Category Archives: artsy stuff

Life is Short…Be Happy

artsy stuff, Dreams, life as an artist, the world I live in

I just had the most amazing dream…long story short…me and a bunch of people were doing a strange exercise to breathe in as deep as possible and as we exhaled, we had to say something really profound to the partner sitting across from us. All the characters in the dream were from a show I’ve been watching called Magicians.

Anyway…

As everone was going around taking their turn, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have anything to say or anything that mattered. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to take a big enough breath and that somehow I would fail the exercise. Each of the sayings were very profound or at least I felt like they were at the time during the dream.

The last pair was up and I remember feeling my partner next to me or sort of behind me. I couldn’t see who it was. I watched with deep intent as the last pair spoke, it was profound. I wish I could remember what she said. I was still worried that I wouldn’t be good enough. It was my turn. I didn’t know what I was going to say as I inhaled deeply. As I started to let out my breath, I felt my partner’s hand on my shoulder. It wasn’t a person. It felt like God. As I opened my mouth I felt the words come from God through me and the words were… “Life is short, be happy.”

Then I woke up. I was not only compelled to write this down but as I wrote it in one of my many sketchbooks, something said to write it for the world. I started to write a post in Facebook but within the first paragraph I felt I had to write it in my online journal. I argued with myself for a moment because it has been so long since I wrote anything there that I might not remember my password. Then a calm washed over me and I opened a notepad on my laptop. I am writing as I go. I will figure out the password issue when I get there.

Well, I’m here. I made it through the password protected environment and into my online journal. I don’t know if any of this is very profound. I see this saying on bumper stickers and T-shirts all the time so it’s certainly isn’t new. But maybe someone else needs to read this. This is my bumper sticker.

If nothing else, listening to my dream and my compulsion to write it down brought me here. It also took me to one of my sketch books to start and I saw a few doodles and some other notes on dreams that gave me some ideas for a painting.

Listen to your dreams. They are telling you something. Even if you don’t think it is important. Follow…Your dreams will guide you. And most importantly…remember. Life is Short…Be Happy.

Horse Triptych

artsy stuff, life as an artist, Making Stuff, My Art, the world I live in

My artist ego is Ajai, my alter ego that explores my art and craving for the outdoors and life lessons is Bohemian Tiger. Maybe hiding behind the alternate egos is a way to protect myself from the world I so desperately want to be a part of but want to be able to hide from at the same time.

Putting myself out there on YouTube has really been a challenge. Facing the camera and letting the world in on a little piece of who I am is easier when you don’t see my face…my identity…my true essence. I’ve been pretty transparent about my life here and have poured my heart and soul into some of my posts but there is something very unveiling about putting your face on YouTube that is hard to describe.

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Maybe it takes away the fantasy of who I am? When you read my posts, you can put any face to the comments and dream of what “that” person is or looks like. But when you have a face to look at, it changes the perception and concept of who that person really is. I know I am sometimes shocked when I meet or see a picture of someone I have admired through the arts or heard of through acquaintances. It can totally change your vision of that person. Sometimes for the better and sometimes…well let’s just say I was raised to say nothing at all.

When I paint, I don’t feel like “me” I feel connected to something that is way beyond this world. The “me” that holds the brush is just a conduit for something, some kind of energy that manifests in a place between “here” and “there” and doesn’t have a time or location.

Meditation…connection…peace…

Painting Horses Episode 2

artsy stuff, life as an artist, Making Stuff, My Art

Now that winter has hit pretty hard, I will be doing more painting than building at the off-grid cabin/cottage. It’s pretty tough getting up the off-road trail to the property so I find other ways to spend my time. My favorite of all pastimes is painting. I consider each of my works a meditation. I can lose time and find peace when I paint.

Like and subscribe to my YouTube channel for updates.
https://www.youtube.com/ajaiart/bohemiantiger

This is one of my favorites so far.

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Industrial Oasis

artsy stuff, Splorin

Living and working in a very industrial area can be taxing on my need for nature. I spend my lunch hour looking for any glimpse of nature I can find just to keep my sanity. One day, driving down a new road, I found a a little piece of sanity in a noisy, congested, stinky, industrial chaos. The oasis is only a few blocks in either direction, but there are trees and geese and water and sunlight. It makes lunchtime a bit more natural than sitting in the Burger King parking lot.

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Like and subscribe to my YouTube channel for updates.
https://www.youtube.com/ajaiart/bohemiantiger

Sunsets make happy

artsy stuff, life as an artist, the world I live in, , ,

Looking through the multitude of Facebook posts, I find myself skipping over the political stands and “woe is me” suction of the daily life in the city. Focusing instead on the many sunset and sunrise pictures posted by the fortunate few who see them from exotic locations and share them with glee as they walk you through the day that led to the phenomenal sun kissed images of the setting orb of light.

