2012 - Ready or not

It has arrived. A new year! WOW.

"Privacy." oil on linen, 24 x 30 inches. ©2011 Karine Swenson

I have been writing and thinking about goals. I am not interested so much in resolutions, but I do like to set goals. When I first started setting goals, there was a certain amount of doubt or maybe even disbelief. Would it be helpful? Would I feel more satisfied or fulfilled? Time has shown that goals do help me. I do feel more satisfied and fulfilled, even when I don't achieve all of my goals, or when I fall short. I look back on what I did achieve, and realize that I have become a more productive, more successful, and even more financially viable  artist by setting goals. Even goals involving my health and personal life have given me a greater feeling of satisfaction. And so...Onward!
This week will be about sitting down and writing down a list of proud accomplishments for last year. I will also be fine tuning the goals for this year. I have also been reading my friend Patrica Scarborough's blog, and she wrote about choosing a word for the year. I love that. I think I will come up with a word of my own, for 2012.

How about you? Are you a New Year's resolutioner? Do you set goals? Do you have some New Year's ritual?

Rabbits abound

Another jack rabbit painting found a home this weekend.  The best part about its new home is that I will get to see it again, because it doesn't live too far from us here in Joshua Tree.  That is happy news! 

"Black Tailed Ck," Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches.  ©Karine Swenson2011

It has been a challenge to be in the studio after being away for so long.  I am having trouble re-connecting with my work in the same way.  It's not surprising.  I have been to a foreign country and seen all kinds of new things.  Life has shifted.  Enough has changed that my work must change with it.  Of course, that kind of transition is never without feelings of confusion.  Maybe even a little frustration.  It may take awhile for my art to reflect the shift.  One must first absorb new experiences before that information is integrated into art.  We shall see what becomes of it all.

In the meantime, I have been experimenting with ideas that came from my art journal.  (For those of you who don't know what that is, my art journal is a place where I write, draw, collage AND paint.  I allow it to be a free platform for play and experimentation.  I don't work in it that often, but I do pull it out from time to time and glue, write, and basically make a mess.)  The first two paintings from the art journal explorations were completed last week.  They are a mix of collage, acrylic, gesso and various other markers and paper.  On board. 

Music to my Ears, mixed media on board, 12 x 9 inches.  ©Karine Swenson 2011

"Those Ears," mixed media on board, 14 x 11 inches.  ©Karine Swenson 2011

So many rabbit paintings!  I blame it on the proliferation of rabbits in our yard.  They are abundant this year.  Do they know this is their year?  I wonder.

Paint

The Portable Cushion.  Oil on canvas, 10 x 8 inches.  ©k.swenson10

Above, a recent painting of one of the beloved desert cottontails that frequent our backyard.  They look so much more innocent when they aren't devouring my carefully planted flowers and bushes. 

The day that I was going to take to go and play last week ended up being swallowed by business-related chores and responsibilities.  Something came up that had to be taken care of.  I am grateful to be able to help with the household finances, but it does have a way of sucking up time like a vacuum.  So, I have contented myself with playing in the studio, as a fellow artist suggested.  And I dance at night, after a long day.  I also find that sitting down with the sketchbook and a ball point pen does wonders for me.  (perhaps I will remember to scan some of those little sketches, so you can see the fun I had...)  I also take mini-breaks during the day to play ball with Pono the fuzzball dog.  I realize that it isn't the studio that I need a break from.  It's all of those other things - the computer work, the dishes, the endless routine of eating and cleaning up, laundry, bills, etc.  That is the work that weighs heavily upon me.  (Do you think Picasso ever had to scrub out a toilet?  Ever?  I don't.  No wonder he went through so many women....)  The studio time is the time I cherish, whether the day of painting is good or bad. 

I am happy to be able to paint.

More thanks

Two new oil paintings have been listed for sale in my etsy store today. They are 12 x 12 x 2.5 inches, and I called them "Transparent Bubbles" and "Transparent Bubbles II". I just wanted them to be playful and fun.

