more dreaming.

Dream. Dream. Dream. More dreaming.

I decided to do the dream lab. My friend, Sarah, brought it up and at first I thought--no, no can do. I'm done dreaming. But then I reassessed. It just seemed right. So I signed up and I'm excited about it!

A few mondo beyondo dreams have unfolded. #1--our neighbors moved out. AND, before they moved out, they APOLOGIZED for being bad neighbors. And we also apologized for not being the best neighbors, too. It was really kind of amazing and healing.

#2--the universe is answering some other mondo but I don't want to jinx it so I'm just not going to talk about it right now.

#3--art workshop--I'm going to a Katie Kendrick workshop this weekend! Whoohooo!

Here's something I've been working on. It's acrylic and mixed media on wood. Not sure if it's done or where it's going. I did layers and layers of paint on top of magazine and children's encyclopedia pictures. Then when the paint dried, I started scratching at it, and then I started to uncover what I had originally mod podged down and had forgotten about. I've been having fun in my studio.

Oh, and I got a haircut. It's a little short but I've been itching to get a shorter haircut for a long time and I took the plunge.

Oh, and I also got a sturdy, $13 easel this weekend at a garage sale. And this vintage apron that I will use for painting. And that mirror there is also a $5 thrift store find. It's big and heavy and I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it.

I'm so sleepy and off to bed. Happy summer solstice to all!

weekend painting.

I spent all weekend painting. I used to paint really fast, finishing each painting very quickly. I wanted to be done fast, in a big sweeping "woooooosh."

About two years ago I went to this awesome women's process painting workshop. It was Friday night, all Saturday and Sunday. We were forced to work on the same painting all weekend. We couldn't "start over." We had to refrain from saying both positive and negative things about our art and other's art--it wasn't about being "good" or "bad"--it was about painting and about our own process.

I learned a ton at that workshop--how I used to paint really fast because I thought I should "get it done" fast, and that I shouldn't spend time on something so "pointless or useless." What I found out that weekend was the truth: that I actually wanted and needed more time to paint. Lots and lots of time. The ongoing question is now...can I give myself lots of time and fight the inner critic?

Anyway, painting this weekend reminded me of that workshop. I loved painting all weekend, but I hated this actual painting most of the time.
painting part 1:
But I had to sit with that. Again, the voices of "it's ugly...it's weird...what the F" etc, etc. But I sat through it.
Painted through it.
I still don't feel totally satisfied with it:

But that's not the point. It feels "done." Even though posting this process is actually hard, because I look back and like other stages better. But I'm letting it go.

This is what I love about art and about process art: I learn so much about myself--how to work through my own judgments, or at least let them just be there without dictating me. Because if my judgments had dictated me, I would have painted really fast, like for one hour, and then would have put it away the whole weekend and done something else that would have not been nearly as fun and meaningful.

Well, that felt good. :).
I'm going to go outside now and enjoy this sunny day.
xo