“The Legacy of Mildred’s Basement” by Michele Bledsoe
When I was a child
my favorite place to play was in my grandmother’s basement.
I would stay down there
for hours on end.
That was so many years ago.
All gone now,
along with my beloved grandma..
but not really.
I still go there
when I paint.
Why are you looking at me like that?
I’ve been away too long..
Hopefully the next little creature I draw
won’t cringe when he sees me.
My husband gave me a wondrous gift the other day..
a dead carpenter bee he found in the yard.
He knows me so well.
This beautiful
black-velvety little creature
and his single coppery wing..
will live again
in my paintings.
In the privacy of my own home
I have joyfully lost my mind over blackberries.
I pour out my love to these dark and delicate jewels
in my paintings..
where I can explore
and obsess over them
to my heart’s content.
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When I paint
I put a blob of raw umber on my palette
and start drawing on the canvas.
I don’t stop to think about what I’m doing
I go wherever my paintbrush takes me.
Often it leads me into difficult territory..
Not away from it.
Hands are hard,
yet the creature that ended up on my canvas
has six of them.
So I struggle.
I fight.
I am committed to the end.
Dedicated to the direction of my gift
and the heart that guides me..
I will never give up.
Don’t avoid the hard stuff.
That’s how you grow.
Excerpt from Painting, Passion and the Art of Life by Michele Bledsoe
Another piece of illustrated personal mail
I sent to Richard while we were dating.
It has been a long time
since I’ve seen these drawings..
I was pleasantly surprised
to find my dog’s missing leg
under the sea
with the fish sticks
and goldfish crackers.
I didn’t paint much
while I was working on my book.
But now..
I am unleashed.
I painted and painted
and painted.
That night..
my hand hurt like crazy.
Muscles aching from disuse;
I smiled to myself
in the dark.
All I could think about
was more painting.
Work in progress, by Michele Bledsoe
It is rare when I introduce something new
to my beloved palette of colors…
That is an understatement.
But when I returned to my easel
after finally finishing my new book..
it appears that I have wondrously
and joyfully
lost my mind.
Without hesitation
I started gathering strange tubes of paint
one after another..
And as I fearlessly applied these alien pigments
to my work in progress,
I understood the true meaning of enthusiasm:
To be possessed by God.
Cerulean Blue, Sap Green, Yellow Oxide… I had to write them down so I wouldn’t forget.
Paintings by Michele Bledsoe
I am obsessed with trees..
and pieces of trees.
Planks and chunks
of carved wood,
branches and leaves
I paint them all the time..
cultivating my weird
deconstructed forest
on canvas.
Being that my husband and I are both artists..
our family Christmas tradition
involves painting.
We have been working on this tree for many years.
Every December, we pull it out of storage
and get to work.
Taking turns
adding details
My sisters have also contributed..
picking up a brush to add their mark
to a tree decorating ceremony
captured on canvas.
The Secret Kingdom 