Skip to main content

Pushmi-Pullyu


It's been weeks since I've posted on my blog. I find December a disorganized and frazzled month. I get distracted at Christmas and it's all I can do to get into my studio. At the beginning of January though, I jumped back into my work. I've been painting as well as applying for international artist residencies.

I find each new year invigorating yet I begin to rethink my work, where it's going and what I'd like to accomplish during the next year.

I remember reading Dr. Dolittle to my children when they were small. I loved the Pushmi-Pullyu. An imaginary Pushmi-Pullyu sometimes comes to sit on my shoulder at the beginning of a new year and chuckles into my ear. Part of me appreciates it. The Pushmi side keeps wanting to push me forward in my work, not letting me relax into complacency, goading me on. Part of me can't stand the discomfort that brings, challenging me to find new ways to work.

I've been taking up the challenge, trying some new techniques, working more abstractly.....I'm playing.

I might not post those images for a while yet.

Meanwhile the Pullyu part is also at work. I am feeling the pressure of creating work for my solo exhibition at Wallace Galleries in Calgary at the end of April. It's the artist's paradox. Do I stay with the work that is feeling comfortable or do I play and stretch?

G.K. Chesterton says: "The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground".
Labels:

Comments

  1. Alyson ChampJanuary 18, 2010 at 4:20 AM

    Hi Janice,
    Glad to see you are back! I was missing your blog. These questions of "playing" in art making and having the courage to change directions are also especially relevant to me right now too. I'm doing a solo show in March- just collages!
    I can't wait to see what you've been up to.
    Alyson

    ReplyDelete
  2. jane lindJanuary 18, 2010 at 1:20 PM

    Jan, given who you are, you can't help but try new stuff. That's what is so energizing in looking at your work.
    Jane

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Liminal Time

 The word liminal comes from the Latin, limen meaning threshold. an in-between place, a place of transition, a time of waiting and not knowing. Dawn and dusk are considered liminal places. Crepuscular animals, like foxes and coyotes are most active at this time of day, a time that is considered a magical time in Celtic spirituality and to Indigenous people which is perhaps the origin of their designation as tricksters.   As I write this, the northern hemisphere has just passed the vernal equinox, where day and night are of equal length.We are in a liminal space between winter and spring right now, unsure if we will have one more storm or snowfall before spring finally settles in. We're also in a liminal place as we live through this pandemic with the  anxiety and discomfort of not  knowing. A  time of great transition for the entire world, wondering what we've learned from this and what lessons we'll carry forward.     Author and Fr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lessons that Stone Walls Teach

Dry stone wall in the Burren, Co. Clare, Ireland   I've just returned from teaching a Workshop in Wild Places class in the Burren in County Clare, Ireland. Writing this post, I'm reminded of another post I wrote after visiting Inishmaan, the middle of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland several years ago. Stone walls crisscrossed the island in tight webs like a fisherman's net. I wrote then that the web of stone walls made me think of the idea of putting limitations on our painting as a way of exploring more deeply and how walls give limits against the limitless. You can read that article   here. As our group hiked in the Burren with our guide, Marie McGauran we learned that the walls are stronger because of the holes in them. The wind can pass through. The oldest stone walls, estimated to be 3500 years old are at Skara Brae, a Neolithic site in Orkney. Most walls were built in the 18th and 19th century, marking areas of private ownership and resultin...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Can't Wait to Travel Again

                        I miss travelling! I’ve always loved to travel especially to wild and remote places  but living on an artist’s unsteady salary, I’ve learned to find inexpensive ways to travel. Several years ago, I discovered  artist residencies, which provide accommodation and small studio spaces. These are available to artists all over the world, some of which are free depending on acceptance of your application, others cost a small amount. I prefer ones that are remote but provide accommodation to a small group of artists rather than just one person. The interaction with artists from other countries is a stimulating, enlightening and enriching experience.                  St. John's Newfoundland 2019 After I’d been teaching painting classes for several years in various parts of Canada, the US, as well as in Sweden and Iceland, I had the idea to combine m...
Post a Comment
Read more