The Artistic Process

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Rinnie Orr
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Becoming “Braver and Bolder”

Time for truth:
I have a closet full of “bad art” – art I’ve created over the years – art taking up premium shelf space and collecting dust. There’s no reason to keep my “rejects.” Chances are I will never show these pieces to many others. I don’t “appreciate” them except as failed experiments in my journey to become an artist. By holding on to these pieces and pulling them out time to time, I use them simply to remember where I’ve been. The artist’s journey is full of ups and downs. These paintings, stacked up, inside of my closet are simply snapshots of the struggles of becoming an artist.

Becoming an artist:
Over the years, I’ve learned painting is really challenging. It’s not necessarily easy. You don’t simply dip a paintbrush into the paint, move the paint around the canvas, and suddenly have a good painting. It takes work, skill and confidence. In my case, I painted seven to eight years before finding my visual voice. It was a process to move beyond “dabbling” to becoming an artist in my own right.

Becoming an “artist” happened for me when the focus became more about the process, rather than the end product. It took me years to realize that the art is not about the end result or product. Art was not the finished piece. As I gradually let go of the end result, doing art became less challenging and more freeing. It was about falling in love with the process, and moving beyond the end result.

“Art is not about the finished product. Art is about the process and the conversation happening during and after the product is finished.”

Finding your artistic voice:
I belong to five or six artist groups on social media – places where people post their art, share tips, ask questions and share their struggles with others on the forums. Recently, my heart broke when somebody wrote a post “I’m giving up. My art sucks. Nobody likes my art. There’s so much other good art out here. I can’t do this anymore.”

I know this frustration, in my own artistic life, but I’ve learned to overcome by perseverance. The way to finding your own authentic, artistic voice is just to continue on – keep creating. It’s in the act of creation where the magic happens. That’s why it’s important to persevere. If you have a deep and creative spirit and drive to engage the process – you WILL find your own voice, stand strong and say with authority “This is my art – this is my creation.”

No matter if you are a visual artist, a musician, an actor, a poet, a writer, when you are open to the process, you will become braver and your work will be bolder. You will be more courageous, not simply in your art, but in all your endeavors and achievements. You will open up to a journey you never expected to take.

So...don’t give up!
And this, my dear friend, is why we are here – to be strong, brave and courageous in all we do! This crazy, beautiful, cruel and fucked up world needs us. Be strong! Be brave! And create on….

Peace, my friends!

XOXOX

Seeking conversation and collaboration to a bolder more authentic creative life? Let’s talk. Fill out my Creative Life Survey and let’s begin a conversation on how I can help!

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Rinnie Orr
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Breaking through “Artist Block”

Has your inspiration for creating art run dry?

At some point or another in your artistic life, you may have experienced one or more of these things:

  • staring at your artist’s tools (in my case – paints, paper, canvases), but you just can’t “feeling the love.”
  • you have NO any idea what to create and feel uninspired
  • your life has been stress-filled and you don’t have a lot of energy to create
  • you haven’t created anything in a couple weeks, a month, six months, or more
  • you haven’t sold anything in a while
  • some comments on recent art have been negative, unkind or hurtful
  • you are thinking “what’s the point?”

Because many of us don’t have the luxury or privilege to be full-time artists, we have day jobs that take our time and energies. We have families, bills to pay, and all the “life stuff” to attend to. As we navigate our lives and responsibilities, it’s no wonder that “Artist Block” happens. We only have so much energy in a day. Life can be really distracting to the creative spirit.

Today, you think “Tomorrow, I will paint!”

Tomorrow comes – bringing new distraction and again no painting happens. You think “Tomorrow, I will paint!”

When you are busy and distracted, it’s also an easy time for the inner critic – which I call the “Jackass” – to rear it’s ugly head and beat you down a bit more. Has the Jackass ever said these things to you:

“Why aren’t you painting?”
“Why invest in all those art supplies if you aren’t using them?”
“Why bother, you aren’t all that talented.”
“Only YOU are interested in your art. No one else cares.”

