Over the last few months, I have been getting paintings prepared for an upcoming show.  This show is taking place at a library on a local military complex.  I was considering my audience, which will be primarily military members, government employees, and their families, including a good number of kids.  The base library is a hot spot for school aged youth and teens when the school day ends.  Students head to the library after school to utilize resources, hit the books, and wrap up homework.  Typically, every seat in the computer lab is full.

We have only lived overseas for fourteen months and my kids have met a lot of great kids.  Honestly, I’ve been really surprised at the number of American kids we’ve met who have never lived in the United States.  OR if they have, it’s only been for a few years or they were too young to remember.  These are the kids I was thinking about when planning one last painting for this show.  I wanted to create a painting for the American kids who rarely experience living on American soil.  Just to give them a gift from “home.” My mind went wild, and I decided it had to be bright, kid-friendly, and curious.

I needed depth, so I asked my Facebook friends (who are also real friends, by the way) to send me their thoughts on the imagery represented by the Statue of Liberty, one of the most popular symbols of our great nation.  My friends played along beautifully (which was really nice, because I often bombard my Facebook friends with “art stuff” and I am sure it gets really old, really fast).

So, thank you Rita, Amy, Stacy, Linda, Maureen, Juan, Christine, Bobbi, Stacey, Misty, Robyn, Anne-Marie, Margaret, Becky, Amelia, Sharon, Shawn, Martha, Heidi, Helmtrud, and Kristin for contributing to my request.  Many of you shared similar words, and several of you had parents, grandparents or great-grandparents who passed through Ellis Island as immigrants.  All of your words were positive and powerful, which is exactly what I want to share with these kids. Your words brought this painting to life. And it went on the wall today…

Have you ever read the children’s book, “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” by Mark Teague?  It’s a cute children’s book that should be read at this time of year, during the week school goes back into session.  I stumbled across this book when my kids were younger, and for some reason, I still think about it at the end of each summer.  This story is about a boy named Wallace. Back in school after summer break, Wallace is asked to tell about what he did during his summer vacation. Wallace lets his imagination flow, and soon he is writing about trains and cowboys and a Wild West adventure. 

I was thinking about this book as I signed four finished paintings today.  I was contemplating how we spent our time this summer (thankfully, it didn’t involve a move).  Everyone spends their summer vacation differently, at camps, traveling, and visiting family.  In June, I set a goal to paint my own version of the four seasons by July.  And then…SUMMER happened.  Suddenly, we had houseguests, one month of travels to Missouri and Maine, pool time, summer fun, reading, shopping, reuniting with friends and family, and trips to Paris and Luxembourg.  And, I must mention the two teens and a tween who had their own summer agendas to satisfy (insert smile).

Needless to say, I didn’t complete the paintings on my summer timetable.  Better than that, however, I really enjoyed my family and my summer vacation.  And, I took my time making these paintings exactly how I envisioned.  So, it’s September 1st and my four seasons are complete (mixed media on canvas, each 50 cm x 70cm).  I’d love to know which one is your favorite!

I packed watercolors in my suitcase for my vacation to the States. I love the beautiful windows and flower boxes in Germany, and decided they needed to be painted. I haven’t painted in watercolor in over 15 years. Watercolors are a lot like toddlers. If you leave them alone for a minute, they have a mind of their own!  My parents were running two dehumidifiers in their Midwestern humid home while I tried to manipulated the paint.  My watercolors were drying in seconds!  It was great fun and a great challenge.  I have been preoccupied with mixed media pieces for years now, but I think I will bring out my watercolors much more often!  Two of these three paintings are castle windows.

So, what does an artist do for inspiration on vacation when she is 4600 miles from her studio and supplies, and preparing for two shows?  Make the best of your situation.  After getting reacquainted with family, putting my kiddos on a bus to summer camp, relaxing poolside, and sipping wine with childhood friends, I found time to explore.  St. Louis never lets me down.

