New Paintings & Greeting Cards

Hello All and Happy New Year!
I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I took some time off, stayed in and did a lot of meditating, some yoga, and some inward reflection so that I can start the new year with renewed energy and a stronger focus on my art.

Since I have been focusing a lot of my artwork on using inks. I came up with a small series of paintings utilizing images of foxes on aquaboard and colored inks. The results are what appear to be watercolors on paper, but are much more durable and longer lasting than watercolors or a work on paper would be.

Back when I started working on these pieces, I had been chased with images of foxes. Some in my dreams, others just popping up randomly in books, or tv programs.
I had a fondness for foxes when I was younger, so I thought the fox would be a good subject to explore again.

For my research I examined different kinds of foxes and how they relate to the natural world and in mythology and spiritual lore.

The first painting I did was the Autumn Fox. This is represented by the Red Fox. Autumn in Celtic lore was considered the time when the line between the living world and the otherworld was the thinnest. People were better able to commune with those who had crossed over to the otherworld at this time. The fox because of it's illusive nature, is often associated with magic, and supernatural abilities. It's most active times are during dawn and dusk, the "in-between-times", and therefore, a natural emissary representing the borderlands between this and the otherworld.

The next painting was Winter Fox. This painting is represented by the Arctic Fox, who is the master of camouflage. In the warmer months, the Arctic fox comes in a range of colors from chocolate brown to charcoal black. As winter approaches, it sheds its dark fur for a thick white coat. The fox (no matter which species) is a master of camouflage, being able to vanish, practically right before your eyes. The Arctic fox is the master of invisibility, being able to disappear right into a snow bank.

The third painting I did was of the Spring Fox. I chose the Gray Fox to represent spring. I have always held the Gray Fox to be one of my favorites. It is a very quiet, shy creature. It is the only fox that can climb trees. Here I drew a fox in the branches of a flowering cherry tree. In spiritual lore, the fox is represented by the World card in the tarot deck. The fox represents that the world is growing and shaping itself into new beneficial patterns. Spring is the time of year where the potential for all things begins to manifest. The gray fox standing on a tree branch in spring bloom, seemed like the perfect image to represent that.

Lastly, the Summer Fox. Represented here by the swift fox. It is one of the smaller species of fox. It occupies the drier regions of North America. There is another fox called a kit fox, which some argue might be just a smaller breed of swift fox. They look nearly identical, with some slight variations in ear size and body weight. Summer is a time of heat and activity. The legs of the fox are adapted for running. It requires a great amout of stamina, and fox can trot along for a long time without appearing exhausted. The swift fox, by name, seems to embody this idea of energy very well. Also, the swift and the kit foxes have very large ears. They are designed to help rid the body of excess heat, another adaption to address the hot months of summer. This painting depicts a swift fox, trotting along in a field.

January & February is usually devoted to my meditation stroke paintings. I will be discussing the process and posting new stroke paintings in the next couple entries to keep an eye out for those. In addition to the stroke paintings I will be continuing to develop work on my series From Beyond the Ninth Wave.

It should be an exciting year!

Happy Holidays!

I hope this holiday season finds everyone healthy and turning toward peace and kindness for every living thing!

I appreciate all the support and encouragement that I received from patrons, collectors and friends and fans of my work. It means a lot that there are people who find my work meaningful and believe in what I do enough to support me so that I can continue to create and share my pieces with society.

I have some new goals and plans for 2008, which I will share in more detail next month However, I can share with you that I have been selected for Fiscal Sponsorship by Fractured Atlas. Fractured Atlas website. Fractured Atlas, is legally recognized 501(c)(3) public charity that provides limited financial and legal oversight to selected artists. They are responsible for administering any funds received in support of my artistic endeavors. With Fractured Atlas as my fiscal sponsor, I am eligible to solicit and receive grants and tax-deductible contributions that are normally available to only 501(c)(3) organizations. This support can be monetary, a service, or in the form of physical goods (in kind donations). Please check it out! I appreciate any support you may be able to offer!

In 2008 I will work even more diligently to do the work I believe I was put here on earth to do. I will continue find ways to create work that is both high quality, long-lasting and environmentally friendly. In my goal to create art full time, I will be devoting more and more of my life to the pursuit of art. It will require some personal sacrifices, some giving up of personal comforts, in order to help me reach this goal. Your support and encouragement is a major key in making this goal possible. Making personal sacrifices are, in the end, not true sacrifices when I know the end result is in making a positive contribution to society.

Thanks for all your myriad forms of support! Every little bit counts and is greatly appreciated.

Happy Holidays and Many Blessings!

