A backward glance inspired the name of a big bold square that came together like the magical arrangements in the colourful child’s toy. There is nothing childish about this confident shapely girl who fledged the nest early but left a playful lasting impression.

The meditation paired with this episode is 14 minutes long toda. It came about organically at my dining room table where it was unusually, recorded live. Quiet moments engaged in a simple repetitive action took me out of my own way as a composition with words evolved.
Join in at 8:45 in the recording to add your own colour to this arrangement

“KALEIDOSCOPE” 48” x 48”, Acrylic on Panel 2021

In previous episodes of the podcast we have chatted a bit about FLOW, about the painting process, and how for me that tends to develop into a rhythm. I am often reminded, Art imitates life imitates life. In everything there is an ebb and flow, whether that is seasonally, annually or even daily. My studio practice is my regular work day and probably like yours it follows a similar ebb and flow pattern.

For instance, regardless of the season, as I get more settled into my routines and the physical motion of painting becomes a more familiar and comfortable process, smoother and more confident marks tend to be more attainable.

Each painting session encourages a more relaxed process that keeps me present, in the moment, where I am an arm’s length from the action of solving a compositional problem in colour. I also trust myself more, allow myself to make choices and then make another one if the first one doesn’t go as planned. When I am more consistent with my studio time and I allow less distractions to eat away at my work time I get more confident with my process and in turn make marks that are and more effective with more efficient results.

Inspiration is everywhere. This snapshot taken in an incidental green space in Old Montreal. It provided a beginning, only. What a painting evolves into depends on the choices and marks I make in the process. There are no guarantees.

Developing a studio rhythm within a particular body of work seems to be important. We’ve talked about shapes and how I often go through stages of working on multiple panels of the same shape and size for a period of time.

The square for example has been in (literal) play for a lot of the last year or so. 48” squares have been available in cradled panels firstly which isn’t always the case given recent manufacturing challenges. I’ve been partnering these large squares with a twin to become a diptych. For those wanting to know why I don’t do triptychs with 4 foot panels, it’s because my little studio can only handle a pair. 4 feet x 8 feet is pretty much the extent of my painting space right now and though I have been known to paint myself around a corner adapting to Covid- 19 shut downs, I don’t need to deal with that again.

The composition takes it cues from original intentions and/or any inspirational imagery that I am attracted to. It becomes an evolving process. Here are some early marks that helped to build the under layers.. Its all about building and often without scaffolding

Before I began “Kaleidoscope”, todays featured painting I’d been working on a pair of diptychs that had gotten to that teetery point where they aren’t quite finished but need some time to percolate before I can take them across the finish line. At that point I want to continue to paint but also want to avoid losing the magic that is fermenting in the current works in progress. On days like that it’s a good thing to have a naked unprimed canvas or panel of the same size to get painting on.

I was drawn to the warm choral pink in the top right of this developing painting. Its generally accepted that warm colours bring a sense of space forward and cooler tones recede. Colour theory comes with some rules but we don’t always have to follow them

I love the beginnings where the action is fast and fluid, and my physical movements as well as the paint really do flow. It’s a period during the work of art that has no attachment to outcome. Initial marks, for me, are all about freedom and the simplicity of being present in the creative process until the alarm goes off and I have to pack up and go home.

Choosing a subject to paint.

So where does the subject come from I’ve been asked. In this case we had recently been to Montreal exploring the waterfront around Old Montreal, we came across a temporary gallery or exhibition space and just outside of it was a public space: part incidental green space, part wild/ native flowers and part volunteers, i.e. weeds. It’s all about perspective right; weeds might mean a totally different thing to you than they do to me. I don’t actually call anything weedy, I prefer naturalised…

The painting process is a process. Any composition becomes a visual equation to be solved. This painting evolved comparatively quickly on my painting wall. Relationships between elements seemed to flow and my biggest concern was trying to avoidt destroying some of the lovely details that began to present themselves. Painting can often be an exercise in restraint.

Anyway, I took a few snap shots as visual documentation of the moment before we continued our cobblestone walk back to the hotel. Much later I revisited those snapshots in passing and used a group of them to help give an initial structure to this very new composition that was just getting started on the paint wall.

Having been previously painting with disciplined regularity the mark making becomes way more fluid and the results encouraging. And though I didn’t have a formalised plan when I began beyond a backward glance at those miniature incidental greenspace snaps on my iPhone, I did allow the composition to lead the way.

I tried really hard to avoid overpainting. When I did feel the magic happening I forced myself to walk away, before I took it too far and lost the simplicity of it. Leaving well enough alone may have been my biggest accomplishment with this painting. It’s so unlike me.

I love life in the details. This snapshot gives a more realistic view of the shapes and textures I am working with from my arms reach perspective.

I liked the looseness of the shapes and colours that suggested instead of described the subject. I liked the strength of the composition and the dominance of purple and periwinkle which differed from what I had been working with in the previous paintings.

