Yesterday I was thrilled to enjoy a consultation from Ariel Ecklund who owns Corners Gallery in Ithaca.  She was generous with commentary and suggestions and left me feeling encouraged.  I have more of a sense of direction about my work, both from the standpoint of practical concerns as well as creatively.  In someways, I feel like I am commencing my last hurrah.  Ariel commented that we are all feeling this given the new uncertainties in our lives which have emerged over the last few years globally. 

In anticipation of our meeting, I clarified for myself some of my hopes for my new love of painting.  Perhaps first and foremost is my interest in meeting and sharing reflections with other artists, in particular, painters.  The work of an artist includes the journey between the left and right brain.  The experience of shifting into a "flow" state is shared by most creatives.  I love learning about the inspiration that other artists experience and the ways that they develop their voice.   

My move from three dimensions to two dimensions has introduced me to all sorts of new artistic problems.  In someways, an object, like a pot, already commands a position in space.  It interacts with space in a way that doesn't require the theater involved when using a two dimensional surface to suggest a three dimensional scene.  I am finding that painting landscape involves more planning.  With clay, my fingers knew.  Because my painting is representational, even if impressionistic, I am thinking about composition with my left brain.  I am thinking about value and the direction of light.  If I abandon this, and let my desire to play with color take over, my composition suffers.  I am activating a part of my brain that I have not used much in my previous artistic work.  Maybe, with more experience, my right brain can take the lead.  For me, it is a worthy adventure.