Art Required.

How to make an uncomfortable circumstance a little easier? Try a change in perspective.

9/18/2015

A dentist’s chair is not a place you would imagine as a launch pad for flight, but it became just that for me yesterday afternoon.

I’d been putting off this particular visit to the dentist for…um…years.
There were 2 adjoining crowns in my mouth that were over 20 years old and needed to be redone. The expense and the thought of what I was sure would be an excruciating process had me avoiding it at every opportunity. My response was always “not yet,” but while flossing one night last week, one of those crowns came loose. It was decision time.

I made the appointment. Groan.

My nervous words to the dentist that morning were a hearty “I have SO been looking forward to this!” and he assured me that it wouldn’t be TOO bad. Crown removal is notoriously difficult. Often it has to be split in pieces and pried off, and there are needles and drills and pliers – oh my!

While the whirring and grinding caused a deafening rumble, and bits of porcelain flew everywhere, and my white-knuckled fingers gripped the arms of the reclining chair, I noticed that I had been tied into a knot of anxiety. My whole body was straining, even though I wasn’t experiencing any real pain. I focused on un-clenching my hands, and imagined comfort like a warm blanket covering me. I shifted my perspective to see my two tiny teeth in comparison to other, much bigger things.

I call this a “God’s eye view” (instead of a bird’s eye view), where I am up above my part of the world, looking down on a problem and seeing how small it actually is. There’s so much comfort in that!

I changed my focus to things that I wanted to think about: people I love, and plans for my next project, all the while imagining myself “above it all” in flight. So for a good portion of the rest of that drilling and chipping time I was peaceful. 2 temporary crowns are now in place, and I’m so RELIEVED the ordeal is over.

In so many of life’s circumstances, the only way out is to go through. A new perspective on this particular path made it easier…and maybe a “God’s eye view” can help you, too.

p.s. See that sketch above? A new painting of that perspective is in the works…stay tuned!

2 Comments

Where Did That Creative Energy Go?

6/27/2015

5 Comments

Let’s face it, LIFE gets in the road. And for this artist, there have been a few side journeys these past couple of months. Big joys and big challenges, too.

During the summer months I run a small Art Camp for kids and teens. I LOVE to teach. I love the kids and learn so much about them as individuals. Doing art with them, I see clearly their strengths and their weaknesses. It is rewarding to guide them to success.

But it takes so much out of me. The only art I do is the demonstrations to show them how to use the different mediums. Usually when class is over I’ll finish these small works and tuck them away. I’m thinking of offering them for sale here…

I have a large-ish work on the easel (large to me is a project that takes more than a couple of weeks to complete), and I have that pushed into a corner of the studio. It calls to me to be finished. I think I’ll put it out of sight somewhere, it’ll help keep guilt at bay!

Anyway, the point of this post is to share that there are times when you don’t have enough battery power to get into flow. A few weeks from now, I hope to have a long “recharge” session, but until then, no major works.
And that’s ok.

p.s. My “recharge” may include a view like this one – a recent pastel class demonstration.

Sigh…

5 Comments

There are Messages in the Stars? Whoa, cool.

4/23/2015

1 Comment

The Hayden Planetarium in New York City was a favorite destination during my childhood. What a thrill it was to watch the sunset and moonrise, see the sky darken and the stars and planets appear while sitting under that huge dome. It was magical! I loved learning star names and watching the instructor’s pointer showing the different constellations. That love of all things celestial has always stayed with me.

One of the most fascinating classes I sat through in my years of Biblical Studies was one based on a book by E.W. Bullinger, titled The Witness of the Stars.

In this work, Bullinger describes his research into Biblical records. Beginning with Psalm 19, which says that “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies proclaim the work of His hands,” he says that God wrote the Biblical prophesies in the skies long before the words were ever written in what is now the Bible…that the constellations had a Godly design, and that God revealed the stars’ meanings to Old Testament wise men like Daniel, and the Kings that visited the newborn Christ.

The things I learned then formed the basis for a painting I did recently. It shows a father pointing to the stars, with his arm around a boy, his son. He is sharing with him some awesome things about the Creator of the Heavens.

Perhaps he's telling him about Job, who God talked with at length, and at one point asked him if he was "strong enough to loosen Orion's belt." The constellation of Orion is clearly visible.

When Jesus taught his disciples and referred to Old Testament writings, He would say, “It is written,”
so the title of this work is: “It is Written” in the Stars.

To view or purchase the original painting and see a video describing it, Click here.

Prints of this work are also available. Click here.

1 Comment

How to Dance in the Rain!

3/13/2015

6 Comments

This painting of a woman's swirling dance movement has a very specific message to communicate. I hope that the message becomes clear with my explanation of how the work came to be.

This was one time that many insights helped to produce the art. (Most of the time a piece is a flash of inspiration, and the logical steps to get that thought into a visible form are obvious to me - this work was a process that took a little longer).

