Corinne's Darshan

Playing during the Holidays

2011-12-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

This time of year gets so very hectic that I found myself just playing with photos on my ipad to relax. What fun this is, o dear I have just added one more thing that I want to do with my limted free time. There is always time for a little creativity - right.

Mind is on babies

2011-07-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

I did this piece while waiting for my first grandchild, a little girl. Well she has arrived and all is well with the world. I am entering this piece in the Great Lakes "Small Works" juried show at the Riverside Art Center to be held in their wonderful gallery in Ypsilanti Michigan.

Thanks Leslie Riley

2011-06-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

This article came across my desk, o my, how I can relate. I know I have more creative ideas then Ihave days left but I continue to gather more. If you are like me this is for you.

How Not To Drown When You're Swimming in a Sea of Ideas

If I had a finished piece for every idea and inspiration I had, I could fill the National Gallery of Art here in DC. I know you can relate. You and I both will always have more ideas than we could ever take action on. And to that I say – HOORAY!

Problems do arise, though, when ideas outweigh time, resources and even space. I’ve identified the top four:

1. Overwhelm - When there are so many things you want to do you can often end up in overwhelm and do the unthinkable…..nothing.

2. Fear - “What if I start on this one and it doesn’t turn out the way I expect. Then I’ve wasted my precious time and money on materials.” So there goes that idea.

3. Regret - “If I work on this one, then I won’t be able to work on that one and what if I forget about the other great idea?”

4. Flitting – While working on this really great idea another even greater one pops into your head and you abandon the first and start on the second. Nothing ever gets finished and you end up with a closet full of unfinished projects you have lost interest in.

So what’s an artist to do? How do you swim when you are drowning in a sea of ideas?

To save you from one or all of these situations, here are four life preservers I’m tossing out for you:

1. Keep an idea catcher. It is inevitable that you will get many new ideas while you are working. Keep a note or sketchbook by your side so you can jot them down as you go. You’ll be amazed at how catching those ideas frees up your attention to focus on the work at hand. P.S. Use your idea catcher 24 hours a day.

2. Work on several things at a time. Who says you can only work on one thing at a time? Ideas need time to percolate, paint needs to dry, workspace shrinks and grows with each project. By having several things in the works at the same time, there’s always something to do, even at a moment's notice and even in 5 minute snatches of time.

3. Decide! Keep in mind that it’s the journey, not the end-result. Any art you choose to work on contributes to your success as an artist. Whether your reason is to reduce stress or to propose an article to your favorite magazine, knowing why you are making your art gives you purpose and direction and conquers the inertia, fear and regret. You will benefit no matter what your purpose is. The biggest reward is the joy and physical well-being that results from creating.

4. Have a goal in mind. If you don’t know where you want to go, you’ll never get there. Not knowing why you create can prevent you from creating, even if you have a bazillion ideas. Knowing what you want from your art will help you decide what to work on and why.

P.S. If you want to know what opportunities are available for you or if you know what your goals are but are not sure how to accomplish them, be sure to sign-up for SEEK when you receive your special invitation on July 5th. It’s FR*EE and FULL of Solutions, Experience, Expertise and Knowledge to get you on your way.

Lesley Riley, The Artist Success Expert, is the creative founder of Artist Success, Solutions for the Struggling Artist. To receive her bi-weekly articles on creating your own success as an artist, visit www.ArtistSuccess.com.

Thanks Leslie Riley

2011-06-30T16:13:00.001-07:00

Playing with Photoshop

2011-05-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

I did this picture so long ago I can't remember how I did it. It is a picture of my sister-in-law, Alice. My plan was to do a piece where I had all three of my sister-in-laws in their early twenties and layer them together. I seem to have more ideas for art work then I have days to do them all. I wonder if other artists feel the same.

