Art By Tali Landsman

I made a mushroom risotto for dinner last night. I was able to get organic wild mushroom which I sautéed with onions and organic veggie stock. Today I mad oatmeal chocolate chips cookies and a seaweed dish with carrots and beans. All this cooing tells you I was not in the studio.

Today is one of these days that I look at my art without love in my eye. It is worst than I say, I actually do not like anything about my new style. This means that I should stay out of the studio and let the rough waters pass. Instead I sit on the sofa to rest and read.

Today I have spent some time in the studio reworking some of my earlier pieces from the series “The artist’s sketchbook”. I decided to hang some new paintings around our house just like I did in NZ, so I can see the paintings when I am resting and reflecting, to see what works and what doesn’t. I did not stay in the studio long but it was good just holding the paint sticks again. I plan to spend some time in the studio daily now that I am slowly adjusting to the time zone. Next week Jules is flying to Miami and I usually spend more time in the studio in his absence. I have to admit that I miss NZ. I miss the gentle energy of the green hills, the people and our house. I need some time to readjust to the harsh Colorado sun, the arid mountains and to our Colorado living environment. We could not have chosen to live in two more different places. Even the people in the streets seem to move in a more determined way than they do in NZ. I am sure that I will get readjusted soon. I love living ...

I spent the whole day yesterday in our basement, organizing , collecting things to donate, recycle and throw. It was a very productive day but somewhat back breaking as our basement is less than 5” high. While there, I came upon boxes filled with credit card slips of people that bought my art. It was an uplifting reminder of the popularity of my art, even if now I am experiencing a slow down. Today I placed an order of canvases. It was hard to do with the limited space that I have in my studio, to buy more large canvases that I have no place to store. It is so dispiriting and I wonder what artist that are living in NYC do. Surely they live in houses that are much smaller than mine and most have studios that are smaller than mine. The answer is not to let art accumulate but sell it.

The weather is so lovely in this season in Colorado. The bugs that come with summer are not yet here, our creek and rivers are gushing with the melting snow and the birds are singing over the wildflowers. We decided to enjoy the day cycling. I made us a green juice to start the day. (lettuce, cucumbers, celery, lemon, apples and oranges. We drove to Basalt where we usually start the bike trip. We decided to do an easy trip as this is only our second cycling trip since last summer. We cycled down the old Rio Grande bike trail situated on the foot of green mountains, rolling hills and pasture. We admired the gorgeous homes built along the Roaring Fork river. Large ranches and luxury homes, some made with recycled wood and reclaimed materials. They look so good in their locations, surrounded with creative gardens full of Tulips, lavenders and Poppies. We stopped for some ice tea at Woody Creek where they set up a cooler filled with cold water especially for cyclist to fill their water bot...

Memorial day weekend and we decided to spend today running errands. Whenever we have many things to do, we leave early to allow ourselves extra time to sit in a cafe’ or a restaurant and linger or just to insert a sense of ease and luxury into our day. We bought a trampoline. We heard so much about the health benefits of jumping on a trampoline, that we could not resist it. We also bought a steam mop that is aimed at cleaning your home with minimal use of chemicals. We shopped for organic fruit and veggies and ate a lovely fresh dinner at a local Mexican restaurant that was bustling with people and energy. Not a day of great achievements but a nice and quiet day. While sitting at Starbacks, I read a book that I picked up at a local bagel shop that run a loose book exchange. It was called “An Unquiet Mind”. It is the memoir of a psychiatrist who suffer from manic depressive illness. Her story is very humane and very touching. I find it so interesting to dive into the human psyche and ex...

I still wake up late in the mornings and hardly get out of bed by noon. I did meditate this morning and did my Course In Miracles lesson before I got out of bed, so counting these activities, I am probably getting adjusted to the time zone a little. I spent the day in my studio, not painting but getting my space organized. I created an area to place the dry and the unpainted canvases that is easily accessible. I also moved the drying rack that I use for drying small canvases to another location that opened up some space. I organized the tools I use so I can reach everything easily. I worked from 1pm until 8pm and still there is so much left to do. Jules came to the studio and opened a box that he got from a gallery that many years ago, when he was a young and promising photographer, represented his work. We went through them and I savored the beauty, melancholy and magic in them. It is so sad that he did not stay with his art, the images hold so much promise. He worked in a few series....