Inspiration can come from really obscure places...this painting's first influence was a conversation with Dr. Mel Gill (speaker and author of The Meta Secret) - we talked about The Hidden Messages in Water, a book written by Dr. Masaru Emoto. It documents an experiment that he did with freezing water and how it responds to negative and positive influences (Dr. Emoto's experiment used music and words). Later, when reflecting on that conversation, I thought that we can’t always be in control of the negatives or positives in our own environment, but we can choose how we respond to those influences.

An amazing animation by Ryan Woodward added another spark of influence (see Thought of You on YouTube). Ryan hired dancers to dance to a song, and then he used the dance to do his animation. I've hired dancers to pose for some of my paintings, but Ryan's video gave me the idea to start looking at some YouTube dancing. I was able to compile a bunch of sketches in just one evening of watching championship dance competitions. It made me so happy to be able to pause the dancers and draw!

The painting's background colors are shades of silvery green, and there's layers of rough texture - it's meant to represent a "rainstorm" in life - a difficult situation. I added the 3 favorite dance poses that I felt "did the job" of communicating. The first pose shows the dancer reaching up. This is meant to be the acknowledgment of a sovereign power - a request for help. In the second pose, the change is in progress. We can't see the dancer's face because there may be fear or tears there as she is in the process of renewing her mind. The last pose is the full color, happy transformation. The circumstance hasn't changed, but the woman has.

The figures had to show a logical dance progression. I’m not a dancer, but I hope I got this right! I thought it might look cool to have a line show the movement from left to right.

What I am communicating: There are times when life is difficult (misty, rough background with cool colors), but with God's help, and with peaceful, higher thoughts you can sail through those circumstances. You can even dance!

Elaine Allen

To purchase the original painting or a print, click here: Dancing in the Rain

6 Comments

Here's some relief for those winter blues...some blue water instead! A Day at the Lake.

3/4/2015

2 Comments

The lush greenery and warm air of a summer day...welcome to A Day at the Lake!
This painting was started when my husband made a sincere request: “I want you to paint a picture of my future. I’m going to let you interpret what that would look like.”

The future? It took awhile to imagine what that could be.
I thought of a home on the water someday.
Sketched an idea where I'd portray him sitting on a cabin porch playing a guitar.
But it looked lonely.
So… if we had a house on a lake, wouldn’t we invite everyone? That sounded like a whole lot of fun. The more I worked on it, I would giggle with each new idea. This painting “painted itself” and you are looking at the end result.

At first, I had definite “assigned activities” for specific family members and friends. But as the work progressed, I realized that because it was future there would be children and spouses we may not know yet.

My heart with this work was twofold. I wanted my husband to have a bright and happy view of his future, and because we are a blended family, I wanted everyone to feel included. When I presented him with the painting at his birthday party this year, it became obvious that I’d achieved the second objective, because family members were enthusiastically claiming their spot in the picture: "I'm definitely riding the waverunner!" "That's me, reading in the hammock. Ahhhh."

Objective 1? Well, he has just finished recording a new CD, and is calling it "The Next Chapter." The painting will be the cover of this soon to be released CD.
I think he likes his view of the future.

You are in the painting, you know. If your feet aren’t in the water, you’re sitting on the back deck enjoying this scene with a glass of cold lemonade in your hand. I love it that you’re here.

Elaine

A print is available! Click here: A Day at the Lake

2 Comments

Always Archival? Artist's materials, Really Old and Really New.

2/26/2015

3 Comments

I’m fascinated by ancient cave paintings - the fact that they are hundreds of years old, and those ancient artists told their stories with charcoal and blood and berry juice.

Another old art form - imagine unearthing a Pharaoh’s tomb! The incredible excitement in bringing to light treasures not seen for centuries…the tales they tell of Egyptian culture and history. The things that survived were crafted from materials that didn’t deteriorate, and we can still revel in their beauty today, because stone and gold has a pretty long shelf life.

A few weeks ago I visited an exhibit of artwork by Wassily Kandinsky – a pioneer in the field of abstract expressionism, and one of the founders of the modern art movement. This work was around 150 years old and still looked great. He worked mostly in inks and oils, and they’ve held up. Good thing, because there’s a sense of urgency in preserving it. It’s historically significant and needs to survive.

As a working artist today, some of the materials I use are fairly new to the scene. Acrylic paints don’t have nearly the history as stone, metal, charcoal or oils. I sometimes wonder if I should be using a different medium, but then I don’t imagine my art being pulled out of a cave one day.
My message is for today’s viewer…and all the persnickety care I take in preserving it should last long enough.

What do you think?
Elaine

3 Comments

2 Examples of Energy in Art

2/4/2015

2 Comments

At The National Gallery a number of years ago, I stood in front of this painting - Girl in Red, by Edgar Degas. I had seen it many times before in books and while studying art history in college, but seeing it in person was overwhelming. The sheer size of it, the direct gaze from the girl’s eyes, the commanding presence it held over the room, it brought me to tears. The emotion surprised me a little and I quickly sniffed back the tears and dabbed at my eyes. I hadn’t felt any particular attachment to this piece before that moment, but it was a powerful reminder to me that Art has the ability to move you.