Bacon on Artist's Job

2011-04-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

Bacon 's quote is: "The job of an artist is always to deepen the mystery." This new piece celebrates spring with a mystery of it's own

Happy Easter

2011-04-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

It is the time for chocolate and colored eggs. It is supposed to be spring but here in Michigan winter is hanging on for dear life. I can remember when I was a little girl and I wanted it to be warm enough so I would not have to wear my coat and everyone could see my new dress and of course those shiny shoes. I would get three pairs of shoes a year, sneakers in the summer, dress shoes at Easter and saddle shoes in the fall for school. This little girl all in pink puts a smile on my face. There is a cloud of pink around me because I am expecting my first grandchild, a little girl, this July.

New Artwork

2011-04-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

This piece is called "tenderness" worked in layers and a variety of mixed mediums. I also wanted to share part of a poem from Ben Okri, "Healing The Wounded Learner or the Pygmalion Complex"

We are all wounded inside in some way or another

We all carry unhappiness within us for some reason or another.

Which is why we need a little gentleness and healing from

one another. Healing in words, healing beyond words

Like gestures. Warm gestures. Like friendships, which will always

Be a mystery. Like a smile, which someone described

As the shorest distance between two people

I hope you received some smiles today and were able to return the gift.

Watch, Wait and Wonder

2011-04-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Since April is Poetry Month, I started to look at some poems I had written many years ago, 1999 to be exact. This is a painting I was working on from a class called Portrait and Poetry. Maybe I will finish now.

Watch, Wait and Wonder

I keep getting this lesson of

patience

and the wonder that

can be found

can be seen

can be experienced

it can take your breath

away

and give you a stillness

that is profound

a joy that has no

end

in that moment

Corinne Vivian 1999

April is Poetry Month

2011-03-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I am fascinated with faces. All kinds of faces. I love to layer them in mixed media pieces of art. I am playing with this one right now. I also wrote this poem while waiting for a friend. Enjoy.

Faces

Dreams

found

in a

new face

Memories

stored

in an

old face

Hope

given

to a

forgotten face

Spirits

raised

in a

familiar face.

Corinne Vivian

Could Art Change the World

2011-03-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

I saw this wonderful video on TED the link is http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/1085

If you want more info on this go to insideoutproject.net I am hopeing to do a project at the local community center with children. We will need some digital cameras donated so if anyone has any leads on that, please let me know.

I have attached a digital piece that I have been working on that I may paint.

My favorite quote for the week is "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." by Scott Adams. I have created some of my best works thru my mistakes.

Memory Show

2011-03-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

I am currently in an art show at the Riverside Arts Center Gallery in Ysilanti Michigan. These are some of my newest pieces. Enjoy

Coming Clean

2011-03-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

I have not been here in such a long time. Kept telling myself soon, soon. O, I have been painting, I have been in shows but there was some other technique, some other teacher who knew better and then this article comes across my desk. I could not believe it, here is an artist I love and she has the same problem and I thought it was only me. Read and enjoy I bet there are more of us out there.

I'm Coming Clean On My Addiction

“The first step is admitting that you have a problem.” I’ll be honest with you; many times over the years, I have wondered and then dismissed it. “No, not me, I need this.” But as time goes on I can see the evidence mounting. It is becoming harder and harder to deny that I have a problem.

Most days I am too close to it, too caught up in the excitement, the rush of getting more. Enough is never enough. I’m blinded by it. I am always wanting more, searching for more, consuming more. You should see my stash.

It’s easy to deny it’s a problem, because let’s face it – everybody does it. OK, not everybody, but I know a lot of people who do. Not regularly perhaps, but on occasion. Really. I’ve seen others do it. I’ve seen you do it, too. No? OK, you’re right, I haven’t actually seen you, but I’m pretty sure you do and maybe you don’t even realize you have a problem. Most people don’t until it’s too late.

I am coming clean today because it’s the only way I can see my way out of this. I’m going public because I need the accountability. Knowing that you know will keep me focused on my goal.

