Thursday, August 3, 2017

Meanderings & The Painting Life


"Solace I", Bonnie Joy Bardos

“It’s a serious thing, just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world.”

~ Mary Oliver, Red Bird


Late summer days in the mountains flow with cicada song, peepers, long blue shadows promising fall ahead. Every morning I'm outside on the front porch studio, working on new paintings and listening to the fish pond trickle, River dog snoozing nearby, and bird song. Now and then someone strolls by and wishes me a good morning. Last week, I hauled a large sculpture outside and worked all day on her for a juried show that opens tomorrow night. Named "Walela (Spirit Guide)" (Cherokee for hummingbird), she's made of fired clay, metal, copper wire, fiber, and much more...along with natural branches and wood pedestal. Walela consists of many found objects and recycled media.

Update: "Walela" won 2nd Place in 3-D Art for the Arts Council of Hendersonville's Annual Bring Us Your Best exhibit, as well as winning "One Planet/One World" award presented by the Hendersonville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for "the artwork which best represents a world community that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of all beings, and the oneness and interdependence of all life." This means the world to me--and what an honor for both awards. I'm so grateful that I drove over through Flat Rock, past the Carl Sandburg farm and on to the UU service today and took a heart-felt note of gratitude for their support and appreciation of the arts.

A painting I worked on became a road trip back to the '60's....a Nash-Rambler station wagon, forest, and the iconic picnic table alongside the winding road. All summer, art projects have been in the works: all influenced by the turn of earth and slant of sun, the soft dog ears under my hand. Butterflies that flit, hummingbirds that zoom to the nearby feeders....one more year I stand at my work table and easel, observing and putting it all into the story I'm painting. Life for an artist goes on on those August summer days...

In late September, my house/studio will be on Art Trek Open Studios, sponsored by Upstairs Artspace. I've done this event every year, and will be at it once again! Mark your calendars for the weekend of September 30 and Oct. 1. A preview party featuring all participating artists will be September 29, 5-7 p.m. at Upstairs Artspace, 49 S. Trade, Tryon NC.


"Road Trip II, Bonnie Joy Bardos)

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