Towns and neighbourhoods around me are flooding and the rain is still coming down. Ironically, I am steeped in rebuilding my blogsite. Anticipate muck and debris for the next while.
Happy Solstice!
Jonathon
Footnote, Dec 9 2024: This post was made in June 2013. At this point I’m not entirely rebuilding but doing some reconstruction… this time, as Winter Solstice quickly approaches. Warm wishes!
In a third act scene from the movie “A Christmas Carol”, Ebenezer Scrooge (played by Alistair Sims)– having just acquired a new lease on life–prances about his room “as giddy as a schoolboy”. Searching maniacally for something to write on he waves his hands in the air and chants, “Label-label-label.”
When my painting style first emerged I labeled it “intuitive” “interactive” and “meditative”. Later, in the effort to sound more painterly, I decided it was “abstract” and “impressionistic”. More recently, I’ve had to admit it is “whimsical”—but mostly as in the 16th century term ‘whim-wham’ which was coined to describe “an eccentric impulse or interest”—not so much in the more current sense of “things that are unusual in a playful or amusing way”. Some of my works, after all, are sombre and dark.
Today, as I reflected on these things I circled back to “intuitive” “interactive” and “meditative”. I had very recently realized, as I listened to other artists describe their practice, that my approach is the antithesis of planning. In that moment I felt alarmingly outside of the circle and, conversely, in danger of being forced to choose between my process and the practical application of skills important to excelling in my paint practice…because the cornerstone of my process is a plan to not plan. Or, at least, to plan as little as possible when I’m actually sat down to paint.
That said, I’ve come to allow a certain amount of forethought and pre-planning in my acrylic practice. My comfort is that the objects in my paintings are visible reminders of my innate style, which is…
Loose
Intuitive.
Fleeting objects, captured in paint,
reminisce of the natural world around me but, most assuredly,
from within; a part of me and foreign,
not things you might imagine…
not even things I imagine. They are, rather, found
not by focusing my eyes on any object around me but by allowing my gaze to drift inward. (In truth, this is not difficult. It’s actually more difficult to resist it.)
I can paint somewhat realistically but it exhausts me. I do not have the built-in muscle memory developed through the rehearsal of repeatedly drawing familiar objects. And even though I sometimes envy the representational drawing skill of my artist friends, I do not wish it for myself.
What I want is stubbornly persistent: to explore and learn and build comfort in the use of these relatively new tools and materials so that I can continue to create freely, spontaneously, interactively.
As I allow things to take shape on the canvas, what is invisible becomes visible, what is held inside comes out and I discover, I learn. This, for me, is the impetus and the joy, the magic of painting; the thing that can make me “as giddy as a schoolboy”.
January is goingdeepwinter time.
It has carried on into February and if the groundhog has any influence on my emotional temperature, this deep steep may linger for several more weeks. Thankfully Spring, in some form, is pervasive.
These were started several weeks ago and came off the boards late last night. For my daughter, Tess…January girl…and for the rest of you pushing ssssnow… We’re getting there.
Roots & Wings Series 17 1
Roots & Wings Series 17 2
Roots & Wings Series 17 3
Roots & Wings Series 17 4
Sometimes the waiting is hard to bear. Apparently, even in the world of blogging. WordPress now has this cute little squiggle for the two seconds it takes to process your newest writs. Wee Beep Beep Boop would have ran out of gas way long before the finish line of Series 16. Many weeks later…
Everything in its own time, whether it’s seconds in word processing, months of waiting for colour washes to inspire lines of ink, or years on a story. You just can’t rush the process. I have to remind myself of that daily, a lot lately, as I squeeze through a knothole of edits in my major writing project. It’s coming. Patience. Sigh.
These paint detours provide both escape and validation. It is likely fairly obvious that I get lost in the process. And, for me, that’s what it’s about. I also love it when you love where I go. Means so much to have you along.
Roots & Wings
Series 16 1
Walking on the Sun
Roots & Wings
Series 16 2
Concrete Jungle
Series 17 is on the boards. Away we go…
As in previous years, all but the last one of the songs in the following list was new to me in 2014. Each has been chosen because of how it resonates when I hear it. Some are highly danceable while others are more suited to rumination, though I can’t deny that I’d get up for any one of them. Happy listening. And Happy Light Year.* May 2015 find you soaking up the good rays… and sharing some of yours.
THE MULTIFACETED 2014 TOP 10 NEW-TO-ME PLAYLIST
Counting Stars ~ One Republic ~ I don’t usually post the playlist songs in any particular order but this year, as a looong-term project comes together, I’m making this my #1. Putting it out there Universe…
Now, in no particular order:
No One Knows ~ Queens of the Stone Age ~ The lyrics, like almost every song in this year’s list, grab me… but this selection is really about the beat. Feet, where are you taking me?!
Bohemian Like You ~ The Dandy Warhols ~ Fun lyrics and a groovy dance beat. Yeah, I like you. 😀 Video recommended for BIG kids only, kids.