Another Experiment

Here is the latest of my experiments with ink. This is ink on Aquaboard, which is a hardboard panel coated with a special water absorbing clay. I really like the results of using this ground and will be spending the next few months developing pieces using ink and Aquaboard. I will also be producing some new pieces using ink on watercolor canvas. This work tends to take a bit longer to produce. Because of the permanence of ink, every stroke counts. It is a fine balance between controlling the ink and allowing it to be spontaneous. It requires a very still, yet open mind...steady hand and some risks.

I am quite inspired from my recent attendance to FaerieCon. I hope you will enjoy the new work over the next few months. I am always happy to hear comments about my pieces. As I start developing these new pieces, it is always helpful hear how people are responding to them. You can leave comments here on this blog or email me at doanart@gmail.com.

Enter the World of Faerie

I recently returned from the first International FaerieCon in
Philadelphia, PA. What is FaerieCon? Well, think of a scifi convention,
mixed with a rennaissance fair, a neo-pagan gathering, an art and
craft fair, mix those with panel discussions about art, literature,
shamanism, throw in some live music and a good dose of magic...and you
have a FaerieCon!

It was a very powerful weekend, where I had the opportunity to meet
some world-reknowned artists and writers. Since I have been studing
literature, art and the traditions of Faery the last few months, this
convention helped to deepen my knowledge and learn what others are
doing with the same subject.

Brian & Wendy Froud

Wendy Fround

The guests of honor were Brian and Wendy Froud. Brian is probably best known for his conceptual designs for the movie the Dark Crystal and Labyrinth He has published numerous art, books and video work. Wendy is probably most famous for her design of Yoda for the film The Empire Strikes
Back. She has contributed to several films, and is an accomplished sculpter and doll-maker. Wendy talked about her process in making her fascinating dolls and even showed some protoypes of the original Yoda and a glimpse of Kira from the upcoming Dark Crystal sequel. It was a wonderful experience to meet these artists whose work was so integral to my artistic development from my teenage years to the present.

Kuniko Y. Craft

I met the artist Kuniko Y. Craft, who I first discovered from her stunningly beautiful book covers of Patricia McKillip's novels. I have followed and admired her work
since then. I particularly enjoy her compositions and use of botanicals in her pieces. Her work has always reminded me of the Pre-Raphaelite and Symbolist artists, who I often draw inspiration from. Meeting Kuniko and learning about her process, influences, and how she came to where she is now was invaluable to me as an artist.

DoAn with Jen Delyth

I also me artist Jen Delyth who presented a video of artwork and animation of a series she titled: Beyond the Ninth Wave. Hmm? Sound familiar? Once I saw that presentation I knew
I had to talk with Jen! Sharing our thoughts and ideas about work, being an artist, comparing the agonies, our inspirations and ideas was priceless. Jen's work are contemporary designs connected to the ancient tradition of Celtic knotwork. There is a lot of symbolism and power contained within those designs and Jen has found a way to carry that power to a
contemporary audience, using modern tools. Whether it is tempera paint
or computer graphics and animation, Jen lets the creative spirit guide
her to explore and experiment. Look soon for her book Celtic Folk
Soul due out this spring...I had the chance to see a proof of the
book and it is beautiful! I will cherish and draw much inspiration
from my meeting with Jen for many years to come.

Caitlin Matthews

I attended several panels over the weekend that dealt with various aspects of Faery. Faery and Shamanism, Faery in art and literature, as well as presentations by individual artists and writers. I particularly enjoyed hearing Caitlin Matthews talk about earth vibration and shamanic work in relation to contempory art practices. There were also many vendor booths and artists displaying their work. It was particularly helpful to see how other artists present their work and what they sell. It will help me as a I further develop my own marketing and producing work that can reach a wider audience. Other artists that made an impact on me at this convention were 
Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, who creates beautiful watercolor pieces utilizing a very similar glazing techniques that I use,
Charles Vess, who many have recently come to learn of with the release of the film Stardust. (The book the film was based on was illustrated by Vess). Also, authors Holly Black (of Spiderwick Chronicle's fame) and Delia Sherman, who shared the background of writing her recent book Changling

On one of the evenings I went to the Bad Faeries Ball at the Trocadoro Theatre in Philadelphia. It was a a fun evening with different performers and lots of elaborate costumes. I was particularly impressed by the band Qntal. A German electro-medieval band. The band's lyrics are primarily drawn from historical sources. Throughout their first three albums, lyrics were primarily in Latin, medieval German, and a few other European tongues. Syrah, the lead singer, had a very powerful and beautiful voice. During their performance a video made by Brian and Toby Froud played on screens above the crowds. You can see part of the video here:



Overall, the convention was educational and inspiring. I am sure I will be referring to my experiences there for many months to come. I am looking forward to this becoming an annual event that will support my continued development as an artist!

