Painting Rebirth and Renewal

I am happy to report my new working schedule is really working out well.  I am getting a lot of work completed and other work attended to without feeling like I am neglecting one thing for another.  I have completed recent custom sculpture orders.  I have written over forty pages of creating writing and completed tons of research for my novel.  This schedule affirms my dedication to a creative life, and I hope will help continue to guide me toward a full-time career in making art.

Lion and Lamb custom order by DoAn

I also made some wonderful progress on the Etain painting.  Something powerful happened recently as I worked on the piece.  I am not sure if it is the new working schedule, the return to painting, the changing season, or a combination of all these, but I really felt the energy of rebirth and renewal coursing through me as I painted.  I began with the leaves, painting, then scrubbing out the paint, going over them with a yellow wash.  Then I moved on to Etain's face. As I painted her, and her features emerged, I reflected on the many changes that I have gone through in the course of my life, and how many more I have to experience.  Each wash that revealed more and more of Etain's face, brought me deeper into my own experience of renewal and how it seems this experience always comes out of the darkest of places, often in a flash of light.  I have found myself wallowing in darkness, a slow, winding descent into despair, for what seems an eternity, and then, when the time for change comes, like the igniting spark of Brigid's fire, I am in a new place, inspired and shaking from the newness of my perspective.

Each time I work on these goddess-energy paintings, I think, this is the one that speaks the most strongly to me.  First, I thought it was Boann, who dragged me through an emotional hell, then The Morrigan, who made me face some of the darker aspects of myself, to Brigid who lifted me with the inspiration of a life fueled by creativity and self-empowerment, and now with Etain, I think, this, yes, THIS is who I am! The one who is constantly being reborn, reawakened, alive to the newness all around me.  I am realizing that each painting is the most powerful piece at the moment that I am painting them, because I am experiencing the energy they represent as I create them. Once I complete Etain, I know the next painting will be THE painting best representing my life and where I am.

This is precisely why I paint and why it is so difficult and necessary for me to do it.  This is why whatever it was that spoke to me at OAC in Missouri telling me to explore painting as a spiritual path and look to the sculpture as a way to support myself while remaining creative. I have no idea where these paintings and the future paintings will take me, but as I experience this transformative energy, I know it is something I must do.  Each time I sit down to paint, and then step away and observe as a witness and not a painter, I know I have connected to something much bigger than myself.

I am thrilled to continue and see where all this takes me.  I am even more thrilled to be sharing this journey with you. 

DoAn
If you are interested in following my painting progress and supporting the work I am doing, please consider becomeing a Patron. Just click on the link below:
    
DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of DoAn Art may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.  
 
Subscribe in a reader
All artwork, photos and text © Copyright 2005-2010 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

Spring Rebirth: New Focus for DoAn Art

It has been quiet on the blog lately, but the apparent stillness is only on the surface.  Behind the scenes much has been going on. So much activity in fact, that I have found it difficult to pause long enough to write a post. 

It took me several months after coming back from my three month residency at Osage Arts Community (OAC) in Missouri.  Naively, I thought after spending three months deeply connected to exploring and being completely immersed in my art, that it would be easy to fit back into the routine at home.  I spent several months trying very hard to fit back in, until I realized my mistake.  I couldn't fit back in, because I had changed.  My time at the residency opened up my life to what I could accomplish if I devoted my life to art completely.  It was counter productive, and potentially damaging to go back to compromising my art by squeezing it in between this or that.   I have worked very hard for the last four years to make art a priority in my life. I have willingly and joyously given up a lot of comforts to make this possible.  I realized it was not possible for me to come back home and return back living the way I used to. 

I spend the last three months figuring out how to continue from where I left off at OAC. Which has resulted in a new focus on my art, which I hope will allow me to support myself through my creativity.  This year will be a challenging one, but I am eager for the challenge.  The alternative to this direction is not attractive to me: depression, soul-smothering, emptiness...