The interesting thing that happen when you own more than one home, is that each time you return to it after a long stay away, you see it with fresh eyes. I noticed for the first time that we really do not have nearly enough space in our home for all the sport gear we have accumulated. So I called some closet companies to get a gear closet installed in our garage. Today the designer visited our home and we signed the contract. I like things around me to be clean and organized. I think better, I work better and I feel better with a clean and clear space around me. When we first moved into this house, we converted our three cars garage into a studio space for me, but we use the front of the garage for our biking, kayaking and skiing gear. Needless to say that my studio is not well organized with boxes of canvases, old (and unsold) painted canvases and a large variety of art supply, and materials for creative ideas. With ski jackets hanging around, six sets of bicycles and kayaking gear le...

We are back in Colorado and it is hot and dry and I am so jet legged, I can hardly get myself out of bed by noon. Of course I am also not able to sleep before 2-am and I am not very hungry until after midnight. But I know it will pass within a week so I am patient and not very ambitious in these days. I plan to spend my next few days getting the house cleaned and organized before I go into the studio. It is amazing how much there is to do in a house that was closed for three months.

We fly to Colorado early tomorrow morning. I will not be writing in my blog for the next few days. We plan to spend two days in Boulder and shop for organic groceries, rent a car and drive home into the mountains. Today we are in packing and closing up mode. We say farewell to New Zealand and wish everyone in this part of the world a wonderful and calm winter.

In preparation to leaving, I cleaned my studio and my brushes, closed the dehumidifier and put away the wrapping materials. Even though I love both of our homes, it feels sad to be leaving this wonderful place with the lovely new kitchen that we hardly got to use. The mornings are very chilly and it rained on and off today which is a reminder to me that we are leaving in time to avoid the winter. Jules and I carried a long conversation yesterday evening about the direction of my art career. Jules said that I need to be honest with myself and redefine my goals. If my true desire is to be hugely successful, be represented by great galleries and sell my art for high prices, why is it that I put absolutely no efforts towards approaching galleries? If my desire is to develop a great internet business, then I need to state it to myself and take the steps required to develop this. Whatever I truly desire, focus on and work towards, I will manifest in my life. If I allow the waves of doubts to...

Finally I am done with packing all the art. It feels a little strange not to be able to enjoy any of them before they are off to face the world. They go straight from the drying racks to the exhibitions. The paintings I hang in the bedroom really brighten up the room. I love to be able to see my art in a “living” situation. It is very beneficial for me to see it in different light, different time of the day and around me. It helps me reflect on what elements to expand on and what to avoid. Laying down examining my art feels very different from examining it in-front of my easel. I feel a bit sad to be leaving so soon. We do not have much time to enjoy our new kitchen before our departure. But I try to remember that our houses are for us, for our delight and experiences, not to get attached to and enslaved by. Tonight I will make some cookies for us and I will write again tomorrow when I have more energy.

Today is a great day for us. The kitchen will be finished and we slept our first night in our new home. It feels great to be here. I love the fact that the veggie garden is so close and that I can go out to pick up some leaves and make us a salad. We already cooked our first meal of pizza and a salad, using our new kitchen. With our departure date so imminent, I feel like I am half here and half in Colorado. My mind wonders into the arid mountains surrounding our home, the bike trails, the greens of Aspen, the vegetarian bistro we eat at on weekends, the tulips growing in the gardens around Aspen, classical music concerts, the song of birds on our Sweetwater creek, the hot mineral pools at Glenwood Springs. It will be great to be there when the weather turns rainy here in NZ. While Jules seem to dive seamlessly into ...

