Early childhood brain development has always fascinated me. When my kiddos were teeny, I couldn't stop thinking about how every single experience caused brain synapses - electrical currents between millions of neurons in the brain that are literally the basis for brain power. As these connections are used, the synapses grow stronger and stronger.
I looked upon these connections both literally and figuratively. The more my kids (and I, for that matter) made connections about the world around us, the more curious, engaged, and even intelligent we would be.
It’s especially entertaining to talk with my now grown kids about the connections they made when they were small. One of my favorites is the story that Molly, my eldest, recently told me:
When she was young, I was on a Tom Waits kick and listened to a lot of his music. I told Molly that he was a pirate, and it made the gravel in his voice and the wildness of his songs make sense. Also during this time, there was a local who lived on his boat and had a skull-and-crossbones flag at the helm. We’d see the boat whenever we took the ferry.
So, Molly put two and two together, and decided that Tom Waits lived in the boat next to the ferry. And, no less, she had a face to go with the name, because there was a fellow on island who would spontaneously burst into sea shanties with me when we bumped into each other in town. So Molly figured that must be Pirate Tom Waits. It all made perfect sense.
I love this story, as there is so much at play: Music! Boats! Pirates! Synapses! (and a mom who spontaneously bursts into sea shanties in public – Molly loved that part maybe not so much as she got older).
Recently I’ve been working on commissioned artwork. It’s been a fun puzzle to figure out what the client is envisioning. I'm learning to ask the right questions. We come up with a general scene, and then pinpoint the little additions that will make the painting personal and meaningful: A childhood dog in the background; a certain type of tree or flower; a specific horizon line, or even just a favorite color.
Here's an in depth look at a recently finished commission.
My friend Nancy gave me a call and we talked about a painting. She actually didn't have many parameters -- she wanted a tree scene, red accents to match the room in which it would be hung, and for there to be any animal but goats (for this I've forgiven her).
I started with this tree from the farm. I have many photos of it as I've visited it through the seasons. Then, I found some reference photos I'd taken of sheep:
I can't quite remember which sheep I chose to model, though I'm pretty sure it is the little trio just in front of the tree on the right. The orchard in the background has been featured in many other paintings.
One of the new things I tried with this painting was working with different types of wool. In an earlier blog post you may recall me shedding tears over various wet felting fiascos. I studied up a little on different types of wool, and it turns out that Merino wool wet-felts very easily/quickly (those of us who have tearfully passed down favorite shrunken merino sweaters to toddlers will attest).
Here's a shot of how I laid out the merino wool before wet-felting:
And this is what it looked like once it was wet-felted:
I've also been playing with the idea of using thin wool yarn as a way to sketch out the tree and branches. I feel like this could be a fun way to map out tree paintings in workshops.
Most of the branch work would be covered up eventually, but I find that if I put a little time in hidden layers it helps my process. Once I had the base tree layer done I started layering in leaves and apples with needle felting.
After hours spent on tiny leaves and apples, I turned my attention to the sheep. I used the method of drawing on cotton interfacing to attach to the felted piece to serve as a template. I sandwiched roving between the interfacing and felted background, and poke through the interfacing to get the shape of the sheep.
My design had chickens in it that didn't make the final cut!
In the above photo I am lifting up the interfacing to make sure I got the forms felted in. Once I get the general shape, I freehand the rest and can do away with the interfacing. I bet as I get more confident I can skip the interfacing step.
Here's the sheep in process. Remember the need for red highlights? Thus the wheelbarrow. Dang, that thing was finicky to felt!
And, the finished painting:
My worktable is always chaos. The below shot includes Henry (a dog commission) and a ladybug, felted to be a sample for an upcoming workshop.
But wait: maybe the chaos on my table just means I'm in the midst of making synapses! And you know what? If I had to sum up what commissions mean to me (aside from a miraculous opportunity to support myself financially via art), it would be this (and here I am at risk of sounding very sappy):
Commissioned paintings celebrate the connections in YOUR life - the things that make you think of home, or maybe a special person and what you've built together, or hikes with a favorite pet, or your grandpa's old apple trees. I want to help you remember the moments in life that brought you joy and comfort and adventure.
This is not just about being sentimental -- the more you remember these moments, the more you will be tapped into the connections (the synapses!) that will help you remain curious, engaged, and creative!
I fervently believe that these qualities are instrumental in getting us through the current tumult of our world. A friend recently reminded me of this quote from Dan Savage about the AIDS epidemic:
“During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for."
So here we are. Keep celebrating the best things in life and finding joy, And do it without guilt or shame! Even if it's just a tiny blip in a cloud of overwhelm, may we keep finding ways to remind each other of beauty, of peace, of friendship and love. And as we do this, may these connections grow stronger and stronger,
If you're interested in talking about a commissioned painting or sculpture, please contact me via the website.
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