Looks like an island…..in my mind though

Posted on April 5, 2014 by the organic artist

I like the intricacies. Is it OCD, I’m not sure, maybe just a little. I do feel a compulsion to make art. I make art everyday one way or another. Sometimes I have got to throw paint around be brisk, tear it up, splat it, scrub it and mush it about. Other times I get very tiny, miniscule, and tight….the smaller the better, the more repetitions the better I feel. It is a meditation of sorts for me….the rhythm of the pen to paper soothes me. It puts me into the zone I love so much. I’ve talked about it before, it is pure nirvana. This is actually a print in my shop at…..www.theorganicgallery.com

Camellias are like hidden secrets

Posted on February 15, 2014 by the organic artist

I feel like I found a prize, that just keeps giving and giving. There are so many options with this lowly little flower. It’s kind of like a human being, so many looks. How is that? Isn’t that just wild when you think about it? No one looks exactly like anyone else, except ofcourse for identical twins. This struck me as so mind bending, as I studied the camellia trees and their new blooms, I saw little faces none of them exactly alike.

We have certain characteristics blue eyes, blonde hair, etc. But try drawing someone then the next person, and you will soon see the dilemma, the nuances, subtle, it’s all about a certain balance. The most beautiful, as society states, are those faces that are very balanced, their features measure almost identical, I learned this in art school. Take your pointer finger and thumb and measure from the bottom of your nose to the top of your eyebrow, if you slide this across your face to your ear it should be the same size. Measurements like this happen all over your face. Your mouth width to eye length, etc. There is symmetry, there is a perfection, and an almost mathematical system of proportion going on. You’ll learn this in an anatomical drawing class.

But, I’m not drawn or attracted to that to that. I’m drawn to the withered petals on the bush, I look for the quirkiness, for the imperfections on the petals. I find that to be the most fascinating. That’s why I fell in love with Diane Arbus, she fell in love with the eccentricities of life. That’s what I seek on the camellia bush, the odd, the misshapen, the dying petals…..they’re so much more interesting.

It’s that way with people too. I like to see the depths, the layers, and the history. Always look for the hidden it’s much more intriguing.

art, flowers, philosophy. deb haugen, the organic gallery, the organic artist, organic art, photography

Being grateful….

Posted on February 6, 2014 by the organic artist

Being grateful is an all encompassing feeling. It is a warmth that spreads throughout your body, thru your day, and throughout your life. It’s the warm, soft blanket of comforting I wear. It’s my broken down shoes that look just like my feet. It’s the smell of morning rain. Grateful is that cup of soup on a cold evening, or the feel of the book you are just finishing.
I don’t mind being completely enveloped by grateful. I’m grateful to be alive every day. www.theorganicgallery.com

Art supplies and drooling……

Posted on November 17, 2013 by the organic artist

11/17/2013

i LOVE ART SUPPLIES

They are my candy. I love trying new techniques, get me in a good art supply store and I’m lost for a couple of hours. Do you know the way a book feels when you first pick it up, just yummy, delish, like there are hidden mysteries inside yet to be discovered? That’s how I feel about a box of colored pencils or new tubes of paint. I feel the possibilities.
It is my drug, my obsession, my drink, my joy and my heroin.

When most women would rather spend money on shoes or bags, I am content with my green flip flops, but give me a new canvas….I drool, my heart beats a little quicker.

When I look at an empty brand new canvas the universe opens, a golden ray of light hits the canvas, and a choir of angels sing….o.k. I know that’s pretty dramatic but really in my mind thats what I see…..only possibilities.
Honestly I am never torn with insecurities of “oh god what do I paint”?……I just start…I am an artist.
So my words of advice…..find what is special in your heart, to you alone, something that fulfills you, and just start……Just Start.

Rolling Rock 30 x 40 acrylic, pastel, ink, craphite and marker on canvas

I’ve been ignoring my blog…

Posted on October 5, 2013 by the organic artist

Wow, Life does get away from you sometimes doesn’t it?

My mind has been elsewhere. These are the pictures in my mind and where it has been lately. Isn’t it wild when you think of all of the topics, thoughts, and pictures we create in our minds in a single day? That’s why the Buddhists call it monkey mind, our mind is everywhere flying through the tree tops doing a full somersault and landing upright only to take off on the trapeze again and again.

No wonder we need rest. I’m tired.

I haven’t been meditating like I usually do.

I need to get back to it, to melt into my bed at night letting everything drip off of me…..I awaken clean, clear and ready to tango with this crazy life over and over.

Sometimes I just need turquoise water, to float for hours.

What are the pictures of your mind???

Girls just wanna have fun!

Posted on August 20, 2013 by the organic artist

So these 3…..what to say.

My daughter and her 2 daughters.

One year ago they moved. They moved to Hawaii, and I thought my heart would crack in a million pieces. My daughter and her husband wanted a different life for these 2 girls, I understood. I don’t blame them. Living in an affluent area you see the trappings of wealth all around you. There had been way too many elementary school children coming out to the car pool line with their heads buried into their iphones, or ipads texting.

Texting in 5th grade???? On THEIR iphones???? NO, couldn’t be.

But sadly I see it everywhere, kids with their noses buried in video games, on the phone, etc. And not only is it kids, I see adults walking zombies, they cannot spend a moment alone, in silence. It’s so sad.

I gotta tell you, I was so sad to see them move , they live very close to me, but I will be there soon also. I went to visit, guess what we did? The girls took me to see ancient, hundreds of year old turtles laying in the sand, right across from their house on the beach. Can you imagine laying in the sand and having a conversation with a 200 yr. old turtle ….like that happens everyday? Well for my girls it does.

How amazing for these girls to experience living like this! The world was opening for them and showing what wonders it has to offer. The little one snorkels for hours lost in an underwater fantasy.

No their heads are not buried in video games, they are learning, living and thriving. I love these muchkins, and am so proud of my daughter and her husband for taking a stand. It was really tough for her. She left all of her friends, good friends that meant a lot, but the girls future was the over riding factor. She knew for the sake of her kids she had to do it. I am so happy, and so incredibly proud that she is the kind of Mom that she has turned out to become. Putting her fears aside, and stepping out of her box, to make a change for her girls. She cared more about their future than HER own insecurities, or fears…..I cannot tell her how amazing she is. I know how hard it was for her to step out of her comfort zone. It’s a great lesson for all of us. Take a chance, believe in your own strengths, they will see you through anything and everything, if you only give yourself a chance and the credit.