.
I am a slow painter.
Lovingly
working with my tiny brushes
for hours
or months
or even years
on a single painting.
Time does not exist in the place
where art comes from..
only bliss
and God.
.
.
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If you would like to help support this blog, and brighten my day – please buy my book. Thank you!
I get carried away when I paint..
This is not always a good thing.
Doing detail work
with a ragged paintbrush..
stuck in the zone
and unable to stop.
I am a runaway train heading for disaster.
“Stop!” I shout,
attempting to startle myself out of my trance.
Sometimes it works..
sometimes, it doesn’t.
The other night, in desperation
I whipped the glasses off my face and threw them at my table.
Hard to keep painting when you can’t see.
.
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If you would like to help support this blog, and brighten my day – please buy a book. Thank you!
“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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I don’t fundraise from this site. I do not accept donations or promote my work on Patreon or other platforms. If you would like to support this blog, please buy a book -Thank you
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.
The part of the brain that controls our feelings
has no capacity for language..
Perhaps this is where art comes from;
I can’t tell you what I find there..
I have to show you.
Being an introvert,
I am no stranger to social distancing.
That is an understatement.
Nevertheless,
Time is a gift..
and I have embraced this unexpected period of self-quarantine
with wild enthusiasm.
After years of false starts
self-sabotage
doubt, distraction
and failure..
my new book is about to be published.
Now, onto the next project..
