A Little Inspiration

For those dark days when you wonder if you made the right decision to ever pick up a pen or brush. For those long days when you don't seem to be able to remember which end is the business end of a brush.

This says it all.

I hope it helps you to hear this as much as it does me.

Sometimes we need a reminder.

Keep up the work.

Do the work.

Lots and lots of work.

And never give up........



Ira Glass is a public radio personality.

Part II of Elva Paulson's Interview

This is the second part of the truly inspiring interview with Elva Paulson of Elva's Field Notes fame and our most recent challenger to finish the challenge! You can read the first part here.

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Laure Ferlita (LF): When we left off, we were discussing your need to coax out the inner artist and reconnect. From where I sit, it would seem you've definitely reconnected with the artist within as evidenced by all of your beautiful artwork. Where do you see your greatest growth? 

Bison by Elva Paulson
Pen, ink and watercolor

Elva Paulson (EP): Progress has come on two fronts. The first is the obvious one and relates to my original goal. You suggested each new challenger pick something to work on. I bit off a lot. I wanted to explore new papers, pens and techniques; to figure out where I wanted to go with my art now that I was painting again; and I knew I wanted to somehow connect it to nature. I still have work to do, but I feel I made real progress in all those areas. When I was painting professionally I painted on surfaces over which I had a lot of control: smooth gessoed masonite for acrylics, cold press Illustration board for tight watercolors, and very smooth Bristol for pen and ink. Not much opportunity to let the paint have a hand in what was happening during the artistic process. I’m learning to love the character of a juicy wash, what happens when ink bleeds, and the huge variety of opportunities offered by different papers. 

My most important progress comes from inside. I’m enjoying my art. Years ago it had become a job, but now it is back to why I started painting in the first place so many years ago…a desire to express my interest in, and love of, nature through art. The surprise in this journey is the progress I have made combining art and writing. I’ve filled journals for years, but they were notes and sketches for myself rather than with someone else [seeing the journals]. When I signed up for the challenge I had to sign up for a blog. I didn’t have to put anything on the blog, I just had to register. Looking back, I realize blogging has been an important part of finding my new artistic path. The blog has helped me find the voice I was looking for.

You’d think that ‘quantity’ would lead one to stray from thoughtfulness, but I felt encouraged to put thought in and try something new. It didn’t matter if it fell flat. I still might learn something in the process…and learn I did.

I also learned that sometimes it is good not to think. I found reserves within myself that don’t lend themselves to conscious thought. One might call it zen. I know I’ll mess up if my mind is worrying about dinner or the next world crisis; but sometimes, when I’m painting, I seem to just want to paint without thinking too much. Something within says ‘Stay loose and add a dab of paint here, here, and here.” It is a wonderful zone to be in.

LF:  Now that you've completed the challenge, where do you see yourself going from here? What's your next "challenge" going to be?

EP: This is the hardest question of all and one I’ve been pondering on. The easy answer is I want to continue to become a better field sketcher/painter. I want to capture on paper more of the magic that I see in nature. I want to paint from the heart…and capture the words too.

But what am I going to do with it? That is the question. I don’t see myself going the gallery route again, but it does seem there ought to be a purpose, some sort of a goal in mind. Am I going to be content to fill another 36 journals and to post pieces on my blog, or am I going to reach further and work on some of my many experiences that are potentially a whole chapter in a book and not just a blog post?  Those journals are packed with longer events:  knowing ‘Pegleg,’ a sandhill crane for over ten years; the year the Druid wolf pack alpha female was killed and other pack females adopted her litter;  "264," a female grizzly we first knew as an almost mature bear and long enough to see her third set of cubs come up with milk mustaches after nursing. 

Okay, I’ll say it. Part of me wants to write a book that is 50% words and 50% sketches and based directly on what I have watched. I’m just not sure yet if I want to set it as a goal. That is a huge amount of time to commit. Over the years, I’ve made several starts. This past year has pretty much convinced me I need to start all over again, this time with my reader in mind.   My original vision was sort of a peek into my working journal, but blogging has helped me realize they were written for me.  Too often they include either too little or too much information for a reader. Good writing needs good editing.

Through the challenge, I honed art techniques that lend themselves to such a project, and through blogging I think my ability to write has grown. I do think the combination of my sketching ability and my treasure chest of raw material (the journals) means I have something to offer.

Oregon Coast by Elva Paulson
Watercolor and ink

LF: Thank you for sharing that, Elva. I'm sure I speak for most folks reading the interview when I say I sincerely hope you continue with the goal of a book and I'll be one of the first to purchase it! Getting back to our interview, if someone was thinking of starting the challenge today but had doubts or questions, what would you, as a tenured artist, say to them?

EP: Do it! Make time for it. Shake off any feeling that each piece has to have quality. You’ll learn more if you dare to experiment. Here is a great place to nudge you to do it. I know a lot of experienced artists, myself included, who get good at what they are doing and forget to explore. These little paintings don’t need to take a lot of time. Jump in and try some new techniques, new materials, and new subject matter. 