The pressure is heats up. It’s easy to get defeated and beaten down.

Sometimes, it’s just easy to stop altogether. “It’s just a hobby. I’m just a dabbler. I’m not that good.”

Please, Don’t Give Up!

You and your art are important!

Your voice is unique and we need your art in the world! We need your visual voice in our broken world. We need you to create, to teach, to share, and to inspire. Art is one path toward healing our own soul, as well as healing others. So – don’t give up. If you need some inspiration and some prompts to get started again, please keep reading….

Image by Robert Armstrong from Pixabay 

3 Simple Ways to Move through “Artist’s Block”

MAKE and SET A TIME FOR A DEDICATED “ART DATE” – WITH YOURSELF

In the book The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity the author Julia Cameron provide a simple technique to stuck artists. Intentionally set regular “art dates” with yourself. Write those dates down in your calendar, add to your “to do list”, set phone reminders for yourself – essentially do what you need to do to spend time nurturing your creative self.

Maybe you can check in at work – see if you have a personal day or a paid day off – and use it. Take a three day weekend for yourself. On your day off, wake up early, tend to the things you need to tend to, and then take off. Go to your favorite art museum or gallery. Go on a nature hike with your camera and take pictures. Take a notebook with you. Jot down the colors you see, sketch out the shapes, If you visit a museum or gallery, write down and describe the art that inspired you, and why.

  • I find inspiration in places where there is water!

If art is part of your spiritual practice, find time to add a ten minute meditation or a 15 minute yoga class to your date. Maybe you have a reserve of spiritual books to turn to.

My favorite book is God in all Worlds, an anthology of contemporary spiritual writings from all spiritual writers of many traditions. This book has traveled with me for over twenty years – I always find inspiration for the journey in it’s pages.

REVIEW and PLAY

Did you know, you can find inspiration studying your own art?

Take some time and journey back to your own beginning. Look at photos of your art from your early days (or your actual art pieces if they are still around). What motivated you to study and begin creating art in the first place? What artists fed your soul when you were beginning? Recall an art partner, an early art teacher, or an art book that got you started. What made that time in your life special and how did it open you up to becoming an artist?

If you still have your old art books around – get out the ones you haven’t looked at in a while. What techniques did they teach you? Get our your art tools and re-experiment with techniques from your past. Play around with them.

Reviewing your own personal artist journey will remind you of why and how you got started in the first place. You will find that your own artistic journey is actually very inspiring,

Maybe, you will even find yourself thinking “Wow! Have I come a long way!”

MAKE and USE PROMPTS

Make prompts on brightly colored paper- cut them out and put in a cup or bowl.

Once you have your art table set up, pull one prompt out of the cup. Set a timer for 6 minutes. Follow the prompt and play. After 6 minutes, pull out a new prompt. Play and repeat until you’ve filled your canvas with shapes, color, texture. Take as much time as you need.

  • Prompts used in these exercises:
    spill, add white, add black, spill, use big brush, fast, be bold, and spray water

When you feel done, stop! Let the art work dry for a while. Do something else.

When you are ready, go back to the art. Look at it, examine it, but don’t judge. Stand back. What images do you see within the art you’ve created? Is there a portion of the painting you think you can work with? What do you like? What don’t you like? Mark up the portions you don’t like with an oil pastel. Remove by adding another layer of paint on those sections you dislike. Use more prompts.

Let yourself play and create.

Final words:

Follow these tips and (trust me) you will discover that:

YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST INSPIRATION!!

Peace, my friends! Peace and love to you!

XOXOX

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Rinnie Orr
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XOXOX Tip: Be on the look-out for “Happy Accidents”

If you’ve been reading my blog, you may recall “Happy Accidents.”

This video haiku is a result of an accidental photo of the concrete I snapped with my camera phone. I didn’t mean to take it, but when looking at the photo, I fell in love with the perfect mirror reflection, the swirl of water and was compelled to write a haiku.

