Connecting To Infinite Possibilities
The calmer the water the clearer the reflection~ Anonymous
I’ve decided to take up meditation again. For 13 years I would meditate regularly twice a day for twenty minutes. I even got my kids and husband to allow me to have this quiet time. It’s been 6 years since I have meditated regularly and have noticed that my health, stress and well being, have suffered because of it.
Meditation lowers blood pressure, heart rate, lowers cholesterol levels, reduces stress hormones, and increases anti-ageing hormone DHEA, improves immune system and restful sleep. I didn’t realize that it helped with creativity as well. Being and artist this becomes a great motivator.
The wonderful reasons why meditation should be part of the artist’s life:
Calms the critic.
Gets you in touch with your authentic self, to express your uniqueness.
Helps you to get out of the repetitive loop of thinking that suppresses new ideas and inspiration.
Increases brain activity in the parts of the brain involved with ideas, insights and connections.
Increases your ability to focus on the big picture instead of trivia.
Helps you to be focused in the moment and enjoy the process as much as the result.
Increases insight moments of inspiration and answers to problems.
Eases fear and anxiety, less fear more risk taking and freer thinking.
Experience “Quantum Leaps” of imagination.
Be in a higher state of consciousness.
Helps you get in touch with the flow, where time stands still and effortless creating occurs.
Let’s you step in to the unknown.
Increases the ability to use your whole brain for problem solving.
Connects you to the field of infinite possibilities.
Do you meditate and if you do what have you discovered?
*ART20K footage completed 13,782 square inches
*Above painting~"Meditation", measures 16" x 20", acrylic on canvas, price $800
*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
Feynman And I'm Doing It For The Fun Of It
"The Brain changes with every flicker of experience." ~Deepak Chopra
Inspiration can come from the most unlikely places. The inspiration for my painting came from watching a video of Richard Feynman, one of the scientists belonging to the Manhattan Project, and the inventor of the atomic bomb. After the destruction in Hiroshima, Feynman had such a strong negative reaction that he found it very difficult to go back to work. He felt what is the use everything will be destroyed anyway.
Feeling stressed and doomed he realized that he was going to change his approach to life and work. He was going to “do things for the fun of it", for no reason, no purpose at all. As soon as he started playing and doing things for the fun of it, he said, "it was like a cork came out of the bottle and everything poured out."
Richard Feynman recounts: "I was in the cafeteria and some guy, fooling around, throws a plate in the air. As the plate went up in the air I saw it wobble, and I noticed the red medallion of Cornell on the plate going around. It was pretty obvious to me that the medallion went around faster than the wobbling. I had nothing to do, so I start figuring out the motion of the rotating plate. I discovered that when the angle is very slight, the medallion rotates twice as fast as the wobble rate—two to one. It came out of a complicated equation! I went on to work out equations for wobbles. Then I thought about how the electron orbits start to move in relativity. Then there's the Dirac equation in electrodynamics. And then quantum electrodynamics. And before I knew it… the whole business that I got the Nobel Prize for came from that piddling around with the wobbling plate." A replica of the Cornell plate is now part of an exhibit marking the centennial of the Nobel Prize.
I was having difficulty going into the studio to paint. By listening to Feynman’s words it allowed me to go into the studio, just play and "do it for the fun of it". I realized that one of the fastest ways to stifle creativity is to be stressed. My attachment to the outcome was more overwhelming then the need to create. By playing and letting go, it allowed me to explore and create in an uninhibited way. I love this approach and hope the cork will come out of the bottle for me as well, but I guess I can’t get attached to that either ;)
*ART20K footage completed 13,462 square inches
*Above painting~ "No One's Home", 30" x 40", acrylic on museum wrapped canvas, price $3000
*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
Do You Have Art On Your Walls?
“Collectors are happy people”~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Do you remember art in your home when you were a child? Did it inspire you or fascinate you?
Do you believe art is important to have in your home?
Are you intimidated when going into an art gallery?
How often do you go to an art museum?
