Hello art friends, As some of you may know, my father died in July. We had a family service for him in August in Maine and a larger service for him in September in Cambridge. My father was an educator, historian, and writer professionally, but also in the context of our nuclear family where he taught us many things, did all of the photo albums and Christmas letters, and wrote letters (later emails) to his three children (me and my two older brothers) that were variously charming, funny, irreverent, and wise. I miss him, especially the strong version of him when he was healthy and sedulous. He believed so ardently in creating community – from his own family to his wider circle of relatives, to his friends and neighbors and beyond. Be a participant, reach out, make an effort in life. That was one of many lessons he taught me. Two weeks after my father’s service, I had a major ankle surgery (Achilles tendon repair – soccer and tennis, two loves, presumably and primarily responsible). I’m nearly four weeks post-op, still in a lot of pain, but doing better. The first few days after surgery I had a reaction to one of the medications they gave me and I ended up in the emergency room. Thank goodness for family and friends who helped take care of me and my girls. Being a single mother is always hard, mostly hilarious, and, until my surgery, had been always manageable. I cannot imagine being a single mother and doing everything alone. I cannot imagine being partnered and doing everything alone. Community really is everything. And the challenge of today is that because we can connect digitally (which has many wonderful benefits) easily and constantly, we forget about the importance of being connected in-person. This isolation, this physical and emotional distance, shreds the threads that tie us together. It’s no wonder to me that the increasing polarization in the US is tied to the increasing isolation that people feel, and is tied to the increasing use of the Internet to fill our time. And anyone paying attention knows that loneliness and detachment are at all-time highs. If you ask me why I started painting, I would tell you the truth: it gave me peace. Painting for me (like writing, though writing takes longer) is meditative and calming, and when I am finished, I often (not always!) feel a sense of accomplishment. If you asked me why I continued to paint, and transitioned to becoming a professional artist and not just a hobbyist, it’s because not only was I giving myself peace, I seemed to be giving others peace. And that perhaps is the central theme of my work: trying to knit people back together, connect them to themselves, to their past, current and imagined future experiences. Sometimes I paint peaceful scenes, and sometimes I paint stormy scenes, and all of it is meant to give people some peace by contemplating their connection to others and to the earth. One of my father’s favorite paintings of mine is a winter birch. My father was one who wanted art to “look like something” and felt that much of abstract art (not all of it, but much of it), was “uninteresting”. The painting is of a snowy birch forest and it’s called Stillness. It hung in my parents' bedroom. It’s “so peaceful” he said, and “plus it actually looks like birches. Not a photo of birches, just the essence of them.” Just the essence. Man, I really miss my father. Some final thoughts if you have read this far: One: if you are local-ish, would you be interested in an early December holiday open studio with small original works for sale in the $300-$1,000 range, all to be purchased in person? I will post this on Instagram as well. Write me back (you can reply to this email!) and let me know. Two: two great books I’ve read recently: North Woods and All Fours. Very different. But both written by two great writers. Three: all paintings included in this newsletter are for sale. Everything can be paid for on a payment plan. Over half of my clients opt for payment plans where they can pay off the painting within 3-6 months, interest free. Have a budget and size in mind? Email me or message me via Instagram and I’ll let you know what I have. As always, I also sell prints. In closing, I have been thinking a lot about Kurt Vonnegut’s answer to the ever-present question of what young people should be doing with their lives. “Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” I hope my paintings strengthen your connections to yourself and your world just a little bit more, and in so doing, I hope they reduce loneliness. Love and connection, Julia A Collection of Recent WorksSee something you love in this series? Prices range from $800 to $15,000 (note: I also offer payment plans for pieces!). You can click each piece to email me with an inquiry.
