One of the pieces in my latest series :: Geisha I, 6"x6" mixed media on wood.

I have been at my keyboard this morning for about twenty minutes now, trying to write something meaningful and interesting, but it simply isn’t happening.  I’ve deleted and deleted and deleted again, so I think I’ll back away from the insightful ideas (not that I seem to have any this morning) and go with the mundane…

These days I am working on new pieces for my next show, which is next Thursday, March 29th in Los Angeles.  I am creating a new series of girl pieces, entitled "Fashionista".  The show is at a swanky shoe store, so I decided to let my girl play dress up, and it has been a lot of fun creating the pieces.  I am using a new varnish technique which looks really great but is also pretty messy to work with – a very thick, gooey, sticky varnish that must be mixed and then immediately poured over the pieces, which will now take days to completely dry and harden.  I’m not sure I want to use this varnish on everything from now on, but it is fun to give it a try.  I am still experimenting with different looks, techniques, styles and compositions, and part of me is wondering if I will ever get one "look" down pat, and that will be my "look" from that point forward.  I see many artists who get a certain subject matter, technique, etc. and that is all they do.  I wonder if I need to work towards that, if it is better to stay focused on one particular thing and master the specifics of that or if it will be OK for me to keep trying different things indefinitely.

I continue to feel like I have a feast or famine existence in my studio and while lately I have been OK with this, there is also a part of me that is nagging for a steadier work pattern.  I’m afraid I have become caught up in the notion that only when A, B and C happen will I be able to create any consistency in my life, not only with regard to studio work, but also with things like exercise and even going to see movies, something I love but rarely do anymore.   I don’t necessarily feel like something in my life needs "fixing", but I think there are certain areas of resistance that need my attention and I am looking forward to exploring those after my show.

The next few months are quite busy, but there are plenty of quieter stretches in between the adventurous periods.  For today, I will run a few errands, do some housecleaning and paint.  For now, the sun is shining brightly in my studio, and everything outside my window is perfectly still, as if the ferns and the trees and the bright pink flowers are all deep in meditation, connected to God by stillness, and by their doing the very simple yet profound thing they are supposed to do:  to grow.