Time to Shake It Up?

Happy New Year to my Art Peeps… and I’m wishing you a Wondrous 2024

In tumultuous times, it’s advantageous to use the unstable energies to get unstuck; we can lean into the possibilities at the start of the New Year. Did you set some goals for this year?

Those goals can be far-fetched or light-hearted; it’s all good. If you’ve let the moment pass you by… it hasn’t. When you know it is time, ride that wave, and make some conscious choices.  I encourage you to keep growing.

Begin with reflecting on the past year, or 5 or decade.  What is stagnant and needs removal or rejuvenation?  What area of your life is really calling for change? Is there inspiration brewing? What are you dreaming of?

Even if you are relatively content, if you aren’t growing, then shake things up; allow life to be spicy.  Looking back can remind us of what we’ve done, where we’ve been, and gives us perspective to establish a better self-care habit, or a significant bucket list.

By way of example, I’m going to review my own history, the past adventures, and see how that informs what is next.

My nature is that I enjoy variation; I’ve had at least 4 professions (and lots more jobs) in my life: Outdoor guide; Freshwater Biologist; University Art Professor; Yoga Therapist, Teacher, Studio owner / manager.

All the while, my greatest love, and my longevity project, has been as a creative, which has found its outlet through visual art. There have been many phases, explorations of media, context and content.  Just for fun, I’ll script a ‘Coles Notes’ version of my own Art HerStory. Here are the significant chapters:

1. Early years & up through high school.
2. My 20’s, during the Outdoor guide and biologist phase.
3. Undergraduate University explorations: Ceramics and Painting
4. Graduate MFA – Installation with Mixed Media
5. Post MFA: 3D à 2D Encaustics + Mixed Media

Early years & up through high school

As long as I can recall, I drew, painted, explored mixed media (twine, eggshells, natural dyes, etc).  Such activities provided the  opport

unity be in my own energy and just play, thus fostering creativity.  In addition, I painted images from photographs (like the horses– a gift for my horse-loving sister), as well as European Masters (from Calendars sent to my family from my great Aunt in Austria). The latter taught me about composition, perspective, color mixing and simply trained my eyes and hands to work together.

I painted ‘still life’s’ in the art room after school, during the last 2 years of high school; my art teacher could see my potential and encouraged me. But my father influenced me to choose the more practical field of biology for university studies.

My 20’s, during my biologist phase.

When I received my first paycheck as a biologist, I bought a Nikon camera; I loved that baby.  When not working, I was off in nature photographing. I lived in Winnipeg, so had access to an ‘art scene’.  I studied photography with a local artist and learned B&W developing. I reveled in the exciting time between idea/action and the results; when the images magically appear on the photo paper in the dark room.

Or the film roll that gets sent off for developing, returns for inspection; which negatives or positives are worthy, crap or pure and genius. I also enjoyed staging photos – me spread arms eagle/angel on the ice of a pond; when flipped it looks like I am flying in wisps of clouds. That Nikon was my creative tool for a decade, until I started taking art courses at the University of Winnipeg.

Undergraduate Art @ University + 2.5 years.

I began with 1 art class at University while employed full time; when it became apparent that art was my calling, I quit my biology job to study art full time.  During that time, I enjoyed drawing and especially painting; the biomorphic forms were influenced by my biology studies and surrealism. I was also drawn to sculpture, but ended up in a ceramics class. I fell in love with it…. I wanted to try every technique possible; I discovered that the wheel was not creative enough for me – so I went head long into sculptural ceramics.

 

I made complicated pieces, (like the wheeled ‘Horn of Plenty’), working the edge of what the media could do.  I started exhibiting in Winnipeg and the region.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Art (BA), I went to Banff School of Fine arts on a 10-month scholarship. That was divine; I made huge (8’ – 9’ tall) ceramic goddess pieces, firing them in kilns on wheels/rails.  Such a gift it was to be in a tribe of creatives.

I also made several outdoor art works, including this ‘ritual hut’, made of wire, adobe and earth pigments.
 

 

 

 

 

After Banff, I toured the world with my backpack (and camera) for 13 months; Yes that is me on a Camel Journey; I had the worst diaper rash & the most memorable starry night in the cool desert air.  It was a wondrous tour that inspired me for years.

Graduate MFA – Installation with Mixed Media

Upon return, I moved to Tucson, AZ, to embark upon a graduate program at the University of Arizona. During those 3 years, I taught ceramics, explored more techniques (including slip casting), and then shifted into creating installations with fabric, found materials, ceramics and sound.  Sound was the additional sensory aspect that I hadn’t heretofore explored. It allowed me to create an experience for others that engaged all the senses.

My final MFA thesis work was an installation melding mythic ideas with primordial sounds that allowed one’s senses to expand, and tapped into one’s unconscious; you entered on a spiral path in a dark room, illuminated only by the lights of each ‘boat’ hanging in space.  Each of the 7 pieces was a meditation akin to a poignant point on a person’s life journey, much like the archetypal journey of ‘The Fool’ of the Tarot.  The image here is of a bird skeleton, hanging/cradled in an earthy ‘boat’, a lotus flower light illuminating the fragile, vulnerable form.

Art Post MFA

Summarizing 30 years post MFA creativity isn’t easy; I’ll make it simple.  I continued to make and explore ceramics and mixed media. Over time I realized that the 3-dimensional and installation works were not sustainable; difficult to store, sell and ship, I decided to shift to more relief and 2-D works.  I did less ceramics. I started exploring wax/encaustic media, on my own, then in workshops and courses.  I fell in love with this new media, and continue to enjoy its seductive surface.  The fusing of layers holds that same magic of expression I love, unfurling beauty as the torch is applied to the surface.  I continue to add other media to the top layers: printed images, jewelry/findings, beads and natural objects (teeth, shells, rocks). I love details; that is where the intrigue and magic is. You can see the current expressions at www.DebbieMathewArt.com.    P{lease join me on Instagram, where I post my latest creations, and process videos, if that is of interest.

When I reflect on the key themes/ideas I’ve expressed over the years, they contain similar content from the start; the merging of myth/archetypal stories, metaphysical and biological principals.  What is important to me, is to keep creating, and exploring with curiosity.

So that is my reflection on where I’ve been; creativity is essential for my well-being, and it/I get a boost of zeal when I try new things.  Truthfully, I have not been as inspired as I’d like these days as I compare to some of these past adventures.  I realize that moving residence, resulting in a shift of my professional and personal life, has taken its toll.

Well, I’m going to shake it up…. I’m off to do some international travel, and while in New Zealand, engage in a print-making residency… something I haven’t done much of ever.  It’s a little scary.

I guess you’ll have to tune in to my next update to see what happens.

As always, I love that you are with me; I’ve realized over the last while how so very important my tribe is to ‘completing my artistic expression’, being here to witness… so Thank You.

I’d love to hear any / all thoughts you might have. Are you challenging yourself in order to grow?

It takes courage, but you don’t grow courage unless you say ‘yes’ to something that just might open you up.  Much Love,  Debbie