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A New Year for More Art

12/31/2016

8 Comments

 
PictureSource: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/
I shouldn't be surprised that the end of another year has rolled around. Still, I can't help thinking, "2017 already? How did it get here so fast?" Maybe because I engaged in a lot of deeply satisfying travel and art activities, the months simply sped by. The old expression that time flies when you're having a good time is the perfect answer.

Thank you for accompanying me during these months of posting about my experiences with and thoughts about art, whether locally or in another country. I very much appreciate your communications. Even if you don't comment, that you're out there reading my blog is a companionable gesture in itself.

I'm going to complete 2016 and begin 2017 with some quotes to reflect on. These are from On Art and Mindfulness, by artist, author, and physicist Enrique Martínez Celaya.

Picture
Gleann Fhiodhaig, Scotland. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/.
Being an artist is not a posture or a profession, but a way of being in the world and in relation to yourself....Understanding who you are as an artist should be thought of as a life-long process inseparable from your work....Growth does not have to be systematic. The way of the artist is a meandering path.                                                                           
Picture
"Migrant Mother" (1930s), by Dorothea Lange. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/
The qualities that distinguish great art from the rest are, directly or indirectly, related to ethics. At the heart of great art you will find love and compassion....A great work of art cannot come from  hatred or cynicism.  
Picture
"Frau, Korb tragend (before 1918), by Käthe Kollwitz.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/
Picture
Balancing Act, Quinn Dombrowski. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/
There is no comfortable foundation for an artist to stand on. Do not look for it, and if you find it, get off it....An artist’s practice should account for uncertainty and instability that is always part of an honest inquiry. Expect change. Embrace accidents and mistakes.

Picture
Western Bluebird at Ralph B. Clark Regional Park, Buena Park, CA. Photo by Davefoc. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/
Art tends to be a solitary experience for the artist, but it becomes less so if you have some relationship with nature and if your work is connected to life.
Picture
Arches National Park, Utah. Photo by Don Graham. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/
According to poet Mary Oliver, “The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.” Next year, don't look back on 2017 with regret. Pick up your pen, needle, spindle, brush, or whatever you use and start creating today.
Picture
Dawn at the Coorong National Park, South Australia. Photo by Mundoo. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org
Happy New Year!
May 2017 dawn bright with creative promise for you.
8 Comments
Cheryl Harris
1/1/2017 06:21:33 am

Thank you!! I spent time yesterday on an unfinished piece in which I no longer feel much interest but nonetheless want to see completed. I intend today to put pencil to paper and begin anew. This article gave me the key. Thanks!

Reply
Linda Elder
1/1/2017 06:42:02 am

A lovely beginning to this wonderful new year. Uncertainty, instability, a meandering path these are all words of truth for me. Thanks so much for this short vibrant writing.

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Rachel Imsland link
1/1/2017 08:33:18 am

Thank you for the gentle reminders, Mirka. "On Art and Mindfulness" sounds like a good book. Also thanks for all your blog posts this year. I don't think I've commented, but have enjoyed each and every post! Looking forward to more;)

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Regina Dunn link
1/1/2017 09:57:16 am

Very thoughtful and timely quotes. I'm going to print them and pin them to a board in my studio. I hope 2017 brings you the things you desire.

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Arlene Bernstein
1/1/2017 10:58:29 am

thank you for setting the tone of what’s important in the new year! i’ve already printed the quotes and have them pinned up on studio wall!

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Kathleen Kastles link
1/1/2017 10:26:52 pm

Many thanks for starting this new year with such thought-provoking quotes, Mirka. Recently, I feel as if I am the tool of a muse, an entity separate from myself, seeking to express itself through my hands, eyes, and mind.

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Judith Selby Lang
1/2/2017 09:08:09 am

Thank you for your call to action - now more than ever we need to reminded of the power of the creative life to give us relief from the onslaught of fear and negativity. When times get tough, we are called to use our power as artists to help create images that will contribute to the conversation about a bright and positive future for the planet.

Reply
Mirka link
1/2/2017 10:12:35 am

And thanks to all of you. Your commitment to art is a huge inspiration!

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    Mirka Knaster

    I am a fiber/mixed-media artist with a decades-long career as a writer. Working with textiles and handmade paper from around the world and exploring the heart of art evoke my joy daily.

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