Would you ever consider commissioning an artist to create a work of art for you? What would it be of?
When you go to someone’s home and the owner has quite a collection what do you think? How does the home make you feel?
Do you know what type of art you prefer?
Do you own a favorite piece of art? Why is it your favorite?
Have you inherited a work of art?
How do you think having art in the home affects your children?
Are you a collector? How did your collecting start?
Do you believe purchasing art is a good investment?
Have you ever furnished a room around a piece of art?
Has a work of art ever made you cry?
Do you buy art from the heart or the head?
*Above painting a commissioned piece "Lion's Gate Garden" 36" X 36", oil on museum wrapped canvas. For commissions please contact me at (408) 460-7237 or jvander51@msn.com
*ART20K footage completed 10,996 square inches
*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
Vulnerability And The Big Challenge
36" x 48", acrylic on museum wrapped canvas
“Armed I am with love. Disarmed I am.”
― Manuel Alegre
Tomorrow I am going to speak about my #paint52 project for Alyson B Stanfield’s Art Biz Incubation group. I have taken three of her workshops and been so pleased with the outcome and her standard of quality in anything she offers.
Our topic will be on committing to doing a “big project”. Doing two big projects in a row #paint52 and now Art20K has pushed me in many ways, just due to its natural progression and momentum. I don’t want to elaborate for I will be talking about it tomorrow. But, let’s just say talking in front of a group is pretty "big" for me.
The painting above was also out of my comfort zone. I did something totally unpredictable and unexpected for me. It felt very uncomfortable. I posted it on Facebook and many people enjoyed the painting. I could have left it as is, but I needed to push myself further, even if it was a disaster. I could risk and perhaps still did ruin the painting. Yet, the only way I learn and grow is to push myself.
Now what does doing big projects, talking to Alyson’s group and my painting has in common. I guess first of all I am putting myself in a vulnerable situation. I risk failing. In the end I have to be all right with it not being perfect, exposing who I am and realizing I am still good enough. Isn’t that always the bottom line, “Am I good enough”?
What risk are you afraid to take and why?
*ART20K footage completed 6996 square inches.
*Painting above, Title: “Delicate Vulnerability", measures 36″ x 48″, Acrylic on museum wrapped canvas (no need for framing), Price $4320
*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
The Colorist and Crayola Crayons
“Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons.” Al Hirschfeld
Only 3 years old, I have fond memories of my mother bringing a fresh box of 48 Crayola Crayons home to our barracks in the Aleutian Islands -Adak, Alaska. Little did I know that it was such an influence in my creative life? I would analyze each color, the milky color of apricot, complimenting the silvery periwinkle and perfect combination with magenta. The combinations were endless and I was determined to explore as many as I could create.
I do remember my first coloring, a pig, with the famous Carnation Pink. I don’t think I cared about the pig as much as seeing the beauty of the luscious pink. Is this my imagination? Could a three year old have experienced such intensity?
My first day in Kindergarten I was handed a box of 8 crayons. My first thought was “where is my box of 48? How could I possibly create anything with these primary colors?” I remember asking my teacher if I could bring my own crayons. “Of course, Janet if you can bring them for the entire class to share”. Well that ended that. I had to learn new ways to compensate, outlining in black, which soon changed because the teacher thought I was depressed. Then I would outline the inside of the object and color it different colors or layer colors.
Today I relate to the crayon colors similarities to my oil paints, bittersweet becomes Quinacridone Burnt Sienna combined with white, midnight blue now the famous Prussian Blue, Brick red similar to Indian Red and Magenta close to Permanent Rose.
Crayola Crayons simply prepared my sensibility to color. Could it even of affected me at a neurological level, as described in the book, "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle?
Color is my first love and as I have always said, "Without color I wouldn't paint".
*ART20K footage completed 5268 square inches.
*Painting above, Title: "A View From The 18th Hole", measures 36″ x 48", Oil on museum wrapped canvas (no need for framing), Price $4320
*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!