Every month, I write something about the Art Walk that happens in Guerneville, CA, on First Fridays.  In November, it happens that I do have a couple of pieces showing at Mark Lifvendahl Fine Art on Main Street, and one of the images appears here, and another on the main page of my Website - KarenLockertArt.com.  I hope you take the time to look at my work, and the statements I have written about them.  The one above is an older piece, "Rose Covered Cottage - The American Dream", and is what I call a three-dimensional multi-media painting. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail them to me by replying to this blog.  I LOVE to talk about my work! My newsletter, the Copper Owl News, contains more information about the Makings and Doings I and my fellow artists at the Art Walk are up to.  

At a workshop long ago, we participants were asked to write about what would be our perfect work day. I saw this as a picture of my perfect routine, with the perfect combination of people, solitude, and environment.

My perfect day hasn’t changed much since I first envisioned it – early morning alone time, followed by a meal in community, then work in solitude for most of the day. There would be consultation time in the afternoon, followed by another communal meal, and a quiet evening.

  Part of my perfect day includes being surrounded by natural beauty, water, blue skies, hand crafted goods, and places to walk and explore. I love being outdoors, or with a great view outside the windows. Living in a small town means people greet me on the street, and yet I have the freedom to be myself.  It’s a funky place, but it’s the homespun imperfection and the old stuff everywhere that inspires me.  My work, which I don’t consider nostalgic, reflects the slowly-made, lovingly-used, quality objects that once were commonplace, and it inspires me to live a slower, more meditative (mindful) life than I ever could in the busy streets of the big city.  My work is slowly built up in layers of many kinds of materials, just as life – or an archaeological dig.

Now, I want you to ask yourself the same question!  Why are you living where you do? How does your location affect your “real” self – your “art”?