“Leap” as a word doesn’t get the love it should.“Jump”, “leap’s” dynamic cousin, has gotten top billing for as long as I can recall.“Jump” reached the top of the Billboard with Van Halen.It has been splashed across screens, big and small, in titles like “21 Jump Street” and “White Men Can’t Jump.”Speaking of jumping, why is it that athletes JUMP rather than leap to make a basket or catch the ball?And if I want to purchase a one-piece-does-it-all addition to my wardrobe, it’s a “jumper”.(We will leave romper for another day!)
“Jump” is a downer.“Leap” is an upper.Say the words aloud, you will hear what I mean.Is that why “jump” is used more frequently and “leap” is shunned?It’s always a little (or a lot) uncool to be TOO happy.“Leap” sounds light and frivolous.
Well, I am choosing to leap into Spring!I am leaping from the doldrums of winter.I spent the winter months hibernating, taking solace in countless hours of You Tube, Patreon, and Skillshare.Watching watercolor dry is a form of ASMR.
But the dark hours are shrinking, and Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring.Even February has added an extra day!To celebrate, I will set up at Wildflower Cafe Art Market on Leap Day, February 29th from 5pm-8pm. Stop by the cafe to see what local vendors have to offer.The cafe offers a unique shopping experience with artists and artisans showcasing their wares on the cafe tables.It’s a cozy experience!
As Spring approaches, I would like to invite you to leave a comment on this post about your favorite experiment on this post. What art do you hope to see me create this year? And what is your favorite way to display art? Do you like housewares or cards or prints …? You get the idea.
In the Studio
I will keep it short today- maybe just a few pictures.The winter months make me a little gloomy and tired, so I retreated to the realm of experimentation, education, and reflection.I am curious to see how it all plays out this year.
A two page spread from my watercolor sketchbook.
Sea Dragon with flowers… ink and watercolor 9×9.
Exploring my beachy wishes… watercolor and ink.
What I’m Reading
Eve by Cat Bohannon- My book club chose this one for our February gathering. It has been a FASCINATING look at the evolution of the human species from the FEMALE perspective! At times challenging, this book has been a joy to read. I have learned much about the paleontological evolution of the female body, but also about the pervasiveness about the male bias in all things science.
This post has been written by Renee Griffin, a human being. The art has been created by Renee Griffin, the aforementioned human. No AI has been used in the creation of my art or writing.
I exited the internet superhighway this summer and traveled the skyways and highways, recharging my connections to friends and family.
My travels began with a week in Burbank, CA to visit a childhood friend.We met in 7th grade when my family moved to Sugarland, TX.I don’t recall how we met, if it was a shared class or a chance encounter, but the three years I lived in Sugarland I spent with Christine, riding our bikes to Target for Cosmopolitan magazine and the latest cosmetics, trading Sweet Valley High romance novels (carefully preserved in white homemade book covers), and shopping and dining at the mall.Today, half a country and an infinite number of life experiences separate us, but the friendship endures.While visiting, we attended the Rose Bowl Flea Market, the Getty Museum, and Last Chance bookstore.We ate…. a lot!
Her new pup delighted in the discovery that I liked to rise early and spend the morning on the patio.I painted and journaled.She chased birds and guarded the perimeter.Meanwhile the raucous laughs and staccato drills of the local woodpeckers filled the air and the hummingbirds sliced through the air like squadrons of daring WW2 aces- darting, diving, retreating in the blink of an eye.
Second trip of the summer was an overnight Mother-Daughter excursion to Norman and Oklahoma City.We spent an afternoon marveling at dinosaur bones and the sheer enormity of earth’s history at the natural history museum.We splurged on a stay at 21C Hotel in OKC- an art gallery and hotel in one.We ate dinner under a magical canopy of “greenery” and lights at the hotel’s pop-up restaurant.
The final trip of the summer took the family to Chicago where we attended a Cub’s game, absorbed the exhibitions at the MCA, and attended the four day outdoor music festival, Lollapalooza!This trip deserves an entry of its own, so I will leave it for another time.
With summer fading, I know my time to merge back into the high speed traffic has arrived.I enjoyed the reprieve, but I have noticed a lack of discipline and drive. Resuming my online activities and reconnecting with my online communities will help me focus my efforts once again. Summer has given me a vast and timeless world of inspiration; so, I will see you in the fast lane!
