artist at play
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What?!
Wendell Berry, in his novel Jayber Crow, expands his description of a rickety house with a simile: the whole thing was slung a little askew like an old dog half minded to lie down. I think today’s CutUp is itself a rickety house slung a little askew like an old dog half minded… Continue reading
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See-Saw
You know how on a see-saw, with some focused attention, riders can position their relative weights on either side of the fulcrum so as to allow for a pleasant cooperative experience of moving up and down, up and down in a satisfying rhythm, and sometimes choose to find the balance point that leaves them at… Continue reading
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Sometimes an Idea Takes a Little Time to Gel
OK, I admit it. I thought making a series of CutUps would be quick and easy; I’d churn out two dozen pieces in no time. Turns out, more often than not they’re time-consuming and challenging. Who’da guessed? Probably my muse. I suspect the challenges are precisely what my creative energy is meant to be grappling… Continue reading
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Wuji
In Chinese philosophy and Qigong there is a concept of Wuji that, in simple terms, represents the state of absolute emptiness or non-duality, where there is no differentiation between yin and yang. Wuji can be considered the foundational stance in Qigong. When done correctly, the practitioner achieves a perfect alignment, allowing energy to move freely… Continue reading
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Underdoing
I began taking Qigong classes in late December. Qigong is an ancient Chinese healing practice that combines meditation, controlled breathing, and gentle movement. Roughly translated as the master of one’s energy, Qigong combines two important concepts of traditional Chinese medicine. Qi refers to vital life force, while gong means mastery or cultivation. The practice is… Continue reading
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Another January Finish
So happy to have my painting starts from June of last year serve as raw material for CutUps and come fully into their own magnificence all these months down the road in January. I use my paper trimmer to cut another card from one of the starts. I adhere three layers of tissue to veil… Continue reading
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Conversation Hearts
With Valentine’s Day coming, and shapes on my agenda, I’ve been playing with the heart symbol, an ideograph that’s—endearingly—an anatomically inaccurate shape. ❤️ You’re probably familiar with conversation hearts, those little candies imprinted with messages—BE MINE, KISS ME, FOR EVER. I’m using my blog as an art journal today to capture a different conversation, one… Continue reading
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Like Granddaughter, Like Grandmother, part 2
In the fiction category, tapping into Dave’s and my both enjoying the young adult novels of Chris Crutcher in recent months, Dave for the first time and I for the second and sometimes third time since 1992, we decided to give Caroline a copy of Crutcher’s earliest novel, … drumroll … Running Loose. Happy birthday,… Continue reading
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Like Granddaughter Like Grandmother, part 1
Early this month I texted Caroline, vis a vis her late January birthday when she’d turn 17: do you have any particular books you’re wishing for? or a category we could dip into? Her reply: Nothing in particular really, I like a surprise! I gravitate towards historical stuff and would like to read more fiction… Continue reading
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Like Grandmother Like Granddaughter
My granddaughter Caroline texted me in early January to wish me a happy new year and to tell me that at Christmas she and her good friend had “exchanged books and matching bookmarks with inspiration from your birthday gift for me last year so thought you’d like to see the results! Murder mystery from her… Continue reading
My Story
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.
dottyseiter: now playing 