IN MY STUDIO TODAY - 11/20/24

In my studio today (River painting on the left from Pilar - "Beside Still Waters" - on the easel Llano Passing Storm and Shadows") - ten days without cable news, going for 30! There is HOPE!!! Slowly returning to sanity! Being peaceful could again become a habit!!!!
 

WORD PAINTINGS #147 - FEAR, UNCERTAINTY AND DOUBT

 

WORD PAINTINGS # 147 (How I came to New Mexico and learned about Art and Life) - FEAR, UNCERTAINTY AND DOUBT

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) is a manipulative propaganda tactic used in sales, marketing, public relations, politics, polling, and cults. FUD is generally a strategy to influence perception by disseminating negative and dubious or false information, and is a manifestation of the appeal to fear - Wikipedia

12 November 2024 - Even though cable news tells us we have never been here before - it is the Fear stoked by politicians and cable news that immobilizes us!   Yesterday was Veteran's day and I remembered my uncles Alvin Hermesdorf who fought  bravely in the Battle of the Bulge. Uncle Roy Knoll who fought alongside the British in Burma and Calcutta. Hitler invaded  the port of Gdansk, Poland, on September 1st 1939 - I was born two days later.  Am certain that the months, perhaps years before the conflict began my family sat around the kitchen table, elbows on much worn flowered tablecloths, and discussed all the "What-ifs" leading up to the invasion.  There were still  relatives in Gdansk and inland Poland. Their worst fears grew and came to fruition as ordinary worlds exploded. 

No one would ever be the same!  Battles, invasions, Omaha Beach, family separations, losses of life, relocations in Europe, food shortages, prison camps, concentration camps -  immense suffering and unbelievable atrocities!!!  These were the stories of the first six years of my life. What I remember most is the FEAR!  Adult fears were magnified a thousand times in my child's mind.  We all gathered around the radio to listen to President Roosevelt's Fireside chats.  Letters from Uncle Roy telling me that there were huge snakes under the hammock where he slept and his best British buddy had been killed in battle the day before.  I sent him letters and drawings and my child mind could only imagine what "being in danger" meant, but I was seriously afraid of losing him.Let us not forget the atomic bomb!  Hiroshima and Nagasaki!!! As young children we had "bomb drills" and hid under our desks to protect us from an enemy attack!  There were city wide sirens blaring - warnings to find a safe place to hide.  Not much comfort after seeing the rubble of the two cities in Japan!  Today our "babies" wear bullet-proof backpacks to school and are terrified by regular "active shooter" drills. They and their Moms and Dads live in constant fear.

The Japanese surrendered on Sept. 2 1945  Then came the announcement that the Big War was over!!! I was six years old and  vividly remember how we celebrated VJ Day at our house on Whipple Street in Chicago!  My uncles returned searching for their places among families and friends. They were strangers - their old lives were happy memories. Everything had changed, they were forever changed. No longer young and beautiful they had returned from the pits of hell only to begin again at the beginning, while dealing with nightmares and unimaginable memories of bombs and bullets.

And then came Vietnam!!! The same horrific consequences of fighting a war in a land no one even knew existed until they were drafted!  More losses and atrocities - years of FEAR! Anti-war demonstrations tore this country apart - are you old enough to remember Kent State? Henry Kissinger regularly on TV outlining all the reasons why we are in another "necessary" war! "Remember the secret invasion of Cambodia?  Young soldiers taken to prison camps and tortured, Agent Orange, Mai  Lai massacre - Remember?   Our veterans returned to be ignored and ostracized - some of whom are still struggling or died by suicide!

Can the modern newscasters even imagine the state of our world at war?  I sincerely doubt that they have any idea of what it was like to live in those times.  Instead they help to scare the bejeezus out of little old ladies who believe they will suffer at the hands of mad Haitians!  Modern day media is a money-making proposition and our once a future king is the centerpiece for most of our fear and confusion.  Truth-telling is a total stranger to many politicians and some media pundits. Where is Walter Cronkite when you need him?

Sadly our lives are governed by our fears! For some eerily strange reason, this new administration is too ambitious and terribly messy.  Instead I believe it will fail under the weight of  lofty goals to change the world order in their bleached and entitled image of themselves. No doubt there will be severe consequences as a result of the passionate advocacy for their 2025 Project.  Enacting their policies will affect everyone in  this country, including their own constituents - much to the shock and surprise of many voters - you know who they are! The disruptions will be broad and severe and the economic policies will cause great hardship. They have caught the car. 

The results of this election changed our country Forever!! What the agents of change have forgotten is the strength and power of the American people.   WE ARE SURVIVORS!!!!  The Great Depression, WWII, Korea, Vietnam - we have met each challenge with fierce bravery and have emerged from the darkness of then and we will emerge from the darkness of now!!!

