Diane Clancy’s Art Blog

It is hard to believe that Woodstock was already 40 years ago.  I am one of the people who was really there – not just feeling like I was there from the movies.  I still have my tickets … and the little ceramic animals someone threw from the stage.  It was a wonderful experience … it was amazing as we drove toward the festival, the traffic just stopped … the whole highway was clogged by abandoned cars .. abandoned on the way to Woodstock.  So we got out of the car with whatever we had … and started walking …

Woodstock Tribute I, Digital  © Diane Clancy

Much has been said about the Woodstock experience … each person had a different thread of being and yet we all wove together an incredible tapestry …  the details of my own individual time seem so unimportant … it the beauty of the whole that truly matters .. and there are plenty of stories all around.

Woodstock Tribute II, Digital © Diane Clancy

Woodstock is an important milestone on the journey of creating a better world.  In my opinion the Civil Rights Movement, then the anti-Vietnam war (anti the war, NOT anti the soldiers – my friends and I was always very clear about that!) moved us toward Woodstock.  Music has been such a vehicle to inspire and transform people (like art can be too) .. and there was already very powerful music from both of those movements.

To me, much of the explosion of movements for various social justice issues were supported by Woodstock.  Woodstock was part of their foundation, just like the Civil Rights and anti-war movements were foundations of Woodstock.  Of course, these are only snapshots of movements through history … lots happened before the lifetime of the Flower Children.

Clamshell Alliance brought together large groups of people, committed to a common purpose (supporting alternative energy that was good for the environment – now, of course, most people realize we need sustainable energy). Of course, there were no drugs or alcohol allowed there … and much of the good will and all working together were formalized into affinity groups where people knew they were responsible for and to each other.  Every participant was trained in non-violence theory and practice and needed to make a commitment to non-violence  – that was a continuation of Woodstock, among other influences (like Ghandi).

Many other groups came together in the 1970′s to create the world of peace, love and social justice.  I do not see Woodstock as separate from this at all … but as part of a continuum.  In the movie I watched last night -  “Woodstock: Now and Then” – it suggested that Woodstock was an incredible stand alone phenomenon.  (At least that was my understanding of what was said by some of the organizers.) There were lots of interviews including Michael Lang, Artie Cornfeld, Richie Havens, Graham Nash and others….

Wonderful as Woodstock was (as an idea even more than the actual experience …), it’s impact is multiplied by understanding it in the context of the history of the wondrous journey of people coming together to create a better world.  Ghandi in India, union organizers in the US, the Freedom Train to help escaped slaves and the Suffrage Movement for women to get the vote – all these movements are part of the foundation that made Woodstock the fantastic time, memory and inspiration that it remains.

Thank you for listening to my thoughts and thank you for coming by!!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, Woodstock, peace, love, social justice, Woodstock: Now and Then, Clamshell Alliance, Freedom Train, Ghandi, Suffrage Movement, labor organizers, Michael Lang, Artie Cornfeld, Richie Havens, Graham Nash

Today is a Day of Remembrance in the US.  Remembering all those who have served to protect people and to bring peace to the world – who have served in the military – and who have often paid the price with their lives.  Thank you for your service that you have given over the years – that service which has protected many people. This vibrant, colorful painting seemed particularly appropriate to honor these brave men and women.  There are others I would also like to Remember today.

Remember all those peace and justice activists who dedicated their lives, and sometimes also died, in the service of creating peace and social justice, here and the rest of the world.

Underground, Tempera © Diane Clancy

Remember those who have dedicated their lives to protecting the earth and the environment – they are blessed for striving to live in harmony with the planet that allows us to live.

Remember those who protect, educate, and inspire children – those who work so tirelessly to make sure our wonderful resource of the next generations have a good foundation.

Remember those in the military who have stepped outside their official roles to touch others’ lives at the deepest level and build human, emotional bridges across differences and pain.

Remember those who dedicate their lives to providing health care to others, who assist those who are suffering from illness and pain.  Remember those who strive to make sure all receive good health care.

Remember those who grow our food – the farmers who plant and care for the food, the workers who harvest the food so that we may all eat.  Thank you for allowing us to live.

Remember those around the earth who are working to create their vision of peace and social justice wherever they are.  Remember those who struggle against tyranny and oppression and work to create freedom.

Remember those who create art, music, theater and more – to inspire us and remind us that there is more to life than living.

Remember those who heal and bring spiritual nourishment into the earth and humankind – they give us vision and help create this dream.

