Subtle Changes

Ruts can be comfortable. Created  little by little or in a burst, they, never the less, provide paths to travel or in which to rest. I know my ruts and you know yours.

But sometimes the longer we stay in our rut the deeper it gets, till one day it's become so deep that we can't see over the sides. New day. Same rut. Decision time. Decision time. Time to have a chat with the brain, and for me, also the right hand. Is this rut leading in the direction we want to go? do we dare climb out and head into a whole different world? Is it O.K. to make it to the least deep part and simply veer off toward a slightly new adventure

I was comfortable with the bear-moon-words format. Especially in pastels. Bear facing toward moon. Symmetrical. Solid. Serene. Vary the colors. Vary the background.  Some "better" than others, but most sell. Life is good. But art is starting to become lovely cliche. I've never wanted the bears to become cliches. They have always been meant to be individuals, each living it's own life, on a different night, looking at the same moon, but each in it's own way...

This piece started out with the same format, but I wasn't happy with the image and couldn't figure out why.... This bear wasn't an individual. It was a shape painted in the middle of a picture. Life was not good.

Time for daring to change the direction of the rut - just a bit. Acrylic paint on board is slightly more forgiving than pastel on paper. The many starts, stops, wipings-out, adding ins are not evident, but eventually they added up to a piece that I can consider finished. I like the slight twist of head and body. I like the asymmetric shape. It's somehow a tad more alive. This bear might be done sitting pretty soon. It might be deciding right now to head in a new direction.

All because of a few subtle changes.

 Dare to make a few yourself today??

This bruin, and many more, will be heading to the Spring Green, WI Art Fair this weekend.

Time to quit sitting in comfortable couch "rut," talk myself into ignoring "loudly" chiming head, and get on with the packing. The garden is starting to look like a garden, but... ahem, for gardens, fields, and art fairs alike: WE DON"T NEED THE COMING RAIN.

Craving some Summer sunshine -
Fare-thee-well,
Sue

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Fun and games in the Northland. And playing around with the sky. Once upon a time I was a crazed basketball fan and here are a few borealis bruins going at a game. Maybe.
This is my kind of art sky - full of textures, subtle colors, dramatic shapes, and more than enough "jumping-off" points.

These clouds are long gone now - but the image reminds us to appreciate The Moment - whether caught or not.

Not enough time to reflect on moments at the moment. This sky will have to wait a bit longer to be appreciated or used. Such is the blessing and curse of the artist's life.

Windy day today equals short choppy thoughts.