These are some crazy times. We’ve been stripped of certainties and forced to redefine our lives. What is of true value in our lives? Friendship. Sharing. Communication. For me, the common factor is love - letting others know that I love them, am here for them, and letting them love me back. Yet, first and foremost, I must love myself. Who ever I am today is where I begin.

Burt Bacharach had it right with his song: “What The World Needs Now Is Love”. Because of the Covid 19 shutdown, I’ve found new ways to be grateful for who I am and how I live my life. Self-quarantine requires solo T.L.C. Being alone, who better to love me, than me?

First color wash and wax

The act of creating can be a helpful tool - it reflects the now and heralds change. It can show us who we are and what we may want to alter. For me, creating art is like creating love, each painting contains little bits of my love for life. I create for me, for sure, but it’s also to invite others to feel good, too.

Forced change, as in the Covid shutdown, most often results in a realignment of perspective. In the middle of things, I can forget that there’s so much more to life than raging headlines. While the shift has been trying and worrisome, oddly, I am the happier for it.

Second color wash and wax ironed off. At this point, I’m thinking the white wavy lines are distracting and I can’t see enough of the bamboo or moon.

This might interest you: it’s a 2-person Q and A game from Dean Graziosi’s book “Millionaire Success Habits”. Person A asks Person B: “What is important to you about being a successful artist?” (I tried to do it to myself but the answers were far more surprising and authentic when done with a friend.) Whatever Person B says, is then tagged on to the original beginning phrase and asked again by Person A: “What is important to you about…”. This Q and A is repeated 7 times. I think you’ll be amazed at what you say.

I did this with sister Jean and we went from her first impression of “being able to treat others, giving joy to others” to “it’s about self-love and showing others the value within them”. We never did crystalize what the original question was. (So like us). It was maybe something like: “What is important to you about being abundant in your life?”, but I’m still not really sure.

Here I’ve asked for critique from my art group and have darkened more behind the bamboo, and created a second bamboo on the right by using crayons and pencils to darken the area around the design. (At this point, simple watercolor washes will not adhere to the waxed paper and I have to get creative to make any changes. Also note, I despised that right hand bamboo and experimentally cropped the painting to see if that would make me happier.)

Other questions might be: “What is important to you about being the happiest you could be?” or “What is important to you about being your most authentic self?”. As Jean and I proved, any question (or no question at all) will lead you on an interesting journey.

As to self-quarantine? I have found I’m kinda built for it. I love having so much more studio time and, with the help of my co-creative art group, I’ve been happily (with some spectacular failures) exploring and expanding further into my creative self, who is all about love. She loves trying everything and nothing gets in the way of her fun. Sounds like a good way to move forward to me.

So, what is important to you about…? I’d LOVE to hear your answers! Or, if you want, we could do this together.

More feedback from the group encouraged me to keep the right bamboo and add more turquoise to make the left side bamboo standout more. You’ll note I decided to not crop the painting. This painting and lots more are in the Beaux Batiks category on my new and improved Website!

Hang in there…I love you!

Does anyone out there have trouble doing what this title suggests?

Ask for what you want. Sounds so simple, so… easy. I did this naturally as a child and kept doing it even though I didn’t always get what I was asking for. When going through my horsey stage, every year, for about four years I think, I’d tell my mom all I wanted for Christmas was a horse. We lived in the suburbs; I thought I could just keep her in the backyard. Life seems simple when you’re a kid.

Yet, in and of itself, asking is simple. The give and take of asking and receiving is simple. The messy bit is being vulnerable while you ask. When did that become difficult? How else will we get what we want? Why do we keep ourselves separate from potential loving responses and the support we crave and need?

It’s really so silly to fear being vulnerable, when that is the real reward. At its center, vulnerability offers peace and grace and strength. (This is who I am. Who will like me as I am?) Being vulnerable allows for true friendships and love, and weeds out those who cannot offer that.

Gypsy Mood: I love the colors and the light-hearted sweep of this piece. This is one in a series of abstracts (you saw others in a previous blog) I began in my quest to loosen up my painting style. My desire is to take this free-fall feeling and reinterpret all the creatures and things I love to paint like dragonflies and bamboo and garden temples…

Like the horse dream, I have another that is just as heartfelt, just as deep. It is to be a really good artist (and I mean a really really really good one) and to have the message of my art reach out to touch the childlike eager hearts of others. I want so much for what I paint to soothe and uplift and happyfy (it’s my blog, I’m allowed to make up my own words) the little kid souls in others - maybe lying dormant, perhaps reluctantly swept under the rug of adulthood - quietly waiting for someone else to acknowledge them.