Remember each of those that touch our lives, each day, in so many ways.  Thank you to those who touch my life by reflecting to me that I make a difference to you with my art, writing and vision.  Thank you!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, tempera, love, peace, justice

Amanda Makepeace featured me on One Pebble: An Art Exchange today.  Amanda LOVES pebbles and she has a great offer of gifting someone an original Art Card, ACEO each time someone sends her a pebble.  WOW – that is some trade.  Awhile ago I walked around the block and picked up a variety of pebbles of different colors, textures and sizes to thrill Amanda … she gets such a kick out of them!  She wrote a great post right here about my pebbles (and the ACEO I gave her)!!  You can see one of my vibrant, colorful paintings in the image below and much more clearly in Amanda’s post!  Thank you, Amanda!

I LOVE the name of her post – Beauty in Diversity!!  Please go over and check out her blog about this pebble exchange!  Also I want to show you some of the ACEOs that she has traded for pebbles … right here … and from there, you can go check The Artist and other parts of this site.  She also have a link to her regular website.  Amanda is a very creative artist and very active in online activities.  Plus she is kind and generous – a great combo!

This Earth Day vibrant, colorful painting shows humanity taking a leap into our next level of awareness so that we may live more in harmony with our environment.  Today is Earth Day – let’s all do what we can to make this planet and ourselves healthy for humanity and all living beings!!  Each step we make helps ourselves and all others!   Many of us are in the process of being more aware, concerned and thoughtful about multiple issues.  It is amazing all the wonderful groups and concerns that come into my InBox at Facebook.  Pretty incredible and inspiring.  Many of us are working to make our foot print on the earth smaller … and looking for more ways to reduce our impact.  Yay for all of us participating in this consciousness!  And there is so much left that we still need to do.

Hopefully with the new leadership in the US taking a role in leading the way with these environmental realizations, there will be lots more progress.  It is so important that we do this at the micro and macro levels!!  Thank you to everyone who contributes to caring for the earth!  What do you do to contribute to caring for the Earth?  What do you want to do in the future?  What would you like to do but just can’t imagine doing?  Any thoughts are appreciated!

Earth Day, Digital © Diane Clancy

Today most of the day has been spent resolving the stressful situation.  I think now it is clear what the issues and outcome are – I don’t like them but they are set.  Some things could get changed and some not.  After knowing, it becomes necessary to accept what cannot be changed and move on to creating and living a life of joy as much as possible!  Thank you for stopping by!!  I would love to hear how YOU are!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, Earth Day, environment, consciousness, awareness, Facebook, earth

Today is SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now) – today, March 28, 2009 is the second year of this “new international holiday that celebrates women artists.  It is an annual event taking place on the last Saturday of Women’s History Month (March).” The executive director, Martha Richards says  “Together we will build a world where women artists get the respect they deserve!” There is a website SWAN Day (http://swanday.org) which lists 160 SWAN Day 2009 events in 11 countries!  WOW this is quite something to see all these people, women, working together together to make this world a better place for all us women artists!

Buying something from your favorite woman artists is a great place to start!  I am very active and involved in networking and supporting other artists online and at least 90% of the people in the artist teams and groups I am active with are women.  We are all working and searching for good ways to get our great work out there to YOU in a way that is affordable to you and gives us decent payment for what we have created.

SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now)

At this website, there are some very cool resources.  Many of them are focused on raising money and publicity for SWAN Day … but they can be useful for us as women artists as we promote ourselves, our artwork and our art businesses.  We are starting to write press releases for the next AWE Project (Artists Window Exhibit) (Greenfield, Franklin County, MA, US) and I think we will be using these resources to improve what we send out to promote this event that features mostly women artists.

I am going to share some of the other resources that were shared with me.  I am quoting here from an email sent to me by Julie Forbes, Associate Director, SWAN Day.  Here is a very extended excerpt from her email.

Explore www.womenarts.org. Here’s some of what you’ll find:

**Grants/Resources Information**

Search our well-researched, annotated lists of arts funders, categorized by art form, at www.WomenArts.org/fund/fundlists.html. For answers to many of your funding questions, see our Funding FAQs page at www.womenarts.org/fund/FAQ.htm.

**Funding and Resource Newsletters for Film/Video and Theatre Artists**

These free, bi-monthly newsletters are chock full of current calls for entries from competitions and festivals and requests for proposals from funding organizations. Read recent issues or sign up for free subscriptions at www.WomenArts.org/fund/EmailNewsletterSign-Up.htm.

