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This week's topic for Illustration Friday is "breezy".
It would be great to hang the whole house on the clothesline to air it out in the breeze.  Than all week long the house would have the breezy smell of fresh air.
This painting was one of a series of houses that I did when we were looking for a house to buy; at the time we were not sure where we would be located.  It was a balancing act to feel comfortable in a house that didn't exist yet.

Going back to basic for me means to simplify and prune away distractions to my practice as an artist and in life.  This week I purchased a yogurt maker so that I can make healthier yogurt while helping the environment by not recycling so many empty plastic yogurt containers.
I've also reestablished a routine that is very grounding to my artistic soul.  That is making a  15 minute pencil drawing  a day.  The purpose of this exercise is to be in touch with the love of connecting heart and soul with pencil and paper, pure and simple.  The exercise is like a tonic, connecting me to the present environment, removing distractions from my mind.  This drawing is of a detail in my studio, showing the containers that I mix my gouache paints in, along with some books on a table.

Symbols in art may be universal in nature, as written about in many books including  Reading about universal symbols and how they came into being is very illuminating and I encourage you to follow up the study through the many books that cover this topic.
 Artists may also employ personal symbols in their works.  Tea bags have shown up in several of my paintings.  Many cultures have tea ceremonies that bring community into a ritual of celebration.   By recognizing this universal of ceremonies, I employ tea bags to symbolize friendship and community and the trust that builds in relationships through engaging in a familiar ritual.  Including the tea bag images has given my work a sense of playfulness, and raised a curiosity to view the tea bags out of their normal context. 

My intention with my art is to take the viewer to a place where they've never been before.  Painting for me is a journal of my inner landscape, a roadmap for my soul.  In showing this to you, the viewer, it's my hope that perhaps something in the painting will resonate with you, so that it also becomes a part of your inner landscape.
Artist Reception Cocktail Party
 5-7 p.m. on February 5th
 Connections Magazine Gallery
 3305 Lake Ariel Highway, Honesdale, PA 18431
570.647.0085