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No really- what does it mean to you?
The reason I ask is that I think many artists and creatives are not even aware that they are holding an image of success as a standard that only makes them feel bad and is not anywhere close to what they really want in life. What if you defined your own sense of success based on your own values and desires? You might feel a weight lifted and a sense of possibility and hope come creaping in! Success might be more attainable if you really look at what matters to you and don't get lost in what you think it is supposed to be. Today these are the things that I am thinking about that define success for me:
I would love to know what success looks like for you when you base it on your true values. Please comment below!
Can I interview you? It would be so helpful for me to hear what is going on for you so I can understand how to be of better service to artists and creatives and I would be happy to offer a coaching session in exchange. For more information CLICK HERE.
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Why is it that the things that you make that are easy and simple and may be just warm-ups - something you do to get your juices flowing- just fun things- those seem to get more affirmation from people than the things you work really hard at and feel more like your serious art?
It's kind of crazy, isn't it, that the light stuff seems to touch people more than the stuff that matters, that is real art. It's a good question. There are layers and layers. The one key thing I want to get across is that you may be undervaluing the work that you find easy and fun and really just a pleasure to make. I can't do what you can do so when I see it, it feels like a little gift. I can feel that sense of pleasure that you've put into it. You are engaged in a process that doesn't have a weightedness to it, but has a sense of investigation and play in it. That feeling gets conveyed - that lightness of being, that pleasure. As a viewer I want that! I'm living my life, it's intense and challenging and I see this little moment you've given me - it's like a breath of fresh air. I need that as a viewer. Often the more intense work that we do, where we are trying to convey something important and make it good, can get stiff. That efforting makes us tight and that gets conveyed. As a viewer, I don't want that. So I wonder if there is a way to bring that lightness of investigation that you do with those easy things to the work that you do that feels more serious to you. Can you bring that sense of play, light investigation, the sense of not knowing what you are doing and following what is compelling to you? Even the most serious work, when I get the feeling that the artist is playing, being curious and not trying to get it right, I get drawn into it. So I think as artists we need to give ourselves permission to trust our impulse, what gives us pleasure and is compelling. If you find yourself getting worried or fearful that you are not getting it right or the 'judge' is there demanding that you do a better job with it, this is information for you. You may be heading into a 'trying too hard'. We may get more out of it as viewers if you let yourself not know what it is that you are doing and let yourself bring that sense of impish curiosity to it. I think we're going to get to deeper work that way, honestly. You get to a deeper understanding if you let go of knowing what it is that you want to convey. The thinking mind can be over-controlling. I hope this is interesting! Please share your thoughts with me! Here or val (at) taprootartsinsight.com. Subscribe to my email list here: http://eepurl.com/buTz61 There is so much going on in the world right now that is hard and painful and needing healing. It is heavy.
And you really really want to offer what you can in your creative work to make it better. You want your creative work to matter in relation to the topics and issues that you care the most about. This is a ton of pressure to ask of yourself. It would not be surprising at all if you feel stuck behind this stuff. Great ideas and lots of inspiration, but when you sit down to do the work, it is not flowing out of you. This is the thing: in order for you to work from your heart, you need to get past your anxiety and pressure, you need to let go of the thinking mind and all the analysis, clarification and problem solving that you are spinning with. Those things are good and have their place, but in order for you to get to the deeper creative work that is truly healing for our culture, it needs to come from your heart. This means inviting play and pleasure. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but the access to the creative unconscious is through play and pleasure. Letting yourself enjoy the way the words sound, the way melodies dance, the way colors play on the page and clay feels in your hands. And following what is compelling is the way to enter. The stuff that matters to you is going to be there and you will find a new way to understand them by allowing your creative play to take over. You can trust the process. If you are an artist or creative who works from the heart and cares about making your work matter, I invite you to come to my winter workshop. It will be a way to come home to yourself and open your channels of creativity. Taproot Winter Workshop February 17th from 1:00 to 3:00pm or 6:00 to 8:00 pm EST Click to Learn More and Register What if getting your artwork out into the world does not have to be so painful?