Dry the Rain ~ The Beta Band ~ First half is dry. Maybe that’s what makes it work? What I love is how it builds…and the lyrics, the lyrics, the lyrics: “If there’s something inside that you want me to say, say it out loud, it’ll be okay. I will be your light, I will be your light…”
Snap Out of It ~ Arctic Monkeys ~ Bap-bap-bap bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp… Brand new to me today. Sorry Foo Fighters, you’ve been bumped (my brother-in-law will cringe).
Shake It Off ~ Taylor Swift ~ First heard as a cover by one of my favourite dance party bands, danced to with one of my favourite people, and loved immediately. Get on your feet. Shake it off, baby.
Keys to the Kingdom ~ Current Swell ~ Oh my my… the melody…
Domino ~ Jessie J ~ Glitterpated… “dirty dancing in the moonlight”. Take me there.
We All Float ~ Hooverphonic ~ Mellifluous. And lightly cheesed, lyrically speaking.
Holiday ~ Green Day ~ Hey! Grab your dance buddies and get to the floor. “This is the time of the rest of our lives.”
It’s becoming tradition to break the 10 and add more. Rule schmule, right? Besides, there’s usually something special special about the after-10 top tunes.
Winter ~ Entertainment for the Braindead ~ Sweet, ethereal, alternative. Found while searching the Free Music Archive. Julia Kotowski, singer/songwriter also plays all instruments.
Angel ~ Aerosmith ~ Rediscovered. (One per year, that’s the rule.) Strings of all kinds… mmmm… divine
*Thanks to my daughter, Tess, for the phrase, “Happy Light Year.”
Recently, a friend sent a photo of me taken while we were out dancing. My first thought was, “Profile pic!” But it had me thinking about what people see in a face and the expectations that may come with it, so I decided to wait. My annual New-to-Me Playlist was nearly due. It coincides with New Year’s Eve and the anniversary of another trip around the sun for me. In this writing I’m tying it all up together—faces, playlist, New Year, and birthday reflections—because, well, that’s just what my brain likes to do. Sometimes. Sometimes, I’m happy not thinking about anything much. Sometimes, I’m just out there in the music, dancing.
This is Out There Me with in-camera filtering and a dance glow on.
Out There Me
by Mary Noseworthy
This is Morning Me that wakes slowly, raw, introspective…with or without makeup.
Waking Me
People are multifaceted, have more than one face, and more than one way of being. It doesn’t mean that one is better or any degree truer. These are simply different aspects of our selves. Embellished, or stripped down—the essence of the face, as a whole, remains. It’s amazing and fortunate that we can have so many looks and still be recognizable. I know my own face well (a most cooperative subject for visual art experiments) even though it keeps changing. When I look in the mirror, sometimes I see the changes, and sometimes I see a younger, more familiar version. And, although the above are extreme examples—a sort of Yin and Yang of my face—you should also be able to tell that they are essentially…me.
Our face can define us. Can make us stand out in a crowd. Set us apart from the pack. Draw others near. Or repel. It plays a part in making us feel loved, or insecure; alone, or part of the greater whole. This is important, whether or not we want to admit it. So we take our flaws to task… colour, cover, tweeze, modify, photoshop… and then tell ourselves that, in the end, it doesn’t really matter.
Well, it doesn’t.
That won’t stop us from striving to be seen in good light.
Yet light, as any artist can tell you, has little or no value without dark. We need both in order for either to have any meaning. So, every now and then, why not give in to the dark side and risk the unexpected. Let others, at least those close to you, see some aspect of your self that you’d otherwise tuck away. (No need to bare it all—some images should simply fall to the cutting room floor. Maybe with a thud.) Meanwhile, continue to seek the best light, the kind photographers call golden, and practice the graceful acknowledgement of those shots that seem to say, “Oh wow, you’re kind of amazing, after all.”
You are.
Remember that when you’re making resolutions and plans for the coming year. Remember it when the anniversary of your next trip around the sun approaches. If nothing else, remember it when you’re Out There, dancing. You sexy thing.
All but the last one of the songs in the following list are new to me this past year. Each has been chosen because of how it resonates when I hear it. Some are highly danceable while others are more suited to rumination, though I can’t deny that I’d get up for any one of them. Happy listening. And Happy Light Year.* May 2015 find you soaking up the good rays… and sharing some of yours.
THE MULTIFACETED 2014 TOP 10 NEW-TO-ME PLAYLIST
Counting Stars ~ One Republic ~ I don’t usually post the playlist songs in any particular order but this year, as a looong-term project comes together, I’m making this my #1. Putting it out there Universe…
Now, in no particular order:
No One Knows ~ Queens of the Stone Age ~ The lyrics, like almost every song in this year’s list, grab me… but this selection is really about the beat. Feet, where are you taking me?!
Bohemian Like You ~ The Dandy Warhols ~ Fun lyrics and a groovy dance beat. Yeah, I like you. 😀 Video recommended for BIG kids only, kids.