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Hello Art friends! I am so excited to announce the pre-sale of my hybrid art/kids book is LIVE. If you have ever loved my art, (or me!), I ask that you support this little book! The link to purchase is here and also at the bottom of the newsletter. I am so darn proud of this project! So, a little background. When I was little, I used to draw these little creatures with fuzzy hair and eyes and legs but no arms. I called them Pillowpuffs and imagined that they lived outside in nature. Now and again as I grew up, I would find myself doodling them (including on my law school notebooks! Ha!). A few years ago when my first daughter was two, I started reading to her a lot. As she became a three-year-old and a four-year-old, our tastes in books sometimes diverged. It was always so magical when we both wanted to read the same book – a beautifully illustrated book that held appeal for adults and children. Around this time some people were asking me if I was going to create books with my art in them. I wasn’t quite sure if I was ready for a large scale “serious art book”. And then the crazy idea occurred to me that I should merge these little Pillowpuffs with my art, so that children and adults alike would hopefully find delight, peace, and calmness in a book. The theme of the book is about being present, finding magic in the everyday, and enjoying nature. It includes silly rhymes, “deep thoughts” and fun searching games for little people. Through my paintings, I have tried to instill an appreciation for the natural world and our quotidian surroundings, to convey and transmit an appreciation for all of the little things around us that make life beautiful. In that sense, this book is a very natural extension of this intention. Pay attention, be astonished. Mary Oliver’s famous words might well be the title of the book. In fact, I see the Pillowpuffs as children themselves in terms of their enjoyment of the world. My second daughter is now almost two years old and nothing is so magical to her as sticks, mud, sand, grass, moss, rocks, dead flower petals, and water in all its forms. Looking at the natural world through her eyes helps calm my own brain when it starts to spiral about future uncertainties. The world is so challenging right now and there are so many things to be scared, sad, and worried about. This book aims to calm the emotions and constant noise for both kids and adults – and you do not have to be a little person to enjoy it! I cannot tell you all how grateful I am for your support. The publisher (Helios House Press) is known for beautifully rendered quirky books and I couldn’t be happier with them. You can order directly here: https://www.helios.house/preorder-pillowpuffs. If you order in the next few weeks (TODAY! TODAY!), there are lots of extras you can get (signed copies, stickers, digital coloring downloads) AND the book is less expensive (the price will go up after a few weeks)! I have always felt strongly about making my artworks accessible, whether that's through offering payment plans, price-reduced pieces, or smaller pieces accompanying my larger works. This book represents the most accessible way to-date to get some of my artwork into your (or a loved one's) home, and I am so thrilled about this. As ever – thank you to those who read this! And to those who read this and respond! Very kind of you. Much love, Julia A Collection of Recent WorksSee something you love in this series? Prices range from $800 to $2,400 (note: I also offer payment plans for pieces!). You can click each piece to email me with an inquiry.
Hello Art friends! It’s finally spring. Almost! My bulbs are coming up and I have no memory of what I planted. But hey, it’s okay, I’ve been busy! I have such an exciting project to announce – it feels like my third child (see below for details) even though it’s inanimate. Okay, so I know I write about this a lot, but if you read the news, the world feels very scary right now. I was reading “Florida” by Lauren Groff and she had this quote about a mother looking at her young sons: “Her sons have known only luck so far, though suffering will surely come for them. She feels it nearing, the midnight of humanity.” Dark. And yeah, I feel this way sometimes. It’s why I paint. It’s why I paint what I paint. Here in the US, we are going into what’s going to be a super negative and dirty election season (among other global conflicts and issues) and that feels both exhausting and scary. What keeps me grounded is the present. My girls. My bulbs. My paint. Taylor Swift’s Exile. The Magnetic Fields’ The Book of Love. Going on walks with my girlfriends. Aaaanddd completing the final stages of my first children’s book! It’s simple line drawings about little creatures who take the time to just breathe and do things ‘just because’ without some goal/end/purpose. They are very different from me but I aspire to be like them! And my paintings are everywhere throughout this book. And my silly little thoughts. More details to come in April as I work out specifics with my publisher! But there will be a pre-sale, and it will be awesome, and I have worked harder on this book than anything in a very long time. And, how often do we say this as adults? I am proud. I am just so proud of it. Henri Matisse said “art is an escape from reality” but wouldn’t it be great if art just reminded us to shift our reality to the now? To stop worrying about what could happen and instead focus on the small and the beautiful? I need to do this as much as anyone! But here’s to trying. Reading this book – my book! – should help :) Oh! And for the next two weeks my site is taking credit cards for smaller pieces! You can see them below. After ordering you can contact me directly about framing (which I offer) and shipping options. As ever – thank you to those who read this! And to those who read this and respond! Very kind of you. Much love, Julia A Collection of Recent WorksSee something you love in this series? Prices range from $900 to $2,600 (note: I also offer payment plans for pieces!). You can click each piece to purchase them directly on my website for a limited time!
