Saltworkstudio Art Blog turns six.

Image | | Suzanne Edminster at Saltworkstudio

 

 

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My shadow on Arizona petroglyphs.

Dear interweb world humans, beings, friends, voyeurs, and artists,

Thanks for following me all these years!  It has been a journey reflective of my inner world, a composition of shadow and light, beauty and imperfection.

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Turquoise Window World, an early painting post from the blog

 

It’s been a while since I’ve posted.  I have to break through an invisible membrane of fear every time. As an introvert, sometimes I don’t even enjoy posting carefully edited versions of my life and paintings.  I’ve constantly struggled to be “authentic” with the innately inauthentic medium of social media and blogging.  At times I have been both over and under-attached to your reactions,  first living for them– the fabled “stats”– and then rejecting them entirely.

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Floating beauties from the Naples Archaeological Museum

 

I think the high point of authenticity for me is, ironically, not the art blog, but the Camino de Santiago pilgrim  posts.  I really perceived the blog, during the time of being on the road, as a tentacle of true connection.  I could feel support reaching through it.  The art, if you can call it that, was completely unrevised– the messy notebook pages.

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Portals of color, locked, Spain
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Pilgrim sketchbook, Camino de Santiago

Looking forward, I find myself increasingly interested in pure abstraction and an authentic gesture.  I want distance from approval and marketing and time to develop on my own without outside pressure, time to grow a new set of metaphors. So I’ve decided to take 2016 as a learning year, not showing year.

I won’t be doing open studios, except for our local events. I am going to paint at the Art and Soul Retreat in Portland this March.  These 5 days in a hotel room, painting and sketching, should be fun and instructive.  I’m excited to finally be studying with Jesse Reno.  I think he is a master of staying with the process until the final image, however eccentric, emerges.  I hope to focus on composition with Jane Davies.  I’m looking forward to cooking on the hotel room iron! (Just kidding. Sort of.)  I will be in the Sheraton Airport Hotel, car-free, and am thinking about how to keep costs  low.  It will be a rather fancy art  garret.  I’m bringing plastic sheeting so I can paint in the room if I want, storing the paintings on the extra bed.Let me know if you have ideas for hotel room survival.

At home, projects include new chicks in March, and planters for the heritage grapevines we got as starts from the UC Davis plant ark. The grapes are no longer grown in France,  having been hybridized, but  they are the ones that appear in many old masterpieces.  An ancient strain has been preserved and will grow on our arbor, or so we hope.  The grapes themselves are perhaps these that Monet painted, pale green with a rosy cast.

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Both chicks and grapes grow fast once they start.  I wish you a surge of new growth as well in the Lunar New Year.

Suzanne

 

 

12 thoughts on “Saltworkstudio Art Blog turns six.”

  1. Beautiful. Full of Grace. I’d like to see these on FaceBook (?) Maybe you’re already there!

    May the scent of the violets waft up to guide you with Blessings, Maya

    On Mon, Feb 22, 2016 at 3:25 PM, Saltworkstudio wrote:

    > Suzanne Edminster at Saltworkstudio posted: ” Dear interweb world > humans, beings, friends, voyeurs, and artists, Thanks for following me all > these years! It has been a journey reflective of my inner world, a > composition of shadow and light, beauty and imperfection. It’s” >

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  2. Sounds like a wonderful plan, take away some of the spectators for a while and fertilize the soil with some targeted workshops. Wishing you all the best! And if you wanna do some sketching. . .let me know.

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  4. Your thoughtful reflections and your integrity are such an inspiration, Suzanne. I am just so pleased that I get to tag along. Yours is the only blog I have actually continued to follow and read eagerly when you post. Just one rather obvious idea is a folding table from Target to add as a working space in your hotel room; inexpensive and effective, comes in various sizes.

    All blessings on thy nut of a bean, we used to say (meaning your beauteous head) 😉

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  5. I will reply to the rest of your post a little later — but on to hotel room survival:

    go to: (I think this is your hotel)

    http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g52024-d96145-Reviews-Sheraton_Portland_Airport_Hotel-Portland_Oregon.html

    –and read the reviews and look at the images posted there — often there will be information about resources close at hand (example: if there is a frig in the room — do they serve a complimentary breakfast — where is the closest convenience store (though being at the airport resources might not be available….) — Bring a hot water boiler (they are not large and you can pack items in them) — think about bringing some packets of oatmeal (to which you could add other things like flax meal, wheat germ, etc that could be packed in a separate plastic baggie…..then there is the Starbucks instant coffee (it is not bad) and hot chocolate…..Peanut butter is available in small luncheon sized containers……you could take some slices of your homemade artisanal bread….what about some form of jerky (that will last for a few days) and Laughing Cow wedge cheeses (that do not need refrigeration)….perhaps a couple of envelopes of instant soup for light meals….dates (or some other form of dried fruit) really help for a little sweet something….a couple of apples….. bring along some high quality paper bowls (like Chinet) and plastic cutlery ….some cup that you can use for hot liquid (these can be used up so you will not have to cart them back (of course to be more environmentally sensitive — you could carry camping items (but I would council convenience for this journey)……if handled right you need only bring back the water boiler appliance….

    I have found that the bathroom (depending on the size) is the best option for working — easiest to clean up — I always have to figure that I might overturn the water holder (you could use one of the paper bowls for this)…plus it is often the place with the best light…..

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    1. Nishi, those are great ideas, especially about the restroom for messy work. I always forget to bring a plastic serrated knife, since I can’t carry anything too sharp on the plane. I won’t worry too much. Sounds like there are cheap alternatives nearby, walking distance… and I’ll try not to permanently weld a piece of brie on the Sheraton iron!

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  6. Just saw this from the website: “About 1/4 of a mile down the road there is a small shopping center area that has multiple restaurants; Red Robin, Buffalo Wild Wings, I hop. There are also several stores such as: Best Buy, ikea, Ross & Verizon. ….coffee bar in lobby for a quick snack if you don’t have time for the restaurant in the hotel….My room also had a microwave, minifridge and coffee maker. The club lounge was very nice as well……We stay on the club floor which provides afternoon drinks and snacks, and a breakfast, free of charge. Can’t beat it!”

    OK– so not very gourmet….but Ikea usually has a good deal on food…so that might be an option….bring a flashlight in case it gets dark…..or see if the hotel shuttle will go there….or see what is at the airport…..: “They also have a free shuttle to take you to the airport as well as nearby shopping/dining venues..”

    I guess you should request a room with the microwave and frig — as others reported that such amenities were not there: “The only downside was no microwave, fridge or mini-bar of any kind–…., and we were hungry for a snack but there were no options in the room, and we didn’t want full room service.” –” We needed a small refrigerator and it was delivered within minutes of checking in. ”

    And I forgot to add to that list of possible foods: power bars and packet of instant meals that you can get from Whole Foods…..of course — there is always the hotel iron…..and one can never go wrong with a nice bit of Brie…..

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