daily janes

6×6″ acrylic on paper

This is just pure moving-paint-around kind of stuff in an attempt to find a few moments of zen in a difficult week.

6×6″ acrylic on paper

This involves layers over layers of scraping, brushing, and otherwise applying acrylic paint to paper.

digital photo

This is a close-up of a beautiful red cabbage we bought last week from Grinnell Heritage Farm at the downtown farmer’s market. After Matt cut into it he called me over to see the beauty. I grabbed my phone and took a photo.

Hope this is posted in time for the weekly newsletter!

2.5×3.5″ marker on cardstock

Another exhortation in a “healing power card.”

2.5×3.5″ marker on cardstock

When I was a resident artist at a cancer infusion center (offering art activities to patients while they were getting chemo), one of the things I would do is invite patients to make “survivor power cards”—one for themselves and one to leave for another (unknown) patient. That’s what this card hearkens back to for me, in its process, inspiration, and intention. It is a plea, a direction, a hope, an energy, a deep desire.

3.5×2.5″ marker on cardstock

Another hospital doodle. I was going to leave it sort of mandala-like, but it needed something more, so I continued to doodle the lines around the mandala. Cosmos in a cup is the title that just popped into my head just now.

2.5×3.5″ marker on cardstock 

A little doodle for a day of sitting and waiting and listening to the rhythmic breathing of an exhausted sleeper—looking out the window to a beautiful sun-filled grassy space between buildings.

3.5×2.5″  marker on card stock

This is a little sketch of an empty IV stand (and part of the bed surround wall) in a hospital room.  I spent a lot of time recently in a variety of such rooms with an ailing family member.  It’s a kind of spare, shaky piece, but perhaps fits the subject matter.

4×4″ acrylic on paper

Whew! Finally back to a little art-making after moving! Moving creates a lot of discombobulation—both physical and mental (and emotional and spiritual, now that I think about it). Upheaval. So, I painted this. I don’t love it; you may not love it, either. But after several weeks of packing, moving, unpacking, settling, shifting, stacking, opening, closing, etc. etc. etc., at least I’m moving a brush with paint for a creative purpose again! I hope to do more and more.