A hitch and a plea

Lian, the sad patient awaiting surgery

The boxes are mostly packed and I am getting myself prepared for the next step in my creative life.  I have been reading some mythology books and jotting down ideas and looking forward to getting back to work on my art. I was looking forward to a quieter week where I could tie up some loose ends and collect energy for the move on April 11th.

Then on Friday, Lian and I sat down to clean her teeth, a weekly ritual that she bears quite bravely and offers no resistance.   That's when I noticed that her upper right molar was half gone.  A piece of it was split right past her gum line.  I took her to the vet and after a careful examination the vet gave me a grave look and said Lian would have to have surgery. 

Spring Flowers 2

This is no minor surgery.  Not inherently life-threatening, but potentially problematic. The tooth she broke (and we have yet to figure out how she broke this tooth so badly) is one of her largest teeth with three deep roots.  Several nerves are in the vicinity of this tooth and extracting this large tooth is difficult in such a tiny jaw. Needless to say, I am concerned about lasting effects of this procedure.  But, leaving the tooth in opens her up to dangerous abscesses and infections. Her surgery is scheduled for this Wednesday.

Lian is not only a companion, but a soul-friend, an emotional support and creative inspiration. She has been with me through my efforts to shift my life toward one the fully embraces my creativity.  She has weathered several moves with no complaint. When discouraged, she offers a paw or an enthusiastic lick to lift my spirits. When feeling apprehensive about my creative work, I watched her play with paint and canvas and learned that fear need not interfere with the creative process.  She has taught me that sometimes art can just be plain old fun!

Primrose by Lian Xin

Yes, Lian paints!  While in Cincinnati she was very busy with a whole studio to run around and play in.  After leaving Ohio, her access to paint and canvas was restricted to warm sunny days outdoors. I think she hasn't minded letting me focus more fully on my creative work for a while, as she has been equally content with keeping my lap warm as I work.

When Lian suffers, I suffer.  She is a muse, of sorts, for me.  Like a familiar in ancient traditions, she is a source of power and inspiration.  And this accident comes at a terrible time.  As we make this transition to Vermont, I very much want my loyal friend healthy and happy.  Surgery is a major expense for one who lives on a limited income.  It is my hope that you might consider purchasing some of Lian's paintings or greeting cards, you can help us offset some of these unexpected vet bills.

You can view her artwork on her newly created website: www.faeriedog.com  Links to prints and greeting cards can be found there.  You can also watch a video of her painting.  If I sell each of the paintings listed on the site we will cover the cost of the surgery and medications.  But even one sale will be a big help.  Please share this with anyone you think might enjoy her colorful work.  We really appreciate your consideration to help.

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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.  
 
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All artwork, photos and text © Copyright 2005-2011 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.

Vermont Mountain Memory

This is a watercolor sketch in honor of the green mountains of Vermont.

I grew up surrounded by the Green Mountains. They have shaped the way I see and find myself connecting to the landscape around me. Flatland now feels empty and cold to me.

I recently spent four weeks at the Vermont Studio Center where I was nestled within a ring of mountains. Often I would watch from my studio window the snow falling over the pines that bristled the crest of the mountains.  This sketch is an amalgam of all the memories I have of the Green Mountains of Vermont.

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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.

The Final Week

I am entering the final week here at the Vermont Studio Center. I will have much to process and share with you when I return. There will be some exciting new work and insights into my work coming soon. Once I get the images home and scanned I will be able to post them and discuss them. In the meantime, here is a picture of the Gihon River that runs through Johnson, VT where the Vermont Studio Center is located. I took this picture during a snow storm on my way from the studio to dinner.

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(Moon Phase: Full Moon)
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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 2005-2011 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.

Vermont Studio Center Residency: Day 1

Well, I made the long trip up to the mountains of Vermont without incident. The first day was devoted to settling in, feeling out my space and establishing a routine.

