Blog Challenges

Things are happening here!  Lots of painting going on.  But mostly I wanted to warn my wonderful followers that E-synergy blog may disappear in the near future!

We are changing out service providers and I am having trouble getting Blogger to accept a change in my primary email for the blog.  If I can't get it resolved before we come under new server I may not be able to access my blog and will be building a new one if that happens.  And yes, I'm following up on all bloggers instructions, but for whatever reason it still will only allow me to access my blog through the original email I began with 9 years or more ago.

Should the worst happen, and I have to create a new blog, I will post it to my facebook page and it should come up when you do a search on my name, Brenda Thebeau.  Ah the joys of the techno world :-)

Small Works Group Exhibition

Detail of #113 - B. Graham Thebeau

It's been quite a week.  A painful one!  I'm recovering from a three day migraine and need to limit my time on the computer as it tends to make the migraine want to flare back up again. Not good.

I've been looking over my smaller paintings and working on new ones for an upcoming Small Works Group Exhibition & Art Sale at The Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery in November.  I was privileged to be included in this new event last year and will be participating again this year. Yeah!  There will be a number of artist works included in the Exhibition & Sale, with art priced at $100 or less.  Beautiful, varied, original artwork with Christmas just around the corner, can't beat that!  I'll have more information to share come November so stay tuned.

#113 - 24x24" B.Graham Thebeau

Did manage to finish the painting from my previous post.  I was right, it did take another gesso bath and this is the final version, now on display at Salons On York where my daughter, Olivia has her new hair salon.

"You never need a reason to paint something."  Michele Cassou

Letting Go Of Stress Through Art

Waiting for the gesso eraser :-)

Can it be October already, how quickly it all goes by.  It has been an interesting discussion on how stress affects our creative output. What I'm coming to realize is--you can't predict what role art will play in the stressors of living this often times, "messy life," as my friend Jen calls it.

I know for myself in the past, art was key in walking me through a very painful & sad time, as it has for many others.

I also know that, a few years later when another devastating blow came calling, creativity shut down.  I could not find release through paint and canvass, everything came up ugly, muddy and I had not a desire or a clue how to get past that place.  Perhaps that was the point of it all, life was dishing up some ugly things and mud was its colour.  If only life came with the big brush of white out gesso as it did and does with paintings that need a fresh start.

Work on current commissions is grindingly slow.  It's check in time on one, another is problem solving in the planning stages (finding the elements I need for what I want to do).  On the side, I'm slapping paint around on an abstract piece simply for my own stress reliever, with it seems to be coming a lot of gessoing :-)

"Trusting the process is based on a belief that something valuable will emerge when we step into the unknown.  There are elements of surrender and letting go which have more to do with flexibility and the ability to change direction, than with defeat and annihilation...Experienced creators are able to step aside and relax in order to advance. They work with the process, stimulating it with a forceful initiative or a subtle nudge, but always respectful of what takes shape outside the sphere of a person's control.
The humblest expressions can be sources of insight and wonder. In art therapy, healing often occurs when we begin to make paintings that engage the sources of our discontents. When I enact my angst and fears in an artwork they become my partners in creation, and my relationship to them is transformed."     Trust The Process by Shaun McNiff