Tag: art

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Art Practice Family

Gardening and a Short Break from Making My Own Art

I have a pattern in my creative life where I am extremely productive and highly creative, then get to a dormant season where even though I continue creating, I do get a bit unproductive and then head to a phase where to reignite my creativity, I learn something new, and then head on to a new project reenergised and in full blast.

I am so close to the new project phase now but my dormant phase has been very interesting.

In my last dormant phase, I learnt how to make sourdough and have been making it since. We rarely buy store-bought bread now.

This time, I learnt two things: sumi-e ink painting and gardening.

Sumi-e Ink Painting

With the sumi-e ink, I was guided by a book I purchased ages ago. It’s called The Art of Sumi-E by Naomi Okamoto. I liked it because the method of learning is by copying the paintings presented in the book. I didn’t have to think hard and create when my creative juices were running dry. I just had to learn by copying.

The three things I loved were:

  • You get to create complete artworks with a few strokes. It works well with the way I work.
  • It is meditative. Since every stroke matters, I was able to be present while creating. My mind wasn’t racing to be elsewhere while I was doing it.
  • The paintings do not need grounding. It uses negative space to suggest a background to each painting. I love it because backgrounds are honestly my weakness. I hyper-focus on a subject, and rarely do I think about backgrounds when completing a painting.

Below are some of my favourites.

For a few months, I have only been doing these exercises, and it got me prepared to dive back in to my own practice again.

Gardening

The other thing I have learnt is gardening. People close to me know how awful I am with gardening. Even the hardiest plants wilt in my care. I’m unsure why I gave it another chance this time.

To soften the blow, I started planting herbs from seeds. This way, the initial expenses are not that much and I can just plant the seeds I have over and over until I get it right.

When my spring onions, chives, and mini leeks grew, I became bolder, and I tried to grow napa cabbage and tomatoes—both seeds randomly chosen by my husband because he was the one who encouraged me to do this to start with. I cannot remember why he encouraged me, but he might have some regrets now that we have a full-blown vege garden in our backyard.

At the time of writing, we now have a herb garden, a mandarin shrub, and a kalanchoe on our deck. In our backyard, we have a lemon tree, 2 avocado trees, coffee tree, lavender, tomatoes, kangkong, kumara, garlic, onion, ginger, spinach, lettuce, blueberries, strawberries, snake beans, and eggplant, which are all on raised beds and pots. I am awaiting about 15 more seedlings for planting in autumn and I plan to set up an apple and feijoa tree in winter and olive and fig tree in the summer.

Plants on Deck
Backyard

Being the kind of person I am, the drive to plant edibles is strong because I like seeing actual fruits (or vegetables) with my efforts. I have nothing against people who grow ornamental plants, but being the person I am, there is just less drive for me to go for “aesthetics”, as seen in my current garden setup. Today, I saw two blueberries on my plant, and what joy to see it!

There were some mistakes that were just straight-out hilarious. The first batch of tomatoes I’ve grown wilted after a few consecutive days of rain, so when another type of plant sprung to replace it, I felt hopeful! Little did I know that I was nurturing…. weeds!!! Of course, my thoughtful husband did not fail to “document” it.

I have a vision for both our front and backyard, but I didn’t realise how expensive this endeavour can be! I decided to use raised garden beds and pots because the weeds on our property are a pain, and we haven’t got it in control yet. I wanted to give my plants some fighting chance by creating a more controlled environment for them. For now, I will build on my garden one step at a time., but this have proven to be a very therapeutic activity for me.

These days, I have been enjoying activities that slow me down. I am amazed at how much more aware I become when I slow down. I get to appreciate my surroundings and find blessings in even the most mundane things more.

What’s more amazing is how this one hobby has got everyone in our family involved. Howell would be as excited as I am to see new leaves or sprouts each day. Rapha helps me water the plants. He has his own watering can and garden gloves, too. He would often encourage each plant by saying, “grow, kangkong, grow!” or “give us heaps of fruits, mandarin!”. And Milo being Milo would snack on the sheep pellets and mulch. He will usually “guard” me while doing gardening, following me around wherever I go.