**The WomenArts Network**

A one-of-a-kind showcase of the diversity and creativity of women artists in all the artistic disciplines, the WomenArts Network is a webspace where woman artists or women-run arts organizations may post free profiles about themselves and their work. With over 1000 profiles of artists living in every state in the U.S. and 23 countries around the world, the WomenArts Network is helping women artists connect to each other and acting as a clearinghouse for those looking to hire a woman artist. Go to www.WomenArts.org and click on WomenArts Network to search the profiles or to get started creating one of your own.  End of the quote – and there was more … check out these resources and you will find them!

I hope you have enjoyed finding out about this, as I have.  And remember, today is SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now), but EVERY day is a great day to Support Women Artists!!  I hope you read this today and also keep this for yourself and woman artists in your life! Thank you for stopping by!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: SWAN Day, women, Support Women Artists Now, Fund for Women Artists, WomenArts Network

Quoting from the site “In an effort to remember them, Holocaust Museum Houston is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies. The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2012, for all to remember. As of Summer 2008, we have already collected an estimated 400,000 butterflies.”

You can read about and participate in this incredibly powerful and important project.  You can read the details on the site or at the site of Staci Rose of Staci Rose Designs. Staci is a creative artist and she is coordinating the contributions to the Butterfly Project from WWAO (Worldwide Women Artists Online).  Here is her post where she shares details that any individual or group can send their creations to.  Anyone, anywhere in the world is welcome to contribute … and the guidelines are simple and clear.

Butterflies I, Digital © Diane Clancy

These are 2 of the contributions I am making.  I have 5 digital paintings of butteflies that I am giving and 4 little ones in traditional mediums.  They are all ACEOs.  I felt pretty clumsy using the watercolors, markers, pastels, ink and crayons that I did use, but I figure that what really counts in something like this is the intent.  And I wanted to really contribute to this Butterfly Project.  Sometimes I do create in a naive style I guess … but that is often what comes out.

Butterfly Project IV, Sketch © Diane Clancy

As I mentioned, we of WWAO are going to make a contribution toward the Butterfly Project.  Here is some information about us: WWAO on the site says “Worldwide Women Artists is an international collective of women artists showing and selling our work through the worldwide web. As women artists, we give birth to our ideas in a variety of styles and media. We embrace the diversity of each other’s work, celebrating the joy of creating our art and sharing it with the world. We welcome female visual artists from all over the world who create and sell their own original art.”

I would love to hear your thoughts about how you might honor this process of acknowledging this event to recognize all these children perishing.  Such pain to the soul of this earth and humanity! The deadline isn’t until June 30, 2011 … so you have plenty of time to get involved.  I want to thank the museum and people for giving us all this opportunity.  I would love to hear from you!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, Staci Rose, Butterfly Project, Holocaust Museum Houston, Holocaust, WWAO, Worldwide Women Artists Online, naive style

It has been a real treat to hear the similarity … and differences from around the  world about “knock on wood.”  Here are a couple of examples …  Irene (Netherlands) says, “‘touch wood’ … and look around for some wood to knock on.”

Deb (Australia) says, “I remember reading somewhere that the concept of touching wood is based on the cross of Jesus and goes back in ancient Norse mythology to Odin’s (Woden’s) tree, which some say preceded both the crucifix, and Druidism which worshipped the tree-gods, in concept. “  One cool thing about this is that is goes well with yesterday’s image also.

Name V, Digital © Diane Clancy

Max (Portugal) says, “But for us knocking on wood is to chase bad luck, or to ask the Higher Forces to prevent something bad from happening. And it makes sense, become when you do it you will stir the energies and bad spirits (that many times help bad things to happen) are chased away (just like clapping in Tibete).”

Thank you everyone who shared about this … it is worth reading the comments from yesterday!  Also, the comments are incredible about naming that image … (I am still processing them and loved them all!! – I will choose a name … I do go back and change them in the post when I have decided.) I am having so much fun hearing your comments about what you see in my paintings and the names you are drawn to share, that I am going to ask you for more thoughts and ideas!

Name VI, Digital © Diane Clancy

Thank you also to everyone who reminded me that it is my response to the events going on, not the events themselves that are the problem.  I know that in my head … and usually also do a pretty good job of putting it into action … it is just during the last 7 weeks the accumulated effects of the circumstances have broken through my usual good habits. Especially with 2 delays in the process.

I keep telling myself that this is a spiritual growth spurt  .. and I will be stronger out of it all … I know that is true, it is just very unpleasant and the stress (or my reaction to the stress) has wrecked havoc on my body.  My back is a little better (went for a short walk outside) … but tomorrow will be here soon and then it will be over.  And then I will look at myself and say, “how silly, how human, let’s do better next time … and let’s hope this particular next time never happens again!!”