We are back from Singapore and are enjoying the mild weather of the Hokianga here in NZ. I did not write in the last few days while in Singapore. The days were long and full of activities that by the end of the day we just showered and collapsed into the crisp sheets, wearing our fluffy robes. I had little energy left to blog. Here in the sleepy Hokianga, we find (as always) a way to keep ourselves very busy and anxious. It seems like so much is getting done just before we leave to go back to the USA. Tomorrow the gas fitter comes to fit and activate our gas hobs. On Monday we get the wardrobes installed and the kitchen finished. Next Friday we fly back to the USA. We ate breakfast and dinner at the Waterline cafe’ and visited the new art exhibit at Village Arts. We enjoyed the beautiful paintings done by a group of local artists. They seems to have a theme of flowers and plants. All well made and wonderfully pleasing.

Despite the fact that Singapore is full of tourists, we were the only ones exploring the "Geylong" neighborhood. It hosts an eclectic mix of residential buildings, vegetarian restaurants, prostitutes, Taoist and Buddhist temples, a mosque and endless colorful shops. The colors, and sights of the area dazzle the senses. We ate a superb lunch of Lily bulbs with asparagus, a mouth watering olive rice, and a dessert of sea coconut and flowers. The air conditioned vegetarian restaurant was bright, cheery and full of customers. We happened upon people from the Buddhist Institute that were curious to see tourists in this area and invited us in to tour the Buddhist institute. We had a lovely conversation, exchanging inspirational ideas about meditation, life and worship. These are the delightful experiences that come from getting off the main path and exploring hidden and alternative sights. We treated ourselves to a great reflexology foot massage. It is one of the real treats we fel...

This is store that sells funeral items to be buried with the deceased.

is Lily bulb and asparagus dish

We found a guide book for Singapore by foot with suggested walks and highlights. We were cooling off at a trendy cafe' in the "Arts House," refreshing ourselves with an ice tea. We had a great day exploring the famous Orchard Road with its many shopping malls and upscale boutiques. Most stores carried brand names of European and American designer labels, but we saw a few Asian designers as well. We had a delightful time in the biggest bookstore we had ever seen that carried the most extensive collection of photography, art and design books. We had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant that served delicious mock duck and spicy mock chicken dishes. Later in the afternoon we explored some of the art around town. It wasn't like the alternative art scenes you see in Shanghai or Beijing, but we did see interesting art. We had dinner at a restaurant that is called "Grains". Although not vegetarian, they served us fried brown rice and green spinach with garlic. They also...

We enjoyed our first day in Singapore. We started the day by swimming at the large pool of the Mandarin Oriental hotel. We decided to explore the city by neighborhoods. The first area we chose to explore was the Arab section of town. Small narrow walking paths and one way streets line this compact neighborhood filled with shops selling fabrics, carpets and gifts. We ate at a Lebanese restaurant a selection of Mezze vegetarian appetizers and drank a concoction of hibiscus petals. We bought some lacquer ware for our home made from thin wood and covered with a coating of resin from the lacquer tree. We browsed at a Sufi bookstore and bought some books we will enjoy reading. In the afternoon we ate a snack of vegetarian Indian food and fresh squeezed juices. Later in the evening we looked for brochures and advertisements for art exhibits around town. As I looked at some of the abstract art in the brochure, I felt self doubts overwhelming me. The voice inside suggested that I might enjoy wo...

Sometimes not going to the studio to paint can be refreshing. Now that I do not have to paint to meet a deadline, I suddenly feel less busy and a bit more relaxed. I decided to spend the day packing for our upcoming week long trip to Singapore, closing up our places and finishing last minute errands. I packed one more painting for shipping, emptied the dehumidifier in the studio, lowered the timer on the radiators, and made sure everything is locked. I may be writing my blog while we are in Singapore, but since I will not be taking my Mac Book computer, I will post the entries on my www.talilandsman.blogspot.com instead of my usual blog. Look at it to see photos of Singapore and details of our trip.