What if in fact it was a joyous act. I know, I know it seems a little nuts. For many of us artists, it is just so confusing about why it is so difficult. I have been working on this issue and I'm excited to be working with artists and also leading a group of artists and creatives in dealing with this issue. I just want to plant a seed about this. This is the thought: if you are making art that is in alignment with your purpose, values, strengths, and your temperament and you are putting it out there in a way that is also in alignment with your purpose values, strengths and your temperament, then there is flow. You can have ease in this process. There isn't all that friction of feeling like you are off from yourself. I believe so strongly in the value of your artwork getting out into into the world. If you are someone who makes work from your heart, from your depths, your sense of discovery and process and unknown, it's so important to get this out in the world and I have been working on "what would it take to get the work out there?" It's about getting in alignment, setting up structures, understanding about connection and the exchange. I welcome you to join me here more and follow my videos. If you'd like to talk about the group. I'm doing interviews right now to understand what people are going through.
If you feel daunted or cringy about sharing your work with others, or having conversations about it, you are not alone! Sometimes it feels like you have to have a very thick skin to hear what others really think.
If you are someone who works from a vulnerable and heart felt place in your creative work, it can seem like it is not worth it to connect with others about it. It is worth it! Without a depth of connection around your creative work you can lose momentum and purpose. It can seem like a worthless endeavor and a waste of time. This is because the creative act is, at its core, a place of communication, an utterance, that needs to be received in order to be fulfilled. And when it is received well, you will feel inspired, valued and energized. It is important to get interaction around your creative work, but it is not easy to get really good conversation. There are three basic ways that we might get that interaction:
If you are going to put together a group to talk about creative work, here are a few tips:
I am in the process of creating a coaching group for artists and creatives who make work from the heart, from a depth of vulnerability and professionalism, who are working on getting their work out into the world. This kind of conversation will be an important component of it. If you would like to know more about it, please subscribe to my newsletter http://eepurl.com/buTz61, and email me val(at)taprootartsinsight.com. I have yet to get the group description on my website, but I am definitely talking to folks already, so please do not feel shy about contacting me! val (at) taprootartsinsight.com. You may also be interested in my Taproot Winter Workshop on February 17th. Click to learn more. Tapping the darkness- a winter’s journey
As the days begin to get long and the pandemic is making a turn for the better with vaccines on the way, the elections behind us, and voices of justice and calls for equality being heard around the world, we are slowly, slowly turning toward spring. Before we emerge, I want to invite artists and creatives of all sorts to join me for a nourishing and integrating Winter Workshop. What: Taproot Winter Workshop When: February 17 from 1-3 pm est or 6-8 est Where: Zoom Who: artists and creatives of any sort, any background and any level of experience who share in the values listed below. Cost: donations gratefully accepted- link available when you register Join me for a rich exploration of the gifts of winter for your creative practice. So often winter can feel isolating, and this winter in particular has been magnified in this way. But there is a lot to be said for what the dark and quiet time can offer. Winter is like the night of the annual cycle. It is a time of rest, integration, editing and redirecting, dreaming, internal growth, deep nourishment, and healing. Bring your journals and we will do some visualization to invite our deep inner work to direct our attention. This will be a very safe container for personal exploration and reflection. The winter has already been doing its work, as we edge towards spring, this will be a wonderful way to find grounding, affirm your place in the world, get yourself aligned in your direction, set intentions and prepare for the year ahead. So much healing to be done and as artists and creatives, our voices are a balm to our cultures. This will also be a great way meet other creatives who value the process of discovery that can happen in creative play. This is not a promotional event, but I will mention my upcoming small group offerings and will be happy to talk to folks about it after the workshop is over. For those who are interested in the small group- I think of this workshop as a grounding for the year. What you can expect to gain:
I have a favor to ask. If you know anyone who fits the description below could you send this along to them?