My cell phone does not work up here and my access to the Internet is quite limited, but I am actually enjoying the escape from constant connectivity. My room is sparsely furnished with a bed, desk and sitting chair. I spend the day working in my studio and the evenings reading, doing some reflective writing, and knitting. I am reading books about myth and art's role in myth making. It is great food for my painting! One of the books I am reading is When they Severed Earth From Sky by Barber & Barber. It has already gotten the wheels in my brain turning, I am sure I will have some work and thoughts to share as a result from reading the book.

Here is a picture of my studio space all set up and ready for new work to be made in. I will share my experiences and thoughts while here over the next four weeks, so check back periodically if you don't subscribe to my blog.

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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 2005-2011 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.

New Greeting Card & Contributing toward a Better World

I have uploaded a new greeting card design to my print on demand site. This design is from a painting I did while living in New York City. Ironically, it is a painting of the hill just down the road from where I am living now in Upstate New York! I plan to do a painting of this hill in each of the four seasons so look for a set of four cards in the future! You can view and order the greeting card here.

Also, I am starting to get my materials together for the Vermont Studio Center residency. It is only five weeks away and there is still much to do! Like, for instance, figuring out how I am going to get there with my supplies! Currently, I am preparing some preliminary sketches and drawings for the paintings I will be working on while there. I plan to do two abstracts and a landscape. Once I have the sketches complete, then I can create a color palette so that I can select the paints that I will bring.


It may seem like a terrible time to be generous, but please consider the gift to community that individual artists give. This is not the time for us to give in to fears and worries, but rather, to extend our support and remember that goodness and generosity exists in every situation. By supporting individual artists, community development groups, social service organizations, we support ourselves and make a healthy community and in turn a better world. Your tax-deductible contribution to DoAn Art can go toward improving our lives by allowing beautiful and thought provoking works to be shared with society. A simple, but effective way to ease your mind during this time of fear and uncertainty is to take an active role in making the world a better place by offering your support.

Thank you for your support!
DoAn
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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 2005-2011 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.

The Orphan Act Bill -- The End of Free Creative Expression?

Back in May I wrote about a very problematic bill being proposed by Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and other Senators. You can read about what I said here.

Well, now that the country is caught up in the scare tactics of the government over the financial crisis the Orphan Acts Bill was slipped into the senate where it PASSED because no one was present to vote against it! Please take a moment to write your representative now! If you value art, writing, music either as a creator or a collector, this bill will effect you dramatically.

Use these templates to send out a letter to your representatives:
http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/

It is best to copy and paste the letter template into a hard copy and mail the letter out. I was informed by an assistant to a senator that emails go to a junk folder and are never opened. The best way to have yourself heard is by sending a letter and addressing the envelope by hand.

Here is the Orphan Acts Bill as proposed:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.5439:

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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 2005-2011 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.

Humans and Honeybees: a long history of cooperation

Did you know that humans and honeybees have been working together for thousands of years?

In 1934 images were found in a limestone cave in Spain depicting humans honey-hunting. This is the first painting discovered in Europe that illustrates humans collecting honey. The image shows a human hanging on ropes suspended over a cliff-face. The human is reaching into a nest of bees taking honeycombs while individual bees swarm around. Another figure stands below holding a bag with a long handle where the honey is collected. It is estimated that this painting was made between 2000 and 8000 years ago.

Bee-keeping is depicted in Egyptian temple reliefs as early as the 5th Dynasty (2445-2441 BC). The reliefs show that beekeeping was well established in Egypt by the middle of the Old Kingdom (3rd millennium BC). Records from at least one tomb workers' village during the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC) indicate that the workmen there kept bees and this was likely true of other communities throughout Egyptian history. Bee-keeping is also depicted in some 18th and 26th Dynasty tombs. Bees were certainly of great importance in providing honey, which was used both as the principal sweetener in the Egyptian diet and as a base for medicinal ointments. The Egyptians also collected beeswax for use as a mold-former in metal castings and also for use as a paint-varnish. Read the book Sweetness & Light by Hattie Ellis for more fascinating history of the relationship between humans and bees.

