Art | The Direction of Intention

Something Old, Something New

Posted on April 18, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

50% OFF ALL ORIGINAL PAINTINGS THROUGH MIDNIGHT APRIL 22nd

Something old. I call this painting, “Canopy”

Horatio and I just finished one of our famous calls. He, too, is an artist [and film maker] and so I look forward to our all too rare and epic conversations. They are pot-stirring and life-giving. Today, among a host of other things, we talked about the necessity of letting go of the old story in order to move forward into the new.

Non-attachment. It is an artistic imperative (and spiritual practice). It is one of the reasons I love and appreciate Kerri’s total attachment to my paintings; I know my work is loved and in good hands so it frees me to continue stepping forward. I no longer walk this path alone. I have the same attachment to her compositions and trust my embrace of her work opens safe space for her artistic voyage to the edge.

Kerri treats the sale of my paintings more as a placement, a matching of hearts, than as a transaction. She’s helping me tell a new story even in the selling of my work. ” I hope you sell a lot of 50% off paintings,” Horatio said.

“Me, too,” I thought. In my new story that would mean a meeting of many, many hearts.

Earth Interrupted I. This old piece is the spark for the new

Filed under: Art, The Direction of Intention, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistry, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, non attachment, painting sale | Leave a comment »

If You’ve Said, “I Wish…”

Posted on April 17, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

50% OFF ALL PAINTINGS through MIDNIGHT APRIL 22

It is my favorite rituals. Just as I put the last stroke on a new painting I hear Kerri say, “I love it. You can’t sell that one.” I smile because I know she means it. Generally it takes a few days of convincing her before she acquiesces to the inevitable destiny of my paintings and we list it on the site. Letting them go, placing them in the world, is personal.

We take great delight when my paintings find homes with people who love them.

Soon, Kerri and I will celebrate 5 years together. A wish come true. This morning in the studio, sorting through paintings to select new morsels for the melange, we discussed how fortunate we are, how prolific we’ve been, how fast we are filling up space, how many people have said to us, “I wish I could afford that painting.” We decided that part of our celebration of the first 5 years should be a clearing of space, a nod to wish-giving (or as close as we can come to it), an invitation and welcome to the new.

It’s easy. Go to my site before midnight on April 22nd. Choose your painting – old or recent. Take 50% off the listed price (of course, there’s tax and shipping if we need to ship it to you). Send us an email through the contact page (or text or call us) claiming your painting. If it’s still available, it’s yours (our space-clearing is necessarily first come first served). We’ll contact you with the details.

Oh. And, don’t be surprised if Kerri tries to talk you out of it. She is persistent!

cropped head kiss copy 2

Filed under: Art, The Direction of Intention, Uncategorized | Tagged: #50%Off, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, erom yub, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, painting sale, potlatch | Leave a comment »

(Y)Our Earth [It’s Two Artists Tuesday]

Posted on April 17, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Take a moment to take a look around you. A thought to ponder and share from the melange.

Tibetan monks have been in residence this week at a local technical college. They are creating a mandala sand painting. For the monks, creating the mandala is a spiritual practice, a meditation. As they construct the design they contemplate the meaning of the symbols within the design. In other words, they are in a constant state of prayer while they create. They invite the community to enter the prayerful space and contemplate with them; the “space” is, of course, the essential part of their creation. More to the point, the shared space of peace, an intentional communal tranquility, is the creation. And, to make sure we grasp the point, the final step in their creative process is to blow the design away. Nothing is permanent. Beauty is passing and so are you and me. It is, we are, energy in motion. The process, rather than the product, is the meditation.

When Kerri drew this design it immediately reminded me of the Earth’s currents, a perfect sentiment for the coming Earth Day celebrations. The essential convection currents that create our wind, our weather. The currents in the earth moving layers of magma, the transfer of energy in the heating and cooling of the ocean. Motion creates life, tosses up forms and pulls them down again. Motion is life, life is motion. And, in this mandala we call Earth, there is a deeper meditation found within the sand and the impermanence: it’s all connected. We are all connected. Blowing sands. The process, the quality of our participation in impermanence, is the art.

From studio melange, an earth day meditation: this is your/our earth.

THIS IS (Y)OUR EARTH reminders/merchandise

iphone cases

a beach towel!