I took advantage of the cloudy day and started a fire in our old concrete tank that we converted into a self contained fire pit in which to burn branches and yard scraps. Here in the Far North, there is no collection of yard scraps. We have to find days when the risk of starting a bush fire is low and burn our own garden scraps. I also finished the last of the paintings that I submitted to the exhibitions and continued to pack the art. I have packed today 14 paintings and feel very tired having doing so. I had to revive my tired body with three chocolate biscotti and a soy latte’. It felt good to be putting so much of the prep work for the shows out of my mind. I usually feel nervous if I leave too much work undone before we depart to the USA. I like to get things done way ahead of departure time. We are leaving for a week long trip to Singapore this coming Sunday. I look forward to this vacation. I yearn for a bit of leisure time and luxury. I look forward to strolling the streets of...

The gray morning turned into a beautiful day. The weather is changing now and the nights are turning colder. We have started to heat the rooms with our radiators (set on low). They also help to control the humidity in the house, as well as provide toasty rooms. Of course in the streets we see kiwis walk with shorts and no shoes while we bundle up. Today we met with our accountant and banker to complete our NZ residency papers and year end taxes. We also bought the courier tickets required to ship the art to Auckland and Wellington. Not a studio day but a very productive day indeed.

Today things did not go my way. I started the day by reworking one of the paintings from the sketchbook series. I did not like how my attempt at “improving” the piece, so I left it to rest for now. Because of my failure to fix the piece, I did not feel confident to start a new painting. There are days that do not go well and I find it best not to be too ambitious, or push myself to create or I will end up with a painting that I am not inspired to continue. Instead we continued packing the paintings. It is so complicated to find your way in a new country. In the USA I know exactly where to buy and order everything. I know the best ways to ship my art, the way the system works and how to get the best rates. Here in NZ we are making our way like a blind person feeling the air in front of him by waving his hands at the blank space ahead. Numerous phone calls later and countless internet searches and we ended up with three paintings packed only. I will continue to pack some more on Friday.

How much fun it is to paint again. After a week long fiddling with the kitchen installation, I was back in the studio to paint. Jules came to the studio to help with the preparation of the paintings for the shows and he did a great job at the first stage of tagging and packing the art. I started a new canvas with a new goal. I decided to make a few quick drawings, no more than five minutes each. To make matter more challenging, I chose complicated poses. One pose was a view of a male laying down on his back with his legs folded over with his knees up in the air. The second drawing is a view of a man laying on the ground viewed from his feet. So you have to imagine (because I didn’t take my camera to the studio) that the viewer is laying down on the floor too and looking through the man’s feet. I love challenges, even though by no means the drawings looks great. They are simply exercises - five minute loose exercises. I also started to add to the painting the rest of the sketchbook elem...

Today we ran errands in Kerikeri. We got home late and very tired. I think we will make a salad and crash in front of the TV with a movie and a blanket. We did talk about art marketing today as we sat in the cafe’. We talked about some of the artist’s statements we have seen in this part of the world. Many exhibits that I saw had a long and elaborate (and sometime nonsensical) artist’s statement. In my opinion, this is part of the issue that rural people face. They want to be and do things like “city people”. except that the world is constantly changing and especially in big cities, people do thing differently than they did them in the eighties. Nobody thinks that the art needs the support of a statement. The art should speak loud and clear. the statement could be whimsical or short or anything the artist feel like. Few days ago I read a Bio of an artist that I liked: Marissa Arterberry is a Visual Artist living in Oakland, California. She has become known for her acid-bright depiction...

Finally I have completed the last painting in the “Unnerving to a frugalist” series. (or the “squiggly style” as I fondly call it). The paintings look abundant with colors and shapes. I will post photos as they become dry enough to stand up and photograph. Now I have about two weeks of drying time before we need to tag, connect the hangers and pack them for the exhibitions. Now that the kitchen is mostly done, we hang some large paintings from my newest style “The artist’s sketchbook” in our dining room and living area. I know I am not objective, but I was delighted to feel that they really look great there. They brighten up the space and bring a fun filled feeling to the whole room. We have selected an ultra modern bright white kitchen with stainless edges. Our dinning table and chairs are also white and modern with clean lines. Somehow the art that is so colorful and full of child-like symbols and doodles, work so well with the feel of the room. It takes the Italian design that could...

