Welcome to MissouriBendStudio!

This is an online journal of my artistic investigations and a way to communicate about my work, ideas, quandries and queries! I welcome comments and conversation and do hope you enjoy these musings. My artwork is available in my shop MissouriBendStudio on Etsy.com or on my website.

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Monday, January 13, 2014

The Daily Practice Unfolding

The year is starting off well and I attribute my more upbeat outlook to the effect of my daily practice. I am someone who thrives on little rituals...they ground me, providing a kind of rhythm to my day. I've maintained a daily drawing practice for a few years, although not always super consistently. In fact, my Missouri Bend Musings Etsy shop was created as a place to share and make available those daily drawings. I fell away from the selling component of the practice and shifted the daily drawing practice to something more private. At its core, I find much of my art making is really a spiritual practice and the efforts required to market the pieces really take away from what the making of them provides me. Although the little drawings I make now on 6x4" Japanese paper do not require a significant amount of time, there is something about letting a simple drawing flow onto the paper from the movement of my hand and a drawing tool, that provides a release. The act of making them acknowledges the creative spirit and leaves a trace, the marks on the page a quiet form of thanks for the day at hand. Below are the drawings from this past week...on 6"x4" Japanese paper, each of which have now been dipped in beeswax. The little row of dots at the top is my way of marking the date: left to right the number of dots corresponds to the month, day and year.

January 7, 2014

January 8, 2014

January 9, 2014

January 10 ,2014

January 11, 2014

January 12, 2014

January 13, 2014



I've also made little found text poems over the years and my first blog MissouriBendPaperWorks was dedicated to that daily practice. Again, it was the effort of photographing and posting that bogged me down. So...I'm back to making those again as well....another daily practice. There is something quite delightful about taking random words and phrases cut from books and arranging them in a new way....somehow the "poem" that comes from each day's exercise is a little revelation. I've posted a few over on my Facebook page and I'll do the same here on occasion. These are the two from yesterday and today. The words of just glued to a sheet of 6"x 4" drawing paper.
January 12th found text poem

In case you can't read it:

live a long journey
slip into the universe
leave a trace
in the sand

January 13th found text poem

Today's was rather humorous....



So, I just wanted to share with you that I'm back to incorporating these daily practices into my life and more fully realizing how much grounding they do provide. Periodically, I will share a few of the things that I make as a part of each day's unfolding and encourage you to find a way to slow down, mark time and leave a trace of another day spent in the dance of life. I'd love to hear from any other artists who include a daily artistic practice....what do you do and how does it enhance your life and the way you move through your days?

Oh, I nearly forgot! Suddenly today I decided that there is a mountain of work sitting on my back table, which comprises the contents of my two Etsy shops, MissouriBendStudio and MissouriBendMusings. Many of those pieces are now older and would love to travel to a good home....it's a BIG 40% off sale in both shops! Use the coupon code: FINDINGAHOME to receive the discount and I'll thank you in advance for giving my pieces a loving home.


7 comments:

  1. Dear Patti, how touched I am by your thoughts on your daily practice as "a quiet form of thanks for the day ". It is too easy to convolute the purpose of creativity into something other than its own reward, at least for me it is. I have to thank you for your guiding light when I've looked the other way and got lost again.
    I must say I am sorely tempted by a half dozen pieces of your works even more now that they are on sale but am going through a releasing stage so I hope they find the homes they are destined for.
    You remain, as always, an inspiration!
    Peace and Light.

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    1. How wonderful to hear from you! And yes, I agree...how easy it is to stray from the reward of the creative spirit in and of itself. Thanks for writing and wishing you all the best in 2014...hope you are engaged in your own creative investigations!

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  2. It's nice to hear how you are working out the things to hold on to, anyhow, and the things to let go of. It's an ongoing reflective practice isn't it to check that we are still doing the right things for the right reasons/ Here's wishing you a wonderful 2014 - hope it is filled with magical moments.

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    1. Greetings Fiona...yes, an ongoing reflective practice, to be sure! Wishing you and Barry much magic and delight in the coming year, as well!

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  3. oh, how I enjoyed your drawings and poems! So glad to have found your blog again. Putting clipped words together is so relaxing and something I have also started doing again after some time away from it. Bookmarking you so I can check back in. :)

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    1. Thanks so much Tricia...your message here brings me a nice lift after a long day! Hope you enjoy further explorations here....best wishes!

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  4. I love the idea of practicing something as grounding and relaxing as drawing - and I've kept with this daily practice myself for a year now. I love the simplicity and softness of your art - thank you for sharing that with us!

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I'm happy to hear from you...comments and questions are welcome!