I am thrilled to be featured at SlogBite this week … I will write more tomorrow about that.  Here is the link to see what Mel said about me!! Wow and thank you!

I would love to hear how you are doing and also hear more on how you deal with circumstances that are less than ideal.  Thank you for stopping by!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, wood, culture

My back is better today than the wild pain I was in yesterday.  I am lucky that I have a little back massage machine that has been helping too.  In several more days the issue that is greatly aggravating my stress level will (hopefully, knock on wood) be over.  (In English, in the US, the comment “knock on wood” is a way of not tempting fate by being overly confident … it means “let’s hope anyway, and I am not taking any chances!”  I would love to hear if you have ever heard of this before (from people outside the US) and if it makes any sense to you. Do you have your own phrases with a similar intent?  I would love it if you have ideas of a name for this vibrant, colorful painting.  I think it is cool.

Name I, Digital © Diane Clancy

I would love to hear how you are doing and also how you deal with circumstances that are less than ideal.  Thank you for stopping by!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting

Today I made some progress on catching up on some things that I to put aside the last 5 weeks as I have dealt with this stressful family issue.  It felt great to get some of my own work done today!  And I talked with my friend who is in Paris now – we talked for almost an hour and a half.  It is amazing to me that regular people can do that now … really talk with people around the world.  Fantastic!!

Speaking of which … she went to this incredible exhibit in Paris that has just closed .. to then move on to other parts of the world.  This is .. 6 Billion Others by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.  It was housed in a 4 story glass conservatory and it had huts inside … ok that was the least important part – but even that sounds so perfect!

Micro View, Digital © Diane Clancy

They interviewed over 5,000 people and asked them to each talk about the same issues and then shared what people said.  It was one person sharing after another and very powerful!  There is also an online version that you will probably want to go check out  – 6 Billion Others (http://6billionothers.org).  I have had a chance to only glance at this so far … but it is very exciting!

Such a powerful tool to show how we are all human .. everywhere on this earth. Here is one of my vibrant, colorful paintings! Thank you for stopping by!  I would love to hear about you!!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, 6 Billion Others, Yann Arthus-Bertrand

1,000 Faces of Mother Henna is a powerful project that Kara L.C. Jones has undertaken. These 1,000 pieces of art have been inspired by “Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces and the Jizos for Peace art at Great Vow Monastery.”

Kara is also participating in the One World, One HeART GiveAway – you can find her giveaway here and you can see mine right here  One World, One HeART GiveAway. I am going to show you some images … with links to these specific pages where you can see more. When several images link to the same page, I put a link only on the name of the first image.

Shape Your Life, © Mother Henna, Kara Jones

Mother Henna by artist Kara L.C. Jones has been working on an incredible project of making 1,000 Faces of Mother Henna. I have wanted to write about her work for over a year … her handling of color in these vibrant, colorful paintings remind me of how I handle color too .. but then I always love others work too … and wish I could create like Kara!

Love Lady, © Mother Henna, Kara Jones

This is one of the many variations where she talks the same basic structure and plays with color.  I am sure many of my readers will recognize this method with my bubblescapes.  It is amazing to me what the change of color does!

Love Lady, © Mother Henna, Kara Jones

And this is yet another variation – I LOVE them!

Love Lady, © Mother Henna, Kara Jones

If you read Kara’s blog on a regular basis, she will share many of the joys and struggles she has experienced and lived in her life.  She makes many kinds of art, but these colorful images I find incredibly striking!

Loving, © Mother Henna, Kara Jones

This was from one of the first posts of Kara’s I ever saw – and it just grabbed me!! The power is intense to me!  There are yet more variations of this image on this post. Just lovely!

Freedom, © Mother Henna, Kara Jones

I have spent hours opening up different pages of Kara’s and choosing only a large handful of her images to show you … she is one fine woman and creates lovely art! Kara is also the one who sponsors Celebrate HeART I speak about in this post of mine.

Freedom, © Mother Henna, Kara Jones

Remember to participate in our free giveaways – Kara is participating in the One World, One HeART GiveAway – you can find her giveaway here and you can see mine right here  One World, One HeART GiveAway.  I would love to hear how you are doing. Thanks for coming by!!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: vibrant colorful painting, Mother Henna, Kara L.C. Jones, 1000 Faces of Mother Henna, Joseph Campbell, Hero with a Thousand Faces, Jizos for Peace, Great Vow Monastery, free giveaway