Just Checking In

Hello!!

Time for another blog post. I hope everyone has been enjoying the summer. Slowly but surely I am turning all my friends into artists this summer. I’ve enjoyed bringing paint down to the beach & letting the fun take over. I find it so peaceful to sit and enjoy their company while mindlessly doodling away on a piece of paper. It’s a firm reminder that art is never truly about the end product but more about the process. And the process is even more fun when you’re giggling with your friends.

See!! their smiles say it all... might I add that my friends are also incredibly creative. I love watching them explore their talents!

I find it very hard to do anything in the summertime other than exist. The days are hot and they move slowly. I want to slurp every second down like it’s freshly squeezed lemonade. I have been bouncing back and forth all summer between feeling deeply immersed in the moment and drowning in a whirlpool of my own thoughts. Yelling at myself to figure it all out but reassuring myself that I have the time. I keep thinking of how it will feel when this period of my life is over, when I can look back and see exactly how it all fell into place perfectly. However, I'm not there yet. I don’t know what that place looks like or what’s waiting for me on the other side. Instead, I’ve been calling this period Limbo. Not like the fun bar game or the edge of hell, just this period of time where I feel very in between. Sometimes I am up, sometimes I am down, but no matter where I am it never feels like I have both two feet on the ground.

"Limbo"

watercolor paper and string

twelve by nine inches

I created this piece to deal with those feelings. I enjoy the sensation created while carving paper with an x-acto knife. The process is slow and delicate. I have to be extremely careful or I will slice right through my finger (I know because I have done it before) Once you begin to cut, there is no going back. You have one shot.

To most, I’m sure this piece appears quite ordinary. Merely simple shapes and a thin line… but I see so much more. I see them trying to break away from what they are made of. Always in motion, never grounded.

Moving forward, but the change is unnoticeable. Limbo.

This next collection will be called “The Blues” These are meditation pieces, but I’m excited to say I already think I know where they will find their homes. I added two framed canvas prints to my shop because

I LOVe TheM SO MUCH!

My emotional turmoil has felt quite like Picasso’s blue period. Yet the product of this emotion seems to be both happy & hopeful. Okay scratch that, maybe it’s a reflection of Taylor Swift's 1989… a rebirth story. And yes, I will be counting down the days until the re-release on October 27th.

"Sweet Nectar"

watercolor paint, ink, and oil pastels

on watercolor paper

twelve by nine inches

I find butterflies to be a reminder of change. The pattern of growing as a caterpillar, hermitting in a cocoon, and being reborn as a butterfly. I do not know if there is truly a better symbol of transformation.

"Pookie"

guache and ink on watercolor paper

twelve by nine inches

This pup has dreamy eyes. I’m not sure if he’s too abstract and might add some extra details. The process of these paintings is unique. I scribble some ink/paint/textures onto my surface and, much like cloud watching, I look for what I can see. Then I add details to bring it to life. I prefer to leave the image loose, allow for the viewer to find more hidden images. I think he looks very sweet though.

He is loosely based on my friend Nancy's dog, Duke. Here is a picture of the king himself. Nancy... sorry you got the crop. My rendition is not a realistic portrait but rather captures his soft and gentle demeanor.

Now onto my last creation.

"Free Bird"

Guache on Watercolor Paper

twenty by sixteen inches

Free Bird. I like that. This one was an accident. With a swing of the brush and all of a sudden, a bird was on my page. The title came to me first, but I knew it sounded familiar, and after a quick Google search was reminded of the song "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. The lyrics are very fitting. Maybe you should go and give it a listen too.

Animals have been a large theme in my work this summer. I’ve connected with a lot out in the wild. Everything from snakes and turtles to butterflies and bunnies. I held a dying bird in my hands. That’s a story for another time, but I’ve truly felt a deep bond with these animals. Something that has brushed across my mind a lot is their perception of the world and how it differs from our own. How do the animals see? How do the animals feel? When I hear the birds chirping, I know they’re not just singing; they are having a conversation with each other. Two neighborhood cats meet up in my backyard with one another for their secret weekly meeting. I have given up on the anthropocentric viewpoint and have fully accepted that animals are waaaaay smarter than we think. We are constantly limited by our singular viewpoint as homo-sapiens and I think connecting to animals more allows us to expand our empathy and self-limiting beliefs. I am no greater than an ant. Just different.

Well, well, well, that was a whole lot for one little blog post! Thank you for reading along. If you made it this far, I would love to hear your thoughts.

xoxo, Brooke

p.s still working on the numbers and letters, but as I said.. IT IS SUMMERTIME!!!!!