Season of Change

Goodbye summer

We are about to leave the hot heavy days behind and get carried into winter on the wonderful crisp breezes of Autumn.

At the moment my little town and so many everywhere are doing the hard work of drying out from Ida. The pandemic’s shadow still stretches wide. All the while our world keeps spinning like mad. Making us all dizzy…as usual. I and maybe you are a bit withered by it all.

Still… when I look around at my little inner circle I see hints of fresh things on the horizon. Mud wiped away, seeds sprouting, travelers wandering about again, magazines pressed, homes created & recreated, trees down and trails cleared, books bound, podcasts casting, projects pivoting in all directions and on and on. I’m sure it’s just a bit of my own minds eye but everyone I know seems to be on the edge of something!

In the studio…I’ve been working on a large commission. Along with continuing the Eden Daughters series and finishing up a swirlscape mini. Also, exploring experiments with works on paper and some camera creativity.

I’ve had a few short getaways…glamping and rambling through fields of summer while trying to free up some soul space in my mind to contemplate the future. I can feel myself shifting into unfamiliar terrain. It’s a strange mix of disintegration and expansion. Like being on the edge of something…probably the big 50 on the horizon next summer;)

This painting “Butterfly Birth” from my vault is a flashback from 2016. It actually goes back further because for so many reasons…it took me oh so many years to finish it!

Almost everyone who sees this painting gets intrigued by the wing like shapes emerging from the corner. I think it’s the delight at finding something familiar and recognizable in an abstract work. It’s like seeing castles in clouds. Maybe we crave the familiar to anchor us in the seas of chaos.

It wasn’t intended to be a butterfly.

But…once it showed up as one it became one.

For me this piece has always been interesting because of everything happening around that “wing” pulling itself free. There is shaky and stringy energy in that mix of murky and intense color. It always reminds me of what might actually happen inside a mysterious, mushy and most likely messy cocoon. It has that strange combo of disintegration and expansion. That sense of becoming by unbecoming. All very much of what I think of when I think of a season of change.

Hope all is well on the edges of your own endeavors…till next time!

ps…scroll all the way down to see my garden visitor who inspired me to revisit this painting & to read a Mary Oliver poem…that more than once pulled me through some very long days.

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“Art is important for it commemorates the seasons of the soul, or a special or tragic event in the souls journey. Art is not just for oneself, not just a marker of one’s own understanding. It is also a map for those who follow after us.”

— Clarissa Pinkola Estes

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“The Black Swallowtail

The caterpillar, interesting but not exactly lovely, humped along among the parsley leaves eating, always eating.

Then one night it was gone and in its place a small green confinement hung by two silk threads on a parsley stem. I think it took nothing with it except faith, and patience.

And then one morning
it expressed itself into the most beautiful being.”

— Mary Oliver

Swirlscape

“Man is a microcosm, or a little world, because he is an extract from all the stars and planets of the whole firmament, from the earth and the elements; and so he is their quintessence.”

— Paracelsus

Scroll on through to travel back in time

See this little mini swirlscape from its beginnings.

For such a tiny piece…it’s surprisingly easy to escape into all its lacy eddies of blue-violet microcosm. And…with a touch of pearly iridescence.

Lots happening in this little one. Along with using the classic paint brush I sanded and scratched onto the surface. Also, lots of tiny dots of iridescent paint drops like pearls.

It’s drying and will be available for purchase for the holidays!

If you are not already on my list you can sign up here

Diamonds & Rust

Early this summer I tried a little experiment…

It was fun and pretty much all turned out to be a mess. Oh well, maybe someday deep in the future something will come of it!

The experiment grew out of interest in an artist named Marla Stoddard Hayes. I saw her beautiful art on a gallery website years ago. I was lucky to find her sharing her latest art practice with natural inks from plants and metals on instagram. It’s messy and fascinating! I love the elementalness of it…yes, I just made that word up;) I’m always curious about playing with metal in art making. Someday I hope to learn to weld…but that will be a post for another summer day!

This wasn’t all new to me. I once made stain with steel wool & vinegar. *It’s really easy…just pour some vinegar over steel wool in a glass jar and wait. You’ll get brownish/grey stain that makes wood look aged. Anyways…I’ve always wanted to try doing it with copper. It’s supposed to produce a beautiful blue/green.