I am looking to interview some artists and creatives, so I can refine my understanding of how I can be of help as I am developing new group offerings and support materials. These conversations, which are private- not published in any way, are a lot of fun for both of us and often are quite helpful and inspiring. Specifically, I am looking for people who value creating work that is authentic, meaningful, and high quality, whether they feel like they are achieving those values currently or not. And they may not have gotten as far in their creative career as they would like, but they have a fair amount of experience and or training. They may also be developing their business or work direction, whether that is selling their creative work or some other self-employed business like teaching, consulting, coaching or body work. I know how hard this path can be because I have been on it for a long time. Every one of us is different, and I am deeply aware that in order for me to be of real service, I need to be listening well outside of my own experience. I am interested in talking with as diverse a group of individuals as I can within these values, whether that diversity is based in cultural heritage and personal background or types of work and level of experience. I am looking to understand more about the challenges and personal struggles, as well as what has helped, what needs have not been met, what questions they grapple with and how I can be of service. I will also be asking questions to help me understand how best to be found by the people who could most use my support. In exchange for 1/2 hour of interview, I would like to offer 1/2 hour of coaching. This can all happen within one phone or zoom call, or it can be 2 separate appointments. I should mention that, though this is not intended as a sales strategy, I am always listening for ways that I can be of help. If, in the course of our conversation, I feel I could be of service to someone, and we might be a good fit, I may ask if they would like to talk about what it would look like to work together. And it is totally fine if they do not want to have that conversation. If you know anyone who would fit this description, please pass this along to them. If you would be interested and willing to do this interview/coaching exchange, please use this link to schedule an appointment. Or email me at [email protected] Thank you so much for your support and interest! Warmly, Val Entering a new piece of art can be tough - especially for those creatives who have some experience. You want it to be good. And that gets in the way of the open play necessary if you want to dive into something new. There is a sense of permission that we need to give ourselves to make something that is not all that good. Or maybe even really bad. You have to risk the unknown - and sometimes it will surprise you in a really great way - and other times not so much. That is ok. So you can see in the video below that I revel in the process of slamming and shoving - a very physical way of entering a piece - which allows me to skip entirely that pristine white canvas or paper or page or space. And I can slide seemlessly into pushing the clay around until I find something that is intriguing or catches my attention - and then I slow down and start to dance with the clay. What I said to my co-working group (I had started this process in a co-working session - look for a link below - it is a wonderful group!) is that I had started with "I don't know how to do this" and gotten all the way to Ugly. This is a place I celebrate because it is a way of entering and really being open to discovery - there is absolutely nothing to lose - nothing precious. So I have complete freedom to create. This is all in service of staying in the not knowing as long as possible so that I can invite the creative unconscious to play. Only later do I figure out what I have been up to and what it all means to me. I run a co-working group. If you would like to know more about it or sign up to join - click the link below. It is free and fun and I welcome newcomers! -Winter can be such a challenging time, especially for those of us further from the equator- where winters mean cold and snow and very short days.
And this year the normal isolation that comes in winter has been exasperated with Covid. There has been a lot going on culturally with the pain and strength of the Black Lives matter movement. It has been painful, but for me anyway ultimately hopeful. We are seeing things that so many have been in denial about and I feel the surge of energy has so much potential for positive change. And this is what can happen for each of us in winter. It is a time of self-reflection, assimilating what has been going on, and making the internal shifts that allow us to move in the directions that we want to. It is a time of re-evaluating our direction, bringing healing to our deep wounds and nourishing our souls with the deep connections that we feel in being part of this vast earth and this complex set of cultures. As creatives, we can feel it as a fallow time, or a time of playing in the unknown, or a generative time. Dreams happen at night, and winter is the night of the annual cycle. So connect with your dreams! For myself, so much has been going on and some of it is ready to share. Today I mostly want to let you know about the videos. I have been having so much fun making little 3-5 minute videos while I walk in the woods. They are mostly thoughts that come from my coaching for artists and creatives, and my hope and desire is that they are nourishing and helpful. It would be super helpful if you would be willing to click one of the links below- the you tube channel or the Facebook page- check out a video and hit follow or like or comment! This will help the google algorithms value them enough to send on to others! Also if you are not on my newsletter mailing list, now is a good time to join! You can get these short little uplifting and inspiring gems sent right to your in-box. I should mention that there is a reconfiguration about to happen there too- choices you will be offered in how much and what kind of content- so keep your eyes open for this! There is a message that we get as creatives that in order to sell well we have to have a singular voice, a brand that is recognizable. Ok- it might be easier for people who are getting to know your work to recognize you, and it might make people feel more comfortable with that sense of recognition. But it does not serve the world and it does not serve your own creative exploration to limit yourself.
