Yesterday we held Granny’s Interment. My Uncle is visiting from the US and it was really important that we all gathered together to say goodbye. Yes it was two years ago, but she is finally home now. it was a joyous celebration of who she was and a chance for us to share stories and talk about her wonderful, crazy life.

I organized the music. it was wonderful remembering the music that she loved, like MacArthur Park- because despite her many talents my Granny couldn’t cook. and Jonathan Livingston Seagull which she adored. she loved the story of a seagull who wanted to do more, soar higher than ever before.

this post is a tribute to her memory. I’m glad to have had the chance to say goodbye, and thankyou for making me the artist I am today.
Skybird spread your wings…

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to new years resolutions, why we create them and what they do to us. Last year I had several blog posts worth. Did I achieve them all? No, sometimes because the scope was too huge, and sometimes because as the year went on they lost relevance or new things came up that changed the game.

This year I am trying a completely different tack. I am shunning my old standby the list and going with a single new years resolution:

Identify opportunities and seize them

Last year I started to see how powerful this could be. I took a massive step forward in my career mindset just by being open to new opportunities. I liked it so much I want to dedicate my year to this single premise. And the best thing is that this doesn’t just refer to work, everything is an opportunity waiting to be seized.

What opportunities will you seize in 2012?

Wavelength 8×10 Oils on Canvas

I want to build up my online presence even more. Build on what I have created and refine my practices. I also want to add some YouTube into the mix. I hate YouTube, but I cannot deny it’s power. I also want to finally make a landing page for my facebook fan page!

This year may finally be the year of the website redesign. It might be time.

I want to work on my online galleries to make my listings as good they can be, I also want to increase my sales.

These goals are all related. my online presence is a large part of my success as an artist. I started using a lot of social media tools before social marketing was even really a thing.. but I’ve stayed away from youtube. mostly because of the comments. and the inanity. I don’t love the idea of my work being on the same site as dogs pissing on keyboards. but, I also know that it is, truly, the last untouched arena for me, that it has massive sharing appeal and a huge following. sometimes you just have to Suck it up princess! (this seems to be becoming my theme this year). videos show more about art than photos can, sharing the works with people is the key and being precious about it won’t sell paintings! I have the software, the knowledge, I just don’t have any excuses.

my facebook page is going really strong, it could use some videos, some more images (must paint must paint) and a nice branded landing page. something to entice. that’s next weeks project.

as far as redesigning my webpage goes, I’ve been using iweb with some haxies to create my page, and it’s good, it’s certainly easy and it doesn’t distract me with fun code to play with, but I need to step it up a bit. I’m thinking of going to wordpress and a professional theme for artists with my own customisations. wordpress is so much more than a blog, it’s a fantastic Content Management System and I think it will really help with my SEO efforts. the problem with being a geek, however, is the constant itch to tweak, code and improve everything, and often I get so caught up in that I forget about painting! and that is the one thing I have to do this year over everything else. I’m looking at some artist website services as well, to prevent me from scratching the tweak itch.

I’m looking around still for an online gallery to replace Boundless Gallery, I’m using Discovered Artists and Artfire currently but I’d like to work further to finish uploading all my works for sale and make the descriptions and photographs as compelling as possible. I also want to finish my ‘view in a room’ images. they will help with my videos as well!

So.. Here is what a Gantt of this process would look like. no it is pretty anal to create a Gantt of something like this, a todo list works just as well, but I started something so here is my online strategy for the year in Gantt form. Online Goals

2010 has been a huge year for me in just so many ways! I decided to take much of the year off from chasing galleries, focusing on exhibiting and the hard slog of being an artist, and instead made my focus studio work, improving my art, and, of course, getting used to being a mommy! In some ways this plan worked out brilliantly and in others it didn’t. I’m not very good at slowing down it seems!
It’s been a hard year in many ways, but also one of the best years I can remember! Here’s a look back on everything I achieved this year:

1: I had a beautiful baby girl! being a mom is better than I could have imagined and she thrills me daily with each new accomplishment.

2: i’m still Breastfeeding! From someone who said she could never do it, and having so many problems to start with it’s now almost 10 months in. And one of the best things i’ve ever done. I look at Erica and how healthy and happy she is and I feel a great sense of accomplishment.

