Phygment Studio*

Palette Inspiration: Downton Abbey

2012-01-25T06:44:00.000-08:00

My newest Palette Inspiration! Masterpiece's Series - Downton Abbey

My husband and I are hooked on this new-to-us series on PBS. We feverishly watched season one on Netflix to prepare for Season Two to start three weeks ago. I am surprised that David is just as hooked as I am as we never agree to the movies we want to see together. I have to watch the episodes twice because the first time I am so absorbed in the amazingly gorgeous colors in every scene that I don't pick up on everything that is going on in the story line! I sit with my notebook and scratch notes the whole hour on color combinations I see that may make for interesting paintings. I made a quick palette of colors on Colourlovers.com after watching season one. Season Two is filled with rich saturated plums and burgundies - maybe it's the war, influencing everyone's mood for darker colors.

Here are some of my favorite and most promising combinations:

Thomas's olive green uniform while talking to Mrs. O'Brien next to a brick wall.

pale aqua and linen - in Lady Cora's dressing room

The lichen and moss covered slate roof near the hospital

Sybil's grey nurses uniform with the red cross on the sleeve

Violet and her wonderful Plum and purple gowns and hats sitting outside in the lush green garden

My latest piece - still unfinished and untitled - is influenced by colors I saw while watching Downton Abbey

Unfinished and untitled...
24"x24"x2"

acrylic and mixed media on wood panel

This isn't the first time that I have been inspired by color-usage in film. Years ago I was blown away by the use of color in the movie Nanny McPhee and again in the sequel, Nanny McPhee returns and also in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. I gave my children and nieces and nephews the challenge to choose a color in the opening scene to follow throughout the entire film and watch how it is used. I promised them that who ever wrote up a report about how for example, the aqua/sea glass green was used in Nanny McPhee throughout the movie would get a hand made sweater. I still have not received a report. So, I challenge you to watch any one of these movies and carefully track a color throughout the movie and report back to me. I think the purple in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium symbolizes grace for example - but maybe I'm just being 'artsy-fartsy". There will be a Jane Moore Houghton print in it for the first person who hands in their homework to me. Get to work!

Theme: Love and Loss

2012-01-18T08:05:00.000-08:00

Unconditional Love is when we hold another's heart gently in our cupped hands.

Grief is learning to surrender while holding tightly to that which can never slip through our fingers.

-JMH 2012

Love and Loss is a theme that has played an occasional role in my work. The ride of grief is one I've been on more times than I like to count. I am fascinated by it's roller coaster ride and the way it forces you to surrender all control of the process. I am enrolled and loving artist Kelly Rae Roberts and award winning entrepreneur Beth Nicholls 's Hello Soul Hello Business class for the next nine weeks. It has me brainstorming ways to combine my interest in walking with families in the throes of grief and my commission work. I was up late last night with a business idea I am cooking up along these lines.

It got me reviewing the theme of grief and loss that has occasionally shown up in my work. I share a few with you here:

"Tenby" 2010
12"x12" acrylic, and mixed media on brown paper on wood panel.

Tenby is a small lovely village on the coast of South Wales. It is a place that holds great sentimental value to me. In many ways, I feel I left a part of my heart there along with a friendship with a family that is no longer in my life. They were at one time the center of my heart. The memories of time spent in their world is still a source of some of the most joy-filled moments of my life. Grieving this loss has been a long and complicated process. This piece lives in my bedroom with some grief objects placed around it. It is a source of strength and comfort and I have not been able to offer it for sale...yet. I will know when the time is right.

This is a photo taken back in about 2006 at a group show I was a part of at the Worcester Art Museum School. I was painting a series of works of ark images. The ark (not so much of the Noah variety) is an image that played a poignant role in my late mother's struggle to let go of her life while in the final stages of a brain tumor in 1996. To simplify the story is difficult but I will try: She was having a difficult day and was angry at God. She asked me why God wouldn't let her die. I suggested that it was because she was worried about leaving us (my sister, brother, father and her grand children) and that she should see her life as her ark. She spent her whole life building her ark with wonderful memories, faith and hard won strength. I told her that she had helped all of us begin to build our own arks and that it was time for her to trust that we would be safe with the guidance she had given us. She needed to push her ark away from the shore with all those memories and faith to comfort her. The next day she slipped into a coma and we never heard her voice again.

The piece ("Memory Leads You Home") I am standing next to in this photo is very large: 5'x5' (you can't see the whole thing). It was a piece I did in about three straight days in the time after my father died . I came home from the funeral in New Jersey and stayed up for several days finishing it. It is a memorial piece to my mother, brother Jeff who was killed in a car accident in 1976 and my father who lost his battle with Alzheimer's in 2006. It has symbolism for all three of them. It has vintage maps for my father who was a civil engineer, houses for my brother who was studying to be an architect and the ark for my mom. Many more hidden quotes and significant colors and dates were woven in as well. This piece sold at a alumni show at my Alma mater, Skidmore College where I did my undergraduate degree in Studio Art. When the friend who bought it heard about it's significance he questioned my wanting to give it up. I felt strongly that it belonged out in the world not collecting dust in my studio and yes, I was ready to release it.

side view of "Love and Sorrow"
24"x 24x 2"
acrylic and mixed media on canvas
2007

"Love and Sorrow" hangs above our bed. It is an homage to the very close friendship my mother shared with her best friend, my "Aunt Joan". It is a piece filled with symbols of their shared memories and includes a quote about the pain of losing a dear friend. Aunt Joan is battling the cruel progress of Alzheimer's Disease and does not always remember my mother anymore. In the years after my mother's death she and I would allow ourselves to indulge in hours of phone conversations about my mother and how much we missed her. I showed her this piece once and she cried and had few words...I understood every one of them.

Have at it

2012-01-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

"Have at it"

- Jeff Elgin, Skidmore College circa 1984

I have spent the better part of the morning trying to compose a blog post that would be informative, entertaining and maybe inspiring to my fellow creative beings. All I have succeeded in doing is wasting time and getting nowhere. So, in the words of my former college drawing teacher I am going to walk away from things that are fluff and hot air and "have at it". Jeff said this in response to a young student's long-winded explanation of his very simple, student-grade drawing...in other words, 'shut-up and just do the work'. Getting stuck is part of the process I guess so I am going to go grease the wheels in my studio and try to gain back a sense of accomplishment today. "Have at it" everyone! Let your work do the talking today.

This just in! I am the featured artist on Artsy Shark this week!

Setting My Intention

2012-01-04T07:12:00.000-08:00

And we're off!

I am enthusiastic about this brand spankin' new year - I like the look and sound of

"twenty-twelve"

It's an even number and that always makes me feel more grounded somehow

My goals for the coming year include (but are not limited to) the following:

I will create a 5x5" piece each week that is stream of conscience, not self conscience and experiential - I plan on starting with Pema Chodrin's Pema Chodron's, The Places That Scare You as inspiration. These small pieces will be places to try out imagery and techniques.
I will post daily something from my world that I find beautiful or inspiring in some way on my facebook and twitter pages. (Follow me on twitter: "arkgirl21")

Today it was my orchid plant that I am thrilled I have not yet killed and is actually growing a new leaf.

A week or so ago it was moss growing near the trail where I walk my dog. I love moss. It makes me happy. And you can still see it's bright greenness in this oddly snow-less landscape in Central, Mass.

Yesterday it was this dried hydrangea blossom I stare at out my kitchen window every day.

I will do something every day to get my work seen by someone new or by a new community. This could be research, posting a blog entry or talking to someone new about my work.
I will go confidently into new territory: etsy?, gallery/gift shop venues?, galleries in new communities and states?. I will remember that if I make a mistake it is part of the learning. There is no real substitute degree or university I can go to gain this knowledge - there are no road maps for this work. There is only intention and hard work and lots of patience.

All the best for Twenty-Twelve!

Make "it" happen - whatever "it" is for you.

update from the work bench...

2011-12-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

Taking a quick break from the gingerbread making, wrapping and shipping out orders for a quick update!

My kids and friends decorating gingerbread houses that I make from scratch - a week-long process.
Well worth the ten-year tradition and memories!

Tumbled marble products featuring my watercolor images are now available on Ivy and Stone website

Fun, high quality products!

Tomorrow is my birthday so I am taking the day away from my "to do" list and visiting my alter ego in Northampton, Massachusetts. Northampton is home to Smith College and close to UMass Amherst. It's a great college town with delicious vegetarian restaurants, art stores, eclectic galleries and shops.

Look forward to sharing more with you all in the new year. Thanks so much to those who visit and support me. It's going to be an exciting year and I look forward to hearing about everyone's process and progress.

All the best!

Let the Magic Begin!

