Runaway Trains and the Art of Breaking the Spell

Put the brush down and step away from the canvas..

 

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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Childhood Memories and the Art of Painted Playgrounds

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“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.

 

 

Gerbils, Churches and the Art of Laughter

An actual conversation that took place

between my husband and I while we were painting:

Richard: “Does that look like a church?”

Michele: “It looks like a gerbil wearing a hat.”

 

 

BLACKBERRIES AND THE ART OF LOSING YOUR MIND

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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SIX HANDS AND THE ART OF FOLLOWING YOUR BRUSH

 

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

PENCIL DRAWINGS AND THE ART OF PERSONAL MAIL (PART 2)

 

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.

 

ATROPHY, PAINTING AND THE ART OF BEING UNLEASHED

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.

 

 

 

 

Self-Quarantine and the Art of Being Productive

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..

 

 

Enthusiasm and the Art of Losing Your Mind

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.

Golden Raisins and the Art of Natural Beauty

Instead of our regular raisins,

my husband and I picked up some golden raisins

during our weekly trip to the grocery store.

 

When we opened the box

it almost took my breath away.

We marveled at the rich colors –

an assortment of gold, deep yellow and amber

tumbling like leathery gems

into our open hands.

 

Since we are both painters..

we tried to identify the colors we saw

in terms of paint:

Yellow Oxide?

Turner’s yellow….?

Burnt sienna??

 

As artists, we can only attempt to reproduce

these beautiful objects with brush and pigment –

We might even come close..

but they would taste awful.