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| “Art is not a thing; it is a way.” - Elbert Hubbard |
| | I hear a lot of people say they wish they were creative, but I believe everybody has a creative bone in their body. I don’t mean you have to make art in the traditional sense. (How boring if we all did the same thing!)
I mean we all have energy and emotions that either fuel consumption, destruction, or creation. There is a place for all those things, but I really think creativity is essential for everyone’s wellness, and I wish more people understood that they do in fact possess that ability, are probably already practicing it to some degree, and that it is not as limited as they may think.
There are a million ways to live a creative life, and they all have value. Creativity is how you problem solve. It’s how you add to the world instead of only taking from it. It’s how you nurture into being something that doesn’t exist yet. It's how you love yourself and others. However creativity shows up in your life and body, it benefits everyone when we exercise those muscles.
That’s not to say we must constantly create/produce to have value. Muscles need rest and recovery to grow stronger. Even nature, the greatest teacher, has seasons of dormancy.
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| |  | Dolly, hard at work, in Studio 2 |
| | Did you know I have two studios? I’m so fancy! My second studio is my sofa, where I spent a great deal of time after my last newsletter. I got Covid for the first time and it knocked me out. I spent a few weeks feeling gross, but managed to create some new things on the iPad when I could no longer stand the boredom. When I’m low on sleep and energy I’m always grateful that I can pivot to doing digital work while wrapped in blankets and don’t have to worry with the mess of oils. |
| | You Win Some, You Lose Some |
|  | Winning - I have of course been working on Fall merch of late, and I just love how these Night Garden prints and cards turned out! Those webbed puffed sleeves on the pumpkin make me happy. (Ultimate cuteness unlocked!) Other people seem to be enjoying them too and that also makes me happy.
You can purchase your own Night Garden print and card here. Enter code FALLYDOLLY now through October 31st to receive 10% off anything in the shop! (This code is only for subscribers, ya’ll.)
Losing - Sometimes you have a lovely little vision and work hard to make it happen, and all that really happens is you lose time and money.
Enter tea towels… |
|  | I was so excited to create these. I love what I designed for them, but ultimately the product I ordered and received was an absolute fail. The company I ordered from misprinted every towel by cutting off the design at the bottom, and the color and quality are subpar. I was so disappointed when they came in, and after complaining to customer service, ended up only receiving a partial refund. This is just the nature of the business and sometimes nature is harsh. I’m bummed that I can’t offer these this Fall.
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| | | Traditionally - For over a year I have wanted to paint Futakuchi-oona (a Japanese monster depicted as a woman with a fearsome mouth in the back of her head). Each year I submit a piece into a local Halloween themed group show, so I knew exactly what to do this year.
I wanted a Japanese model and am so grateful that a friend agreed to pose for me. Though typically depicted as a woman, I thought it would be interesting to paint her as a girl. Because this is essentially an Illustration of a fictional character and not a commissioned portrait, I am not as concerned with retaining a likeness as I am about communicating an idea. The goal is to convey both vulnerability and fierceness. I think a lot of people remember that age when we started having to feel the burden of uncomfortable attention/demands/expectations long before we were even grown. I love that there is another side to this young girl who is able to fight terror with terror.
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|  | Current work in progress on the second pass, and model for reference.
As challenging as it is, I enjoy painting people because there is so much information/communication in facial expression and body language. I adore that the model isn’t sitting up perfectly straight. I observe that she’s holding her kimono closed. I appreciate that she’s not forcing a smile. All of these things convey a message. I love reading people and paintings.
Digitally - While I was waiting on the photoshoot with my model, I decided to go ahead and illustrate a little digital version of the same monster. I’ve ordered prints so far and I think stickers will be next. I recently cut ties with my previous sticker supplier so finding a new good fit will be a fun side quest. Let’s hope this time I don’t lose more time and money trying out new products. Just keep smiling, Dolly!
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|  | | The Artist becomes the Model
Fellow artist, Damon Farkas, recently asked if he could paint me, and knowing how difficult it can be to find models/references I agreed. In my art school days we all just constantly posed for/painted each other, but it’s been a long time since I was used as someone else’s reference.
Damon asked for something with a bit of a spooky feel because he’s entering the same Halloween show I am. The middle pic is just his first pass, and I’m excited to see the finished piece. Make sure to go check out his other work here and here.
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|  | When I’m posing models or myself, I don’t require much equipment or edit things much. As you can see the tripod is still in frame, the hair isn’t perfectly arranged, and the cheap prop skull doesn’t look realistic, but the artist can go in and change things up. The most important things I look for are good lighting to provide some contrast on hair, fabric, etc., warm and cool tones on the skin, good angles on the face, and expression in the eyes and hands. (Most of the time I end up posing hands in a way that doesn’t feel natural, but ends up reading well in art.) I’m still learning a lot about this part of the process. |
|  | A recent visit to the Met (where I viewed the top left painting by Georges de La Tour) is what inspired the touch of red and use of the skull. Every single painting here is titled “The Penitent Magdalene” except for one. I eventually lost track because there are so many more, proof that artists really just recycle inspiration and ideas and there is nothing new under the sun.
I feel I am in good company. If only I had a red dress…and was penitent! |
| | |  | | One side of me is a hugely introverted homebody, cozy and content, and the other side is a restless creative who is constantly curious, hungry with wanderlust, repressed and responsible. Budgets, kids, health, work, and school schedules have not always allowed for big adventures, but I still try to squeeze in small ones.
I grew up accustomed to moving from one rental house to the next pretty much yearly, traveling back and forth overseas, or sometimes living/schooling on the road for extended periods of time. While that life was extremely lonely and unsettling, it also means that staying in one house, one city, can start to feel pretty stale and uninspired.
I want to try and get away more often. I need it, and I want to make my needs more of a priority.
Some fun little adventures I’ve enjoyed lately include an impromptu overnight getaway with the family to charming Cape Charles and a girls trip to NYC with my bestie. Water, bookstores, and art museums are all very good medicine.
Now it’s time for me to settle down and settle in, and make all the pretty little things for the upcoming giving season.
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|  | | | Listening
Falling A delightfully spoopy playlist, from me to you.
Reading
Funny Story, Emily Henry I promised myself last year that I would read more fiction this year, and sometimes a gal just needs a witty, sexy little distraction. Listening to this audiobook at least made a few days of Covid more tolerable. I don’t read much romance so I have little to compare her to, but I feel like if you need something sweet with a hint of spice, Emily Henry usually delivers. I’m deducting one star because the leading man frequently wears crocs and this book is supposed to be sexy, ya’ll. C’mon!
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs, Caitlin Doughty I found this gem at a bookstore in Cape Charles. I specifically chose it because I always tell my kids when I die they can just set me on fire and float me down the river, and there’s actually a chapter that covers the science, impracticality, and legality of that specific scenario! Extra points for really adorable macabre illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. This one’s a keeper, and proof that fact is usually more fascinating than fiction.
Watching
Over the Garden Wall, Hulu Rewatching Wirt and Greg’s adventures because this show is just that magical combination of weird and whimsical, silly and spooky that I adore. It’s perfect for the season and makes my childish heart happy. I am reminded of how much I enjoy utter nonsense. 🎵 “Oh potatoes and molasses!” 🎵 |
| | |  | Buster, Luna, and Lil’ Pumpkin sure are ready for Fall. Are you? |
| | I’d love to hear from you. If you enjoyed this email, please reach out or share it with a friend. I’m glad you’re here!
Work in progress, always, dolly
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