2011-12-07T09:17:00.001-08:00

"Let the Magic Begin!"

My apologies - I know last week I promised to run a series of entries discussing my relationship with color, line, composition, inspiration, etc... However - it's that time of year! I am busy wrapping cards, mailing off 'minis' I have had for sale and painting as fast as I possibly can! So, I will get back to the series of entries after the elf in me slows down and the gingerbread is made.

Promise!

For now, I share my latest Christmas image, "Let the Magic Begin" which features the jolly old man flying over one of my signature gumdrop hill villages. He's been put on cards and made into prints. He's a big hit, I am happy to say!

5 1/2" square cards are available at: http://www.ivyandstone.com/

Focus on: Color/Colour

2011-12-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

"Thecraving for colour is a natural necessity just as for water and fire. Colour isa raw material indispensable to life. At every era of his existence and hishistory, the human being has associated colour with his joys, his actions andhis pleasures."

-- Frenand Leger, "OnMonumentality and Color", 1943.

"Circles Series #1"
8'x8'x2'
acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil, ink on wood panel

From the very beginning of mark making and painting for art'ssake, artists have shared a common focus on one or more of the followingelements: Color, Texture, Shape/Imagery, Line, Movement in a Composition and orplaying with the Focal Point of the Composition.Over the course of the next (?) blog posts I hope to shed some light on mypersonal relationship with those elements and ways that help me focus myinspirations. I hope that they may help you discover new ways to connect with color. Please share your resources and thoughts so we can all benefit!

The Worcester Art Museum's 'Flora in Winter' exhibition

Color has to be mygreatest inspiration on a given day and my greatest challenge at times torecreate on my palette. When traveling about in my day-to-day life I amconstantly noting color relationships. When I am shopping at the farmer’smarket or grocery store in the produce aisle I sometimes find myself stoppingjust to take in the particular hues of the season. Driving around my CentralMassachusetts community seeing red maple leaves against a cerulean-colored skyor the chartreuse leaves of a “weed” growing next to a weathered olive-green barnmakes my carpool hours fly.

I glean inspiration fromartists’ I admire as well: I admire Klimt’s landscapes, which often feature a dominant color palette with specks of oppositecolors to help your eye move around the composition and balance the over-allpalette. I have recently gone back to looking at Carl Larson’s interiors for his use of oranges and reds with tealsand beiges. Larson's illustrations were a huge influence on me in high school and college when I was focused more on watercolor illustration.

I have been reading Victoria Finlay's book: Color: A Natural History of the Palette I love a good story and this is a pleasant and informative read for us art-history geeks (and by "geek" I mean the world's most interesting among us, of course).

Websites that feature colorful eye candy that I playaround in when searching for inspiration are:

COLOURlovers.com (here'sone of my recent palettes': http://www.colourlovers.com/lover/janemh)

Google Images is a great place to gain someinspiration from many many unexpected design and image sources.

detail from "Grateful" commission -
the Cardiac wing of the Boston Children's Hospital

I go to print sources for ideas about color combinations in places like catalogs (I LOVE sundance catalog!), interior design magazines(also great to follow trends in color) and design books like Tricia Guild's books .

Notations of colors I invent (often by accident)go in my sketch books; noting the paint colors I used to get the shade with clearscientific measurements such as "a bit" ...When I do a sketch for acommission I will work with the patron to choose colors from my colored pencilcollection and make notations in the margins.

sketch for "Epiphany I"
2100

I was delighted to hear Nate Burkus announcerecently that the colors aqua and asparagus green are the trends right nowbecause I can’t seem to stop using them in my work! I am starting to leanheavily in the direction of orange and saffron however…
Would love to hear your color and palette resources, loves and inspirations!

-Carryon and take good care! -

Thankful Time

2011-11-21T13:53:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for:

my husband who allows me to pursue my dreams even if it doesn't promise a short term payoff
my children who allow me time and space to work and their promises to put back tools and paint they borrow from my studio
my dog who keeps me smiling and reminds me to keep it real
my iphone that has allowed me to listen to my latest creative resource: Art and Soul Radio.
my patience to figure out how to create my first newsletter! (Please let me know if you would like to receive this first edition of my quarterly newsletter. This first paper copy will be mailed the old fashioned way. You can sign up to receive it electronically from this edition forward)

My nieces and nephew, sons and daughter, celebrating Thanksgiving early this year.

Happy Thankful Season!

Happy Hour with Paul Klee

2011-11-16T07:56:00.001-08:00

Color possesses me. I don't have to pursue it. It will possess me always, I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: Color and I are one. I am a painter.

Paul Klee

Bloom One
8x8x2" wood panel
acrylic, watercolor and pencil

Feeling at peace this morning as I work on some small impromptu pieces and listen to cello music.

My goal for new work is to be more spontaneous and intuitive. Creating some smaller, more affordable pieces is a change of pace for me. It's a nice balance to the rest of my schedule that is filled with late night studying of the business of art - something I have had little time for in the past. I am inching toward a schedule that fits and allows my art to progress in a natural and unforced fashion.

My inspiration this morning is a small book about Paul Klee: Paul Klee - Selected by Genius . I find his watercolors and use of color in general magical. It seems to straddle an edge between child-like innocence and pure sophistication. He throws my kind of "happy hour" ...

boo boo

2011-11-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Trauma in the studio this week: my large 'Blooming Pains II' had an accident and got a bad boo boo.

I was putting the final touches on the painted sides of the painting. I had it leaning on my work table while I walked away to get something important (at least I hope it was important).

I jumped when I heard a loud bang!

Like a gruesome scene from the 'Tales from the E.R.' show, the post from this soon to be discarded studio chair was sticking right through my painting. My first reaction was complete horror and disbelief. I sat on the studio floor trying not to panic or cry.

I didn't have the presence of mind to photograph the scene of the accident. I pushed the pieces back in place and this was the result on the front.

This was the back of the wood panel.

I decided to try spackling it with acrylic molding compound.

After it dried I sanded it down.

I painted over the patch but it still didn't look right so I laid tissue paper over it and painted over that layer...much better.

The result was an area at the bottom of the piece that had a bit more texture than it did the day before. Not bad for an art major who never went to med school!

Brings a whole new meaning to this painting's title, "Blooming Pains II".

Bang head here

2011-11-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

So - here's some of that "frustrations" piece that I include in my introduction to my blog:

Photographing my work!

I am a former professional photographer and so I tell myself I should be able to figure this thing out. I have never been the anal - type photographer who can rattle off the f-stop number of a particular photo nor can I explain aperture settings. I've always been a feeling her way along sort of photographer and fortunately or unfortunately it's always worked for me. Technology is great but don't ask me to talk about it in any depth. If you do you may be entertained by concepts like, "thingy" and "til it feels/looks right".

I have done a good deal of research on how to photograph your art. My art never seems to photograph well no matter what I try. My work has depth inherent in the layers of media that just do not translate in photographic images. But I continue to try.

My latest venture was this week as I attempted to capture sharp images of my newest pieces in my 'Nurture' series before I release them to an Art Association.

I set up my tripod and easel in the snow recently dumped in my back yard.

I did the dance of attempting to adjust the camera to be square on to the surface of the painting. This all went swimmingly.

I bracketed my shots to make sure I was getting the best possible exposure, white balance, etc...

I made adjustments on my computer to get as close as possible to the tones and contrast to the originals.

I uploaded them to this blog.

And my heart sank. The images are washed out and flat. They are not washed out in Windows Photo Gallery - what happened?

I loath excuses but here I am, making excuses.

I welcome advice by any of you more technically savvy artists/photographers out there. Feel free to use phrases like "click the thingy" and "bang your head on your desk for five minutes"...I will understand.

"Chamber"
36"x36"x2" acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil, ink and tissue paper on gallery profile wood panel

"Epiphany II"

36"x36"x2" acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil, ink and tissue paper on gallery profile wood panel

"Blooming pains II"

36"x36"x2" acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil, ink and tissue paper on gallery profile wood panel

Mini parade

2011-10-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

Santa over gumdrop hill
7"x7"
acrylic and mixed media on wood panel
$65.00

Gumdrop hill #1
7"x7"
acrylic and mixed media on wood panel
$65.00

Rooster
7"x7"
acrylic and mixed media on wood panel
$65.00

Hoot
7"x7"
acrylic and mixed media on wood panel
$65.00

I am offering these mini pieces for sale.
These are worked like my larger works in acrylic, water color, colored pencil and ink with layers of tissue paper to achieve depth and interest. Wood panels are 3/4"thick. The sides are painted and layered with tissue as well.
Please contact me if interested: janemhoughton@gmail.com

Five Things

2011-10-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

detail: Epiphany II
Acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil, ink and tissue paper on wood panel

Not a lot of time today as I rush to get packed for a long over due weekend away with friends...