I am excited with what these new experiences will bring. I’m looking forward to sketching the flowers and leaves in my garden. I am buzzing with ideas these days. Life is good and I am ready to jump into creating my own art again soon!

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Art Practice

You Can’t Have it All… At the Same Time

This week, I was planning to post on how excited I was that I’m going back to doing onsite classes at The Learning Connexion… until I had to decide to forego this opportunity after coming to a single day of class. It was a wonderful class with Justine Turnbull as tutor. Above is the photo of my artwork exploring tones.

My current week includes

  • preparing Rapha for kindy MWF
  • kindy drop-offs and pick-up
  • weekly distance learning meeting
  • committee meeting at Mana Arts (approx. once a month)
  • kids ministry (one Sunday every 3 weeks)
  • swimming 3x a week
  • daily Pilates
  • art practice
  • 1 weekly art group
  • house chores

Silly me thought I could squeeze one more thing since it’s only a day’s worth a week. Little did I know that that entails preparing the night before—my stuff for school, Rapha and I’s lunch boxes, Rapha’s stuff for after-school care, thanks to my in-laws. That meant 2 days are spent just for me to get to that class alone—that’s 2 days’ worth of time, energy, and petrol! Hahaha.

I instantly experienced the aftermath of this week. Come Wednesday, I just lay flat off the sofa when I came home. Thursday, I was straight-out forgetting things and making heaps of errors, including driving. Friday was a tough one because I was snapping at everyone for the littlest things. It was a hard decision, but you just can’t have it all… at once! There is a time and season for everything. At this stage, I want to be 100% present to all my commitments, especially to my family.

Today, Saturday, we decided to do things that bring us joy. After Rapha’s swimming class, we headed to a pick-your-own blueberry farm and did a short walk at Percy Regional Park. It was a good reset from the grueling week we had.

I am so glad that, as humans, we are given the choice to let go sometimes. I am also surrounded by a loving village helping us raise our son.

I will still pursue onsite classes at some point… just not today.

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100? Days of Drawing Art Practice

100? Days of Drawing (Days 4 & 5 )

I love my sketches for Days 4 and 5. I’m trying out lines and how they can be applied to express effects I want done. I loved how cosy my dog looked in my Day 5 sketch.

Day 4: Mandarins
Day 5: Milo Resting

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100? Days of Drawing Art Practice

100? Days of Drawing (Days 2 and 3)

Days 2 and 3 drawings – I had fun adding in the bubbles on Rapha’s bottle. The plate drawing was a bit tight for my liking. So excited for what I can get done in the coming days!

Day 2: Rapha’s water bottle
Day 3: Rapha’s Plate
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100? Days of Drawing Art Practice

100? Days of Drawing

I watched a video from an NZ Artist named Rhiannon James about the things she learnt from drawing for a hundred days (https://youtu.be/BYzP2I3yXCQ?si=s5bc0aK8wlgLdnst) and got interested. It wasn’t the typical challenge where internet people are involved. She just did the challenge by herself.

After having spent almost a month doing admin things like framing, completing and sending entry forms, and liaising with different people for shows I wanted to get into, I felt really lost and rusty once I went back to the studio to paint and draw. I do not know what I want to create. I know I want to create something, but I feel like I am running on empty.

And so I was inspired to do this challenge myself, too. I do not know if I will ever get to reach 100 days, but I have prepared 16 sheets of small toned papers I can draw on for now. I have commitment issues in almost all areas of my life and have found that I need to take baby steps before committing to anything, so for now, I am starting with 16 days of drawing.

Day 1: Drawing #1

This is how uninspired I am at the moment. I picked up this almost finished banana and drew it. The composition and perspective are off. I did not like it. However, I liked the concentration I had while drawing this. It was simple and small. I easily accomplished one. I hope to use this blog to record the whole experience so we’ll see where this goes!

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Art Practice Musings

God’s Everyday Sprinkling of Goodness

All my life, I have been used to recount bad days. It comes easy to me because I can easily make fun of my own misery. These days, however, I find myself becoming more aware of the good days.