One of the dilemma's I encountered was in my relationship to painting and the marketing and selling of my paintings.  Over the last four years, with increasing intensity with each year, I have found my painting has become a deep, personal spiritual exploration.  I am often guided by something outside of me (or something deep within me) to explore a subject and create a painting.  The process in creating these paintings are long, challenging, sometimes exhausting.  It requires intense focus, a lot of meditation, introspection and letting go.  I have found it increasingly difficult to continue this process when I also have to think about how I will market the piece, whether it will be received well by others, if the piece is too personal, or that I am taking too long to create the painting.  Some paintings take several months to complete, which doesn't help my income, because I can only produce a few paintings a year.  I found I was forcing myself to create smaller works just to provide an income and to prove I was still around working.  But the small paintings often were just a distraction, they usually didn't not excite me or challenge me, and few of these pieces sold.  I think others sensed the lack of spirit in these pieces a well.  They were, in many ways, a fraud.   These pieces didn't contain within them, that special something that drew people to my larger paintings.  I was forced to pick up multiple part time jobs, and thus the compromise begins.

There is a great challenge in working side jobs that one is completely disengaged from.  It is exhausting, draining and sometimes spiritually demeaning.  It became more and more difficult to come home and work on a painting that requires intense focus and a lot of energy.  Even starting the day with painting was problematic.  I could begin really connecting to a piece then suddenly have to pull away to go to a job, which often left me out of sorts, making silly mistakes at the job because my energy and focus was distracted.  I needed to find a way of generating income that supports my creative energy, rather than detracting from it.  I needed to stop compromising this energy, but I was at a loss as to how to do this.


The last two years I have been exploring fiber, which lead me to needle-felting sculptures.  I have been enjoying the challenge of this new medium.  I like that it is environmentally friendly medium and that it allows me to work in three dimensions.  I have had good success marketing these sculptures and thinking about marketing while creating them doesn't interfere with the process.  It actually inspires and excites me.  This has lead me to setting up booths at local arts and craft fairs, which growing success.  Additionally, I have found setting up the small wool sculptures is far easier and much more mobile than lugging around heavy, fragile framed pieces and delicate prints for shows. Because of this, I have decided to direct most of my marketing energy to the needle felted sculptures as a way to support my art career.  

This does not mean I am giving up my painting.  Not in the least!  The need to paint is deep-rooted and necessary for my emotional and spiritual well-being.  By focusing my marketing efforts on wool sculpture, it will free me up to connect more deeply and without conflict to the paintings I am creating.  This will also allow me to create a painting first, then reflect on whether it can be marketed afterwards.  I believe some paintings call out to many people and some are not meant to be sold, others must wait to find the right person.  I will be better able to find the proper homes for my paintings by downplaying the marketing and letting them connect to the right individuals.  In the future, I will continue to share my paintings with you, though at times there may be fewer of them and they may be more widely spaced apart. 

I am excited about this new direction in my art and life.  I feel like with the arrival of Spring, I have gone through a rebirth of sorts.  In fact, the next big painting I will be working on will feature the Irish Goddess Etain, who represents the notion of rebirth in all its forms.  I am taking a big leap.  I am putting faith in the guiding spirit of my art.  I have come to learn that when I follow the guiding voice of my art spirit, life seems to fall into place.  Obstacles cease being obstacles, and become opportunities for growth.  Challenges become ways to stretch myself, rather than a means to defeat. 

I appreciate your support over these last four years. I do hope to continue seeing you as I move into this new, exciting territory.  It has been wonderful to share my journey with you, and without you along the way, this work would be quite lonely. It is, after all, your continued support that has allowed me to get this far on the path.  I deeply believe that no effort is accomplished by one person alone.  I have been able to refocus my life, focus on creating art, and give it back to the world because of all of you.  I am forever grateful for the relationships that have been forged and the support generated by embracing this life of art making.  You are directly responsible for art being made in the world.  Thank you!  I believe the potential of what I can do creatively will blossom dramatically with this new focus,  it will be wonderful to continue to share these new discoveries with you!

