![\"Pomegranatesm\"](\"https:\/\/lisathorpeartist.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/11\/pomegranatesm.jpg?resize=600%2C600\")
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I have been busy, I feel like I\u2019m always busy \u2013 I am in perpetual motion and while I proport to be an artist not enough of my time is spent making art. By far I spend more time promoting my art workshops, designing new workshops, writing about new techniques, and teaching than I do making. I am forever in an internal conversation about the balance of teaching and making. I do enjoy both and to be frank I couldn\u2019t make a living on just the art – people hunger to open up their creative hearts and I love to help them through my workshops. But sometimes I want to make for the making, not because I\u2019m going to teach a workshop and I need a sample, not because I\u2019m going to write a magazine article and need to pitch an idea \u2013 just make. So, this week despite an anvils weight of anxiety about all the things I need to do for an upcoming workshop and art sale, despite the fact that there are always contacts I should be making and connections I should be deepening, and despite the absolute mess in my studio, despite all this I chose to make. And what do you suppose I chose to paint? A still life. What a wonderful term \u2013 Still Life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Still<\/strong> –noun<\/em> -deep silence and calm; stillness – Synonyms <\/em>quietness, silence, stillness, hush, soundlessness, noiselessness, calmness, calm, tranquility, peace, peacefulness, peace and quiet, serenity<\/p>\n Life<\/strong> –noun<\/em> – the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death – Synonyms <\/em>existence, being, living, animation, aliveness, entity, sentience, creation<\/p>\n What an interesting parring \u2013 perhaps that is why artists are drawn to create a still life. Something in the tug between stillness and animation the juxtaposition of tranquility and change. A still life is capturing a quiet moment in the act of changing. The fruit will wither the flower fade the moment in between is caught up in the still life.<\/p>\n Unbeknownst to me – in the chaos of my week, my month, my year \u2013 still life<\/strong> called. Despite that fact that I didn\u2019t have time for making this week, I didn\u2019t have room for making this week- still life called. I\u2019m so glad it did and I\u2019m so glad I listened. The making of these two paintings calmed me, readied me, revived me. The stillness in the action brought me back into my body and breath and made me ready for this weekend\u2019s teaching \u2013 this month\u2019s selling and showing.<\/p>\n I give thanks to the universe for showing me this perfect persimmon, this fecund pomegranate and whispering in my ear to stop, to make and observe this quiet, abundant moment – to allow and honor \u2013 Still Life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n I have been busy, I feel like I\u2019m always busy \u2013 I am in perpetual motion and while I proport to be an artist not enough of my time is spent making art. By far I spend more time promoting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[37,80,88,96,98,99,101],"tags":[171,487,501,516,518,527,528,570,727],"class_list":["post-3152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-expressive-painting-classes","category-inspiration","category-spiritual","category-teaching-art","category-the-bishops-ranch","category-transitions-and-changes","tag-being-present","tag-life","tag-making","tag-meditation","tag-meditative-practice","tag-mixed-media","tag-mixed-media-art","tag-painting","tag-still-life"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"persimmonsm\"](\"https:\/\/lisathorpeartist.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/11\/persimmonsm.jpg?resize=576%2C576\")
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