Alone (but not lonely)

I usually don't get too personal in my blog, perhaps dreading looking back in a few years time at a post with regret, but I'm going to now, just because this particular painting inspired me to start a new journal (a moleskine) for my thoughts. In doing so maybe you will identify a little more with the paintings, with me,  or with your own private musings that never see the light of day (and probably for good reason).

'Alone'. This is how I feel. But I like it. In fact, it's delightful.

I never know what to do. I blunder.

I do consistently paint. For that I am happy.

I help others, now and then. I do my best.

Oh, the joy of being human.

Some online creators successfully hold a carrot on a stick, enticing all these women to believe they can sell their art, be in biz, etc. And these creators do model this well. But, sometimes it really bugs the shit out of me.

Interestingly enough I'm seeing some creators leaving behind old labels that they started out with...such as "the Goddess" or "the Astrologer". What will I leave behind?

If I was just an artist, how would that be?

Difficult.

Why do I struggle so?

I do love to empower women. I love being a witch. I am more than an artist. I am a guide. And so it is.

Written Dec. 15, 2015 in the wee hours during an Aquarius Moon.

About Kathy

Kathy Crabbe inspires soul-seekers to discover their innate gifts and talents through intuitive, creative expression in safe, relaxed and playful environments. She has been an artist forever and a Creative Soul Guide since awakening her own intuitive gifts at age forty.

Kathy lives in sunny SoCal with her husband and pet muses, Abby the shaggy black dog and Djinn Djinn, the small scruffy one in an adobe home they built themselves. Kathy is painting a Lefty-a-Day for 365 days and posting all works in-progress on Instagram at http://instagram.com/kathycrabbeart

Creative Soul Deck coming soon ~ get updates + win a deck here!

The Creative Soul Deck is especially for women who want to be inspired and inspire others in safe, playful, storytelling circles guided by beautiful imagery and powerful affirmations.

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I come out of my hermit shell

Being interviewed by Karen, The Fog City Psychic on Blog Talk Radio was probably the high point of my week, or right up there with the Sag Full Moon/Eclipse meditation. We talked, we laughed and we were GREATLY inspired by the Sagittarian Full Moon Energy invigorating us all with passion, purpose, politics, and speaking up for our highest truth. Enjoy! (Click link above to listen)

On the Art of Life and Vice Versa

Inspiration via Michael Kimmelman's book The Accidental Masterpiece On the Art of Life and Vice Versa~ Eva Hesse (sculptor) said:

All my stakes are in my work. I have given up in all else. Like my whole reality is there - I am all there." It was and she was. That was Hesse's declaration of ardor and commitment, for which she was willing to bet the house. Sol LeWitt had encouraged that attitude in one of the great freewheeling examples of an inspirational letter from one artist to another. "Learn to say 'Fuck You' to the world once in a while, " LeWitt told Hesse. "You have every right to. Just stop thinking, worrying looking over your shoulder, wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for some easy way out, struggling, gasping, confusing, itching, scratching, mumbling, bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, rumbling, rambling, gambling, tumbling, scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning, horse-shitting, hair-splitting, nit-picking, piss-trickling, nose-sticking, ass-gouging, eyeball-poking, finger-pointing, alleyway-sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil-eyeing, back-scratching, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding grinding grinding away at yourself, Stop it and just DO.

Journey Into Intimacy: Expression of the Divine Feminine ~ My Artist's Statement

I don’t believe in one truth or one way and so I paint abstractly to express multiple truths and ambiguities. It is often difficult for me to express my emotions so I am driven to paint them instead, often writing beforehand to gauge my mood.

I work with acrylics because of their watery, responsive nature and quick drying time which allows me to capture fleeting moods and fiery passions in brilliant colors that blend, bleed, drip and flow onto a smooth, prepared, wooden ground.

I work large (48”x 48”) because my emotions often feel huge and overpowering. A large surface allows me to express myself using my whole body, sometimes with large house painting brushes, a garden rake and my body pressed into the paint.

I think that viewers are most inspired by my use of color and by my spontaneous and free method of working. None of my paintings are pre-planned or pre-sketched. I don’t guess ahead when I’m painting, I let the painting lead me, no matter how long it takes. Sometimes one line can take hours and hours of just looking.

I hope my paintings inspire the discovery of hidden beauty.

Kathy V. Crabbe Temecula, California May 20, 2011

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Art Matters

100 Words Art Matters. Why? Because it inspires us to become more human, more in touch with who we are and how we relate to others, the world, the big picture.

Art takes time to appreciate. It's not fast food. Some art makes you think, some feel, some both, but good art changes you and how you see the world.

My first love was children's books; the wiener dog, the collage caterpillar, Czech and Grimm's fairytales. What about you?

Can art change the world? Can making art change your life? Name one artist who inspired you the most. (My fave: Matisse).

Painting Tip #1 (above and beyond 100words)

I don't guess when I'm painting. I let the painting lead me...no matter how long it takes. Sometimes painting one single stroke can take hours and hours and hours of just looking.