sue clancy – artist

I was thinking of high tea as I worked on my last painting “Eager Beaver” so as I began a new artwork I continued thinking of tea related thoughts and phrases. At the time I was beginning the new painting some dear friends shared that they were taking a road trip to see the plants blooming in the desert. The thoughts of cactus and drought-resistant plants then reminded me of a local restaurant that has table centerpieces of vintage china cups with plants in them, like cacti, that don’t require much water. I enjoyed those unusual table decorations. I also thought of my own oft used phrases “just my cup of tea” or “not my cup of tea”. Isn’t it odd that tea is the reference regarding personal preferences? Are our preferences themselves drought-resistant so to speak – do they weather well over time? How do preferences change – or bloom – over time?

All of that was in my mind as I worked on this painting…

…which I finished and titled “Not My Cup Of Tea”. I chose the phrase ‘not my cup of tea’ as my title instead of ‘just my cup of tea’ because it seemed the more familiar of the two tea phrases.

This painting is now added to my series collection for upcoming exhibits via the Caplan Art Designs Gallery.

My thoughts about what is/is not “my cup of tea” preceded and then combined with something our Fairy Goddaughter said in a conversation around the same time. So I carried our conversation into my studio.

Yes, my hurt ankle has healed well enough that I can now spend 30 minutes or so in short bursts of time at my larger easel!! I have a stool at the easel now to perch on and I have to be very careful not to have my foot dangling down too long.

Working in short bursts of time has long been my general working method as that allows me to shoehorn artwork into an otherwise busy schedule and it also allows my subconscious mind to work on the artwork in a leisurely way. Like the feeling of happiness the creation of artwork often happens while I’m busy thinking of something else.

But working in the studio for short bursts due to a physical issue is a new wrinkle. Occasionally I’ve felt frustrated that I had the clock-time in which to make art but lacked the physical stamina. A large part of the creative life, I find, is in the willingness and the capability to creatively deal with limitations, to find ways to cope and still be able to continue with a project.

Here’s a peek at the larger new painting currently in progress…

If you haven’t already seen it I wrote on my email newsletter recently about some creative word + art games I play with myself in my sketchbook. Such games help me warm up my creative brain so that I’m able to hear friends talk about desert trips, to hear our Goddaughter talk about life, and then I can love these people via my creativity. Art is one of the ways minds can love each other.

I hope your week is pleasant and exactly your cup of tea.