It’s good to switch things up sometimes, to go with the flow and accept we don’t always have control of a composition. Painting can be a humbling experience we might think we have control of a situation but a few extra marks can change the tune of a composition really quickly. And not always in the direction we plan. On other occasions a painting in process can lead us to a new and unexpected result. Less can actually be more. And that’s what I think happened with “Kaleidoscope”.

My friend and framer of Chicken Coop Productions had seen some developing work on the paint wall through the end of 2021 and the early part of 2022. It’s funny sometimes in the past when we were both tenants in the Exchange District, I would ask for a critique from this once upon an environmental design grad. This is a person with an engineer’s mind who is a deep critical thinker and who has handled the work of legends in the Canadian art world for years. Opinions are always honest.

In response to my request for a critique I would sometimes get a raised eyebrow which was code for, your not really asking me are you? You know how they say not making a decision is also making a decision, well, the same applies to this non response. It had the power to clearly let me know that a particular work still had a long way to go before it was ready for public consumption..

At other times, particularly with my art quilts he would be enthusiastic and very complimentary. On a rare occasion he would waltz in to my studio from his own across the hall and proclaim he was going to buy something. Most times I would have just given the piece to him in trade for framing or in gratitude for the support and encouragement he offered but he would insist and need an official receipt for his records.

I was pleased to learn “kaleidoscope” was to be the newest addition to his vast collection. This client and friend has made some beautiful handmade frames for various pieces over the 20 plus years of our association and I look forward to seeing what he eventually adds to this one that he now owns.

While I am never actively trying to replicate an inspirational image I will confess to taking lots of photographs in my daily travels. This one of spring blooming alliums in my side yard was a likely subliminal reference for “KALEIDOSCOPE”

The title for this painting came about while I was in the process of working on the “Wonderland” pair. The term had come up as a suggestion from a friend on social media and I had filed the name kaleidoscope for later use. The name just seemed to fit this particular painting. Sometimes a name can be symbolic or personally coded but other times something just resonates and we go with that.

Work and Play. What we label the parts of our day depends a lot on our perspective. My husband was in another city (with me) for work but we took some culture breaks together when we could. My work is generally about play and I kept that theme in mind while away exploring galleries. This is his experience of “CHROMATIVE by Ryan Buyssens of Sarasota Florida.

Our meditative self care break takes a different path in this episode.

In the meditation that follows in this episode I began talking out loud to myself and my iPhone as I helped a daughter do some repetitive work on an installation mock up for her masters of architecture program. It was a time consuming and mindless assembly that she enlisted my always willing help for. My contribution to the project involved colouring small acrylic tiles with permanent marker. Her plan to dye them died as her trial pieces melted and fused into a molten clump on the stovetop. Colouring worked and though it was time consuming and repetitive the process had a way of taking me outside of myself in a meditative fashion. I hope you’ll listen in on the recording.

Recording the meditation with a pre plan and while colouring at the dining room table was an experiment of sorts for me. I involved me giving up some of the control I have held on to. Negotiating the technical challenges of this podcasting project has taken me way out of my personal comfort zone. In this meditation the sound may have some interference but going a little more with the flow helped me to get out of my way, to allow the process to flow instead of feeling the need to be totally prepared with a written text.

I’d love to know how it comes across for you.

This is me at play in the Contemporary Jepson Centre in Savannah Georgia. Here we discovered Ryan Buyssens interactive work, “CHROMATIVE”, 2017 and had fun conducting the Kaleidoscopic play.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Travel for me is always a great inspiration. I love to explore and experience the work of others. In Savannah Georgia I came across the work of RYAN BUYSSENS from Sarasota Florida. “CHROMACTIVE, 2017, utilizes the properties of light to create a changing interactive experience. It employs the reflection, refr=action and movement of coloured light to transform the gallery space into a kaleidoscopic experience.

Perspective: In real time as this episode was being published my landscape was freezing and I spent some time the previous weekend photographing my MANDART FUZZY BLANKET samples at the lake. The breeze was brisk and I really appreciated the cosy warmth of the fireplace coupled with this cosy “ Napper” when all the fun was over. (ie when I could no longer feel my hands) The lesson, Listen to your body kids! This is a no frostbite zone. The double sided blanket shown is version 1 of 3 Mandart Blankies. Coming in the spring to a pop up or your inbox.

It seems we have reached the end of todays backstory. Thanks for tuning in to this episode. I really appreciate you spending some of your valuable time with me. I hope the images are helpful and that you are finding something of your story within mine by listening in to the podcast, or catching up through this blog.

Join me on the recording only for the meditation. Listening in is as simple as pressing the arrow in the player at the top of this blog, to the podcast page on my website or simply listen wherever you get your podcasts.

The meditation this episode is 14 minutes of self care. It begins at 8:45 in the recording. If my work or words inspire you please consider sharing the podcast with a friend or writing a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for joining me. Hope to see you next Tuesday.

All best, Amanda.

Apple Trailer - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-at-the-crossroads-trailer/id1609992256?i=1000551067035