DoAn

Subscribe in a reader


Help let art be made, please consider donating:


DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of DoAn Art may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

All artwork, photos and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

A Creative Renaissance

Lately I have been noticing a plethora of wonderful creative work made by independent artists and individuals who dedicate what little free time they have available.  With reports in the media talking about the decline of the quality of life in our society and how the vast majority of people are dissatisfied with their lives.  It is no wonder with the inadequate sleep, poor diet, long hours at work, and lack of healthy relationships that there is a resurgence in creativity.  A quick browsing of the internet will lead you to visual artists, photographers, sculpters, poets, writers, podcasters, videographers and other creative individuals who are committed to exploring and sharing their creative spirit with others. 

I am inspired by this increase in creativity and it gives me hope for the future.  During a time when so many people feel helpless and uncertain about their lives, I believe it is the creative spirit that has the ability to heal and bring back a sense of purpose.  If you doubt this power, think about how artists can transform a depressed and run-down neighborhood into a thriving community. 

Our society needs this injection of vitality.  With so much emphasis in the media on the negative and with much going on in the world to rightly be concerned about, we need to be uplifted to build our staminia for the work that needs to be done and remind us that there is a reason for us to be here.  The creative spirit allows us to pick through the rubble of a society that seems to be falling to pieces and create something new and better. 

We can all be part of this creative rennaissance.  Creativity comes in all forms and can be applied to all aspects of our lives.  We can bring creativity to our jobs, our relationships, to the way we live our lives. We can pick up a paint brush or a pen and see what happens.  Or, if we feel intimidated to be creative ourselves we can support those who are actively being creative.  Or we can do both!

Supporting independent artists is one of the best ways to invest in a better future for everyone.  Instead of going to the box stores that often purchase products manufactured overseas, at the high cost of environmental damage, look locally for artists.  Local art tends to support a sustainable lifestyle, due to the lesser amount of materials used.  Some artists even devote their crafts to creating  objects that are environmentally sound and sustainable.  Instead of mass produced greeting cards look for artists who make and market their own creations, instead of those mass produced prints, try purchasing print-on-demand or even an original piece.  There is high quality work being made out there, often times this work is much better than what mass produced "art" can deliver.  Look for independent musicians who forgo unfair contracts with big music companies to produce and market their music on their own.  Look for potters for your dishes, for sculpters to decorate your home, for independent writers for your library, and for independent filmmakers for your entertainment.

By investing in independent artists and other creative individuals, we invest in a future that not only has the potential to survive, but to thrive.  Here are just some of the creative things I have found on the internet:

Podiobooks: authors reading their own writing in audiobook format.
Pendant Publications: podcast dramas with a superhero focus by independent writers and voice actors.
Podcast Alley: "radio-shows" on the internet.  The topics and formats are limitless!
Etsy: a source for artists to showcase and sell their hand-made items.
Magnatunes: music by independent artists.
Fine Art America: prints, greeting cards, and original artwork by artists.
Lulu: books, ebooks, and calendars by self-published writers.
Smashwords: ebooks by by self-published writers. (ebooks saves paper and ink!)

And don't forget to check out the fine artists and writers who happen to be right in your own neighborhood!  They are out there working hard, often juggling multiple jobs and family responsibilities to create work that is too often taken for granted.  Bring joy to their lives and enrich your own and the lives of others while helping to support the betterment of community by patronizing local creative people!

Thank you for being part of the Creative Renaissance!

DoAn
Subscribe in a reader



DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of DoAn Art may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

All artwork, photos and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

Rainbow Birds: Blue

The Eastern Bluebird is the penultimate painting in the Rainbow Birds series. I came up with the idea for this series while watching the birds at the feeder outside my window. I noticed one day that the feeder attracted birds of all the colors of the rainbow. I thought, how amazingly beautiful nature is!
I completed a series of individual studies of each of the birds, drawn and painted to scale of the actual birds, then worked at a composition featuring them all together. The series will feature the following song birds: cardinal, baltimore oriole, gold finch, ruby-throated hummingbird, eastern bluebird, indigo bunting, and purple martin.

The indigo bunting and purple martin will be featured in the next and final piece in the series.

Great for anyone who loves birds and the beauty of nature! The series make a great set of greeting cards. Get prints and greeting cards at my Fine Art America page.

DoAn
Subscribe in a reader




DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.