We all have very different sides to us. It would be disingenuous to limit yourself to only one part of yourself in your creative work. It is like the woods I was walking in in this video, where it had recently snowed: it looked very different that day than the day before, expressed itself differently, but was in fact the same patch of woods that I know and love. It changes with the season, with the weather, with the quality of light and with time passing and parts growing and dying. As do you and I. We are affected by all the things happening to us through our lives, and we naturally express ourselves in a variety of ways. The thing is that our audience needs the diversity of who we are because they too are complex beings. Our integrity and authenticity in this is a gift to them. It does not serve anyone to stay small. I say go ahead and do all of your work and when it comes time show it, create the record, put together the look of poetry, create an exhibit, you can curate a unified body of work and talk about how of the pieces fit into a whole in your writing. Trust that it will be naturally unified because you are a whole person and all of the parts of you fit together, all of what you are learning and growing with fit together. You may not know how they do while you are making them, But when you look back over time, the connections are going to be the key to your greatest learnings. I would love to know your thoughts about this idea- have you felt the pressure to limit yourself? What is your experience and what is your fear? Please comment below! Warmly, Val PS if you know anyone who could benefit from hearing these words, please pass this along or share it in any form you have!  There is a deep need I have in this time for quiet, for reflection and peace, but not as an escape. It is more a way to let in what is happening in the world and be with it.
 LIMITED ACCESS
Site Specific temporary installation by Valerie Gilman and Rebecca Muller On View at Gallery A3 in Amherst MA September 3- 26, 2020 Available for viewing through the windows all day, every day. This work changes dramatically with different lighting- early morning sun, mid day, evening. Pop-up open-door viewings Friday and Saturdays 4-6 pm and by appointment. Masks and social distancing required. Artists Forum on Zoom September 17, thursday, at 7:30 pm
Today, after removing the front wall, the collaboration blossomed into something really beautiful. It was like the gallery took a huge breath of air and sunlight and opened its heart to us.
  .Are you having trouble motivating to do your creative work? It seems crazy because there is all this time at home, and yet you fritter away the day with reading news, watching tiktok, trying to get the house a little cleaner. Or maybe you are working at home because of the pandemic and work has taken over your home life. And if you have kids... well just multiply it all by 100. Keeping the chaos and amorphic time warp under control is next to impossible. All of this lack of structure is a killer for the creative work that you want to do. You need a little structure and accountability and frankly so do I. So I am offering a Tuesday morning co-working time. No Charge. Yup- free. I just want company. If you don't know about this concept, you are in for a real treat. My coach introduced it to me a couple of years ago and I was stunned by how effective it is. It is a way to get focused on one thing and stay directed for a set amount of time. 9:00- 11:00 am est on Tuesdays We will meet on zoom at 8:00 am eastern time, do a short focusing exercise, do a simple go around to say what we are going to do, and then we will get off the call and get to work. Turn off the phone, no e-mails or FB- just focus on the creative work that you are doing. At around or just before 10:00 we will get back on zoom and celebrate our accomplishment. Simple. It is like book ends to focused working time. A sacred container of time. A gift of directed intention. It is a feeling of connection with other creatives. And a way to let go of all the other things that are pulling on your time for just a little bit. You will be stunned by how much you are able to get done in that time. And how good it will feel. Disclaimer: While this is not a sideways sales pitch for my coaching work for creatives, I am always happy to talk to creatives about what they do and where they are going with it. So most Tuesday mornings I will be happy to stay on the call after the co-working with anyone who wants to talk about what is going on for them. And if you want to set a time to talk more in depth about questions or struggles, I am happy to schedule a conversation to see how I might be able to help. So if you would like to try this out- or if you have questions- email me at [email protected]. Please share this with anyone you know who might be interested. A note: The timing may need to change as the local school makes decisions around covid, I have a daughter going into 6th grade and who knows what her timing is going to look like! Please email me if the button link below does not work.