Time to slow down. Most of what we fear today might never happen and our energy and time would be wasted. They only win if we give into our Fears!!  Believe in the goodness of "US"....

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...

WORD PAINTINGS #146 - GONE TO SANCTUARY

"WINTER DREAMS" (Llano Quemado - Truchas, N.M. - The road to the horse ranch)

 WORD PAINTINGS # 146 - Llano Quemado, New Mexico 

"Forward and backward I have gone and for me it has been an immense journey.....Perhaps there is no meaning in it at all, the thought went on inside of me,save that of the journey itself, so far as men can see.  It has altered with the chances of life, and the chances brought us here; but it was a good journey - long, perhaps - but a good journey under a pleasant sun. Do not look for the purpose."  Loren Eiseley, Naturalist - The Immense Journey

4 November 2024 - Heavy snow clouds on the mountain this morning.  Snow on the foothills across the field from my window.  Predictions for two days of snow.. What a blessing.  The Almanac forecasts a La Nina winter, which usually means a very dry season; this early storm is a very welcome surprise!  

Learned to love the quiet isolation of a winter storm when I lived on the horse ranch in Truchas.  A panic attack at first - no noise, no goings or comings - just me, myself and I - plus piles of canvas, fat tubes of paint and many brushes large and small.

6 November 2024 - Yes, shocked and saddened by the results of the election.  What now? How can we prepare for Project 2025 and all the changes and chaos to come? Darkness - retribution! Real life is full of both good and bad surprises - some heavy-duty shocks! What to do? Where to turn? How to cope?  I looked around my studio and NOTHING HAD CHANGED!  A blessed numbness set in and I realized that the only changes I could make were in my own mind, my own way of dealing with darkness - just get through it one day at a time.  Focus on ordinary things that bring peace and joy, create something, practice kindness - don't let them win.  Deciding to move forward - I don't have a map to lead me out of this wilderness - need to make a list to find my way.... 

Walk into the Storm eyes wide open! When in doubt, stock up the pantry!   Wednesday is grocery day - up early to make my list.  Daughter is stranded in New York and upset about election news.  Unable to return due to 3-day heavy snows predicted - over 12 inches.  Sent grocery list to my helper - blizzard began while he was at store.  Felt lucky to be stocked up. Was once stranded on the horse ranch over two weeks - it was the holiday season, schools were closed and the plows didn't come through until after the New Year. Had a little Sears freezer stocked with homemade soups and essentials.  The wood pile was low.  Breathed a big sigh of relief to see that big snow plow huffin' and puffin' down that narrow dirt road!!!

Remembering the catastrophic Chicago snowstorm of 1966. 46" snowdrifts in the front yard. My twins were 3 weeks old, my son 18 months. Their dad was supposed to bring groceries. No food in the house, no formula for the babies.  Beyond fear.  A total stranger showed up at my door asked me what I needed. He walked about a mile with with a sled loaded with two cases of Similac. That man was my very shy next door neighbor - my hero.  In these times I am reminded of Miracles - and I still Believe that we will get through this time!

Organize my thoughts. clear my mind! Stop watching the news. Don't read the headlines. Making piles of all my favorite books - each one helped me through my dark days.  Maxine Hong Kingston The Fifth Book of Peace, Thomas Merton, Behaving as if the God in All Life Mattered! Words that calm and uplift my spirits!Focus on Today.  Make some art! Order my paints to get me through the winter.  About 12 canvases already have images assigned to them in my mind - even the frames are ordered.  Will just keep on keeping on. When in doubt, get very quiet - hunker down. Don't give in to fear!!!  Amidst the chaos, put up a "do not disturb" sign, create your own little corner of peace.  CELEBRATE THE ORDINARY!!!

Create Sanctuary!

OJO SARCO - NEW! 30'x30" Original Oil, framed

 

 

 OJO SARCO (on the High Road, northernNew Mexico) - NEW! - Completed 6/27/24 - 30"x30" Original Oil onBelgian Linen, framed

30 June 2024 (Llano Quemado, New Mexico) - Celebrating 25 years of DonnaClairArt.com -

Ojo Sarco begins a new series of oil paintings both large and small. Beautiful 24"x30" blank canvas on the easel this today....will begin to block it in tomorrow right after my morning coffee - new update sometime next week. Enjoy!

