out of hibernation

Written on April 27, 2011 by in inspiration, paintings in progress, process 3 Comments
2011 drip paintings in progress

new drip paintings in progress

winter into spring

The last several months have been a time of hibernation for me (as you may have guessed, considering the lack of activity here on the blog!) Hibernation = quiet time at home, sinking down into the roots of my creativity, giving new ideas space and time to germinate underground. But now spring energy is here, the sap is flowing (flow!) and new creations are starting to poke their heads up through the soil. It’s an exciting time – reminds me why spring is my favorite season, even when we’re blanketed in tree pollen!

fueling creation

This month I’ve mostly been focused on creating my new coaching program, CreateStrong, which I’ll be launching in a few days. Very excited about it! (for first dibs on the deets, sign up here) But I’ve also been painting (new work in progress in the photo above) and working on my Thriving Artist Expedition Guide (i.e., business plan).

In order to keep the well filled up in the midst of all this creating, I’ve been taking advantage of the gorgeous spring weather by going on lots of hikes in the woods. I’ve also been devouring Barbara Hambly fantasy novels! I find that each creation, or season of creating, seems to want its own fuel – sometimes particular music or food, or a particular activity. This time around it’s definitely hiking and fantasy novels. And home-made gluten-free granola. Hey, whatever works!

in the news!

Today I was very pleased to learn that I’m  featured in an article in my home town arts magazine, A! Magazine for the Arts. Couldn’t have had better synchronicity with the coming out of hibernation theme if I’d planned it! In Angela Wampler’s series “Where Are They Now?” she talked to four people from the Bristol TN/VA region, including yours truly, who are pursuing arts-related careers elsewhere in the U.S. It’s very cool to have my roots in a place that really values the arts!
Read the article here.

and you?

Are there new things blooming for you this spring? I’d love to hear about your experience with hibernation and creation in the comments!

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a word for 2011

Written on January 20, 2011 by in process 7 Comments
detail from a drip painting

painting with drips - a study in flow

It’s been years since I’ve made new year’s resolutions,  but the beginning of a fresh year still brings the urge to plan, set goals, clarify intentions, whatever. Several years ago I remember that Laura began choosing a word or theme to organize her yearly goals, and while I admired how it worked for her, for some reason I didn’t pick up on it myself then. Late in 2009, however, I ran across the “word of the year” concept again on Christine Kane’s blog, and the timing was right. I chose AMPLIFY to be my word for 2010 (more about that in another post).

But now here we are in 2011, and time for a new “word of the year.” I think this year’s word has been sneaking up on me since October. I’ve played and investigated, and now the verdict is in — this year’s word is FLOW. As in ease, consistency, liquidity. I’m also drawn to visuals and concepts around what facilitates flow — channels, pathways, wiring, capacity, boundaries, containment, structure, energy, intention, focus. But also flexibility, dynamism, adaptibility. Adaptable structures for flow. Yes! I will certainly continue playing around with these words, but for now they seem to be coalescing into three sub-themes: Structure, Simplicity, and Sovereignty.

I’m still discovering the ways Amplify shaped 2010, and looking forward to how Flow will shape 2011.

Do you choose a word (or words) for the year? I’d love to read your stories in the comments.

If these stories fascinate you, hop over to Christine Kane’s blog for a series of guest posts by folks who chose a word for 2010. Inspiring stuff!

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miami art-stravaganza

Written on December 16, 2010 by in paintings on display, travels 3 Comments
Miami traveling companions

Ana, Kirsten, Carrie, me, Judy, and the beach!

the company

I’m happy to report that the Miami adventure was a great experience. Really enjoyed the time with my artist traveling companions from SCAD: Judy, Carrie, Ana, and Kirsten. We were hosted by Terri in her gorgeous home – an inspiring retreat after a day of walking the fairs. Plenty of good food, drink, and company.

the art

And then, of course, there was the art. Tons of it. More than you could shake a stick at, and certainly more than we could see in three days! But we made an impressive dent and visited eight fairs and venues: Red Dot, Scope, Art Asia, Art Miami, Rubell Collection, Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB), Aqua, and NADA. I did not take my camera, but took lots of notes. It really was a contemporary art education in three days! Lots to challenge and inspire. I probably took the most notes at ABMB, just because it was the largest (took two visits to get through), enjoyed the art most at Art Miami and Aqua, and definitely liked Aqua best in terms of the venue. That fair is set up in the Aqua hotel, with each gallery having a room. I enjoyed the intimate setting, very different from the hugeness of ABMB in the Convention Center.

It was a thrill to visit my own paintings in the Artisan Direct booth at Red Dot, and to share that experience with friends. Met several other artists on the trip, as well as some gallerists and suppliers.

Artisan Direct booth at Red Dot 2010

Artisan Direct booth at Red Dot. Photo by Lisa Freedman.

Reservoir at Red Dot 2010

Up close on my Reservoir paintings. Photo by Carrie Johnson.

a perfect ending

We wrapped up our visit with a performance of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company at the Ziff Ballet Opera House. The dance “event”, part of their Legacy tour, included original costumes by Robert Rauschenberg. The audience is actually on stage with the dancers, who move between three different areas throughout the dance. The musicians were also on stage in three locations, and used a combination of traditional and fantastical instruments. We were able to move all around the stage during the performance. Definitely one of the most interesting performances I’ve ever attended, and we were all enthralled. It was the perfect way to end our art-laden experience! (PS – I’ve since learned that the Legacy Tour, which continues through 2011, will the the Merce Cunningham company’s last. If they’re performing near you, go see them!)

Never have I so enjoyed art overload! I feel happily sated, as after a sumptuous holiday meal.

