Obsession

byLea Keohane, 2011. 8" x 8" pencil & watercolor on paper. All Rights Reserved

I've always wanted to participate in Illustration Fridays, but never got around to it. So this is my 1st. The topic this week was "obsession."

Besides the darkness that I see as inherent in the word obsession, I have been wanting to begin exploring some of my darker feelings in my work--at least privately, in my sketchbook--lately. Most of my work is quiet and introspective in a meditative way. It is meant to be thoughtful, uplifting. Looking for the beauty within myself so that I may finally see the beauty without. Hopefully inspiring others to do the same.

But this search for inner beauty would not be necessary if I had not spent so many years of my life suffering from a lack of self confidence, an inability to see my own worth. An acute pain that made me at many times wish I could simply vanish into the shadows so that no one could look at me.

I don't feel that way anymore. Not that I am magically some mountain of self-confidence, but I don't want to disappear. Most of the time I even feel pretty good about myself. I could write volumes on the journey that I've taken to get here, but that is for a later time. For now, "Obsession," a girl in the dark.

What's your story?

One of the most difficult things to do as an artist is write your own story. Art school training--if you have it--may give us the vocabulary to discuss art, but getting to the heart of your own work is something entirely different. Just last night one of my friends and I were joking about this same topic when she threw back her head and laughed, "Well, I kind of painted it so I wouldn't have to talk about it!" I couldn't agree more.

But the fact of the matter is that you are never going to get anywhere without a good story. At the very least, your journey is going to be a lot more difficult. Without a story, you are just another face in a sea of faces. Yes, your images should speak for themselves, but people who buy art usually want more than just a pretty picture, they want to know Who-You-Are and Where-Your-Art-Came-From.

I have been writing and re-writing my own story over the years, without ever feeling satisfied. I had a lot of facts about myself--born in Loveland, CO in 1976, B.A. in Drawing, Painting and Printmaking from Portland State in 2002, single mother, blah blah blah--but I couldn't seem to pinpoint the heart of the matter and put it into words. I read other people's bios on Etsy, on artists' websites, at gallery shows. Many struck me as awkwardly as my own, many others used pretension to plow through. A glowing few struck my heart and actually explained where in their souls their art really came from. Then, finally, a few days ago, my own story came to me:

~~
Lea's mother gave birth to her on the principle's desk, which sent her sailing on a long career of following rules and being an excellent student. Nevertheless, Lea spent her childhood sucking her thumb and twirling her curly hair through her fingers while staring off in the distance into her her far-more-daring-than-reality imagination. Her playmates were frequently imaginary as well--she had so many of these that she was often caught playing tag or hide-and-seek "by herself."

Today, Lea's art work continues to explore the places in her head. These are places where all women hold their own beauty, and each possesses a power so strong it surges through her long electrifying curls. Places where friends come in all sizes and their forms are often surprising. Most importantly, places that are free of rules and ever-changing, where anyone and everyone can find that wild piece of themselves that they have always been seeking.
~~

When this story came to me, it gave me a sense of power that I did not expect. It tells something of my roots and how I came to be where I'm at, but it also gives me a reason, an explanation of who I am and why I do what I do. Something I planned to give to my patrons, so I was incredibly surprised when, as the words flowed onto the page, I found I was really discovering something new of myself.

Solo show this Thursday!

I am so excited to announce my upcoming show at A MOOD CHANGE, this Thursday as part of the 1st Thursday Art Walk in NW Portland.

I have been drawing and painting my heart out to create this new series furthering my personal exploration of inner and outer beauty, growth, spirituality and feminine strength. This is my first serious use of mixed media in my work--I have combined elements of collage, drawing with various types of pencils, watercolor, acrylic paint, and a couple of other mediums--all done on wood reclaimed from sources from old cabinet doors to the Willamette River.

Starting at 6pm at 618 NW Flanders. See you there!

And when you're finished, head across the river to the Olympic Mills Building (107 SE Washington) for the opening of "Journey," the visual arts piece of the Siren Nation Fest, where you'll find two of my paintings alongside the works of 50 other Portland artists.

Portland LOVE Show

It's time for the 4th Annual Portland Love Show! Featuring the work of over 200 artists, this is going to be one fantastic shindig. On Saturday I had the pleasure of volunteering to do art intake for a few hours, so I can tell you first hand that the quality and diversity of the art is truly stunning.