 On July 10th I cancelled my subscription to netflix. My mother laughed when I told her, through tears, that I was binge-ing on Grey's Anatomy. Ok it is not as bad as alcohol or cocaine. Not by a long shot. But I was seeing tell tale signs of real issues. And I want to tell you about it because I want to make sure that you are not getting caught the way I was.
As a creative, I built my life outside the box. It is a patchwork life designed to make it possible for me to continue to make art, support other creatives, and raise a child by myself. It is a risky arrangement in that there is no external structure, like a job, that holds it all together. If I get lazy or uninspired, then things don't happen and opportunities dry up. These are some of the things that I had in place to keep me going before the pandemic:
I always knew that I was living on the edge. My income was just barely enough. And I always felt like I was juggling and could be dropping balls. Maybe I lived with too much stress. But I had a sense of purpose and focus and dedication. I believed in my ability to do this, and in the value of what I was offering. I could see how my art touched the deep tender places of my audience in the craft shows. I could feel the sense of relief and joy as my students got their hands in clay. And I trusted that just getting into the studio, I would know what to do and I could get some interesting things to come out of my own hands. I am saying it all in past tense- and that is not fair. I have not given up. It is not over. But when it all got put on pause with the pandemic- I went into a kind of foggy frustrating place- not able to get a grip on anything solid- and the escape route of netflix lured me in. It is a serious time suck! And I have to say it did not make me feel better- I felt horrible! I am sure you can identify- things have had to change because of the pandemic For creatives who have built their lives in a patchwork way- it is a complete restructuring! So this is what I want to offer by way of lessons learned: 1. Get off the couch!!! turn the thing off and get outside- I don't care if it is midnight- go out! 2. connection is still essential- taking walks while talking on cell phone works wonders. And zoom games of dictionary are fun if you are a geek like me. Also socially distant gatherings rock! 3. Structure is necessary- as this thing extends hopefully you have found some ways to create structure in your days and weeks. Setting clear time frames for making art is key- and hard to do for those of us who can get pulled in a million directions. virtual co-working with a buddy or group is very helpful. (I am offering a free co-working time on Tuesdays from 8-10 am. You can also set it up with a buddy and there are many platforms on line at this point) 4. If you have kids- finding a way to set time where you are both working on art is good- and a way for her to be occupied with on-line friends or pod friends. 5. feeling useful- find some way to be involved in something bigger than yourself. Activism, school planning, anti-racism study groups- whatever is important to you! 6. Practice kindness- toward yourself, your family, everyone you come into contact with. We have to forgive ourselves for our transgressions so that we do not live in anger and frustration. So forgive as quickly as you can and move on with love and compassion. I have been so enjoying having an indoor outdoor studio this season. The chill is starting now, but it was sweet! The funny thing was that when I was starting to get ready for Paradise, feeling the urgency kick in, I found myself building a work bench and saying to myself wtf! what are you doing!? You need to make art! But a wise friend said- if this is where your heart is, there must be a good reason. And Yes- it was the key to getting things done this fall- I love having that space to work in! Keeps me connected to what is important to me, to my art, to the time that we are in- connected to the wonder of the outdoors! The sounds of crickets, noticing a coyote crossing the back, smelling fall come on, feeling the breeze. Yes! this is definitely worth living, working, fighting for. Lets keep this beautiful planet alive!   I picked these two up from the foundry a bit ago and finally got a good skin on them both. The smaller Persephone and a larger version of a little piece I made a while ago. I still need to come up with a good title for him!    I'm really excited by these clocks. I only managed 4 of them, but it is enough for the experiment to see how everyone at the show will like them- each a little different. The blue is not permanent- it is masking tape so I can sand blast the face and expose the deeper wood grain. All of my work recently (and really if you look at older work, you would see an ongoing thread) seems to be about life cycle, the simultaneity of time. We are part of this gorgeous earth and we too have death and decay happening at the same time as birth and growth. It is not a linear projection. Nor is it a balance of good and bad. It is a continuous flow of overlapping cycles. Breathing in and Breathing out. Building and decaying.
