air

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i wasn't going to do a blog today, but then this phrase popped into my head and refused to leave. so here...
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sometimes, when i feel like i can't breathe, she neutralizes the air like a lovely spray of oxygen
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...i know, it's not very good writing. but it's the truth. and i don't know why i chose these photographs to accompany this awkward little phrase. but i did. so there.
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love & healing
mj
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(C) Photographs, MJ Calitz, 2008

go with the flow

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this painting is about fertility & mystery... trusting the flow of life... but also trusting the flow of my paint brush.
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i am growing more patient with my art... not rushing into it so much & wanting it to be perfectly done on the first sitting, feeling frustrated if it is not. no...i stop after the initial burst of creativity and walk away. i stare at it multiple times, soaking up it's energy, letting it brew inside me. and i only pick up the brush again when i feel the urge deep inside me without any of the anxiety or the expectation for it to be perfect. i also find that i like working on more than one "project" at once because if i feel the pull to be creative and one piece requires drying time or walking away, i can move on to another one without losing momentum and it is quite surprising to see how the creative energy from working on one project feeds the next.

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for this painting i used acrylics on 11 x 14 canvas. i glazed 80% of the painting with bronze or silver to give it the shine of fairy dust and added a little fabric flower.
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(C) Art, MJ Calitz, 2010

naked

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imagine being a naked porcelain doll with no arms and a price tag around your neck displayed behind a glass window...this is how i feel some days.

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(C) photographs MJ Calitz, 2008

i.curl

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(C) Art, MJ Calitz, 2010

toasted cheese moments

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I am not addicted to shoes or cigarettes or chocolates.
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I am addicted to toasted ham & cheese sandwiches. It doesn't really matter if it's ham or turkey or even chicken. Come to think of it, roast beef is fine too. The important part is the cheese…warm and stringy, melting my senses until I am all gooey inside. Yum!
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Of course my mother has warned me on several occasions how bad melted cheese is for the human body (primarily the thighs in my experience), but do I listen? No, because every one is allowed at least one "bad for you" addiction, yes? At least that's what I tell myself… [Insert "goofy grin" here]
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It might not be good for the body, but trust me, it is good for the soul to do something you're not supposed to do every now and then. It's just a little bit of healthy rebelling…the thing that makes you feel like you're a person making your own choices. It doesn't matter if your life feels like a lie or everything around you comes crumbling down around your ankles, at least you are in control of this one thing and it makes you feel alive.
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Childish? Hell, yes! But who cares?
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Some of you might be shaking your heads in disapproval right now, but come on. You know I'm not talking about the big addictions… the kind that derails and destroys. No, I'm talking about the harmless ones…the ones that Armande from the movie "Chocolat" talked about when she said, "Don't worry so much about supposed to's."
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So…when you are supposed to be sweating through a fitness dvd or doing the laundry, sometimes it's okay to sit down with a toasted cheese sandwich, a mug of sweet tea and a romance novel you picked up for $2 the previous day and lose yourself in the pleasure of the moment. In fact, it's more than okay.
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Have a beautiful day.
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PS. the afghan you see in the picture was a gift, handmade by my friend Heather.

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(C) MJ Calitz, 2010

love birds

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(C) Art, MJ Calitz, 2010

snow & ducks

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i took these pictures sunday morning at creekside park. christmas decorations, frozen waterfalls, lights hanging like miniature lanterns from trees, ducks, swans and squirrels and snow everywhere made it a winter wonderland.

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(C) Photographs, MJ Calitz, 2010

secret garden

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I have learned that being an artist involves lots of staring, both at art and life. Vincent van Gogh said: "It's looking at things for a long time that ripens you and gives you a deeper understanding." Yes, I have quoted this here before. Sometimes I repeat myself…in case you didn't hear me the first time…or just because I can :-P
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I use to think there was something wrong with me, because I stare at things…specially after I've created something new. I tend to sit and stare at it for long periods of time. One could say that I fall in love with my creations…some only for a few minutes and some forever. (I sometimes wonder if this is normal and if it happens with all artists…I think it is and it does but not everyone will admit it, because it seems narcistic.)
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I predict that this one will keep my attention for a long long time & I am proud to say that I adore this little piece of art, which I call "my secret garden". There are lollipop trees, butterflies, easter eggs & all kinds of blooms turning this painting into a miniature magic world for me. I hope you like it too.
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It is an 8x8 muslin square, painted & layered with tulle, with decorative stitching & multi media elements. I have decided to make an art quilt with these square paintings when I have the desired amount of squares to choose from. For some reason this makes me feel very proud.
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Have a magic weekend
MJ
xxx
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(C) Art, MJ Calitz, 2010

snow snOw snoW & extraordinary life

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snowman greetings from a cold and very snowy ohio! i hope you had a lovely holiday. my wish for this new year is that everyone will grow a little more to become the person they wish to be and find inner peace along the way. be healthy and be happy. and whether you see rain or snow or green leaves or tiny flowers outside your window, know that it's all just little vessels carrying my wish to you.
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right now i am reading "the time traveler's wife" by audrey niffenegger. it is an extraordinary love story about two extraordinary people finding their way to each other and through life. i am amazed that in a very short period it is the second extraordinary love story i have "witnessed"...the first being "the curios case of benjamin button." if you haven't seen this movie yet, please do yourself a favor and watch it. it's not a pretty story. but it is a beautiful story. and although i am not finished with the book yet, both of these stories have touched me deeply and reminded me that just being alive is extraordinary in itself but above and beyond that...life and love will find a way.

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sometimes i wish i could undo something i did or said, specially when i hurt someone in the process, but i realize that it is all part of a bigger plan and there are forces at work beyond our comprehension. and that in the end things will be the way they are supposed to be.
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have a beautiful year
snowy kisses
mj
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(C) Photograph, MJ Calitz, 2010