Before my kids left for summer camp, and at my insistance, my Dad and I took them to a show at the Contemporary Art Museum called “Occupational Therapy.”  Needless to say, after this visit, my Dad and my kids think artists are totally nuts.

A few nights later, I explored the Chinese Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Vibrant yards of silk are stretched over thin metal frames, which were created on location by Chinese artisans.  The lanterns are beautiful by daylight and radiant at night! Here, I get a wild idea that I should paint some lanterns for my show at the Vogelweh library this fall… And for my St. Louis friends, these lanterns are all for sale at the end of the show.  If you can fit one in your yard!

The next day entailed a stop to a unique bookstore called The Book House in Maplewood. Maplewood is such a groovy little area.  Loved this paper scuplted bookshelf that was out front.  Inside, I found an amazing 1930’s travel guide to Europe with beautiful pullout maps.  It was 65 bucks, so I didn’t buy it.  I am scared that I will tear out the old maps and incorporate them into my work! So I bought some cheap maps for my work instead.  But I can’t get that book off my mind.  Sigh.

An afternoon visit to the Kirkwood Farmer’s Market reminds me of the fabulous European farmer’s markets.  Fresh produce, bright colors, great smells, fun for all of the senses.  It also reminded me of Olivia’s garden at home and how great it is to grow vegetables in our yard and bring them straight to the kitchen for dinner.  But…I bought cookies…Gooey Butter Cookies.  It’s a St. Louis thing and they were delicious.

I never visit St. Louis without a trip to the St. Louis Art Museum. This stunning building was left from the 1904 World’s Fair.  From mummies to Monet, the museum has a diverse collection, well representing our world.  I discovered some ancient Spanish ceiling tiles that will be reflected in my sun sign series this fall.  What really inspired me?  The crowd!  So many families and couples were visiting on a Sunday morning.  Overhearing conversations and criticisms on art is always entertaining (hilarious!), too!

It really doesn’t matter where you are.  Regardless of what project you might be in the middle of, whether at work or at home.  Inspiration is out there. I gathered ideas from my explorations that I can’t wait to get back to my studio and put them into work.  Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that have an impact.  Thanks, St. Louis!

I made many mistakes while creating this symbolic self-portrait. I am at peace with that. Frankly, it’s absolutely appropriate because I am far from perfect, definitely flawed, and I learn great lessons from my mistakes…all too often.

As discussed in my previous blog post, the suit of HEARTS symbolizes spring, home, heart, emotion, love, childhood, vulnerability, art (poetry and music), water and karma. The better you know me the more you will understand, but look closely and play along.

Queen of Hearts, Mixed Media, 80 cm x 120 cm

The queen is an artist, certainly a vulnerable path to choose as critics wait to dissect and critique her work. She is painted with bright and cheerful colors of spring.  Choosing spring was appropriate.  The last four years, this queen has woken up to spring in four different cities.  Her transient lifestyle leads to fresh beginnings.

The fleur de lis represents her upbringing, heritage and love of anything French. Scripture pages and crosses symbolize her faith. Music pages, her palette and brush represent the arts. Cookbook pages and wine glasses represent daily passions. Four flowers represent her family.

Crossword puzzle paper appropriately represents this queen, who is often tough to figure out. You never quite know what she is thinking (or over-thinking!).  She doesn’t either.  Barely visible words in the crossword puzzle state, “Can’t Be Tamed,” the name of a pop song by a rebellious musician. This queen doesn’t want to be limited, or to conform. Individuality and independence are important, even though it can lead to a simple life.

This queen is no angel, but the green angel, placed near her heart represents a history and continuation of youthful bonded friendships, sisterhood, a strong education, and the building blocks of encouragement that started her on a path in the arts. For all of these and more, this queen is feeling grateful.