Five things happening for me this week:

Taking Alyson B. Stanfield's "Cultivate Collectors" class online - very timely as I develop a marketing package introducing my new series, "Nurture"
My piece, "Seeds" to be included in the The Big Small Show at Arts Worcester, opening tonight.
Met with the owner of Ivy and Stone, presenting my designs for their products! Excited about these and future ideas for this emerging website featuring the work of New England artists.
Working on large pieces in new "Nurture" series and anticipating the day that I can introduce them to my patrons and new venues.
Making hilarious paper doll cut outs to stand in for the girls who can't make our get-away weekend this weekend.

detail, "Epiphany II"

Happy Weekend !

Tools

2011-10-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share some of the tools I can't do without in the studio...

Paint apron
Given to me by my late mother when I was in my alphabet collecting phase - circa 1990.
Brings me comfort of knowing her influence is always with me.

A variety of high quality inks: used on final layers.
Example here!

Newest favorite splurge: Schmincke watercolors. I saved for several months to get these - well worth it! The colors are vibrant, mix well and will last me a long time! I also have a collection of Windsor and Newton tubes that get pulled out as well. Water color usually comes in the final layers.

Mediums and mix-ins:

Gesso: I use it to block out something I don't like so I can start over...
Liquitex matte gel medium: I buy this by the gallon and funnel it into a smaller squirt bottle. I use this to thin acrylic paint, mix it with watercolor to get a glazing effect and as the glue that I stick the tissue paper on with. I also use it with colored pencil to get a smoother (less toothy) finish. I either dip the pencil in it or paint over the pencil afterwards with the fixer.
Atelier Fast Medium/Fixer: This is a new product to me and I am still playing with it. It does help the layers dry faster so that I can get on to the next one. I have also been experimenting with it as a glaze.
Golden acrylic ground for pastels: this mixed in with the acrylic paint and or the acrylic gel medium makes it possible for me to use the watercolor and or inks in the next layers.

Palette knives: I keep this collection simple - I own three.
Cheap dry brush: I wipe away dried "crumbs" of paint, pencil and the occasional cat hair
Medium sized gesso brush
Water color brushes - I can't get myself to spend too much on fine brushes yet (it's only been thirty years of painting, I've got time)
Clay tools: I was introduced to these by a mentor Nan Hass Feldman who sold them to me about ten years ago. I use them to dig through wet paint to reveal an earlier dry layer underneath. I also use metal clay tools for finer lines.
cheap brushes to brush medium onto the dry acrylic to stick the tissue layer to and to brush medium over the smooth tissue after I adhere it to the surface.
Brayer: I use this to get the first layer of paint down quickly and smoothly.

Example of tissue layer here!

Plastic containers to keep mixed colors in. I think I found these at a craft store. I drop a few droppers of water in the container before sealing it to keep the paint wet. I think this method works better in the long run than adding fixer to the paint.

Dee Solin's Magic Palette
I discovered this tool several years ago and it has been very helpful when I am trying to get just the right color. I have a bias against using colors straight out of the tube. I think it is amateurish and boring - at least that's what my inner critic tells me when I try to get away with it.

I have many more tools that I use consistenly: an easel I curse at daily, a large collection of Faber Castell colored pencils, oil pastels, a variety of mediums, hundreds of brushes for various reasons...but these are some of my favorite things (cue Julie Andrews)...

Happy Creating!

Standing on the Edge

2011-10-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.

- Kurt Vonnequt, Jr.

edge detail from 'Gabriel' 2011 commission

I love working on gallery profile wood panels and canvas for the 2" sides they offer. I can include a surprising experience around the corner from viewing the piece straight on. This additional experience is something that works well with my desire to engage the viewer in an on-going discovery of a piece. I enjoy layering details in the piece that may be revealed only after getting to know a piece over time - hidden treasures as it were. The thick sides offer an opportunity to include additional information. In commissions this often includes details about the patron's life: birth dates, favorite quotes or initials. I can reinforce a color from the palette of a piece on the sides and bringing balance to the overall experience.

edge detail from 'Maddie's House' 2008 commission

edge detail from 'Happy Natalie' 2008 commission
this was done on 1" thick MDF board

edge detail from commission 2009

Please do not disturb...

2011-09-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

This laminated sign hangs in my studio. It was written and signed by my most beloved drawing and painting professor while an art student at Skidmore College. Jeff Elgin was (most likely still is) a wise, kind and brilliant teacher. I still find myself quoting him as his statements were priceless. I would share them here but without the benefit of the accent and emphasis of his voice, much gets lost in translation. One thing that I will share is his insistence that as young full time students in an art department of a private school (read: an assumed privileged background) we would never again have that kind of time, freedom and support from our fellow art students and faculty. We may never again have access to such beautiful and spacious studio space. As with everything else Jeff said, he was right. I remember thinking he had to be mistaken. Didn't full-time painters spend all their time in lovely, sunlight filled studios in Soho?

As I start on a new piece - think this one will be titled, "Epiphany II" - I am feeling a bit nostalgic for that studio time and space I was so privileged to share with some of the most brilliant creative minds I have ever known. I miss the experience of chatting with other art students about our triumphs, frustrations and where to get something to eat at two in the morning. The music that I remember most as the back-drop to this time was The Talking Heads. I can't help but be transported back to those studios when I hear David Byrne singing Burning Down the House .

I have a few hours in the studio today before having to take the cat for her rabies shot and run some necessary errands. Jeff was right, there will never be enough time so I will take the time I am given and keep pushing...and remain grateful for what is.

A prayer for today

2011-09-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

circles sketch
2011

Universal Love Prayer

from the Metta Sutta

May all beings be filled with joy and peace. May all beings everywhere, The strong and the weak, The great and the small, The mean and the powerful, The short and the long, the subtle and the gross: May all beings everywhere, Seen and unseen, Dwelling far off or nearby, Being or waiting to become: May all be filled with lasting joy. Let no one deceive another, Let no one anywhere despise another, Let no one out of anger or resentment Wish suffering on anyone at all. Just as a mother with her own life Protects her child, her only child, from harm, So within yourself let grow A boundless love for all creatures. Let your love flow outward through the universe, To its height, its depth, its broad extent, A limitless love, without hatred or enmity. Then as you stand or walk, Sit or lie down, As long as you are awake, Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;

Your life will bring heaven to earth.

Namu Amida Buddha.

Red

2011-09-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

detail from "seeds" 2011

Nature Study 2010

http://www.flickr.com/photos/acheron0/3226407385/

"Tenby" 2010

maple leaves in October

Promise of new life in the spring

Illustration for "Daddy's Boat Grace"

detail from "Love and Sorrow"

wheel - Plimouth Plantation

church door - NYC 1/2011

detail from "seeds" 2011

Blooming Pains II

2011-09-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

"It's not how you start - it's how you proceed."

Brain Haycock, "Dharma Road"

Blooming Pains II
36" square
acrylic, tissue paper, water color, ink, colored pencil
on wood panel

I still need a few more hours with this piece - to sit on it, as it were and wait for it to tell me where I need to tweak it. I welcome any feedback!

Blooming Pains comes out of a message I once heard, given by the minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Nantucket, MA . I was living on Nantucket Island while working at the then Main Street Gallery as the assistant to the Director. His message talked about the experience of the flower or plant as it pushes out of the ground. How do we not know that it physically hurts the seedling to push out of ground? Perhaps when a bloom uncurls itself and opens it is like giving birth: painful beyond belief. Becoming ourselves whether a thirteen year old awkward youth or a middle aged questioning adult can be painful and yet very silent. I hope this piece speaks to this bursting open and becoming.

New Horizons

2011-09-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

It's back to school time! Time for new notebooks and shoes. Time for nervous stomachs and tentative smiles. Time for change.

For the past eleven years (minus a year or so to home school my son) I have been teaching art to children out of my home in Central Mass. I have taught up to six classes a week to ages 3.6 - 12. I have loved it. I have learned so much from my students. I have decided to take a respite from teaching and pursue a long time dream of working with children in the throes of grief. I long to use art as well as my background in counseling children in crisis to facilitate the natural process of grief in our youngest and least understood grievers. I am starting out my training at a wonderful and very special place, The Children's Room in Arlington, MA. I will be helping to facilitate groups on a volunteer basis every other week with the hopes that this training will lead to a future long term position in a grief counseling center of it's kind.

I will miss my students terribly as I paint alone in my studio with only the sounds of NPR and David Gray to keep my company.

My students have been my greatest inspirations. They have taught me the invaluable lesson of why I became an artist in the first place: to fall in love with the act of creation over and over again, to forget about my audience and just be true to my whimsy.