My sincere thanks to Art Friends everywhere. So grateful for your continued encouragement and support!!!! Donna

WORD PAINTINGS #144 - GUATEMALA 1991 PART V - TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES

                                                  BEARERS OF LIGHT 

                         EASTER 1991 CHICHICASTENANGO, GUATEMALA

WORD PAINTINGS #144 (How I came to New Mexico and learned about Art and Life) - GUATEMALA 1991 - TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES. https://donnaclairwordpaintings.blogspot.com/

WORD PAINTINGS #143 - GUATEMALA 1991 PART IV - INCIDENTS AT COPAN

WORD PAINTINGS #143 (How I came to New Mexico and learned about Life and Art) - GUATEMALA 1991 PART IV - INCIDENTS AT COPAN - https://donnaclairwordpaintings.blogspot.com/
 

ESTACA IN BLOOM - Prints, greeting cards, posters....

ESTACA IN BLOOM (Estaca, New Mexico) - Prints, greeting cards, posters and many other great items now available at Fine Art America! https://fineartamerica.com/.../estaca-in-bloom-donna...

CLOUD PEOPLE - 40"x30" Original Oil

“The images of peace are ephemeral. The language of peace is subtle. The reasons for peace, the definitions of peace, the very idea of peace have to be invented, and invented again.

Children, everybody, here’s what to do during war: In a time of destruction, create something. A poem. A parade. A community. A school. A vow. A moral principle. One peaceful moment.”

—From THE FIFTH BOOK OF PEACE, Maxine Hong Kingston

 

"THUNDERSPIRITS"  40"x30" Original Donna Clair Oil painting - 

 

WORD PAINTINGS #142 - GUATEMALA 1991 PART III - CIVIL WAR

 

WORD PAINTINGS #142  (How I Came to New Mexico and learned about Art and Life) - GUATEMALA 1991 PART III - CIVIL WAR - https://donnaclairwordpaintings.blogspot.com/2024/04/word-paintings-142-guatemala-1991-part.html

WORD PAINTINGS #141 - GUATEMALA 1991 PART II - CHICHICASTENANGO!!

WORD PAINTINGS #141 (How I Came to New Mexico and learned avbovut Art and Life!) - GUATEMALA 1991 - CHICHICASTENANGO  - https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7034907808229634019/3441015536756478147

 "A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep".  Remembering that day in 1956 when teachers Ms. Schaefer and Ms. Flynn regaled my Spanish class with colorful stories of their trip to Guatemala. Their excitement about spending Easter Sunday in an exotic-sounding place called Chichicastenango was joyful!!! Chills, goosebumps, their excitement was contagious! I said the strange name to myself over and over  "Chichicastenango"  - it needed to be tucked away - never forgotten.  Thirty-five years of  life passed....children, marriages, divorces, recovery. It was possible that our move from Chicago to the alien planet of Santa Fe, New Mexico, trips to Mexico - my life on the horse ranch in Truchas was as far as I would go. There would be no more surprises.   No time for my Dreams of Distant Places!  The name was almost lost to me until that morning in my Taos studio when I heard it again on the radio ad.  Shivers of anticipation. Nothing was holding me back (except for my agoraphobia). Excitement. Yes indeed, my much younger self jumped for pure joy. 

1991 - Walking through the plaza of Chichicastenango on Easter Sunday morning!!! Brilliant colors, clouds of incense, firecrackers -wonderful heart-stopping chaos! Christ was risen.   I couldn't breathe! I couldn't hold enough of the experience in my body. Noise, crowds of strangers , I was transported - five feet off the ground - having the most amazing experience of my life!!!!  A dream fulfilled! Following the cobblestone paths wherever they led I had a day full of adventure.Vendors with their bright weavings propped up on poles leaning against the walls of the houses lining the streets.   Some of the huipils still had a sweet smell of smoke - they had been woven on looms next to their home fires. 

The Cofradia processed to the Iglesia of Santo Tomas. Solemn. All my young girl Catholicism rushed back to life.  How much of their ancient religion was still there, covered by the pomp of these more modern rituals?  Their strong faces mirrored the sculptures in a museum we visited - in  Tikal and Copan. The Mayan culture that had "disappeared" was living and breathing right before my eyes.  The wonder and the mystery is still there.  Their culture survives in secret places - private rituals - heart prayers.  This might seem heretical to both cultures, but I have an idea that their ancient gods and our not so ancient saints are somehow all connected.  It is quite possible we all pray to the same God.

For most of my adult life I had been asleep to the ways of the world....until  Guatemala! Easter Sunday was only the beginning...... 

WORD PAINTINGS #140 - GUATEMALA 1991 - SEMANA SANTA PART I

 

WORD PAINTINGS #140 (How I came to New Mexico and Learned about Art and Life) - GUATEMALA 1991 - SEMANA SANTA PART I - https://donnaclairwordpaintings.blogspot.com/2024/03/word-paintings-140-guatemala-1991.html

FIRST LIGHT - Prints, Greeting cards.....

FIRST LIGHT - A quiet New Mexico morning - waiting for the rain. Prints, greeting cards and many other great items now available at Fine Art America....https://fineartamerica.com/.../first-light-donna-clair...