Lesson – “Always keep a lookout for those “happy accidents”!

Peace!
XOXOX

CLICK HERE for more photo and video haikus.
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Rinnie Orr
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XOXOX Tip: Get the inside right! A strategy for a messy mind

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” Matthew 5:8, The Message (MSG)

The Messy-Mind

You want to paint. The canvases are primed. Your brushes are calling out to you. You sit down at your art table. You are ready…but your mind is not. It’s been a stress-filled day. Work was a little crazy. You had that confrontation you were trying to avoid. Stress is swirling in your mind, and the inner critic takes this opportunity to say mean things to you like “You aren’t good enough.” “You are a fake.” “Why do you bother, no one is really interested in your art.” You feel that your mind is a mess, and you are having a difficult time connecting to your art.

Do you know these thoughts? I do. You have claimed the name “artist” for yourself, years after you first starting dabbling with paint. You’ve had some success, have begun showing your work, but you aren’t able to be a full-time artist. You still have to work, pay the bills, get health insurance, etc…Your work life often seems to intrude in your artistic life. (Wouldn’t it be great if it were the other way around!)

As an artist, the balance between our creative inner world and our everyday working world is weighted toward the latter. Sometimes there’s no balance at all. You want to create, to do art, and you don’t have the energy or time. And if art is part of your spiritual practice – if you create to feel closer to the Universal Spirit – the imbalance can feel particularly draining as you are not connecting with the greatest energy of all – God.

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

How do we put the inner world right, so we can feel that balance, and feel the presence of God in our artist process?

On my best days as an artist – I lose myself (and time) completely. The Spirit, the creative process and my art are as One. When the connection is strong, I feel comforted by the Spirit within and around me. Being an intuitive painter, I sense a deeper movement within helping me create. The painting begins to take shape and I feel great joy in the process.

On my worst days, when all the negative inner thoughts intrude and I’m hesitant to put my brush into the paints and onto the canvas, I feel a disconnect within myself. There is no flow. Those are days that are particularly trying and maybe I shouldn’t try to paint after spending the day working on a project that seemed futile. Or maybe I shouldn’t try to paint after having that unfortunate conversation with that particular person who has a habit of ruining my day. (Can you relate? You know who I’m talking about? You have that person in your life as well?) Whatever the reason, the creative well seems to be dry. There’s a dis-connect and the creative spirit isn’t manifesting.

If you have been reading my blog, you will have seen my article “Happy Accidents” – and you will know that I’m a messy painter. That’s where I like my messiness to manifest – on the canvas. Not in my mind!

When the messy-mind erupts, and the negativity of the outside world takes it’s toll withing, and that pesky inner critic interferes with my energies and my flow – I know that things aren’t right. I want to feel God and the spirit, but I’m sitting in front of a blank canvas. What should I do?

Let the process heal your mind!

I want to share a process I’ve been working with in order to get out of the messy-mind state. This has been working for me, and I hope by sharing it might help others struggling through the same issues.

First, I “remember the breath” – a mantra I hear from all the yoga teachers I follow. As I begin to take deep and intentional breaths, I simply ask myself “What do I need?” In most cases, 9 out of 10, I turn to the healing music of Michael Franti. His music is about love, living, and caring. I find him soothing and turn on videos to play while painting.

As the music plays, I use oil pastels and begin writing all the crazy words that come to my mind. If I’m stuck on the words, I just start alphabetically until I’m free flowing. When the canvas is full of words and colors, then I spill fluid paints on the canvas, take a sponge and palette knife and just spread the paint around until form and shape begin to form on the canvas. Then I let it dry. I did this one recently. When I feel I’m in a happier mind-state, I will go back to the canvas, and work on it until something happens.

This simple process helps me get my messy-mind straightened out. It provides release from the inner energies that hold me back from creating.