5 things I am grateful for today:
1. Music that gets you right in the center of your body.
2. The smell of fresh herbs
3. Bubble baths with lots of foam
4. warm sweaters
5. crisp apples

Quick post

One of the coolest things about desert plants is that they are opportunistic. If they get enough rain, they bloom! So I stumbled upon a paper bag bush in bloom a couple of days ago, and here is the photo. What a cool bush.

Just a quick post, because I have been working on the computer all day, and I am tired!

I got selected to be a juror! The trial starts tomorrow, and the judge said it could last until the 22nd of November! wow. So, even though I cannot blog about the case, I am excited to be a part of this important aspect of a free society.

Here is a monotype for you to enjoy, until I have a chance to write a more lengthy post. This one measures 14 x 11 inches, and I have entitled it "Blooming". Good night!

A watercolor painting

I don't have much to tell you, except that the weather has finally turned. It has been cooler at night, and only gets into the mid- 80's during the day. That probably sounds hot to many of you, but it is at least 10 degrees (F) cooler than it has been. It feels wonderful. I find that I am spending way too much time outdoors. Just enjoying the sunshine. Sunshine that finally feels warm, without being scorching. I have work to do, but I have to enjoy this just a little bit, okay?

Here is a watercolor from earlier this summer. It was one that didn't get lost like the other ones, but somehow it never got posted. It is pretty small, measuring only 7 x 5 inches.

Rain in the Desert

We woke up to rain this morning!! So rare, and that makes it all that much more special and cool. Pono the dog and I got quite wet on our walk, but Pono decided that being able to splash through puddles is worth the wet ears. A small price to pay.

I did spend time in the studio today. Not as much as I would have liked, but at least I got in there. I am struggling with a larger painting that is really being difficult. I am on layer number 4 or 5 by now, and it is still an ugly duckling. I may just have to leave it at that, and move on. To save my sanity. (If I still have some.)

Here is a painting from earlier this week. I think it's 16 x 12 inches. Small. Oil on canvas. It is a swan, only in comparison to the huge ugly duckling, still sitting on my easel, making me want to light a bonfire.

Rambling Along

Well, hello everyone! Happy Tuesday. I guess I have a bit of catching up to do. First off, I just have to mention how much fun the Sia concert was!!!! I loved Sia! She is really funny and charming onstage. More importantly, she sounded GREAT. Her voice just got stronger with each song. It blew me away. We saw her and her band perform in a small club just north of San Diego called "Belly Up". It was a great place to see her, since it was small. It was the first concert of her US tour!!! If you get a chance to see her, I highly recommend it. It did end up being a long day/night, but well worth the sleep deprivation, in my humble opinion.

Yesterday was Pono's birthday. I gave him a bath on Sunday, so he was sparkly clean for his birthday. I made him another recycled squeaky toy, and of course he got plenty of attention. Here is a cute photo of Pono and Matthias, post bath. Pono hates baths, of course, as any dog does. He DOES enjoy the part after the bath, when I rub him all over with towels. We call it "rubby rubbies" (yes, baby talk, I KNOW!!! Nauseating, really) and he gets so excited. That is the best part of bath day. Who wouldn't want to be rubbed all over with a towel??? It feels great!

I spent most of the day, yesterday and today, in the studio. I managed to finish two, well, three paintings, and I started a whole bunch of new ones. I also put layer number one on two larger paintings. I think both of the larger ones are extremely ugly, but I am not going to worry about it, since it is only layer number one. These new paintings usually have anywhere between 3 and 6 layers, so there's no point in getting too upset about it. I am attaching a photo of one of the new ones for your viewing pleasure. (It is at the top - 12 x 12", oil on canvas)

In news of the desert, I found a couple of Joshua Trees that are nearly there in terms of blooms. I have been snapping photos of these things like crazy, I am so excited!! I find that the buds remind me a lot of the protea, which is a favorite flower of mine. In Hawaii, I painted the protea quite a few times, and sold each and every one of those paintings. If I can dig a photo of one of those old paintings up for you, I'll post it. This is just more rambling, but when Matthias and I were visiting South Africa, where the protea has origins, we actually went to a botanical garden full of them!!! It was awesome!