Hello art friends! Where did the year go? With the holiday season approaching and the world seemingly (literally?) on fire these past few months, I have been thinking a lot about how to bring joy to others this season. This past week I have been inundated with emails telling me to buy more stuff. It’s exhausting - for us as humans as well as for the planet. But there’s such a unique pleasure in giving someone you love a gift they will cherish, and so I’ve been thinking about what it might mean to give art/books/photographs/craft projects as gifts to the people I love. In my last newsletter (you can read it here), I wrote about how art is less of a good and more an experience, as the very nature of viewing art invites reflection and contemplation. Art also has a unique durability. Unlike sneakers or cars, it can provide value and joy for generations. In its durability, however, also lies a wonderful flexibility – a transmutable quality. A painting or sculpture or photograph requires interpretation. Visual art demands an exchange with the viewer that makes the experience interactive. And as time passes, as we get older, those interactions develop and change. As we obtain new experiences and as we morph into new versions of ourselves, our perspectives on a piece, our interpretations of what a painting means and how it affects us, shift. So paintings not only maintain relevance but provide new meaning over time. And in this way, art can be deeply, powerfully personal. Does it evoke a childhood memory? Does it transport you to your favorite place? Does it make you think of someone special? Very few other things have the power to provide such lasting, evolving, and individualized experiences for different beholders, and in this way, I find creative gifts to be truly perfect gifts! (That said, and all of this newsletter aside, I literally asked for a nice clutch purse for this Christmas so it’s not like I am a perfect earth mother who is against the purchase of things haha! I am human!) MOST IMPORTANTLY: I will be holding an Open Studio on Sunday, December 10 from noon until 4! If you are in the New England area and want to stop by, you can contact me for details here. (It also helps me in terms of ordering food and wine and chocolate for the event). If you are interested in purchasing a piece for yourself or for a loved one this holiday season, please keep in mind that shipping does take time (as does framing), so be sure to order this week if you want to have it before the holidays. I wish you and your loved ones a cozy holiday season filled with gratitude and peace. I am grateful to each and every one of you for supporting me as an artist and for sharing this journey with me. With love, Julia A COLLECTION OF RECENT WORKSSee a painting you love? Click on the 'contact' links below to email Julia an inquiry on the piece. There are prints available for some of these paintings as well, and if you are particularly interested in a print that doesn't exist yet, Julia may be able to make one for you. Prices range from $800 to $10,500 (I also offer payment plans for pieces!)
