Archive for the laelia e. mitchell Category

physical moves done… let the funk set in

Posted in art on paper, Collage, laelia e. mitchell, mixed media, Photography, Psychology, work on paper with tags , , , on June 11, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

… title of post says it all. it used to be so much easier to make these transitions. oh well. I made it to the studio today and, once again, as woody Allen says (and many others) “showing up is 80% of success”

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back to a studio practice

Posted in Art, Drawing, laelia e. mitchell with tags , , on June 4, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

after months of dealing with living situations (buying, selling, moving and moving again) I think I’m about ready to settle into a committed studio practice again. it’s been quite difficult to maintain a sense of creative output while relocating. it all points to the delicate balance needed to sink into my studio practice. I need time, mental time really, to allow the art synapses to fire. and they’ve not been firing for quite a while now. my intent going forward is to place premium on my studio dates. at the expense of other activities I’m pretty excited to see where I’ll be going.

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oh to be an ex-pat

Posted in laelia e. mitchell with tags on May 28, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

i’m here in italy … and … wow … the light, the energy and of course the food has me wishing to move abroad for a period of time.  to experience a completely new way of living would most certainly inform a different studio practice.

 

back in the studio

Posted in Drawing, laelia e. mitchell, mixed media, work on paper with tags , , on May 21, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

after what seems to have been an eternity, i believe my life is smoothing out.  i spent part of each weekend day at the studio and i’m going bsck today.  i’ve been told that doing something 3x begins a habit.  so … hopefully my studio habit will re-emerge fully.

 

printers ink and graphite on paper

couch surfing

Posted in Art, laelia e. mitchell, mixed media, museum with tags , , , on May 7, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

until next week (i hope only until next week or i’ll implode).  i’ve had a few visits to the studio, yet they yielded only a few scribbles which i won’t torture you with.  hopefully soon i’ll return to a more consistent studio practice with samples.

in the meantime, here’s a link to mark bradford’s work at the san francisco museum of modern art

hello new chapter

Posted in Art, current events, laelia e. mitchell, news with tags , , on April 30, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

we moved out of our old place, have yet to move into our new place so i am a bit homeless and therefore have no art update. this is an experiment as to how I maintain my identity as an artist while I navigate the changes in life. I will physically get to the studio this week, however, getting my head/heart into the studio practice may present some interesting challenges. in the meantime i’ll enjoy the springtime weather

moving this week

Posted in Art, internet, laelia e. mitchell, landscape, Photography with tags , , , on April 23, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

soon art making will return

taken with everyone’s favorite new “enemy” …. instagram

i WILL get to the studio today, dammit

Posted in digital, laelia e. mitchell, Photography, World Bird Sanctuary with tags , , , , on April 9, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

just drawing …

Posted in Art, Drawing, laelia e. mitchell, mixed media, work on paper with tags , , on April 2, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

graphite, charcoal and oil stick

 

 

I am so blessed …

Posted in awareness, digital, laelia e. mitchell with tags , , , on March 26, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

… to be in my life. I’ve been working all week (hence no art making) in the city of Phoenix. my take away is how heartbreaking the amount of homeless are here maybe it’s where I am in life, however, i can’t help thinking “it’s simply one step in a different direction and it could be me”.  the women and men I’ve seen this trip … heartbreaking … so next time I bitch about not having enough studio time, I’ll think back to this day and quietly know how effing lucky I am

photo taken while walking the streets of phoenix

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more important what i saw this week … than what i made

Posted in homage, Interview, laelia e. mitchell, museum with tags , , on March 19, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

At the Davis Art Museum at Wellesley College is Radcliffe Bailey’s “Memory as Medicine” installation.  quite extraordinary!!!  breathtaking and deeply moving.  i sat in the gallery for a long time immersing myself in this piece.  truly moving.  if ever it comes to your area … go!  also this video is from the High Art Museum in Atlanta and they’ve many more vids about this show.  i recommend having a look

 

radcliffe bailey ”memory as medicine”  at the high art museum in atlanta

no studio time makes laelia cranky

Posted in Drawing, gesture drawing, laelia e. mitchell, work on paper with tags , , on March 12, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

not once last week did i enter the studio … nor did i make the little spare time i had into ad hoc drawing time.  this makes me a wee bit grouchy, HOWEVER, here’s a drawing from a couple weeks ago that i kinda like.  this week is all different with a couple days dedicated to …ME! :)

 

back from the beach and back in the studio

Posted in Art, art on paper, Drawing, laelia e. mitchell, mixed media, Work in Progress, work on paper with tags , , , , on March 5, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

after a much needed warm weather excursion, i’ve spent some productive time in the studio. my last post spoke to the dilemmas i face when placing my studio practice on the back burner. when i wrote that i’d be taking some oil sticks, pencils and a sketchbook on my vacation, i obligated myself to actually draw… which i did, happily on the beach. it was a necessary excercise to stay in the game, to make sure my practice is as much a part of my life as … oh .. drinking coffee. the results are below. i also spent some time in the studio upon my return to make certain my practice stayed on track when i’m not at the beach. while i can say i succeeded in my commitments to draw consistently, i can also assure you that time spent at the beach is really, REALLY nice!