Because truth shows in art. Plain and simple.

I send out a big "thank you!" to all my students over the past eleven years and to all the parents who entrusted me with their children's delicate creative development.

Be well and keep creating!

Forcing the Bloom

2011-08-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

I often wonder as I work at a piece, 'do all artists (writers, composers, sculptors, tattoo artists...) feel like they are in a complicated relationship with the creations they make?' For me, coming to the end of the execution of a piece is a lot like saying good-bye to a friend. A friend I have spent some days or months with. Someone who as a sketch or concept I may have relished and looked forward to getting to know - not always knowing what direction we might go together. Often, there are stages of excitement or the feeling of falling in love with
a color relationship that shows up, or a mark that I don't want to forget or cover up. When this happens there is a feeling of, "Wow! This is going great, don't want this to end, etc..." But this feeling is coupled with a shaky sense of doubt: "Oh God, what if I mess this up - push it too far, or make it look forced?". Then there is the inevitable stage of "I have no talent, what in the h - e - double tooth picks am I doing?" and I come to hate the piece and myself for ever believing I could make it work. Fortunately, this is short lived and I am able to push through it to the other side. This most often happens when I am coming to the end of a commission piece. That patron (I imagine) is always looking over my shoulder, questioning every decision I make. I then go through a process of
defending my decisions to myself (sometimes out loud), I guess I have to or I'd never finish a commission! I am grateful that exactly zero of these questions have ever actually been asked by a patron or viewer.

The monsters stay quietly in my own head. When I deliver a commission and the patron is thrilled I am always silently shocked a bit and over joyed right along with them. Their reaction always seems more valuable to me then the check they write as payment.

I have just had the pleasure of delivering my latest commission to a family I have worked with before on two previous occasions. I love the process of conceptualizing a commissioned piece and in getting to know the families that will adopt the piece when it is finished. I worked 'Gabriel' in the style of the work I was doing around the time I had my show in Newton - about three, four years ago.

It was fun to go back for a bit to the layers, hills, houses... Listening to the reactions of Gabriel as he got to know his personalized painting was priceless. I can only pray that he continues to reap joy from the painting for many years.

I have switched gears and am back to working on new work for the "Nurture" series. This latest piece, "Blooming Pains II" is large: 36" square. I would say that in this stage, there are things that are going in the direction I had hoped for and things I am queasy about . So, I am going along as I normally do ... partly falling in love and partly questioning my intentions at every step of the way! Business as usual - I will take it as a promising sign.

'Blooming Pains II' - in process

Baton down the hatches!

2011-08-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

detail from "Gabriel" commission

Getting "Gabriel" ready for his delivery tomorrow between raindrops and putting everything up high in the studio in case of flooding.

Stay safe!

postcards from the edge

2011-08-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Although I often find myself fantasizing about a studio somewhere separate from my home with a built in supervisor demanding that I keep certain hours, forcing me to inform my family, "Mom's off to work! Sorry, the laundry, meals, grocery shopping, rides to friend's houses and doctor's appointments will have to be done by someone else!" ... I would not be able to have as much fun as I have this summer. Being an artist and a parent, family member, friend necessitates that you carry a sketchbook in your mind at all times. It's this file in my memory that keeps notes on color, form and inspiration whilst at the same time, having conversations over tea or walking with my kids in a sculpture park or museum.

We rented a house outside Culpeper, VA for a week this summer from where we were able to take day trips to historical and cultural must-sees. At the Natural History Museum in DC I discovered 'crinoids' which frankly, blew my mind. I became separated from my family for a while as I snapped as many photos as I could of these prehistoric-linked beauties. I was struck by their sturdy nature while being so delicate and graceful at the same time. The implications for my current 'Nurture' series had me shaking I was so inspired and grateful to have discovered them. I was able to do a few simple sketches which will develop this fall into larger more abstract pieces.

My kids were inspired by something they'd seen as a trend online to "plank" in random spots around D.C.

Art is where you find it!

I was tempted to ask the staff at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello if I could lock myself in here for a bit and paint.

We made a visit to the deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Licoln, MA with friends and a picnic. Watching kids interact with art and listening to their reactions is always a huge inspiration to let go and have fun with my own art.

Finally, we visited family in New Jersey and as always, I was inspired by the reddish/orange of the Jersey tomato and the pale yellow of her corn.

While in New Jersey I was able to schedule a few commission meetings with new patrons. I look forward to these new challenges from increasingly wider nets being thrown! I am working on a few commission pieces in my studio and a large new piece in my new series...will post photos when they are ready for their close-ups!

Be well - enjoy the fading days of summer.

Chamber

2011-07-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

"Chamber"
36"x36" / 2" wood panel
acrylic, water color, ink, graphite, colored pencil

Playing with the delicate nature of watercolor on a larger format juxtaposed next to the heavier acrylic. Thoughts while working on this piece included the delicate nature of human interaction struggling under the heaviness of ego. Life seems to be a constant teasing out of these two energies. Does truth equal who we are in our core or who we unconsciously reveal to the people around us, are they the same thing? I also thought about what to make for dinner.

Timing

2011-07-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

Back in the 70's my cool cousins owned a baby blue Volkswagen beetle - the original - not the remakes you see driving around today. Not the one's on steroids that my kids punch me in the ribs every time they see on the road, "punch buggy!" No, they had the original that was cared for and passed down to each sibling in the family as they learned to drive. It was a part of the family. I loved that car. I loved being driven in that little, noisy and temperamental bug. I remember my cousin Jenny struggling to change the gears to the correct one at the top of hills or when slowing down when we got to the beach. I remember it stalling when it didn't like her timing.

Lately I've been thinking about that beetle. I feel like my life is a little like that car trying to get into gear going up a hill. I have been so focused on my dream of becoming the artist I know I can be while helping children in the throes of grief and trauma heal through the use of art as therapy. I am convinced that this is why I am on this spinning planet. Know for sure that all the loss I have experienced is for a reason. Some road blocks have been thrown in my direction. When I found out I did not get the financial aid I need to attend the Expressive Therapies program I was accepted into at Lesley University it broke me. After my husband looked at me and said, "We can't do this", I allowed myself exactly one day to cry. I asked what in God's name He was to have me do if not this? The next day I got back into gear and started on plan B.

Sometimes our Plan B or C, D ... is the one that is meant for us. As I figure out where this new path will lead me I return to what I know to be truth. I know what inspires me and I never tire of finding it in unexpected places. I have been working on ideas in the studio, in my journal and in my mind while driving my kids here and there.

Staying on the right path in life is about timing and commitment and loads of patience.

Happy driving on what ever path you have chosen!

bird studies

2011-04-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

Have been, like Matisse, sketching from bed as I recover from some surgery I had last week. I have been mezmerized by the birds of Jim and Tori: http://mullaniumbyjimandtori.com/. Had fun with some pen and ink and inspriation from these little lovelies.

Seeds

2011-03-22T04:06:00.000-07:00

Seeds
16"x16"
acrylic, water color and mixed media on wood panel

The gift of Integrity

2011-03-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

~ Integrity simply means not violating one's own identity. ~ Erich Fromm

I want to thank the latest teacher in my life. This teacher at first seemed to be a creepy voyeur who was violating my very soul by mimicking – however poorly – most of those things that I have worked all my life to fulfill and make my own. I noticed by mere glances the similarity in her efforts, without as much as “hmmmm…that’s weird” sort of reaction. It wasn’t until total strangers began noticing her weak efforts to mimic my imagery, my sense of humor, my business idea and my latest venture to further my education and career that I became alarmed and frankly deeply disturbed. A few people have warned me about the “Single White Female” movie and laughed at the possible Hollywood movie script to come.

What I have come to realize is that she has given me a gift – the gift of reminding me of the importance of integrity. Each of us has our own strengths and histories. What we bring to the table, to our relationships and communities is a result of that unique experience. I know who I am. I know my weaknesses and I know and am learning to embrace my strengths. I have compassion for this individual who does not yet seem to have this sense of herself; to be able to stand in a truth that is not harmful or hateful or desperate. I hold out hope that she will find a truth that she can call her own, to not have to borrow someone else’s and to stand in pride of her unique gifts.

Epiphany - complete

2011-02-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

Epiphany
48" square
acrylic, altered tissue, water color on canvas

I posted a photo of this new piece a few entries ago and mentioned that it was not yet complete. I think I got there today. Not sure if this photo shows the differences but non-the-less I wanted to let you all know that I have in fact put her to bed. Next plan is to stretch another large square using linen canvas and try another bursting seed pod/flower. I would welcome feedback! I wonder about the lacking symmetry? I've been feeling like I need an artist's retreat or class to get some thoughts about this new work. Now if I could just hire a nanny, maid and taxi to take care of some of my other jobs while I retreat - that would be fabulous!

