzzy looking balls I focused on here are future blossoms!

 M went back to Thailand on Saturday night. :(  The good news is that it is beginning to sound more and more like he will be back in a couple of weeks. AND he may get a couple of months at home! Cross your fingers for us. It would be nice to have a husband at home a bit more. These photos are mainly for him, since he missed this glorious display by only one day. (I love you, M.)

Needless to say, I didn't get too much painting done while M was here, so this week will be all about going back to work in the studio.

"Garden of Delights." Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches. ©Karine M Swenson2012

"Abstract art is dominated by that same desire for complete and absolute freedom and perfection which inspires saints, heroes, and madmen. It is a peak on which only a few creative artists and their admirers can maintain themselves." -Fernand Leger