WHAT GOES INTO THE MAKING OF A PAINTING?

One of the most important elements of my painting practice is what I call “ softening.” It is a state of kind and gentle openness.  It is a space where I simply “be”, pure and simple.

It takes time to “soften.”  Daily chores cannot be nagging at me.  The chaos of the outer world must fade knowing it is time to let go.  Then my mind starts to relax so that something larger, something deeper more true can come forth. 

This openness is crucial for me in my work for it is where I connect with the paints, the process, and curiosity.  The outer world drops away and I am only in this moment, the moment of seeing, the moment of doing, the moment of wholeness and oneness. 

I cannot rush the process of creativity but I can relish it and commune with it.  I can respect the materials and let them speak.  I can honor the undeniable strength and the vulnerability of my life as I soften. 

As I soften, there is a surrender to something more powerful, to something larger more encompassing.  When this comes into my work, the art feels more alive and richer and with a voice of its own. 

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Suzanne Jacquot Art

WINTER IS FOR WONDERING

Forrest, 40 × 36 × 1.5 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2025

Winter is the perfect season for being an artist. It is a great time to slow down, be still, go inward, shelter in place…..all the qualities that are essential for creating. Naturally we think of summarizing our year and thinking of what we want our lives to bring us next year, and, so it is also the perfect time to wonder, to be curious and to ask questions. and tend to the unseen.

There is something about endings that invites this curiosity. Winter seems like an ending or a pause and I liken it to the finishing of a painting or a body of work. It is an affirmation of a cycle, a wholeness, and a chance to review the process and the results. A chance to go deeper into the heart of what really matters.

I take time to enjoy who I am and what I am doing. I feel how special it is to nourish my creativity and to share it with others. I fall in love all over again with color, shape, my studio, and everyone who shares this world with me. And, I rejoice in my happiness.

So when I wonder deeper into my what and why, I feel the very essence of my being—— joy, love, creativity and all flows naturally.

With a heart full of love, I wish us all Peace on Earth and Love and Kindness to all Beings.

WARMTH ON A GRAY DAY IN FALL

A cool fall day with the warmth of the yellow leaves .

One of the greatest joys this time of year is the changing color of leaves. Routinely I walk in nature in one of the many beautiful parks or trails in Sonoma County. Little by little, life changes and I relish the smells, sounds and sights.

The earth gets full of cool moisture and smells rich with nutrients. The birds’ tunes seem less frequent and more urgent while the animals look in earnest for places to nest. The winds picks up and have a brittle sound. Trees and plants become more inward; leaves begin to let go and their colors change.

As days and nights get cooler, cloudy, and rainy, the leaves turn bright and colorful before they fall. One color in particular lingers and is the most prevalent. That is Yellow.

Yellow is special because it is bright and reflects a palpable warmth. It lingers and holds on the longest. The yellow is a bridge of fall joy to the short dark days of winter when we turn on lights and stoke the fire.

This all happens in small increments each day as Fall turns into Winter. I hope that you may enjoy the warmth of yellow this Fall and the daily changes that are always moving us forward.

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EMBODYING NATURE, SOMATICALLY AND IMAGINALLY

Zuzana Randlova 

As I go for my walk in nature every day, I open my senses and my civilized body is magically re-organized to creatively embody a powerful passion and sense of connection to everything. As I take in all that is around me , I not only delight in the outward appearance but receive the deeper inward significance of my surroundings. The inner meets the outer and become my source for a response. Here I imaginally explore the qualities of trees, plants, sky, ocean, rock, etc.; input of sensory encounters stimulates the output of associations, feelings, and images.

When experiencing certain trees, I feel the scratchiness of the branches and tree bark, I feel the movement of the branches in the breeze, and I feel the solidity and comfort of a strong internal structure which holds together all the parts. For me, it is a mixture of order and chaos, of fleeting movements and profound stillness, of knowing and not knowing, of playfulness and earnestness, of strength and fragility, all of which is intertwined in a beautiful and harmonious relationship of wholeness.

Here is my image: Tree.

Tree, 11 x 14 inches, oil pastel, graphite, and acrylic on paper, 2024

What do you experience when you stand beside a tree?

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Suzanne Jacquot