Does it sound like I am stalling? You bet. It’s embarrassing and I have to admit, I really don’t want to stop. As I write this, I still want more and I’m afraid that the feeling will never go away. Oh, and did I mention that it’s not as easy as staying away from it? It’s everywhere I look. It’s something I have to resist daily, often more often than not, several times a day.

I am addicted to information. OK, I said it. I have a need to know. No matter how much I know, I want to know MORE. I am guilty of waiting until I know everything before I take action. And what does that do? It stops me before I can even start.

It’s illogical, I know, because I already know a lot. I have learned by experience, the best teacher, this I know for sure. Experience is the best teacher because it means you are taking action. And that’s one of the reasons I started coaching – to share what I know. But then it started. I felt I needed to know more, to be able to give you more, to give you the best. As a result I am looking to others for knowledge, when I know better. Like Dorothy seeking the Wizard of Oz, the power is inside and I have had it all along.

Another reason I am coming clean is because I think you may have a problem, too. I have heard more than once - you won’t start, can’t start, until you learn one more thing, take one more class, buy one more tool that will magically turn you into the expert you want to be. You may not be addicted to information, but you are addicted to looking outside of yourself for the answers. Just like me. And we both know better. We know the answers lie inside so why are we still searching?

We’re human. That’s the answer. We’re normal. We can take comfort in that. We are searching because we do not believe in ourselves. We are taught from an early age to question everything. We spend 12 or more years in school finding out how much we don’t know, but no one ever teaches us to become aware of what we do know. As the years go by, we bury our own knowingness deeper and deeper until we doubt we really aren't shre of anything at all. We do not trust ourselves.

So here’s what I propose. Grab a piece of paper and start writing down everything you know, big and small, significant and insignificant. Write until your hand hurts. Take a break and write some more. Do it again tomorrow. In fact, I bet you could do this every day and never run out of things you know.

Daily practice: Write down 12 things you know about the area you continue to seek knowledge in -12 things. Do that every day for 12 days. When you begin to see how much you actually know, you will build confidence and certainty in yourself. Confident people do not have addictions. That’s my 12 step program.

Lesley Riley, The Artist Success Expert, is the creative founder of Artist Success, Solutions for the Struggling Artist. To receive her bi-weekly articles on creating your own success as an artist, visit www.ArtistSuccess.com.

Artist collaboration

2010-05-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

"We all have to fight our obsessions and prejudices and try to keep our eyes open to new forms. I know I do, for one. It's very difficult to see something that's new, and not a repetition 0f something you've already seen and responded to. But if you can get into the right kind of receptive and appreciative -creative- way of seeing, then the whole world is full of new ideas and new possiblities." Henry Moore

This photo is from the latest show I took part in, called Balance, an artists' collaborative game. It is a traveling show that will be in four galleries thru out Michigan in the coming months. It is a Women's Caucus for Art exhibit. I was paired with another artist and we exchanged three works of art. Mine were 2-d,hers were 3-d. The artist was Sandy Shelly and she does wonderful altered books and assemblages.She helped me to think outside the box about memories and balance. In the photo is a painting where I have my Mother center, I am to the right and my daughter on the left, we are all in our early 20's - each in our own way trying to find balance. This was my third piece.It is a mixed media where I used photo transfers, watercolor and pencil.

Layering Your Art

2009-09-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

I also have been taking a online course with Gary Reef. It was his Layering/Texture Course. I was in heaven, so many ideas that I still have to try. He also has a great website - Art from the Heart. His U-tubes are really entertaining with lots of ideas for folks who love mixed media. These are samples from his course. They are before and after so you can see how I built up the surface, then covered it with tinfoil and then used a variety of paints. Interesting what alittle paper, glue and paint can do. More examples of artwork from this class will to come.

Another great online course

2009-09-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

I said I was busy this summer. I took Mary Ann Moss's stencil class called Pure Exerimentation Stencilry. She had great videos and it is so much fun seeing what everyone else was up to. Here are a few of the ones I did. I am still cutting out more.I used an electric stencil cutter which was pretty cool. It's interesting while I was taking this class I found all kinds of things that I could use as a stencil.Second hand stores and garage sales added to my supplies.