MAYORDOMO (Spring cleaning)

 

It's that time of the year - cleaning the acequias! "MAYORDOMO" - My painting in honor of friend and long ago Mayordomo of Truchas, Cosme Romero - prints available https://fineartamerica.com/fea.../mayordomo-donna-clair.html

 

A Mayordomo is the official elected to maintain the irrigation system known as the Acequia Madre -- centuries old "Mother Ditches" that bring water from the mountains to the villages here in northern New Mexico. He oversees the spring cleaning of the ditches (as seen in the painting) and manages control of the water to ranches and fields. The original painting "Mayordomo" was completed as an homage to my first Truchas friend, the local Mayordomo, Cosme Romero. I was living at the ranch on Llano Quemado on the outskirts of Truchas.
 

OJO SARCO - 30"x30" WORK IN PROGRESS (UNDERPAINTING) - COLOR NOTES

 2/23/24 - OJO SARCO - 30"x30" Work in Progress - For most of this canvas I just mxed the tube colors with English Distilled Turpentine - very little Underpainting White. COLOR NOTES:  Sky-Portland Grey Cool, Paynes Grey, Warm Titanium White.  Green Trees - Chrome Oxide Green Opaque, Prussian Blue, Cadmium Green Light. Yellow Trees: Cadmium Yellow, Naples Yellow Deep.  Reddish Trees: Mars Orange, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna,

DREAMKEEPER - 12"X12" Original Oil, Framed

DREAMKEEPER (Moonset 11/22/23 -- Llano Quemado, NM)12"x12" Original Oil on linen panel, framed in gold with linen liner

 

Bring me all of your dreams

You dreamer

Bring me all of your

Heart melodies

That I may wrap them

In a blue cloud cloth

away from the too rough fingers

Of the world

Langston Hughes

 

RIO FERNANDO - NEW! 8"x10" Original Oil - SOLD

RIO FERNANDO (New Mexico) - NEW! 8"x10 Original oil on linen panel, custom framed in gold with linen liner, free shipping -SOLD

SANTA FE RFD, 11"x14" Original Oil, Framed - SOLD

First painting of this New Year! SANTA FE RFD, 11"x14" Framed in Gold, free shipping...SOLD

WINTER GIFTS 2023

 To Art Friends everywhere!  The original of this painting, WINTER GIFTS, was "adopted" by some great friends and very prolific art collectors years ago and still resides in a lovely home in Taos. The street in this painting is the main street in Truchas -- I walked to the post office from my little adobe house every day and still keep the memories of that special time and place very close. The woman is the memory I've kept of my little Polish grandmother, Aniela— she carried a shopping bag with her everywhere -- those were her "gifts" her "surprises". The words of Fra Giovanni never fail to inspire and uplift - especially at this time of the year. From my heart I wish each and every one of you all the best of this holiday season -- Hug someone special today! Sincere best wishes, Donna - Taos, New Mexico 2023

"There is nothing I can give you which you have not;
But there is much, very much that while I cannot give it,
you can take.
No heaven can come to us unless our hearts
find rest in today. TAKE HEAVEN.
No peace lies in the future which is not hidden
in this present moment. TAKE PEACE.
The gloom of the world is but a shadow.
Behind it, yet within reach is joy.
There is a radiance and glory in the darkness, could we but see,
and to see we have only to look. I BESEECH YOU TO LOOK.
Life is so generous a giver, but we, judging its gifts by
their covering, cast them away as ugly, or heavy or hard.
Remove the covering, and you will find beneath it
a living splendor, woven of love, by wisdom with power.
Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the angel's hand that
brings it to you. Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or
a duty, believe me that angel's hand is there; the gift is there,
and the wonder of an overshadowing presence.
Our joys, too, be not content with them as joys.
They, too, conceal diviner gifts.
And so, at this time, I greet you.
Not quite as the world sends greetings, but with
profound esteem and with the prayer that for you now and
forever, the day breaks, and the shadows flee away."
Fra Giovanni, 1513 AD

DON GREGORIO'S WINTER FIELD - 48"x36" Original Oil

DON GREGORIO'S WINTER FIELD(Truchas, N.M.) - 48"x36" Original Oil on Belgian Linen - framed in Silver with linen liner

GRACIAS A LA VIDA!!!!

 

25 November 2023 (Llano Quemado, New Mexico)

This painting is called "Our Daily Bread" and was completed in 2008....a wonderful day at Taos Pueblo with Santa Fe artist and good friend, Dan Bodelson. We bought that loaf of bread just as she was taking out of the horno and in minutes it was gone - beyond delicious!. Counting my blessings and giving thanks for all these precious memories! Sending my gratitude to Art Friends everywhere - best wishes to one and all - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Donna