I don't have to.

There is not

one big cosmic meaning for all,

there is only

the meaning we each give to our life,

an individual meaning,

an individual plot,

like an individual novel,

a book for each person.

*

Anais Nin

I often think...

I do not wish to 

do this life as most others do

 I do not have to

think in similar ways as most others do

I do not need to

stay within societal norms as most others do

and all of this...

is perfectly fine.

*

Dawn Nielson

A fortunate position to be in

on a Monday morning.

A figure drawing class

on a Friday morning.

A Sunday morning sketch

of an alter ego.

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Knots in My Scalene

Finishing a gift for a friend.

A visual representation

of a therapeutic massage

experience.

Not a figurative piece.

An anatomy piece.

Knots in My Scalene

2015

Encaustic Wax

Oil Paint

Wire

Skamania County, WA River Rocks

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Glorious TED talks, Pancakes & Encaustic Wax

I began my rainy PACNW Sunday morning

with TED talks and coffee in bed.

Once my brain was super-charged with

knowledge and ambition...

I made my people pancakes.

I spent time in the studio.

I experimented...

with pigment, oil paint, encaustic wax...

and my deserted

printmaking tools.

I brought my work-in-process out into the natural light...

even though it will

never

ever

live in that space.

This allowed me to walk around the piece,

walk up to the piece,

view it from a distance...

and from an angle.

Carving with this much detail is a new thing for me.

I think I'll do a figurative composition next.

A self portrait maybe.

I have plans and big ideas.

I experimented all day,

and...

roasted brussel sprouts 

edited wedding photos

cleaned the refrigerator

did laundry

and the dishes.

It was glorious.

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She... is one of my favorites...

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I Think I'm Low But Can't Prove It

I'm having one of those moments 

when I feel creatively low...

so low that I have to remind myself 

that I am creative on a daily basis

to keep myself from feeling like a loser

(yes I "go there"... no judging)...

I have countless ideas

from small to grand.

I snap photos constantly...

in my head I'm putting them to music 

in some sort of video montage way.

This may sound silly...

it's as if I can hear or sense the whimsy in something

or the mood it emanates just by...being.

Although...

very few of those compositions

make it out of my imagination.

They currently... rest in peace.. .on my hard drive...

unedited.

I can not sit still in the car and just...be...

(I'm in a car at least 12 hours, with in a five day work week)

(no wonder)

(living on a boat part-time in the city helps)

in my mind, 

I see so many incredible images 

I want to capture 

and bring them to life somehow,

even if it's to

preserve them as 

two dimensional art.

This is my Picasso doodle.

Proof that I have been productively creative...

and for no good reason (which is the best way)...

I have also started an encaustic piece...

a gift for a friend.

I've titled it...

I Have Knots in My Scalene

(because I do)

(my friend is my massage therapist)

(there is something satisfying about

twisting wire around rocks)

And...

I have jumped in

on a life drawing class each Friday morning...

Even though I believe I am rusty and

my scale and foreshortening are out of whack...

I get to start the morning drawing the human figure...

something I miss from being a student.

I chose straight up micron pens.

Their permanency forces me to stick with it and

finish the job without too much

thinking....

(and I tossed in a nifty water brush for some pizazz)

(and of course the doodle part)

Oh yes... and when I rake autumn leaves

(or attempt to)

I wear a blue tutu and twirl.

(no leaves have been raked to date...by me)

Gathering these last few weeks 

of creative efforts into one spot

(this one)

helps me realize

I have no valid reason to feel creatively

L O W.

I'm on a pretty good roll actually.

Tutu & all.

As I was typing this I was baking an apple pie.

I forgot to make enough crust to cover the top.

About 15 minutes in the oven I realized this.

I threw together 

a granola, brown sugar crumble 

as a quick fix.

(I'm pretty sure this carries creativity points)

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music to twirl to...

slowly, passionately twirl...

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In One Weeks Time...

The quick van Gogh sketching was fantastic... 

meet my Patience Escalier.

The encaustic studio time was magnificent...

Mental Armor

[aka...a neurological survival tactic]

The detail...

a work in process...

encaustic wax

pigment

oil paint

stabilo marker

printmaking paper

rusted wire

rock

A donation piece for Thirsting for A Cure 2015.

The autumn rain snuck in early.

The installation offered an invite.

The makeshift fireplace sufficed.

The sun lifted.

The clawfoot tub once again satisfied.

The corner of the windowsill caught some light.

The evening stroll began.

The weather was good.

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And I discovered this...

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Back in the studio I go.

Floating • Inspiring Autumn

Summer Feet + Many Summer Things = ...

To see the summer sky 
is poetry, 

though never in a book it lie

—
true poems flee—


Emily Dickinson, c.1879

My summer...

I have spent many hours 

sitting 

in this front porch turquoise chair...

sometimes sketching van Gogh in thirty minutes or less.

[marker, sharpie, oil sticks & mineral spirits, q-tips]

I gave it the title, 

Someone stole her beer so now she's even more depressed.

The sun

sneaks in.

An evening stroll down the hill.

August leaf drop.

Visitors.

Invaluable time spent.

Handstands with friends.

Summer in the city.

Riding the MAX.

Interesting compositions.

Cycling in the Columbia Gorge,

this has to be the greenest place on earth.

Bridge of the Gods.

A light summer shower = slippery cycling on the bridge.

Secret spots in the forest...

where I do quiet things...

things that soothe my temperament...

things that allow my breath to

replenish...

things like this.

Sailboat summer

breakfast.

Sailing + Dawn = a new relationship, lots to learn.

Gorge paddling on the Columbia River.

City kayaking on the Columbia River.

Ya know...

Now that I have all this listed I realized...

this is a typical summer week.

Once the rain sets in in autumn...

I will retreat indoors...

sorta.

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A donation for Vashon Allied Arts on Vashon Island, WA.

Autumn = time to get back to making art.

[but that's not quite here yet]

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