Hello art friends! Where I live, in New England, it is now starting to get a bit cooler and the leaves are starting to float down from the sky. September and October are transition months for me as school is starting for the little ones and we are all returning from Maine where we spend part of the summer. Up in Maine, I see my family and extended family (which is large and wonderful) and relax (sort of?! Hard to tell with small children) and try to find new inspiration for pieces. The woods and the people and the slowness of life up there is critical for my well-being. It’s also the only vacation I have been able to take for several years. I sometimes live in awe (envy?) of my friends who travel to Europe or South America, say, and take in so many lovely landscapes and cities and cultures while I stay home and paint and mother two little ones. But it does make me think about travel and art. Art can serve as a way for us to take a vacation without actually going anywhere. When we create or look at a painting of natural landscapes, the painting itself has the power to transport us, to pull us away from our homes or offices or waiting rooms and place us in a snowy birch forest, or field of flowers or on a river or the ocean in the early morning or late evening. We can enter that landscape, allowing our senses to see, smell, hear, taste and feel another world, even if just for a moment. When seen through this lens, art is less of a material possession and more of an experience. Decades of psychological research suggest that experiences, such as vacations or concerts, bring people far greater happiness than material goods like new shoes or jewelry. Purchasing experiences (when compared to material goods) has even been shown to make people more generous toward others, improve social behavior, and have a long-term residual impact on one’s happiness. In a world defined by fast fashion and an unwavering desire for more stuff, it would serve us well to explore whether our consumption of things is making us any happier. Given high rates of depression and anxiety in the US and around the world, I think the answer is likely ‘no’. That’s where art plays an interesting role. We tend to see it as a physical good, a tangible item that we come to possess. But art is also an experience. Every time you sit with a piece that speaks to you, it has the power to evoke a whole range of feelings that would come with actually being in that place. As an artist, I try to create these beautiful moments for people, to allow them to bring a little ‘vacation’ into their daily lives and experience the happiness that comes along with it. I hope some of my pieces can resonate with you in such a way at some point along the journey! Wishing all of you a lovely Fall. Julia A Collection of Recent WorksSee a painting you love? Click on the 'contact' links below to email Julia an inquiry on the piece. There are prints available for some of these paintings as well, and if you are particularly interested in a print that doesn't exist yet, Julia may be able to make one for you. Prices range from $800 to $3,500 (I also offer payment plans for pieces!)
Hello Art Friends! As I write this, the air quality in my hometown, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, is “unhealthy” and the sun is eerie, beautiful and golden-orange. Several weeks ago, it’s likely that you heard about the smoke that covered New York City and much of the US Northeast. Wildfires in Canada drifted down and a toxic veil of smoke created a spooky, dystopian scene. On one day (maybe several), NYC had the worst air quality on earth. The event marked the first climate-linked extreme weather event to hit both New York and Washington DC at the same time since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, presenting bankers and lawmakers in the country’s economic and political centers with an in-your-face look at the impacts of climate change. Then of course just last week Vermont was inundated with rain and experienced massive flooding. And nearly one-third of all Americans - over 100 million people - were under extreme heat warnings just this past weekend. In Phoenix alone, nearly 60 heat-related deaths are being investigated. Deaths due to extreme heat as a result of climate change are not part of some abstract, futuristic scenario - this is happening right now. Now of course billions of people across the globe are dealing with the impacts of climate change on a daily basis, with floods, droughts, storms, and other extreme weather events disrupting their lives in ways that are often a matter of actual life and death. But we don’t hear much about this. Climate change represents and perpetuates a massive global injustice. The chair of the United Nations Development Program explains that “while climate change is a global phenomenon, its impact on countries and communities will be very different.” Although wealthy G20 nations have emitted 75% of all greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts are disproportionately felt elsewhere. Africa as a continent contributes (by far) the least to climate change, but is the most vulnerable to its consequences. According to the World Bank’s projections, the effects of climate change could push another 100 million people into global poverty in just the next seven years. By just 2070 (!!!!!) one-fifth of the planet could be too hot to be habitable. The media pays more attention when the victims are wealthier and lighter-skinned. It’s why we got non-stop coverage on the New York smoke blanket but didn’t hear a word about the cyclone in Mozambique earlier this year that killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands. This is really a microcosm for much of how our world functions, and it’s incredibly unjust and wildly unfair. But perhaps things are changing? Many Americans are now experiencing the direct effects of climate change. Maybe this will impact which politicians they elect. It’s so important to think of this personally, concretely and not abstractly. Look outside. Walk outside. Breathe outside. Think of what we stand to lose. Look at your partner, your children, your grandchildren, your friends. Everyone who is young now will suffer the effects of climate change. The question is whether those effects will be little or big. For the next five weeks (through the end of August), I will be donating 25% of all print sales AND 20% of all proceeds of the original paintings below to support Earth Justice and their incredible efforts in using the "power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change." If you’ve ever thought about purchasing one of my prints in the past, perhaps consider doing so now as we can collectively contribute to an impactful project. At the very least, I hope this inspires some interesting conversations with friends or a self-reflection on our changing climate, its disproportionate impacts, and actions we may be able to take in our daily lives to create change. Enjoy the summer months! With love. Julia A collection of recent worksSee a painting you love? Click on the 'contact' links below to email Julia an inquiry on the piece. There are prints available for some of these paintings as well, and if you are particularly interested in a print that doesn't exist yet, Julia may be able to make one for you. Price Range: $800 - $2,700
Hello art friends!