Most recently, I followed this same process, but instead of Michael Franti, I turned on Yoga with Adriene and did a yoga video before turning to art. Her lesson that day really resonated with me. “Take what you need – let the rest go.” When I was done with the yoga lesson, I wrote out words on my canvas which was ready to go. Using black and white paint, I covered up the words and then looked for shadows that I filled with pearl and gold iridescent paint. I ended up with a tree. I filled in shadows with green paint and added some orange and red. I let this sit for a few days, and went back to it when I was in a different mood. I added a lot of colors, scraping the colors in and out of the painting with a palette knife.

The end result “Ghost Tree” my newest offering. “Ghost Tree” began in time of distress and became a work I was able to lose myself in and connect once more with that deeper Spirit within.

No matter what kind of art you do…or whatever you endeavor to do…know that when the messy-mind sets in there are endless tricks and strategies to use to move from that state of mind to a more peaceful state. Art is a spiritual practice for me, but you can use many, many methods passed down from spiritual seekers through many millennium. After all, spiritual practice is all about clearing our minds so we can see God in everything we do, and in all we encounter. And in these divisive times, we all have to have clear minds in order to combat the forces that divide us (more about this later!)

Until next time, journey on…know you are not alone! Live fiercely! Be brave! Be love and be loving! And most of all…be kind! We desperately need ALL the kindness we can give in today’s fiercely divided world!

Peace to you, dear ones, and God bless!

XOXOX

Rinnie Orr
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Shine Your God-Colors

You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. ~Matthew 5:14-16 from the Message

The well-known artist stands in front of the class and opens up his presentation with “I’m here to tell you what techniques and strategies work for me. I know y’all will have your style of doing art. My demonstrations are about what I find works for me.” Sounds reasonable, right? But five minutes later, the artist stands by a student’s table, picks up a small bucket of brushes she brought with her, and begins to admonish her in front of the class. “Why did you bring all of these? You don’t need that many brushes. It’s a waste of your space. You only need three brushes. You won’t use all these. Only bring the three brushes you need.”

Sadly, I sense that the student begins to shrink a bit into herself. She sighs, and the looks down at her table, while the rest of the class laughs. The moment passes, the class continues…but I think to myself “the damage has been done.” 

If we are to be Light bearers, bringing God-colors into the world, we need to arm and protect ourselves from those who want us to hide our Light. You know who they are. All of us have those people in our lives. You have those people around you. I have those people around me. These bullies desire us to shrink and hide our Light under the bucket. They needle us, overtly and sometimes covertly, with messages that we are not important enough, that we have nothing to offer, and are not valued. You know who these people are in your life. 

Friends, it’s time to “shine our God-given light” and leave them behind. When we shine our Light, we find it is a most powerful tool to combat those who want us to shrink. 

Embrace your uniqueness. If you want to use 20 brushes in a painting, use 20 brushes.Claim your God-colors and meet derision with decency.
Love and celebrate the Light and God-colors in others, whose words and works help you grow into your own unique self.
Comfort and advocate for those who are being oppressed.Be joyful and spirited.
Survive. 
Thrive.
Inspire.

May God bless this meditation.

Prayer:
Oh spirited One, may it be so. May we all be your Color and Light-bearers in these divisive times.
In your name, we pray…Amen.

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Rinnie Orr
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XOXOX Tip: Finding Your Five

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. ~Matthew 5:5, The Message

You know that feeling of self-doubt? That nudging from the inner critic that calls you out saying “who do you think you’re fooling?”

Maybe that self-doubt is amplified by certain people in your life, those who don’t “get you” or don’t want to get you. You can’t get that person’s words out of your head? That last encounter weighs on you? You feel hurt, sad, misunderstood?

Our work to be content with who we are is stacked against us. We strive daily to be our best – in our relationships, in our work, in our families, in our friendships, (in our art if we are artists) – and yet, no matter how hard we work, one negative can spin our minds around. Perhaps we respond by retreating into ourselves – getting into a funk that’s hard to get out of. Maybe we lash out against the people who care about us – creating more negatives that spiral out of hand.

