Patti Edmon Artist

The Art Every Day icon was on my blog for most of November, which is also when I last posted. It isn't that I did work on art every day, it's just that, well, I'm in workshop mode. Ever since I left  Random Arts  in September, I've been in a painting frenzy! A two-day workshop with  Misty Mawn  was a great start but I needed more, wanted to expand my brushes... I'm currently taking a course called Serendipity, with the lovely and talented  Juliette Crane ! It's a year-long class with different techniques, supplies and project each month! Highly, highly recommended! I am stuck on September though, wanting to secure a few things, like faces (still!). My daughter told me yesterday that the girls in my paintings aren't smiling and I said happy lips are harder to draw/paint. Last night I drew 30 mouths, thankfully noticing a bit of improvement. I'm going to try to make the deers in the headlights less grim. I hope all my art pals (and everyone else) i...

This is one of my favorites (so far - ha). Jim and I were wandering around the small town of Cynthiana (Kentucky) and walked by an old store front and noticed these dolls mounted and stuck in a dusty corner, and I took a quick shot.That was back in 1988, maybe 1991, a long time ago to say the least! I'm still a bit stunned by the number of pieces I've been finishing and I love that the detail, texture, quirkiness, weathered or rusty surfaces I loved to photograph then are the way I paint now.   Having a chronic illness prevents me from roaming the countryside in search of interesting subjects. I've tried digital collage - wow that is such an entirely vast new universe - but love getting paint on my hands so for now I'm sticking with acrylics. And reinkers, pan pastels, stencils, fabric, paper scraps, old window screens, wallpaper*, fibers, embossing, resist, beeswax and other stuff in my studio. I'm so fortunate to have been able to collect such a diverse,...

Invisible Illness Week is coming up - September 5 through 15 and the theme this year is, I Choose to:  I don't always consider my autoimmune arthritis a benefit, particularly when one, or five days have been cancelled due to lack of ability. But there are gifts that come with the burden that are too valuable to bury beneath self-pity. I've learned so much about understanding the need for real priorities, valid choices, insightful empathy, living in the moment and the need to abandon the false ego that really does waste a lot of time. I've lived the better part of the last decade with illness and I choose to call myself an altered artist. Though I've been a writer and photographer nearly all my life I never picked up a paint brush until the expanding need for self-expression gave me an ultimatum: either work to nurture an evolving, explosive passion or, well, go nuts. I say that lightly knowing how fortunate I am to have had that opportunity.  Saturday I was o...

Another page from my watercolor book features a photo of a table setting/vase, taken so long ago I don't even recall where we were!  I'm consciously using a wider range of color, materials, processes and techniques in my work - so along with layer/texture love, I'm really stretching. Pan pastels put a nice finishing touch on this piece so they're a new favorite.  The theme for this post is flowers (really, who does themes?! maybe a way to use two unrelated photos). From social media pals, I've learned that Central Kentucky isn't the only area with a blasted rain gauge. Between the fog, sog and chill, it hasn't really seemed like summer for much of the time, though rain does create fabulous studio days! I've finished a dozen pages, more art than I've ever made in a short time span... don't know if it's thanks to working in a book or using the photography - or both, but as we all know, more art = more happy. Especially since we've ...

Next Week is National Invisible Illness Week - so along with posting another Frozen Charlotte piece that is part of the Seeking Sanctuary series, I wanted to address life with chronic illness, as I do every September.  I have read that it's not good to mix messages on a blog, that the content should be consistent, i.e., I have an altered art blog, so I should post altered art. However, the art wouldn't have happened without the illness and it a big factor in who I am... so, I'll understand if you stop reading! The placement of the accent is the only difference between ‘in-val-id and its heteronym in-‘val-id. I don’t consider myself an invalid or invalid; however, both are quite apt descriptions for the initial years, those spent gathering pieces of a life scattered after a diagnosis that, while thankfully not terminal, in many ways has been interminable. Those hazy, first years of ending one way of life and grappling to ass...