This may sound Woo Woo, but there is energy in Art. This piece, for example…infused with positive energy! Degas spent many, many hours applying layers of paint. Many hours gazing at the subject. There is emotion involved, there is a chunk of LIFE involved – for the model as well as the artist. The painting vibrates with that life. It knocked me over emotionally. In truth it brought me joy, because the tears were happy tears. To me it was beautiful art but wrapped up in that was the glimpse into that moment in time, from my little moment standing in front of the portal that took me there. I was profoundly touched.

The emotional energy in a work can also be negative. I have a friend who had a large piece in her main living area that was an impressive focal point. She paid quite a lot for it, but something about this piece made her uneasy. She invited a few trusted friends over one night, sat us on her couch, and asked us to tell her about her painting. How did it make us feel? What did we think of when we looked at it?

After sitting there “taking it in,’ we told her what we saw, and none of it was good. It was an abstract, but we saw things that to us looked like angry faces – the piece just felt evil. I can’t explain it beyond that. She took it down, cut it up with a knife, and fed it into the fire burning in her fireplace. When I asked her why she wasn't going to try to resell it, she replied that the work should not exist.

More examples are coming, but I'll save them for another post. For now, pay attention to what you surround yourself with and how it affects you!

Blessings,
Elaine

2 Comments

Why do Art Shows? Experiencing Art as Communication

12/3/2014

2 Comments

The last couple of months have been a whirlwind! I committed to be in 5 shows in October and November - that's a lot for me! All of the transporting, setting up and taking down isn't much fun, but the actual show, where there's time to meet people and talk (and sell, hopefully...) well, it makes all the effort worth it. I wanted to share a few thoughts from my heart on the whole "show" experience.

The artist that produces a work has a bit of their essence in it. They have something to say, and It is a communication as real as spoken words.

There are some people that will hear that message - the work “speaks” to them.
They will be drawn to it because of a unique, kindred quality within themselves. It's a dance, really, between the viewer and the work.

The art collector that “hears” my work and wants to own it will not be drawn as intently to other "voices". So in this way, artists showing together are not really in competition with one another.

I've found that when I have the opportunity to meet the people that purchase my art, we have a very real connection, almost an unspoken understanding. And that's the great thing about participating in a show, where I can watch people view my work. It’s such fun to observe that spark of recognition… their smile is validation to me that they have heard my voice. How rewarding that is!

2 Comments

The Event that drove me to canvas... Why I had to paint the Brentwood Library Bur Oak

9/12/2014

3 Comments

“What a magnificent tree!” Those are the words I uttered the first time I really saw it.

It was 1998 and our family was looking to move to Brentwood, Tennessee. The corner where it stood in front of the beautiful Brentwood Library was a plot of land I would pass many times in the years that followed, since we ended up living just a few blocks away. As I rode my bicycle under its limbs or read a book in its shade I would think, “I must paint this tree…” but raising my boys and running my business kept the desire to paint an old tree low on my list of priorities. The day would finally come when I would have the time.

In July of 2010, the tree dropped most of its limbs and died. It was the last gasp from its core – the city had been making herculean efforts to save it for over a year. Our family was driving back into town after being away, and seeing the fallen giant was a “stop the car” moment. With a lump in my throat and a tears in my eyes, I knew then that the painting had to happen.

The first attempt was a small watercolor. It turned out that I used it as a study for what was to be a much larger acrylic on canvas. I wanted the painting to be an accurate rendition, since the Bur Oak had a unique and recognizable shape. It ended up taking a few weeks – I painted over
the original figures and repainted them at half their size to accurately convey the incredible breadth and height of the tree.

I had the work finished in time to be part of my display at a local art exhibition in November of 2011. During the show a member of the library's Board of Directors purchased a print of the tree, which set off a series of events opening the doors to the painting finding it's way to the library's walls.

The Brentwood Library Board purchased the painting in January of 2012. It hangs near the reception desk in the main reading room. My heart is warmed every time I see it, because it is exactly where it belongs.

In Memory of the Brentwood Library Bur Oak

The beloved Bur Oak that stood in front of The Brentwood Library is gone,

though it lived for around 330 to 380 years.

It shaded Indians and Civil War soldiers, provided centuries of shelter to wildlife,

and children played beneath its boughs.

Its massive size made it a breathtakingly beautiful landmark.

I have attempted to preserve its majesty in this painting.

Elaine Allen

To own your own image of this magnificent tree, go to
http://www.artrequired.com/store/p23/In_Memory_of_the_Brentwood_Library_Bur_Oak.html

3 Comments

How to make an uncomfortable circumstance a little easier? Try a change in perspective.

Where Did That Creative Energy Go?

There are Messages in the Stars? Whoa, cool.

How to Dance in the Rain!

Here's some relief for those winter blues...some blue water instead! A Day at the Lake.

Always Archival? Artist's materials, Really Old and Really New.

2 Examples of Energy in Art

Why do Art Shows? Experiencing Art as Communication

The Event that drove me to canvas... Why I had to paint the Brentwood Library Bur Oak

Author

Archives

Categories