Upcoming Events

There are two great art events this week!

Join me at Christopher House Antiques this Thursday, Nov. 15th, 5:00-8:00 for the opening reception of the Birmingham Art Association 2012 Juried Show (3205 2nd Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35233) Christopher House will be open Friday and Sat. 10-5. There is plenty of parking across the street from Christopher House

This Friday opens the Annual Mountain Brook Art Association Holiday Show at Brookwood Village. November 16th come join us for the Opening Reception 4:00-8:00pm hosted my Cocina Superior. November 30th join us for our Grand Finale Party 5:00 - 8:00 pm hosted by Brio. The show will be open for the rest of November, and is a great place to shop for some unique Christmas gifts! I will have 2 panels with large and small pastel paintings.

My current website www.marylizingramart.com is still on the fritz! I am building a brand new site that will also include my blog, so stay tuned. Also, join my Facebook page for news and updates at Mary Liz Ingram Art !

Layers of Life

Ah, the complexities of life. We all have a story, layered with triumphs, tears, mistakes, redemption, tragedies, success, joy and pain. Most of our stories are hidden behind our personas, whether they be smiling faces or bitter scowls; woven so tightly together that the layers are unseen, making up one image. These thoughts were on my mind as I created my newest piece, a 16x20 cotton boll in soft pastel. I begin my pieces with under layers of dark black followed by bright colors: turquoise, fuchsia, purple, bright green, gold:

I finish the piece with a unifying neutral, in this case white, bringing the layers together into a single image; no longer separate pieces of the story, but a complex whole...very much like the layers of life.

We cannot separate our stories into separate pieces, discarding some and clinging to others. All of our experiences unite to make us who we are, individuals with layers of story. To me, this is a good and beautiful part of living life; also, something to remember when we daily encounter our fellow human beings, with our myriad of emotions and reactions. We are all living a story. "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

MaryLizIngramArt.com

So...my website is still not functioning due to a server change. I am in process of building a brand new website centering on my new "POV" (see my earlier post!), "Pieces of the South." It should be up and running soon! It will include my blog on the homepage, so it will be nice and tidy, all in one place! Ah, technology...

Mini Picasso

My husband just returned from Richmond and, as usual, brought the kids a "prize" from his trip. This time, I got a prize too! A magnetic Picasso finger puppet. Words can't describe how hilarious and amazing I think this little thing is. It cracks me up, and he is already my friend. I'm trying to decide if I should take him to work, to give me inspiration and a good laugh, or to leave him in my art room to watch me draw. I have to ask, "Who makes these things?!" but the thought that follows is, "This is AWESOME!!!" A few Picasso quotes to stir your thoughts: Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life... Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up... Action is the foundational key to all success... Computers are useless. They can only give you answers... Art is a lie that makes us realize truth... I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it... I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them... Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, a dichotomy in which you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your spare time. Look for a situation in which your work will give you as much happiness as your spare time... The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web... Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working... One must act in painting as in life, directly... Everything is a miracle. It is a miracle that one does not dissolve in one's bath like a lump of sugar... The hidden harmony is better than the obvious... The older you get the stronger the wind gets - and it's always in your face... Painting is just another way of keeping a diary... The people who make art their business are mostly imposters...

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pablo_picasso.html#6UM5u8RiYAQ5Rd4c.99

Eclectic Cool was a Success!

This past Friday was "The Eclectic Art Social Club's" second group show: "Eclectic Cool: the Colors of Calm." Let me pause and give you a little insight/explanation into our name...we are a group of 7 "young women," shall we say, who are serious about art, but we don't take ourselves to seriously. We began meeting several years ago to help each other in our art careers, but mostly ended up brunching, drinking coffee and having a good time together at each other's homes (hence "social club). We all have very different styles, from thoughtful and careful collage, to intricate and meaningful acrylic "drawings," to abstract acrylics, realistic and reflective oils, jewelry, pastels...you get the idea. We dubbed our interesting mix "eclectic." For this show, we chose to link our styles with cool, calming colors. The show was upstairs at Parkside Bar in Avondale and it was amazing. We had a packed house from 4:30-9:00 and had a blast together, selling and enjoying art and community! Here are some images as our show began...

The crew: (left to right) Dariana Dervis, Mary Liz Ingram, Erin Hardin, Cecily Hill Lowe, Chi Roach

Cecily's large installation

Guests enjoying Chi's art

Dariana and Chi happy to open the show

Dariana's collage and jewelry, always soothing

Erin's beautiful oil paintings

Mary Liz's pastels, apologies for the bad lighting!

