arline jernigan

I so enjoy spring, and it is a very beautiful one, as we have had so much rain. I could have this weather all year, and it would not bother me one bit. If I were to need different seasons, I could travel to them.

What I love most about the warm weather, is that I can paint outside. That is my favorite thing to do in the morning.

I have been getting ready for two shows. One in Mississippi, and the other in Montreal.

The Montreal gig is a dual adventure. I am going to be teaching a yoga workshop, and having an art opening. WOW! I am getting so excited.

This week I am finishing up some work, and framing for each of the shows.

Both shows are in May. Mississippi is mid may, and Montreal late may, but I have to have everything ready to go out by the end of next week. I will, I am not worried about that, I just hope my work is well received. That is of course out of my hands.

My job is to do the work, and share what I have, and I have a lot, so that is just what I am doing.

I am expanding and sharing my work outside the comfort zone of Memphis, and not a moment too soon.

I guess I have not felt like writing much lately. I have been doing quite a bit though, which I like, but I did make a commitment to this journal, and want to keep the energy flowing here.

Last friday, I was in an art opening at Perry Nicole. It was a group exhibit including most of the artists that are represented there. I almost didn’t make it into the show, due to some miscommunication, but after a bit of internal drama, and organizing, I was able to put a big piece into the show.

This image of the picture is not that great, as you can not see the layers, or the line well. I wish I had a better one, but I don’t right now, and so this one will have to do.

I was happy with the way the piece turned out though, and I got a lot of encouraging feedback. I would love to see the work go to a new home where it is seen and loved.

Now speaking of painting, I want to go do that now, but I have embarked on a project that is using my painting time. For about a month now, I have been working on house stuff (my house is my personal painting/sculpture). I’m dealing with my ceilings. They were attacked by that AWFUL popcorn stuff, that someone without sense, invented. The last owners of the house were profligate in their use of this ugly material, creating quite an eyesore for me, I had gotten to a point where I could not stand looking at the ceilings that way any more. So after a lot of thought (about 3 years) I opted to cover them with layers and layers of tissue paper.

Why not scrape the popcorn off you ask, HA. I would perhaps have done that long ago, had the ceilings not been KILZED. The popcorn was glued on after that. Only a new ceiling or something creative could have been done in this case.

My idea is working, and I know it will look cool when it is finished, but this project is taking much longer than I anticipated. I was starting to get very grouchy not being in my studio, so I brought some paintings inside the house so that I would be able to look at them and work on them while I work on the never ending tissue paper solution.

I need a massage from all the overhead painting, but I won’t stop til I am finished.

I am finally ready to start adding pictures, and obviously I need to play more. The one on the left is after a fit, and will be worked on some more, the one on the right is what the painting looked like yesterday Yep I lost it. Thats OK though, it is all just play, and my work usually goes through many incarnations.

I am still waiting for a model to manifest. I am ready to draw from life. I am looking, and feeling it out. I want to share with someone or a couple of people, because I want to be around other visual artists, and share some energy, and I want to share the cost of the model. Until then it is trees and self portraits, hands, feet and ears. (yes, I am way into drawing ears)

I put up two new paintings in the painting section on the website yesterday, check them out if you like. I see the shift, I feel it and yet so much remains the same. Sometimes change comes slow, but I am really more interested in evolution anyway. I have a head full of ideas, layers of meaning to filter through, and when certain things are ready to emerge, they will.

I think that is the way it is. I cant force anything, I won’t rather. I love the process, I respect it too.

I do however want to draw from life more, and bring that energy back into my paintings. There has been some resistance, yet I cant quite figure it out. I have been sketching a lot in my sketch book, I am not ready to share those quite yet, that will be a while. There are several paintings in my studio that I have been working on, and they carry the remains of what I have been processing. The colors have changed, they are softer (there is still no red allowed). I am also working on some books, tiny little nontraditional books with indecipherable words. I would love to take a book and paper making class sometime. First, however I am going to carve out some time to draw from the model. Drawing makes me very happy, so what am I waiting for.

I am almost ready to post a couple of new paintings, Yay! I am still in this transition stage, but I feel myself shifting, and I am pleased. I had a moment this weekend, and painted over everything except for two pieces that told me not too. I have to do this sometimes, because when I become attached to parts of a painting that I have been working on for a while, and the rest of the composition is not working, I cant see a solution. I start fresh, yet I have the vestige of what was before, and I am guided to a different place. Sometimes I rip everything up, but rarely throw anything away, because it will eventually work in some other incarnation.

I am grateful even in my frustration, because I always grow when I am diligent, willing, and in tune with the process. Though right now I don’t feel frustrated, because I have done a lot of letting go here lately, and I am not so concerned with expectation or results. I have chosen, at least for today, to trust, and realize the joy in what I do, and give thanks