Artist Date

2011-02-25T06:02:00.000-08:00

An artist date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist. In it's most primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you preplan and defend against all interlopers - Julia Cameron

Natural History Museums are even more inspiring to me than Art Museums. The natural world is a never-ending well of mind-blowing design and form.

My "interlopers" have February vacation this week. I took them to the Harvard Museum of Natural History and Anthropology yesterday. My daughter Joannah took her sketch book, my twelve year old son Parker took his attitude and my youngest, ten year old Simon took his love of birds and "awesome rocks".

I have long wanted to see the glass botanical collection. It blew me away! The accuracy and attention to absolute detail seems super-human. The dried and gnarled roots of some of the wild plants and tiny hairs had me staring for long stretches of time.

The magnified cross sections of the ovaries of the various plants were mesmerizing. I couldn't stop snapping the best photos I could given the low light. These seed chambers called out to me and the messages I am trying to tease out in my current 'Nurture' series. I have been considering the concentric circles of experiences that grow from seeds of inspiration. I think the idea of playing with the imagery of where the seeds start life if intriguing.

Stay tuned!

Epiphany

2011-02-14T06:24:00.000-08:00

"Epiphany"

unfinished

48"square stretched canvas

acrylic, altered tissue paper and mixed media

"...life keeps sending us it's big lessons until we learn them, repeating familiar themes with increasing impact until finally our full attention is captured and we are completely aware; we absorb the wisdom thrown repeatedly at us and we finally begin to live and breathe it." - Jo Ann Brown-Scott

There is so much un-done on my plate at the moment - this week I watch them all unfold into ripe readiness.

movin' on....

2011-02-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

"Movin' on"

12" square

acrylic and mixed media on wood panal

Just completed this little piece for a dear friend who is moving far far away. These leaving times are getting harder and harder for this old heart of mine. Good souls are hard to find and even harder to keep around apparently.

Impermanence why must you be in such a hurry all the time?

Progress is relative

2011-01-21T06:03:00.000-08:00

I have been out of the blog O'shephere (I like it this way - it's more Gaelic) for quite some time as I wrestled with computer viruses (I was an art major for crying out loud not a computer person!), my own bodily viruses and the general confusion of trying to juggle my too many roles here on the stage of life.

I was granted my wish for beautiful snow days. I love these days - dream about them all summer. On a recent snow day, while my kids happily kept themselves busy, I got busy myself on a new piece.

I did this sketch while I was in bed with pneumonia back in October and was finally given the freedom, time and creative mood to start.

I am working here on canvas - where I normally prefer to work on wood. It's a large piece (4' square) so the weight works better with a canvas. Also, for some reason this flower pod seems to want to be done on canvas (strange, unexplained artist whim).

These are only the first layers and can't wait to build up the surface with surprises and depth.

I am also in the process of writing my essay to apply to a graduate program at Lesley University to get my Masters in Art Therapy. I think it is the right time for me to get some guidance, professional knowledge and a general kick in the right direction. It is becoming abundantly clear to me that all my life's experiences and past degrees in both Studio Art and Ed. Psych. and most importantly, parenting and living in the world for forty-six years have led me to this place and I am ready.

I am basing my essay on this painting. The general concept is that experiences in our lives start as a seed that leads us outward, like concentric circles, to our next experience and towards greater wisdom. Finally, there comes a time in all our development that all these seeds and circles produce a beautiful collection of knowledge and skill that can best be shared with the world in it's most perfect form, strengthened by a sense of self that only comes from age.

Happy Thankful Season!

2010-11-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hope you can slow down and find something completely ridiculous to do with the ones you love!

Beach Trees

2010-11-18T05:49:00.000-08:00

"Beach Trees" commissioned peice
24" sq. center panel with two 12"x24" side panels
acrylic and mixed media on wood
*double click to see larger

Ta-da! Finally put the finishing touches on this large commission. Included in the piece are references to things that are meaningful to the patron: the beach, Pittsburg, a favorite line from a song and names of close family members. Each side panel represents her two boys who will be able to take their painting with them when they leave home in the future. Each panel stands alone as well as being part of the whole - much like the roles we play as part of a family.

woodland prayer of circles

2010-11-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

There have been some things on my mind and in my heavy heart lately.

Grief, lost trust, miscommunication and a general questioning of life and her meanings all went with me on a walk in the woods with my dog, Oliver.

I'm not sure I found any answers but I made a prayer from acorn caps - something my late big brother taught me how to make sing once upon a time - and left them there on a rock in the woods.

Peace

Woodland prayer of circles

Where I find myself

2010-11-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

"Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again." - Joseph Campbell

After over five weeks of fighting pneumonia and now a bad head cold I have again found myself with paint under my fingers and David Gray on the ipod. My classroom is once again turned into a studio for five days until classes resume...I am at peace. This back and forth moving my supplies from one side of the basement to the florescent-lit studio space is getting a bit old. I long for the disposable income to afford a separate space for my studio but I am grateful for having the ability to juggle my family and my job under the same roof. As with head colds and making due with what we have in the moment, "this too shall pass".

Aqua

2010-10-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

The color aqua is a touchstone for me (a basis for comparison by which all others may be measured). It shows up in my works consistently. It is the color of my studio walls. It is my favorite jewelry color: turquoise. It was my grandmother's favorite color. It was the color of the dress worn by the rag doll that sat on her toaster and taken down for me to play with on the weekend visits I treasured. I am obsessed with figuring out how to recreate the patina of weathered copper and antique milk paint. I want to figure out how to incorporate the look and color of lichen on stone...on trees into my works. I love it combined with lime greens and red and bright peony pink. I love aqua.

Every child

2010-10-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

-Pablo Picasso

what brings me back

2010-10-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

painting a Matisse house

hats like the one in the Matisse painting, "Lady with a Hat"

Matisse house

"Picasso says" painting game

Picasso portraits

"The Little Seed" (E. Carle) flowers

After a week in bed this is what brings me back and helps me remember that I am one lucky art teacher!

"Man down"

2010-10-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

I've been in bed and now on the mend from bacterial pneumonia these past few weeks. I'm not a very good patient - like most mother's who do too much - I have a very hard time staying still while laundry and dishes pile up and there is a commission to finish and classes to teach. But, alas, there are times that Mother Nature has the last word and no matter how much Tylenol I down my body gives out and I give in to it all. I've managed to not have completely idle hands however! I've finished one sock and started a second for a Christmas present, read some books about teaching art and started a sketch for a piece in the new series. Looking forward to getting back to my full-steam-ahead pace!

The process

2010-09-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

"We enjoy the process far more than the proceeds"

-Warren Buffet

Having fun in the studio today!

"webaloon"

2010-09-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am slowly making my way through an art marketing course via the book by Alyson B. Stanfield, I'd Rather Be In the Studio as well as getting regular advice through her facebook postings. She recently touted the benefits of making your own facebook fan page as a way to get your work out there into the web-o-sphere. So, I did just that! . Today I added a photo album of my illustrations:

I have recently been asked to design identities for small businesses, including to my delight, a preschool who used an image from an ark painting from back in 2006 as their logo. It's the gift that keeps on giving! I just keep telling myself, "paint it and they will come" on those days when my demons threaten to whisper not such encouraging words.

*the word "webaloon" was one that David Gray used to refer to all his fans following him on the web on his facebook posting today.

watercolor and ink step

2010-09-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

After the optional tissue paper layer comes the watercolor and or ink wash...

reduce, reuse, recycle and relive!

2010-09-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

One of the resources I have for vintage papers and illustrations for my work is the local recycle center.

I also find useful things to use in my children's art classes there.

Today I was in search of some old map books - so quickly becoming a thing of the past what with google map technology and gps gadgets. My father was a civil engineer who refused to go without his wood slide rule as the computer age crept into his industry. I wonder what he would think of the technology available now.

As I walk through the shelves and walls of discarded items at the recycle center I often wonder whose garages and attics these items came from. I get a bit sad sometimes, wondering if someone's grandchildren found these boxes of discarded wires, rusting tools, bobbins of thread and bolts of old cloth and thought, "this is so Grand Dad/Mom to save this junk...what will I do with it to honor them somehow?"

And then someone like me comes along and thinks, "Ah! just the thing!"

My favorite find today was something I will not use in my art or classes...it is a copy of the book my mother used to read to me as a child that I had forgotten about: Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. My kids are just a little too old for me to read to them so I may just have to read it to myself and relive my childhood for a little while.

vintage papers layer

2010-09-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes (but not always) comes the vintage papers and personal touch layer...