To that end, I am in the deep process of reclaiming my authentic artistic voice. Let me say this clearly: I see you. I love you. You are safe. Come out and join me.

I am involved in a process of excavation. I am revamping my Website and you will soon see a tidal wave of new art I have been busy with during my time with the Master Class program I spoke of earlier. I am now involved in a second group of fellow creatives who are seeking the same reward of authenticity, uniqueness, freedom, contentment.

I want feedback. I want you to play with me. How do you think I am doing? What do you see and feel and think when you look at my art? What would you do differently? And then…do you want anything right now? If it feels right for you, tell me about your dreams. Let’s start a conversation.

Eight Brocades: Here I share my love for T’ai Chi. This pose in one of a series (hence the title) and is called “Drawing The Bow To Shoot The Arrow.” The remaining “brocades” are represented by the seven background colors. I have already redesigned her so keep an eye out for a different interpretation coming soon to a blog site near you!

I’m also asking, if this blog strikes a similar chord in you, that you forward it and my website info (judyaveiro.com) to others. I want to grow my tribe. I want to put myself out there and co-create with as many other crazy creatives as I can. I want to build friendships based on trust and dreams and reaching for happy.

Vulnerably yours,

Judy

PS: IF you’re interested, the book I’m reading that started all this is by Amanda Palmer titled: “The Art of Asking.” Thanks, Patrice, for turning me on to her! xo

That’s what I’m on (and I’m jazzed). I knew something was up - a sense that things were moving big time under the surface of my normal busy life. Yet both that sensation and the normalcy seemed to go on forever. I’d been expecting a big bang of some sort and didn’t realize “it” had already happened until a few weeks after.

This is titled “Gaia’s Jewels”. I’m having fun with the batik method on rice paper and adding watercolor crayons.

I follow a couple of online art blogs. For years, I’ve passed on ads for art classes and workshops posted in them - never felt inspired to even click on a link. The impulse to act on this one was a strong one and following through on it has led me to Gwen Fox and her Master Class for artists. She’s an award-winning artist herself, as well as an art coach, and she’s clever-good at helping you pare down to bare bones - your strengths, your dreams, your desires.

In the past few weeks I’ve felt surprised, awed, and unraveled. In my most floundering moments I wondered how to put myself back together. Happily, Gwen has designed her course to offer the tools and the guidance to help you build on and to follow your own unique artistic voice.

This one started from a photo of trash left by the side of the road. The idea is to view the every day stuff differently. Can trash be beautiful? In an abstract, maybe. Untitled…suggestions?

When I was young, I did this automatically (before the adult thing got in my way). I had running creative conversations with myself that sometimes got me into trouble (see attached video below). And it’s also why I’m so crazy excited about this unfolding. I’ve wanted to feel solidly connected to this part of me for a long, long time.

“Santa Fe Rain”. Here, I’ve used neutrals and surprise bits of color to add interest. This is watercolor on yupo, the polymer paper. I’ll be showing you more of this paper later.

I’m already in love with Gwen and with my fellow artists in this amazing group. Equally intimidated by their collective talent and committed to enhancing mine, the only way forward was to be completely open to whatever the process might uncover. To myself and to them I said: “This is who I am. How can I be better?”

“Pulsar”. This piece is the batik method on rice paper. It was really fun and challenging and exciting as I discovered watercolor crayon is a way I can build on a design after I’ve already waxed the paper. More on this method later as well.

I’ve been stretched and reshaped before and always, always it’s been a very good thing. I know I can trust the uncertainty as well as the wisdom of this moment. My plan is to let my kid go wild, to eagerly follow where she leads and to keep telling my inner critic to bug off. I would like to remember that failures come from reaching and are good things to have happen along the way. (You have my permission to remind me of this when I forget.)

There will be a lot more later on to talk about. For now, here’s my very first warts-and-all video selfie. I was stressed out…what will I say?! Better yet, what do I want to say? By tackling that homework assignment, I’m one step closer to the prize and I’m really glad I took the challenge.

Talk with you soon!

Judy