Diane Clancy’s Art Blog

Blog Action Day is here at last!! Blog Action Day (Monday, October 15, 2007) is to promote awareness and action around the environment. Rima and Neda are showcasing art on their gallery Maraya Galleries. My contribution can be seen in my post here. Here is another painting in honor of the earth. The face in the painting is from oil painting, Mother Watching All.

Compassion, Digital © Diane Clancy

I have been writing off and on all week about the environment on this blog. Tonight I want to talk about 3 more aspects of the environment …. awareness, consciousness and compassion. Obviously, if we pay more attention to our world around us, then we will behave in a more responsible way.

The earth, the environment is what allows us to live. Without the earth, we are not alive. Everything physical - and we are physical beings - comes from the earth. If you have an expensive, sporty car and you don’t take care of it, it won’t last. The earth is our vehicle for life. We have to take care of her to live - and for our children and grandchildren to live.

In some Native American cultures, there is a saying to “Weigh the effect of your every action on the next 7 generations.” So not just your grandchildren but their grandchildren and then some. This is the consciousness and awareness that I am speaking of. Thinking about our impact on the environment. Little actions can build on each other. Little actions can impact things to move toward protecting the earth.

At the same time compassion is important - and crucial!! Compassion for ourselves that we are far from perfect, compassion for our fellow people who also struggle to do what is right. The purpose is not to hold up some impossible standard and try to be pure. It is not about purity and being perfect - we are human and NOT perfect. But striving and working toward lessening our impact. As humans, I guarantee we will impact the earth and use resources.

Compassion is also for the other humans and for the animals and for nature itself. When we feel compassion and connection, then we will also naturally be more responsible toward others and the earth. Compassion and connection for ourselves (all parts of ourselves) and for others, including the earth is necessary.

Awareness, consciousness and compassion will go a far way toward helping us take better care of the earth our home. Please share your own stories.

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Blog Action Day, environment, awareness, consciousness, compassion, Native American, Maraya Galleries

Today was a day filled with green .. in terms of the environment, not money. Our town (some of friends really - not the town) set up a Greening Greenfield Group. This group has been working to raise money and consciousness around the environment to make this town better. Today was an ice cream social for people who have been helping.

Fantasy in Orange, Digital © Diane Clancy

It was utterly delightful to hear all the ideas for making this area more sustainable and having less impact on the environment. And they didn’t even know about Blog Action Day!! I am excited about the idea one local town is trying out. They are a test case of picking up compost at the curb!! I am so excited!

We used to compost and we started running a skunk cafe instead. The smell (skunk, not compost) was terrible so we had to stop. They chewed their way through the animal proof compost bin. One day one of the people who used to live her lifted off the bin and found a skunk in the bin … it was the beginning of the end.

Tomorrow is the big day - Blog Action Day! I know many of you have been writing (and creating) already in preparation for tomorrow. I am delighted that the Greening Greenfield ice cream social came just in time for our Blog Action Day … or else you probably never would have heard of it.

I will respond tomorrow to comments and your blogs … time to live in harmony with myself and rest! I would love to hear about you!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: consciousness, environment, sustainable, Blog Action Day, compost

Want to feel better? Here is one way to help yourself and others. Making connections with each other is good for the earth. If we know each other and build relationships, we are more likely to live in harmony with each other. Living in harmony with each other is much more likely to result in living in harmony with the earth. And also - very importantly - living in harmony with ourselves!!

The Baby Carriage Derby, Digital © Diane Clancy

A sense of community and connection means we care more for each other .. we care if someone else has enough food to eat, if they are ok, if they are having the health care that their family needs. It is inspiring to me, how locally people will often pitch in when a family has medical bills that aren’t covered ~ when a specific circumstance gets publicity.

Community is a win/win situation and tactic. Of course, I am talking about real community - not people sitting around judging each other. Connection is life-saving for all of us. Sometimes it is an animal, partner, family, friends … I think when people feel connected to others in a harmonious way, it is good for us all!

Connection to the earth means that we have an awareness of the earth and that we realize it is our responsibility to care for her. In whatever way we can. Blog Action Day is coming up soon … I hope we each take time to think about how we can care a little better - or a lot better - for the earth. As part of my connection to you, I would like to hear how YOU are doing!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: connections, harmony, earth, community, Blog Action Day

I want to appreciate our friends for being with us in a health crisis for Susan that we are currently undergoing. Neda Doany and Sue O’Kieffe have both made creations in support of Susan Elkin. Many others have sent healing energy and prayers. We are both greatly appreciative of all your help!!

