Cedar Lee August 28th, 2008

Tree of Life

Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 30″

This painting was commissioned by a wife as an anniversary gift for her husband.  All she requested was that the painting should depict a Tree of Life, which they used as a symbol at their wedding.

So I began reading about the Tree of Life and what it is–virtually every culture in the history of the world mentions a “Tree of Life,” and the specific meanings of this symbol vary quite a bit.  Some of the consistent themes include life and death, birth and rebirth, and eternity.  So it’s a very spiritual and thought-provoking symbol.

In Chinese mythology, depictions of the Tree of Life often include images of dragons and phoenixes.

According to Wikipedia,

A phoenix is a mythical bird with a tail of beautiful gold and red plumage (or purple and blue, by some sources. It has a 1,000 year life-cycle, and near the end the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises. The new phoenix is destined to live, usually, as long as the old one. In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of the old phoenix in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egypt city of Heliopolis (sun city in Greek). The bird was also said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being almost immortal and invincible — it is also said that it can heal a person with a tear from its eyes and give him/her temporary immortality; a symbol of fire and divinity.

The phoenix is a beautiful metaphor for how we live on in our children.  (The couple in question is about to have their second.)  Also, the fire theme brings to mind romantic love and passion.  So I added two phoenixes to the painting–to represent the two people that are joined by the life they have created together.

Details:

• New Works: Nature & Misc.
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Cedar Lee March 25th, 2008

This week I found out that my belly dance teacher is moving to Taiwan because her husband is being transferred there for work. I’ve had so much fun in her class these past several months, and I’m sad that it’s coming to an end.

In her honor, I’ve made this small painting of a beautiful dancer in costume.

Belly Dancer
Acrylic on Canvas
10″ x 8″

This painting is going to my teacher, but if you’d like me to paint a belly dancer for you, talk to me.

What I have enjoyed the most about my belly dancing class is hanging out with other women of all ages and shapes in a non-judgmental setting where we can have fun, laugh together, and celebrate our shared experience as women. Belly dance is a celebration of femininity, physical and spiritual. This may sound corny, especially to men (I don’t know what the male equivalent would be–sports? hunting? roughhousing?) but I think that the celebration of what we are is important–everyone is born into their own body and their own life. There is no way around it, so we might as well embrace it and rejoice in it.

So often (especially in our culture, I think) women are tormented by insecurity, questioning their own beauty and self-worth, trying to live up to some unattainable and vaguely defined standard. Insecurity can make women bitter, jealous and petty. It can make them spend all their money on clothes, hairstyles, cosmetics and plastic surgery. This is such a waste of our energy, when all the beauty that we need is already right there inside us, if we would just recognize it.

That’s what these next two paintings are about. They both started out as sketches for self-portraits (it’s been awhile since I’ve done one) but as I painted them, they became less and less an accurate physical likeness, but at the same time I felt they were representing me more and more. Finally I realized that it wasn’t myself I was painting, and it wasn’t any other real-life woman either.

I was painting goddesses–I don’t mean goddess in the literal sense, as a deity, but rather, the goddess that’s in every woman–the feminine spirit–that dichotomy of gentle beauty and fierce strength within the same person. Cliché? Maybe. A little corny? Maybe–but it’s rooted in truth, and this thought process has inspired some pretty successful artwork:

Ruby Goddess
16″ x 20″ Oil on Canvas

Lavender Goddess
20″ x 24″ Oil on Canvas

I got my artichoke seeds in the mail today (which had been on backorder.) I am so antsy to get out there and plant my garden, but I have to wait another couple of weeks, until the danger of frost is past.

• Life , New Works: Nature & Misc.
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Cedar Lee March 13th, 2008

I haven’t updated in awhile–life has just been speeding by!

I signed with a new gallery this week, the Premiere Fine Arts Gallery in Lambertville, New Jersey, owned and operated by Anthony Mustello.

This means I now have regular representation by 4 galleries. (“Regular representation” just means that they sell my paintings continuously and always have some of my artwork in stock–as opposed to a one-time showing.) So, that’s 4 business relationships I have now–relationships I must value and maintain.

My career is picking up speed as I become more established as a professional in my field. Of course I’m happy about that–I’m thrilled to share my talents with the world and to receive recognition for my work, and I’m so thankful for the income my art brings in. But at the same time, I am feeling the pressure to maintain a standard of quality in my work, and to spend enough hours on my artwork so that I am constantly creating something new and exciting.

I think I’m at a time in my life where I’m in the thick of it, so I can’t step back and see how well I’m doing (or not.) It just feels hard–and like I’m always falling behind and never up to my own standards.