I will not write long today because I did not paint today. In fact I didn’t even think about art. Today was devoted completely to installing the kitchen. We had workers all over the place. The great news is that it looks wonderful, even though one fridge arrived damaged and will have to be replaced. The kitchen does not look completed because the back splashes (or “up stands” as they are called in NZ), are not going to be ready for about ten more days. we also need to reinstall some of the windows architraves that needed to be removed to get the back splash’s template taken. This is by far, the best kitchen I ever had. The Italians are masters in kitchen design. We spent the rest of the day cleaning after the guys left. I feel exhausted but satisfied.

Yet another day of applying layers to the thick acrylic paintings. I did manage to draw the lines of the sketchbook on a new canvas, but had little time today to draw anything. Tomorrow maybe another day full of activity around the house as both the plumber and the electrician are coming. I can’t wait to see all of this finished. We booked a trip to Singapore to relax and refresh after all this renovation. It would be nice to see a new place and be in a big city again.

The most exciting thing today was the installation of the new kitchen. I spent most of the day hanging around the installers, giving my input. Between overlooking the installation, I applied more layers of paint to the squiggly paintings and dreamt up some names for the paintings. Jules took me to lunch at our local cafe’ and we had a lively conversation about marketing art. There is a course being offered in our local community about selling your art. Our area is brimming with artists so I am sure the course will be full. We talked about the fact that I am thinking of attending the course, even though I have sold more art than some artists sell in a lifetime. Still, I believe that maybe I will pick up bits of info and tips I may not have thought of.

I am currently in our house and it is raining so hard that I delayed going to my art studio that is next door. Looking outside, it looks like somebody turned on the shower at full force and forgot to turn on the lights. The kitchen installers have arrived and started unpacking the many boxes. I can’t wait to see how the kitchen looks. I had a very productive time in the studio. My art supplies arrived and I was able to apply more layers of paint to the squiggly paintings. I also continued working on the painting that I will name “Big foot”. I felt playful and I like the outcome.

We got the delivery of our new kitchen today. The lean and strong guys brought up our long flight of stairs more than fifty heavy boxes. (with the help of Jules that insisted on carrying boxes way too heavy.) Tomorrow the installation of the kitchen starts. I can’t wait to see how it is going to look when they are finished. In the studio, I continued working on “Resting Pose”. I played with the canvas as if it is a scrap of found paper. I played games on it and mindlessly drew shapes and colorful lines through the painting. Towards evening, while waiting for the delivery of the kitchen, I decided to start a new painting. I drew a man sitting on a chair. But instead of trying to render correct proportions, I wanted to portray his feet which are closer to the viewer than his face, much larger. It didn’t quite go according to plan, but I always make loose plans anyway. Instead of using carefully drawn lines that follow the contour of his body, my hand wanted coarse, restated lines. Eventu...

This weekend the weather turned colder and the rain started coming down. Now it feel like autumn has arrived to the Far North of NZ. After breakfast of brown rice with cut fresh vegetables, I sat down for coffee, chocolate biscotti and a conversation with Jules. We spoke about the concept of exhibiting art in galleries that do not get much traffic. (Galleries that are not located in big cities but rather in small remote villages), about how it can effect the artist spirit to get no interest, not even lookers. We talked about the positive aspects of being a part of an art community and the down side of having your art not accepted or liked in this community. Finally I felt I would be feeling better if I immerse myself in the work. Up the hill in the studio I continued painting the piece I think I will name “Resting Pose”. I added images and painted a bright orange field around the figure with strong wild arm movements. I really put some energy into it. I did all the doodling in red ink ...

