2019 * Transitions

"Hold On"  T.Dubreuil

Life carries us through transitions, as if we are bits of cork floating down a river, through the rapids, over the waterfalls, into quiet eddies.  This autumn I encountered, not so much a cascade, but rather a giant rock against which I collided.  I was pulled down, deep into a swirling vortex, only to intermittently bob to the surface to gasp for breath before being sucked down and down again. 
My father died. 

Interesting, isn't it? ... the coping mechanisms which snap into place.  We move as if sleepwalking through our daily required tasks.  Just keep plugging along, keeping busy, busy, push on and continue to push through.  We all pass this way at some time or other in our lives.  The emotions overtake us in waves, overwhelming us, then pass and leave us gasping for breath, a couple moments of reprieve .. before the next shattering wave crashes. 

Hopefully, during these times, we give each other grace and understanding .. and some honest hugs.

It had been since September that I had picked up my tiny pigment sticks, the pure soft pastels, and applied them to finely sanded paper.  On top of the life-wrenching passing of my Dad, I had moved into a new abode, was accepted into a local gallery with many requirements (Asheville Gallery of Art), and increased time spent doing wine programs and tours at Biltmore Winery. 

Finally, finally, I got a corner set up as a "studio" in which to work.  It's just a corner wall, but I can create.  Realization: creating occurs ... not  so much in a locale, like a studio, but rather deep within us.

Sargent: An Artist in his Studio

I am an itinerant painter .. but then, aren't we all in some sense?  I remember the painting by John Singer Sargent, "An Artist in his Studio" (of Ambrogio Raffele in the Italian Alps), and I think .. "if a great Master like Sargent could do it, so can I.  It's not about the fancy studio, it's about the Spirit and Heart of painting."   So, although I have not been traveling abroad, I am still, in a comprehensive sense, the Traveling Artista.

"Lemon"

I start simple. 

A lemon, cut a wedge out, set it in the sunshine, examine the color and light, choose various color palettes and after some charcoal sketches to become acquainted with the shapes, go at it!

It's small, it's simple, ... but it is satisfying. 





I am going to continue with this lemon until it too passes me by.  Then on to some other subjects ... building back to more complex paintings ... after first doing these simple exercises and connecting to that part of my creative spirit again.

"Lemon" color palette

"Lemon" tonal palette

“To any artist, worthy of the name, all in nature is beautiful, because his eyes, fearlessly accepting all exterior truth, read there, as in an open book, all the inner truth.” ~ Auguste Rodin

http://travelingartista.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TerrilynnDubreuil/

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