Patti Edmon Artist

In times of frustration I feel that I've painted a million pieces and am still not where I want to be. So, I recently joined psychiatrist and abstract artist Nancy Hillis' Artist's Journey . It costs more than I can afford but I reasoned that art is the blood flowing through my veins and short supply means certain annihilation.  Looking back through my photos, I was surprised to see that I've only been 'abstract' for just over a year. As that realization settled, I started to feel justified, happy even, about my progress. And these pieces, done over the past few weeks (along with 30+ others), really are just the beginning. Before starting this new, deeper journey with Dr. Hillis, I was focused on fewer, more layered paintings that might look good in an office or over a sofa. I don't know about you, but having a sofa in my creative vision blocks a whole lot of authenticity. I still love these paintings but I'm surpr...

Painting my heart out, painting out loud, painting outside the lines... so many ways to express intuitive painting. Over the past several months I've been totally into abstract. My love for color is deep and each layer of every painting tells a different part of the story. Crowns 24x36 acrylic on gallery canvas, my favorite painting ever, was accepted for Linus Gallery's Abstract Exhibit and I couldn't be more thrilled. This (and most all other) was inspired by Jean Michel Basquiat ... not his work so much as his approach to painting. Let it fly! Dig down to that primal place where the real essence resides - otherwise known as 'flow'. I'm not using Facebook, searching for galleries, sending my work out. I don't know, it has been a personal process, and OK, so I have hundreds of paintings!! Next step is to do the thing - you know, website, social media schedule, etc. etc.  Have you done that yet? Wow, so daunting. And time cons...

I recently figured out that if I don't like a painting maybe it's just not finished! Brilliant observation after several years, but it made me wonder if other artists have consciously come to know that or if it's embarrassingly obvious... The one constant in every piece of art I've created is layers. I love layers. I live to layer. So, it would seem that I would have already come to this conclusion. But I've spent considerable amounts of time working on a piece only to file it with the other shunned canvases.  I don't know about y'all (ok, I grew up in Upstate New York but I've lived in Kentucky for a hundred years), but does this ring a bell? I mentioned it while in workshop with the fabulous and talented  Wan Marsh (at Random Arts in late August) and she looked at me like I'd just informed her that the world is round.  So, whether or not it's a no-brainer that fact changes the entire process, makes each step less 'brain surge...

My next post will be on a redesigned page that reflects an amazing journey since I last blogged - in early 2015!  I believe with all my heart that we are always 'in-process' and possess infinite creativity, but I haven't always felt that way. I recently uncovered the perplexing switch that allows monkey mind, fear and resistance to block the journey to becoming as complex, complete and evolved as possible. Can't quite put my finger on it (bad pun), when exactly I began painting without pause, without question, and thankfully without that nasty, clingy critic rambling in my head. OK, I still hear it occasionally but can shut it up and listen to my studio music instead.  I've come to realize that those whiny voices aren't real, that self-doubt can be overcome and that my insatiable love for the creative process has paid off. I am ready to send my work out into the world. If you know me you know that I'm not one to boast or call false attention to my...

Warrior? Egyptian Princess? Just plain bizarre? Whatever she appears to be she is close to my heart, one of my most favorite paintings. Adding new techniques, taking workshops and painting every day is the way we grow as artists. My path certainly isn't linear, sometimes it feels like going off on a tangent, then making a sharp right, kind of like those molecular drawings without the science, or the lines connecting them. It is great fun to let go and see what comes of the next, brief stop along the journey. While having a blast, I do feel like my work is all over the place. My BFF Rachel , and my artist-husband, Jim assure me there is a commonality among the diversity.  That makes me happy, though I don't always recognize it. I wonder, how winding has your path been, is there a theme to your body of work, or several over time? So many artist I admire greatly produce fabulous works that aren't at all similar yet I can usually spot the signature, the one a...

I am in awe of artists who manage to keep blogs updated while showing up on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and I'm sure there are others... It's really difficult for me to find the time to not only put my own art out there but also to look at the work done by my fabulous art friends. Since I last posted, my work has evolved entirely and most every spare minute is spent in the studio.  In September I made my biannual trip to Saluda for a workshop with Wan Marsh  at Random Arts . Spending several days (yes, it was a two day workshop but required 5 days' stay) with Jane Powell, and in the company of wonderful artists is my manna, sanity, respite.  I had a chance to spend some time with Wan and quickly found that we are kindred spirits. She's amazing and her teaching methods are extremely accessible. In the workshop I used her techniques but with entirely different results. That is the true goal of workshops - not to recreate the instructor's work ...