Today we attended an art opening in our local art gallery. We were delighted to see so many people attending. The art of Claire Deighton was wonderful to behold. Up the hill in my studio, I started a new painting. I chose a challenging posture of a woman laying on her back and spent five hours trying to render her form on the large canvas with charcoal and pencils. I am not working hard at rendering exact proportions as my intentions is to create a “sketchbook feel”, not a realistic drawing. On the canvas, I will doodle, smear paint and draw some more. My aim is to create an impact and improve my skills. I love the challenges and the freedom that the sketchbook presents me with. I am curious to see people’s response to my new art. In comparison to the art being shown in greater NZ, it is very different in sensibility, colors and theme. But I trust my inner guide and follow her vision. I AM PRESSING ON!!!!! Like the Bob Dylan song: Well I'm pressing on Yes, I'm pressing on Well ...

I had a wonderful day working in the studio, making progress on the painting I am going to name “The businessman’s wife” painting (shown on the far easel in my studio.) My art supplies did not arrive today so I will not be able to work on the squiggly art over the weekend. Maybe we will go cycling again. I also photographed the art that I’ve completed last week and worked on applying more layers to the squiggly paint series.

I am feeling more energetic these days. They say that there is nothing like a deadline to motivate an artist. We have to pack the art for the shows before we leave NZ on May 15th. By then the art needs to be dry, signed, tagged and boxed. The drying time is the trickiest part. For the art to be fully dry, I will need to complete the pieces by the third week of April. This will leave two weeks of drying time and one week to pack and get them ready, Between layers of thick acrylics, I started a new painting in the Artist’s Sketchbook series. I started with a drawing of a back view of a lady in her night gown. After much erasing and restating the lines, I ended up with a pleasing beginning to a nice painting. I notice that these days I hear the inner critic much less. I even invite her to critic my work before I declare it finished. I pull a chair in-front of the canvas and ask the inner critic to give me her input. Anything at all is welcomed. I want to make the painting as powerful as I...

Today felt like a very productive day. In the morning, I updated my website with more images of art. In the studio I continued working on the painting “White Bait” and got to a point in which it feels finished. I may go back to it later and work on it some more if I see a need. It seems like the paintings are taking more or less the same time to create. I mostly finish a painting in four days if I do not encounter too much inner criticism or problems. If I do, It can take more than a week to get the painting to a point that feels good to me. But I never care how long it takes to work on a painting, I simply note that in my mind. Jules came to the studio to do an inventory count for the year end tax reports. We counted all the raw canvases, paints and the finished canvases. (that have not found an adopted home yet.) I spent the rest of the day preparing the first layers of paint for the squiggly style. We also place an additional order of paints that we will need to complete this style....

This morning we decided that we need to show some support for our artists friends in the community by visiting the exhibit that is closing in a week at our local gallery. Lindsay Evans is doing beautiful sculptures with found wood, copper, milk paint, gauze and plaster. We really enjoyed seeing his work. It also looks very collectable and pleasing. We wish him great success in his art career. We headed to our local cafe’ for soy latte and biscotti. We sat by the rising tides and had a lovely conversation. Our little town is filled with artists, potters, wood carvers, photographers, writers, poets, musicians and creative people. It seems that everywhere you look, there are artists engage with their art or craft. When we walked up the hill, we noticed a painter through her studio’s window quietly working away on a large canvas. Up on the hill in my studio I continued working on my new painting “White Bait”. Apparently now is the season, as our local cafe’ is offering a dish of white bait...

The early morning rain had dried up and the sun broke through the clouds. By mid morning it was a beautiful sunny day. We decided to go cycling. A nice gentle ride to get our bodies re-accustomed to biking. It has been months since we’ve been on a bike, with the ski season and being preoccupied with our properties here in NZ. But before our cycling trip, I went to the studio to work on the paintings from the series “Unnerving To A Frualist”. I have been working on them daily, applying layers of thick paints, waiting for it to dry and applying more paint. I really hope they will have a good reception in the shows. They did sell well last year, but this year I have a lot more done in oils and they look different from the acrylics ones. The cycling trip was wonderful. We cycles on a dirt road into a new part of town that we did not see before, circling the harbor. The ginger on the side of the roads is blooming now and even though here in NZ it is considered to be a noxious weed, the swee...

