Seneca The Younger said "All Art is but imitation of Nature". Well, at first blush that kinda teed me off when I read it, but then I re-considered. Are we not imitating Nature in the strictest sense, particularly when we create ?

In Nature, there are seasons necessary to creating,to bringing something new into the world. The crops lie fallow and dormant in winter; Spring renews growth, life shoots through the soil, upwards toward the sun; summer brings blossoms and then Fall, the Harvest. The creative process is very similar; we process our ideas and allow them to germinate ( Spring); we allow our ideas to manifest and burst forth, whether on canvas, paper or bronze, ( Summer); we complete the work and once again return to thought for inspiration ( Fall) and the finished work is sold or stored ( Winter).

Our relationships tend to have seasons also. The rush of new love, the deepening of understanding & intimacy, the getting-comfortable-with-each-other, and sometimes, sadly, the end of the relationship either through death or severing of ties. If we could but learn to see these changes in relationships as seasons which are natural as Nature herself, perhaps we could also develop more respect for the weight of the process involved in being a significant other in someone else's life; perhaps then we could all learn to make better ( more relationship-organic) decisions, behave more humanely and lovingly with each other.

Just a thought.

This $65.00 small work ( 6"x6") can be purchased through www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com, or by emailing me directly. I check my emails daily, so you will get a prompt response. Thank you for taking time to share part of your day with me.

Warmly, Susi

Oscar Wilde and Matters of Art---

...He said "Life has been your Art; you have set yourself to music. Your days are your sonnets".

I especially appreciate Mr. Wilde's observation because it mirrors my own belief that we make our lives a work of art...or not.Every thing you do, every decision you make, small and large, grand or infinitesimal, adds to the tapestry you're creating. I know from my own well-worn path, however, that it is easy to get lost in the quest and lose sight of the value of the journey.

It is important to have life goals, to have an attainable mission for not only each day, but for the long haul. When the quest becomes the sole motivator in your life, though, you are losing yourself incrementally; you are discarding the genuine articles that comprise the landscape of your life.

Sometimes it's about staying grounded, having an anchor that keeps you focused not just on the horizon, but on what's truly precious in your life. For some that may be your significant other or family; for many it may be your work. Sometimes it's as simple as picking up a tomato or a plum.

No, it really doesn't have to be an actual tomato or plum, but just in case you need one to help you achieve feet-planted-in-the-fully-present, here is one I recently painted. At the summer shows, I was amazed at how fast these little fruit and veggie studies got snapped up, almost as fast as I could paint them.

I don't think that was a coincidence. I get the sense people are working at trying to re-connect with the earth, with that which gives balance to the rush-rush-hurry-go of thier frenetic daily hustle. Little paintings like this, product of earth's yield and seasonal movement, seem to be reassuring, engaging because they are so familiar, yet seen in perhaps a novel way that illuminates new thought, renewed appreciation.

"There is not a single work of Art that has not in the end added to the inner freedom of each person that has known and loved it". ( Albert Camus)

I'd like to think that maybe these small works may have an aspect of precious-ness for you; allow you to focus, at least momentarily, on something fully connected to life energy, full of promise and the hope of renewal.

As always, you may purchase this and many others of my work at www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com.


all images and text copyrighted-Susi Franco 2008

Well.....to say I've neglected my blog would be an understatement, so let's just leave it at I've been busy. Really, REALLY busy. There are so many new opportunities, so many new frontiers to explore that I find it difficult to prioritize sometimes, to divine which goal or project best serves my true objective. Being creative is a job, albeit a job unlike any other, and it must be tended to fastidiously in order to produce the best "product". I think because of that frenetic pace I often get caught up in areas which seem more pressing, and tend to let the low profile work simmer on the back burner.

I have so many new things to show you, lots of small works, which I've found over the last 9 months or so to be what buyers and collectors are seeking. Most folks can't afford big works as in prior years, so small was the way to go for the seasonal shows, and it was a concept that performed admirably for me.