In the previous post I included a photograph of elements used for the focal point in "Wait," the second of four 12x12 mixed media canvases that I've completed within the last several weeks. The series is thematic, in that the pieces stem from two things: first, they reflect what I believe to be my true artistic voice; and second, inspiration from a quote by author Virginia Woolf, "If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people." Did Virginia Woolf mean that we need to publicly unravel our deepest secrets and darkest truths? I don't believe so, however, we do need full awareness in order to write, paint, draw, dance, to live authentically and wide-open... imperfections hanging out and vulnerability dangling in the clear light of day.  At the height of my fiction-writing venture the inability to tell my own story essentially prevented me from writing my best work. My stories were... safe. Like skipping a rock,...

Physical, mental, social…spiritual. Interestingly, this is the one that brings it all together. The thing that makes life worth it, the thing that rises us above the mundane and everyday, the thing that brings meaning to life, is when we are aware of the spirituality of our lives, the presence of God within us and around us and through us, the step of enhancing our life by connecting to the Spirit. - Dr. Woody Berry This is exactly what I felt while floating in the lake, hearing nothing but the cry of the hawk that lives in that particular cove. I spent several minutes gazing at the trees that form a semi-circle horizon above the rocks. I saw more shades of green than I ever thought possible, patches of deep blue sky showing through in spots… and the elegance of the lifeless tree that must have fallen years ago and now rests horizontally, weathered and stretching gracefully down from where it was once rooted. I watched the finches darting from a nest tucked out of sight in ...

Wow, it has been so long since I last posted that the formatting window and tools are completely different. My intention of posting weekly has dwindled to monthly... I admire so many artists who consistently produce - and post - amazing, fabulous work. This is what I would really like to know: do you work daily or have a routine? W hat adjustments and sacrifices do you make to ensure adequate studio time? If you're creating and living with a chronic illness, how does that impact your output? Durng the past couple of months most all my creative time was spent on a mixed-media book that incorporates a poem I wrote. It was a birthday gift for my dear friend and pastor, Woody Berry .   I used puzzle pieces (8" square) that I found in children's board books on the bargain rack a few years ago. Each was missing a piece and since I've always loved puzzle pieces I had them in my stash awaiting the right opportunity.  T he entire process was joyful - intuitive and fr...

by Ken, August, 2011 Somewhere along my search for inspiration I ran across Mildly Creative . The proprietor, Ken, may or may not have a chronic illness, but his insights as a 'Quirk in Progress' run parallel to my own thoughts and beliefs. What is better than affirmations from a like-minded creative?? Two of his recent posts hit home in a particularly relevant manner. The Courage to be Boring speaks to those of us who don't lead socially exciting or outwardly adventurous lives, but derive our meaning and happiness from our internal passions... such as writing and art. One of my favorite quotes: "The best thing I ever realized is that I’d rather be boring than bored." Limits on energy and resources due to chronic illness often force this practice though it's considering it a choice is a fine idea. My other recent fave, Doing and Failing is Better than Wishing and Waiting may sound logical and fairly obvious; however, I wonder how many creatives, aside ...

A big challenge when blogging about National Invisible Illness Week is avoiding rerun mode when discussing life with chronic illness. As in, wow, I was going to post every other day but suddenly it's Thursday! Oh well, a crazy barometer and the crazier schedules of the mom-taxi passengers, and so on... I decided to focus instead on a couple of CI folks who chose to contribute to the positivity flowing in cyber world. The first is Michael Nobbs , a British artist, writer and tea drinker diagnosed in the late 1990s with ME/CFS/PVFS (otherwise known as Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome). The debilitating fatigue that derails many a creative endeavor is Michael's daily existence; his philosophy, however, is about sustaining creativity in blocks of time based on available energy. He counsels that devoting even fragments of time to one's art leads to a collective body of work. He focuses on prioritizing, or as he says in his fr...