I’d been on the lookout for some left over copper scraps for an experiment. I thought I was good to go after spying copper staples on card board boxes. I spent more time than I want to admit pulling them out with a screw driver till I had a nice little pile. Honestly, along the way I started to be suspicious they were only “copper” coated but sometimes “wishful thinking” can just make you believe! So…I poured on the vinegar and forged ahead;)

Obviously…from the photo below I didn’t get any beautiful blues.

Ah! Life!

I almost sure it’s Iron oxide.

This creative tangent with scraps of old watercolors lead to an intense amber “trash pile” of blotchy paper. It took on a sort of rusty leatheriness that I actually think could be interesting. I tried lots of techniques from scraping and scoring the paper to wrapping it in thread, wire and netting. I also snipped a few garden cuttings to press into the rusty concoction. Just to see what would happen!

And…there are always diamonds to be found even in experiments gone awry!

Like the interesting markings left behind from netting and the ghosts of plant patterns. I’m especially interested in the way the color pops over the black paint. And, there is the potential to someday combine this in some way with my “pintalism” experiments.

Nothing is ever really wasted.

I’ll file this all away under “hmm.”

And…I’m still on the lookout for copper scraps temping me with ever elusive blues;)

“They bring diamonds and rust.”

— Joan Baez

Eden Vibes

Sharing some snaps from the very mud like beginnings of 4 new pieces. I started these in early spring. They are in one of my favorite formats…tall and narrow at 12” x 48”

It’s been a lot of pouring on paint like stain and pulling in pretty pinks. Letting them shift and change at will. I paused in the midst of my usual “intuitive flow” to take a little excursion into experimenting with incorporating flower shapes. I always get a little obsessed with flowers in the spring;)

I’ll be curious to see if these flowers remain or disappear into the layers in the months ahead. Either way, I suspect these pieces will always have something of a flowing out of Eden vibe.

Eden myths amuse and intrigue me.

I like to imagine…Eve giving an epic eye roll while slamming the gate. Calling out behind her “I can’t do a damn thing with perfection anyway!” Marching away with her Maternal Mitochondrial DNA and tracking mud from Eden all over the place. Sure she made a bit of a mess but honestly nothing would have changed without her. Thank God for Eve. Wink!

Till next time…Be Well!

“At its essence art is an alchemical process. Alchemy is a process of transformation.”

— Julia Cameron

“It doesn’t disappear just because you say it isn’t there, so
When they ask why’d she go you can say ‘cause
Life in Eden...Life in Eden changed”

— Sara Bareilles & Matthew Hales

ps…pretty sure I’ve shared this quote before but it’s just too good not to share again!

“After all these years, I see that I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; it is better to live outside the Garden with her than inside it without her.”

— Mark Twain, Diaries of Adam & Eve

Poppy Magic

On an icy day last February, I stood shivering in my garden scattering the tiniest black seeds over the snow. Then, because it was February, I ran back inside and dreamed of the thaw. 

For years now this has been my little ritual to beat the winter blues. It helps me to imagine all those seeds cracking open. Slowly mixing their thin roots with mud and light till they transform into blooms.

When June comes, I go out as the sun is just coming up and watch them break free from their shells. I’m astonished for days by the crepe petals that flutter in the breeze like fairy gowns. 

I sip my coffee and just stare and stare at them. The light. The shadow. The colors. The crown like centers. The magic of butterflies that come to feed. The whisper of danger from their opium histories. It’s like I just want something of their allure to seep in and become part of me.

They barley last a day then decide to go nude and drop all their petals. Leaving behind sculptural pods that dry into rattles filled with next years seeds. And, so it goes…

I often get asked where I get my inspiration for art. I’m never exactly sure what to say because the whole of it is a mysterious thing! I know that it’s some sort of swirl of emotion and energy…And, it’s from here in my “Little Eden” where seeds make magic.

Want more poppy inspiration? Check out last year’s poppy post>> here

“You have to keep breaking your heart till it opens”

— Rumi

“I’ve always loved the definition for contemplation: “a long, loving look.” And when you take a long, loving look anywhere, you feel more bonded with whatever you’ve looked at. ”

— Naomi Shihab Nye

Talisman Minis

Now is the time for some good luck!