In the past week, there have been several occasions where I just knew I was at the right place and the right time. As a change of pace, let me recount the ways God has been good to me.

Rapha has been doing swim classes since he was four months old. Since then, he has gained a lot of confidence in the water. He’s currently doing a level with kids his age but since he has been on the same level for quite a while now, he’s already getting bored of the routine. For his last class, they decided to promote him to the next level! This means he’ll get a more stimulating set of tasks he can sink his teeth into, and that excites me as a mum!

Apart from his swim classes, he only does Kindy Gym once a week, too, which leaves most of his days at home. Being a curious child, Rapha gets bored out of his mind some days. We have been waitlisted at the kindy near our place since he’s 1, but spots haven’t freed up yet. One mum from church mentioned to me that she’s been taking her son to playcentre now and it got me interested. She invited me to the playcentre where they go but I found the drive tiresome, so we went to the one closer to our home.

We just visited playcentre last week, but as soon as we went home, I enrolled Rapha immediately. He had a great day and the mums were very welcoming. It works for both Rapha and me because he gets to learn and socialise while I get to have adult conversations, which have become rare since I became a mum. One mum today was telling me about her and her kids’ routines when she mentioned about the school I was eyeing for Rapha to go to. From my experience waiting for a kindy, I wanted to secure a spot for Rapha the soonest I could, and the information she gave me was really valuable. I then rang the school, and we are now booked for an interview two weeks from now! What blessing!

Not only do I feel blessed in my family life, but I can see God honouring the little steps I take to further my art career.

Last year, one of the goals I’ve set for myself was to enter at least 3 group exhibitions or art awards for 2024. With that goal in mind, I allotted time and created artworks that I can enter. One of the upcoming exhibitions I am entering will be happening at our local museum/gallery, and the organisers were looking for local artists they can feature in their press release. I responded within hours after I received the message because I wouldn’t pass up this opportunity to put my name forward! They then confirmed that I would be included in the feature. My efforts are finally being noticed!

I have not achieved the outcomes in my vision yet, but it’s good to count the good things along the way. I want to commit them to memory because I am 100% sure these conversations and people I meet are not lucky coincidences, but it’s God placing me in the right situations at the right time. It’s a result of me working hand-in-hand with the God I trust will provide for me.

Maybe it’s in my solitude or just my everyday practice of silence, but it made me more sensitive to God’s movement in my life. I hope anyone who reads this may find their everyday sprinkling of God’s goodness, too!

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Art Practice Family Uncategorized

Artist Mum Life: Two Years In

Blue Rose by Sheen Ventenilla-Tungol

With hopeful expectations, I came into motherhood thinking that, by my sheer willpower, nothing will change with my art practice. In my heart of hearts, I even thought I would nail all my roles with flying colours because I am soooooo good at juggling several things at a time.

Two years in, in full humility, I admit that I DID NOT nail all my roles. Nope. Nope. Nope.

I still put in the effort. I would say I do have an art practice. I make something almost everyday. I squeeze art in every single opportunity I get. However, things are not turning out the way I envisioned them to be. I still am not earning from art, not winning any awards, not qualifying for any of the known art shows here in NZ. Maybe it’s the economy, maybe it’s the market saturation of artists these days, or maybe now isn’t just my time yet—whatever the reason, I am not where I thought I’d be a couple years ago.

I am not in despair, though. I have readjusted my expectations of how my current world works. I am focusing on the things I can control.

First item I had to adjust my expectations for was childcare. I thought that when Rapha turns two, all I had to do was to decide to send him to kindy and as long as I was on a waitlist, all will be well. However, all is not well. Kindys are full. Rapha is on the 21st on the waitlist of the kindy which is a couple minutes’ walk from our place. He was on the waitlist since he was one year old. Even the ones which are a 5-10 minute drive ones are unavailable. I was on a limbo for a couple months until I decided I’ll just wait for the kindy near our place and if it never happens, then he’ll stay with me at home and we’ll find ways to make things work.