(Y)Our Earth Leggings

read kerri’s blog post on (Y)Our Earth

kerrianddavid.com

this is (y)our earth ©️ 2016 kerri sherwood & david robinson

Filed under: Art, Energy, Two Artists Tuesday, Uncategorized | Tagged: #earthday, art, art and spirituality, beauty, communal peace, connected, connection, connectivity, convection current, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, earth day, earth's currents, impermanence, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, mandala, meditation, passing beauty, peace, prayer, process, sand painting, shared peace, society6.com/twoartists, spiritual practice, studio melange, the melange, tibetan monks, tranquility, Two Artists Tuesday | 2 Comments »

As Sure As The Sun [It’s KS Friday]

Posted on April 13, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

a great logo for the certainty of the sun. this is a metal wall art piece

When you visit our melange page the first thing you read is our intention: brewed from our studio, sometimes fresh and sometimes aged, we offer a daily blend of goodness, thought, laughter, and beauty. Our offer. We offer what we have to give and what we have to give is an abiding artistic impulse expressed through many forms: cartoons, music, paintings, design, and our thoughts. A true medley. We have no lack of content.

One of the first things I learned about Kerri is that her artistic epicenter is a deep-well belief in kindness. She believes her work is a popcorn trail that leads people back to that deep-well. We regularly discuss spirituality and religion and she will often shut down my yawn-inducing-rants with, “If it’s not about joy, it’s not about anything.” From most people that would come off as a platitude but for Kerri it is a conviction.

Joy. Kindness. It is what she has to give. It is her offer. As Sure As The Sun is a song sprung from that well. What could be better on a cold where-is-spring Friday than a song of sunny warmth and the certainty of love. Our offer on this KS Friday from studio melange.

AS SURE AS THE SUN from the album AS SURE AS THE SUN (track 1) iTunes

Also available on CDBaby

PURCHASE THE PHYSICAL CD

AS SURE AS THE SUN LOGO merchandise

LEGGINGS!

BAGS & TOTES

MUGS & TRAVEL MUGS

SHOWER CURTAINS & TOWELS

read Kerri’s blog post about AS SURE AS THE SUN

kerrianddavid.com

AS SURE AS THE SUN from AS SURE AS THE SUN ©️ 2002 kerri sherwood

Filed under: Art, Creativity, KS Friday, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistic epicenter, as sure as the sun, conviction, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, joy, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood on cdbaby, kerri sherwood on itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, kindness, KS Friday, offers, society6.com/kerrisherwood, studio melange, the melange | Leave a comment »

Find The Doorway In [It’s DR Thursday]

Posted on April 12, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

A Doorway In for your Thursday from studio melange.

THISthedoorwayin FRAMED jpeg copy

You learn a lot about yourself combing through old sketchbooks. For instance, I am not a religious person but was gobsmacked to discover that in my life I’ve done hundreds of drawings on the theme of Jacob wrestling with the angel. Why? I had to research the story to have context for the images I’d drawn.

The other theme that populates my sketchbooks is much more conscious. It is… (wait for it…) Polynices and Eteocles. In Greek mythology they are the sons of Oedipus who, rather than share power, kill each other. It is my visual rumination on contemporary politics in America. Here’s the catch. Every time I attempt to translate my drawings of combat into a painting, the process leads me to a loving statement, Shared Fatherhood. I’ve made two runs at it. There are now two versions of my warring brothers turned to adoring parents. What!?

Kerri loves my Shared Fatherhood paintings. She has no idea of their sketchy origin. So, when she chose this week’s morsel from the first Shared Fatherhood painting, exclaiming, “I love this image! I think we should call it The Doorway In!” It jarred me a bit. The Doorway In. She is ever positive.

the first version of Shared Fatherhood, 39.5 x 51IN

I delight in the notion that in my visual meditation, through my hundreds of drawings on warring brothers, I am so incapable of arriving at a painting of mutual annihilation. It is a tired, old story. Rather, my muses, my sketchbooks, lead me to stories of hope for the future and images of quiet adoration. A doorway in.

a second version, Shared Fatherhood, 25.5 x 40.5 IN

THE DOORWAY IN reminders/merchandise

BEACH TOWELS

leggings

gift cards

TRAVEL MUGS

read Kerri’s blog post about THE DOORWAY IN

purchase the original painting

kerrianddavid.com

the doorway in/shared fatherhood 1 & 2 ©️ 2017, 2018 david robinson & kerri sherwood

Filed under: Art, Creativity, DR Thursday, Uncategorized | Tagged: art, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democrats and republicans, drawings, fatherhood, greek mythology, hope, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, Oedipus, painting, political dysfunction, polynices and eteocles, power mongering, self annihilation, shared power, sketchbooks, society6.com/davidrobinson, the doorway in, the melange | Leave a comment »

KS Friday

Posted on April 6, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” ~Pablo Picasso

Every artist knows that technique is necessary but artistry is not the application of technique. Artistry is transcending technique. Technique is tangible. It is possible to practice scales and study color theory. It is possible to grasp that different brushes do different things. There are bottom lines in technique, reductions and rules and complications.

Artistry is intangible. It is flow. It is expansive. It is simplicity and simplicity is so hard to achieve. It is one of those paradoxes I love to write about, the zones where truth bubbles precisely because it cannot be contained.