This is the The Talisman mini series. The blue-green swirls have a touch of metallic along with optimistic yellow. The tiny details made me think of untangling a cosmic knot or necklace. That’s where the idea came to call this mini series The Talismans.

I used a technique that I love but haven’t used in several years. It’s a process I call “pulling strings.”

It involves prepping the boards for painting with gesso and then dipping thread in gesso. I then let it fall or wrap it onto the surface. It’s a little like trippy 60’s string art and wonderfully messy!

After it all dries…I pull the thread off. It makes a slightly incised surface with very thin lines. It creates a certain amount of randomness…that makes things interesting.

There is short video up on Youtube to give you a better idea click to watch

Courtly Birds

To me all birds seem a little magical…

Easily defying gravity in their realm of air. I especially love the inky ones.

I’d like to introduce you to The Courtly Birds!

The Earl of Poppy, Queen of Bleeding Hearts, Monarch of the Wind, and last but not least…the Midnight Guardian.

These creations with their garden headdresses inspired royal titles this time around. So much fun naming these dark soul feathers!

They are all mixed media pieces using encaustic wax, various garden treasures and beads. Each piece is 8” x 8” *about 9” x 9” framed in black, $250

They will all be available for purchase during the Open Studio tour.

UPDATE: The Earl of Poppy is now the only bird available!

To purchase email me at siobhan@siobhanbedford.com

Spectrum Series

The “Spectrum Series” will finally be ready to launch in May for the Open Studio!

I’m thrilled to share these nine paintings that are swirling explorations of color and light.

They have soft but focused light and are gently layered with details. I’m not sure exactly how to put it into words but I have the sense of energy being pulling up and through. To me they hint at the chakra system.

I started this series early in the summer of 2019…so they have been a long time in the making!

I thought it would be interesting to collect “WIP snaps” and travel through “virtual time!”

Hope you enjoy seeing how they transform and shift from their early beginnings. This group is a little unusual in that the initial energy was dark lines…almost like inky drawings. Then evolved from bright almost neon to more gem like colors with what I imagine to be mystical light.

Scroll on to see the whole series!

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“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”

— Wassily Kandinsky

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“Chakras are organizational centers for the reception, assimilation, and transmission of life-force energy. They are the stepping stones between heaven and earth.”

— Anodea Judith

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“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color most”

— John Ruskin

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Hope you can come see them in real life at the Chester County Studio Tour in May!

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“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished...that will be the beginning”

— Louis L'Amour

Empress

The Empress….

She is a new watercolor pin-piece I’ve been working on through these last windy days of winter. I’ve been working with the piece to push the light in different directions using the camera and edits in Lightroom. I embraced all the bells and whistles that Lightroom has to offer.

These are some of those explorations.

The Many faces of the Empress

I started experimenting with layering with another pin paper piece. Using a flash light and candle to play with the light. Even tried some greenery. I think using flowers would be intriguing…So looking forward to the spring blossoms to try that out!

It’s a learning curve but interesting & exciting possibilities!

Enjoy!

Empress of the Flame

“I’m restless.
Things are calling me away.
My hair is being pulled by the stars again.”

— Anaïs Nin

Empress of Spring

Empress in the Moon

Green Glow

As I write this the ground is a blanket of white and it’s still snowing! I’m not a fan of the cold but it’s very beautiful. And, very bright! I absolutely adore light so it’s all good.

Before the holidays…I shared this painting from the Spectrum Series. Since, then I’ve added one more warm glaze. It’s a subtle change but it gives a touch of earthiness and makes the green really glow.

Subtle change is still a transformation!

It’s probably the day but when I look at it now I keep thinking of seeds ready to stir as the light returns.

When we turn the corner halfway through winter I always feel like it’s the real New Year. Spring is still far off but…it’s in sight!

All that reinventing energy is on its way.

Till then…stay warm & enjoy the art!

“There is nothing constant in the universe. All ebb and flow, and every shape that’s born, bears in its womb the seeds of change. ”

— Ovid