Hello fellow artists,

This scene reminds me of being a teen at the fair with my friends.   So many choices. The night is wonderfully long, and warm.

Hello fellow artists,

Another fast ride under a full moon from the Western North Carolina Fair, Summer 2008. Don't you love the colors?

Hello fellow artists,

I don't go on these rides, but I love the colors, and to capture motion at night. From the Western North Carolina Fair, summer 2008

As an experiment to show depth, I painted about eleven layers, then added the horizontal and vertical bands.  They seemed too strong, so parts of the bands were rubbed off.  Too me, it looks like floating ribbons, barring me ever so slightly from some very yummy joy.  

Hello fellow artists,

I'm in a delightful painting class in which we pour dyes on the page, seeing where they go.  This one turned out like a cave painting of a wild boar with enough energy to take on anyone with whom it disagrees.   To me, this boar seems primitive and modern at the same time. 

Courage and strength symbolize boar, warriors who never give up.  In this case, it's easy to see how and why symbols were created.

copyright Patricia Roshaven

Hello fellow artists, 

Butterfly on a flower -- a common occurrence, but light and focus are perfect.  The background fades nicely, allowing the featured players to stand out.  The dahlia is a symbol of dignity and elegance.  Because a caterpiller makes a miraculous change into a butterfly, butterfly is a symbol of rebirth.  So here,  rebirth is feeding on dignity and elegance. 

Hello fellow artists, 

Updates have been hit or miss for quite awhile, but I'm now incorporating another of my blogs with this one and bringing in more of my paintings.  This blog is changing its character somewhat, and will be updated when I have to something to show.

Hello fellow artists, 

I went to India in October, 2008, had a wonderful time, and came home with 11 gigabytes of photos!  It took one month to sort through them and another month to figure out how to present them.

Instead of posting all 300+ photos,  I created two videos of the highlights of this trip.  There is voice narration, so turn your speakers on and click on the links to start the videos.

Video Part I starts in Delhi on October 13, and is primarily about 9 days spent at the Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala, India.  I participated in a workshop that taught a group of middle school children at TCV how to create a digital story, much like these videos.

Hello fellow artists,

Some days my mind and body are foggy and groggy for no good reason -- until I remember that part of the creative process is that when we have more than we can handle or a big problem to solve, the brain on an unconscious level goes into deep thought, quietly mulling over alternatives and solutions. We feel that we have lost energy and brain power. In reality, the brain is helping us live our daily lives and at the same time the brain is problem solving. It is working double time, so of course you are feeling tired and foggy.

Knowing that this is part of the creative process, whether you think of yourself as a creative person or not, can keep you from worrying about what is happening to you.  It can also keep you from attempting to mask what is happening to you with pills, alcohol, binge eating, or whatever your habit is.

Stress reduction techniques, such as meditation, massage, or taking a long weekend are healthy tools for slowing down to give your brain much needed support and for bringing your body into alignment with your brain. Slowing down can also give you access to the information your brain is processing, helping you to resolve whatever issues you are facing quickly and gracefully.

On the other hand, you can keep pushing yourself beyond your capacities, further stressing yourself.

copyright Patricia Roshaven

Hello fellow artists, 

In the beginning was the Word, the Bible says.  I've heard musicians say it all began with music.  Is the mind of God the force behind the universe.  Or is it the beating heart?  What does your intuition say?

My best guess is that the universe is a mathematical equation.  How else can all of creation hang together physically and chemically?  When this equation is deciphererd, perhaps it will be called love.  God is love, so this thought has some cosmic sense to it.  If other religions, philosophies and minds have something to add to this discussion, it's in our best interest to listen, don't you agree? We need to be courageous, clear thinking problem solvers.