Opening night is Friday the 13th from 7pm until Midnight at the Olympic Mills on 107 SE Washington in Portland. Partial proceeds benefit the Oregon Food Bank and Buckman Arts Focus. Bring a can of food to donate! All ages!

The piece to the left is my entry, entitled, "In Love," 2009. Ink and acrylic on reclaimed wood.

Itty-bitty teeny-tiny

"Dream," "Hope," "Vision," by Lea Keohane 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Often times I like to paint on pieces of masonite board. Whenever I do this, I have to pull out my hacksaw (some day I will have a bigger studio & electric saws!), and cut up a bunch of 1"x 2" boards to build a frame on the back of the masonite. This way I can add screw eyes and a wire so that it will hang nicely on the wall when it's finished.

Every time I build a "canvas" in this way, I end up with little wooden blocks, and I just can't seem to part with them. I have been meaning to paint on or do some creative project with them literally for years! They have been sitting there, on the shelf above my drawing table looking very cute and enticing but I somehow resisted their pull. Until a few days ago, when they finally got the sanding and layers of gesso that would turn them into little pieces of affordable art, just like they have always deserved :)

For more information, close-up photos, and purchasing info, just click on the photo above or the title of each painting!

Messenger

"Messenger," by Lea Keohane 2008. All Rights Reserved.

You may or may not remember the sweet owl that I encountered in the park a few weeks ago, but I did end up painting him. Twice, actually. The painting above, and the one below, which one of my very dear friends Melissa bought from me :)

"Little Messenger," by Lea Keohane 2008. All Rights Reserved.

I had a lot of fun painting him, and I don't think I'm finished. I really enjoy how, while I used the same basic composition for both pieces, they each have a different sort of character to them. A friend of mine, who was with me when we found the owl, tells me that owls have very strong medicine, and that he/she was bringing us a message. What that message was, I am not sure, but I am very grateful for being allowed to capture him on film and in paint.

Annual Autumn Post

"Swing" 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Every Fall I seem to find myself writing about my absolute love for this season. This year, however, I think this drawing says it all. Sold yesterday to a lovely friend, but I will certainly be offering prints in the near future. Enjoy!

Oh! Before I go, I must send you over to Indie Parade, where one of my little pendants is being featured today.

First Friday SE Artwalk--come see a great show!

"Antiquated," 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Several months ago I answered a call for artists by Yelp and Adrienne Fritze of Working Artists Network. The idea was to take phone books and create art with them. The artists involved created a wide range of very interesting pieces, from clothing to paintings and more!

For my own contribution, I decoupaged pieces of a phone book onto a masonite board, then created a stencil of a 1920's telephone and stenciled it on. I wanted to incorporated one of my female characters, but I wasn't sure at first how to make her an important part of the piece. So, inspired by my friend Cara's brilliant Art Nouveau paintings, I decided to put her in a great flapper costume. The idea behind this painting is that, in the age of computers, phone books are a thing of the past. Which they certainly are in my own household! I get a pang of guilt every time new ones show up at my doorstep, as they go straight to the recycle bin.

The phone book mashup project, in conjunction with rdEVOLUTION, a project in which artists explored inter-species survival, will be on display for two months, with an opening tomorrow, Friday September 5th, at the Olympic Mills Commerce Center, at 107 SE Washington St., from
6-8 pm. If you are in Portland, this is a must-see event with new work from over 20 amazing Portland artists!

Aural Bliss

"Presence," 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I have never blogged about a band before, but today I was hustling through the park listening to VNV Nation's album "Empires" for the gazillionth time and I was inspired just like the first time I ever heard it. I realize it is quite likely that this will not be to many of your tastes, but to me, it is perfection to my ears and my heart. I am not kidding-when I am happy it lifts me higher, when I am sad it lets me wallow a bit, when I am working out it makes me want to work harder, when I am creating art it inspires me to be more creative. That is some serious stuff right there. The lead singer's voice is deep and sexy, with a little bit of sad to it, the lyrics are thoughtful and moving, the music is very dramatic...and gosh darnit, I can really dance to it :D Haha, sorry, I really couldn't help myself :D
Here is one of my favorites from them:

A survey of sorts

"Electric Dream Water" 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

My friend Cara always has the most beautiful blog posts, complete with her amazing art and wonderful stories about her life. In her last post she tagged all of us, the readers of her blog, and since I am a bit of a survey-junkie (when the surveys are good ones), I thought it would be fun to play along. So here it is:

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
1998. Four years out of high school, and one year after I had moved to Portland. I was now an official Oregon resident, qualifying me for cheaper tuition at PSU, so I started back at school this time as a Fine Arts major rather than the Creative Writing one that I had been prior. I demoted myself from assistant manager at Macheezmo Mouse so that I would have the time for school and rented a really ragged apartment with my co-worker Adam. That apartment was crappy but it was my first introduction to SE Portland, one of my favorite places in the world.