Eclectic Cool: The Colors of Calm

Birmingham area locals, come out to Parkside Bar in downtown Birmingham next Friday, October 19 for this great one night art show, featuring new works by Mary Liz Ingram, Dariana Dervis, Cecily Hill Lowe, Erin Hardin and Chi Roach. Our different subjects, styles and media will be unified by cool colors...the colors of calm: blues, greens, grays, purples. It will be a fun night, so bring your friends! Eclectic Cool: The Colors of Calm October 19 from 4:30-9:00pm Parkside Cafe & Bar, upstairs 4036 5th Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35222

The Old Water Tower, 15X21 Soft Pastel on card...Here's a peek into some of the new work for our show.

The avoidance of narcissism

Reflection, Quick Graphite Sketch... I gave a speech today. I dont like public speaking...not one bit. In seminary, I took all the classes but the preaching classes. I love teaching; I can lead a pastel demonstration for hours and actually get energy from "speaking while doing." But at a podium with a microphone? No thank you. I'll do it, I'll try my best, but I don't like it. Who does like public speaking anyway? Oh right, my HUSBAND, who happens to be really great at it. And there he sat, listening to my speech. He said I did well, but all day I've thought about it and made a mental fuss over all the things I wish I'd done better, things I meant to say. Then it hit me: its ok. It was a short 20 minutes in the lives of a few people, and it's not a big deal. I'm the only one even thinking about it anymore. Then the word "narcissism" drifted into my mind, and my great desire to avoid it. I let go of my speech-obsessing and realized the insignificance of me...in a GOOD way. I know I can make a difference and my life matters...really, I mean it. But when it comes down to me eating pancakes for breakfast, if my toenails are painted, what I wore yesterday, or what I said in my little preschool welcome speech? Not a big deal. And to obsess over it is a shallow narcissism. Life is rich...spend time focusing on what matters...

Copycats

War Helicopter, oil pastel by my son, 4 years old...I love my kids. They crack my husband and I up with their schemes, and they love to copy us. One day it might be our little boy walking in with his chin tucked back, his chest puffed out, holding a pretend cup of coffee, saying in a deep voice "Hmph, I'm Dad. I'm going to work now." Or our daughter popping out of her room ("Ta da!") dressed exactly like me in jeans, blue T-shirt, bandana head band and flip flops, proclaiming herself "Mini Mom." Its funny and scary at the same time, watching these little copycats. Some of the things we do, I hope they don't copy: like when I have a meltdown after a long day, or when we get too busy to enjoy what is happening around us. Good and bad, children will absorb the way their parents live, interact and behave. They watch us, even when we don't know it. By watching me create art, my kids have learned to draw from life and from pictures. My son likes to use our iPhones and google "helicopters" and "garbage trucks" and draw the pictures he likes (I always have to "preview" the pictures first...it is sadly amazing what images will pop up for something so simple!). Above is his "war helicopter," drawn from an image he found on Google. Below is our daughter's rendition of our back porch, with our bird feeders and sleeping dogs.

Back Porch, pencil sketch by my daughter, 6 years old

Website Malfunction

Sadly, my website is having some issues... the drop down menus are uncooperative and will be repaired soon! If you have any questions about my artwork, feel free to email me at MaryLizIngramArt@me.com

A Wash

A Wash, watercolor...Today I had many goals. From the beginning, things didn't start out well. At some point, between a dead car battery and three puny kids, I gave up. As I stood in the kitchen, staring out the window in realistic defeat, I thought "Today is a wash." Better to just say it, than let frustration build...nothing productive would easily be done. I thought of the storm earlier today, and felt like painting. Very rarely do I draw or paint something that doesn't look like something. But today was a day to watch the paint drip, to think of rain and just let the color run down the paper. As Dr. Seuss so aptly said in My Many Colored Days, "Gray Day...Everything is gray. I watch, but nothing moves today." Just a slow trickle of blue gray water. I found peace in recognizing the state of my day, and had no trouble pepping things up with some ice cream cones, because the threat of stress had been erased by being honest. Today was a wash, but it ended sweetly.

Tidy Up

Shoes, Graphite Sketch... Sunday, a day of rest and renewal; a time to reset. Sundays have become a mental health day for me...I tidy up, listen to music, drink slow cups of coffee, think about life. I shake off the stress and rediscover the joy. I clean up the grime, and unearth the shine of love and life; breathe in fresh air, notice my surroundings, find peace in my place. It keeps me going, week after week. Today I drew my little boy's line of shoes: the epitome of tidiness in our house, since his room is always the messiest. "We are not afraid to look under the bed, or to wash the sheets; we know that life is messy. We know that somebody has to clean it up, and that only if it is cleaned up can we hope to start over, and get better." -Marsha Norman, quoted in Real Simple, May 2012

The Pursuit of Perfection

Sky, Hipstamatic photo... Its frustrating, being human. I hate messing up, missing an important detail, dropping one of the many balls I am juggling, not being able to "do it all." I want to do everything perfectly. This is obviously unrealistic and impossible, yet I continue trying: Semper Reformata, the cry of the Protestant Reformation, "always reforming." I've been watching the Olympics everyday, marveling at the abilities of my fellow human beings. These people are intense. They aim for perfection. They break world records over and over, always improving, always running faster, jumping higher, lasting longer. Today was a day of defeat; instead of seeing my imperfections as opportunities to try harder, I saw them as failure. I'm only human. But as humans, we can be better. We can keep improving, rejoicing in our progress and the lessons learned along the way, rather than sitting unmoving in defeat. We will not be perfect, but we can be always reforming.