Instead of staying home on this gray Saturday, reading books and watching DVD’s, I decided to go to the studio and work for a few hours. I continued working on the paintings from the series “Unnerving to a frugalist”, trying to get them ready for the shows. Because New Zealand is an island surrounded with windy coasts, the humidity level is very high. Especially in the North Island which enjoys a sub tropical climate. This means that even acrylic paints, when applied very thick, takes weeks to dry. We are running a dehumidifier which we empty daily, but still I need to wait at least a day or two before applying another coat of paint. The paintings that I have done in this series in thick oils take almost a year to dry and some takes longer.

I started my time in the studio by working on the piece I think I will call “Fishing”. It is a play on the images of the fish as well as the young girls “fishing for compliments” and are a little pouty for not getting enough to raise their self esteem. While completing the painting, I encounters a mixed range of emotions, ranging from satisfaction with the images I piled on the sketchbook to doubts and even a desire to flee and go do something else. But I stayed in the studio and painted and I felt quite happy with the progress. I did take a quick walk to the water pond up the hill and sadly observed the damages done by the wild pigs and the possums. The wild pigs dig the grass and crash small plants while the possums climb on the fruit trees, and break all the tender branches and eat the flowers and any available fruit they can munch on. Later in the afternoon Jules brought from the cafe’ a soy latte and some biscotti and we sat on the loungers and talked. I also read a bit about the...

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art." — Leonardo Da Vinci

I am sure that other artists find that “life” gets in the way of creating art. But how can we create art if we do not allow life with all its distractions to shape our lives? We always tell ourselves that it will get easier after we completed renovating and moving into our new house. We say that we will find more free time to go cycling, kayaking and of course spend more quiet time in the studio creating art. I know that I have been painting regularly and with the time spent in the studio, creating new paintings and connecting with my creative side on deeper and deeper levels. I have been allowing layers of fears and self doubts to surface and be healed. I have been honest and direct with the sketchbook series and despite the fact that it looks like so much fun and “easy” to make, I have been painting with my guts more often than with paint. It is the continuity of ideas in my mind that I miss in these busy times. When decisions needs to be made, I get too focused on the projects at ha...

It rained all night. I woke up to a gray and drizzly weather which really did not brightened up much during the day. In the studio the mood was happy and joyful. I can really see the effect of the free sketchbook style on the energy of the room in which I am working. Since I am painting most of the sketchbook series, on thick canvases, I painted the sides with smily faces, symbols and doodles. It came out really nice, especially on the sides that are painted in a black gesso. I started a new painting today. I drew an exercise of a figure in a dynamic move. The figure did not unfold well, but I persisted. Instead of leaving the studio to look for a diversion, I pulled a chair in front of the canvas and analyzed it. I don’t always have an urge to flee when things don’t work themselves out, only when the diversions are “justified”. Today we had an electrician over to do some work for our new kitchen. “Going to check on him” was my “justified” excuse. Except that Jules was there to supervi...

I remember when we were in Japan, my astonishment at how many business people on the trains, were reading comic books. They come in all shapes and sizes in Japan. From a thin full color magazine format to thick black and white that resemble a phone book. The content varied from silly, mindless to violent, sexual, funny, action filled,artistic, educational and cultural. I an not a big fan of comic books myself. Yes, I can appreciate the artistic talent and skill that goes into creating them, but I find it hard to find the entertainment value in them. But on my path of self recovery, I always remember how much I loved them as a kid. I was not born into the computers and video games era. When I was a kid we played social games in groups with sticks and stones, balls, and skates. We competed with one another in running, jumping and swimming on the streets of our neighborhood, on the beach or in the swimming pool. When I was seven, we were introduced to TV viewing but that was very slim pi...