Depending on the patron's direction, I can include references to important places, quotes, dates, names...I collect old books of maps and love children's book illustration from the turn of the last century. These details are often the things that are revealed to the viewer during the second, third or otherwise subsequent visits to the finished piece.

For this current piece, I have also pulled from old music books to get dots that are rich and fitting colors to the piece.

In Monet's Garden

2010-09-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

This month in my preschool classes we are studying the Masters - it's never too early! This week is my favorite lesson: Claude Monet.

We always start the class with a story - today was about a frog named Philippe who lives in Monet's garden.

We constructed our own pond like the one in Monet's garden in our classroom. We first pour in the water, add color to the water like the one in his paintings, add reflections, pond life: frogs, turtles, fish and bugs, there are rocks and of course, lily pads and lotus flowers.

The students construct their own garden and pond, complete with the Japanese bridge like Monet had in his garden.

Some students need to get in to their work to really understand it! And that's just fine.

The preschool students always do a group project as well. They learn to negotiate the space and share materials. I wish I could record their conversations!

tissue layer

2010-09-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

The second layer is often the tissue paper layer....

In this case, I've drawn on white tissue paper with colored pencil...

I then cut it to the shape I need to cover. In another technique I often use, I tear the altered paper randomly to create "happy accidents"...

I then secure it in place with matte medium both under the tissue and on top - sometimes I use medium for pastels on the top if I know I want to alter it again with pencil or watercolor.

first layers

2010-09-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

first layers of a new commission piece...
   some thoughts: 'change those circles that look like eyeballs -
   they're creeping me out!'
   'I'm going to be burning some
   major midnight oil on this baby!'
   'wish I didn't have to go to dentist appointments
   and carpool today so I could stay in the studio'

movin along...

2010-09-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Open for business!

2010-09-09T04:16:00.000-07:00

Classes start today! I can't wait!

I am teaching preschool classes as well as school age classes: ages 5-9 and an older class for ages 10-14.

A different theme every four-week session.

This week for the preschoolers and younger school age we will be learning about Georgia O'Keefe and the older group will be learning drawing technique.

My greatest inspiration has always been my students - look forward to their enthusiasm and unique spirits being back in my studio!

don't be alarmed but there's a bird in your kitchen

2010-09-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

sketch for a painting I'd like to do for my kitchen

I've been working so hard trying to change my studio into a classroom that all I have time for these days is falling into my bed at the end of the day and sketching some ideas....

I haven't given up the dream of finding a studio with another artist but it may have to wait until the money tree drops some cash when we shake it! For now I will have to settle for making the classroom my studio on the days I am not teaching (Sat-Wed). Wish I had some genie skills right about now but I will manage.

Once upon a time

2010-09-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time I believed

that a pot of tea shared

with a friend over

confidences sealed the bond.

Once upon a time I believed

in a castle in a green field

and long walks

on paths of trust.

Once upon a time I believed

if I showed up in an

authentic stance my eyes would

meet the like.

new composition idea

2010-09-03T07:12:00.001-07:00

escape

2010-09-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

onward

2010-08-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Kids back to school (even the previously home schooled one!) and now it's time for me to get to gettin'....

New commission working sketch:

summertime and the living is easy?

2010-07-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, my kids have been on summer holiday from work and so it feels have I....

I know I am not the only artist out there struggling to make room for all her responsibilities whilst keeping a space in her mind for her work and praying for that wide open space of time and freedom to create. My summer has been filled to the brim with house projects which included my studio being crowded with all the stuff from other spaces being worked on. Why is it always my space that gets invaded?

I've managed to get a bit of work done before the kids are up and asking to be taken to friends or the lake or the mall.

I am pleased to be participating in the Paper Quilt Project.

The theme is "A Day in the Life" and as my children grow older I feel that I'd rather not know the exact amount of time I spend in the car taking them from point A to point B!

I've cultivated a meditative artist mind that allows me to cook up ideas, colors schemes and motivation during those many hours in the driver's seat.

This is my submission for the project.

Although I will miss them all very much, I am looking forward to the next two weeks with a slightly lighter "mother load" of children in our home. My daughter is off to an internship with my first boss, Pryde Brown, photographer to learn a bit about the professional photographer's world and a whole lot more about being a woman in the world in general! I am over whelmed with gratitude to Pryde and her staff for allowing Joannah to have this opportunity so early in her passion for photography.

Parker is off for a week at Boy Scout over night camp and Simon will be in a nature camp all this coming week then off to Vermont to stay with my brother and his family.

I hope to ignore all domestic responsibilities and spend much less time in the car these next few weeks and emerge a paint-stained, messy and deliriously happy artist !

hands and feet

2010-07-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Back to the drawing board working on the illustrations for "Daddy's Boat Grace".

I'm on to illustrations that include a child's cupped hands and then one of little feet in flip flops.

I've asked a few little friends to be my models:

...unfinished illustration for "Daddy's Boat Grace"....

"Golden Rule"

2010-07-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

“Golden Rule” is a piece inspired by experiences we had with the school system as it related to our daughter and most especially, our son, Parker.

I come from a family of educators: a grandfather who was the Superintendent of schools in Trenton, NJ, an Uncle who was a high school principal, a grandmother figure who was the principal of the local elementary school, my mother and her mother were both first grade teachers, cousins who are classroom teachers and I myself have a Masters in Educational Psychology.

I grew up in a time when Principals showed up at your front door when there was a genuine concern for a student. I guess I had expectations when my children entered first grade; I expected them to fall in love with learning, I expected them to be met half way by their teachers and to be supported for their strengths as well as their struggles. There is a great deal of inherent trust in the relationship between parent and school. It is something that is unseen and essential. I began each school year with each child with great hope that my child, at the very least would be respected for the individual he or she is. I also began each new relationship with each teacher with a sense of respect and awe at what they were so brave to undertake. I have taught in the classroom, I have been a counselor in the school system, I knew the skill and patience and inhuman clarity it takes to be a good enough teacher. I am aware of the many hats that the teacher and school administrator is forced to wear.

What I didn’t anticipate was that my children would be made to feel humiliated for who they are. I didn’t expect to be questioned and then not believed as a family. I didn’t understand that if your child does not fit the profile of what the school’s paradigm can include then the definition of the child must change to fit in their box. I didn’t know I would be forced to remove my children from a system that I had grown to respect and have great hope in. My children are stronger for the scars that are healing but I still question why those scars are there at all. We have had professionals (in the system) suggest that we have a very strong case against the school system. We agree. However, we are not willing or able to put forth the energy and money it would take and frankly, I couldn’t do it to my kids.

We have all learned a great deal about human nature and resilience and we are forever grateful for the “angels” who buoyed us up when we needed it.

This piece represents the feeling I had as a mother protecting what she knew to be true about her family and children’s spirits. The prayer flags incorporated into the grid pattern represents the Buddhist ideals that kept me from completely losing my sanity. “Truth Floats” has been my mantra through all of it and it was my one saving grace.

"Forty-five years"

2010-06-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

"How long did it take you to do that?"

There's a question I really never know how to answer!

It really is a silly question if you think about it or maybe it just seems silly if you are the artist who is trying to answer it.

Does it matter?

A Chinese brush painter can make a gorgeous, timeless mark in seconds.

I am not a graphic designer and I don't charge by the hour.

How do I count the hours when I was thinking about a given piece; making notes in my mind about color or composition or inspiration?

I do try to answer questions about the process I've been through with a piece.

I thought I would walk through the process of my current piece called, "The Golden Rule".

For this 24" sq. piece on wood, I gessoed my board and laid down a quick sketch in brown ink.

I use a sketch that I've laid down in a sketch book as a guide - The first sketch is sacred in a way: it represents my most pure ideas and I often refer back to it so as to not get confused and muddied when laying down the piece on the board.

The first layer is an acrylic layer as well as some sort of drawing medium that is meant to show through in the final layer in order to show process. Here I used brown ink with the acrylic as well as colored pencil . Next comes any collage materials. In this one I used paper prayer flags that had been hanging in my house until I decided I needed them for this piece. I also used rice paper as an alternating texture in some of the squares in the background. Tissue paper that had been drawn on with colored pencil and ripped was also added.

Something about this piece that kept bugging me was the curve and thickness of the flower stem. Every time I came back to it it stuck out and I had to change it. Perhaps you can see the difference between the stem above and the one below as it comes into the flower/berry thing?

I found a new (to me) product to try in this piece: Golden-brand "Absorbent Ground (white)". I have previously used Golden-brand "Acrylic Ground for Pastels" as a medium over the acrylic and or tissue layer in preparation for the water color and or colored pencil layers. I'm still not convinced I like this new product better then the ground for pastels but it's always a trial and error process...

I am almost finished with "The Golden Rule" and will unveil it and explain more about my inspiration and meaning behind it in my next entry.