It’s March! If your corner of the world has been chilly, hopefully it’s starting to get warmer. Early Spring is a time of growth and rebirth. Plants and flowers are beginning to bloom and animals are emerging from the dormancy of winter. Two birds (maybe five, who knows) wake me up around 5:23 every morning just to mess with me. Then they stop chirping about three minutes before my baby wakes up. Sigh. The beauty (and noise!) of the world. I’ve been thinking about the many balances of motherhood, specifically about time & energy and chaos & peace, and I wanted to share some thoughts in the hope that they may resonate. One thing I’ve been thinking about is how and where to focus my time and energy. Parenting young children (and especially single parenting in my case) is many things, one of which is: relentless. The relentlessness of protecting, cuddling, serving, bathing, soothing, carrying, changing, holding, answering, securing, feeding, transporting, guiding, modeling. The relentlessness of the pull I feel towards each child, the pull towards painting, the pull towards self-care (have I read this week, have I done any meaningful exercise, when did I last shower, shouldn’t I meet some other thinking adults outside of my house now and then). And throughout all of this, I’m confronted with the worry around giving up precious work time (yes, I should meet my friends for a glass of wine just this once, but wait, I also need to paint for five hours so I can finish that piece and try to sell it to pay for my daughter’s summer camp). When you’re a parent and when you solely support your family, everything you do has an opportunity cost. The scarcity of time and energy heightens the importance of time and energy. The idea of simply sitting outside on a sunny day and looking up at the clouds seems preposterous. Who has the time? But of course, we all have the time. And if we don’t, we must make the time. We must find some peace within this chaos. I mean for goodness sakes the reason I paint what I paint is to soothe and slow, to help people quiet the noise around them. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about Fred Rogers, or “Mr. Rogers”. When I was a kid, I didn’t like his television show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood (and I’m not even sure why), but I always liked him. When I was older, I read about him and learned that he’s this amazing, brilliant individual who should have been President because he would never abuse his power and he was just so good – but of course he never would have won because he’s too kind. Anyway, he has the perfect quote: “I’m very concerned that our society is much more interested in information than wonder. In noise, rather than silence…how do we encourage reflection? Oh my, this is a noisy world.” My world is noisy. That’s okay and it’s also a bit hard to control right now because little ones are all about noise, metaphorically and actually. The world is also noisy, very noisy, and that’s also okay, but also easier to control (as in it’s easier to drown out). There are so many small, even unremarkable, things that we can do to find peace amidst the chaos, to push away the noise. Activities like painting (and looking at paintings!), gardening, drawing, making music, all have a meditative effect that grounds us in the moment such that we temporarily transport to a place of calm within the noise of our surroundings. A refuge from the noise, of sorts. With that, I am just thrilled to announce a partnership with Jiggy Puzzles to showcase my paintings on two 500-piece jigsaw puzzles! This makes me particularly happy as I feel puzzling provides the same sort of slowing and soothing effect as looking at paintings, helping one get lost for a while. You can check out the puzzle with one of my Flower Fields paintings here and the puzzle with one of my River paintings here. I can’t think of a better Mother’s Day present than that! wish you all some quiet amidst the noise and a lovely, warm Spring. As always, you can check out some of my latest pieces below and feel free to reply to this email with any questions or thoughts. With love. Julia a collection of recent works
See a painting you love? Click on the 'contact' links below to email Julia an inquiry on the piece. There are prints available for some of these paintings as well, and if you are particularly interested in a print that doesn’t exist yet, Julia may be able to make one for you.
Last week, I was invited to chat with Jennifer Brown, director of BACA Wines. In what has now become a common interview platform in this age of COVID, we spoke over Instagram Live. After talking about my professional journey (and talking about wine with Jennifer!), we opened the chat up to questions. Some of the questions kept me thinking long past the initial discussion, so I thought it would be fun to explore them further, particularly those questions pertaining to reinvention and regret.
