Season's Greetings

 

 

 

I wish you all a

Merry, Merry Christmas

and a

New Year filled with blessings!

On Cloud Nine

On Cloud Nine
© Anita Jesse

"On Cloud Nine" is currently displayed as a 12x18 MetalPrint on an 18x24 coffee brown suede leather-covered back. This piece is available at Gallery 'N Gifts, Tehachapi, CA. Prints are available in various sizes.
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When I was selecting work for our December, First Friday, I knew that I had to complete this piece. I don't want to admit how many times I had scrapped it and started over. For me, this one was elusive. I had taken quite a shine to this horse and the final image had to be just right. Otherwise, I knew that I would scrap it again.

Finally, I put all my preconceptions aside and spent some quiet time with the original image. I had gotten tangled up in trying to make it right. Instead of hoping I could produce something that would measure up to how much I liked the horse, I took time to reconnect with the sight of him prancing with head and tail high; the sounds he made—hoofs pounding and snorting at imaginary demons; spooking at nothing more than the breeze; the dust he stirred up with his dance; the ripple of the muscles under his golden coat. I let myself fall in love again with all that attracted me to this animal, in the first place.

Finally, I began to find my way to something that pleased me—something that brought back to me those impressions made on that beautiful spring day. We ended up On Cloud Nine.

Sometimes, What's Old Is New

Profile in Bronze

©Anita Jesse

A matted and unframed 5x5 print on Kodak ENDURA paper of "Profile in Bronze" is currently available at Gallery 'N Gifts.
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The last few months have kept me busy doing my best to get just one tiny step ahead. But, rather than catching up on old goals, I can't resist adding new ones to the stack. I think that is healthy—up to a point. You know what I am talking about. Not resting on laurels, aiming high, not settling for second best—all those bits of advice each of us has floating around in our heads.

Eventually, however, there is potential for overload. Ideally, we learn to prioritize. That is where the real struggle is for me. I haven't given up on myself yet. The last few months have been an example of this struggle. The goal setting part is going pretty well. The prioritizing business—not so much.

The October goal was the addition of matted, unframed prints to my exhibit at the gallery. Goal achieved. So far, they aren't running out the door, but I have sold two. The image below shows one of the prints that has sold. For some time we didn't have any quail on our property and I felt quite left out, since the birds seem ubiquitous in the valley. Finally, this last year, we apparently won the seal of approval and enjoyed our own little flock. I look forward to seeing them again in the spring.


Family Confab

©Anita Jesse

Next goal: new top of the line presentation for two of my favorite pieces. Check. For the November First Friday, I was able to exhibit two previously shown pieces in a new presentation format. Those pieces are work you have seen before—Blue Horse Dreaming and A Cloud of Dust.  Both of those pieces were printed on metal, then mounted on leather backings and both sold within a month of display.

Third Goal: new work for December's First Friday. In the next few weeks I will show you more of what was added at the gallery.

Finally, I more or less got talked into adding greeting cards to my list of offerings. (There are some very persuasive people managing affairs at the gallery.) The cards have been on display less than a week; so, not much feedback yet. The jury is out, but the project has been set in motion.

I wrote the rough draft of this post a few weeks ago. That was before I was struck by the fact that I really should have a newsletter. The first edition is out there in the cyberworld and I have added the subscribe button on the front page of my blog.

There you have it. Several goals set, met, and some degree of success. Now, if I can just get a better handle on this business of identifying the most significant goals and develop a real resistance to the temptation of "What would happen if I?" or "Maybe I should try". If I could cultivate that resistance, I would likely update my blog more often, for one thing. Ah, well, I will keep working on this one.

Sugar with Lots of Spice

(Click on the image for the larger version)

A 12x12 print on Kodak ENDURA paper of "Sugar with Lotsa Spice" will be exhibited beginning December 6, 2012. This piece will be shown in a 16x16 walnut frame.
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I have other pieces featuring this horse, but wanted to try some new techniques and started this piece purely as an exercise. That is the mindset that frees my creative spirit. And, that explains why I most often avoid commissions. Every time I am approached to take on a commission, I feel my gut twisting into a knot and know that saying "Yes" means I will have to struggle with the voices reminding me to please the buyer. More often than not, I chicken out and say, "No" to the commission.  

Too often, I have let the pressure to please the buyer shut me down. The voices in my head warn, "Be careful. Stay in your comfort zone. Go with proven techniques." No good can come of that sort of thinking.

My favorite pieces—and the ones that most successfully connect with other people—are almost inevitably images that resulted from exploration and permission to experiment with new-to-me techniques, take risks, and test ideas that, at first, seem a little crazy.

Only when I give myself that unconditional permission to fail miserably, only when I allow myself to play with an image, to spend unlimited time with the piece and abandon all expectations—do I have any hope of coming to some understanding of the elements before me—only then can I remember the dream, capture something of the feelings of the moment, and manipulate the colors, light, lines, and textures into something that makes me happy.

Furthermore, if the final product doesn't make me happy, I can't bring myself to show it to anyone. The time invested is chalked up to learning. I move on and tackle a different piece. Sometimes, I don't get back to the "learning exercise" for months. Sometimes, a fresh look offers new insight and the piece comes to life. Sometimes, the image goes back in the file and waits. I'm not very good at predicting how an experiment will end.