Today was a rest day. We decided to go cycling, but we only got as far as inflating our tires when the weather turned gray. We delayed our outing until tomorrow. We continued to plan the changes we intend to do in our properties, our strategies for the future and varied ideas we have. Jules baked his fabulous thin crust pizza and we ate it with a large salad with veggies from our garden. I played a little on the computer with cut images from my paintings to try and create a new header for my web site. I love reading what other artists say about their sketchbooks. About why they keep them and how they feel when they doodle or draw in them. Most artists comment about how freeing the experience is, how they use their sketchbook as an inner journal and a playful ground. This is exactly why I chose to work in this style on large canvases. I got tired of judging my art too harshly. I wanted joy and freedom in my art. I want to work with an open heart and allow images to emerge from my subcon...

Today I read in the NZ Herald an article about a TV presenter here in NZ that is accused of “oozing too much self Belief”. I thought about how nonsensical this criticism is. “Self belief” is a well earned attribute, not a minus. How can anyone working in a creative field be blamed for having a belief in himself? As artists and creative people, we have to act on our vision. If we luck self confidence, no one else will ever believe in us. We have to be self motivated in order to bring into the world a new vision. People do not take lightly new styles and ideas. They tend to like familiar things that fits well within their comfort levels. New Ideas, wether they be visual, sonic or written, tend to challenge people’s comfort zones. I do not know this TV and radio presenter or the ideas that he stands for, as we do not watch TV. I am not defending his ideas which I am not familiar with. I simply want to make a point that believing in your self is a great plus In fact I wish I was “oozing se...

I sometimes wonder if an artist would have created better and more authentic art is we were not expose to one another’s art or to the knowledge of what is revered by the art world. If we created art that is only influenced by our imagination or by the events, thoughts and emotions that we experience. Obviously it is different for artists living in cities. Those artists are influenced by other artists, graphic designers, advertisers, store displays and everything that compose a big city, simply by walking the streets. But rural artists can be as isolated or as involved as they choose to be. A rural artist can choose to live a life that is secluded, fully imaginary or in extreme cases, even delusional. Rural artists can create worlds more easily or fall into a swamp of stagnant creative waters. Trends do not come to you unless you seek them and are passionate in your interest to see what is making the world tick. Of course it takes an open mind to identify trends and movements in the es...

Today we took the morning vehicle ferry running between our town of Kohukohu and Rawene. We drove to deliver a sold painting to the courier post. Our local post shop does not really handle shipping of parcels. We also placed a large order to acrylic paints with our local supplier. It is always such a shock to find out how costly paints are when we place a large order We have spent today running errands in Kerikeri. Needless to say that I did not get to the studio today, but I added a photo of the painting I am currently working on. I plan to get to the studio early tomorrow and paint all day.

Today was a very productive day in the studio. In the morning we met with our real-estate broker to talk about the house we are selling in New Zealand. If you are interested in a lovely water view house in a quiet and beautiful village, you can see the details: www.livebysea.com After the meeting, I proceeded to the studio. I prepared some paintings for our upcoming exhibition in Wellington and Manakau. After this I used the break in the weather to photograph some of my art. Then I continued to work on my large painting. I added a nice drawing of a hand and a lot of doodling and symbols. I converted a drawing of a feet that I did not like into a large sneaker shoe. I felt good working in the studio and felt confident again about my sketchbook style.

I woke up this morning to an amazing sunrise. It started with an array of Magenta colors, it soon turned into reds and then cadmium orange and finally bright yellows which gave way to a silvery gold. Unfortunately the weather turned grey and rainy all day. I did get to the studio with strong determination. I drew another foot on my new canvas and then some doodling, but things were not going very well. I felt restricted and I wanted to fly on the canvas, so I created a large car and a very large face on the middle of the canvas. after adding some color, I decided that what really is going on is that I am not very excited about painting today and by forcing myself to work a minimum of four hours, I will end up with a large canvas that I do not like. So I stopped at a point in which I still like everything I see and decided to pick it up tomorrow. On the positive/light side: today I got an acceptance notice for eight pieces to an art show in June at Manakau NZ.