Paintings Drying on my floor

 Waiting and waiting for them to dry so that I can find room to walk around and  paint some more!

Illustration Friday: Hybrid

Hybrid Fish of the Sea

JUngle

JUngle

Illustration Friday: Robot

Rabbit Robot

Happy Anniversary Rite of Spring!!!!!!!

Here are some of my paintings from my Rite of Spring Series, Happy Spring!

Rite of Spring: Iris Moon, pastel

  Rite of Spring: Fire Dancers

Rite of Spring: Bikini Dance, oil on canvas

Rite of Spring: Dance, oil on canvas

 

BBC article on Rite of Spring Riot

Link to BBC Article about the famous 1913 music dance riot:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22691267

Frozen Plein Air on Marrowstone Island

Now that I have recovered from my broken ankle and am more mobile, I was determined to do some early morning landscape painting. My adventurous friend Beverly Michaelson joined me early one morning in February in what turned out to be 28 degree weather. We appeared by the side of the road looking like rotund elves topped with paint spattered smocks. Painting as fast as we could between sips of quickly cooling hot tea, we managed to capture some of the early morning light over Marrowstone Island's waterways. Here are some of our results. My smaller study and Beverly's landscape.

Children Riding Poodles, drawing by Andrea K. Lawson

Children riding poodles, a recent sketch.

Painting With Twigs, Hoh River

I swam in the river, dried off and sat on the perfect log. I always feel different, more a part of the landscape after swimming.The view overlooked the turn in the river, mountains behind, each silhouette a different shade of green and blue sky. I dab new colors, manganese and cerulean blue on my palette. Ahh, I was so inspired. I looked in my bag. My carefully packed brushes, one pointy, one flat were not actually carefully packed. They were not there. I looked around. Several different types of fluffy weeds and leaves grew by the log. I tried a sprig. The first disintegrated. I tried another style of weed. Eventually I painted this landscape with fingers, weeds and twigs. The act of creativity and observation makes me feel at one with the land, the way swimming does. The picture wasn't the fabulous depiction of the scene I had at first envisioned but I like the scratchstrokes and the energy of the marks. I thought about being satisfied with the experience of sitting in the wilderness just being part of it.

Bears In Flight Roll-up Screen

Recently installed screen for a client, Bears In flight, (detail)
Painted in acrylic and drawn with waterproof markers.

Artisans On Taylor Artwalk

Some of my mini paintings at Artisans On Taylor up through August 2011.

Artisans On Taylor Artwalk, Port Townsend

Me and Anna Nasset, owner of wonderful AOT at the Artwalk last Saturday night, August, 2011.

Wild Animals? Wild Poodles? at Artisans on Taylor this month

Dance your way to Artisans On Taylor for Andrea's Rainforest Portraits and Poodle Pictures!

Fun and poignant pictures for small or large spaces.

Artwalk August 6, 5-8 Pm at Artisans On Taylor in Port Townsend, Washington.

Mini paintings on view through August, 2011

Announcing the opening of my new Etsy Store, Flying Selki Studio!

Flying Selki studio is now open at Etsy.com Flying Selki Studio by Flyingselki on Etsy
I am starting with just a few items. Posters from my original art perfect for home, office or school and my Castle Coloring Book for Princesses and Princesses ( also available at bootylandkids.com) .
You'll find my poster, Ajax Cafe with Granite and more.

To start off my shop and the holiday season I am offering a promotional coupon code for a holiday discount on any item.Available for my friends and blogger s ! Use this code for 5% off any item: POSTERDEC1210

Thank you for supporting art and artists!

Transforming Gesture Artist Talk

Here are some stills taken by Christopher Overman, photographer extraordinaire from the dance performance installation piece inspired by the Transforming Gesture exhibit last Sunday, October 10, 2010.
Maureen Freehill and Nala Walla created a spontaneous dance about fertility and nature in the Northwind Arts center gallery.
The pictures show Andrea Lawson and Karen Kosoglad's paintings. Andrea's paintings were inspired by dance and specifically the ballet Rite of Spring. The program created another level of interaction between art dance, dance life,fertility, nature and expression.The exhibit will remain on view through November 1, 2010 in Port Townsend, Washington.