Facebook and Artists

2009-08-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

How quickly this summer has gone by.I had all these good intentions of posting and then don't get to it. I took a great seminar this summer called Facebook and Artists. The instructor was Dee Overly and she was terrific. We learned the why's and how's of using this popular social networking tool as part of your art web presence. If you get a chance to hear her take it - www.deeoverly.com.

This painting is called Questioning and it is a mixed media piece that was in a show at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It includes paint, collage and a photo transfer plus pen. I ever seem satisfied with just one medium.

Chaos

2009-04-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

"The creation of true art requires some mysterious innate ability to thrive in chaos" - Sharon Hubbard. Ain't that the truth! I have been meaning to post for some time now but other things like committee meetings, local art groups, museum openings ( University of Michigan has just reopened and it is fabulous), and now I am a on facebook talking to other artists but I will not twitter at least not yet. These two paintings were in a show I was in at the Riverside Art Center. Lady of Means is a mixed media piece with a photo transfer, the model was a gal I paint with and is also a Chelsea painter - a group that I am a member of. The first piece "remembering" is also a mixed media piece with a photo transfer of her face and a lot of other media on top. This afternoon I am going to try to conquer some of the chaos in my studio.

Men at Work

2009-01-31T13:49:00.000-08:00

This is a piece I worked on while mentoring a young lady, she just turned 17. She also wants to be an artist. First we covered some print paper with black gesso, let that dry. Then we cut out figures out of plastic, different weights. We then applied watered down white gesso over the black and layed our plastic on top. Let that dry and then I went back in with colored pencils. She has not finished hers but I will post her's soon. I want to do a whole series of shadows and figures. I have them dancing around in my head, we'll see if they want to come out and play.

In a Juried Show

2009-01-31T13:20:00.000-08:00

I got two pieces in the State Wide Fine Arts Competition at the Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History here in Jackson Michigan. I was unable to go to the opening because of a snow storm. It seems to snow every day but to day we are up to 22 degrees, we're having a heat wave. So here I am playing with Photoshop and getting ready to go paint in my studio. I have so much to learn with this program. I figure my brain will stay forever young, here's hoping.

It's been awhile...

2009-01-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

I have such good intentions of doing this more often. Today I was glued to the TV watching the inauguration and proud to be an American. He is quite a man, this President of ours. I figure with what this man is facing I certainly can get to my art blog. These are the pieces that I continued with collages.

New Collages

2008-10-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Robert Henri wrote in The Art Spirit, "I think the real artists are too busy with just being and growing and acting (on canvas or however) like themselves to worry about the end. The end will be what it will be. The object is intense living, fulfillment; the great happiness in creation."

I have been playing with a collage layering workshop that one of the Yahoo groups that I belong to offered. The group is The Latest Trends in Mixed Media art. I'm not sure if it is not done. In the first picture I applied various papers, second I added color and in the third gesso and more color. There are more steps but I think I will life with it for awhile.

a lens...a brush...a stroke

2008-09-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in a show with two other artists. It is at a very busy coffee shop in downtown Ann Arbor Michigan called Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea Cafe. We had an Artist Reception this past Friday. The other two artists, Marty Walker and Wendy Chaiken, are also members of Ann Arbor Women Artists. What fun to plan this and then see your work up and admired, sure can't beat that. Well, maybe a sale or two would be icing on the cake.

Wedding News

2008-09-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day we had for our daughter's wedding. The day was perfect, the dress, the food, the family and friends even the sunset was perfect.The kids planned everything and we were so proud of them. We were at Michilinda Lodge in Whitehall Michigan, right on Lake Michigan

Artist Retreat

2008-09-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to spent some time this summer up in Manistee Michigan with some fellow artists. We all belong to the Chelsea Painters. Bill Knudstrup, a wonderful oil painter, opened up his summer home to us. There were discussions about art and many about politics, what with the big election coming up but there was always time to enjoy the sunset with friends. I hope to paint this little girl who was attempting to fly with her beach towel.