SunsetHorses at sunset
I’m not jealous…I may not have the sea as a dunking hole for the orb, but I have hills and valleys a plenty. Even in the city…I see a few folks here and there posting some of the most amazing sunsets with a foreground of hustle and bustle chaotic enough to start a wave of crazy! Yet, the sunset is serene and calm…never asking for awe, but surely receiving it from the sigh of delight and subtle moan of inner pleasure…Setting sunSunset with clouds
As I gaze upon the light…setting softly into the hills…I wonder…will tomorrow be as momentous? Is this as good as it gets? Will the days that follow be as glorious as right now?! Why bother with the questions? Why waste this precious moment wondering what will be? Enjoy…then behold the next morning…sun set from the past…rises again even better than the last!20170819_06402220170812_063019
Grateful…thankful…inspired…

Always find the happy in your day!

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Selling Out

artsy stuff, life as an artist, making money as an artist

daisies by ajai
It takes me less than an hour to paint these and I sold 3 of them…

Are you a sell out? You know that thing they call an artist when they actually find a way to make a living from their art…

I’ve heard it so many times at show openings and art gatherings…”Did you hear about (pick a name)?! What a sell out! They totally compromised their art to make a buck!” Well…let me tell you something…if you were a vegan for moral issues, not health issues… stranded on a rock in the middle of nowhere and hadn’t eaten for days and someone showed up with a piece of fish…would you be a sell out for eating it or a survivor who could climb down off the rock with your new found energy from eating the fish?

I like to think of myself as a fairly moral person and I have professed for years that I don’t want to fit in a box and be labeled and have to conform to societies definition of “ok” but I am also a survivor. I have survived many traumatic situations and it is because I have a will to look for ways to make what I see as “right” fit into what the world “expects” from me. I still refuse to fit into one box but I am figuring out how to use societies boxes to survive.

Recently, I was invited to participate in an art festival in Colorado http://www.flavorsofcolorado.com/ and they asked me to bring a little bit of everything I do…I was so excited to have an opportunity to spill out of the box and show off all my skills and talents…It was perfect! I didn’t have to have a niche…I didn’t have to have ONE box! So I took a bunch of boxes and paintings and stuff and a little bit of this and a little bit of that…I took so much stuff I couldn’t see out the windows as I drove down the scenic highway to get to the festival!

I sold a little of everything but didn’t sell much of anything…bummer…what a buzz kill… I did sell some of my “quick demo” paintings that I thought were ok, but not spectacular…and I sold some jewelry and other small things… But the weather was fantastic and I got to sit with my feet in the cool grass and listen to fabulous music all weekend! I also had time to visit with my neighboring vendors and learn from their experiences and see some of them work their magic!

The Vail Valley Art Guild, http://www.vailvalleyartguild.com/ had some wonderful artists and did demonstrations and had everything from pottery to painting and photography and I truly enjoyed watching them work and looking at their art, but like me…they didn’t sell much. Not that their work wasn’t phenomenal…it was truly inspiring! Folks just don’t go to festivals like that to buy expensive art and then have to carry it around a festival the rest of the day…

One vendor was particularly successful selling…They had one thing and it could fit in a purse or pocket or worn as they walked through the fair… Urban Poncho, http://www.myurbanponcho.com/ was just raking in the $$$ so I watched and took mental notes as Anne did her thing. I could probably sell them now too after hearing the sales pitch over and over and over…she had customers standing 3-4 deep listening to her go on and on all weekend about the many ways to wear that ONE poncho!

Ok…so you ask…”I thought you didn’t want to have to have a niche?! It sounds like Urban Poncho has a niche…” Well…you are right! They do…but they have many niches…The main partner that started the company has “multiple businesse[s] a print brokering online business called www.NicePricePrints.com, a direct mail business, and have owned and published multiple magazines in the past. Furthermore, as a hobby I started sewing and have been a seamstress ever since.” (quote taken from the About page on their website)

So…it’s not just about not wanting to fit in a box…it’s about being able to fit society’s box into what you do. So…again don’t fit in society’s box…fit society’s box into what you do…you can still do everything, but don’t put your eggs in the same box with your anvil!

So what’s my take away? Folks at festivals want something small and easy to manage at the fair. My new mantra for festivals is… “If it fits in a pocket or purse…it can still be diverse…” I will keep making my jewelry and small objects for festivals. That is one consistency I found between this festival and the last one…my jewelry sells…and I will keep doing my paintings but reserve them for gallery shows where they can be seen and not blown over by wind and folks looking are more willing to put it in their car and take it home because they aren’t going to be walking around a festival for another 3 hours…

that’s a lot-o-toilet paper

artsy stuff, house hacks, life as an artist, My Art

I’ve been working on a bunch of recycled/upcycled arts and crafts lately to get ready for the sidewalk show in Aurora this year. It really got me thinking a lot about the mass amounts of reusable things that so many people throw away. I made this chess set from a couple buckets of leftover parts and pieces that I bought from yard sales and scraps that folks were going to throw away.


I see so many things abandoned and forgotten by folks…things thrown in the trash that could be used again rather than thrown in a landfill…Not that I want to bring it all to my house and turn my place into a landfill, but a little bit of thought and a few minutes of your time could save the world from becoming one big landfill.  You don’t have to turn everything into a work of art…sometimes just being a little creative you can think of ways to reuse what you use.