Dance and Life

Interview with Maureen Freehill a Butoh inspired dancer who will be performing at Andrea's Art Talk, Exhibit Transforming Gesture, Sunday, October 10 at 2 pm. Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, Washington. www.northwindarts.org.

What is Butoh?

Primarily Butoh is incapable of being defined...it is always emerging each moment. It is life and death and all that is in between. It is the soul as it is revealed authentically through the flesh.

That said, it is also a performing art that originated 50 years ago in Japan. Dancers Hijikata Tatsumi and Kazuo Ohno are credited as the founders of the art. It has now developed to be a performing art that is crafted, practiced and performed internationally. It is not traditionally Japanese...but certainly its source lies in Japan.

Who did you study under?

I studied for the past 16 years. My primary sensei (teacher) has been Kazuo Ohno with whom I studied, lived, performed for about 5 years in Japan.

When did you first learn of Butoh?

In 1993 I was searching for something to help with my disillusionment as a performer. I had been in--and quit-- an exclusive MFA broadway track acting conservatory program/scholarship and "dropped our" for a time when I saw a woman with an interesting T-shirt next to me in line at a music festival in Seattle. The woman turned out to be my first butoh teacher, Joan Laage, and the T-shirt picture was of her Japanese butoh teacher, Yoko Ashikawa.

How did you decide Butoh is the dance for you? What other dance forms do you practice?

Butoh just feels right in my body and soul. Ever since I met butoh, there has been no other life-art-dance practice that I never tire of and always am inspired and challenged by. It is like a soul mate for me and my body.

Apart from butoh, mostly I have enjoyed all kinds of improvisational dance like Contact Improvisation, Contemplative Dance Practice & Authentic Movement.

Since discovering butoh and my first trip to Japan in 1994, I worked extensively with Noh Theater and the dance/movement that is related to it as well as Nihon Buyo, Kabuki and Bejing Opera. My MFA is in Asian Performance and Directing from University of Hawaii.

I have also practiced many set forms of dance including modern, contemporary, ballet, tap, jazz, ethnic forms like west African, hula, belly dance, Korean dance, folk and contra dance, etc. as well as social dances like tango, salsa and swing. Enjoyment of many, mastery of none.

What does Butoh enable you to do that you wouldn’t do otherwise?

Probably nothing in itself....however my butoh teachers, especially Kazuo Ohno have enabled me to open my heart, body, mind and soul in ways I am sure I never could have without their inspiration and guidance. Simply living and studying in Japan for the time that I did allowed me a perspective on myself, my creativity and my conditioning from growing up in the USA that I believe I could not have seen or known had I not gone. The completely different perspective, culture and landscape woke me up and opened gateways of my creativity, strength and skill that were inaccessible otherwise.

How does Butoh compare to other dance forms?

It is not a form. Other dance forms are form based. Butoh is body, life, soul, earth based and not defined by any particular form. It is a practice, an art, a way of life. It is not a technique or a set of moves or style or steps that can be mastered.(http://butohdance.ning.com)

When you look at these recordings, what is lost in the transfer to digital media?

One thing would be the "trapping" of a moment...when we see something live our memories can recreate it in all kinds of ways that may or may not be anything like the original work.

I’m not so sure what the difference of digital or analog would be but ANY kind of recording tends to loose much of the living breath, the environmental context, the invisible emotional and energetic atmosphere....sometimes I am lucky and these things still magically come through..

What is improved by having your performance recorded?

Certainly one thing that is better is how many witnesses are able to partake of a bit of the performance at any given moment. With the film it is possible to dance anywhere at any time I get an impulse or inspiration and make the offering to a wider circle for as long as we have internet. Dance is naturally a disappearing art...film is not. Also, in live performance situations you need to publicize, call the audience together to a specific place. This takes a great deal of energy.

What motions do you most often repeat? Or is repetition something you endeavor to avoid?

