Feeling Kinda Twitchy

Those who know me well might say I lack patience, and I would agree with them. This waiting to launch to Kickstarter Chicken project is just about killing me. The site is built, ready to go and approved by them. I am waiting until January 20th because that's when I decided to launch,--but is the waiting easy? Oh no, it is not! I'm so used to putting something together, bang, bang, bang, and then just pulling the trigger--boom, go. I will survive this, and I'm probably going to learn something about life and myself, in spite of my resistence. Tick-tock...suffice to say, check back in with me on the 20th.
The two chickens above are 5x7 scratchboards. They will go into the mix of the big art giveaway, which coicidently will begin the same day as the Chicken project. So come back for that too. That happy event will take place on my Linda Sheets Art facebook page so if you haven't gone there and clicked to 'like' it you might lose out. Stay tuned. All is good in Linda-Land. Went to Crystal Bridges with a friend today to see the Stieglitz/O'Keeffe collection again. Pretty fabulous. Feeling lucky to have such a great place here in NW Ark. Ok, over and out for now...things are a fixin' to heat up soon!

July Is The Cruelest Month

I've just come through what has been the darkest July I've ever had. (I'm sure there may have been darker times in my life, but this is the most recent, most painful one so let's leave it at that.) There wasn't any one thing that I can put my finger on and say, "This is it, that's what's causing all of this crap!"  No, just a general feeling of sadness, and failure, and even loss of faith in the path I'm on. Good god. Or maybe not good god. Art sales have been slow, and I haven't had any 'mailbox money' in a while. I'm not destitute yet, but have been feeling like something must change, and soon.  Last night I was even searching want ads to see if any jobs were out there for this 58 year old broke down woman contractor/artist without a college degree. Wah-- Poor me....right? Well, this morning I woke up and took a little ride on my bicycle and thought some things through. (it was a beautiful ride) I'm closer to having a plan of positive action now. I'm sure I'll keep all and any of you folks who read this blog posted, because I'm a sharing kind of gal. The last few months I had pretty much given up and had been feeling discouraged about my path. This is interesting because during that time I've also finished up the Cat Scratchin' book and sent it off to the designer, and had a successful little poster project fund on kickstarter. Go figure. None of that seemed to matter when I was feeling lowest. That's how it works I guess, the spiral down into that dimly lit cellar of hopelessness. Don't worry, I'm on my way back up now. I guess I had to fall down and get scuffed up a bit so I would figure out a different way to achieve the things I wish to do. Ultimately what I realized was that I could get a regular 'day job' (or two or three) and hate every minute of it, or do what it is I feel I'm meant to do and just love doing it, most of the time. I'm choosing love. It's going to be a little more work, but I'm pretty sure it's worth it. And I've been doing it for the past twelve years so why give up now?
The above photo is a fabulous mixed media sculpture (reflective traffic/construction materials etc...) hanging on the wall at the Hive restaurant at the 21C Museum Hotel in Bentonville, Arkansas. I went there last week and had lunch with a good friend and then we went on to Crystal Bridges to see the Angels and Tomboys exhibit. The food was good. The exhibit was ok, I wish there would've been more Tomboys, but that's just me. I thought it was kind of a weak show. (Great classical paintings, but give me 20th and 21st Century art any day of the week and I'm happy.)
Ok, here's my message for today; Don't give up...just don't.

Little Joe With Cow/Crystal Bridges

Here is another of my favorite artworks at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville. Title is "Little Joe With Cow". Artist is Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Besides being pleasing to my eye and soul, something about this piece helps me to feel hopeful that the art I'm creating is indeed art.  It's on the wall in a museum, so it must be good art, right? (don't misunderstand, I absolutely think this is great art)There's always an inner struggle when making art, the question of the validity, purpose and finally outcome. Am I making art? Is it good enough? How much do I care about the answer to that question? And must I rely on others opinion to make it so?
For the most part, I shrug it off and just keep creating. I can't spend too much time thinking about what it is or isn't. I must do. If I'm to be honest, there are days when I wonder if I should have just stayed a plumber. I understand plumbing, how it works and doesn't work, and what needs to be done to put it all together. Pure and simple.  Art, not so much.  Here are my cows today, work is underway, not finished, not sure what is next. But, loving the process of putting it all together.
I'm rambling on now, was up until 4am reading and tossing and turning. I wonder how the creative process works for others. Anyone?

Crystal Bridges Museum Joseph Cornell

In continuing my exploration of the new Crystal Bridges Museum here in NW Arkansas: This is the Joseph Cornell piece in the collection. The installation is great, they have a mirror so you can see the back which has collaged paper on it.  Have I told y'all how much I love him?  Maybe not. Here goes...I have read everything I can get my hands on about him.  Quirky? Odd? Eccentric? Yes, indeedy. All of the above and more.  Amazing, self taught artist. He hung out with Duchamp. In fact some thought he might have been in love with him...He lived and worked in the house he grew up in in NY. Lived on 'Utopia Parkway' in Queens. I love that street name. Perfect.
 I got to see a major retrospective of his a few years back, in Salem, MA at the Peabody Essex Museum.  180 of his works, many which had not been in museums. Thanks to Lynda Roscoe Hartigan who curated it, put together a wonderful book for it, and is one of the foremost experts on his work. I even managed to communicate with her via email and got feedback on my work and a personalized signed book. I admit, that put me over the moon!
 I spent over 3 hours in the PEM exhibit, and went back twice for more. I wish I had photos of it. They didn't allow them, at all. This is a major difference so far at Crystal Bridges. Of course they don't allow tri-pods or mono-pods or flash photography. And some of the special exhibits don't allow it. But for the most part, snap away. The above and the former post are photos I took with my smart phone, a samsung galaxy.  Not too bad.
I'm going to CB again this Friday with friends who have not been there yet.  I wonder what new/old works I'll see with new eyes? I have a feeling I'm going to spend a lot of my time up there wandering through. I've already spotted some snooty east coast types (what does this mean? Hard to describe, but I used to live in Boston, and was involved for a while with an 'old money' crowd for a bit thanks to a former relationship) who seem to be amazed and slightly stunned at what we have here in the Ozarks. Am I upset that this collection is associated with Walton money? Hell no. No more than we should be upset at the Guggenheim money or any other robber baron who financed art institutions. Get over it, and come visit.
It has taken me most of the morning to write this.  Sorry, I'm groggy from going to sleep way too late (early?) at 3am and waking up way too early at 7:30. My system is off somewhat due to the strange weather.  It's mid-January and 60 degrees here in NWArkansas. Something really wrong about this. I moved north from TX to get real seasons...Oh well, today I'll go work outside and put together some box assemblages of my own.