My Daughter

My Daughter
Copyright 2015 Hirschten
Acrylic on Panel
11" x 14"
 

"She is just like a butter-rose, that blooms in the month of June.

Or like some musical instrument that's just been lately tuned."

-From the folk song "A Roving on a Winter's Night"

A Sneak Peek Inside My Art Studio...

Inside Hirschten's Art Studio

With help from fabulous photographer Emily Schwank of Rainscliff Photography here is a sneak peek inside my art studio.

I consider the painting studio to be a sanctuary, a place to take refuge.  I recommend that if you want to grow as an artist you must make space in your home to create. Virginia Woolf urged artists to have a "Room of One's Own" for their creative work but even a table tucked in the corner of your living room will work.  You need space to make a mess then put it all back together again.

"Sanctuary, on a personal level, is where we perform the job of taking care of our soul."

-Christopher Forest McDowell

Hirschten's Art Studio

Oil Paints

  

Hirschten Painting

Hirschten at work in her painting studio

Before and After

Mantel (And wet painting drying rack!) in Hirschten's Living Room After Renovation

Mantel Before

For me there isn't anything quite as satisfying as repainting a room.  It doesn't have the creative problem solving of making an oil painting, but the aching back gives one a feeling of accomplishment.

Painting, n.: The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather, and exposing them to the critic.

-Ambrose Bierce

Before

After

Schnookum likes it!

The Winding Stream

The Winding Stream
Copyright 2014 Hirschten
Acrylic on Canvas Board
11" x 14"

"When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy,

and the dimpling streams runs laughing by;

When the air does laugh with our merry wit,

And the green hill laughs with the noise of it."

-William Blake

Sunflowers in Berlin

Sunflowers in Berlin
Copyright 2015 Hirschten
Oil on Canvas
12" x 24"

"Art is not an adventure undertaken by the few for the gratification of their natural instincts, but a part of the complete expression of a people.  It has no place for weaklings. 

Only the strong persist, for they must feel and speak for all."

-William Forsyth

Hmmmm... I don't agree that my or anyone else's work could ever 'speak for all.'   Every person's experience is unique.  Every person deserves to have their story shared.  I do agree however that creating art in any form is courageous.  We show our underbellies, our vulnerable side.  We express what we see, feel and care about.  This takes courage.  The release that you get from opening up to it makes it worth it.

What do I see in today's painting?  This was a bunch of flowers for sale in an open air market in Berlin.  This area of the east side is haunted by the devastation of World War II and the violent separation of the east and west.  Yet the day I was there it was bright and sunny.  We ate fresh breads and cakes.  This is an image of renewal.

Join me for the opening reception of "Art In Bloom"
Petrov's Frame and Fine Art, 5172 N College Ave.  Indianapolis
April 2, 2015  6:30-9pm