New Obsessions

Instagram image by Donna Watson

book:  In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki

I was so surprised when I came to blogger to write a new blog post,  and saw that my last blog post was December 2016.  I guess that old saying, TIME FLIES, is true.  I remember when I used to be obsessed with Flickr... looking for artists to follow and finding wonderful imagery... and I still love my 'favorites' there (which you can find at my sidebar).   Then Pinterest came along, and my time and obsession moved to pinning fabulous images and finding wonderful artists... and I liked the process of pinning images into categories making them easy to find.  During this time, I still found time to write my blog posts, look for artists to follow, and leave comments.  But this past year or so, I started traveling so much more as I taught workshops all over the U.S.... and now I am leaving soon for Australia and New Zealand to teach workshops there.  So my blog has gone almost silent.  And now I  have moved on to my new love... Instagram.  I like taking my own images and posting them and finding new artists to follow there.... a new obsession.

Instagram image by Donna Watson

The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

So Instagram has become my new obsession...  and the images I am posting here are some of my posts that included a book.... some of my favorite books, arranged with some of my favorite collections or obsessions... I seem to have a lot of obsessions!

Instagram image by Donna Watson

Evidence of Evolution 

I do recommend these books...  

Instagram image by Donna Watson

Breathe by Jean Hall

I do want to recommend BREATHE by Jean Hall...  which includes simple breathing techniques for a calmer, happier life.  Breathe helps you to increase energy levels, improve your sleep, instill a sense of calm, and reduce stress.

Instagram images by Donna Watson

Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

I also recommend HOPE IN THE DARK: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit.

"Hope is a gift you don't have to surrender, a power you don't have to throw away."  RS

This book has been reissued recently, because of the times we are experiencing currently in our country.

Instagram image by Donna Watson

Burn the Diaries by Moyra Davey

If interested, you can find all my Instagram posts here.

Instagram image by Donna Watson

Instagram image by Donna Watson

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!  

Peace for Everyone

My painting above my fireplace mantle, by Donna Watson

AMAZING PEACE: A CHRISTMAS POEM

by Maya Angelou

---It is the Glad Season.

Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.

Flood waters recede into memory.

Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us

As we make our way to higher ground.--- MA

Flat lay and photo image by Donna Watson

In the corner of my great room, arranged and photo by Donna Watson

In a world full of destruction one must hold fast to whatever fragments of love are left,

for sometimes a mosaic can be more beautiful than an unbroken pattern. -- Dawn Powell

Flat lay and photo by Donna Watson

It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time. -- Maya Angelou

In front of my fireplace mantle, hand painted and photo by Donna Watson

--- All I want for Christmas is Peace

All I want is war to cease

In the homes and on the street

Peace on earth and joy to greet --- Kenneth Snow

A Father Christmas, hand made by me, Donna Watson

Flat lay arranged and photo by Donna Watson

---Underneath my Christmas tree

Christmas morn I hope to see

Headlines blaring PEACE ON EARTH!

For men of naught and men of worth -- KS

Father Christmas (Rabbit) hand made by me, Donna Watson

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS

--- I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting for their light.  For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.-- 

Wendell Berry

Flat lay and photo arranged by Donna Watson

Wish and believe for PEACE to shine...

Flat lay arranged and photo by Donna Watson

I wish you and yours and everyone a peaceful wonderful new 

year!

Defining Shibui

Shibui 1, collage by Donna Watson

Shibui (or Shibusa) is an enriched, subdued appearance or experience with economy of form, line and effort, producing a timeless tranquility.  Shibui objects appear to be simple overall but they include subtle details, such as textures, that balance simplicity with complexity.

The aspects of things that are most important

for us are hidden because of their 

simplicity and familiarity.

--- Ludwig Wittgenstein

Shibui 2, collage by Donna Watson

This balance of simplicity and complexity ensures that one does not tire of a shibui object but constantly finds new meanings and enriched beauty that cause its aesthetic value to grow over the years.  Shibui should not be confused with wabi sabi.  Shibui objects are not necessarily imperfect or 

asymmetrical, though they can include those qualities.

If one's life is simple, contentment has to come.  Simplicity is 

extremely important for happiness.

