Bonjour,

Just because it is new to you does not mean that it has not happened before… taking a break from the painting… I walk by the white canvas and simple say, “not yet, be patient…sometime soon”.

This weekend was spent exploring something of my past. A different form of creating… Baking. I have always enjoyed playing in the kitchen creating fun things for friends, family, and co-workers and for myself to enjoy!

But recently I have found myself falling into a bit of habit of making the same thing over and over. I was getting bored with what I was making…it was good but I was being to feel empty. I decided this weekend I wanted to make something different, something that would challenge me… so I made croissants from scratch. The recipe is five pages long and it is a bit of process…with a very steep learning curve!

It made me slow down…and think about what I was doing. It is like when I first started working in oil paint, you cannot rush, it needs to have time dry… in the way the dough needed to rest in-between turns.

This weekend had all the moments of creating any art

Create a vision…

Making a plan…

Self Doubt~~~

Exhilaration!!!!

More Doubt~~~:-(

Relief…:-)

Exhilaration!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A vision… for more.

On a side note I have started to learn French…somehow this is linked into my process of creating French pastries.  I took it in high school… but we all know that was a couple years ago.  Each night I spend an hour practicing.. My apartment is covered with post it notes reminding me what that object is in French… and as always I am pushing forward.

One vision flows into another and my life moves forward…

The best thing of baking…aside from the process is enjoying the end product.

namasté

I wanted to thank everyone that came out for the Andersonville Arts Weekend. I was so much fun to see all the different artist and their works… it also gave me a chance to show the painting that I “just” finished.

I must admit it is still drying as it hangs on the wall in the salon.

(click picture to see larger image)

Andersonville Arts Weekend

October 14, 2011 – October  16,2011

I will be participating in the Andersonville’s Arts Weekend this year.

The highlight of Andersonville Arts Weekend is a self-guided art walk featuring work from mostly Chicago-based visual artists, shown throughout the neighborhood in galleries, restaurants, retail stores and other traditional and non-traditional art spaces.  The walk will include a wide variety of painters, sculptors, photographers, and more, ranging from emerging artists to Chicago favorites. The fun begins Friday, October 14 at 6:00 pm as over 30 Andersonville businesses feature great art, refreshments and entertainment during “night of 100 pARTies” 

The art walk will be open on Saturday & Sunday from 11AM – 6PM.  Maps will be available throughout the week at participating Andersonville businesses.( See below to view and print map)

My artwork will be featured at Toujours Spa & Salon located at 5224 North Clark Street. The event will start on Friday evening Oct. 14, with an open house showing my most recent works… of course there will be refreshments for you to enjoy while you visit with my artwork and me.  I will also be there off and on during Saturday and Sunday (I am teaching on Sunday afternoon, so I will be there earlier in the day) it would be great to have you stop in and say howdy!

…As a side note, I am not the only artist…there are approximately 30 artist that will be showing their art at various businesses in the Andersonville area, it should be a wonderful and fun filled weekend! Stop by Friday for the opening I will be here from 6:00pm-10:00pm.

Click here for the map..

 http://www.andersonville.org/artsweekend/

Please be sure to mark your calendar Oct. 14-16!

Looking forward to seeing you!

I spent most of last night painting… I finally put down the brush somewhere around three o’clock. I must admit that it was not an easy morning, Cold rainy day and me… well, very tired not the best way to start the day. The painting is coming along very well, but I feel that each stroke of the brush a little bit of my soul is sucked into one of the flowers…it is making them full of life and me…well tired.

I came home and logged into the computer and a friend had posted this youtube clip on his Facebook wall.  It really made me think…it really is all the little things that add up to something. I only hope that I can be the best hummingbird that I can be…and remember that what we do does make a difference, no matter how small it may seem at the moment.

View the clip below~

“I Will Be A Hummingbird” | Wangari Maathai

As time goes on there is less and less white canvas showing…three more weeks till the deadline to finish and sign this piece… looks like this one will dry while it hangs on the wall lol…

This is for the Andersonville Arts Weekend, Oct 14th-16th.

My artwork will be featured at  Toujours Spa & Salon

I will post more info on times and all that good stuff as it gets closer to the date.

Mark your calendars!!!!!

Les Fleurs du Mal

I started my morning biking to the lake waiting for the sunrise~

Viewing the night at the other end…the fresh cool air and the sound of the crashing waves on the beach. …such intense energy yet in total balance.

The lake has always reminded me that I am but a small tiny speck in a huge world. I have had the same feeling when I spent time in the desert. All this vast place… and me.  It helps me to leave behind everything and be in the moment, something I need to work on more in my world. I often get lost in the world of things that must get done and the list of projects that never seems to shorten… always a new project to add to it…always something that needs to be done…always something new I want to learn.

Even thought it was cloudy this morning and I really never saw the sun come up… I experienced the increase in brightness welcoming the day.  It helped to bring me to a place of peace and a moment of realistic view of my expectations of myself. I might have a list of things I want(need) to do. But I  promised myself that I will focus on one at a time… and remind myself to stop and experience the moment while it is happening and not worry about the next project. That is  one of my biggest challenge.

Excuse me…… Muse, where are you?  I feel that you must be sitting at some trashy bar. Toasting a drink to me, and maybe even laughing… it has been awhile since I have seen you lurking in my apartment.

