Defrag & Refresh

I had a good convo with a friend about defragging and refreshing...the mind, not the computer. We can be in the midst of work, an important project, a creative idea, when our minds begin to sputter, stall...oh, look a castle.... ideas stagnate and a multitude of intrusive thoughts begin to ping around the brain like a bat trapped in a box. Many times I will sit at the desk wondering what did I just decide to do....not 2 seconds have passed since that first thought before another thought has replaced it....obliterating it. This is a fragmentation of the mind that can bring any creative thoughts to a screeching halt. Inspiration be gone..fragmentation is happening, like the minute cracks in the plaster wall in my art studio. When it happens, I have realized there is no way to fight it. The only way to put the mind back on track is to defrag it. This mind fragmentation can track beyond the recesses of the brain, and out into the world.. for one thing, it can turn you into a grumpy sasquatch...even little birdies and squirrels become fearful of you. How do you defrag? Sometimes just a change of scenery can help place the pieces back together.. take your dog out for a quick walk.. get out into nature..sit under a tree..sit in your porch swing if you have one. Rest your eyes on some green ..always soothing. Take a drive..turn the radio up, roll the windows down..even in cold weather...sometimes a cold slap in the face by Mother Nature is helpful (thanks I needed that!). If you have gone beyond the occasional frag mind bending episode into major paralyzing events like writer's and artist's block, plan for bigger defrags, like going on a vacation.. take a weekend off..travel somewhere you haven't been before.. Sometimes, the mind needs a bigger, more sustaining refresh. Defragging can also benefit the spirit and body. You'll come back to your projects ready to rock it! Defrag & Refresh.. spells relief. If you can't afford that trip to France, the rocking chair may be utilized as an effective defragging tool.

Faux Spring

Faux Spring has arrived! Robins are bobbing along, daffodils are showing their sunny faces, crocuses have dared to emerge donning lively lavender garb. Temps were hovering around 70 on Sunday luring springtime citizens from their wintertime slumbers... by Monday temps are to hover around 60, and by Tuesday plummeting to the 40's. What's up with Mother Nature? Another Polar Vortex visit? I say we draw a boundary line across the top of North Carolina and pass a law that disallows another Polar Vortex from swooping down to South of the border. Warm one day, windows flung open, enjoying a warm breeze and the next expecting a "wintry mix"? Nah, let's don't be wishy washy.. let it be one or the other. Either let the groundhogs go back to bed, or romp in the sunshine. At least this cold blast keeps me indoors where I can work on revamping my Pet Art website. It's still a work in progress, as I have a ton, a multitude, a plethora of pet images to add to it. You're invited to take a peek now, but remember, it has a ways to go before it's finished. Getting links and paypal buttons installed takes a long time. Here is the link to the site: http://www.PetArt.net I'm especially proud of the Testimonials page! Leaving you this Monday with a chuckle.. Herding Cats..

Happy New Year dog & pet lovers! Would you like to enter a competition where the prize is a painting of your pet? Then visit my Facebook business page and enter my ongoing Pet of the Week competition! https://www.facebook.com/PetArtbyLyn The process: Like my Facebook page! Dog Art by Lyn (the url is different from the page title). Email pics of your pets (all pets considered even snakes and gerbils) to me at ladyartista@yahoo.com In the subject of your email, type in POTW and your Pet's name. In the email itself, include your full name as owner, and list the url of a fan page if your pet has one. Professor Wally (the dog with the discerning eye) will choose which photos will become oil paintings. The criteria for a good photo to become an oil painting (or watercolor, etc.) is composition, lighting, clarity, etc.

Photo tips: When taking photos of your pet, get situated on their level. Take the photo in natural light. Flashes cause colors to wash out and create unnatural looking shadows. Get up close and personal when taking your pet's photo. It is impossible to see what is going on with eyes, hair, etc. from a photo of a dog in a field of grass and the dog is about the size of an inchworm. Nope, you need to Fill the lens with your pet's loveliness! Remember, I paint what I see and if you cannot see it, neither can I. Admittedly, my super powers only go so far. ;o) When the paintings are finished, I will post them in the page photo album, Current POTW paintings. Then find your painting and get as many votes (likes) as you can before the competition deadline. The painting(s) with the most likes will go to those winners! The ones who didn't win will have the chance to buy the painting of their pet. If they don't want to buy it, no biggie, the paintings will either go up for sale in my Etsy shop, on eBay, or simply be painted over with something else. It's fun and free to enter! Check out all the paintings I've created to date, located on my FB page under the album Past Competition paintings. Good luck and hope to see you there! Lyn