“Fear and Loathing” Collage © Neda Doany

The OTHER
Easily dismissed
Feared or loathed
Unknown entity
Dissected
Rejected
Ignored
Boxed and
Labelled
As other or worse

I am the other
I speak your language
But you don’t know mine

Open your eyes
For you are
also
the
Other
To
me.
© NKD Sept 23, 2007

Dear Neda, thank you so much for this moving image and incredible poem that you have created to reflect and support us through what we are dealing with! Neda’s blog is Papiers Collés (this is linked to this post). Papiers Collés is a very interesting blog I visit every day. Sue’s inspiring mandalas always delight me!

Vessel of Hope Mandala - (Circles of Light series) - © Sue O’Kieffe 2007

Thank you so much, Sue for your beautiful mandala and the incredible description on of this mandala on your blog, Sacred Circle Mandalas. I also visit Sue’s blog every day and here is a link to her inspiring post.

This kind of support from friends who were strangers not long ago speaks to the power of the blogosphere! Others have been extremely kind also … We can certainly continue to use healing energy and prayers that any of you wish to send our way. Thank you again!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Neda Doany, Sue O’Kieffe, Susan Elkin, Papiers Collés, Sacred Circle Mandalas, blogosphere

Are you getting ready for Blog Action Day? I hope you will participate in some way! This painting is in honor of the earth … it looks like a formal garden to me - from above … with all the exciting paths and mysteries that the Victorian formal gardens used to have.

Above the Formal Garden, Digital © Diane Clancy

Bobbie at her blog gives an outstanding lesson on Making Mandalas today. And Frances has taken Bobbie’s lessons to heart and has quite a mandala exhibit here! These incredible displays of technical and artistic skill have been inspired by Sue O’Kieffe’s Sacred Circle Mandalas blog. Sue has been creating her mandalas filled with light for quite some time and has inspired many of us by the beauty of her creations!!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: earth, Bobbie, Frances, mandala, Sue O’Kieffe, Sacred Circle Mandalas

Rima Koleilat and Neda Doany have issued a great challenge and invitation in honor of BLOG ACTION DAY, which will take place on October 15!! Everyone is welcome to participate - young and old - and middle-age too - bloggers and non-bloggers - artists and non-artists. So everyone!

Above the Earth, Digital © Diane Clancy

These rules (and more) are copied from their sites:

Rules are simple for this Action Day Challenge:

• Come up with some image to promote the environmental cause of your choice.

• Write one line of text to accompany your image.

• Any artistic medium can be used: you can do a painting, a collage, a photomontage, photo, fabric piece, crayons, drawing … anything that you feel comfortable with. These are only suggestions, not guidelines.

• Submit only ONE entry please. Seriously, they mean it this time. Here’s why:

• Rima and Neda have decided to dedicate a whole section to this project on their online Maraya Galleries. Once an entry is received, it will be displayed on the home page of Maraya Galleries, in a slide window. (This is a lot of work to set up, and they want to be able to do it before the 15th of October, so have a heart, people, send them your best one, don’t ask them to choose for you - this one will be for all to see, not just their blog readers)

• They will post updates and deadlines on their blogs regularly … I will give you a hint when they do post any changes.

I encourage everyone to give it a try. Been wanting an excuse to try some digital program? Been wanting to try drawing or painting? How about, been wanting to try this digital camera you have?

All are encouraged to join in - this is all of us together saying we care about Mother Earth and helping her to continue to carry us along! Of course, I would pass anything along to them!

And still open to hear about your day - we, as humans, are part of the earth also!!

~ Diane Clancy

Two things to report today … at my CafePress shop I have been hard at work. I have made some of the requests I received today … like “In the Garden.” Still a lot of work … Thank you for feedback from the blog and email. I would still love more requests!

Peeking Out, Digital © Diane Clancy

Tonight I am going out to a DVD showing .. where I am one of the people interviewed from work I was involved in 25 years so … kind of exciting and scary! I have a pocket full of business cards …

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: CafePress

This image title is a tip of the hat to Harry Potter - actually Mad-Eye Moody. I stayed up way too late last night reading the new book. And no spoilers allowed!! I will have to catch up on your blogs tomorrow.

How delightful to find all these comments - I love it when it seems we are truly connected are caring - it just makes my heart sing! I hope no one minds I am just appreciating and acknowledging those who have posted.

Being Watched, Digital © Diane Clancy

Welcome, welcome home, Neda!! It is so wonderful to have you back where you are safer on a a consistent basis … and have good internet connection. I know when I visit my Dad and have to go sit on the neighbors’ steps to “borrow” their wireless, I feel less connected.

Rima, yes, I am using the web more and more to research things. Also to find info by asking people - so many people are incredibly generous with their experience and expertise - it starts to feel like a good part of a world community. Julie, let us know about your daughter as that progresses! Does she have play dates and such? Are you out in the country or in a neighborhood?