I can feel a longer essay working itself up. I am beginning to see that it is essential that we recon with our fear of death- that we focus on not just building things but also on being aware of a healthy decay. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could know that each and every thing that we use will continue to be used by other beings after we are done with it. Like caterpillar poop being part of the fertile and living dirt, and rotting wood, home to so many insects and organisms who break it down to wonderful dirt. There is such beauty in decay- exposing the interior structure and using the materials over in new ways. Why do we think it is ok to create waste that is poisonous? How do we get out of this pattern? I do not say this from a place of having figured it all out- I am in the middle of this mess with everyone else. Feeling the urgency, grateful to Greta for speaking out and inspiring us to wake up. We are not evil. But we have been very selfish and short sighted as a culture, as a species. And we need to shift our priorities. In a big way. Now.   I can't wait to see what she looks like on site at the orchard! This is an image from another location.
By the way- there is an audio guided tour of the show you can listen to on your cell phone as you walk around. I recorded 5 minutes of my thoughts about the sculpture- I would love to hear your thoughts about it!  I dropped "Persephone's Dream: A Prayer for Peace" off at Parkhill Orchard the other day. What a pleasure! Russell met me and gave me a golf cart tour of the place, (including drive by berry sampling- Yumm! I'm going to the market today to get some of those berries!), and showed me where all the sites where new pieces are going to be installed- including my own. And then we looked at the stones he had to mount her on. She is going to look great. The picture here is trying out one of the the stones, but not in its real location. I have an admission to make. I have a history of having a fear of galleries- a fear of approaching them- like they are the big bad wolf for artists. I tell you this in the off chance that you know someone who has had a similar fear. Because it has become abundantly clear to me, with experiences like meeting Russell, that my fear was ill founded, and maybe yours, or your friend's is too.  One of the things that I love about working with and teaching clay is the wonderful life lessons that come out of it. It was in conversation with one my students a few weeks ago, that we came upon another one. It was a metaphor that bounced back and forth. My student was frustrated because the things that she was making kept collapsing for no apparent reason. I told her that drying time is kind of like aging in humans- we have different abilities and also different weaknesses as we age. The trick is to learn what those qualities are on an intimate and intuitive level and take advantage of the abilities of the age while having patience, compassion and real acceptance for the things we cannot do. I would break if I tried to do a back flip at this age, but I can lift 50 lbs of clay and run a business. The clay is wonderfully pliable and soft when it is in its plastic state, but it can only be so tall and thin before it collapses under its own weight. When it looses some moisture, it looses that malleability, but wow it can really hold itself up! The fact that it cannot bend easily at this point and will crack if you try, is the other side of the same quality that gives it the strength to hold itself up. If you are frustrated with yourself or your kid or your aging parent, I wonder if your expectations are appropriate for their time in life? As we learn to be patient, compassionate and accepting with the clay, can we turn that back on ourselves and not push so darn hard, or give ourselves the support we need, or just enjoy who we are now? I just got a fresh sense of ease with that thought. I would love to hear your thoughts! Please comment- lets spin this metaphor out!   The cup
A moment to reflect A still point A cup of tea Nourishing the soul Being present, open, compassionate Being witness to ones life Being available and grateful for what comes The Buddhist beggar's bowl A delicate egg shell- having released its new life A reminder of the sacred moments The cup sits with the organic flow of life, on or next to the sculptures, which then become landscapes of the psyche, of healing, of our inner being. These pieces are my meditation and an invitation to share the inarticulate reality of lived experience. I would love to hear your thoughts on this idea- or how these pieces speak to you- Please comment below! A week ago today I was setting up for the Paradise City Arts Festival along with many other artists. I am so grateful to have had this experience! I feel charged up and ready to get back in the studio- except that there is a major mess there! aftermath. ah well. I have to tell you that what makes the whole thing worth while is talking to people. It was so wonderful to have real and sometimes quite profound and moving conversations with people