The first night we met Kerri played her piano for me. I will never forget it. This slight woman stepped up to her piano (she rarely sits when playing) and all reality shifted. She grew. She filled the room. I swear I saw her send an energy-root into the earth and she opened. What came through was…enormous. What came through was simple.

This lullaby, Kerri’s original piece, I Will Hold You (Forever & Ever) from her album AND GOODNIGHT, could certainly be played by a technician and you would appreciate it. Now, for your KS Friday from the melange, listen to what an artist can do. Sit back and give over to the simplicity.

I WILL HOLD YOU (FOREVER & EVER) from AND GOODNIGHT (track 25) iTunes

also available on CDBaby

And because she couldn’t resist designing with this title for babies or weddings or anyone you love, I WILL HOLD YOU (FOREVER & EVER) products.

‘forever and ever’ leggings

read kerri’s blog post about I WILL HOLD YOU (FOREVER & EVER)

kerrianddavid.com

i will hold you (forever & ever), and goodnight ©️ 2005 kerri sherwood

Filed under: Art, KS Friday, Uncategorized | Tagged: and goodnight, artistry, children, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, expansive, flow, forever and ever, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, love, lullaby, lullaby album, marriage, music, simplicity, society6.com/kerrisherwood, technique, the melange | Leave a comment »

KS Friday

Posted on March 30, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

Always With Us (track 14)

Kerri and I had a few days off. I’d never seen Door County so we jumped in the car and headed, as the folks around here like to say, “up north.” On our way back we stopped to say hello to Hans the music producer. Kerri and Hans have been for years dancing around producing an album together. Hans is also an amazing cellist. He gave us a tour through his recording studio and invited Kerri to give his studio piano a try. She sat and began to play. He sat at his cello and joined her. My mouth dropped open and I started to cry. Artistry, when it is pure, does that to me. I found myself standing in a sacred space created by two consummate musicians who were simply doing what they were born to do. They had no idea I was stunned to tears. They were playing around. They were having fun. They played together for about an hour, Hans dashing in and out to get different instruments to noodle around with, Kerri playing whatever came through the channel. I sat in the corner and tried to keep breathing.

Always With Us [solo piano version, track 2]

No recording exists of that day. I would listen to it every day if it did. It was spontaneous and as holy and temporary as a sand painting. On the drive home I tried to describe my experience to Kerri and asked her why she and Hans had never recorded together. “It costs a lot of money to record, ” she said, adding, “and, nowadays, with people streaming music instead of buying it, there’s almost no way to recoup the investment. It’s better to enjoy the process, to have fun playing with someone like Hans.”

I remembered that day with Hans when we chose Always With Us for this week’s melange. It turns out that our melange conversation this week has been all about artistic process: stepping blindly, having faith, landing in pot holes, making bold offers, capturing moments, and most importantly, treasuring the relationship with “something bigger” that comes through when the artist(s) step out of the way and something sacred happens.

ALWAYS WITH US from the album AS IT IS (track 14) iTunes

ALWAYS WITH US from the album AS IT IS (track 14) CDBaby

ALWAYS WITH US from the album ALWAYS WITH US (track 2) iTunes

ALWAYS WITH US from the album ALWAYS WITH US (track 2) CDBaby

PURCHASE THE PHYSICAL CD: ALWAYS WITH US v. 1

KS DESIGNS on society6.com

read Kerri’s thoughts on ALWAYS WITH US

kerrianddavid.com

ALWAYS WITH US from AS IT IS, ALWAYS WITH US v.1 ©️ 2004 kerri sherwood

Filed under: Art, Creativity, KS Friday, Uncategorized | Tagged: always with us from always with us v.1, always with us from as it is, artistic process, artistry, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, hymn album, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, music, musicianship, process, Sacred, sand painting, society6.com/kerrisherwood, spirituality, the melange | Leave a comment »

DR Thursday

Posted on March 29, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

There is a lesson for me in this week’s morsel. It is a lesson I’ve learned over and over again. It is a basic, a fundamental and perhaps that is why I am once again revisiting this lesson: Focus (perception) is like a narrow flashlight in the night. Where you point it will determine what you see. And, most important, you choose where you point it. And, even more important, what you see is narrow, what you don’t see is vast.