However, that’s how I felt during my entire senior year of college too, and I came out of that with lots of experience, lots of friends, and a 4.0 GPA, achieving honors in my major. So, I’m going to just nurture my faith in myself and my work, and try to stay focused on my long-term vision without letting it make me too serious. At least, that’s the goal.

Anyway, here are a couple new pieces for you to see:

Mocha the Huntress
Acrylic on Canvas 8″ x 10″

(Reference photo courtesy of Ashley Van Alstyne–thank you Ashley for letting me use your beautiful photo!)

And this next one mimics the basic composition of my painting “Radiant Sky” but is actually quite different from that one.

The word ethereal means: characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible. This painting turned out so airy and sunny. It looks like such a perfect day that it’s only halfway in the real world, and halfway in the realm of imagination.

So it’s titled: Ethereal Day
Acrylic on Canvas 24″ x 20″

I have been told before that I would be good at painting the scenery on theater sets, because my work sometimes has a dramatic, storybook quality. I think this painting definitely has that.

This past week I’ve done extensive modifications to one of my existing paintings, Upward Momentum. The collectors who are buying the painting were torn between this one and another one, but this one is bigger and they wanted the bigger size because they’re moving into a new home with lots of blank walls. So I made some changes to the painting to make it more like the other one they liked (Towering Trunk.)

Here’s the old version of the painting:

And here’s the new version:

As you can see, the composition remained the same, but everything else is now quite different. I like the new version a lot better–my favorite part is the beautiful highlights on the trunk of the biggest tree.

In other news, I’ve started germinating some of the seeds for my garden. Perhaps only fellow gardeners will appreciate the level of sheer giddy excitement I feel when I look on my windowsill and see this:

• Art Gallery Representation , Garden , New Works: Nature & Misc. , New Works: Portraiture , New Works: Trees
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Cedar Lee February 11th, 2008

I have 2 changes of plans.

First change of plans:

I had told everyone that I was going to be working on a new body of work but that I wouldn’t reveal any of the paintings until the body of work is complete. I thought that it would be a good exercise in self-reflection–to see the direction my art might take when I am the only one who sees it, and there is no influence from the outside world.

It was a good idea in theory, and I know a lot of artists work that way, but I’m starting to realize that it isn’t going to work for me. For one thing, it’s fun to share my new developments with you. It’s encouraging to soak up your “oohs” and “aaahs” and it’s helpful to my growth to hear your criticisms and suggestions. I need that–I work out of my small studio in my home and rarely make real contact with the outside world, especially during winter when I have a tendency to hibernate. The exception is the realm of my social life, which gives my gregarious spirit a much-needed boost, but is more or less separate from my work life.

Also, the process of photographing a new work of art, cropping the photo, uploading it to my website and my blog, and writing about it, while tedious at times, is a tangible marker for me–a ritual of closing one project and moving on to the next, that helps me. It creates a record of all my work, which I can look back on with a glance to see where I’ve been and where I’m going.

So I’m going back to my old way of doing things–I’ll post all of my new work here as I create it.

With that lengthy explanation, I give you 2 recent works:

Heaven and Earth
Oil on Canvas
24″ x 36″ (Made up of 2 separate panels of 12″ x 36″, hung on the wall with about an inch between them)

Morning Sunbeams
Oil on Canvas
(Same dimensions as Heaven and Earth)

Morning Sunbeams in a sunny bedroom:

Second change of plans:

The daily paintings of cats–I had told you that I would be doing a series of daily paintings, cat portraits. I keep trying to get a start on this project, but my other work is continually beckoning.

I want to make more progress on these multiple-panel landscapes and see if the idea goes anywhere or if it ends up being a temporary experiment…I have to make new work to send to my galleries this spring…I’m planning trips out of town to talk to new art dealers…I’m in charge of organizing my family’s first family reunion in 13 years, which will happen in July…I’m trying really hard to eat well and get enough exercise…I have a household to run and pets to take care of and….blah blah blah. You get it.

I am simply going in too many different directions at once to be a daily painter on top of it all. I think I was too ambitious…most daily painters do one painting a day and post it online for sale. They don’t try to do one painting a day while simultaneously working on 5 ideas for other paintings, supplying galleries with new work, etc. They just do one painting a day. Not that that’s any small feat, which is my point. If I’m going to be a daily painter I can’t do so many other things at the same time.

So here’s the new plan: I will create 20 portraits of cats. I will work as quickly as I can, and I won’t stop until I’ve got 20, but it’ll take as long as it takes. I won’t pressure myself to finish one per day. If I need to focus on a landscape, or on the business side of my work for a few days, I will.

So, enough lengthy explanation.

Here are the first two cats in my series:

Tommy
Acrylic on Canvas
8 x 10″

Skitterbug
Acrylic on Canvas
10 x 8″

And more cat portraits are in progress!