You’ve seen them and played with them hundreds of times. But have you ever contemplated the history or meaning behind the suits on a deck of cards? Recently, I was randomly curious about this, so I did a little research. I didn’t expect to be intrigued with my findings.  But they inspired a painting or two…

The oldest suit designs seem to be Muslim. These suits were coins, cups, swords and polo sticks (polo sticks?). As cards evolved, different cultures created their own suits and royalty face cards. Germany used leaves, hearts, hawk bells and acorns. In present day Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy, suits of swords, cups, coins, and batons are still used (and I hope to find some in my European adventures!). Today’s design, the hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds, are a French design from the 15th century. These designs were flat, stenciled silhouettes, which were easily mass produced, and thus made their way to America. Each suit represents a social class. Spades are nobility. Hearts are clergy. Diamonds are merchants. Clubs are peasants.

Myth states that the four suits represent the four seasons, and that the 52 cards represent the 52 weeks of the year. I discovered that each individual suit has many themes:

Hearts represent spring, home, hearts, emotions, love, childhood, vulnerability, art, poetry music, water and Karma. Clubs represent summer, education, mind, intellect, musing, young, irresponsibility, literature, air and drama. Diamonds represent fall, career, security, values, judgement, adult, responsibility, entertainment, fire, and material goods. Spades represent winter, environment, wisdom, health, acceptance, old age, transformation, scripture, earth, workaholic, old souls and warriors.

My random thought about suits became the starting point for two symbolic portraits. Spades seemed to best represent the first portrait, The King of My Castle.

The King of My Castle, Mixed Media, 80 cm x 120 cm

I chose spades because my king is a warrior, as you can see from his ship, the flag of his country and his command wings. Long flowing contrails represent his life-long passion for flying and endless hours dedicated to work (thus the workaholic). Because spades represent winter (and this king was actually born in the winter), I chose a cool winter palette with snowflakes, a hint of evergreen and an artic white border. Numbers represent his wisdom (and he really IS good at math). Antiqued scripture pages were specifically chosen for the background including verses on War, Faith, Wisdom, Marriage, Courage and Responsibility. A Celtic cross represents his Irish heritage and faith. Three stars on his crown represent his offspring. The earth in the center of the painting keeps him centered while he moves all over the world. His favorite past-time decorates his garment. Finally, a gold heart (created with the lively label of a favorite German beer, of course) shines on his sword.  Why the heart? On the outside he may come off as quiet and intimidating, but on the inside he has a heart of gold. He truly cares about his people, friends and family.  That very heart won the heart of his queen.  Who is this lucky guy?

Next up…the queen.

I often worried that my kids wouldn’t ever truly enjoy reading.  Video games, cell phones, overscheduled extracurricular activities, reality television, and social media intensely compete with books for their generation.  Isn’t it great when your child or student begins to read?  What’s even more exciting to me, however, is when my kids get hooked on reading…when they carry books around, they read on every short jaunt in the car, or I find them endlessly curled up on the couch, consumed by a new series.   Words come alive and paint a story in their minds, and they start sharing the stories.  For my family, it was always a book series that first grabbed their attention.  Strangely, this always seemed to happen in fifth grade. This school year, my Olivia became hooked on reading.  J.K. Rowling is to blame, and I couldn’t be more grateful.  Numerous series and fabulous authors exist.  Too many to name. But that moment is great, when you know your child has opened their mind to the world of words, which will forever educate, inform, and often magically entertain.

I have FINALLY finished a three piece series that I started last spring.  I simply could not decide how I wanted to handle the third piece.  I had always envisioned it having to do with family, travel and exploration.

The first piece, It’s No Cakewalk, was about marriage.  I wrote about it on a previous blog post, so I won’t explain it further here.

The second piece, Dig In, was about jumping into life fully.  It was also the subject of a previous blog post (even though I have given it a much-needed facelift since that posting).  Both of these mixed media pieces have couples collaged within, suggesting life partnership.

The final piece in the series, however, adds a child to the partnership.  I did this purposely.  Children are often, but not always, the fruit of a partnership, so it seemed to be a natural progression.