Kerri chose this morsel. I marvel at what she sees and what she chooses for our melange and how it blows back and impacts what I see. This morsel, she calls it, “held in process,’ is a snippet of a painting-in-process. At Skip’s prompting a few years ago I started taking process shots and nowadays Kerri regularly dashes into the studio to make sure I’m taking my shots (“What do you have for me?” she asks, striding down the stairs). I delight in this particular morsel because, when seen in the greater context of the finished piece, it captures perfectly the lesson. It is like a popcorn trail of perception, an exercise in focus-choosing. Enjoy this morsel from the melange. Follow the trail to the final piece. Have fun shining your light on the morsel, Held in Process and on Earth Interrupted II.

the beginning layer, the under painting.

the second layer

pix#1 pix#2

next layers – my favorite: paper sack!

the finished painting: Earth Interrupted II, mixed media 48×34.5 in

HELD IN PROCESS merchandise

II earth interrupted FRAMED ART PRINT copy

wall art

kerri designs all of our leggings and apparel

okay, so, kerri designs ALL of our products. Cool iphone cases…

…and throw pillows! and more….

read Kerri’s thoughts on Held In Process

kerrianddavid.com

Filed under: Art, DR Thursday, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistic iterations, artistry, creative process, creativity, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, design, earth interrupted, earth interrupted II, Held in process, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, morsel, painting morsel, process, product design, society6.com/davidrobinson, society6.com/kerrisherwood, technology, the melange | Leave a comment »

Two Artists Tuesday

Posted on March 20, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

A thought for your Tuesday from studio melange

The dividing line was approximately around the age of 40. It was a figure drawing session and those of us over the age of 40 came to the studio carrying pads of newsprint, drawing boards, pencils, pastels and vine charcoal. The artists under 40 came with a computer and stylus. It was a beautiful collision of the first order, both sides of the divide saying to the other, “I could never do that.” The younger artists referred to us seasoned (covered with charcoal dust) artists as ‘vintage.’

I am vintage. For me, making art is a physical activity, a full body dance. I need paint that splashes, brushes that drag across a surface, the smell and feel of the process. My canvases have always been large simply because I need to move. Art making, for me, is necessarily kinesthetic. It’s like splashing in puddles and playing in mud. The virtual equivalent is not visceral enough.

As vintage I will never be efficient or fast. I’ll never have the variance or range that digital process allows. That’s okay with me. I was born and oriented into the artist’s way looooong before digital wizardry. My parents provided me with a large wall and buckets of paint. That wall was a magic place, the portal to another dimension. Unlike the younger artists in the figure drawing class, I find a stylus and tablet physically limiting. The action is too small. What sets them free feels like a shackle to me. I love the dance, the mess, and the danger of not being able to insta-correct or click back to an earlier version.

To my digital descendants, my dust free successors, I AM the earlier version. We enter our magic place through different doors. And, that’s okay with me.

I AM A VINTAGE TYPE merchandise [leggings, totes, pillows, mugs, gift cards…]

read Kerri’s thoughts on I AM A VINTAGE TYPE

kerrianddavid.com

Filed under: Art, Two Artists Tuesday, Uncategorized | Tagged: art making, artistry, classic, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, digital, earlier version, Kerri Sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, old school, rough draft, society6.com/twoartists, the melange, Two Artists Tuesday, vintage, vintage type | Leave a comment »

DR Thursday

Posted on March 15, 2018 by davidrobinsoncreative

thoughts from the melange to give lift to your thursday

THISquarterearth interrupted I sharpened copy

this is a morsel of the painting Earth Interrupted I. Kerri calls this morsel Quarter Earth

I’d completely forgotten about this painting. It is so utterly different from everything else I’ve ever done that after I painted it I rolled it and never showed it. In truth, it was an experiment, something I didn’t at all take seriously. At the time, I was discontent with my paintings. I was bored and uninspired. I’ve worked long enough to recognize that my discontent signals an empty tank, a need to rejuvenate. Rest and refill the creative tank.

Earlier in my artistic life, these periods of emptiness caused me to panic. What if that’s it? What if I’ve lost my muse? What if my creative well is permanently run dry? In my panic I’d try and force things to happen, which you can imagine, served only to magnify my empty-discontents. There’s nothing like a good panic, a deep investment in creative-lack-theory, to generate a serious case of artist block. It took me a while to learn that I run in cycles, just like the seasons, that my creative spring ebbs and flows. Blocks are not necessary.

Now, when I hit one of ‘winter’ phases, in addition to taking it easy, I’ve learned the best thing to do is play. Experiment. Loosen the grip, spin the dials, re-open the eyes. Leave the studio and pretend I’m Andy Goldsworthy, stack rocks, arrange leaves, take walks and photograph random textures. Make snowmen. Scribble with crayons.

The morsel for today’s melange is an ancient map of my long-ago play. Paper sacks and paint and palette knife scribbles. I usually throw these things away or paint over them. But, this painting, so utterly different, created so many years ago, must have whispered, “Wait. Just put me aside and wait. I have something for a future you.” I’m so glad I listened. At this very moment, drying in the studio, is Earth Interrupted II. Earth Interrupted III is on the easel and already Earth Interrupted IV is calling me.