Second item is my expectation of earning from my art. It has always been the goal even when I didn’t even know what I was specifically selling. These days, I am focused on building a body of work I can stand behind. I do have a good number of artworks now, but I am not happy with them going out into the world yet, so I had to step back and aim to have an established process first and a body of work that I would be proud to show. In saying that, what I do these days is join group exhibits because it takes less work and still gives me an avenue to show some of my work.

With balancing the needs of a child and my art practice, I finally accepted that it is virtually impossible to do both at the same time. Case in point: this is my 5th attempt in 2 weeks to complete this blog entry. I just do not have enough hands for it, so instead of squeezing art during the day, I do it while he naps and once he sleeps at night. The need to watch over him to keep him alive is much more necessary these days because he’s a terrible two indeed.

The future is bright, though, because I have found ways to keep him busy these days. He has different sets of toys, art materials, and musical instruments he can explore during the day. All I need is to make it enjoyable enough for him to explore them independently.

This is all a phase, and until things free up more, I will stay here and enjoy the ride.

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Art Practice Musings

Rejection as Part of a Creative’s Life

Photo by cottonbro CG studio on Pexels.com

As of late, I’ve been using my blog as a form of brain dump site because I am essentially cruising at life at the moment. I love this quiet season because it’s comfortable, but it also encourages the habit of slacking off. To avoid this tendency, I just keep on walking short paces to my next destination by picking up these small bits of thoughts I am having these days and allowing them to simmer and bring some clarity as to where the next destination actually is.

This led me to remembering my most recent conversation with a fellow creative. This friend of mine is a young, talented performance artist. We have quite a different practise, but we are both creatives and we enjoy sharing our experiences in the creative world.

During the course of conversation, rejection was mentioned and we had an interesting sharing of our thoughts about it. One insight and question I had in mind was why this topic isn’t talked much about by creatives. Absolutely no one has told me that rejection will be a part of my lifestyle if I ever choose to pursue a career in art. I’m pretty sure this isn’t exclusive to the arts but at least in my circle, no one talks about how common this is. It came as an absolute surprise to me when I first experienced it.

I wouldn’t say I haven’t experienced rejection in my previous corporate jobs. Proposals and ideas get rejected all the time, but with my art, the rejection felt more personal. I feel like at every turn, rejection is just right around the corner.

You want to show your work? No gallery or venue will just accept your proposal straightaway. Your work must be valuable enough. And once you’ve set everything up, someone at your exhibition will say your work looks too easy, they themselves can create it – so why didn’t they?

You need funding for a project you want to pursue? To qualify, you’d need a track of successful endeavours trailing you as part of the requirements.

My thoughts go back to schools and learning institutions. Why isn’t rejection taught more? Or it may have been taught but my attention was elsewhere, who knows?

I’ve got more questions than answers from my own thoughts, but my friend had a clever idea she encountered on this topic. She introduced me to a concept she has read and watched from this guy Jia Jiang. The book was called Rejection Proof. I haven’t personally read it yet, but the idea was to subject yourself to situations where you’re certain will lead to rejection. She told me he also has a Youtube channel if anyone wants to check it out. The mere suggestion of voluntarily subjecting yourself to these situations sent shivers down my spine.

I aim to read the book one of these days but one key takeaway for me from that concept was to take the risk. There was also an interesting thought from one of the podcasts I usually listen to. The artist said that when your work gets rejected from a specific show, gallery, or award-giving body, it doesn’t mean that your work is rubbish. It may only mean that your work wasn’t apt for the theme they were going for, or that the judges’ tastes doesn’t necessarily align with yours.

As for me, I know that the quality of my art now doesn’t match with the vision I have for it yet, but I will continue showing my work and entering in art awards and shows. I need all the feedback I can get to get to the vision I have for my art.

To you, dear observers and consumers of art, you are definitely entitled to your own opinions, but as much as it is humanly possible, please be respectful to the creatives who are pouring their hearts and souls into the work that they produce.

