"Women to Watch: 2016" Exhibit (Bettye Clark Cannon Gallery) (Review)

I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to participate in a new exhibit at the Bettye Clark Cannon Gallery in Muskegon, Michigan and attended the opening reception last night. What great fun! I had the chance to sit and chat with some of the other artists who also have their work showcased at this event as well as enjoy the artwork while sipping punch and munching on snacks with fellow artist and Facebook friend, Bette DelVecchio, whose wonderful works are also on display at this exhibit.  I also had the pleasure of talking with Polly Doctor, Special Projects Coordinator who has done a wonderful job in coordinating this show.

There is a lot of talent here to see, if you are in the area over then next couple of months, stop by and see what the area's women artist are doing. This cozy gallery is in the upper level of the Hilt Building. Each artists work was very tasteful presented and very aesthetically pleasing to the eye, with the artwork well spaced under good lighting that lets you fully appreciate each detail of the art.

I have three of my mixed media works displayed here, one of which was also the entry in the Michigan Regional Show. All  three of my pieces are available to purchase. Email me if you would like a price on them. The gallery is located at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, 425 W. Western Avenue, Muskegon, Michigan. The exhibit runs from November 12, 2015 through February 29, 2016.Admission is free.

Next post 11/18-19: "The Art of the Nude"

Namaste-Marie

Setting the Mood with colorful Mandalas. (Review)

Wikipedia describes a Mandala as an Eastern Indian religious symbol representing the Universe. Its basic form is a square with four “gates”with the general shape of the letter T, and within this square is a circle and a central point. Depending on the various traditions and practices, a Mandala can be used for focusing a practitioner’s attention or for meditation, although the word in current usage, may also represent a chart, a diagram, or any geometric repeating pattern.

In general, the traditional Hindu  Mandala is a symbol through the orientation of the central area and is said to represent alter and temple with the central point representing the Godhead at the center of all things. Tantric Mandalas comes from this same source and is drawn or painted to help aid in meditation or marked out on the ground for ceremonies.  Eastern Shingon Buddhism shows the Mandala as a lotus with the center and individual petals as the image of the Buddha. Japanese Bddhis regard the concentric design of the Mandala to be representative of the two complementary and identical aspects of the supreme reality. Tibetan Mandalas is used as a guide for the imagination during meditation. In contemporary psychological symbology, Carl Jung said a  Mandala was the symbolic representation or “nuclear atom” of the human psyche and the pictures were used for meditation and to bring a sense of inner peace. The roundness of a Mandala represents wholeness.

Why it’s important for an artist to have a portfolio

"Cellist" study, 2012

Although I have been prolific through the years when it comes to drawing and painting; one thing I never seemed to take the time to do..until recently that is, is to organize my work into some semblance of order of genres, medium, etc. I have found it to be rather time-consuming, although rewarding. It helps me see whether or not I have progressed in my craft as well as giving my potential clients a feel for my work.

For someone who works as a freelancer, a portfolio is vital in order to show their best artwork and hopefully showcases their particular style or method of work. A portfolio can also be used by artists to show employers their versatility and creativity by showing samples of their current projects or work.

In the past, portfolios were typically on hard copy and placed into books but now with so many web-based and internet programs, many are digitally based, which can be quickly sent by email or uploaded to potential clients. There are many, many websites offering formatting and other tools to help you create your portfolio; or of course for a fee, do it for you.

While I have opted for the do-it-yourself method, I am listing a few of the websites I visited that I found may be helpful.

I liked artistportofolio.net because it has an easy way to create a portfolio that works with Google docs as well as having a huge list of artists around the world. You can create a bio and photos of your work on the site.  

If you’re looking for cases to put your work in for a hardcopy version, the site called Portfolios and art cases had quite a few to choose from.


One of the best sites I found for listing where to find portfolio-making sites with templates as well as sites where you can promote your art is Artpromotivate.