Since it is not really about "motions" per se I would have to go back and take a look to see what I did the most. In butoh I do tend toward simplicity in body movements so the feelings can emerge...standing, walking, turning, sinking and rising, rolling...jumping....not lots of "fancy moves" for sure. The Noh master Zeami wrote: "Feel 10 and show 7." Generally in butoh less movement is more effective.

That said, in some daily dance situations my "dancerly" self and training naturally arise out of the moment...I’m "moved" by the music in some way that is more "dancey" and less "butoh."

In a dance, do you hope to translate some meaning or particular interpretation to viewers?

Not exactly. It is not about expressing anything or telling anything in particular. However, inside me there is a particular intention, focus of attention, image, feeling, experience or even a story that is unfolding. I am far more concerned with being true to that and not with whether the audience "understands." I am always curious though about what they do feel, remember and "get" from any given performance that I offer.

How do you prepare for a performance?

The most important preparation is the process of practicing butoh daily for many years--as my spiritual practice and means of growth as a human being. There are many many butoh exercises for the body, mind and heart that I practice regularly. These have come from my various teachers or been created by me and are what I now teach in group and private lessons.

When it comes to a particular piece or work that I am crafting, I begin with something that inspires my heart, emotions and soul very deeply and particularly and something I am curious about but not sure about. An example would be my enthusiasm about the ocean as the mother of all life. The process of making performance is one of revelation and discovery always unfolding in surprising ways.

I play freely with an image, body sensation, emotion or other being/object and then movement patterns emerge spontaneously. Usually the technical elements like staging, costume, sound, lights, props, etc. come toward the end of the process. They grow naturally out of the feelings and images.

I never start with a "look" I am looking for. I used to do that.

My teacher Kazuo Ohno is known for the coaching: "Not thinking, only soul." and, although that is very difficult for any performer, I keep doing my best to prepare in that way.

I am looking forward to experiencing the collaboration between Maureen and Nala, and Transforming Gesture paintings!

I would like to invite you to the Transforming Gesture Exhibit Reception this Saturday October 2!

Here is the poster for our show!
I am excited to be showing with two other fabulous artists, Amy Reeves, jewelry and Karen Kosoglad, painter.
Karen and I both went to U.C. Santa Cruz and studied with the same teachers. We have a lot in common with our gestural process, but also very different palettes and approaches to our imagery.
Amy and I met when we both attended the Artist Trust Edge Program. Each of us produces art inspired by nature expressing the gesture of form. It is because we each have this gestural quality that I thought our work would be interesting together. Each of us echoes nature in a new way. We'll find out this Saturday, when we see the show hung together. I'm looking forward to the surprise of the alchemical creation as our three art forms coalesce into one art show.

Andrea donates oil painting, Artisans On Taylor Starts a new scholarship for Youth

"I am going to be starting a scholarship fund for youth in our community", says Anna Nasset of Artisans On Taylor in Port Townsend. Andrea recently exhibited paintings at Artisans On Taylor and has work in AOT's online gallery. I was happy to donate a painting to this new worthwhile cause. Thank you Anna for supporting the arts and supporting education in Port Townsend!

"Call or stop in to buy a raffle ticket, or you can feel free to donate as well by simply making a check to AOT with "Scholarship Fund" in the memo. My goal is to raise through gallery donations and client donations $5000 a year!", Anna Nasset

I donated this small oil painting called "Wings Feather" to the raffle.

Andrea Now Showing at the Directors Gallery on Bainbridge Island!

Andrea's Paintings now showing at the Directors Gallery, Bainbridge, Washington on view for First Friday Gallery Walk!
New this month, August 2010, Andrea's paintings will be at the Directors Gallery on Bainbridge Island!
First Friday Gallery walk is tomorrow Bainbridge Island Galleries are open from 5pm-8 or 9pm
Contact information for the Directors gallery: The Directors Gallery
126 Madrone, Bainbridge, Washington open daily 10-6pm

Paintings at Artisans On Taylor through August

Please stop into Artisans On Taylor, Port Townsend, Washington or visit the beautiful online gallery at Artisans On Taylor/Artists.

September Bouquet, oil on canvas