Elra's gardening & cooking blogs, and our recent, meaningful exchange.

Elra's Garden blog: I Am Seeing Red, Black and Orange

Above is a link to one of many photographic images I love by a blogger named Elra. Elra blogs about the gardening of flowers and fruit, but also her amazing cooking skills. She incorporates many of her own plants and foodstuffs into her cooking. Furthermore, the photos of her finished dishes could easily be published in a gourmet magazine. Please take a look at her blogs to see all of the amazing "eye candy" that constantly manifests there.

Just recently, Elra granted me permission to use her photos as material for my paintings and I am very grateful to her for that kindness. I am now very excited to begin painting some of her images, maybe in the next couple of days. Eventually, as I get those paintings started, and hopefully finish some of them soon, I intend to publish digital images of them here. Some of my favorite images from her garden are of blackberries and rasberries, and of a large white flower that I am mostly sure is an Iris; I'll determine that for sure later (maybe with Elra's help), but for now, that is the subject matter I am most attracted to in her photography, so that is what one might look forward to seeing here, in the nearer future, painted by me.

For anyone who doesn't know, I am presently enrolled in the final painting course offered for credit at my community college, entitled Painting III. This course allows the experienced art major to finally work in the art style or styles that he/she prefers. This is different from Painting I and II, where the students' subject matter and techniques are guided by the college's predetermined curriculum and the course instructor's overseeing eye. Thus, I find myself having a great deal more freedom in this advanced course than ever before. Notice I didn't say "find myself enjoying much more freedom" though? Well, that is only kind of a joke since it can be very daunting to paint when you have nigh unlimited freedom. Luckily, I feel Elra's permission to use her photos as subject matter will help to alleviate, or even prevent, much of the normal creative blockage from which I and other artists often suffer - the fear of making marks on that unapproachably white and impeccable canvas, for instance.

And again, for those of you who don't know, I usually do highly conceptual art pieces; these artworks often approach themes based on human communication and emotion, psychology, philosophy, morals and ethics, and other similarly deeper concepts. Moreover, these images are not always very aesthetically beautiful or pleasing (though I do hope I've rendered them well enough that they become pertinently interesting enough to behold, and for extended periods of time) and that lack of beauty, for the most part, is usually highly necessary and intentional. Thus, some viewers encountering my "darker looking" art may too easily determine that I am merely one of those artists who just selfishly "creates away" his/her negativity; making art mainly for the purpose self-therapy, in other words. The viewers most likely to judge my work like that, perhaps, are those who are either unwilling, or unable, to get their thinking and emotions thoroughly enough involved into some of my imagery to locate and realize some more profound meaning there. In other words, some folks just might not be able to see past the more obvious, negative facades, to witness some brighter hope. Yet, despite the fact that I do not intend that miscommunication, neither do I try too hard to prevent it. No matter what, I do hope most viewers will be able to fathom how my more negative pieces honestly do reflect and point towards a higher and brighter intent.

Therefore, my regular art style - or should I say irregular - is not always useful for all portfolio purposes. In fact, I have been needing to find some subject matter for making some art that is more approachable to the average audience; in other words, the general public. That is mostly because I have talked to the local Family YMCA a few times about teaching a painting or drawing course over the summer and just never felt comfortable showing that mostly positive institution so much of the difficult subject matter that I've completed throughout the past.

Thus, having more "traditionally beautiful material" to paint, as exists in Elra's photos, may even push me into the next energetic expression and more physical manifestation of my aritstic lifestyle, and that is as some kind of an art instructor.

Wow, is all I can say to that!

And, I do recognize and feel gracious for a certain connection between the willingness to share information, ideas, and images here, on Blogger, being translated into me allowing for more openness in all my social, professional, and academic lifestyles.

Mostly what I needed to say here is... I do recognize, welcome, and hold great reverence for the divinely pure energy that has gone into all of Elra's expressionistic creations and maintaining such a lifestyle. I willingly open myself up to receiving more of that type of energy from the Universe from innummerable sources.

I now better rocognize that a simple approach towards encouraging absolute openness with another artist, one whom is also open to sharing, or any type of human being for that matter, can be a powerful affirmation towards profound acceptance of the unforseeable future, in both my inner-life, and in all of my human relationships.

Thanks Elra, once again!