Dry the Rain ~ The Beta Band ~ First half is dry. Maybe that’s what makes it work? What I love is how it builds…and the lyrics, the lyrics, the lyrics: “If there’s something inside that you want me to say, say it out loud, it’ll be okay. I will be your light, I will be your light…”
Snap Out of It ~ Arctic Monkeys ~ Bap-bap-bap bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp… Brand new to me today. Sorry Foo Fighters, you’ve been bumped (my brother-in-law will cringe).
Shake It Off ~ Taylor Swift ~ First heard as a cover by one of my favourite dance party bands, danced to with one of my favourite people, and loved immediately. Get on your feet. Shake it off, baby.
Keys to the Kingdom ~ Current Swell ~ Oh my my… the melody…
Domino ~ Jessie J ~ Glitterpated… “dancing in the moonlight”. Take me there.
We All Float ~ Hooverphonic ~ Mellifluous. And lightly cheesed, lyrically speaking.
Holiday ~ Green Day ~ Hey! Grab your dance buddies and get to the floor. “This is the time of the rest of our lives.”
It’s becoming tradition to break the 10 and add more. Rule schmule, right? Besides, there’s usually something special special about the after-10 top tunes.
Winter ~ Entertainment for the Braindead ~ Sweet, ethereal, alternative. Found while searching the Free Music Archive. Julia Kotowski, singer/songwriter also plays all instruments.
Angel ~ Aerosmith ~ Rediscovered. (One per year, that’s the rule.) Strings of all kinds… mmmm… divine
*Thanks to my daughter, Tess, for the phrase, “Happy Light Year.”
While on break this week, I am catching up on some other projects. These were done when I was away this past August and September.
Summer Tree 2014
Roots and Wings
Series 15, One
Roots and Wings
Series 15, Two
Roots and Wings
Series 15, Three
This is a new post. Not sure what happened to the original except that maybe when I revamped my blogsite, it was deleted. In any case, I still have the playlist. A few of the videos have disappeared, as will happen from time-to-time on You Tube. I don’t remember what those deleted were but I’m guessing–by the remaining songs–they were upbeat, dance tunes. Just as well that I exceeded the ‘Top 10’ in 2011.
The images are almost always secondary to the music for me but The Jive Aces selection is well done and fun to watch. Please don’t get any ideas, my capable dance partners. As exciting as it looks, I won’t be having ANY part of any lifts over your heads!
In no particular order…
2011 New-to-me Top Videos
“Go Down the River” Garret Mason
“Turn the Lights On” Big Sugar
“Thinking About You” Martin Sexton
“My Old Home” The Belle Brigade
“I’d Rather Be Blind, Crippled and Crazy” The Derek Trucks Band
“Times Like These” Foo Fighters
“One Safe Place” Marc Cohn
“Bring Me Sunshine” The Jive Aces
“Grateful” David Francey
“Sho’ Enough” Tommy Castro
“Mediocre” Ximena Serinana
“Baby That’s Not All” Josh Ritter
It’s been nearly four weeks since I set my major writing project under a pile of books to breathe–perhaps mould–so that I can go back to it with some objectivity when I begin the cutting and stitching.
In the meantime, I’ve sat at my table, losing hours while I paint. These final four pieces were begun in the past few weeks and may be the last I complete for awhile…besides not writing, I have taken little time for guitar play. But we’ll see. I do have two new washes on the board.
Roots & Wings Series 14, One
“Beyond Pale”
Roots & Wings Series 14, Two
“Bent Wing”
Roots & Wings Series 14,
Three
“Downside Up”
Roots & Wings Series 14,
Four
“Fur Baby”
These are larger than most of the watercolours I do, and although part of the Roots & Wings series, they are stand-alones within it.
I rarely paint with anything or anyone in my conscious mind. This is the exception. Once past the initial washes, I had in mind my sister, Shannon, and my daughter, Nikki, who both asked for a painting for Christmas. It is, I think, a morph of my older and newer styles. And only a little late.
Roots & Wings, Twelve
“Out of the Blue”. For Nikki. This one was painted some time ago but I had never felt it was done, and tweaked it slightly (very slightly) a couple of weeks ago. Not the first bear to show up in my paintings…
Roots & Wings, Thirteen
“Out of the Blue”
The last of my tiny paintings… for now, at least. I am liking to paint a bit bigger these days. These were washes that cured for many weeks on the boards before inspiring the remainder of each piece. I had originally thought that the first of these three was a stand-alone, left over from some partly finished group. After examining them more closely today, I discovered that they have common markings on the backs, were all cut from the same sheet of 140 lb. paper, and will now be considered a trio of sorts. We do love to hang out with our tribe, yes?
Roots & Wings Series 11, One
nameless hidden corner of a fantasy forest
Roots & Wings Series 11, Two
“Hangers-on”
Roots & Wings Series 11, Three
“Party for a Sea Slug”
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email: moya@moya.studio
moya 