2. Things that I would do if I were a billionaire:
Get my Master's degree for no particular reason. I would take Indigo every summer to live for 3 months in a different country (a new one every year). Buy a 2-story Victorian with a big yard in SE Portland (I KNOW there has to be one with a yard!!). Travel a LOT. Make sure that every child in Oregon has access to art-making. Make sure that Indigo never had to worry about money so she could live with less struggle than I have.

3. Places I have lived:
Loveland & Denver, Colorado
Nebraska (can't remember the city, only lived there for a year as a kid)
Iowa City, Iowa (spent my freshman year of college at the University of Iowa)
Portland, Oregon

4. Random musing #1:
If you let me, I could spend all of my days reading. When I was Indigo's age (8) I would read several books at a time, and by the time I was in 5th grade I was reading at an adult level, including Stephen King. I can't even imagine letting Indigo read Stephen King in 5th grade! That is also about the time I started writing short stories, and I was already drawn to the macabre. All of them had characters that died somehow...go figure.

5. Random musing #2:
Indigo is watching cartoons behind me, and it is breaking my concentration! I love a lot of animation, actually, but this is a wretched squeaky-voiced rendition of Strawberry Shortcake that I'm sure I would have loved at her age, but now it is seriously annoying. Boy, don't I sound crotchety?!? I think I need another cup of coffee.

6. Random musing #3:

As a child, my brother and I lived with my mom, but spend Wednesdays and every other weekend at my dad's house. Next door to my dad lived a girl about my age, just a bit older, named Barbara Naranjo. I always wonder what she is doing now. We used to make our own computers out of cardboard boxes, write and put on plays for the neighborhood kids in my backyard, wake up at the crack of dawn, eat Pacman cereal, and spend the entire day swimming, and whisper "I'm gonna get you and I'm gonna eat you" in my brother's ear while he slept.

Now you are it (if you want to be, of course)!

Portraits for Mary

When I recently started doing pet portraits, at first I wasn't sure whether I would like doing it or not. What I did know is that, as an artist, I have to be creative and versatile in the ways in which I make my income. I also knew that I had to be true to my own style, which is very illustrative.

I had a lot of fun painting my cat, and Ryan's squish bunny, but then I did a portrait of Diego. His mama was so incredibly happy when she saw the finished painting. Seeing her reaction told me all I needed to know--this is something I would like to keep doing, something fun, worthwhile, creative, profitable, and on top of all of that it is a great way of closely connecting with other people and making them happy.

Of course, I love painting people as well, and how could I resist doing this painting of my friend Mary's parents in their awesome 70's wedding photo?!?

I did a pet portrait for her as well, her sweet dog Simba:

Living Room Floor

In my little apartment if it doesn't fit on my easel then it all happens on the living room floor. Which makes it a bit of a challenge to keep things organized, especially when "it" is several newly primed painting surfaces that can't be moved until they're dry. On the other hand, it is a bit of a challenge to stay organized when you have my brain, so there ya go.

I have lots of new paintings running around my head right now, and I'd like to have some of them ready to show at the Alberta Art Hop this weekend! If you live in Portland, be sure to stop by and say hi :) I will be doing some painting on site throughout the day--the first time I've done that during a show, so I'm a bit nervous, but I'm sure it will be fun.

If you are an Etsy buyer, especially of supplies and vintage items, make sure you are aware of this week's changes. This has caused a bit of an uproar among supply and vintage sellers, as it makes it more challenging to find us and most have experienced a huge drop in sales since the changes took place. I think Etsy is listening, however, and I also think that after a bit of time people will learn how to use the new search function and all will be well in supply-land :) Basically, the default search function is now handmade only, so if you want to find a commercial supply, use the drop-down menu next to the search bar and set it to "Supplies: tags, titles."