3: I gained representation! So much for not looking at galleries, I gained two in the one year!

4: I was juried into commercial exhibitions! Based on a render no less, first time a work has been accepted based on the concept alone.

5: I exhibited smarter, not more. I only went for exhibitions I truly wanted to be a part of. Ones that would look great on my CV.

6: I learned to say no to opportunities that wouldn’t benefit me. One exhibition I was lined up for went from bad to worse, it wasn’t being well organized and I felt it would end up reflecting badly on me, so I pulled out. I am not being elitist, i’m sure it was fine for some of the exhibitors, but it wasn’t set up for my kind of work.

7: my work improved! The key goal for this year was to get plenty of time for my art even with a baby, I really wanted to focus on working well in the studio and I think I have set up some excellent practices.

8: I was asked to donate a painting to a very good cause, I was treated very nicely and thrilled to be a part of it. The piece sold well!

9: I started to get a bit of name recognition going on. People mentioned they had heard of me a few times – how cool is that? my marketing and online viral stuff is paying off

10: my facebook page has gone gangbusters, and i’ve met some wonderful people, quite a few connections have come about through it and it’s fun to work with!

11: I’ve made some really great connections this year, in Australia and overseas, it’s wonderful to meet so many brilliant people!

12: I have a permanent home! I love the feel, we have space, and light and lots of wall space too! I will have a custom studio that is all mine, not a room I have to be careful in, but my own space to truly let go in. Next year I will be painting it and getting it all set up.

13: I have an iPad. i’m writing this post on it. I loves it so!

14: I became a ninja! Part of the daz beta squad testing all the latest tools, I also spent way too much, so it’s lucky that I am learning to…

15: become an affiliate maven! I am beginning to earn real money as an affiliate which is pretty cool.

16: I improved my 3d skills out of sight, I can’t even recognize the work I used to do! I’ve started working with bigger and better tools and really thinking about he way light works, it’s very cool.

17: I dropped 3 dress sizes. a very hard time with hyperemesis gravidarum plus breastfeeding and finally resetting my hormones after taking depo provera, has brought my weight back where it is supposed to be. now I need a new wardrobe!

18: I connected with my mother and father in a way I never knew I could, my relationship with them both is now better than ever!

19: I learned to lose myself in the sheer fun of playing, a good story, a song or a silly dance. it’s amazing how babies can help you reconnect with your inner child!

20: I learned to be happy where I am, I love the way things are unfolding, and the way my life is shaping up. I have so much to be thankful for, a brilliant husband, a wonderful baby, a lovely home, a career I adore, a name in the making and two brilliant cats. and an ipad. I have everything I could want.

Expecting

Again, Robert Genn has given me much to think about in one of his twice-weekly letters. this one strikes very close to home for me as well and I followed the links with interest. The letter is in response to an artist asking for advice on how to balance her art career and motherhood. Imagine how saddened I was to read so many of the comments. so many women saying that it was just impossible to be bth a mother and an artist, that it can’t be done, that it’s selfish to try and that it’s wrong to deprive your child. all the things, in fact, that Robert seemed to be concerned about in his letter.

Also, I want to mention the extreme expectations that current parents have for their children. Children have taken on a god-like role and have become the focus for everything from prepping for stellar futures to daily parental companionship. Parents sacrifice their own lives for the potential brilliance of kids. For better or for worse, raising kids well is the new religion.

Further, I wanted to say that letters like Cedar’s come in here like leaves from a shaken maple. I’m conscious that many artists, both male and female, use the advent of parenthood as a scapegoat for failing careers. Artists in this predicament need to examine their true motivation for this popular complaint.

It’s been my experience that dedicated artists will always find a way. I’m also happy to report that selfishness need not prevail, nor need the baby lie unchanged in its crib. The creative mind is always working, even during the application of nappies. Household workstations can be set up and work can continue between feedings and other downtimes. The intermittent business may actually benefit the art–for many of us, contemplation is a much needed ingredient to our progress.

[From Art and motherhood]

I worked throughout my pregnancy (despite many complications) and continue to work with my 5 month old baby. Part of it is luck, I have a wonderful baby and husband that helps me out enormously, but part of it is also sheer determination.