about the work and how it touched them. It gives me a good sense of why this work is worth continuing to do. It is shocking how rarely we as artists get to have this opportunity! I will be writing up more insights about Persephone's Dream: a Prayer for Peace, and hope to get some speaking gigs about her. If you had any thoughts about her or any of the other work that you saw at the show, I would love for you to share comments here. It would help me not feel like the show is just an isolated event! Speaking of which, I have put the money down to do the October Paradise show- Columbus Day weekend! I hope to see you there. I will also be bringing some of the pieces to the Salmon Falls Gallery in Shelbourne Falls MA. And of course if you saw something that you wish you had gotten, please contact me! [email protected] I was up late last night getting things packed up and trying to remember all the details!  Here are a few sneak peeks at the new work 
I am so excited to be back at Paradise City this Memorial Day weekend. Right now I am in the final laps in preparation and I thought you might want to see some of the behind the scenes action. Repainting and upgrading the booth required moving everything out of the living room for a week. It was sweet to get our living room back after that! Visiting Persephone at the foundry mid process- they cast her in 4 parts and then weld her back together. This is her in wax. It is a little unnerving, but I am working with an excellent foundry and I was very impressed with the detail and precision. I couldn't stop thinking that she looked like a chocolate Easter bunny- the cheep hollow kind! A few new pieces in process. They will have a different surface color and a frame- if I can get all this done in time! I had to buy a new table saw- very exciting!   Exciting things are happening with Persephone's Dream; A Prayer for Peace. I made a radical decision to get her cast in bronze, and even before the casting is finished, she has been accepted to a very competitive biennial exhibit called Art in the Orchard! I will install her there in July and the show is open from August though Thanksgiving this year and next.
I will also have her available for sale at Paradise City on Memorial Day weekend - near the end of May. And she won 4th place in the 9th Annual Figurative Exhibit in Light Space and Time. What is she about? It was last year that I realized that she had an essential message for our time about a kind of strength and presence, and I needed to get her out in the world. She is a powerful woman, and she is holding her own boundaries so that she can go inside and connect to her deeper self. She is making time for self reflection, even in the chaos of life. And she is calm and strong, not combative or overwhelmed. We can find this place in ourselves and it is essential that we do, otherwise we are being reactive and stressed out, and this is not only not good for ourselves, but also for the people and causes that we care about. She is a deeply healing reminder of our own innate capacity for calm reflection and deep inner wisdom, for peace. What is in a title? Persephone's Dream: A Prayer for Peace Persephone is a Greek goddess who has a story that speaks of deep compassion and the ability to hold both/and with love. She was the daughter of Demeter, the Goddess of the Harvest, and she was chosen by Hades, the god of the underworld, to be his wife. The story goes that Demeter was so distraught that she caused all the plants to die back and the cold to come. Life on earth was going to perish, so a deal was struck that Persephone would return for half the year, and in so doing would create new growth and vitality. Persephone is married to Hades- which could be read as she was abducted and lives in misery. But what if she actually loves Hades and is wed with love to his mission as the god of the underworld. She can see all the pain and misery with a sense of compassion. And when she emerges, her presence causes spring, hope and new life. She can know and hold both the ugly truth of despair and also beautiful, hopeful growth. How amazing is that. She is not in denial, and yet she has peace. I love this metaphor and I think we have a lot to learn in it. I would take it one step further and ask what if the underworld is not hell as we think of it in the western world, the painful pit of all things bad, but instead more like the subconscious? What if it is the un-illuminated space of the psyche, that part of the self and the culture that is churning with all the old stories, from which fear and struggle emerge, but also growth and change. So when Persephone emerges it is with a sense of clarity having grappled with the challenges in the underworld. Either way, this sculpture is a beacon of strength, clear boundaries and silent contemplation. My intention is to get her out into public arts exhibits and to organizations whose mission is related to hers. If you know of any organizations that you feel she is well suited for, please comment and let me know! |
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