And to you, my fellow creative, let’s keep pushing forward! One of these days, those rejections will turn around and be a win for us!

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Art Practice Musings

Working Around Limitations

With my art, I love working with limitations, mainly because it grounds me. Limitations help me with art by shifting focus on a number of items and working creatively around them. Though it is useful for my art practice, I do not find limitations in my actual life fun.

As a mum to a very active toddler, I deal with several limitations myself:

Limited Time

These days, I manage to squeeze in more time for art, baking, and cooking. Rapha is more independent with play and exploration. Yet, I still do not have the luxury of long blocks of time as I had pre-motherhood. So what do I do? Adjust. I make quick acrylic paintings because acrylic paint dries easily. I do watercolour paintings because drying of paint on paper takes time and I can always go back to my paints without the fear of them drying out. I do the more intricate drawings at night when my child is fast asleep.

Limited Space

I love painting on canvas and I have a couple of stretcher bars waiting to be used but I do not have enough space to store big canvases at the moment so I chose to work with paper and thin boards right now. I have outgrown my studio space (aka my spare room in the house and a portion of my living room) so while I wait for my studio to be built, I will make art that my studio allows. I dream of doing bigger and freer forms of art but my current space cannot accommodate it but instead of going big, I will go deeper into my practice.

Limited Finances

It is a mutual decision of me and my husband to go single income while our child is in his developing years. We are blessed for him to have a stable job that can provide for us. We live comfortably, but we do not have a lot of surplus. These days, I am learning to use up the supplies and materials I have accumulated during the years when we had a lot of extras (being DINKs for about full four years when we moved to NZ).

We live frugally and save where we can so we can allot money for us to continue with this lifestyle. I am currently not selling my paintings because I do not have time to market them and make a full blown business off of it but I gift them to people who appreciate my art.

As a family, we have things we still pursue. As an individual, I am still holding on to my vision and my dreams and though I am faced with several limitations, I won’t stop moving. My steps may be really really tiny these days but they are steps nevertheless.

I am pretty stretched in this season of my life but every time I see how my son is developing, I remember why we have decided to do this in the first place. He is learning, growing, and thriving and I love that I can contribute to the best start he could ever have as a young person.

I believe that every season is its appointed time and I am soaking in everything that each season has to offer. When things start freeing up and when things are more abundant, I will look at this time with fondness and remember that though limitations are not fun, it can be an ally and spur me to growth.

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Art Practice Musings

Art on Pause While on Sourdough Therapy

I hit a wall with my art for approximately 3 months now. I rarely liked what I have been creating so I decided to take a break. There was a lot of internal pressure to find my own art style and to generate income from it, which absolutely no one else required from me.

My dissatisfaction led me to find something I can get my hands on while I nurse my wounded ego, thus I turned to sourdough. I have tried several times to make my own sourdough starter and sourdough bread from it on and off for several years now but never really succeeded.

Our family loves bread and I have a Type 2 Diabetes I am trying to manage. Sourdough caught my attention because it is a healthier alternative to commercially produced breads. Apart from that, buying gears and kitchen equipment is so therapeutic for me!

I currently have a 3-week old starter housed in a Brod and Taylor Sourdough Home. I have made 4 sourdough discard loaves and a brioche loaf from it. My sourdough discard loaves were wonderful but my brioche was dense, mainly because I substituted the flour required from the recipe hahaha.

Making sourdough starter and bread from it seems to have heaps of rules I need to follow. I love this because in following a specific set of rules, I get the outcome I expect. It is a mix of rules and of continuous adjustment because each sourdough starter is unique. It has helped me be more flexible in terms of expectations and just learning to adjust with the changes needed every time my starter acts up. My starter is a bit more stable now so all the efforts paid off. Now on to my bread making journey!

Having a hobby outside art has been helping me lately. I have been generating ideas for possible projects. Also just realigning my head as to where I want my art journey to go. I hope to regain that freedom to create what I want without expecting too much from it. In the meantime, my creativity is directed towards breadmaking and hopefully, I may get over or better yet, break the wall I hit with my art very, very soon.