New Tote Bags are In!

I love my new tote bag...featuring an image of my painting Force of Nature. Vistaprint was having a sale and I couldn't resist. I had four more made to possibly sell at the Art Crawl or on Etsy. 

They are a Two-tone (black bottom &  handles with off-white bag) canvas bag--made of 100% natural 12 oz. cotton canvas. Very durable. It's BIG--19" (width) x 15" (depth) x 6" (bottom)--plenty of room to carry all your stuff to/from work, the studio, grocery store...

Good for the environment and fun for me!

(I am thinking about ordering more, but wonder if I should drop my name/website info...not as good for marketing, but might sell better. What do you think?

Update: Still want to know what you think, but I have listed a few with my name/website on etsy--check it out here!)

Grace In Sorrow

This week marks the 22nd anniversary of my journey out of an abusive marriage. This is the week 22 years ago when I decided that I would no longer be emotionally manipulated, physically threatened and abused by my then-husband. I wish I could say that the abuse ended when I locked my first husband out of the house, but instead, for the next few months, things got worse. As is the case for many battered women, things got more dangerous when I attempted to end the relationship. I did all the right things--worked with domestic abuse advocates and the police. I filed an Order for Protection. And even then, things got worse. After he cut the brake hose of my car, I took my children and myself to a shelter for safety. Then I left my job and moved out of town.

I moved on in my life. I put my life back together and became a stronger woman. I have also worked as a social worker and have helped other women escape abuse.  And as the recent Women's Press article shared, creating art was an important part of my healing from the abuse I endured so many years ago.

 

In the past few years, I've been working on a series of paintings that had their beginnings in the artwork that I first created following my divorce. I've titled the series Womanspirit Revisited. Force of Nature, the painting featured on the cover of MN Women's Press is one of the painting in the series. I exhibited this painting and two other paintings from the series at the recent Art Crawl. 

 

This is the first time I've shared the painting Grace In Sorrow (I'm sharing photos here). I created this painting last winter. The words that I added to the woman's body are my own words about my own experience--it was written years ago for court. I know it is powerful--even difficult to view. I shared it with the encouragement of my loving, supportive husband. It was interesting watching the reactions of those who looked at it. The words on the body, not readable from a distance, drew in the viewer. Quite a few commented about how powerful the work was. One man had a hard time hearing that it was indeed my personal story--even when I told him it had happened over 20 years ago. (This is part of what I hope people think about--this type of thing happens to people you know. Some women don't survive--like the Minnesota woman who was recently murdered by her abuser when she tried to leave). 

 

 

 

Sharing my story, through words or art, is no longer painful. I share it with the hope that it will have an impact. I share it to honor my experience. I share it with the hope that it will encourage other women...that they will feel the courage to move on, that they will not feel alone if they have faced similar experiences. And I share it to celebrate the power and courage of women everywhere.

And sharing this work was a powerful experience for me. I feel encouraged to continue on with this series. Someday I hope it will be its own exhibit. I think it would be very powerful.

Now hot off the press!

It's out! The October issue of Minnesota Women's Press--with my painting Force of Nature gracing the cover--is hitting the newstand today!


I've been anxiously waiting for these final September days to pass so that I could finally see this issue out in print. No, I did not see an advance issue. Early in September I did the interview with the Women's Press editor Norma Jean Olson. Interviews are not an everyday kind of thing for me, so I was a little nervous during the interview (which was done over the phone). O.k. I was very nervous. But also very excited.

Once the interview was done, I had to wait...and wait. Believe me, I thought about it alot...wondering what the cover would look like, thinking about what the article/interview would say...I knew that the article would talk quite a bit about how my first marriage was abusive. It's a little hard being that vulnerable and open to the public, but I'm o.k. with that. For starters, I left my first husband over 20 years ago (he's now deceased)...I've had many years to put the whole experience in perspective.

And the important message that I wanted to put out there was that I not only survived the experience, but I am thriving. Making art has been an important part of my healing. I am a stronger woman having gone through that experience. Now I don't think that any person should have to go through that kind of experience to become stronger, but I'm proud of how I weathered that personal storm and have grown from it. It is a part of my life experiences and those experiences do have an impact on my art.

I also hope that other woman who may have faced or are facing similar experience can benefit from reading my story and how my life has turned around. I am excited about my life today and feel fortunate that I am able to pursue my dreams.

So that said, I am very happy with the article and now can sit back and enjoy it. My wonderful, supportive husband called me this morning to tell me that he had spotted the October issue at the St. Paul coffee shop next to our home (and he grabbed several copies). Knowing it would drive me crazy to wait all day to see it, I set out on a journey to find my own copy. After stopping at six different Mpls coffeeshops (and coming up empty), I finally headed over to the Women's Press office and grabbed a few copies. (A friend has since found the issue at a Mpls coffeeshop). I came back to work and excitedly shared it with co-workers. It's a "pinch-me-is-this-real" sort of day.


So if you live in Mpls/St. Paul area and haven't found a copy yet, I hope you will check it out (look for it at local coffeeshops and libraries). For those not in the area, click here to read the article.

Wanted: Mannequins

"Force of Nature: Womanspirit Revisited"

I started t0day off like I do most days...eating a bowl of oatmeal while I peruse my favorite computer websites. First stop, my etsy shop. No sales. (Alas, that's pretty typical). Moving on, I checked my e-mail and blog. Then, I started blog-hopping.

Sometimes I think that the time I spend checking out other blogs just sucks up too much of my time. There is danger in that. But by writing my blog and visiting other artists' blogs I stay connected to a larger artist community. It motivates me to keep creating and writing. Often times by visiting other blogs I am inspired to try a new technique or to "push the envelope" a bit more.

Today's blog-hopping brought me an "a-ha" moment.

I was checking out the blog of "SwirlyGirl", aka Christine Mason Miller, and as I strolled down I saw her updated photos of an art project she is doing using dress forms. I've recently seen on some other blog (I can't remember where) someone else using dress forms for an art project.

Suddenly it occurred to me that dress forms or mannequins would be the perfect medium for me to use as part of my "Force of Nature: Womanspirt Revisited" series. I've been working on this series of paintings featuring women off and on for the past year. I keep plugging away on the series in between other projects.

This series is highly personal. This series had it's inception many, many years ago. My life was in major upheaval and I was re-inventing my life after leaving an abusive marriage. Art was part of my healing process and this series was born then. (I wrote some about this here).

Since part of my story is being a domestic abuse survivor, this series reflects that history. It is not all dark and gloomy. It is not just a story of survival. This series is a celebration of women, regardless of their story.

My thought is that I could use the dress forms as mixed media pieces that would reflect the spirit and souls of women who have experienced domestic violence. Some would be directly related to my paintings. I can imagine this series of paintings hanging in a gallery with the mannequins as part of the exhibit. Really, I can see it in my mind. I would love to have such an exhibit draw attention to the issue of domestic violence.

It's been many years (over 20) since I left that abusive relationship. In many ways, I am not the same woman who was in that relationship. And yet, that experience is part of who I am. It made me a stronger woman. That experience shapes my work as a social worker as I help other young women work to make their lives better. And in some ways, it shapes my life as an artist.

So there's my new art project. I'm not quite sure how to make this happen. But I figure if I put it out here, it will push me to work towards this goal. I did say I want to DREAM BIG in 2009.

Anyone know where to get my hands on some cheap mannequins?