Freedom

Close-up, "Realization," 2008 Acrylic on masonite by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I am sure at some point in your life you have experienced a problem that you can't seem to solve. Whatever it is, it feels complicated, confusing, and the harder you try to find the answer, the more it evades you. Then you set it aside, get distracted, let it float around in the back of your life. Time passes. Suddenly the answer hits you. Maybe you feel a bit silly because it is so obvious. Nonetheless you are extremely thankful, your problem is solved and your life opens up a little bit because of it.

Over the past months, as I've talked about before, I have developed an early morning habit of sketching for an hour or so before everyone else wakes up. For the first few weeks, I cherished this time. It was my own time, my energy was spent entirely on myself, and it felt GOOD.

In addition, I have one day a week set aside specifically for painting, and so I would choose one of the drawings from my sketchbook, re-draw it on a canvas, and paint. Sounds great right? Wrong. The paintings felt contrived, awkward. They lacked the life and the energy that I love so much about the original drawings. So I thought, 'maybe the drawings are the real art,' and I set the paintings aside. But I have a number of reasons for not wanting to deal with works on paper, and one of them is that I want to PAINT. I love the feeling of my brush moving across my painting surface, controlling the brush strokes to look one way or the other, thinking about how the strokes will look later when they are dry and the light hits them just so. I love the way I can quickly cover a large area in paint, turning it from dull into a brilliant color that I am in love with...

And so, with this unhappy feeling, and the business of preparing for several shows and a visit from my mom, my morning ritual waned for a week or two, and my painting stopped entirely during this time. I was busy, stressed, and distracted to say the least, wondering what the hell I am doing with my life as well (a bout of worry that I go through in cycles).

During this time, though (it was only a couple of weeks, but it feels so much longer!), I tried to keep myself open to any answers. I am a strong believer that answers can come from anywhere, the most unexpected places, or in this case from expected ones. I met with different people, talked to strangers at my shows, listened. And I kept hearing, "prioritize, simplify." Finally my friend Anna hit it home when we went out to coffee. She looked at some lists of projects I was working on and made me rate from 1-10 how much I wanted to do each of them and what my reasons were for doing them. Aha! I was doing too many distract-a-projects with the thought of making money, and losing focus on my real goals. Plus I was wasting a lot of energy with all of my list-writing (and re-writing, and piling and saving of lists...yikes).

I sat with those thoughts for a few days, then one night I fell asleep early, I was recovering from a cold. Suddenly, at 4 am, I woke up. Wide awake. It was hot, I was uncomfortable, anxious about the shows I'm doing this summer, and I could not go back to sleep after 45 minutes of trying. So I got up. I made coffee, and started to go to my morning ritual of drawing in my sketchbook, when the answer came to me, loud, clear, and wise, "Draw directly on the canvas."

Plain, simple, obvious. I draw with a black sharpie most of the time anyway, there's no reason why I couldn't draw every day right on to my painting surface (usually masonite, not actually canvas). So now I'm back, I feel like my work has made a little leap ahead, and I feel really free. Not to mention in the need of LOTS of new surfaces to paint on! :)

Buckman Art Show & Sell

I can't believe a whole year has already gone by, but it's that time again! Time for the Buckman Art Show & Sell, a yearly fundraiser for Buckman Arts Focus Elementary School, where my daughter attends. Here is the low-down, copied from the website:

When?
Friday, April 11, 2008, 5 to 9 pm
Saturday, April 12, 10 am to 5 pm

What?
The Buckman Art Show & Sell features the work of more than 100 Pacific Northwest artists – everything from paintings and sculptures to ceramics, jewelry, fashions, photography and toys – in a festive atmosphere filled with music, food, and fun. A student art gallery showcases the talents of Buckman's young artists, and hands-on kids' art activities keep the little ones busy while their parents shop!

This vibrant, beloved community event benefits the arts programs at Portland's Buckman Arts Focus Elementary School.

Where?
Buckman Elementary School
320 SE 16th Avenue, Portland

How much?
Friday $5 per person; Saturday $2 suggested donation per person
Free for kids age 4 and under

I would also like to add that 30% of all sales go directly to Buckman! Every year I am astounded by the high caliber of artists and artisans populating this show, not to mention the amazing art by Buckman student. Here is a photo of my booth from last year--this year will be even better with new paintings, aceo's, and some of my art pendants available as well. I hope to see you there!