Honorable Mention

2008-09-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

This painting - Keeping It All Together - got an Honorable Mention at the Summer Show with the Ann Arbor Women Artists. It is a transfer and then I added pastel, colored pencil and some fluid acrylic. I did it for another show - the Art of Healing. It was also juried in that show.

Memories of June

2008-09-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Where has this summer gone? I know I have not posted in a while. June started with my annual art fair with the Chelsea Painters. I can not believe I have been a member now for two years. It is an honor to paint with such talented artists. This is me in front of one of my favorite pieces, called - Nana's Love. The other picture is of my daughter who helped me out for the week end. It is a lot of work but fun and I had a good year with sales. We only had one down pour and that was at the end of the second day. Thank goodness my daughter was there as I was making my last sale of the day, and she saved my cart of artwork that a big gust of wind had taken away.

Ladies of Leisure

2008-06-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Nancy Feldkamp sent me a jpeg of one of her great sheep paintings so you can all enjoy it. I have the pleasure of painting often with her. Her eye for color and design sense always amazes me. In the future I hope to show you some other artist that I have the pleasure of knowing. This is watercolor done on yupo paper. They are indeed Ladies of Leisure.

The Insecurity of Artists

2008-06-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

I just spent some time with a wonderful artist, Nancy Feldkamp. She does these wonderful painting of sheep on yupo using watercolors. It was funny to have her talk about her own insecurities about her work. She being so accomplished but I guess it's true that we all struggle with this. I love the Carl Rogers quote "We can copy others, we can live to please others, or we can discover that which is unique and precious to us, and paint that, become that. It is a task which takes a lifetime." Amen to that . I love red tulips, they seem so strong and beautiful. This piece is called Tulips. It is watercolor on rice paper then beeswax applied as a resist and then removed and mounted on watercolor paper. Lots of steps but I liked the result.

Dusk

2008-06-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

It has been so long snce I have posted. I have been busy making art. What fun I am having and entering shows and getting in. It's always exciting to have your work recognized. Right now I'm at the Riverside Art Center in Ypsilanti Mi. with the Ann Arbor Women Artists Juried Spring Show. So much wonderful art and artists who are always willing to share their expertise with you. This piece is called Dusk. It is a Mixed Media with photo transfer and then acrylic and colored pencil.

Ladies in Waiting

2008-04-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

I've always known I've had some gifts that I was suppose to share with the world but I never knew what they were. I thought if I could only learn more, become the best at something. I was on this constant course of self improvement. It's taken me many life lessons to stop the urgent race to fulfill my special and unique potential. I am now ready to allow myself to be ordinary me and find comfort in the being rather then in the becoming. It's what I love about art. It is all in the doing that I love. Finding new ways, methods, playing with the materials. I understand now that the biggest waste of a life is never being present in it.

This is a watercolor I did awhile ago called Ladies in Waiting. I would apply washes and then bring out the figures by just using a brush filled with water to get back to the white of the paper.

Creativity

2008-04-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

I love this quote from Rita Mae Brown. "Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work." I have been working a lot lately, doing photo transfers and then adding paint, collage even some colored pencils. I have been entering some juried shows and getting in. The latest show was called Aging with Attitude and this was my piece. It's called Nana's Love. It was hard to photograph because there is beeswax over the transfer. I hope to age with as much grace. It always helps to hold a little one.

Journey

2008-03-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

It's funny how titles of my work come to me. I really don't like art work that is "Untitled " followed with a number or a letter.Words are important and hold meaning to me. This painting is a watercolor pour and then I used some of the papers that I poured on to use as a collage in the piece. When I finished and put it up to enjoy and the word -journey - jumped out at me. There is a saying about it is not the destination but the journey that will bring you the joy. In my art it is all about the journey, the joy of exploring a new media and having fun with the process.It is also about balance and finding that space for some quiet time. You can't meditate fast. I am still working on finding the balance that worked for me.