You can find me on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to say “hello” when you drop by!
I needed to create, to leave behind the rain, the dark clouds, the dark thoughts.But when I climbed the stairs to my neglected corner of the universe my spark fizzled in a storm of clutter, disorganization, and sheer chaos.
The spacious room lay buried under piles of past and future projects and felt crowded by the ghosts of the people I have been.I knew that to create something new I must make space for it.And I must make space for the person I want to become.
So I cued up a few podcasts* and set to work.The initial thought to “tidy up” quickly mutatedinto a need to move furniture, store objects of questionable worth, and contemplate new organizational strategies.
Some tasks came easily.Putting away the art supplies that littered the horizontal surfaces, tossing paper scraps and old notes into the recycle bin, finally throwing out those weird little fabric scraps I kept for absolutely no good reason.
Part of the fun of tidying up is rekindling the love for adored possessions.In this instance I lingered at my bookshelf.It could use an hour devoted to simply cleaning it out.I tossed out old jewelry making catalogs, workshop instructions for digital scrapbooking and Photoshop Elements, and pulled a pile of graphic design magazines out to recycle.But this is where I began to falter.
I had purchased the magazines at a used book store.I had spent hours pouring through the magazines marveling at the digital secrets held within their pages.But with a rudimentary understanding of Photoshop and zero understanding of Illustrator, their secrets seemed closed to me when I purchased them.But now- now is a different time and I am a different person.I speak these languages!And while technology has changed drastically, I thought those magazines could still hold some valuable lessons for me.So I put them back on the shelf for another day.
I didn’t finish tidying up the space or clearing the ghosts.I stuffed some of those ghosts into pretty little boxes along with a considerable collection of mostly dried up ink pads from my Rubber Stamping days.There remain other ghosts- an English teacher who defends her laminated posters of illustrated literary elements, a crafter or two who dabbled in polymer clay and jewelry craft, a wannabe photographer, the mother of two Lego obsessed children.But it takes energy and commitment to exorcise ghosts, and they don’t make too much noise.So, I left them for another day.
*Would you like to know which podcasts I am listening to? Click the links below to listen for yourself.
An uncomfortable but necessary look at our nation’s education system and how earnest intentions can cause more harm than good.
In the Studio
I attended my first live event early in May.I spent many weeks preparing- and afterwards I needed some downtime.I have been working with such an outward focus and I was missing out on the joy of doing for the sake of doing.So, I returned to play!My wonderful children and husband gifted me new liquid watercolors for Mother’s Day and I took them out for a spin.
The image to the left is a page from my sketchbook: dragon with Snapdragons. Ink and liquid watercolors. The previous image also comes from my sketchbook and is a leafy seadragon, further play with my liquid watercolors.
I am already preparing my next visit with you- a reflection on journals.During my studio cleanup adventure I revisited my journals and I am looking forward to sharing them with you! Do you keep a journal?
The scissortail flycatcher, the blanket flower, and the Eastern redbud represent Oklahoma’s natural beauty. The sun image is a nod to our Native American heritage and represents hope.
Details of the Scissortail, Indian Blanketflowers, and Eastern Redbud.
I have gone to ground for the past month as I prepare for my very first live booth event! About a month ago I got the opportunity to participate in a one day outdoor event- and I leapt at the chance. Let me clarify this by stating that I leapt into it the same way I leap into a body of water knowing it will be cold. I held my breath and it felt a little as though I had stepped off a ledge when I clicked the “send” button.
It sounds foolish when I say that aloud. I can list hundreds of intimidating things I have embraced in my life- years on the stage, entering a strange high-school as a young substitute teacher time and again, teaching, earning my Shotokan brown belt, competing in karate tournaments, and birthing two babies. These are scary experiences, especially to the uninitiated. So I had to turn inward to ask “why the hesitation”?
Was I scared that I couldn’t “do it”? Nonsense. Like anything else, the act of showing up is a simple mechanical process of putting one foot in front of the other. And while the list of things I must accomplish in four weeks to prepare was long, by simply doing one thing and then moving on to the next, I knew it was manageable. So this could not be the cause of my faltering.