I am also worried about this new religion, it seems to be leading to a sense of entitlement and selfishness amongst children. I worry about women who lose their identities to their children and submerge themselves trying to be the perfect parent. Post Natal Depression is also up, I just can’t help but believe these numbers are linked. There is no such thing as the perfect parent and what works for one family may not work for yours. the best advice I’ve received is to do whatever works for you.

all of these subjects make me think about relative roles in the home and workplace. there is still an expectation that women will stay at home to raise their children, that their careers are temporary (as evidenced by the very large gap still in pay rates) and that we have a duty to surrender to our children. a few artist dads spoke out in the comments of this post, they find it just as challenging to balance their careers with their children. all working parents have this dilemma. the problem is that because so many artists are passionate about their jobs (and enjoy them!) it doesn’t always feel like work. this leads to a sense of guilt – I’m having fun so it can’t be real work! I’m not saying that women should all run back to the workplace, or that there is anything wrong with staying at home to be a full time parent. I’m not saying that any one option is the right way to go, I’m saying that it shouldn’t be assumed that the women are the ones to stay home and we certainly should not be penalized for it

Edit: in a rather amusing twist, this was supposed to be scheduled for later. as I was scheduling it Erica hit post.. apparently part of being a mother and businessperson is submitting a blog post even when you aren’t ready! I tried to stop it, but once it’s in the feeds there’s really nothing that can be done so oh well!

Shakuntala by Camille Claudel 1864-1943

From the 15th through the 19th century the nude was essential to art, especially to grand history paintings. Doing history paintings helped establish the stature of an artist. However, women were barred from studying the human nude regardless of gender; even when they were permitted to join the academies on quotas, they were restricted from such training. By the time the restrictions were lifted by the end of the 19th century, the nude was no longer central to painting’s subject matter. Nochlin discusses this issue extensively.
She writes, “I have gone into the question of the availability of the nude model, a single aspect of automatic, institutionally maintained discrimination against women, in such detail simply to demonstrate both the universality of this discrimination and its consequences, as well as the institutional rather than individual nature of but one facet of the necessary preparation for achieving mere proficiency, much less greatness in the realm of art during a long period.”[From Why have there been no great women artists? - Stabroek News - Guyana]

this sounds like an interesting concept, I don’t know if I agree with a central precept, however, that the nude is no longer central to painting. it’s a crucial part of training and still a key subject, from art history to now there is no single subject that has been covered as extensively as the human body.
it’s an interesting parallel to draw, that the lack of access to the nude for women artists impeded their growth as artists. but it is noted that other factors probably contributed as much. I look forward to reading more as this series continues but I find myself concerned that some of the logic appears to be a little scattered. I assume it will all pull together by the end. I also dispute the title, it’s an attention grabber (it grabbed me!) but there have been many excellent women artists of note, both in the periods mentioned and now. They have received less notoriety, but are not less ‘great’ -it all depends on how you define greatness.
I am interested to see if these conclusions about the history of women artists lead onto the current disparity between modern male and female artists.

Release - 12x12 Oils on Canvas

it’s so important to just do it. nothing is ever going to be perfect enough, nothing is ever going to be ready – everything is a process. putting things off until they are ready or perfect or just how you want them is anathema to getting anything actually achieved. and that is fine if you actually want to coast through and not achieve anything, but usually perfectionist types have very clear goals. I know I do.

If I had waited until I was “ready” to have a baby it would have never happened. and I find that now I have one, I am ready. nothing can prepare you, so there is a limit to how much planning you can do. I was a project manager so you can imagine how that strikes me! (must..plan..everything..) but I realized that all the planning in the world couldn’t prepare me. I just had to take the plunge. and I was right! I prepared for the things I could control (very little) and am in constant amazement by all the wonderful things I could never prepare for.

today I contacted some galleries. as I sent off the emails, I worried. my artist statement and bio aren’t perfect! I don’t have enough lines on my CV, I’m not ready, what if they turn me down, what if I get shunned by the entire arts community because of my problems with capitalization?

but I sent them off anyway. and already received one callback. so there perfectionism. sometimes you just have to jump in, hold your breath and hope. there is no such thing as ready. you won’t get anywhere dipping a toe in – you won’t know the temperature of the water until you actually get in.

millennial slippage is the term coined by Bill Henson to describe the current state of affairs worldwide. He emphasized that “The truth of art” should be exposed to our children, that we should never forget our artistic and cultural history. it’s on the basis of this that we can move forward rather than submitting to this millennial slippage.