No matter how you react to the negativity though, we are still stuck with ourselves. We can retreat or lash out – but ultimately- those acts don’t serve us. We don’t find our worth by hiding or taking our problems out on other people.

So what do we need to do? 

When the inner and outer critics descend and we lose ourselves, I propose a very simple solution:

FIND YOUR FIVE!

Have you heard of the 5:1 ratio?

For every negative comments/interactions you receive, you need 5 positive comments/interactions to counteract the negative. 5:1! Find your five!

That’s right, seek out your five with intention and determination – lift up your head, get out of the house and actively seek out your five.  Call upon your five absolutes – our peeps, places, foods, etc. – that never fails to cheer us up and use them to put you into a more positive head space.

In no particular order – I’m listing the most recent five I used when I was retreating after a hard conversation.

  1. I called that particular friend that always knows how to make me laugh while filling the wine glass.
  2. I hiked to my power spot place in nature that always lifts me  up.
  3. I took out my paints and a fresh canvas – and I painted while listening to Lady Gaga.
  4. I cooked a birthday meal for a close friend.
  5. I trekked to my favorite art gallery and looked at brightly colored art.

It’s only by releasing the negative that we can release the energies within that help us create, love, and lift others up.

Seek out your five positives and find self-contentment. Let go of the negative. You are strong and glorious. Be your Light! And….journey on.

Find your five today!

You are blessed!

XOXOX

Rinnie Orr
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“A Celebration of Violet”: Gaining Confidence in Your Own Artistic Process

Preface:
If you are a student of the creative arts, chances are you have encountered an art instructor or two who seem to have all the answers. If you are a beginning artist, struggling to find your own artistic process and visual voice, perhaps you have been discouraged by a teacher or mentor that you follow or find inspiring. Seasoned artists sometimes forget the struggles of a less experienced beginner and make disparaging comments or suggestions that stifle expression rather than encourage it.

In a recent class, at the Art of the Carolinas, I had a painting workshop with a fairly well-known, popular artist. He’s privileged to be a full-time artist, with a full-time marketing manager. He produces fun, engaging Youtube videos, teaches art all over the world, and has quite a following. I was excited to be a part of the class, having watched his videos for a couple years. I even had him sign my paint palette for me. Yet, as he shared his own artistic process, he also made light of and trivialized the artistic process of a few of the students in the class.

Recently, in “Shine Your God-Colors” I wrote a meditation on a certain exchange I witnessed from him and another student in the class. This blog post is an extension of that meditation, touching on a couple more of his art “absolutes.” While I respect his own artistic process, confidence in my own process has given me voice to encourage you to “DO YOU!” When you take a class or instruction from a teacher – trust what works for you – take what you need and leave behind what you don’t.

1. “A Celebration of Violet“

“You should always begin a painting with a theme or concept. Know the title before you even begin to choose your colors. Paint until your theme begins to manifest on the canvas. Don’t approach your canvas until you have your theme.”

When people ask me about my process, I have to say it’s experiential and intuitive. I never approach a painting or art project with a theme, a concept, or even an inkling of what will be produced. I work messily – welcoming mistakes and “happy accidents” – I let the art reveal itself to me. When I have tried to create based on theme or concept, I never seem able to accomplish what I set out to do. A case in point, I recently titled a new project “A Celebration of Violet before I touched brush to the canvas:”

I know what you are thinking, right? What? Where’s the violet, and all those vibrant purples? If I had stuck with “A Celebration of Violet,” I’d feel disappointed and dismayed at my work. Now, I have to find a new title as I finish up these pieces. Any suggestions?

Whereas, I celebrate intentionality in many aspects of my life – work, relationships, spiritual practice, yoga – in art I have to let go and just be. AND…just let it be. Naming a painting before it even begins and takes shape is impossible for the intuitive artist. Art as spiritual practice must flow from the individual and can’t be streamlined into a simple process. You – the artist – must dive deep within your soul. You allow yourself to lose time and forget all about the world. You float as if in a dream, experiencing your art as if time has no meaning. All else in the world melts away and you are at one with your hands, the colors, the canvas, the textures, and the shapes. Totally engaged in the process.