--- The Dalai Lama

Shibui 3, collage by Donna Watson

The colors of shibui are 'muddy' colors.  For example, in painting, gray is added to primary colors to 

create a silvery effect that ties the different colors together into a coordinated scheme.  Depending on how much gray is added, shibui colors range from pastels to dark.  Occasionally, a patch of brighter

color is added as a highlight.

Shibui 4, collage by Donna Watson

The seven elements of shibui are simplicity, implicity, modesty, silence, naturalness, everydayness and imperfection.  The simplicity is the expression of the essence of the elements.  Implicity allows depth of feeling to be visible through a spare surface.  The person of modesty exalts excellence by taking time to learn, watch, understand that merges into silence.  Naturalness conveys spontaneity in growth, unforced.  Everydayness raises ordinary things to a place of honor. Imperfection suggests

imagination at work, instead of a finished picture that provides all the answers.

small collage by Donna Watson, with various objects, image taken by Donna Watson

 Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

That's how the LIGHT gets in.

--- Leonard Cohen, RIP, 2016

The Healing Art of Nature

Nature Bound, small collage by Donna Watson

Recently, some Japanese researchers set out to discover whether something special... and clinically therapeutic... happens when people spend time in nature.  In the early 1980"s the Forest Agency of Japan advised people to take a stroll in the woods for better health.  This practice was called forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku... and it was believed to lower stress.  Since then, a large body of evidence has shown that spending time in nature causes beneficial changes in the body.

I live on a cliff over looking a large body of water... and there are wooded trails around my home that lead down to the beach down below.  I also have created beautiful Japanese gardens that surround my home.

Studies have found that the quiet atmosphere, beautiful scenery, good smells and fresh, clean air in forests all contribute to lower stress, lower anxiety, and help symptoms like depression, heart disease and even cancer.

This is part of my moss garden...  there is a circular path around this moss garden where one can walk and meditate.  Plants and trees release compounds that protect them from pests; when humans inhale those compounds, it promotes healthy -- and measurable-- biological changes.

When I walk through my woods around my home, I love to forage and collect moss covered sticks,

fallen leaves, weathered wood, lichen...  and take to my greenhouse (Zen House).  This is where I also keep my fossil collection, rock collection, driftwood collection, bird nest collection....  and small bonsai collection.

Inside my Zen House

This is where I keep my moss covered sticks with a small bird's nest and ferns.  Research has shown that bringing bits of nature inside can also be very beneficial... even a plant in your room or just looking at trees through a window.

Here are some ferns with my crystal rock collection.

I planted bee balm in my herb garden this year, not realizing I would get these beautiful flowers.

Jizo, the protector of women, children and travelers

"The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it.  If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are our biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity -- then we will treat each one with greater respect.  That is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective."  David Suzuki

Cold Wax Book

CADENCE, by Donna Watson, cold wax and oil paints with collage

There is a new book waiting to be published written by artists and authors Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin.  The book is over 300 pages and features over 100 artists from around the world.  I will also have some paintings featured in the book.  The title of the book is COLD WAX MEDIUM:  Techniques, Concepts and Conversations.  The book is more than just a technical guide.  It also provides comprehensive information for those new to cold wax mixed with oil paints, as well as technical expertise and inspiration to those with experience with the medium.

Rebecca Crowell is an international known artist and workshop instructor working and teaching 

in cold wax medium with oil paints.  She has traveled all over the world teaching her workshops.

You can find her website here  and her wonderful blog is here .

Rebecca Crowell, cold wax and oil painting 

Jerry McLaughlin art works have been widely exhibited.  He focuses his major energies in painting,

teaching and writing.  You can find his website here. 

Jerry McLaughlin, cold wax and oil painting

IMPORTANT NOTE ON HOW YOU CAN HELP GET THIS BOOK PUBLISHED!

Because the book became 300 pages long and in order to keep the quality high...  to be able to order a full print run there is a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.  Contributors will receive several perks, including workshops and copies of the book.  To contribute go to the website 

www.coldwaxbook.com and find out how.  Once you go to this website you will immediately find yourself at Indigogo... with much more information.