Though the national Invisible Illness Week doesn't officially launch until September 12th, I decided to post today because, well, I'm having a flare, probably like half the population. Yes, it's a stat; nearly 50% of us suffer from a chronic condition. It is very difficult to remain still when my dreams are so alive and energized. And when there are dirty dishes, laundry and chores that seem higher on the priority list than working in the studio, though usually not! The IIW website is a wealth of information for those of us dealing with the myriad conditions that may go unnoticed, unless of course you happen to play tennis like Venus Williams (Sjogren's Syndrome) or golf like Phil Mickelson (Psoriatic Arthritis - both just like me!). In one of my favorite articles , founder Lisa Copen writes about the fact that living with illness doesn't mean choosing giving in! Next week I'll be writing more about this year's theme, Deep Breath, Fresh Start, the modus...

Yes, this does appear very February 14th-ish; however, when making a card for my husband Jim, it's difficult not to go with the heart theme. I wrote a haiku on the inside: notes play in my heart a melody of love bound to you forever. Then our 21st wedding anniversary ten days days after his birthday. We've never been big on celebrating calendar holidays though our June 15th wedding was truly memorable. But more pressed into my heart is mid-October, which will mark 25 years on our amazing journey. I look back at our wedding photos with a misty recollection. We'd already experienced and shared a great deal, but it was a mere foundation for all that has come to pass. Joy, grief, growth, art, building a business together, parenthood , illness... I'd like to say it has been clear sailing but any couple living an intentional, meaningful life together knows otherwise. We rarely argue, never have. We know the others' buttons but they don't get pressed deliberately. It...

Spring... the ideal metaphor for life, the awakening: dormant bulbs that rise, cracking open the winter-hard earth; the miracle of trees, seemingly barren, suddenly laden with buds sprouting at the tips of once empty branches. The beauty of a still morning, silence broken by birds that call through now-opened windows. And the storm that strikes here and there and there... violence wrenching apart the calm, torrents of rain puddling on saturated ground and clouds, beautiful purple-gold bellies turned to gray rage, swirling masses capable of the ultimate destruction. Then the aftermath, a step taken out the door that reveals washed, dazzling brick and pavement and rooftop, enveloped by the warmer air perfumed with hyacinth, lilies, nectar dripping from God's own hand. The seasonal roller coaster also wreaks havoc on my joints and absorbs my energy and passion drained despite the splendor of dogwood and cherry blossoms. Such effort to quell the frustration caused by the familiar inabi...

Just shy of two months  after the Michael deMeng workshop in Saluda, NC, I've finished my Morpheus box. It certainly did morph... We started the boxes on the second day, which, given the fatigue that accompanies this illness, I should have known would surpass my ability to make a sentence, let alone construct anything creative. But, I did get a good start.  I brought it home with a voo-doo looking mask on one side of the rotating bar, and a transparency of a little girl and clock face on the opposing side. Hmm, how was I going to connect the two wildly disparate images? After stewing for a few weeks, I realized that, though I liked both sides, one of them had to go. I had dremeled out a niche for the mask/emblem, which was cool (love the flying dust), so I hated giving that up, but, not having any related objects, out it went.Once I cleared that hurdle, I began to think of morphing, changing, seasons.   I have a very dear aunt, who has been more like a second mother, and she is pas...

Today is Woody's Birthday. The Rev. Dr. Woody L. Berry is my pastor, mentor, counselor, collaborator on matters relating to art, life, the journey... and best of all, my friend.  If I hadn't wandered in to Maxwell Street Presbyterian 3-1/2 years ago, I wouldn't know Woody and that's not a scenario I like to consider. I wasn't a Presbyterian then but after my second visit I knew I'd found home. It has been a relatively short distance from visitor to member, deacon, active  membership committee participant, house writer. My frequent conversations with Woody are light posts marking the distance between the stretches that are at times, dark, reflective, sometimes lonely but always filled with meaning. He has this way, that continues to amaze me, of taking a concept that seems difficult, convoluted, maddening, and untangling it into a framework that is so easy to grasp that I can't imagine how I didn't see it in the first place. He's one of the smartes...