In the piece, the family sits on top of a camera that the father is driving through a collage of monuments.  The child has an excited look on his face (and, of course, I love that he is looking at the St. Louis Gateway Arch!).   The entire collage is grounded with a home.  Why this final piece?  I think it is our responsibility as parents to expose children to their world, no matter where you live.  Whether visiting the neighborhood farmer’s market or traveling beyond borders, or simply traveling to books at the library, exposure to life and culture is a great thing for a child’s imagination.  I honestly believe that imagination creates dreams.  Dreams create goals.  Goals offer direction and determination.  This entire chain leads to good things.

My parents stuffed their five kids in our station wagon for long, and often painful, road trips to national parks.  I am certain I complained at the time, but those experiences are forever and positively burned into my memory. Now, I am the one “dragging” my family to museums and markets, national parks and monuments, sporting events and weird restaurants.  I am positive that they are rolling their eyes and complaining, but I happily ignore that nonsense.  At the end of the day, their imagination is inspired and their dreams can grow…not such a bad idea in an often closed-minded world.  Bring It On.

I decided to take a break from my ladies series and paint a still life.  I was trying to relax and not overthink the piece.  But I do I like a rich base to add interest and movement (and little surprises).  While the end result looks like a still life, there is so much more underneath.  Prayers, cartoons, pages from a 1970’s farmers almanac, calendar pages, maps, and more.  And, obviously, I have a thing for incorporating a word. There is so much more to appreciate if you can see it in person, but here’s how it works:

I take a canvas and add a variety of papers with matt medium and let it dry completely. I think about an overall theme.  Something like this (which is a new piece I painted today):

Then I choose a color palette and start adding paint.  If I build it up too much, I take sandpaper and sand the paint off after its dry, which softens everything.

Finally, I added my still life, built it up, sanded it to soften it, added some accents and a word.  Presto.

If you and your kids are bored this winter, dig out the scrapbook papers that you haven’t used in years.  Tear and cut them up.   Buy some small canvases, matte medium or (matte modge podge), and simple acrylic paints and brushes at the arts and crafts store.  Build it up, add some paint, and have some fun!  And don’t forget to send me a picture of the finished project!

Last spring, I attended a workshop in leadership and resiliency training for military spouses.  The Myers Briggs personality test, among several others, was utilized. I did not realize the depth of personal identification and awareness we would explore, including how we react in conflicted situations.  It was a week of investigating and appreciating the introvert and extrovert.

The self-discovery was beautifully exhausting, but I found myself distracted.  You see, I am an introvert.  For a split second, I thought this to be a negative thing. Often unfairly labeled as quiet, shy, off in the corner, uptight, standoffish, or even bitchy (gasp!), introverts turn inward.  We recharge our energy in our quiet spirit.  For us, time alone isn’t such a bad thing.  It’s actually a necessity which I can fully appreciate.

The extroverts, however, turn outside of themselves to refuel their energy.  They are outgoing, concerned with the world and embracing its physical and social environment.   The extrovert gets labeled as loud, chatty, bossy, bold, energized, and the life of the party.  I admire these traits.  To me, the extrovert is seemingly fearless!

The leadership workshop lasted one week.  After we analyzed our personalities, we conquered conflict, advised and shared.  We discussed the dangers of judgment. We agreed and disagreed. There was laughter, there were tears. We discovered hidden strengths.  We used these strengths and our differences to work together, not just to benefit military spouses, but all women we encounter.

On the final day, we secretly wrote positive words about everyone in the room.  I was tickled to read, “quiet strength, spark of mischief” which is exactly how I want the world to view me.  I guess being an introvert isn’t such a bad thing.

Ever since the workshop,  I have felt compelled to add the introvert and extrovert to my painting collection.  Ironically, I had a harder time painting the introvert.  But I think they each successfully possess the proper vibes.  I often think about the ladies in the workshop. We have all moved to different parts of the world.  In our new location, I have come across a whole new slew of introverts and extroverts and

BOTH are BEAUTIFUL.