All this talk of meeting new goals and re-thinking old ideas brings to mind something very wise my Grandpa Taylor told me when I was a little girl:

The story went that there was a ferryman who ferried back and forth across a river between two villages, countless times each day for ten cents a trip. A city fella asked him why on earth he made so many trips each day, that the people should be given a schedule, pick-up times that they'd have to abide by if they wanted to cross the river; that the crossing times should be at the ferryman's discretion, instead of the convenience of the passengers.

"That'd be more efficient", said the city slicker, " and you wouldn't be making all these crossings all day long".

The ferryman looked him in the eye and said "Mister, if you don't go, you don't get".

Even as a small girl, that story had an impact on me. I understood that we sometimes limit ourselves insofar as what we might achieve if we were only willing to think a little larger, work a little harder, go that cliched but so true "extra mile".

You must be willing to "go", to put yourself out there, do the hard work, whether in an employment situation or relationship or personal goals, in order to "get" the prize, the achievement you dream of and desire.

All goals, all dreams and wishes start with thought.
Thoughts are things; they have a definite energy, a definite force all thier own. Most people reject this concept at first, but think of it this way: you may not know how a microwave works, but it does work and very effectively ! It doesn't require your understanding to do it's work. Thoughts have the same energy, the same capacity for functioning very efficiently, whether you understand their process or not.

Think of what you want to accomplish, see it as an attainable goal, and then allow yourself to begin to feel grateful for it, as though you already have that cherished goal or thing in your life.

Learn to filter out what I call all those "NO messages", which sabotage your thinking and de-rail your hopeful feelings about your goals in life. If you complain and whine about your losses, your failures, the Universe will "hear" your negative thoughts and because like attracts like, will bring you even more losses and failures. Think successful thoughts and you will attract success.

I know, I know...it just seems too easy to be real, right ?

This is part of that whole "if you don't go, you don't get" concept I mentioned earlier. You must be willing to "go"...to accept that there are forces greater than you at work, every second you are in your Life, and that you can, with practice and positive intention, tap into them to your own great benefit.

When you can consistently be in that positive thought frame, you will be well on your way to the "get", the goals and dreams you've told yourself your whole life you deserve, but have never obtained 'til now.

I've been working at this myself over the last 10 months, and have seen such amazing things unfold in my life. It truly does work.

It requires that you discipline your thoughts, because as I said earlier, thoughts are things, and they have power and impact. But if just thinking differently could bring about your most important goals, make them manifest, isn't it worth your trying ??

Give yourself a little experiment with this concept. Quiet your mind, close out all the busy-ness of daily life, all those to-do lists and people tugging at the sleeve of your consciousness. Let your mind quiet and cool, like a still pond at sunset. Visualize your desires; think of what you must do to make the way for your goals ( this is called "right effort" by the Buddhists) to manifest. For example, if you desire a better paying job with more opportunities, re-do your resume or do extra projects at your current job or perhaps research on your own outside of work. You already know what you must do.

As you work on your "right effort", see yourself in that new job, at peak performance, banging on all six cylinders, happy and successful. Let yourself actually feel the gratitude of having that job ( requires some discipline to do this), and do so with all your consciousness.

The job will come to you, assuming you have kept positive thoughts, not allowed any "NO messages" or self-sabotage to creep in and keep you from right effort, and that you have consistently maintained positive energy in your thoughts on this goal.

Just try it. You'll see, and it will amaze you like nothing else in Life will.

We can talk more about this later, this manifestation of our thoughts/their becoming the path directly to our goals.

For now, I offer you a small token of my own thoughts for success....this 6"x6" oil and acrylic painting, titled "Perfume N' Pearls". This is a small part of my goal for myself, to have those lustrous pearls, to wear that expensive perfume when I attend my gallery openings, to enjoy the fruits of my labors and see them manifest in luxuries large and small.

As always, you may visit my website www.FineArtBySusiFranco.com to purchase any of the works you see here. I appreciate the time you've spent with me here, and there'll be more work posted soon.

I promise. :)

The meditation for this work today is" If you don't go, you don't get". -Dawson Waitman Taylor