Busy, busy,

2008-02-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

I can not believe I have not posted in such a long time. I had all these good intentions of doing this at least twice a month. I have been busy getting work ready for some shows that I am in. This picture is of a piece I did back in college and just went off with my son across country. He is started a new job in California. I call her - The Lady - She is done with crayon, colored into little squares. I was very proud of her. They say you should look at your work across time. I guess I was always interested in the dignity of faces and stories that they tell or perhaps the stories that the viewers give them.

Success

2008-02-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

Don't you love it when things work out? I had this transfer and I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I started to clean up my work area and saw all these scraps left over from a watercolor pour that I had done and just loved how they looked, so collaged them onto the transfer. I really like the look. I called it - child of god - . Sometimes it pays to have chaos in the stuudio

Experimenting again

2008-02-01T09:21:00.000-08:00

I was going to do thos once a week but life got in the way. This piece is another photo transfer over an unsuccessful monotype. Then I decided to put some beeswax over that and then I collaged some painted art paper. This was the technique from my Yahoo Art Techniques group that I am a member of. I attached the paper with beeswax. I'm not sure if I like the affect. The title is "silence".

Nana

2008-01-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

This is a piece I am currently working on. This is a photo transfer using gel medium over a collage of pattern pieces and the Sunday comics. My Nana taught me how to sew and laugh at myself and just to enjoy life, quite a gift for a little girl.

2008-01-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

This is a piece I am currently working on. It started out as a photo transfer then played with some paint and then some beeswax and a heat gun, next I put the rosary on using wax as glue. I'm not sure where I will go next. It may become part of an altered art piece I have been playing with in my mind. Alan Alda said," You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of yor intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk, and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you will discover will be wonderful. What you will discover will be yourself."

Show at Flint Art Institute

2008-01-08T12:38:00.001-08:00

This piece is called The Land Ladies. It is a mixed media with paint , a photo transfer and lots of texture. It won third place in a juried show at Uof M hosptal. The Ann Arbor Women Artists and a few Good Men board members have a show in Flint at the Art Institute. A very nice museum that I had never even been to and right in my own back yard, shame on me. The museum has just been remodeled and was a pleasure to tour. I've been doing some reading about Nathan Oliveira. I find his figures so haunting.I love this quote of his, "I believe in an art that layers time upon time, an art that simply reaffirms our presence and the depth of our extence on this earth, our planet in the universe."

Photoshop fun

2008-01-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

This picture is of a young lady that I am mentoring. She wants to be an artist. We had fun using my digital camera and then playing with the photos in Photoshop. I still have so much to learn about this powerful program, sometimes I feel that my brain is going to explode and then I see how long I have been on the computer and I hurry off to my studio. I am working on some pieces for a show in March called "Aging with Attitude". I'll be posting them at a later date.

Pink Sky Ahead

2007-12-30T09:01:00.001-08:00

This year is coming to a fast end. This painting is called Pink Sky and is an oil monotype. I seem to do my monotypes in the summer at a cottage that looks out onto a lake and since we are in the heart of winter here in Michigan it seemed right. I hope this new year brings more peace to our world and may you all find a moment to view some art of any kind; a sleeping child, a smiling face or just maybe a pink sunset.

New to blogging

2007-12-29T10:07:00.000-08:00

I not quite sure what I am doing but I think this will be fun and a way of getting others to view my art work. I chose to name my blog Corinne's Darshan because in India, Darshan means getting a view. Here you will be getting mine. I am a mixed media artist who loves to try new things and lately I have been doing a lot of transfers and just getting into encaustics. This painting is a transfer over an oil monotype that was just not working. It was a happy mistake that worked.