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diary of an artist at work

Directing My Attention

firestorm and mayhem
in politics, but this too:
birdsong before dawn.

dotty seiter

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A Nice Ordinary House, He Promised
4 x 4.25″; acryilic, ink, watercolor pencil, and collage on paper
Make Yourself at Home series
2026

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Notes about poem and art:
• “firestorm” began as a firestorm of high-speed inrushing winds of verbiage that fueled flames relentlessly until haiku firefighters came to the rescue and brought everything under control with directed attention.
A Nice Ordinary isn’t at all what I had in mind when I headed to my studio, but a collection of old paintings and other paper scraps caught my eye, and my hands ran with what my eye spied. When I developed my Let’s Face It Together series, I experimented a bit and landed on bringing to life ‘found faces’ in old neurographic doodles. Similarly, after playing with several pieces in my Make Yourself at Home series, I seem in this piece to have landed on building houses on ‘found real estate,’ again in old work. To wit, several years ago while on vacation in the mountains of West Virginia, I tried my hand at loose scribbled and painted designs in a grid format. I didn’t fall in love with the results, but now that I’ve cut the grid into its parts I’ve directed my attention in a new way, and I see those parts in a new light, developing quite an affection for this first updated piece of the grid.



3 responses to “Directing My Attention”

  1. Love your very concise Haiku! Birds chirping in the early morning, who could ask for more!

    Wow, you have lots to work with with that old series! Love how you placed the little houses, slight angle from one another. Breaking the frame brilliant!

    Are you following Sketchbook Revival? Day 1 there was a demo “Draw a Wobbly Fantasy House” thought of you and your new series!

    Like

    1. Carol, thanks for your affirming comments! Landing on haiku to clarify my thoughts was such a relief! Hearing birds (and peepers) well ahead of sunrise is such a gift.

      Yes to placing my little houses at a slight angle from one another, and to breaking the frame—both decisions felt strong and clear : )

      I am following Sketchbook Revival … and I’ve already drawn a wobbly fantasy house, following along with Irene Ruby’s welcome lead.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Joyful Puttering Avatar
    Joyful Puttering

    Your haiku says it perfectly! It’s one of those both/and situations….we can live in county that is burning down….and still find some peace listening to the birds.

    I’m making myself right at home in this wild piece! I love how you reinvent old pieces and go wherever your heart takes you!

    Like

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In 2014, I grab an unexpected opportunity to paint.

To make art.

I get hooked.

In 2015 I start a blog—a diary of my life as an artist.

I post my paintings and their stories. The good, the bad, the ugly.

My compass points: bust through fear, be playful, get messy, trust my gut.

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