Memories

Shepherd, Soft Pastel... On my twelfth birthday, my grandfather gave me a collection of my first "real" art supplies. Never doing anything halfway, he went to a local art store to have a professional choose the best materials: a selection of nice brushes, a set of watercolors in tubes and in a pan, acrylic paint, oil paint, canvases, papers, a set of drawing pencils, erasers, and a large box of pastels. With that gift, I moved from the childhood world of drawing cartoon characters with a #2 pencil to exploring the world of fine art. Years later, after I had painted and sketched the days away, I finally picked up the untouched box of pastels. But what to draw? It was my sophomore year of college, and I had recently returned from a Jan-term trip to Jordan and Syria (where, incidentally, I met my husband, a fellow student). There were so many new memories forever burned into my mind, but one stood out, and still does to this day: standing atop a golden ridge, looking out as the amber sun set over the Dead Sea, viewing the Bedouin caves from above, and spotting a flock of goats and sheep with their robed shepherd in the valley below. It was a beautiful moment, rich in color, that became the subject of my first pastel drawing with my first set of pastels. I have drawn it several times since, and it has become a repeated special request from my grandmother. The image has been altered as my hand has gathered new techniques and greater knowledge over the years, but here is a version from today, commissioned as a gift, sitting atop the greatest treasures of my much-expanded collection of art supplies: my Sennelier Soft Pastels.

Renewed

As I've said before, there are five of us, plus two cats, living in a small house. When we were house hunting, we wanted something small but with the requirement of one extra space for my art room. The "one extra room" we found is a long skinny room with lots of light, and as an artist, I have a lot of stuff to cram in there: acrylic paint, oil paint, watercolors, soft pastels, oil pastels, graphite sticks, brushes, papers, boards, easels, frames...you get the idea. The tricky part is storing it all in the small space in a way that keeps kids out of it, and making it clear enough to actually enjoy being in there! To make this space livable, there is a constant cycle of cluttering and cleaning. I purge the room (and the house!) fairly often, but this time, more was needed. My art room needed a renewal, just as my art and my outlook has been renewed. I took out curtains, junk, and reorganized to make it brighter, fresher and CLEANER. The good news for those interested in exploring pastels and fearful of what I half-jokingly call "pastel lung," is that there was remarkably little pastel dust after 5 years of not wiping my window sills and top molding (gross, I know...sorry!). So, ta-da! I'm ready to work, the room as cleared out as its going to get.

I even cleaned off the kids' art area. My trusty sidekicks got right to work messing it up, as expected. But what else is an art room for, if not to get messy?!

My POV

Hay Bale, Graphite Sketch...My husband and I have a ritual; it helps us decompress after our busy days, and is a routine time to relax and enjoy being together. Each night once the kids are tucked in bed, we sit on the couch, each with a glass of milk and two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, to watch one of our recorded shows. Last night we watched the Next Food Network Star. Each Star hopeful must have a "POV," a "Point of View" that would make their own Food Network show unique. Two weeks of my daily drawings are now complete, and over morning coffee, I reflected upon my "POV"...my own point of view around which my art revolves. I know art doesn't have to have a "point" or a "meaning," that it can be art for art's sake, but my organized self loves to have everything in its place, categorized and grouped. I want my art to fit together and have a meaning, a purpose, a POV. When I reflect upon my daily drawings, I see the common thread of my own human experience: family, relationships, love, warmth, what surrounds me in my place, what is important to me in my life. Linking the theme of my sketches with my current pastels and paintings, my POV emerges as, in my husband's words, "Southern eclectic": a mixture of rural and city, objects and figures, past and present...the story of my place. I find warmth, family, richness and beauty in the South, in its porches and fields, its trees and marshes, its people and history, its rust and wood. A representation of the story of humanity, the South is a tightly woven tapestry of good and bad, hospitality and hatred, comfort and pain, smiles and sorrow. Despite its dark threads, my South triumphs with beauty, with color, with life, with strength; in my place and through my art, I hope to reveal and foster greater peace, honest love, and a warm, genuine reality of Southern hospitality, a welcoming with open arms.