Blue Door Atelier: Brave Art by Mim

  As I review the past year or so, I know that I took an approach toward art and life of throwing everything up on the wall and seeing what would stick.  I tried many different things.  I put many different offerings into the world.  I ran from one thing to another.  It has been exhausting and honestly unfulfilling.  It's difficult to acknowledge that I'm putting a creative part of myself out into the world, and there are no takers.  I know something has to change, but it takes time to pause, evaluate, and reset.  I'm trying to do some of that right now. In 2024, it is my intention to seek and share what I'm titling "Simple Wonders."  These are the sorts of things that are around us every single day, but in our busy-ness of running after more, more, more (you fill in the blank for whatever you are pursuing--education, relationship, money, career, fitness, a portfolio of work, connection, family, creativity--whatever your thing or things might be.). I often get

Work in progress Work in progress   Happy Winter Solstice 2023! Today you might have noticed is the longest night of the year.  This event holds so much meaning for humanity, both past and present, and for our home, the Earth.  It's a wonderful time to take a look within and see how one might be shining your light into the world as a way to illuminate the path for others.  It might be a time to look into the darkness and face fears.  It might also be a time to look ahead to goals you have as the days become lighter.  Life is a process and a journey, and days like today allow us to be reminded of such things.  May this be a gift for you on your journey. I took  time to challenge myself with some intense cleaning work this morning, and then I allowed myself to be renewed by practicing art.  I started a refresh of a piece with roses, and I started a wintery landscape.  Both of these pieces are larger than anything I have done recently.  The roses are 36 x 36 inches,  and the winter sc

A bit of verdigris, 12 x 12 inches, $60 In my creative process I can easily get lost in the vast realm of possibility.  It turns into a paralyzing inertia, and I cease to create.  In an effort to override this I give myself creative challenges.  I creating every day or once a week.  I use words for inspiration.  I work in a particular size.  You get the idea. I have decided that for 2024, I am going to see how much I can create with the supplies I already have.  I imagine I will need more acrylic paint,  and I hope to need more findings for earrings.  Other than those 2 items I'm going to see how much I can create with the materials I already have.I hope to document how much art I can create without buying any other materials! I hope you will follow along on this little challenge.  Will I give up in the first few weeks?  How will this impact my creativity and art making? How to you overcome inertia?  What sort of challenges do you give yourself?

  A little story. . . just for fun. . . A couple years ago I went to a Zero Landfill event.  By time I got there there wasn't much left that sparked my creativity, but I was attracted to a couple packets of paint chip samples.  As I drove home I thought about perhaps collaging with them to make garden flowers or mosaics.  They sat with other potential artsy craftsy supplies when I thought about making earrings.  Then I tried making earrings and did some trouble shooting.  In the mean time I'm thinking of how to avoid burnout, and I know that one thing I've been ignoring for the past few years is my wanderlust.  I love what travel does for me.  I expand when I travel.  I thought that I needed a solo adventure and I needed an adventure with Sam in 2024.  I know how to travel quite frugally, but it does require extra funds to indulge one's wanderlust.   Where will our travels take us?  My solo adventure is a plan to go to Istanbul over Spring Break, and Sam and I are plann

  I love to create with other people!  I love to teach other people new skills!  I'm warmly inviting you into my studio for a unique and creative adventure. Inside the artist’s studio  Spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in my art studio making art, receiving supportive instructions and sharing inspirational conversation. Invite a few friends, cousins, grandkids or neighbors, find a date that works for all of us, and enjoy a unique curated creative experience!  Watercolor painting –for the novice who finds joy in the process.  We will play and then create 2-3 simple landscape or seascape pieces Needle felting —learn the basics of this fiber art form to create a flower or heart pin with bead/charm embellishment  Handmade paper —let’s recycle paper into new paper.  This is wet, messy and fun art. Beginning crochet —learn a few basic stitches and begin a simple scarf and take it home to complete on your own Oil pastels —Let’s play with this versatile media to explore and then creat