Joshua Trees will bloom

I am excited, because yesterday, while cruising around in the desert, I noticed that the Joshua Trees are going to bloom!!! Not all of them have buds on them, but I did take photos of three different trees, in various stages of getting ready to bloom. How cool! For those of you who haven't read my earlier post about the Joshua Tree, they don't bloom every year. It seems they require certain conditions for that to happen. It is so exciting. This also means, that by the fall, I should have some Joshua Tree seed pods for someone I promised them to. (you know who you are!) I love that this kind of excitement can make me happy for days.



The other good news is that I took a few of the new paintings down to Christopher Morgan Galleries in Palm Desert yesterday. The owner seemed to be pleased by the direction of my new work. In fact, I put Damar Varnish on three of them, and they will be going back down to the gallery tomorrow. For those of you who aren't painters, Damar Varnish helps seal the painting, and protects it from dirt and scratches. It also provides the surface of the painting with an even gloss or matte finish.

I have been experimenting on small pieces of board, and I thought I would post one for you. I think this one turned out particularly well. It is only about 5 1/2 x 7 1/2" or so, but still, I think it is successful. I have layered several coats of oil paint over the top of heavy acrylic medium that was applied with a palette knife. Once the surface of this painting is dry, I will most likely be listing it on my etsy site, so check back!

drum roll, please...

So here are a couple of the new paintings. This first one is called "Joy". It measures 9 x 12", and is painted on 100% cotton, cold press 140 lb. watercolor paper. I like the colors. The next one is the same size and paper, and I have named it "Lime Green and Serpentine". Well, Matthias helped with the title. What do you think? There are more, but they are for later. I swear I am not really a tease. I do think these have more emotion, less control than the first watercolors in this style, but I could be wrong.


The other exciting news is that Matthias put up our Christmas lights today. I had a vision of what I wanted for the new adobe house, and here it is - just as I imagined!!! Fat red lights along the edges of the house. I am so happy! We were going to buy the LED lights for this project, but it turned out to be not only expensive, but the LED lights were shorter, so they would not have stretched all the way. Apparently, you can only string three strings of the LED lights together, and they are about half the length of the regular ones. Bummer! I still really love my red Christmas lights. We did put them on a timer, so the environment won't suffer too greatly. I know, I know. LED would have been better.

New Watercolor Paintings

Finally, I have managed to take some brushes out, splash them in water, and dip them into paint. It feels good. Watercolor is what I typically turn to, when life feels too hectic for anything else. Watercolor is the first kind of painting I ever did, so it's also a homecoming. I have been working on these paintings that are based on the textures and rhythms of grass. Of course, being my work, it is highly abstracted.

I have sold a number of these on my etsy site, so I thought it would be nice to explore the idea further, and try some variations. I am using these wonderful calligraphy brushes from China. I have done some calligraphy, in the past, but I would not consider myself a "calligrapher" by any stretch of the imagination. I just really love painting with these brushes. They hold a lot of water, plus you can make a good variation of strokes, from broad washes to delicate lines. Just like in the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", when she says lettering is so similar to swordplay. It feels like that, slashing away with this delicate brush across the paper. FUN!!!

I can tell I am tired, because I am having so much trouble typing! So I will wait to post more of the new paintings tomorrow. G'nite.

A reworked painting and the dog

I don't really have much to tell you. I was hoping to paint today, but I am feeling uninspired. I have plenty of paintings waiting to be painted (in my head). So that's not it. It's just that old artistic block or slump or whatever you want to call it.

Instead, I am going to post one photo of Pono the dog, pulling the stuffing out of his favorite white bear. Even though most of the stuffing has been removed from this bear by Pono, he truly loves it. While I was trying to stretch this morning (on the floor), Pono brought the bear over to me, placed it on my head, and lay down on top of me, hoping to get me to play. Pretty cute.