Trust in yourself – trust in your voice – trust in your truth – and don’t let naysayers and absolutists define what your own artistic process and experience.

2. Claiming and Naming Your Art

“Never take a photo of your artwork and put it on Facebook asking your friends and family to name it for you. I hate that. That annoys me.“

“Conjuctio” – A recent wall-hanging named by an dear friend, Art R.

I asked. I posted on Facebook “Happy Monday. I am needing a name for this wall-hanging. Suggestions?” I heard from many friends, old and new, distant and close. I loved seeing the art piece through their eyes and perspectives. I couldn’t have thought up better names myself. Again, this was a art piece that came together with play and experimentation, and I think it’s perfectly acceptable to ask others to be a part of the process. You might be surprised at who participates in the process.

My buddy – Art R. – we go way back. We studied together at Chicago Theological Seminary, and we took many classes together on spiritual work and spiritual practice. I was delighted and had a big smile to get his title suggestion, a touch of Carl Jung, and a reminder of a life I lived so many years ago:

Conjunctio: “The alchemists often referred to the Conjunction as the ‘Marriage of the Sun and Moon,’ which symbolized the two opposing ways of knowing or experiencing the world. Solar consciousness is intellectual and relies on rational thought; lunar consciousness is feeling based and taps into non-rational sources of information like psychic impressions and intuition. After this Marriage of the Mind, the initiate experiences an increase in intuitive insight and the birth of Intelligence of the Heart. This newly found faculty produces a sense of reality superior to either thought or feeling alone.”

“I love you, Art, my dear friend! And miss you! Thank you for being a part of my life back then and for gracing my life now. While time and space provide distance, the Spirit still holds! Blessings my friend! Grace upon you.”

Title your art in whatever way you want. Be intentional. Work with a concept or theme from the beginning. Or not. Be you – celebrate your process – let go – be brave – and journey on, dear artist, friend, and fellow journeyer.

With Love and Joy,

XOXOX

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Rinnie Orr
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“Happy Accidents”

It’s a warm morning, like most of our mornings in Durham this winter. (I’m still not getting around to wearing my sweaters or my coat. I’m kinda wishing we could have a couple cold snowy days.) My friend Lee and I meet up for a cup of coffee at the cafe, to talk about art and other things. I’m trying to start up my own small art business, not sure where I’m going yet, but know I want to teach art classes, as well as sell my own art. Lee is an art librarian at Duke, and has purchased two of my paintings. He’s very supportive of my artistic development. So I’m not surprised at all when he asks me a very deep, personal question – “Where do you find inspiration?”

I start talking about my own artistic process, that often my paintings are full of “mistakes, and how I don’t paint them out. I work around the mistakes, and in some cases intentionally leaving them in the painting. I’m not sure why, but I’m not into painting with precision or attempting to create a perfect painting. I like the ‘messy-ness’ of the finished product when there’s colors and textures that don’t seem to belong, yet are readily visible. I’m not sure what that says about me as artist. Maybe it will become clear some day, but right now, I’m okay not having an answer.

  • “At Play”, 2018
  • “Your Land….Our Hands”, acrylic on canvas

Lee says, “Why call them ‘mistakes’, why not say ‘happy accidents?'” I say “I can work with that” and we move on to talk about other things. It’s not until later though, that I realize that I avoided the question about inspiration. Where DO I find inspiration?

Three weeks later, I’m still pondering the question and wrestling with an answer. Do I talk about how I find inspiration through deep, meaningful conversation with friends? …through reading literature that transports me to another place and time, and leaves me pensive and thoughtful when I return to my own couch? …through a walk in the woods on a cloudy morning and encounter a duck-filled pond? …through my travels to Guatemala and Nicaragua with the team in solidarity with LBGTQIA+ organizations in Central America? All these things leave deep lingering impressions on me long after the conversation, book, events are over and done. In what ways are these experiences inspiring and how do they inform my artistic process?