As humans focused more on development and less on the environment, suburban sprawl has destroyed many of the natural habitats of bees. It seems like it might be a good time to think about giving back some of the living spaces we took away to bees again. I looked into ways that people with very small amount of land can provide living space for bees. I was glad to find that it is very simple and doesn't end up with someone having swarms of bees taking over their yard! The National Wildlife Federation has some tips on how to build bee houses here.

You can create homes for Orchard Mason Bees who are very helpful in pollinating plants. Ochard Mason bees are not aggressive and rarely sting, so they are safe to keep in your back yard, or porch, or outside your window, if you don't have a yard. You can also create houses for bumble bees, which are native to North America and very important pollinators. I found a site by Dave Pehling that gives simple instructions on creating a bumble bee house, but you can search for other sites quite easily that give instructions on how to make houses for them. If you are not handy at all, there are also sites on line where you can purchase pre-made bee homes.

In the spring I will be setting out both Orchard Mason Bee and Bumblebee homes and I will be sure to share the results with you then. Please consider continuing the long-standing relationship between humans and bees by creating a home for them. After all, it seems like it is the least we can do after taking away so much of their natural habitat. The plus is that we can live together and share the benefits from each other as a result!

If you find this interesting and would like to learn more about the honeybee and other teachings from nature, please consider donating to DoAn Art. I am currently raising money to attend a residency at the Vermont Studio Center where I can synthesize this kind of information into artwork to share with society. It is my hope that by sharing my teachings and paintings from nature, I might help inspire others to seek ways to make our world and all the beings on it a beautiful place to live.

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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 2005-2011 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.

So Close, Yet Not Quite There: The Importance of Community

Limited Edition hand colored print

The Gift of Community
hand-colored print by DoAn

Please consider helping me attend the Vermont Art Center artist residency in November 2008!

As many of you may remember, I was accepted to the Vermont Studio Center residency from November 21st through December 21st this year. I was granted a partial scholarship to cover a little over half the expenses of the residency. I have since been working on raising money to cover the remaining fees and I am glad to report I only have $1000 left to collect! I appreciate the support of those who have believed in my work enough to donate and help me produce work that continues to explore nature, spirit and healing.

As an added incentive I am offering a special limited time print for donations of $100 or more. (Special offer expired)

• The print is titled “The Gift of Community”
  
• Each print is hand colored by me with artist grade colored pencils, matted and signed.
• Once the fundraiser is over prints of this piece will no longer be available.

I believe the print speaks to how every member of a community has a role and supports each member as well as benefits all. The Honeybee is a perfect representative of this ideal. The print shows honeybees working together in their hive collecting pollen and nectar.

Attending this residency is a crucial step not only in developing my career as an artist, but also in supporting the community at large by allowing creative work to be made. Your donation will go directly toward supporting art to flourish, which, in turn, helps make our society healthier and balanced.

While at the Vermont Studio Center I will be creating paintings that relate figures from mythology to objects in nature and the cosmos. The purpose of this series is to help people see and experience the beauty and diversity of the natural world in a new way. With our misuse and neglect for the well-being of the environment and the over consumption of nature’s resources, I believe that people need to once more find respect for and appreciate the natural world, which we are not separate from but intimately connected to.

If you have enjoyed reading my blogs or benefited from the artwork and information that I have shared with you, please consider contributing. No amount is too small. However, my appreciation for your gift will be limitless!

Donations received will go toward:

• Fees for attending the Vermont Studio Center residency
• To support me in continuing to produce artwork that stimulates thought
• To support my goal to produce work that is environmentally and socially aware

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. 



If you have any questions or concerns about donating to DoAn Art through Fractured Atlas, don't hesitate to contact me at doanart at gmail.com.

Thanks for your support! It is only like busy honeybees working together can we combine energies and resources to help everyone around us to see how fascinating and beautiful our world is and how much we need to help protect it!

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All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2011 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.