Abstract paintings

I've been doing abstract art lately,  specifically fluid and flow/drip art. Sometimes the control freak in me just wants to take a break and let things just happen.  Don't get me wrong, this is a specific technique and takes specific supplies, including additives, so it doesn't just happen, but it is relaxing. I tried the pour technique about five years ago, but didn't really have a dedicated place to paint, and this style of painting can be messy. Once you do your research and you set your space up so the mess wont get out of hand, then you can relax and not worry about perspectives and horizon lines and proper placement of facial features. It's just fun.

With all that being said, here are a few that I have done this year. Before I got into the totally free flowing abstract, I painted these...

I cant remember if I'm shown these here, but they are the largest that I have done for some time, they are on stretched canvas that is 36" x 36".  They were fun, but there was still so much decision making involved and I really wanted to step away from reality and let the paint be my reality for a while.

Enter these...

These were two of my first pour art pieces.  The top one reminds me of a cave, while the bottom one I feel is very ocean-y.

Next I poured this...one painting but done in two pours...

I did the purple background first and it didn't grab me as a stand alone painting, although my sister and my friends had fun finding hidden images in it.  I had originally planned to do a pour that had floral colors in it, so after the purple dried, I mixed up some yellows and greens and did another pour along with some splatter techniques.

Not all paintings are successes, sometimes you get epic fails, but it's fun to take a mess and run with it...

This one was a total experiment and while it looks creepy to some, I liked putting dots in it to resemble eyes.

I have other paintings that I will share with you next post, but I will leave you with this one...

I have to admit, this was a complete accident, not at all what I was going for. This image was achieved by trying to scrape off paint that was starting to turn to mud on the canvas. I actually love the way it turned out. 

For this last painting, I used transparent airbrush paints as my first layer and the smell of them was quite off putting. I personally don't want to have to wear a mask or a respirator in my studio, so I tend to stay with products that are low odor and hopefully less toxic.

Well that's it for today. Hope you all are having a great week, month, year. Whatever or however you gauge your passage of time, enjoy it...it is fleeting.

Frozen Shoulder, Fibromalgia and other imaginary illnesses

I am not one to bitch and moan. No one can do anything about it and usually, unless it has happened to them, people don't even believe you. I have a new respect for people that have illnesses and handicaps that arent visible to others.

I have frozen shoulder in my left arm and there really isn't much you can do about it. So many differing schools of thought. Some doctors think physical therapy is the answer and some think surgery is the answer, while other professionals think that it will eventually subside on it's own and that whatever you can do to manage the pain is your only recourse.

Pain medication, other than Tylenol, raises my blood pressure to stroke levels so I have to rely on other methods of pain management. I am currently taking a natural muscle relaxant that helps and a combination of herbal supplements used for fibromalgia (which I know I have for years, but try to get that diagnosed) and they seem to be helping some.

When I wake up in the morning, I feel like I am made of stone. My body feels so heavy that it is difficult to get out of bed. Not impossible, but difficult. I would think that this is a symptom of something, but at this point, do I really want to know why?

I have a friend that has lung and (I think) heart problems and they are causing shortness of breath and other symptoms that arent visible. She is so hesitant to call in sick, because she knows no one will believe her and that they think she is trying to get out of work. She has worked all her life, and now in mid fifties, feels like she is "on her last leg", but just keeps pushing on, as she feels like she has no other option.

I have another friend that is a cancer survivor, and pushes herself to the limit all the time. Just to look at her, you wouldn't know anything was ever wrong. But she hurts. That doesn't keep her from cooking, and cleaning and helping her family when I know she doesn't feel like it. Wont let anyone help her much, as she wants to be the one helping. I suppose she is a nurturer by nature (say that three times fast).

Different people choose different ways to deal with illness and pain. Some like the ones listed above are more inclined to keep things to themselves while others are more inclined to talk about what hurts them, only to be scorned and called hypochondriacs.

The bottom line, and the real reason for this post is to remind you of this...just because you haven't' experienced a certain health issue, doesn't mean that it isn't real. It doesn't give anyone one the right to talk down to someone, or to have such negative thoughts about them.  Have some compassion.

True there are some people that thrive on sympathy and beg for money to pay for medical expenses that aren't actually needed, but in my opinion, those people are fewer that the people that really need our help, monetarily and emotionally.

Try to be more caring and look past the fact that you cannot relate to something you have never had, try walking a mile in their shoes. Try to not make it about you, there are things that you will never experience, that are real. There are mental and physical conditions that afflict many people in the world today, and while I cannot relate to something, I am going to try to be more understanding.

Sure it's good to support organizations that help disaster victims and it's great to support animal rights groups and such, but try to remember that there just might be someone in your own circle of friends that you could do more for.  I know I am going to try to be more understanding. Because I know from my own life that things can change in the blink of an eye. So now, more than ever, I will strive to...

Be nicer. Try harder. Don't be so quick to judge. Help where I can. Listen when no help is to be had.

I know this was a long and drawn out post and for that, perhaps I should apologize because I also really love this quote:

So I will try not to judge that which I don't understand well enough.