Irene, thank you for being so supportive of my art. I am really enjoying the images you are creating! I don’t have a clue how you do some of them. The software that exists now also changes things around what is art and who is an artist.

Tom, thank you for sharing with us your dilemma and thinking process about your own relationship with your computer and online … (Tom was the very first person to ever post a comment on this blog). Have a great time with Michael! We will be waiting when your return!

Ellen, that is quite a story about 9/11 and being able to let your family and friends know you were ok! That is quite convincing about the power of the web. It is refreshing to hear you so confident about technology’s place in your life. You are welcome for helping you set up your website .. I think it looks great and your photos are beautiful.

Thank you to each of you who commented and I also appreciate those who come and just look and read. Thank you again!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Neda, Rima, community, online, technology

As you can see, I am back online.  The silver lining was the people who commented - thank you so much! All night I was dreaming of dsl modems working correctly. So grateful when I woke up to find it a reality!!

Well of Dreams, Digital © Diane Clancy

This well is so much clearer than my mind. At last today there are lots of projects that I can do but nothing is totally breathing down my neck. I was a little panicked about not having internet connection - partly because I have run into a technical glitch with a project - and online is where I know how to find answers.

But it is a little shocking to  me how much I depend on the web now. Socially, artistically, technically, for research - that’s what comes to mind immediately. And I am not in my 20’s … or 30’s … or …. But it has become so much part of my life and my business. I have friends offline … but this too is important to me. And finding info is SO much easier online!!

It is a very different world than it used to be.  Any thoughts?

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: dsl, online, research

I have been having so much fun playing with Studio Artist! But I decided I.better use a different base image to keep you interested. This is from the “Water and Earth” shown in this post here. These colors still aren’t my usual colors I tend to paint in (but they are somewhat closer than the colors I have been using) … but I think it is good I am stretching myself. Also you have all been part of my making more complex digital paintings and I think that is a really good thing. It also feels great to be thinking of names each time I create a painting rather than a daunting task of coming up with lots of names at once.

Whirling Dervish Umbrellas, Digital © Diane Clancy

Last night and today I worked on setting up 2 CafePress shops. I think I am going to have to go to the pro version to make marketing these shops manageable. They are …. cafepress.com/dianeclancy where right now there are some items with “Conundrum” on them. I also made a shop of http://cafepress.com/fancifulanimals where so far I am selling “Bambi with Butterflies.” It sure has taken me a lot of work to get these things set up and understand how to do it.

And I followed Sue O’Kieffe’s advice and set up a Xanga place xanga.com/DianeClancy. And I did the Facebook that Chris O’Byrne suggested I join. But so far I am totally lost there and at those other big ones … they will have to wait.

But it is kind of exciting that I feel I am making some real progress on figuring how to connect up to go to another level. Thank you again for the help everyone has been here. I hope all is well with each of you.

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Studio Artist, digital painting, CafePress, Sue O’Kieffe, Chris O’Byrne

Yesterday I started a shop at Imagekind …. my shop is DianeClancysArt. There is always so much work to set up something like this. It looks like a good shop (Imagekind) … it is new and it is very reasonably priced. They do matting and framing besides printing prints if someone wants. It is easy enough to start a shop and you can have a basic gallery for free (unless you make less than $5 a year and then they charge you that … something like that). I have one image up - take a guess which one!

What’s Up, Doc?, Digital © Diane Clancy

This social networking is all a little strange to me. I mentioned that yesterday I started a My Space page … but haven’t put anything (except my icon) on it. So I set up for the You Tube thing too - my You Tube … There is nothing on these things yet … but I have started.

All the marketing advice I am reading talks about using these social networks. I don’t really know what I am doing … but who knows what will happen if I put one foot in front of the other.

And it is time to get back to working on this Fanciful Animal Images website and learn how to do shopping carts and such. At least I can accept both PayPal and I think I signed up for the Google Checkout too.

I’m back … I am now signed up with Google Checkout - I wasn’t before. The amount of small print with all these things is a little overwhelming. But I skim them looking for red flags … and more importantly, hear from people beforehand which are trustworthy. The nice thing about the Google Checkout, until the end of the year, there are no fees for sellers. It is hard when many of these places (like Etsy) have a listing fee, take a percentage and then PayPal takes a percentage too and has a fee. It eats into the profit margin which isn’t that large to begin with.

But I feel guided to keep moving ahead. Thanks for witnessing this process - and thank you for your encouragement … this blogging community has become quite important to me.

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Imagekind, social networking, My Space, You Tube, Fanciful Animal Images, shopping carts, PayPal, Google Checkout, Etsy, blogging community