beach time

this was done in studio. acrylic and pencil on black plexi 4"x5"

what happens to me when I’m away from the studio

Posted in digital, Drawing, laelia e. mitchell, Work in Progress with tags , , , , on February 20, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

for long periods is that I forget I’m an artist. I forget I have a creative language and I forget to articulate this language, as evidenced by my lack of anything to share. this is quite alarming. plus I leave tomorrow for a mini vacation …. I also know there’s an element of laziness involved. I’ve made mention of the need to do something everyday … advice I need to be more in line with, clearly. all this said, at least there’s a phone picture to post!

I am taking a sketch book and my oil sticks/graphite case with me. I’m intend (operative word “intend”) to sketch. I hope to forget that I’ve forgotten how to be an artist. I hope to forget that I’ve not practiced my creative language and I hope that this time next week, I’ll have a sketch to share. til then … bon voyage

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fun and struggles in the studio

Posted in Art, art on paper, laelia e. mitchell, Work in Progress, work on paper with tags , , , on February 13, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

that’s the sum total of my experiences in the studio as of late.  i go … i draw … i have fun.  i go … i draw … i struggle.  and it’s like that, all the time.  some days the ideas flow with grace and fluidity like it’s a gift from the ether.  other days (like saturday) i draw and i might as well be dumping the cat box on the paper it’s so horrendous.  there seems to be no way i can gauge the day or my temperament.

the drawing below is from one of the studio days that left me feeling like i know wtf i’m doing.  my mark making is developing into some weird language of repetition and movement and it seems to make sense to me.  i used a charcoal pencil then smudged.  i made 4 pages of this.  one page i added a gel medium to each mark and topped it with some oil stick.  i’ll photograph it and share next time.

a late post

Posted in Art, art on paper, Drawing, laelia e. mitchell, mixed media, Work in Progress, work on paper with tags , , , on January 30, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

spending a couple days in the studio this week has refreshed my soul.  even though i didn’t really make any art on one of those days, i was able to putz around and feel that creative movement is steadily chugging along.  it’s really about the little movements towards making work that eventually end up with work getting made.   huh?  well … you know what i mean.  just something everyday eventually gets a big pile of art made.   i have a few drawings done and some canvas on the wall in the studio with a first pass of mars black … where it’s going?  not effing clue

ink, graphite, acrylic and oil stick on paper

shite … I almost forgot to post!

Posted in digital, Drawing, laelia e. mitchell with tags , , on January 23, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

jeesus … it’s the end of the day and I’m finally posting. I don’t have access to the Internet in the green mountain state of vermont, but I’m back in the fair city of boston so here we go. as you know, I’ve embarked on a project of drawing something everyday. often it’s on the phone, yet I do actually take pencil, oil stick and ink to paper, it’s just that it’s a bit easier to post the digital drawings. I highly recommend this as a way to stay in the game … to make sure your studio practice goes with you so you’re never able to say ” I couldn’t draw because …..”. the notion of the artist block starts to recede when you do something everyday …. it really does make a difference to keep moving along. so here’s my daily drawing ->

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drawing on iphone

Posted in digital, laelia e. mitchell with tags , on January 16, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

so I’ve recently begun using my iphone and ipad to draw. it’s quite different than paper (obviously) and lends itself to casual, free mark making. unlike a pencil to paper, a digital mark is more easily deleted which makes the whole thing less precious. I like it quite but. I also love to make marks on paper as the sound/feel is deeply resonant. right now I’m enjoying the act of drawing something each day. as woody allen – and many many others say – “showing up is 80% of success”.

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i’m back with a new project

Posted in Art, art on paper, digital, laelia e. mitchell, Photography with tags , , , on January 9, 2012 by laelia e. mitchell

as I started the new year, i felt it important that i  have a disciplined small project to keep me on track.   I bought a new sketchbook and commanded myself to draw something everyday.   as the new year approached, i was excited and kinda nervous.  drawing was out of my comfort zone.   i’m a photographer.  maybe my self imposed limits needed to be stretched.  my good fortune came through twitter where @stelth opined “should I do a drawing a day?”  to which I replied  ”yes and I’ll join you”

i am using the iphone and paper based drawings in this project.  it’s a terrific exercise for me to open up and play.  it’s helping to be part of a group … accountability.

todays sketch has yet to materialize, however here’s a link to the project and yesterday’s sketch

drawing a day

 

in the green mountain state

Posted in laelia e. mitchell, landscape, Photography with tags , on December 26, 2011 by laelia e. mitchell

just found out I’m in a little show in boston in January. if you’re in town let me know. I’m gonna try to make some art this week … not sure the vacation mode is conducive :) aviary gallery

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