When I was younger, I never felt like I was meant to be an artist. I grew up in an environment with a heavy focus on academic success, and although I painted as a hobby, the idea of painting professionally was never considered. I went on to study history at Yale (which I loved – often I wonder if should have been a history professor), then law at Stanford, and I began a career as a lawyer in NYC at a white-shoe firm shortly thereafter. Although not forced upon me, it felt as though this was the path that was expected of me, and I followed accordingly. I would paint watercolors on the side, whenever my career afforded me the free time to do so. I even painted some wedding and baby shower invitations for friends and family. But that was really the extent of it. Eventually I moved back to Boston and worked at a smaller firm with a boss I adored. Although I had a nice career with a fancy-looking CV, I was unhappy. I felt as though I was not making my mark on the world, whatever that meant at the time. And, day to day, I didn’t always love what I was doing. Then my brother bought me an easel and oil paints and canvases for my birthday and Christmas (they are five days apart) and told me I had talent (very nice of him since I had never painted in oils … ) and that I should really try to see if I liked the medium. So I tried it. And I liked it. And then I loved it. I read so many books on landscape painting. I looked at YouTube and most of all, I experimented ALL the time with different techniques. I did not paint well when I first started. I wasn’t sure about perspective. I didn’t know about gesso or underpainting or how to clean my brushes. Almost from the beginning though, I cared about color. And texture. The colors and the layers had to be “right” on the canvas. And I kept layering and layering until I was satisfied. I was working all the time – practicing law and then painting in the evenings and on weekends. And it just sort of started to click. My friends were meeting men and having babies. I wanted to meet someone but more often than not I ended up just working on how to become a better painter. My two older brothers bought all of my early works, which were probably (mostly) garbage but showed maybe some early eye or talent for color. And I always had my own voice when painting. I didn’t care really in the beginning how my stuff looked because I wasn’t “supposed” to be a painter after all. I wasn’t trained! I think that gave me a lot of freedom to break some rules. I wasn’t bound by shoulds. Now of course, as a full time artist, I am much harder on myself and much more aware of how my work is perceived by the average viewer and by more traditional art gatekeepers (art advisors, curators, jurors). But still, what a blessing. I know I am very lucky. This is a career I had never even entertained as an option in my teens and twenties. I am often asked, and I often think about, whether I regret the path I was on prior. If I wish I could take back the decade of schooling and working I spent without taking a single art class. If I wish I could have just jumped into painting sooner – in high school even. If I think putting myself into massive debt to go to law school, only to then quit the profession altogether, was a massive mistake. No, no, no. no. I have few regrets. And I don’t see those choices as mistakes at all. Everything I’ve done in my past has made me who I am today, every step I took was, in fact, a step in this direction, even though it may not immediately appear so. To regret what you cannot change is just wasted energy. As you move forward, and you enter a new career or you otherwise reinvent yourself or leave a relationship, you come to realize that everything you’ve done along the way has gotten you to where you are now. You are you. Now. With all the layers. Every choice I made simply informs who I am now, and I think about that in my art too, as I paint multiple textured layers, one on top of the other, to create some of my favorite pieces. Every mark and color and form I add to the canvas is not a mistake, even if it is entirely painted over, as the texture remains and informs the next layer. Most of my best works are three to five full paintings painted on top of one another - in essence, each layer informs the next, both in my works and in my life. Across my website and Instagram (and below in this post!) there are several paintings that have multiple layers of paint informing the final layer. Can you spot them? Hint: click on each piece to find out! In the next few months, I’ll be breaking ground on my dream studio (more on this soon!), a goal I had set for myself early on along this path. To me it was an indicator of success, one of the key moments that would tell me I’ve made it as an artist. I expected it would take 15-20 years or more, yet here we are less than ten years later. Less than a decade after my brother gave me an easel and oil paint for Christmas and believed in me enough to set me on this journey. And finally, along that note, that is my real big advice to all of you out there. Surround yourself with positivity. My own voice may be negative at times – we all have a bit of imposter syndrome or doubt every now and again – but when I listen to my friends or family or see how my daughter looks at me (or witness my dog looking at my work haha), all of it is overwhelmingly positive. You have to surround yourself in life with people who think you’re amazing! It’s one of the best ways to respond to the small voice that sometimes tells you you’re not good enough. I will be speaking at Lesley University as part of its signature Strauch-Mosse Visiting Artist Lecture Series on the evening of April 14 (https://lesley.edu/news/lesley-announces-spring-2021-speakers). More on that through my Instagram account @juliaspowellart, website, and my next newsletter. My talk will delve deeper into regret and reinvention and roads taken and not taken! And there will be lots of time for questions. Can’t wait to chat more! Thanks for reading – and responding. I appreciate you all so much! Julia Seven and a half months ago I gave birth to my daughter, Auden. Three months ago, a deadly infectious virus sent the world into a mad, physical distancing frenzy. Needless to say, it’s been an interesting time in my life – and in all of yours as well, I’m sure.