• Art Plans , New Works: Nature & Misc. , New Works: Portraiture
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Cedar Lee December 20th, 2007

If you haven’t noticed, I am strongly affected by the the turn of the seasons in a personal way and sometimes refer to these changes in dramatic terms–in fall and winter I feel like I am small, curling into myself like a tiny hibernating creature, nearly dead. It can be a safe, cozy feeling but it can also be depressing. In spring I feel like I am coming back to life, emerging like a sprout from a buried seed, reaching toward the sun. I’m sure you know what I am talking about, though you might not describe it in the same way.

Tomorrow is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. This means that after tomorrow, every day until next summer solstice, there will be just a little more sunlight each day. We just walked up a steep hill of darkness, are standing at the pinnacle, and can pause and celebrate the fact that it’s all downhill, into the light, from here.

I’m about to go home and see my family in North Carolina, which contributes to my spirit of elation today.

Here are my 2 latest creations, which were made in keeping with that spirit. These are unique because they are both made up of multiple panels–separate gallery-wrapped canvases that fit together to form one image. I really love working this way and I think it may become a new trend in my work.

The first painting shows a hawk soaring at an incredible elevation, looking down on a beautiful expanse of misty blue.

Above Blue Mountains
Acrylic on Canvas
36″ x 24″ (3 12″ x 24″ panels)

In a room:

The second painting shows a large white dove against a backdrop of purple mountains at daybreak. She is mysteriously out of place in this landscape, which is purposeful because I want her to be an obvious messenger or omen. White doves are a universal symbol of hope and peace.

Messenger at Dawn
Acrylic on Canvas
20″ x 50″ (5 20″ x 10″ panels)

Detail:

Detail:

In a room:

If you care to learn more about the symbolism of doves, which crosses many cultures and is tied up in fascinating mythology and folklore, click here.

• New Works: Nature & Misc.
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Cedar Lee November 12th, 2007

I’ve been taking walks in the woods with my dog lately and enjoying the fall leaves drifting down from the trees and crunching underfoot. My walks inspired these two paintings:

Golden Leaves
Oil on Canvas 24 x 30″

See it as part of a room’s decor:

Forest Floor
Oil on Canvas 24 x 30″

As part of a room’s decor:

My husband and I have been squeezing in some last-minute landscaping before the weather gets too cold. We are replacing the border around the flower beds in our front yard (which until now consisted of uneven, crumbling red bricks) with pretty “castle wall” rocks. It’s going to look great when it’s done.

In food-related news, I recently found out about this cool website, which, depending on where you live, may help you find out where to go to get locally grown food in your area: SlowFoodUSA.org

Also, if you recall my previous post about health freedom, and you are interested in learning more about Codex and the issues surrounding it, click here to read a blog that has plentiful information on the subject. Click here for related YouTube videos.

• New Works: Nature & Misc.
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Cedar Lee October 12th, 2007

Cocoon III
Oil on Canvas 16″ x 20″

• New Works: Nature & Misc.
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Cedar Lee October 11th, 2007

Cocoon II
Oil on Canvas 16 x 20″

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• New Works: Nature & Misc. , Polls
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Cedar Lee August 28th, 2007

I’ve got deadlines for getting new work to the galleries, so I’ve been painting like a madwoman.

My new creations:

Swirling Leaves
12″ x 16″ Acrylic on Canvas

Drifting Leaves
12″ x 16″ Acrylic on Canvas

Autumnal Giants
24″ x 18″ Oil on Canvas

Flower Power I
10″ x 8″ Oil on Canvas

Flower Power II
10″ x 8″ Oil on Canvas

Flower Power III
10″ x 8″ Oil on Canvas

In other news, I’m learning how to bake bread. It’s pretty work-intensive and time-consuming, but it’s thrilling when I get it right. The most exciting part is when the yeast does its thing and the ball of dough doubles in size.

I’ve got a meeting today about a big commission. More on that later…

• Delicious Food & Drink , New Works: Flowers , New Works: Nature & Misc. , New Works: Trees
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Cedar Lee August 23rd, 2007

I can feel it coming–the big harvest, the mist of breath against the crisp bite of cold air, copper, red and brown leaves swirling and crunching underfoot, sharp branches against the barren gray sky, hot cocoa and cozy socks inside, howling wind outside. This summer has gone by so quickly I’m still not really sure what happened. After all the nonstop action, I am ready for the more steady pace of fall.

Winter Foretold
Oil on Canvas
24″ x 36″

October Hawks
Oil on Canvas
24″ x 36″

Blazing Canopy
Oil on Canvas
24″ x 18″

• New Works: Nature & Misc. , New Works: Trees
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