Stay tuned!

Oh! And the answer I often give to the above question? "Forty-five years"

Tenby

2010-06-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

"Tenby"

12"x12"

Mixed Media* on wood, wrapped with brown paper and vellum

It's a rainy Sunday morning and I am hidden away in my studio, listening to new (to me) George Winston and putting the finishing touches on "Tenby"; the most recent addition to my 'Nurture' series.

Tenby is a small lovely village on the coast of South Wales. It is a place that holds great sentimental value to me. In many ways, I feel I left a part of my heart there along with a friendship that is no longer in my life.

The photo does not reveal the many layers to this piece. It is done over an older piece that I no longer cared for. The wood is wrapped in a distressed brown paper bag, a method I was working with about five years ago. I covered that layer with a vellum-like paper someone gave me...the result is textural and I think I may have to revisit the brown bag idea in this new way in coming pieces.

* acrylic, colored pencil, ink, watercolor

Summer!? Bring it on!

2010-05-30T04:36:00.000-07:00

So, I hold a secret that I don't often share: I'm not a big fan of summer. The unscheduled days with young children always tend to send me into orbit and cause me to feel like a failure at the end of most days. As a winter baby, I have never enjoyed sweating just walking out the door. And, if I dig a bit deeper - most really difficult things have happened in my life in the summer months: a few too many difficult anniversaries for me to relive.
However! I feel like I've turned a new corner on my attitude towards the lazy days of summer and I am pretty happy about it!

My kids are growing up and that means they sleep in longer in the mornings...which leaves me to enjoy a few quite moments in my chair in the front yard; where I drink my first cup of tea and read a few pages of my book.

I have also caught the gardening bug and have expanded our garden and taken on more than I can possibly chew (ba dum dum)....but, I love watching these little green miracles happen in my own back yard.

I have ended my homeschooling career, as Parker will start at the Parker Charter School in the fall with his sister, Joannah. This means I can once again focus solely on my art career. I plan on dedicating every morning this summer (from 6-10am) to my work. I am still picking away at the illustrations for the children's book and also my new "Nurture" series.

....oh, and there's always hydrangeas to be thankful for in summer! Happy summer of 2010 everyone!! Let's make it matter!

blooming pains - update

2010-05-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

"Blooming Pains"

I know, it's been quite some time since I showed up here on my blog! Guess I am experiencing some blooming angst! I have been sketching and having a tug o' war in my head about my new series. I am in labor, so to speak, with this series and I am fighting between preserving my whimsical style that so many seem to be drawn to in my work and the gut-busting emotion I am trying to express. With this next series, "Nurture", I hope to exorcise some of the feelings and transitions I have experienced in the past few years as I struggle to remain myself (what does that mean?) while swimming in my roles as parent, friend, spouse and community member. I know from experience that all I have to do is show up and do the work and the reaction for me and my viewers will take care of itself. Just need to keep the faith...

Sunshine

2010-04-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

Been inspired by the spring light this past week...so, I moved my work space to the dining room table while I worked on a job. I am brainstorming ideas for a friend's business card. She is a dula and wanted an image that said "nurturing, happy, home" ...what do you think?

blooming pains

2010-04-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Not much has been happening in my dark,dank studio of late...still cleaning up after the flood. But there is hope out there...green things are pushing up and blooms are uncurling in and out of the studio.

first layers (in progress) "Blooming Pains"

Growing together, apart

2010-03-19T04:19:00.000-07:00

sketching ideas...while my studio dries out!

Nurture

2010-03-07T06:25:00.001-08:00

"Nurture"

acrylic, water color and ink on wood

18" square

Have started notes, sketches and this first piece for my series, "Nurture" where I hope to address tensions and celebrations that arise between our own sense of ourselves and the roles we play as parents, friends, spouses and community members.

Saint David's Day

2010-02-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

It's Saint David's day! The day my welsh roots scream with pride ! I make potato-leek soup, welsh cakes, Irish soda bread - as a nod to the fellow Celts who never did us no harm - and a cauliflower salad that has all the colors of the welsh flag. I gather as many bunches of daffodils as my local super market will provide (the daffodil is the welsh national flower, but I'm sure you already knew that).

This is a shelf in my house...it's the welsh shelf. My favorite photo of me and my welsh grandmother - who told me stories of coming over to Ellis Island from Wales when she was a very young girl and whom I miss terribly. My sheep collection (this is just a few of the flock). My collection of Welsh folk tales, poetry, memoirs and photos with which I hope to glean inspiration for a series of paintings some day. Oh! And the queen of course, who although is a snobby old bag who most likely looks down her nose at most welsh people and culture, is after-all the mum of the Prince of Wales.

Gorau! Happy Dydd Gŵyl Dewi!

flocking and gathering

2010-02-23T10:54:00.001-08:00

Although I have largely taken the whole month of February away from the studio, I have kept busy gathering images from the world and from my imagination to fuel my next series of paintings.

"Nurture", the title of my next series, will focus on the push and pull of feelings and actions that we as parents find ourselves engaged in . It will also address the challenge of nurturing our own sense of self in all relationships with friends, spouses, family and community.

I see birds as a perfect muse in souls trying to build the perfect safe haven for hope, new life and creativity.

I have gathered images from Art and Science Museums, children's drawings and these great antique bird identification cards someone gave me.

Next, I hope to rearrange and clean my own nest - my studio - to ready myself to start new and on-going relationships with work I have missed and look forward to starting!

Happy Heart Stones

2010-02-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

This is my collection of heart shaped stones...collected and given to me by my valentines: David, Joannah, Parker and Simon.

Happy Love Day everyone!

Inspirations

2010-02-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking alot about my next series.
Weathered paint, simple, graphic shapes...

"Raisin Bran"

2010-02-02T07:18:00.000-08:00

...some more images from the Worcester Art Museum. These were all taken in my favorite room, The Precolumbian Collection. I think I could move in to this room and live happily for months. It has a distinct smell which I've never been able to place...until last week, when one of my young companions said, "It smells like Raisin Bran in here!" Exactly and what's not to love about that smell?

Flora

2010-01-29T08:14:00.001-08:00

It was a snowy day here in Worcester yesterday, so I dragged Parker to the Worcester Art Museum, where we met friends and viewed the, 'Flora in Winter' show!
Floral artists are asked to choose a piece in the Museum's collection to serve as inspiration for a floral arrangement.
(you can click on the images to see them larger and see more detail)

Some take off with the color palette, some the texture or structure in the piece...

I know I have included too many photos here - but how to choose!?

I think this was my favorite - love succulents and I love how it looks like the wolf head!

Grateful

2010-01-24T05:15:00.000-08:00

"Grateful" - hinged triptych to hang in the Boston Children's Hospital Heart Center

visual prayer

2010-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

...at a loss as to what to do with my feelings of hopelessness, I've been doodling while watching coverage of the earthquake in Haiti on CNN and the local news. Here in Rutland we are all in a prayerful and hopeful watch, as we wait for word on one of our own still trapped in the rubble in a Port-au-Prince hotel. Hug your kids, friends and family today.

Holding on

2010-01-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are - another decade to grab hold of and define in what ever shape and color we choose. It's been a trying year for me and my family and yet, somehow we have managed to come out of it stronger and with a better sense of who we are as a family. We have proven to be stronger than we could imagine, in this world that doesn't always see us for who we are, embrace us for the loving creatures we strive to be or reward for allowing our truth to float to the top.

I have walked with fear, hurt and disappointment in trusts that have been shaken, bonds that have proven to be false and weaknesses in my own ability to stay true to myself and my passions. Ahhhh - the humanity!

I am back in the studio and reminded, yet again, of where my strength and truth are found. I feel so alive and happy when I'm covered in paint!

My wish for everyone is that we all find in our foundations, a place of strength and peace. Celebrate your contribution to this spinning planet and fear not the unknown. In the words of Jason Mraz:

"Hold your own, know your name and go your own way...and everything will be fine."

sketch for a community of hope

2009-12-12T12:59:00.001-08:00

I am thrilled to have been asked to do a commission project that will hang in the Boston Children's Hospital in their Cardiac Unit. This is a working sketch for the piece. The size has not yet been set. I have designed it to work as a triptych but that is optional. The hanging "clothes line" across the front of the heart is designed to include tiny notes, words or images inside tiny vellum envelopes. The piece will speak to the community that one suddenly finds themselves in when their child is sick. This community exists to all patients and families who are touched by a child's' illness and it can prove to be one of the most powerful forces on our planet . Going through the stress of a child who needs surgery or critical care in the midst of caring professionals seems to me to make the seemingly impossible, possible. I hope this piece will express this gratitude on the part of the children and families who are helped and healed by the Children's Hospital staff.

gettin' my jolly on

2009-12-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

It's the busy season! For me that always means trying to do more than humanly possible but try to tell that to a creative mind who just wants to do nice things for the ones she loves!