While I had hoped to announce a new stand-alone website for my own little blog this week, unfortunately this will still in the planning stage, and has been put on hold indefinitely. Ah well.

I leave you with a really cool quote from William Blake that I feel epitomizes what I want for this blog….”No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” Namaste-Mariehelena

Alejandro Figueredo Diaz-Perera and the fine art of invisibility (Review)

Alejandro Figueredo Diaz-Perera is a Cuban performance artist who is planning on taking up residence for three weeks in silence behind the walls of a Chicago art gallery, who will not speak to anyone or interact in any way with the visitors, and will only do what essentials of daily living, eating, sleeping, etc.  He has entitled this piece “In the Absence of a Body.” This performance will be hosted by The Chicago Arts Coalition.

Diaz-Perera feels this piece is representative of the sense of isolation, the uncertainty of the future and the sense of invisibility to his chaotic upbringing in Cuba in the 90’s with a childhood punctuated by absences in his family including his father, who left Cuba during the economic and political upheavals of  Cuba in 80’s and 90s.  Alejandro Figueredo Diaz-Perera  performance showcases the invisibility of people or groups of people who often are marginalized and “invisible.” It will be interesting to see what reaction this performance piece has on the public. 

In doing research for this story, I checked out the website Crazy facts.com. In their review, they show the photo, the date and the word “Weirdo” next to it. I am not sure if that is the writer's name or if they are referring to the artist.  If Diaz-Perera is a weirdo, then so are a lot of artists and creative people, and there is nothing wrong with dancing to the tune of a different drummer, even if no one else hears the music. I embrace the weirdness in myself. While I often get stares from people who don’t embrace my way of thinking, I also get encouragement from those who understand it is part of who we are as humans and isn’t always a negative thing. Its just a thing. It’s just how our minds work sometimes.  

Got a comment, question for me? Send me an email. For more on this story, visit the Huffington Post.

What DaVinci Would Have Thought of a Cell Phone.

A Study of Vermeer By Shirley Schultz

In the early days of the Renaissance, the themes of the artists often represented concepts and values such as love, mythology and of course religion. But what would these artists have thought about society and technology today?

Three art exhibits not to be missed

There some spectacular things in the art world going on right now. If you have the time and inclination, here are a few noteworthy exhibits that would be worth your while to check out, even if its online.

Why Creativity is a Double-Edged Sword-The Inspired Work of Jean-Michael Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat was a Neo-Expressionist painter in the 1980s who was known for  his primitive, symbolic and colorful style as well as having been a collaborator with 60’s pop artist, Andy Warhol who spiraled to fame at a young age, then all too soon, was gone in the blink of an eye.

The Neo-Expressionism movement first made its presence known in West Berlin, Germany in 1963 with a controversial artist by the name of Georg Baselitz. As soon as officials saw the contents of his show,

Sharpies, Sharpies, how do I love Sharpies? Let me Count the ways

Spring Butterflies Card

I wanted to make a card for the Easter holiday last weekend but didn't have a lot of time that I could devote, so instead of paints, I  picked up a new pack of

The Winged Quill's Top 10 Creative Blogs (Review)

"Contrasting Principles" Watercolor-Marie Helena, 2014

I haven’t done a review post in a while. For this post I wanted to search out the nooks and crannies of the web to find some blogs that focus on creativity as a whole. Of course, there are no shortage of these sites, and there are of course sites that list the “top ten, 75, or 100” so I won’t try to recreate their work here, but here are some blogs and websites that I thought fit my definition of "creative. So without further ado:

Tables Extraordinaire! The 2013 Tempting Tables (Photos)

"Liza" from My Fair Lady Tablescape

I had  the distinct pleasure of attending the 2013

The Muskegon Lake Project Opening Reception (Review)

Photo by Marie Cisneros

Last Thursday was the opening reception for

My Top Three Blogs From Around the World.

Now that I am a blogger, I was checking out who else was in the blogosphere. These are the three that really caught my eye.