There's a site for those of us with Chronic Illnesses. Invisible ones that is - the kind that alter your life and then add the mockery of no telltale evidence to explain why the handicap tag swings from the rearview. The latest post is on fibro, which, being relatively new in its discovery/diagnosis cycle, is often called into question by a segment of the medical community. I'm glad I don't have that one. More than one of my closest friends do though, one of whom has no other auto-immune disorders to cushion her from the harshness of the blank stares she's often met with when she 'crashes.'  We all have our own lingo for hitting the brick wall, that moment when the flu symptoms hammer down and there's only one option - bed. I've been at this a while and I've practiced my pacing - most days that doesn't happen until six or seven in the evening. But the flurry of activity on the barometer damns most of my best efforts and I've had a few zinger...

This is one of my favorite photos, taken during a heavenly late-September vacation in Vermont, a place where one can easily pause in the midst of sublime beauty. If only I could time travel... Found the video at the bottom of this post on Sherry's blog,  Esprit d' Art ,  she'd found it on another blogger's site, who'd gotten from another blog... at any rate, it's well worth the watch.  How often do we take time out to really think... about what might be going on with people we encounter on a casual basis, whether or not they cause us a delay? One of the benefits of living with chronic illness is moving at a slower pace than many people. Over time, it results in living in the moment, paying more attention to the small stuff and taking in more detail. On a bad day it's like standing on the ground while the rest of the world whirls by on a merry-go-round; no stops, no tickets. Invisible illness becomes invisibility. After three years I've learned to appreci...

When I was working on my piece for the Trash Outside the Box Art-E-Zine swap, I was so focused on finishing it and sending it on its way to Canada, that I forgot that I'd get one in return. And, did I ever. This beautiful box was created by Pat MacMicken, who also hosted the swap. I'm amazed by the intricacy, detail, the sheer prettiness of this piece and I'm excited about adding it to my collection. A prize for sure! That is the appeal of swaps, to me, being able to look around my studio and see fairy jars, ATCs, shrines and boxes, all made by women I've mostly never met in person, but with whom I feel connected through art. And, I suppose, knowing that my work is in studios across North America, hopefully emanating all the same good will, good vibes and sense of being in tune with artists working at all levels, with or without chronic illness, but all with our fair share of burdens, each translating those into meaningful, stunning, radiant art. I've had to drop ou...

I came across this logo while reading My Vintage Studio , one of my favorite blogs, and it was like - WOW!  I've never heard about this before and it's the week, too late to do a lot aside from posting the info and reading the daily blog and spreading the word as widely as I can through my own blog and emails. Having an invisible ailment - and I know of several blog friends who live with chronic illness that isn't readily apparent - is unique and presents different situations from, say, being in a wheel chair, or, God forbid, having a terminal illness. I'm not sick enough to be bedridden or homebound, though I don't travel too far or for very long. But I do have a handicapped tag hanging from my rearview mirror, and I get some pretty odd looks when I'm in a huge parking lot and actually use it; I miss out on long, late dinners and pretty much everything that happens after 7 or 8 at night. I have been isolated socially for a couple of years now, and my old circle...

Pulled in too many directions, kids having trouble adjusting to their new school, the dog is sick, my arthritis flaring.... make for a tentative foundation of courage and strength, faith. A couple of weeks in this state is enough for me - hard to focus on keeping the pets fed and getting dinner made, let alone create the art for the swaps I've committed to... experiment with the techniques I've been putting aside forever, finding a deep, sacred space where I can connect the inner self with the universe, filling journal pages with wild abandon. I found a fabulous blog - an artist who expresses her daily experiences with amazing imagery that is, well, quite enviable. See what you think -  visit Karin at Beyond Words.  I love to dabble with photographs - find it very calming. Not quite the blank slate the painter approaches, tabula rasa, but an inviting image to explore and get lost in; starting with a perfectly lovely flower in shades of pale pinks and soft greens, I've begu...