Was I afraid of what others would say or think? Sadly, there was a little truth in this. My HEAD knows my family and friends will encourage me and want me to do well. But there remains a small but VOCAL demon within that shouts at me. “They will think you are a delusional child. They are just patronizing you. They know that when you fall on your face you will give up this stupid charade and move on.” Insert the maniacal laugh of your choosing here.
But the fear of looking like the fool to my family was not the only thing holding me back. There was still something else- and I knew it was my fear of complete failure. What if NO ONE stopped at my booth? What if no one bought any of my art? What if I have been wasting my time? And that is where I stopped myself.
I had let something get in the way of my joy. When I sit down and create it comes from a place of joy, every time. I cannot think of a single time I have created from a space of sadness, loneliness, or anger. I admire artists who can harvest these raw emotions and the artists who use their canvas to expose the evils of the world and push for change. But my art journey thus far has remained an expression of joy, admiration, and awe. Allowing the fear of judgement into the arena ties my hands. How can I mine the joy if I am only concerned with how many people are following my Instagram, reading this blog, or liking my FB posts?
So I purposely set aside the social media and the paint. I picked up my pencil and sketchbook, I enrolled in some new online classes, and I immersed myself in the process of simply creating and learning. I LOVE learning. I am not the fastest learner and my retention sucks- but I love expanding my horizons. I have submitted to notion that whatever happens on May 8th, it does not determine my relationship to art. Only I can affect that. And if I crash and burn on May 8th, my family will not see a failure, but a woman who is committed, determined, and persistent. And I can think of no better lesson for my children.
I am still a little nervous about May 8, but I am a body in motion and I am hurtling towards May 8th with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. I am looking forward to seeing people and introducing my creative efforts to them. If you live in Tulsa and feel safe venturing out, I hope you will stop by my booth and say “Hello”. For information, check out this link- https://saltandsoulmarket.com/birthday-bash/.
The event is the Salt & Soul Birthday Bash and it will be at the Broken Arrow Brewing Company May 8 from 3pm-8pm. If you are still unfamiliar with Salt&Soul it is an online market featuring Oklahoma vendors. I have a shop there and after May 8 I will be loading new items into my shop as Salt&Soul exclusives- meaning they will not be listed here on my website but must be purchased through Salt&Soul.
Persist in joy, my friends.
In
The
Studio
Clowning in the Garden or Clownfish in Chrysanthemums. Watercolor.
This began as an exercise in painting chrysanthemums but the undulating petals morphed into anemones in my mind’s eye. Where there are anemones, there are clownfish. We have five bubble tipped anemones and two black and white clownfish at home. Little fish with big personalities!
Male purple finch in gouache from my watercolor sketchbook.
Vector artwork- the Tulsa Driller holding hops. This is a coaster design which I will debut on May 8.
Pattern created featuring the Oklahoma motifs. Another example of vector artwork.
Staying with the Oklahoma theme, I painted a vintage gas pump. Watercolor.
Desert Sun– A new digital image available in my Society6 store located under Home Decor & Gifts in my site Menu.
Persistence: Is it a Virtue or Merely a Mad Delusion?
Aesop insisted the tortoise’s dogged persistence would triumph over Jack Rabbit starts.Coincidentally, I have much in common with Mr. Tortoise:I am homebound (“Thanks, COVID.”), I have no fast-twitch muscles of which I am aware, and optimism (or perhaps faith in effort) lures us forward each step of the way.A pinch more self-confidence might help- indeed, there are those who get by with not much else!But I do believe that persistence pays a reasonable return.in other words, provided I maintain reasonable goals and expectations, nothing but myself stands in my way.
Wrapping both fists tightly around that guiding belief, I set about to re-create a new website for myself.I began around Christmas time and by February 1, I had a website I liked- at least on my desktop computer.A few issues remain on smaller devices and I am mentally steeling my resolve to correct those in the coming week.
While squeezing the living daylights out of my belief in persistence, I placed an order for some succulent seeds.I had become enamored with a strange succulent someone posted in social media and after searching for it on the WORLDwide (emphasis on the word “world”) web, I located seeds.Yes, SEEDS! I was suffering from the audacious belief that I could grow a rare succulent from the ground up- literally!The website appeared professional and gave me no reason to doubt that I had just purchased seeds from a vendor in New York.However, 2 weeks later I received an email informing me that my package had just left China.The packages’s arrival strengthened my suspicions.Apparently I ordered a fifth packet of seed- not a succulent, by the way.So, 1000 tiny “seeds” had arrived from China.I have about 8 seedlings to show for it-ALL from the fifth packet of seeds!