Welcome to my world…. I have paintings that rarely speak to me and then there are the ones that never shut up… below is one that has been nagging at me all week… with questions… all the questions.

“Remember the deadline….”

“Look at all the white spaces on me still to be painted.”

“Have you been sleeping you look like hell… well still you don’t really need sleep it will not help… paint paint paint.  Why are you not painting NOW?”

“Are you listening? You there, are you listening to me?”

“Your paint brush is on the floor over there where it fell last time… it should be in your hand in the paint that you’re putting on me…”

“What about this flower? It’s not done… is it… really, hmm… and this one?”

“The edges, don’t forget the edges… I am a 2 ¼ in profile… I do have edges… finish them.”

I have come up with a name for this piece but I am seriously thinking I should change it to Audrey II. Here have some blood… I don’t really need it.

So… I sit and stare at it… ponder what needs to be done… what flower, what color… Then, I give a big thoughtful sigh and turn off the lights.. walking into the bedroom while the painting yells at me,” you come back here, don’t you walk away from me like that, listen here I hav….” and I shut the door… I need to find my muse again…

Could the bartender please cut him off.. and put him in cab and send him back home?

Please…  I have a deadline!

Duende– A word and concept that I am trying to become friends with… key word here is “trying”

El duende is the spirit of evocation. It comes from inside as a physical/emotional response to music. It is what gives you chills, makes you smile or cry as a bodily reaction to an artistic performance that is particularly expressive (from Wikipedia)

My reality- My struggle

Duende- I have been reading The Demon and the Angel: Searching for the Source of Artistic Inspiration, Hirsch, Edward (2003) and have been exploring its meaning and how it applies to me and my artwork. Though I must admit I have this fear that being a blue eyed white boy from Indiana that my Duende may have passed me by for someone more interesting.

When I was growing up we didn’t talk about the bad things or the “dark” side of the story. I was taught that if you focus only on the good things, only good things will happen to you.  We repressed the bad things… no one talked about the pink elephant sitting in the corner sipping tea and eating ginger snaps; he simply was not really there, enuff said!

I was fighting with myself about the idea that my artwork could have a darkside, in my mind this meant that it was negative( you know… postive means GOOD, negative means BAD).  Here I was feeling like Glinda, the good witch making everyone  happy…there is no room for anything but good things in my world… skipping around  tossing  flower petals up in the air (ok, so really it was fairy dust…what can I say).  But for me, after I was able to chilled out about the judgement and the personal slam I felt to my character.  I have come to terms with Duende and how it seems to fit into my world.  Duende is the shadow of the soul, maybe even my soul, the quiet space between my inhalation and the exhale of breath.  So maybe I need to change my perception and not see this as a struggle, but approach my Duende and ask if he would like to dance… music please.

There is the saying that…    “The brighter the light, the darker and shadows”  which means that they are equal.

I have been working (struggling at best) on many projects this week. Multitasking has not really been my friend, nor has the computer, printer, or any other of the electronics in my world.  I feel like I have been climbing mountains only to find out that when I reached the top… that it was the wrong mountain.

Many people have commented on how wonderful it must be for me to always be able to create whenever I want to…. I think they may have a glamorized view point of my life… or of my creative process.

I  sometimes sit there waiting (patiently and then, well… not very patient at all) for my muse to show up.  I fear that it has forgotten the way home or that with it being the free spirited muse it has gone home with someone else….  Leaving me sitting looking at the blank canvas…  or even worst, a canvas with something on it, asking the question,” What are you?”  and waiting for it to say something…anything.  All that is heard is the silence  between the inhale and exhale of my breath.

I recently finished reading, Eat-Pray-Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, a book I highly recommend to everyone. There is a link ( in orange below) to a TEDtalk that Elizabeth speaks about Creativity.  The running time is a bit long (18  minutes or so) but it is very much worth the time.  If you have a chance, I think you will find it very interesting…and maybe comforting.

 Elizabeth Gilbert: A new way to think about creativity

…and for the record, let it be known that I did show up, whether or not my muse was there or not, I was there waiting!

So, if you happen to see me on a mountain top… wave back to me, please.

3 x 5 Card Installation Project Invitation-
I want to extend an opportunity for you to become an active part of my current installation. I am giving you a very basic framework…limiting the details as not to alter your ideas and creative choices. Your 3 x 5 index card will be the building blocks for this installation.

Instructions:

I need for you to choose one single word that personifies YOU the best, a word that people would equate to you alone.

Place this word on a 3 x 5 index card.
The card can be any color.
The word can be done in any script/font.
The front of the card may only contain this one word .
The word can be created, decorated or illuminated in any manner that fits your personality.

Remember this word may be written in any style, manner, color but it must fit in the confines of the 3 x 5 index card. It can be as simple or as complex as you would like.

Place this index card in an envelope and send to:

john-michael korpal
P.O. Box 607891
Chicago, IL. 60660-7891

namaste,
john-michael

Please forward this to anyone that you can.

The more responses this generates the larger the installation can be. … please place your e-mail address on the back of the 3 x 5 index card and I will add you to the contact list so you can receive updates of the project as they unfold if you would like.