I just listed a larger original oil painting on etsy tonight. It measures 20 x 20", and I recently reworked it. (I had originally painted it while we were still in Hawaii.) I think it is much better now. The colors are bolder. It's called "Reef", since the shapes are ocean inspired. Very abstract, huh?

The psychology of a painting

I have neglected my blog terribly! I used to be so faithful with my posts. I don't know what has happened to me. I will make a concerted effort to write more often. The good news is that I have been painting. I organized a 4 hour drawing/painting session with a wonderful model on Saturday. We met here, at the new house. There were only 3 artists, but the intimacy of the group was actually very nice. I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

I did not finish my pastel painting, but I did take a photograph, so I think I will be able to finish it from that. Here is what I did.
I was working on a dark reddish paper, and as you can see, the left hand part of the painting is quite unresolved. I will try to post it, if I can get a bit more resolution.

I find that I tend to fight with my art quite a lot. I am not one of those painters who merrily paints or draws away. I struggle, I agonize. I believe it is part of the process for me. All of my inner turmoil seems to come to the surface, and makes itself known. Sometimes, it seems as though the paint is actually blood, drawn from my veins, painfully creating the image on the surface of the canvas or paper. This may sound rather exaggerated or dramatic to some of you, but I am trying to describe what the experience is like for me. That is how it feels! You might be wondering why I continue, with an experience like this. I will admit, there are times when I ask myself the same question. Yet, there is a catharsis to the release. I can honestly say that there is nothing that makes me feel the way creating art makes me feel. I need that feeling.

I think part of what comes out when painting is my own insecurity. I have such doubt and fear that I can create a painting that I will like, or that anyone will like, for that matter. "Why is this important?", I ask myself. It is important because I want validation. All the time and money I spend on making art needs some kind of justification for me. After all, it has taken up the bulk of my life, this obsession. You can't spend nearly 15 years of your life on something without needing some kind of progress report, some kind of pat on the back. But even after 15 years, I always doubt my capability as an artist. That insecure part of me fights with another part of me, who has confidence, even a bit of arrogance about my own ability. I don't think either side of me really wins, per se. Each side may score a "point" from time to time, but I think most of the battles end in a tie.

When I look at my work, I can see this conflict, this tug of war. I think it makes the art more honest, because I reveal all of myself. Not just the confident part, who knows I can do it. But that other, more fragile part, with all its doubts and fears. Isn't this really how all of us are, when we allow ourselves to see it? Perhaps it is the reason I love to paint human beings so much. I know, intimately, what it is to be a human being.

A Day Late

I was fully planning on being part of the action day blog, which was yesterday. Apparently, you put a paintbrush in my hand, and I forget about everything else! So I am going to post about the environment today. Better late than never, I hope.

I love the environment of this desert we live in. It is so foreign to me, having lived most of my life in mountains and hills, covered with pine trees, aspen, and juniper. There was that brief stint on Maui, but otherwise, I am a mountain girl. The desert seems so stark, at first. Yeah, it is dry. However, upon closer inspection, there is an abundance of plant and animal life here. I have only begun to get to know all of these hardy plants and critters.

On the daily walks with Pono the dog, I am slowly aquainting myself with our new surroundings. One of the disturbing things we have discovered is that for some people, the desert seems to be a giant dump. If there is a dirt road, leading off onto empty land, you will find piles of debris - old window panes, beds, disintegrating sofas, glass, tires - anything imaginable. Just two blocks away from our house I have already discovered at least 4 of these piles of trash.

I respond to them in a way that is similar to seeing a car crash. It is horrific, and yet I can't seem to tear my eyes away. I find myself moving closer, to see what comprises each pile of stuff. Being a creative person, I also wonder if I will find something that will inspire me, or something I can use to make art. The funny thing is, I really am not much good at assemblage, or found object art. I have a friend, emmet, who is really amazing at putting together things he finds in alleys, but I usually don't like what I end up with. Yet, I can't stop myself from perusing these piles.