Evolutions

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been working on using some new medium and grounds. In particular ink on watercolor canvas and watercolor board. I am finding returning to watermedia a very healing practice. And I am excited about using mediums and grounds that allow for work that is more permanent and archival without the specific care and maintenance that comes with works on paper.

There is, of course, some limitations and challenges that come with working with ink, as there are limitations and challenges to every medium. I am experimenting now with how to work with those challenges, so that I may begin to produce quality work for everyone. I have posted one of my recent experiments with ink on watercolor board. This particular piece was inspired solely by meditating on the element of water. I used no visual reference to execute the painting. It is made by layering thin washes of color (prussian blue, marine blue, and flame orange)over each other and finishing with opaque white in areas.

Recent research has led me to utilizing more meditative states while painting, with the hope of tapping into the source of my creative energies. Nature, mythology, spirituality and science are still strong influences on my work. It seems that my research is drawing me in to a place where all of these influences intersect. It is part of the reason I have labeled myself an "Interstitial Artist". Working within the interstices of genres and subjects, to me, seems to be the most direct and natural area to tap into creatively. Unfortunately, it is a challenging place to work, because so much of our existence and knowledge of reality is based on division, labeling and separation of ideas and subjects into their own little units. This feels unnatural to me, and yet, I must actively work against the conditioning of my mind to separate and classify.

Over the next months I will be actively working at practicing this art of connection or art of opening. I will share with you my progress and discoveries along the journey. I will, also continue to share with you my work. I am still working on the series of paintings entitled From Beyond the Ninth Wave based on the gods and goddesses from Irish Mythology and other pieces that inspiration squeezes out of me.

Thanks for your interest in the journey!

Turning Inward: Listening to the Muse

Thanks to everyone who made Lian’s 2nd Birthday Party great fun. We appreciated all the generous gifts and support! We had a great time catching up with old friends and making some new ones as well.

We also had a chance to show off our new studio! We moved to a new slightly larger space at the end of June. The studio is in the same building just on the other side, but the additional three feet make a huge difference in being able to work in and show artwork. If you haven’t had a chance to see the new studio, I have posted some photos here.



As some of you know August and September were challenging months as we recently moved to a new apartment and the move was exhausting and stressful (what move isn’t?). Lian is adjusting slowly to the new space, as every day, fewer and fewer boxes clutter up the space. For now, I am letting her rest and take things easy. She will start working on winter themed work in another month or two, once she gives me a sign that she is ready to begin working again.



I too have been taking things a bit more slowly. Fall, for me, is typically a time for turning inward and reflecting on my past work while preparing for a leap forward into a new direction. Lately, I have been doing a lot of research and exploring new mediums. Look soon for works utilizing various watermedia (such as ink, watercolor, and water-soluble colored pencils) on watercolor canvas and paper. I have found a powerful new connection with these mediums in relation to my research.



In the meantime, I will be catching up on some commission work and continuing to develop the From Beyond the 9th Wave series of paintings based on the Tuatha De Dannan from Irish Mythology. The process of working on these paintings has brought me to a deeper connection with the earth, almost a spiritual connection. As I research materials, I find myself looking into the tales of the Faery dimensions, Native American spiritual practices, as well as the notions of collective consciousness and planetary sentience. Eventually, all this stuff will find a way out through my artwork…it is all very interesting to explore, I hope it will be equally interesting to see!

Final Friday Open Studio and Juried Art Show!

Vote for my painting #327, Creidhne in ART COMES ALIVE 2007!
Vote anytime BEFORE 6pm June 29th

My painting Creidhne was selected for a juried art show at Art Design Consultants! So in addition to the Final Friday open studio for June, you can view some really beautiful pieces of work from artists all over the country, and I believe all over the world!


About ART COMES ALIVE 2007:
This is no ordinary art exhibition!

On Friday, June 29th, you will have a chance to meet many extraordinarily talented artists whose work has been carefully selected by an impressive group of jurors. Don't miss the opportunity to see and purchase unique and expressive works in all mediums and styles. Vote for your favorite piece online or in person.

Friday June 29 from 6-10pm at
Art Design Consultants
1310 Pendleton Street
www.adcfineart.com

Please vote* for my painting, Creidhne, painting #327 at:
http://www.artdesignconsultants.com/ACA11.html

Can't make it to Cincinnati? No problem!

View work and Vote online June 25th -29th (until 6pm).
(*only one vote per email address allowed)


Also at the 510 Studio will be a visiting artist from Mississippi

Lori K. Gordon who creates art from the debris of the Katrina Hurricane. A video of local artists in New Orleans will be on view showing their work as well.

It is going to be a very exciting June Final Friday!!