Nearly 6 weeks later, I swallowed my pride and purchased cuttings from a woman in Washington state.I hope to chronicle the growth of four cacti- green thumbs crossed!
In the Studio
Check out the “Pirate Boston terrier” in my watercolor gallery. My sister’s Boston Terrier, Maggie, lost her eye in late December in a freak accident. I painted her as a pirate and gifted it to my lil’ sis for her birthday.
I have returned to the realm of digital art. As I continue to gain mastery of Illustrator, I developed a customizable print using my Mimosa motif I created this summer. I saw customized nursery art while surfing the web one night and loved the idea! I am working on a rocket theme customizable print as well. What do you think of them? (Check them out in my shop and in my Salt & Soul market.) I am also excited about Desert Sun– a bold graphic art print available in my Society6 shop on a variety of products.
And although I am spending more time in front of the screen, I still paint regularly. I am currently working on a watercolor image of an opossum surrounded by foliage and sweet flowers. I like to imagine this hanging in a nursery, boy’s or girl’s! I am giving you a sneak peak in this post.
And last- but certainly not least! I have embarked on #The100DaysProject. This project challenges creatives to hone in on one thing for 100 days. Some may take the extreme approach and only draw noses for 100 days. Others may adopt a looser approach and simply commit to sketching every day for 100 days. I have settled in the middle of this continuum and am getting to visually know flowers and plants better. My goal is to expand my mental library of plants so I don’t rely on references quite so much. I have included my sketch of Cosmos, with and without color.
For many, the holidays consist of a series of days marked by frenetic busy-ness and large doses of overstimulation. The long lists of gifts to buy, food to cook, rooms to clean and decorations to set out effectually become blinders, narrowing our vision to the tunneled exposure of the task at hand.
What spots?
I wear such blinders more often than not, but this Thanksgiving the pandemic changed the narrative. There was still cooking to be done and the impending impact of Christmas to consider, but I began to examine my relationship to Thanksgiving, and in turn to the many other ritualized moments of our lives.
When I began to examine my reaction to a covid-altered Thanksgiving, I had to go back to the beginning. What was Thanksgiving to me? And only when I took Thanksgiving out of its present context could I begin to grasp my relationship to it.
For me Thanksgiving will always be at my Grandmother’s, with my Nanny, grandfather, parents, sister, and step-siblings. With women working together in the kitchen to bring together the last minute details and my dad grumbling about the green-bean casserole, again. It was red ice-cubes made of frozen Hawaiian Punch served with 7-Up. The grown-ups always ate at the kitchen table and the rest of us ate around a game table. This was my Rockwell-worthy Thanksgiving, and it could ONLY reside in the past.
This year we experienced our first Thanksgiving meal as a family of four at our own table. I set out my wedding china and crystal to commemorate the special occasion. I looked at my children, tall, self-aware, teetering on the brink of adulthood, and I wondered what their Rockwell-worthy Thanksgiving would look like when they too stood on the hill of mid-life looking back.
That’s the thing about memories; they surprise us. We can’t begin to know which moments will burn indelibly into our beings, becoming defining experiences against which all others are measured.
Psychedelic Poinsettias: An infinitely repeating pattern inspired by my childhood in the early 1970’s.
In the Studio
I have been bouncing around in the studio between small sketchbooks and larger canvases. I have smeared acrylic with my fingers, experimented with gouache, created digitally, and played in watercolor, of course.
I am addicted to the process of learning and am simultaneously working through an online perspective course, teaching myself how to create a website (thanks for hanging with me!), learning about gouache, and working through an online course to encourage a more intuitive creative process.
One of my small victories has been a long time coming- my own online shop. Currently I am offering greeting cards as I ease into this new adventure. I will be offering small prints in the near future as well. If you haven’t seen the shop, be sure to check it out by clicking on Shop in the Navigation menu.
Some of the season’s art experiences have found their way into my Society6 store- check out my Steampunk Snowmen, my Holiday Anglerfish, and the Psychedelic Poinsettias (Society6 in the Navigation menu).
And if you shop locally, I am excited to be a part of Salt and Soul- an online market in Tulsa featuring local goods, arts, and services.