Despite my fascination with the trash, I have to say that the desert is so much nicer when it is in a more pristine condition. On our camping adventure last week, when we stayed overnight at Cactus Flats, one of the best qualities of that place was that I saw very little trash. It still seemed quite untouched, despite the 4 wheel drive roads criss-crossing the area. It was the way I imagine Joshua Tree looked before people began developing it.

I often think that human beings have the opposite of the Midas touch. Everything we touch is destroyed. That is a severe judgement, I suppose, but when I see trash all over the place - blowing Walmart bags in the wind - it comes back to my mind. Our environment is not as resilient as we may want to believe. No matter where I have lived or travelled, I have seen piles of trash in places where I would rather not see it. I have taken up the habit of picking it up, putting it in my pack, and carrying it home with me. But I do think if each one of us made a more conscious effort to not only pick up the trash we see, but also try to produce less of it (reduce, recycle, reuse!) this problem could be tackled. Wouldn't that be cool?

I leave you with one of the paintings I worked on yesterday. It is an older painting, one from the series of 100 I did for my gallery in Colorado. Yesterday, I reworked it. It is oil on canvas, and measures 12 x 12.

An orchid and a new painting

This will be a quick post, since I need to get into the studio today. I wanted to share with you a photo of a dendrobian orchid I have in my bathroom. I've had it since we lived in Colorado, and it hasn't bloomed in two years. It was a birthday gift from my parents. (thanks Mom and Dad!) I think it likes the desert sun! Isn't it glorious?

Enjoy the weekend, all of you blog readers. This is blog post number 99 for me! The next post is number 100. There may be some fun and free art in the 100th post, so keep reading. I hope to have more new paintings for you soon soon soon! Here is one more from the most recent series. Oil on canvas, 12 x 12"

Postcards

Another week has passed by, and I have neglected my blog fans terribly. I apologize! I find it difficult to sit down at the computer when there are people in the house. My in-laws were here over the weekend, and yesterday, a new friend and her dogs visited us. Today, I finally have a quiet house, and I will do my best to make up for lost days.

Some of you have probably received a postcard from me. If you didn't get one, and would like one, please email me. I will be happy to send one out. I did not send everyone the same image, as I ordered three different ones, so I thought it would be fun to post all three, so you can see them together. If you don't like the postcard you received, I apologize, but I did try to chose carefully! If you want one, don't delay - it will have to be a first come, first serve kind of thing, because I only have a few left! For those of you who are just finding my blog because of the postcard, welcome to the blog! I am nearing my 100th blog post, and I am contemplating doing something special to celebrate this milestone! So stay tuned!

The weather is beginning to cool off at last here in the desert. Yesterday, Pono and I went for about a 3 hour hike with our new friend and her two dogs. It was wonderful to be out in the middle of the day, and not feel like we were going to cook. I know we will have a fun time exploring the area surrounding our new home. Joshua Tree National Park is only minutes away, but I am not sure they allow dogs on the trails there. So we will seek other dog-friendly places for our discoveries.

Pono and Matthias and I did get to visit the ocean on Tuesday, and Pono had a lot of fun, playing with his ball near the water. He does go into the water, and is getting braver about waves, but he has never been much of a swimmer. He likes to lay down in the shallow part, to cool off. He has learned not to drink the salty water, after the disaster of our last visit, so that is good news. I love the ocean. It is nice to be close enough to visit every couple of weeks or so. It is a contrast after living in Colorado, where I was lucky to see the ocean once a year.

Matthias is gone on a trip once again, so new paintings will be coming soon! Here is a sample of a new series I am working on. It measures 12 x 12 x 2.5" and is oil on canvas. I haven't found the title just yet...

Another new painting

Here is another painting that I reworked this past week. This one has gone through an incredible amount of transformation. It is large, measuring 30 x 52". I have found photos from the beginning of the painting, so you can follow the progression.









It will have to sit for a while, so that I can decide if this is the final stage. I think I like it better vertically.

My in-laws are visiting, and we are getting ready for a garage sale tomorrow. Feel free, any of you in the area, to stop by and say "hi"!