Here is an example: I like to go camping a lot and I also have a fire pit at home that I use as often as possible. You know those little cardboard tubes that hold your roll of toilet paper? Well…next time you are about to throw them in the trash, take a moment (maybe while you contemplate the next roll of toilet paper) to tare it open and re-roll it into a small roll and put it in a recycled baggie to take on your next camping trip as a fire starter…


It gets a bit crazy when you think of how many people are in the world and then think of how much stuff they throw away…I found this great little population clock that shows the world population…that’s a lot of toilet paper! And, it’s a lot of other things that could be reused or recycled. If you come up with a great recycled/upcycled project let me know at https://www.facebook.com/ILikeAjaiArt

foam-landscape_ajai

Art – Good vs. Bad

artsy stuff, life as an artist, My Art

foam-landscape_ajai
Experimenting with materials typically found in a preschool as an exploration of what determines good art

If selling your work is what makes it good…Then we all need to evaluate our worth…She was criticized for her work for being unprofessional…she may not have sold many of them, but she did sell some…I wouldn’t buy them because I don’t like things that need to be cleaned or dusted, but I’m not going to dismiss them for their creativity and the fact that she put her time and energy into them.

What was it? I’ll just say it was what some in the art world would say is not art but craft and therefore not worthy of attention. I would have to disagree with that. The craft pieces were very creative and a few of them had beautiful texture and color. I liked them for the simple fact that they sparked an idea in me to be more experimental with everyday materials to see what I could come up with.

I was told once that doing a project or adult workshop fit for 8 year olds was not good enough to be considered “good art” because garage sales, hobbyists and little sidewalk art fairs have ruined our standards so that the mass populous no longer knows the difference between “good and bad” art.

I don’t think that is the case at all…beauty really is in the eye of the beholder and just because a gallery or group thinks a particular style or work is irrelevant or not worthy, doesn’t mean they are right. It is their opinion only.  ART is about so much more than what I have been hearing from folks lately. Art is about self expression and sharing a vision with others and if we start determining “what is art” and not letting our minds open to unfamiliar things… that is just as bad as any prejudice against humanity and I will NOT be a part of that!

I like doing projects fit for 8 year olds. I have recently finished an experimental work using materials often found in a preschool and its all about creativity. Children are often more creative than adults but don’t have the hand eye coordination to make a skilled piece, but with practice and nobody telling them its “not good enough” they can grow up to be magnificent creators that can change the world one vision at a time. Maybe the disconnect here is some folks are doing art because they want to make money, gain fame…be “respected”…? I am doing art because the universe insists on it.

I just want to be creative and enjoy what life I have left on this planet. I don’t want drama and I don’t want to fight…I will however stand up for what I believe in and I believe with everything in my being that being creative is the most divine thing we can do as humans and I will not judge another’s creativity. I will encourage it and embrace it and do my best to defend it…Art isn’t good or bad…it just IS…and the creative process is Divine expression and should be honored whether you “like” it or not isn’t the point…we all have opinions and beliefs…doesn’t make one better than the other. Take what you like…leave what you don’t…and LEARN from it all…

86th Annual CAG show

artsy stuff, life as an artist, My Art
Join us for the Artist’s Reception Thursday July 10, 2014  6pm  in the lower level of the Bemis Library
6014 S. Datura St., Littleton, CO 80120.      The Exhibit runs from July 2 through July 30, 2014
The 19 exhibiting artists are:  Leslie Aguillard,  Dani E. Day-aka- Ajai,  Diane Fechenbach,  Christine Fonte…not, Ferenc Gyulafia,  Cynthia Jennings,  Amanda Korth,  Nick Melliadis,  Pushpa Mehta,  Karen Pollart,  Stan Schwartz,  Sharmon Sheppherd,   Bobbi Shupe,  LaVerna L.Pierce-Sierra,   Mark Smith,  Laura Phelps-Rogers,  Carol Walker,  Ruth Work,  and  Renee Ziccardi.

breakin’ it down

artsy stuff, life as an artist, My Art

I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes me…me.

If you break it down, we are each a containment of parts and each of those parts are put into categories and sub containers of information. I have hazel eyes and at the moment, blonde hair. I am strong but am an emotional wreck and have moments of brilliance along with days littered with ignorance and stupidity. Depending on the color of the outfit I wear, I may have a cheery glow or macabre essence that pierces the view of the scene.

Emotion…caused by life and color swirl into a pallet of wonder when an artist creates a landscape, seascape or abstract. I want to find the eternal nugget of information in each of the images I create from breaking down a photo or the images in my mind. You may notice that the Mindscape 1 is more detailed or less simple in shape and form than the others. This might be due in part to my most recent brain fog brought about by daily emotional duress from dealing with my mom…what ever the case may be, it is a breakdown of the information in my head put in as simple a form as I can manage to put it.

Each of these pieces will be framed and displayed at the upcoming CAG show in July. I will be sure to post more info about the location and time…