Painting Sketchbook

I have decided to start a painting sketchbook...

small...treasures...

pieces...of torn...

canvas...inviting play...

embellishment and experimentation.

The Student and The Teacher

Teachers open the door...you enter by yourself.

-Chinese Proverb

Thanks for everything Don. Remember, every artist needs a cape.

It is time for this student to fly.

Sketchbook Peek-A- Boo

This is from a series of bird sketches I recently completed. I am actively working on one of them for a sculptural piece that will show in the Concourse Gallery space in May along with the collective genius of Mother Artists at Work. That is what happens when you bring a group of multi-talented, multi-tasking, mothers together...lots of late dinners and a great show.

Bah Bah Black Sheep, Have You Any Wool?

Yes Sir!!

Sore hands, sore arms, aching back...but satisfied...working with a piece from the very beginning of processing...imprinting bits of myself at each and every step along the way. I won't go into an instructional step by step thing about how to process raw wool. There are many people online who offer their expertise and have been doing this far longer than I. However, if you have any questions, this wonderful lady is your go to gal. Marlene, what would I have done without you?

Why Do I Do This?

In the film Louise Bourgeois by Camille Guichard, Bourgeois states that she creates because her emotions are too big for her body to contain them. Indeed.

Lately, as I have begun a rather daunting project, I have been asking myself again and again, "Why do I do this?" It is impractical. It is often time and labor intensive. I ache. I have no time. The conversation with my artist self winds and I have come up with many different answers at different times. Basically, what it all comes down to is that I can't help it. This is who I am. I am a person who sees the potential of the grand idea and then uses that as momentum to take the first step, even though I might be fearful and do not know if it is really going to work.

In his Letters to a Young Poet, Maria Ranier Rilke said, "Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself that you would have to die if you were forbidden to write." There was a time when I did not know this for certain about myself and art. But I know now. I know that if I don't listen to this voice inside me that says "make this," I will exist only as vapor...easily blown away by the four winds...invisible.

For me, saying "yes" to this compulsion is essential. It is loving myself.

Happy Valentine's Day

"Open Suitcase Heart"

by Melissa Ayotte

mixed media wall sculpture
3"x8"x20"

The Ties That Bind

"The Ties That Bind"

by Melissa Ayotte

mixed media sculpture

4'x6'x6'