Or do I ponder about how I find inspiration in my daily spiritual practices of yoga, art and hospitality? How yoga and breath-work aids me in turning inward to finding and experience a deeper more authentic self? How art balances body and mind into the moment, and all I become is my hands playing with color and texture? How a practice of hospitality helps me to see God manifest in all who come across my path?

When I sit down to answer this question of inspiration, there are too many things in my life where I can point and say “that’s inspiring to my heart and soul.” But perhaps, somewhere though, the real answer lies in those “happy accidents” – those unplanned moments that take us by surprise and leave us with stories to revisit over and over again.

It was circumstance, bad luck and an unhappy accident that led our team to Nicaragua without our fearless leader, David, who wasn’t allowed into the country. We all had to stand up and find our way without David’s leadership, and I got the task of managing the expenses, making the trips to the hardware stores, and keeping us within the budget. Yet, even through the bad luck of the experience, our team became very close, carried out the mission with grace, and it was one of the greatest experiences I ever had.

Another “happy accidents” was in Antigua, Guatemala. I was ill from all the smog in Guatemala City, so I stayed behind that morning (close to the hotel), while the team went hiking up a volcano. Robb stayed behind with me, and we walked around the city marveling at the architecture and ruins and more, when we discovered the most lovely museum I’ve ever been in. Nestled in seven interlocking buildings, in and around gardens, was amazing art that thrilled and excited my soul.

So, it’s not really a real answer to Lee’s question, but rather an intention to be open to and be aware of – as I work, grow, play, do art, yoga, talk with friends, and continue living my daily life – those “happy accidents” all around that give shape, texture, and color into my life.

With love and gratitude….my beautiful friends! Peace!

Rinnie Orr
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“Your Land…Our Hands,” acrylic on canvas, 2019

Inspired by me conflicting feelings around the Thanksgiving myth we grew up with, and feeling solidarity with my African, Latinx and Native brothers and sisters. “Your Land…Our Hands” is a painting about boundaries.

  • “Your Land….Our Hands”, acrylic on canvas

The land, the sky, the trees, and even the sun, are all encompassed by boundaries.

Boundaries set, designed by the white imperialists who invaded. “This Land is My Land“…and as they invaded, divided, and settled on boundaries, the invaders stole from the Native, they enslaved the African and Latinx.

Their hands, their hearts, their blood, their sweat and their tears built this nation so the white race could have dominion. We have that dominion, and we are so entirely desperate to hold onto it.

Whereas I chose to put boundaries around the land, the sky, the trees, and the sun, the hands of the brown folk and the blood have no boundaries. The white imperialists did not exercise boundaries of restraint, of respect, or empathy as they conquered, stole and enslaved and forced people of brown, red, and black skin to build this nation.

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Rinnie Orr
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“Emergence”

“Finding one’s voice” may sound like a cliche, but my Emergence Project is simply that – it’s a spiritual process to bring God’s gift to light through image and word.

“Finding one’s voice” is to discover what God is communicating through you.

The Emergence Project and subsequent painting is an act of mindfulness and creation. In painting, there is fluid movement from one state of awareness to another. I am striving toward deliberate mindfulness, centering my focus on the paintings. Playing with shape, texture and color in hope of deeper truths to emerge from my heart and soul.

My “Emergence” painting is clearly of that process. Mainly consisting of purples and yellows, it depicts a branch (or a path) with four distinct paths to explore. From within the center, a figure emerges and will have to make a choice, which way to go.

So often when we think we are comfortable and have everything figured out, life happens, and we realize perhaps we will need to travel again through the murkiness of uncertainty. There often isn’t a “right” path, we just have to choose, jump in and head out.

For me, these are the times I actually feel God’s presence and become more productive spiritually and artistically. Choices are open and branches fan out. With God’s help and time for art, study, and meditation, I feel braver to set out. There’s faith and joy in the knowledge that what comes next will be productive and healing.

May it be so…

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