It’s been quite some time since I’ve reached out to share thoughts or new works or little ideas and tidbits of inspiration. This period has allowed me to reflect on several aspects of my life and art, and I hope that in sharing these reflections and new works, I can help spark some joy in your lives right now. I had a bit of a revelation the other day thinking about a (the?) unifying theme in my work, whether it be water reflections, looking up at trees, waterlilies, birches, flower fields or sunsets/sunrises. All of these images resonate strongly with childhood. What if all I am doing is trying to get back to that feeling of wonder and freedom we all felt as kids interacting with nature? I remember gazing into the deep blue of a lake or a pond as the light jumped across the water. I remember lying on my back on the grass, looking up at trees or out into wildflower fields. I remember staring out over the abyss of the ocean as the sun set across the horizon, watching the water and the sky meld together. I remember being bored at times, and also amazed at times. Bored and hot and lost in thought in summer as frogs or flies skipped across the water. Bored but also filled with wonder. Time would slow down, and yet at the end of the day I wondered what had happened to all of that time. And I realize that there is nothing more wonderful or calming than watching the natural world around me sing, dance and occasionally, remain still. This morning I watched my daughter pick up a roll of paper towels, fascinated by the texture, softness, patterns, bounce, and shape. This simple household item that so many of us never really think about managed to entertain her for forty-five minutes. I’m struck by her wonder at everything and everyone – she has a deep appreciation for even the most mundane things because it is all new to her. As I reflect on the beauty of this, particularly when framed in the context of the current global situation, I realize that we, too, can remind ourselves to return, every now and then, to this childlike state of unburdened wonder. So many of us right now are finding deep gratitude for family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues, realizing just how much we miss contact with others. We hope we will never take anything for granted again. Just as everything is ‘new’ for Auden, so many experiences will *hopefully feel ‘new’ to us when we emerge from this period. Perhaps this time of uncertainty, forced separation and total elimination of so many events and happenings will help us all think about childhood. Perhaps it will help us remember the slow pace of life, the beauty of a lily pad or the changing colors of a tree, and give us an appreciation for the simple and quiet things that make life wonderful. My Flower Fields Series (and others I will share in the coming weeks) is inspired by memories of childhood, looking out into fields or gardens and watching the colors and bees and the wind fly and flutter about. Perhaps today you will notice the flowers on your way to take out the trash, appreciate a sunset or sunrise just one day this week, or pause to look up at the trees above you as you take a walk. Perhaps you will feel unburdened, if only for a brief moment. And with each of these little moments, perhaps you will remember what it was like to be a child on a hot summer day when you had nothing to do but dip your toes in the water and watch the breeze lazily wave through the leaves. ELLA FITZGERALD POWELLAge seven and seven months. Lover of contemporary art. Contemplating applying to PhD programs. Hi, everyone. Ella writing here. Currently on a flight to Tokyo. Hoping that some of Julia’s younger followers will enjoy this post. First, let’s clear up some misconceptions. One, I write all of my posts and handle all of my correspondence. The idea that Julia edits anything is preposterous! She is too busy and I am often lecturing in other countries so we aren’t even in the same place! You might say, “But Ella, you are a golden retriever, you don’t have fingers or opposable thumbs! How can you type this out?” Well, obviously I have an iPaw™ which allows me to communicate in this digital universe of ours. It’s like a gigantic keyboard, and it allows me to type using my four paws. It’s a delicate dance prancing about to string together words and sentences, but then again writing itself is a delicate dance. I do agility exercises (such as jumping up to kitchen counters when there’s like a roast chicken up there, or, say, sautéed fish with lemon and herbs, or a grilled rib eye that has just been … wait, I am getting distracted here) to improve my dexterity. And anyone who knows me knows I am an excellent dancer. I am pretty sure one of Beyonce’s people was trying to contact one of my people to see if I could be a backup dancer for one of her tours. But alas the negotiations got too complex. Beyonce and I are still friends though.