The speech last night was excellent. Listening to Bill Henson discuss various cultural references, I looked around at a variety of young, blank, faces and I felt how true some of his statements were. we do need to expose our children to art, to history, to culture. art is the expression of history and the cumulation of our civilization. I was struck by Henson’s self effacing nature. watching him you would never know that someone so apparently shy was embroiled in such a shocking controversy that rocked the art world two years ago. It was interesting how little he cited his own work, preferring to discuss literature, composers and classic painters.

The political nature of the lecture was fascinating as he skirted any specific examples and avoided namecalling, calling instead for a return to statesmanship and common sense with more respect for the arts- both historical and current. I believe he feels truly wounded by Kevin Rudd’s insensitive and ill informed comments about his works, but rose above it to be the bigger person (as opposed to the way it was described in The Age).

I was particularly interested in the discussion about consent and censorship. His defense of the censorship board came as a surprise to some. giving credit where credit was due, he made it clear that the board were very supportive through the entire ordeal. The media have leapt on his comments about consent, afterall, Henson attacked a sacred covenant, contact sport for minors. this was a much more controversial statement than his research that life modeling for artists has no documented history of causing trauma to minors. The reverse appears to be true as so many previous models came to his defense during the scandal and remain solid friends.

I rose above my fear of public speaking to ask a question about the attitudes towards the nude in australia. his answer, in essence, was that he believes this is a wave and that most people are smart enough to realize the ridiculousness of the current attitudes, that the nude is a constant through these waves of attitude and censorship and will remain. I wish I agree that commonsense will prevail!

I wrote copious notes and will write about this further, I want to digest my thoughts more before I do. Needless to say, it was a pleasure to listen to such an articulate, genteel soul speak with passion and conviction. for further comments and observations please read Peter Ryan’s commentary at his blog.

one of my many visual diary sketches...

I sit in my studio, around me are images that have been painstakingly posed and rendered, they are all inspiring in different ways. in my mind I can see how each one will turn out. this one will be a watercolor, that one is begging to be an oil painting. I might try experimenting with that one and try something new. each piece unfolds in my brain, each stroke, each layer.

The future ramifications of each piece start to click together. marketing ideas, where I might want to list them, the collectors that might be interested, the people who might not like them. whether I want to build on a series of works like this, where I would show them, how they would be presented. How I would write about each individual piece. it’s keywords, it’s marketing phrases and copy. how I might feel while creating it and what I will say in my blog. If it is a particularly emotive piece I think about the different reactions it might bring up in others, and in myself.

In effect each painting is done before I start. I want to paint them, I can’t wait to touch brush to that beautiful white surface.

But now I’ve sat or stood for too long. the spontaneity is gone and the pain is wearing on me. I can’t stand or sit for too long without feeling too much pain. I know I will be called on for feeding soon and I’m beginning to worry that I might be too dizzy. I don’t want to faint again.

and those paintings that are waiting to be sometimes never get a chance. this is something I need to work on. Over-thinking is one of my worst stumbling blocks. it stands in my way every time I go to do anything. It isn’t just painting, it’s everything I do.

Do you overthink things? how do you overcome it?

Truth – 24×24 Oils on Canvas by Jennie Rosenbaum

I’ve been thinking about getting a memorial tattoo for Granny. I want something on my inner elbow that I can see when I paint. just something small that will make me smile and remember her.

Granny’s favorite advice was go with the flow. it’s something that still resonates with me. she was a very relaxed person, the very epitome of practicing what she preached. I, on the other hand, am wound up tighter than a swiss watch. when I find everything getting to me it’s like I hear her voice telling me to just go with the flow. especially when I’m painting. she always taught me to relax when creating and let my art flow through me and I want to remember that always. now, I know that there is nothing that will make me forget, she’s etched in my memory, but a visual reminder that’s always there just when I need it. that sounds wonderful to me!

I just want something small. no outlines, just filled ink that looks like watercolor wash on my skin about the size of a 50c piece. my ideas are either a small chinese air cloud or a sakura blossom in some water. delicate, classic and all about the flow.

I miss you Granny!