You’ll also benefit from seeing what other artists are doing. I learned a lot just watching their growth…and their bravery…and I made some new friends.

LF: Any last thoughts or words you'd like to add on anything we did not cover?

EP: Yes. Thank you, Laure, for hosting the 100 Paintings Challenge. I’m not sure where I would be right now if I hadn’t joined the challenge. I do know I’m enjoying my art more and have grown as a result of joining the challenge. 

Once again, Elva, thank you for sharing this wonderful story with us as well as what you've learned. I wish you all the best in your future challenges, wherever they may take you, and I look forward to reading more on your blog!

An Interview with Elva Paulson - Part 1

Once again we have another successful challenge champion! Please join me in congratulating Elva Paulson on finishing 100 paintings in well under a year! Elva's journey is as inspiring as her art and she's been gracious enough to share it with us. It has been a long and twisting road, and yet, it is evident that art remained firmly entrenched in Elva's heart as a way to share nature and her beloved Yellowstone!

Foggy Woods
by Elva Paulson
Acrylic

Laure Ferlita: Congratulations, Elva! Wow! You're finishing up with time to spare. Thanks for taking the time to discuss your journey! I'm not sure that many people know your background and that you've painted for a long while now. Would you share a bit with us about your journey "before" you came to the challenge?

Elva Paulson:  Yes, I've been an artist for a long time.  It has been a windy path. I took one art course in college which almost made me hide all art materials forever.  My husband didn't even know I liked to paint when we got married. Other than a three year correspondence course through Famous Artist School and a few workshops, I'm largely self taught. If learning by looking into a bunch of books and studying other artists' work can be called "self taught." We can learn so much from each other.

After our twins were born I began to take my art seriously. Some illustrating for free and some painting for the local art festival gradually morphed into a career. It was also a wonderful job in that it moved gracefully with my husband's U. S. Forest Service transfers. By the time he retired (early), I had illustrated four books, had a little notecard and bookmark business, and was selling most of my paintings through galleries.

But life took a difficult turn. A year after his 1994 retirement my husband became seriously disabled. All too soon he was walking with two canes. For nearly 15 years my priority was keeping life running smoothly for the two of us. Fortunately, he was still comfortable driving. We spent a great deal of time exploring by car, photographing nature, and I kept filling one journal after another with words and sketches, but there was no time for painting. My one big project was illustrating Birds of Oregon: A General Reference with approximately 100 line drawings and a full color cover, published in 2003. The cover was the only full-fledged painting I completed in over ten years.

To be honest, I didn't miss the gallery painting as much as I thought I would. Too often, I felt I had to keep the market in mind; and often I never got to meet the person who bought my work. I was ready for a change but never thought I'd quit.

By 2007 we were grinding to a slow stop. I questioned whether I'd ever see my beloved Yellowstone again and Dale was wilting before my eyes. Then he was diagnosed as diabetic. What a blessing!!!  That may seem like a very strange comment, but that is the day life took another turn. He ate properly, lost 80# and found a doctor who thought new hips would help some of his problems. In 2009, Dale got two new hips, six months apart. Pretty soon he could walk a half mile, then walk without canes for half a mile. and get his own coffee, wash dishes, find a missing book, etc. He got better and better and is still getting better. He still uses canes for fast exercise, but he can do it. He can walk for a full hour, carry his own camera, and disappear over the rise and into the woods. It is wonderful!

Amanita
by Elva Paulson
Watercolor

LF: Some folks reading this interview might find it odd that a tenured artist decided to take on the 100 Paintings Challenge. What prompted you to tackle it? What did you hope to gain?

EP: After Dale began to get better, I had time for art again. I was in need of rediscovering myself and kicking a lot of rust out of my veins. It is hard to reach a certain level of expertise and then start over several steps back of where I had been, and I really didn’t know where I wanted to go. I was looking for a new path. I was amazed one night to find artists posting on www.flicker.com. Through Flickr, I discovered Teri Casper, and through Teri I discovered the 100 Paintings Challenge. 

At first, I brushed the challenge aside – quantity over quality. Ha! 

But a little voice kept niggling at me. Here was a chance to jump in with no one judging the results. It was wonderful motivation to quit worrying about just what I should paint and to get started! In the past, it has been a fault of mine to try to make sure every painting is a success, and yet I know that practice, experimenting, exploring are all part of becoming a good artist. 

I figured the artist was still within me, but it was going to take some nurturing to bring it out. Here was a goal where every step was progress towards the end goal—finding myself and growth as an artist.....

Please be sure to come back by for the second part of the interview with Elva!

Things to Know: Expanding Your Visual Vocabulary

Click to enlarge.

Food for Thought

I've just read a very intriguing article on the Making a Mark blog by Katherine Tyrell. It talks about the need to do the work, with no shortcuts to arrive at the level of being seriously good at anything we endeavor to do, well, seriously.

Take the time to read it, and follow some of the links. One may become discouraged by the idea of so many hours - stop! think! - if it's something we truly enjoy………wouldn't/shouldn't that be a wonderful way to spend time?