Inspiration & Imagination

Painting on rocks is fun! I have created a handful to date. I couldn't afford to buy a book on the "how to's " of painting on rocks, so I figured I'd just give it a go on my own. Since I was not sure of the type of rock to paint upon, this entailed a trip to the rock store. The rock store turned out to be a landscaping sort of place with large round tall containers holding all manner of large rocks. I could never find those kinds of rocks in my own yard. The large rocks around my house have extremely rough surfaces. The rocks at the landscaping place had rocks with smooth surfaces, much like the two prized river rocks I keep for myself (unpainted) that I brought back from my birthplace in WVA.. the New River, actually the oldest river in the world after the Nile. Those I will never spoil with paint. Mother Nature did a fine enough job on them without my input. So I picked through a number of big ole honking rocks at the landscaping place, then put them on the outdoor huge honking scales for them to be weighed. Price depends upon the weight not how many are bought. The total cost was around $25.00 for a about a dozen large rocks. Cool! I lugged them home and there they now sit gathering dust in the studio. So when will I bring out the life of the rocks? That depends. A rock will have to speak to me and tell me what is inside it. Then I'll translate that into something.. be it turtle, bird, dog, cat, fish.. whatever the rock says. I can tell it is going to take some rock bottom rock to rock communication to find out what they will be.. because I've been drawing a blank more often than not. That leads to subject of inspiration and what sparks it? What sparks your inspiration and ignites your imagination? I've found that thinking too much about anything simply results in a headache. So for me at least, the answer may lie in allowing, creative juices to flow, not in trying to push them or pull them into manifestation. I think I might try meditation. If I can just quiet that barrage of continual self talk.. that crazy talk in the head, it would be easier to create. It may be time to revisit Eckhart Tolle for his concepts in quieting the inner voice (ego). Let it flow....let it flow...downstream is easier than paddling upstream.

shown.. painted Great Dane Rock & Pembroke Welsh Corgi Rock by Lyn Hamer Cook©

Does exercise enhance creativity? I've read about it, and yeah I believe there is something to it. I've seen a difference in the studio on the days when I don't get on the treadmill and when I do. It also helps to get outside and walk in the fresh air and sunshine...even on days when the sun is a no show. Wally is a big help in that department. I don't have any human companions to accompany me on walks. Wally is my trainer. He does not allow me to slack off when we're walking. He pulls, tugs, jerks on the leash, launching me into roadside shrubs and weeds along with him. He's quite strong for a 55 pound fella. The moment I begin to daydream and ponder about the bigger picture of the Universe truths ((yeah right))... Wally gets inpatient and jerks me awake so that I have no choice but to join the NOW.. the Moment. Wally is a great example of living in the moment. He does it with gusto. Every scent is a mystery to unravel. Every carcass we happen across, from squirrel road casualty to dead bird in the field is a treat. I have to watch him or he would bring them all home to add to his collection. And so, it's time to hop on the treadmill, then later let Wally take me for a drag up the road. The plan for the rest of the weekend is to work on commissions and the next Pet of the Week contest running on my Facebook page. Check it out and you could be chosen to have a painting of your pet.. all pet photos welcomed. Have a great weekend in whatever you do.

I can already tell that summer will pass far too quickly. Just yesterday it would seem, the Redbud was in flower, the pretty blossoms covering the limbs in a lacy lavender show against the brown landscape. Always the first to burst out in bud, the Redbud is a favorite tree of mine. This week in June, the Mulberry is already at the end of berry season. The squirrels and birds, even a raccoon have enjoyed the thousands of sweet berries. The tree was not planted in the backyard, but came up of its own accord. It has been a blessing to wildlife and I continue to enjoy its beauty. The warmth and breeziness of today gave rise to thoughts of the beach. Fond memories surround the North Carolina coast. With that in mind, I just finished a painting of Corgis going deep sea fishing. It's on a canvas sized 24" x 12". I love painting underwater scenes.

back to the world of the almost living

Long time, no post! The winter was a long one. Like a bear hibernating, the warmth of the Spring seems to waken my spirit. Birds are singing, sun is shining, and the old Maple tree has seen a Mommy squirrel raise a brood. Life begins anew. And over the Winter, I have put on a few extra pounds I had lost. I think it's fairly normal.. must be the Seasonal Affected Disorder I have.. dark winter days just begs for more bread & soup .. (and pizza). I've been delving into oil painting very heavily and I love it. Visit my Facebook page to see the pet portraits I've been painting since September 2012. https://www.facebook.com/PetArtbyLyn Once there, click on Past Competition Paintings. Now, I need to get busy in the studio. Just wanted to update this blog for who knows who. I know nobody is reading it, so I can post anything I want to..PFTTTTT so there!