Moving and Revisions (11/16/2021) – Still settling in at the new studio. The Joy of Transitions One of my colleagues back at Kaiser Permanente would describe moving and taking a new job as similar to the first moments of waking up from a dream. You don’t yet know what’s real and what isn’t real and there is a moment of… Continue Reading
Art and Food (2/3/2021) – Do artists have specific responsibilities? Is it okay for artists to use their creativity in fields beyond their typical media? One contemporary trend I’ve noticed my whole adult life is the gallery world tends to support artists with a recognizable and undeviating style. Pablo Picasso would never make it in today’s artworld. I’ve heard it… Continue Reading
Words & Images (9/14/2020) – The ability to perceive and understand language has been said to be hardwired in our brains. As we all develop (with exceptions only rarely) we learn to understand language, then speak a language and finally to read and write a language. Our culture is biased towards the written word versus a language of images. There… Continue Reading
The Most Beautiful People (7/29/2020) – The pandemic has impacted us all in America and not in ways any of us had anticipated. We have been forced to change our lives so completely as to make them almost unrecognizable. How many times have you watched a movie, seen the people hug each other without masks and without a care and been… Continue Reading
Art and the Covid-19 Pandemic – End White Silence (7/13/2020) – With my unexpected early retirement, I finally have time to make art on my own schedule – which is an incredible mental health boost. Making art is a form of meditation for me. Hours can swim by as I focus on creating images that I feel are imbued with life. One friend on Facebook had… Continue ReadingWriting Again (5/21/2023) – It’s been awhile since I’ve written. It would be easy to say – hey – I’ve been busy – but that isn’t the whole truth. Yes, I’ve been busy – with a home to care for, a new extremely adorable grandson and some volunteer work – but my writing which had been a large part… Continue Reading
Health, Art and Conformity (3/30/2022) – Fear versus Love This morning I read this New York Times article about artists and addiction. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/t-magazine/writers-alcohol-drugs-art.html Most of it discusses writers yet writers and visual artists share similar characteristics. They both require an inordinate amount of alone time to hone skills. They both also appear to be considered ‘cool’ if they are successful but… Continue Reading
On Fire (1/29/2022) – The climate crisis continues on with most leaders doing little to adjust in an effort to protect the earth. As an artist, I’ve made a number of pieces addressing climate change and pictured is a recent one. The original image came from an Atlantic magazine article about fires on the West Coast. The speed and… Continue Reading
Moving – The Joy & Chaos of Change (5/24/2021) – As an artist, part of how I’ve assessed my own health is in reviewing my creative output. Generally I am very productive. I have few neurotic needs, such as the need to create only on odd numbered days (I have met artists with similar needs) or the need to listen to certain music to be… Continue ReadingDyslexia (4/15/2021) – As I was taking a walk the other day on a level trail near our home, a cyclist approaching from behind called out, “On your left!”, which for most people would be a helpful warning. Unfortunately, here I am in my sixth decade and I do not know which side of me is left. I… Continue Reading
The Winds of Climate Change (2/22/2021) – The Winds of Climate Change, India ink and thread on Yupo paper, 2021 During the past few years I’ve noticed more and more mature trees toppled by the wind. Walks in the woods have become scenes reminiscent of the game pick-up-sticks. Trees are in random patterns littering the forest floors. I don’t recall ever seeing… Continue Reading
January 6th, 2021 (1/10/2021) – Created on January 7, 2021. Was the riot on January 6th a surprise to anyone? It certainly wasn’t to me. Trump has been declaring the election a fraud since before the election took place! Millions of people have believed him, and they are justifiably angry. It’s clear to them the election would not be fair… Continue Reading
Annual Holiday Card Making (12/8/2020) – Every year I create about 50 holiday cards by hand without any machines. Most years I begin thinking about the process before Thanksgiving and often I have a sense of anxiety since I don’t know what I’ll do. I’ve been making holiday cards for over 43 years. I’ve had a few years where I thought… Continue Reading
The 21 Day Election Countdown (11/5/2020) – Election Day!The 21 Day Election Countdown 2020 Beginning on 21 days before the election, I interpreted a photo or chart from the New York Times about the coronavirus pandemic. My goal was to remind Americans of the tragic situation due to lack of leadership in Washington. I knew, as a health professional, the virus would… Continue ReadingThe Supreme Court and RBG (9/28/2020) – Honor Her Most Fervent Wish It has been said a number of times that the election in 2020 has the potential for long lasting consequences. I hope everyone also realizes the election in 2016 has had long lasting consequences. It’s frustrating to hear people say that both Republicans and Democrats are the same – when… Continue Reading
Pandemic Ponderings: Thinking About Thoughts (8/12/2020) – Given the current pandemic, I created this zine to redirect my negative thoughts. It covers cognitive distortions along with quotes as counter-arguments. It’s also available on my Instagram page – instagram.com/marilynxmitchell. Pandemic Ponderings: Thinking About Thoughts Continue ReadingHonoring George Floyd and Too Many Others to Name (6/1/2020) – I am proud of my fellow Americans out in the streets this week. I am angry, frustrated and sick of the direction this country has gone. I remember 1968. I protested the Vietnam War with my parents and I’m proud to have been raised to express my First Amendment rights. Those times held within them… Continue Reading
BWAC’s Wide Open Exhibition (5/21/2020) – This is my first blog post and it’s an honor to announce the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition has decided to make their Wide Open Exhibition an online exhibition. It’s easy to be an artist during the Covid-19 pandemic since working alone in my studio is what I love to do. It’s not easy to exhibit,… Continue Reading