These are gift bags that I knit up for girlfriends who I've known since we all lived in the same townhome complex when our families were just starting out as married couples and or new parents.
I have a standing tradition of making gingerbread houses with my best friend and her daughters every year. I am responsible for making the dough, cutting out the shapes and assembling the houses. I've gotten it down to a science!

We also have a tradition that I take my friend's Christmas card picture every year. Her girls are so used to "Aunties" camera and are very patient!

We only had one cave-in this year but were able to rescue the disaster without the use of a hot glue gun - take that Martha Stewart!

Good friends are worth celebrating and staying up late to get it all done!

Asleep in the murky

2009-11-17T04:40:00.000-08:00

"Asleep in the murky..." , 12"square - acrylic and mixed media on wood

I've managed to squeeze out this little commission while my feverish children slept this past week. It includes a lovely little poem, written by the patron.

Farm Hands

2009-11-05T04:21:00.000-08:00

I've been taking my boys and a few friends to the Heifer Project International Headquarters, here in our hometown of Rutland, MA, about once a week to volunteer.

We've been studying agriculture (via "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan) and this seemed like the perfect way to get hands-on experience.

I don' think we've ever really done the same job twice! It's such a busy and special place and we feel so fortunate to have it our own back yard.

http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/?msource=kw2688&gclid=CKGQ56fz850CFUlo5QodfDrlIQ

Love Surrounding

2009-10-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my opportunity to put the finishing touches on this latest commission, "Love Surrounding", 24" square.

I hope that Vivi will love it as she grows into a strong and love-filled soul, sorrounded by her wonderful family!

In the interest of time management, I've adopted a way of working that I've often admired in other artists'. That of working a bit on many other pieces at the same time, while layers dry on a current project. I was able to throw the first layers on three small pieces while working on Love Surrounding. I love working this way and wonder why I never tried it before. I guess my frenetic life style lends itself to this mode. A few of these will be triptychs, with hinged side panels.

Giving and Receiving

2009-10-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to volunteer at a family homeless shelter outside Baltimore ,MD. I went with my daughter and her inspired youth group. We had an amazing time, meeting the brave residents and their children and lending a hand or an ear wherever needed. Please remember your local food pantry at this time of harvesting our blessings.

If you would like to learn more about homeless families in our country and how you might help, please visit: http://www.onefamilyinc.org/

Updated Website!

2009-10-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

Please visit my newly updated website!!! Thank you so much Fred of Rana Graphics (http://www.ranagraphics.com/)

http://janemhoughton.com/

Love Surrounding

2009-10-07T07:49:00.001-07:00

...making some progress on "Love Surrounding" in between packing for a trip, with my daughter's youth group, to a family shelter in Baltimore, MD to do what ever needs doing...

2009-10-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Took my son,Parker and our dog, Oliver for a walk on our town's Rail Trail this morning. I was hoping Parker would be able to focus on his writing assignment better after some exercise. I used this opportunity and this unique time in the season, when you can find green foliage as well as red fall colors at the same time, to look for some inspiration.

I've been thinking about a painting I want to do. The other day, while driving, I caught a glimpse of a red barn with a bright green plant growing up it's side. I didn't have my camera with me but I tried to take a mental picture of this striking site. Today I was on a hunt for this red and green relationship in nature. I don't want the end result to say "Christmas!" and I'm not sure about the subject or composition yet - but I have the palette!

Sometimes paintings come to me this way: colors first, concept later.

red

2009-10-02T04:26:00.000-07:00

"bodhichitta" - journal page

Brown - it must be Thursday!

2009-10-01T03:59:00.000-07:00

"Olive" 2008

Title page for "Daddy's Boat Grace"

orange...oops!

2009-10-01T03:46:00.000-07:00

OOPS! The day got away from me yesterday....here's orange!

details from "Martha and Isabella" - commission 2007

green

2009-09-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am participating in poppytalk: Autumn Colour Week (http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/2009/09/autumn-colour-week.html) and today is green!

Here are a few greens in some past commissions as well as a few favorite photos taken in a few of my favorite places to find green:

detail from the side of the canvas of "Maddie's House" 2008
detail from "Quaking Aspen" 2007

"Some of my favorite people are sheep" taken outside Cardiff, Wales

Lily pads on Moulton Pond - Rutland, MA

tissue layer

2009-09-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

...the next stage is the tissue paper stage. I draw on white tissue paper, (the stuff you wrap gifts with, only good quality) with oil stick, colored pencil, graphite pencil and sometimes rubber stamps. I rip sections and move the pieces around on the painting until I like where it is, making it appear random and unplanned. I adhere the tissue to the dry acrylic with medium and coat the top carefully with Golden brand medium ground for pastels. This ground is great as it gives a toothier texture to draw and watercolor on next.

...next I will begin the longer, more careful and detailed job of bringing the whole thing together!

process

2009-09-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be interesting to post periodic photos of the process I take a piece through until some sort of shift takes place and I know it is complete. These photos represent the first layers of base paint:

This is sometimes the scariest phase for me. All my fears come out to greet me, "you'll never get this to an interesting place...you've lost it girl, who do you think you are anyway?"...and the like. But at some point I fight back, get hooked on a piece and if I'm lucky, bring it home.

gesso and Bach

2009-09-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

I am listening to Bach, George Winston and some Yo-Yo Ma today while putting gesso on virgin boards and journal pages. The music brings me back to a time in college when I would study for Art History exams or paint in the studio...a simpler time ( if only I had known!). The gesso makes everything clean and ready for me to paint which just plain makes me giddy with excitement. The real work will have to wait until next week as we are packing and getting ready for a retreat weekend with our UU church to Ferry Beach in Saco Maine. A long-awaited family time away with great people and lots of laughs!

The piece I will start working on is a commission

to honor a brave baby girl, who is about to under go

some surgery to repair her heart, so she can get

on with the long and active life she is has ahead of her!

Jumping Off

2009-09-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again! I love this time of year with all it's expectation and hope for a great year ahead. I feel this more so than on January 1st of a new calendar year. I have a great deal of regret about setting my expectations too high this summer. I had three major tasks that I wanted to accomplish but of course I was only able to put a small dent in each area. Progress? Perhaps, but I am finding it much easier to focus on how disappointed I am in myself.

So, I'm going to try and take a deep breath and simply say, "I'm doing the best that I can with what I have before me...just keep swimming, just keep swimming".

I do feel creatively pulled in many directions and as a result feel at a stand still. As I often do at times like this, I turn to Julia Cameron:

"A creative doubt is at the root of all creative droughts. We have done as much as we can, we think, and we lack the heart to go further.We doubt our staying power and our genuine gift as an artist. Our faith in ourselves and often our faith in God has evaporated before the dry breeze of skepticism. We are worn out and we doubt that a "real artist" would be. And yet, all artists, "real artists" among them, suffer from droughts."

-Julia Cameron from, The Sound of Paper

Thank you Mother Cameron once again. I know that I will get there - I have to, it's all I have to offer as a gift to this amazing life.

Here goes!

Old Friends

2009-08-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

I recently became shockingly aware that my website was wiped off the face of this Earth! It's back now, thanks to my web design guru who had it on file and was able to get it back up and running. It has kicked me in the bum to get my web site updated with work I've done in the past two years since launching the site. This is a little detail I came across while sorting through some of the images. This is from a commission I did for a little girl named Maddie. The piece is called, "Maddie's House" .

Hope everyone is having sweet end of the summer days!

Mixing up some memories

2009-08-15T18:01:00.001-07:00

...not quite there but almost - the next illustration for "Daddy's Boat Grace"...in the words of the great Dory, from 'Finding Nemo'..."just keep swimming, just keep swimming"...(or painting as the case may be! ) *double click on the image to enlarge

journal pages

2009-08-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

I use my journal as a map to find my way back to a place I've been before or a hundred times before...

I use it as a way to keep ideas and thoughts in a place of honor.

I use it as tangible evidence that there are tiny feelers up there in that head of mine, constantly taking in the currents of inspiration.

These can be simple and these can be complex...

...sometimes hitting the mark

and sometimes

falling painfully

short of everything

I wish

I could express.

Like a visual "splat" on the page.

Instinct

2009-08-11T04:45:00.000-07:00

In between working on the illustrations I am thinking about and gathering ideas for a series I'd like to start this winter. It will come from a place of reflection and healing around the idea of instinct: parenting, surviving and just plain trying to figure out how to lead with your heart without losing your head. I've done lots of doodling and a few sketches, here's one: