Rediscover beauty and love, today
Trees-sketch-clouds ( Autentico 2019) watercolor, graphite, collage 9” x 9” by beth vendryes williams
Do you sometimes feel weighted down by events on the personal or world stage?
Sometimes I forget that each morning when I awake, I can choose to look at the the world and my place in it, from a fresh perspective. beth vendryes williams
This morning, shaking off the detritus from the day before, I make myself a cup of water with sliced lemon, giving thanks for clean water and lemons. Then I make a cup of green tea, thankful to have that luxury.
Looking up, I suddenly observe winter trees tracing their lines on the cloudy soft patches floating in a cerulean blue sky.
Aha, so this is what I want to share with you today!
On this day celebrating love for each other, let’s take the time to observe and honor the clarity and beauty in our world and the people in it. I know you can do it!
After all, we are all in this together.
I am thankful for you, your support and for your interest in beauty and creativity.
Here is my gift for you, today. You can see more on my instagram which you can link to and see most of this series on the process page of my blog
Sending you much love.! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Art & books, discover two of my favorite things!
happy gathering, pastel 11" x17" beth vendryes williams
Come see my art inspired by spring at Dolphin Bookshop in PortWashington. It is a rare opportunity to see refreshing work while enjoying a cup of green tea or a latté. You also have a diverse selection of books and toys at your fingertips in case you need to purchase either. You are right near the park that borders on Manhasset Bay, and you can walk outside by the seawater! Imagine, ALL of this in one short trip! The exhibit will be up until the end of March.
Perhaps I will even be there at one of those sunlit tables. If not, I will be in my studio beginning my next project and reviewing my 120 journals which I have created over the years! But more about those two things in my next post.
I am beginning to get work ready for my Open Studio in June. The date will be announced and listed on the Events page. Or you can sign up for my once a month newsletter, right at the bottom of the page!
I do love to hear your thoughts about my work, the exhibit or a specific piece here in comments or on my contact page. Looking so forward to hearing from you! Oh yes, and to keep up with what I am making and showing, please, subscribe, below!
A sneak peak of my new exhibit!
big old tree watercolor 2016 beth vendryes williams
Come see my exhibit
"landscape, up close/ personal"
at
The Dolphin Bookshop Café
299 Main St., Port Washington, NY 11050
opening reception is Sunday, March 6th from 2 - 4 pm
on exhibit from March 1 thru March 31, 2016
I look so forward to you coming by to the reception. If you can't make it then, absolutely stop by anytime the bookshop is open , by the end of March.
The work reflects the kind of intimate and expansive views of the natural surroundings you see on Long Island's North Shore. A lot of my observations are from Oyster Bay , sometimes even in my backyard! I hope it inspires you to see the beauty right in your own backyard!
Shhh...click here to see some of the work on display....
beth
explore ripples of time, impressed in rocks... by water
Last week my family and I an hiked an extremely steep the 2.5 mile trail through the gorge at Watkins Glen near Ithaca, New York and followed it up two days later with a very rocky 5 mile hike through the Robert H. Tremain State Park. While hiking I found some time to draw, but not nearly enough to satisfy me, since I spent most of my time trying to keep up with my sons & friends and move faster than the thunderstorms. Apparently I need to upgrade my exercise routines!
Has this ever happened to you? No time to bask in the beauty of the environment because you were too busy beating traffic, avoiding bad weather, performing everyday survival tasks, meeting everyday needs?
My experience while hiking in Ithaca, may give you some ideas about how to savor a unique and profound moment and then build on that memory. You can notice it, wonder, allow it to motivate you to deepen your understanding beyond the surface.
While on both hikes, I observed the patterns of ripples in the water that were duplicated in the sand and again, replicated in the rocks. It made me wonder how long it took for the ripples in the water to transpose themselves into the sand and rock. After doing some reading,I discovered that the water created patterns in the sand that were eventually transformed into rocks of alternating shale and sandstone. This began to occur in the Devonian period, 360 million years ago. Really? I am having trouble imagining that long ago! Glaciers cut through this layered rock. The splits in the rock or ‘gorge” are caused by streams that were cut off and needed to find new ways through the rock!
This makes me think about the power of time, and how, with enough time, water can slowly transform rock and even an entire landscape. I make this analogy. If the persistence of water can be so strong to shape and cut through rocks, then by applying this principle of consistent intent in just living we can break through and transform relationships, habits and creative blocks will create a path towards your goal.And so I focus on my goal to visually represent the process of the patterns created over time.
Paying close attention to how transformation that occurs in nature can help you to transform paths in your life! When traveling through everyday life:
OBSERVE your environment carefully.
NOTICE patterns.
Allow yourself to IMAGINE
MAKE AN ANALOGY between this physical beauty and your everyday life.
SYNTHESIZE by asking questions and make connections.
Oh yes, and please let me know about a time you gently persisted in your chosen path and then transformed your day, week or life, as the water has. I absolutely love sharing this and even more, I look forward to your thoughts and ideas!
“This makes me think about the power of time, and how, with enough time, water can slowly transform rock and even an entire landscape. I make this analogy. If the persistence of water can be so strong to shape and cut through rocks, then by applying this principle of consistent intent in just living we can break through and transform relationships, habits and creative blocks will create a path towards your goal.And so I focus on my goal to visually represent the process of the patterns created over time.”
— beth vendryes williams
Seize the day….transform your life!
beth vendryes williams
It is so good to be back! I have transitioned to working full time as an artist! It is with glee (and trepidation), that I begin this journey. I am SO excited to have all of my time devoted to drawing, painting and putting my work out there!!
You are invited to come with me on this journey and in the process learn more about supporting the creative habit in your own life! I find that small or large creative action in ANY media has the capacity to transform!
If you don’t think you are creative, think again.
Observe, ask questions, share your thoughts and/or make your own creations, stick with me as I reveal my process and motivations during the process of creating my own body of work myself subscribe now! If you are a practicing artist; painter, sculptor, writer and would like to hear and share about the creative process, subscribe now! It's free! And I would love you to be a part of the conversation! If you are an art collector and just want to see what's here, search the rest of the site and subscribe to keep up with the latest! You can always contact me if you are interested in a piece to purchase
I will be sharing images of my work and my process! If you would like to see more of my work, explore this website in full and contact me if you need to know more!
“With your senses (not so much your mind), focus on one single object until you stop fighting it or resisting it with other concerns. The concrete is the doorway to the universal.”Richard Rohr Adapted from The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See,pp. 170-171
Through that process of creating my work, my intention is to listen, be open, and to respond using available materials and visual and intellectual inspirations. My goal here is to be transparent and share this process of creating a body of work. You can apply what you learn about the creative process and about interpreting the universal language of the visual to your own every day journey.
In the movie Dead Poets Society, the English teacher John Keating, played by Robin Williams says:"Carpe Diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”
Please DO let me know here what you do to live a creative life. It is SO inspiring to hear from you!
new series: growing gardens
Gardens are ardent metaphors for the act of growing. As the impossibly petite seeds sprout into the abundance of summer and survive to provide beauty and food, there are also casualties. Some dry out, or get mildew and fungus from the dampness. Alpine strawberries get nibbled by our dogs. The abundance of growing and dying is so evident there. When Hydrangeas are blossoming in indigo blue and deep purple jewel tones, we cut them to bring that moment of beauty into our home.When they die, we compost them so that new plants will grow next year. When one row of lettuce becomes bitter and dies, we plant anew. when the stringbeans complete a bountiful harvest for the season, the plants die, their reason for being in the earth is done.
And so the process of life in the garden moves in cycles.The gate? It is important to celebrate the entrance to our garden with a sign of passage.
What inspires me?
Allen's garden!As I walk into the gardens on my way to the studio I find myself pausing to look around. I always find a corner, a little tunnel in the vegetables, an arching tree with light filtering through the leaves like large sprinkles of snow. Thus patches of green are transformed into unexpected glimmers of glowing citron yellow.
and then....
Inspired by the magnificent John Singer Sargent Watercolor at the Brooklyn Museum, I approach the paper with glee, splashing it with watercolor and confidence. Have no fear! His watercolors have freedom, transparency and joy! The light is effervescent, the compositions invite you to look forever. Never fear, you haven't missed it! If you can get to Boston the Exhibit will be opening October 13th in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Back to the experience ofjust spending the time looking.....and painting..... centers me.