Let’s see what else? Oh, for all of you asking, no I am not single. I am flattered by all of the attention but I have to be honest with you. I have had two long time companions since I was little. They are both smaller and darker than me. One is a half lab/half retriever and one is a black curly-haired mutt. The boy is named Rugby, the girl is named Lola. I love that they play tag with me and don’t resent my success. We try to be active politically and currently we are organizing a petition to allow dogs to vote. Sometimes when we see what politicians you humans are electing we think it’s crazy that we aren’t allowed to vote but you are. I have some advice for those of you old enough to vote: care about the environment, care about your fellow humans, care about animals, and try to be kind every day. And for those of you who can’t vote yet: the second you can vote, make sure you do! Another misconception is that because I am a dog, I can’t see color. Colorblind doesn’t mean dogs can’t see color. I see blues and purples and violets and greens and yellows. I do not see reds and oranges, they appear sort of greyish to me. But Julia doesn’t use a lot of red and orange (obviously for my benefit) so it doesn’t matter. You might not know this, but just like Julia, I am self-taught. I didn’t even graduate from puppy kindergarten because the entire dog training center closed down in the middle of my class. The owner lady had a falling out with the trainer lady. I would like to say that I was a top student but the truth is, I was middle of the road. We had a midterm exam and I completely bombed it. We had to walk through this obstacle course and follow commands given to us by our human owners. So Julia would say things like “sit” “wait” “come” and “down” and I guess I was supposed to do those things. But here’s the thing: at every twist and turn in the exercise, there was food. Bacon bits, slices of cheese, even carrot sticks (which I avoided at all costs). I guess the point of the exam was to do all the commands and not eat any of the bacon and cheese. But that seems like a silly exam, doesn’t it? Absolutely no fun at all! So I raced through (super fast, I might add, I was probably the fastest in the class) and ate every single piece of cheese and bacon I could find. I vaguely remember in the background Julia yelling “no, Ella, no!” but I had to find every treat I could quickly and some were hidden! Eventually the trainer lady ran into the obstacle course and yanked my collar and pulled me out. She told Julia I had to do that exercise again or I couldn’t pass the class. But then the entire training center closed. So that’s basically a summary of my school experience. In my opinion, which on the scale of opinions is very important (in my opinion), I don’t think you need a lot of education to appreciate art. Art is about a feeling inside you. Does something make you happy or sad, calm or energized, thoughtful or cleared of all thoughts? People write to Julia all the time and say, almost like they are ashamed or embarrassed, “I don’t know anything about art but I like your art”. Look, you can still appreciate what you appreciate even if you don’t know everything about art. My aunt Hadley is an art advisor (http://www.powellfineartadvisory.com) and she knows more about art than anyone I know. But she is always like “Ella, you like what you like, it’s okay that you didn’t graduate from college with a degree in art history and then work at Christie’s in New York. It’s okay. You do you Ella.” I think someday she and I might lecture together. If our schedules align and all. That’s all for today folks. I’m currently reading a research paper about quantum mechanics and I have to focus on it because some of it is a bit complicated. I’m also wondering what to eat for second lunch. But I’ll figure it out, guys, don’t worry, I’ll figure it out. Love, Ella NOTE: Click on 'comments' below to leave a comment on this post. |
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