Custom Pet Portraits

Speaking of animals (in my previous post), I am now offering custom pet portraits! These are not your typical portraits, either. They are ultra-rad pet portraits done in my own uniquely stylized hand. The above example is my own sweet tubby kitty, Maya, but no matter whether your pet is a rat, a bunny, or a dog, I promise you will love your pet's portrait. More examples are coming soon! Let me know if you live in Portland and I will give you a great discount for being able to skip the shipping.

Coming this week!

The past few weeks, I have been hard at work. Art work, that is. I am drawing every day, painting at least one whole day every week, and whatever else I can squeeze in to my schedule.
Which means I have several new pieces--at least 10 ACEO's, 4 new paintings, and possibly more to add to my etsy shop this week!

I will begin listing them around 10 am (Pacific Time) on Wednesday morning. I hope to see you then!

Out With the Old...

Goodbye, old paintings. It is funny how much I liked you when I first painted you, enough to keep you in my closet for this long, I suppose. But now it is time to return you to the pristine white ground you once were, ready for something newer, more exiting, and hopefully much, much better!

I have kept some of these old things around for so long, it surprised me that I felt nothing for them as I covered them with a new layer of gesso (the usable ones), or in the case of one dented and moldy canvas, ripped it off the stretcher bars and threw it in the dumpster. They were all student work, but I was once so proud of them. Now I am just really exited to have a bunch of new painting surfaces!

Autumn

"Autumn," 2008, by Lea Keohane. Acrylic and oil on masonite. 18" x 24".

I finished this painting last week, in time to bring it along to Crafty Wonderland. I built my painting surface as always, by putting a support frame on the back of a sheet of masonite, then gessoing the whole things, edges and all. Someone asked me las week if I hated putting the gesso on the canvas, but I actually love it. Building my painting surface is kind of meditative for me, and it feels good to end up with this gorgeous white surface to paint on. I do need an electric miter saw, though--the only part I hate is trying to cut the frame pieces with a miter box and a hand saw!

"Autumn" is the first in a new series, painting the seasons. Not very deep, perhaps, but fun and lovely. Each season gives me such a different feeling, I would like to express it. I am also working on developing some aspects of my visual language, and this series will give me the means to do so. This particular piece has a hint of an Art Nouveau-inspired border. I did an acrylic underpainting, made stencils of the leaves in the background, and used oil for the figure, the border, and the border leaves. Now all I need is a better picture! I was having some glare issues :)

Week 1 Check-In

Well, I said a week ago that I would check back in to see if I met my goals for the week, and here I am, so that's a good start, right? I blogged 3 times, finished a painting and built a canvas for a new one, and was all set for Crafty Wonderland yesterday. Yay me! Here's what my booth looked like:
Very cute, don't you think? But it was painfully slow yesterday, and the things that I sell, people don't need, so I had very few sales. Then again, my neighbors, Mugwump (awesome purses), and Frosty Petals (cute fingerless gloves), seemed a bit slow as well, although they have really great stuff and people need purses and gloves more than art.

You know, it is really okay though! Maybe right now is a good time to take a hiatus from crafty shows, from all shows, while I focus and build up my body of work. My supply shop did amazingly well this weekend, which takes a lot of pressure off of my art sales too. I need that right now.

Okay, so this week's goals: Blog 3 times again, promote SupplyRiot, paint a painting. Oh! And the Guerilla Exhibitor class starts this weekend! I can't wait!

What next?

I guess by now if you've been reading the past couple of weeks, you will have noticed all of the changes and updates I've been making to my shops, and do my life. I am terrified, honestly. I am terrified of being solely responsible for my whole income (and exited at the prospect), and even more terrified that I will fail and be forced to go get a "real" job. I can't handle that last idea.

So now I am selling some fantastic things as SupplyRiot, and I am completely revising my LeaKarts shop. I am taking the pendants out completely. I like them, and they were a fun project at the time, but not what I want to invest my energy in. In fact, I will be selling them at a huge discount at Crafty Wonderland this weekend!

I have been pulling my sketchbook out regularly, and painting again, and regaining my focus. I have a distinctive style and a particular talent that I need to be putting to work. I will update here in my blog in the coming weeks as I make changes to my shop, re-create my website, and have lots of new paintings & services to offer!