This book features nearly 100 artists from around the world as well and Rebecca's and Jerry's knowledge and experience with the cold wax medium.  This book will strengthen your work and studio practice, suggest new directions and support thoughtful critique and inspiration.  

Storytelling with Collage

Enso, collage by Donna Watson, hand painted Japanese washi papers

NOTE:  UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:  

    

     July 9-10:  2 Day workshop:  Wabi Sabi and the Spirit of Collage in Mendocino CA at the Mendocino Art Center.  For more information go to:

www.mendocinoartcenter.org/Summer16/Watson.html 

     July 25-27:  3 Day workshop:  Personal Expression:  A Design Approach to Mixed Media at the Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek, Wisconsin.  For more information go to:
www.peninsulaschoolofart.org/adult-workshops.html 

     August 8-9:  2 day workshop:  Wabi Sabi and the Spirit of Collage in Phoenix Arizona at the Art Unraveled venue.  For more information go to:  www.artunraveled.com 

BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT:  I have had the honor of an invitation to be included in the book:  (The collage above ENSO is the collage included in the book.)

STORYTELLING WITH COLLAGE 

by Roxanne Evans Stout

Techniques for Layering COLOR & TEXTURE

Every collage has a story to tell.  Tell your story in paper, fabric, and ephemera collected from your world.  This book written by Roxanne will demonstrate and inspire all of us to capture our thoughts, memories and daydreams.  She showcases tools and supplies needed to express your memories.

The book is filled with collage challenges and suggestions.  It is also filled with a number of other collage artists, their thoughts and collages, as well as Roxanne's own work.  In other words there are lots of images to look at and get inspired.  For more information about Roxanne and her book go to her blog here.  

These are some of my collage papers and inspirations for my collages.  Old Japanese books.... old letters from the Kyoto flea markets.

Create beauty.

Value Imperfection.

Live deeply.

Wabi Sabi Hare

Collage by Donna Watson

Wabi Sabi is the Japanese aesthetic of finding beauty in imperfection,  incompleteness and impermanence.  It is a beauty of things modest and humble.  It is a beauty of things rustic, simple, organic, worn, weathered... things affected by the passage of time.  It is also about the cycle of life and our connection to nature.  It is an appreciation of nature and all life.  This is how I view the rabbit.  A quiet, still, silent, gentle, harmless (unless you have a vegetable garden) creature.

THE HARE WITH THE AMBER EYES is written by Edmund De Waal, a world famous ceramist working in Porcelain.  He inherited a collection of 264 tiny netsuke.  He wanted to know and understand who had collected them and how they had survived World War II.  The book is a moving 

memoir and detective story as he discovers the history of the netsuke and his family over 5 generations.  The writing is artful, detailed, exquisite... beautifully written memoir... and deeply moving.  He writes not just about the netsuke, but about the art and culture in each generation.

Here is the famous netsuke, THE HARE WITH THE AMBER EYES

Netsuke are miniature sculptures first created in 17th century Japan to serve a practical purpose.

Robes, like kimono, had no pockets.  Men who wore them needed a place to store their belongings like money, medicine, or pipes.  They used a container (sagemono) hung by cords from the robe's sashes (obi).  This box (inro) was held shut by ojime, small carved objects or animals.  The fastener that secured the chord at the top of the sash was a carved, button like toggle called netsuke.

Over time, Netsuke evolved from being utilitarian into objects of great artistic merit and superb craftmanship, highly respected and collected.

It is the quieter side of life that inspires me, with the feelings that come with my connection to the natural world.  My love of rabbits is part of my connection to nature.

This is a rabbit temple in the heart of Kyoto.  I was very happy to find it.

Artist Unknown

Artist W. Tucker,  RABBIT GIRL,  website:  www.wtucker-art.com

As you see above, artists today depict rabbits and hares in many mediums and forms.  

photo image by Donna Watson

The above image includes one of my ceramic rabbits, and 2 mail art envelopes I created.

photo image by Donna Watson

photo image by Donna Watson

Mono no aware refers to a feeling of life's fragility, and relates to seeing beauty in this fragile, impermanent nature, and even grasping that without permanence, genuine beauty can not exist.