For more on the Miami art fair experience, here’s Carrie’s write-up at the SCAD Painting blog. Also highly recommended: Joanne Mattera’s detailed and photo-rich Miami posts, which will continue through December.

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Miami, here I come! Or, when procrastination is not procrastination.

Written on November 29, 2010 by in studio stories 2 Comments

my work is going to miami, but not me …

It’s funny how things happen. As I’ve mentioned on Facebook, but not yet here on the blog, I will have three paintings from the Reservoir series on display at ArtisanDirect‘s booth (A106) at the Red Dot Art Fair in Miami, Dec. 1-5, 2010. My first big art fair, and I’m very excited! Originally I’d planned to drive down by myself  to deliver my pieces and check out the fairs, but after weeks of “procrastinating” about making trip plans and reservations, finally realized I didn’t really want to go. The prospect of being in unfamiliar city swarming with art fair goers, and where I know not a soul (meeting new people in a crowd is not my strong suit) just sounded draining. So I made the requisite arrangements to have my paintings delivered, and enjoyed immediate relief at the prospect of continuing my stretch of staying close to home. That also freed me up to visit my folks for Thanksgiving.

or maybe I am …

No sooner were Thanksgiving plans established, then I heard from one of my artist buddies that she needed a ride to Miami. Hmm. I wasn’t planning to go, I replied, but where are you staying? After several messages back and forth, it ends up that I’m carpooling to Miami with four other artist gals, and we have free lodging with a generous friend. Sweet!

space for the good stuff

The whole situation has reminded me how much better it is to listen to the inner hesitation, rather than beating myself up for procrastinating. When I listened, I could hear what I really wanted. When I dropped the trip I was dreading, it opened a space for a trip I’m really excited about. Pretty cool, huh?

please stop by!

Loads still to do, it seems, before heading south, so I’d better wrap this up and get to packing! And by all means, if you are going to be in Miami for the fairs, please stop by Red Dot booth A106 and see my paintings. I don’t know how much internet access I’ll have while in Miami, but will hopefully be able to post a few updates to Facebook. (Not following me on Facebook yet? Let’s fix that! Click here, then click the “Like” button.)

In the mean time, I’d love to hear your stories of when procrastination ended up not being procrastination after all. Please share in the comments!

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Savannah: 2 for 2

Written on September 4, 2010 by in travels 2 Comments

savannah palm

Two visits, two great experiences. I first visited Savannah, GA last October and was completely charmed, despite higher-than-usual temps. Ridiculous heat also accompanied my second visit a few weeks ago (hmmm, I’m sensing a theme here), but it didn’t keep me from having a wonderful time.

Nihonga worktable

Nihonga instruction in progress!

This trip I was in Savannah for expert Nihonga instruction* from artist Judith Kruger. Nihonga is a Japanese painting tradition in which mineral pigments and metal leaf are applied with hide glue. The effects are unlike any that can be produced with typical Western media. Judy is a great teacher and I learned so much it was almost overwhelming (but in a very good way). I’m now continuing the experiments on my own. One thing that was most exciting to me was to learn a new way to work with silver leaf. It’s so much better than what I’ve been doing I can hardly stand it! That learning’s going into current work pronto.

I also enjoyed being back in a grad school environment. Summer school was in session, so only a few students were around, but I still saw a lot of interesting work and meet several artists. Also received some helpful feedback from both students and profs who happened to wander by our work sessions. It’s been a while since I was in school receiving regular critiques and I’d forgotten how useful they can be.

Sampled a few more local eateries, of course. A standout was The Distillery for its killer beer selection and amazing turkey sandwich.

All in all it was an excellent trip, and I hope my third visit comes around soon.

* My painting instruction was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. It was also supported by a partnership of these art councils: The United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, Franklin County Arts Council, Johnston County Arts Council, Vance County Arts Council, and Warren County Arts Council.

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26 travel delights from NC to NY

Written on July 13, 2010 by in travels 9 Comments

Ohio backroad

I’m savoring a leisurely re-entry week after a period of intense activity: a very focused month of studio time completing the first Reservoir paintings, followed by a 12-day road trip. The initial impetus for the trip was to deliver the new paintings to Terra Gallery and then attend the show opening on July 3rd, but for various reasons – all positive and in line with larger goals – it evolved into a much longer affair. Fine by me – I love the thinking space of driving by myself, and any trip is an opportunity for new experiences!

I’ve already posted about the Silver Linings opening, which was quite enjoyable, but the whole trip was chock full of good art, conversation, and food. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Before I even left my regional home base, enjoyed a few goodness-packed hours in Raleigh, North Carolina, which included: a photo shoot with KC Ramsay; a glimpse into the inner workings of Clearscapes and some amazing work by artist Thomas Sayre; tasty salad with BBQ at The Pit with my friend and fellow artist Melissa Katherine.
  • During the several days I spent in Ohio, I was able to have a great visit with friends Todd and Sherry Truffin, which included a satisfying dose of his excellent home brew along with several other very good beers, Strongbow Hard Cider at the Clover Club, Rock Posters and the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art, good shopping karma, and a chance to drive their fun new Cooper Mini (bring that baby down to NC where we have some curves in our roads!).
  • In addition to the show opening in Columbus, had an amazing meal at Marcella’s Ristorante, conveniently across High Street from Terra Gallery (truly this was the best meal I’ve had in a very long time), and saw Mark Bradford’s fantastic show at OSU’s Wexner Center for the Arts.
  • In Rochester, New York, had the pleasure of meeting Jayson Samuel of Artisan Direct and touring the spacious eclectic wonder that is ARTISANworks.
  • Next up, New Jersey, to visit with my sis, fiber artist Tammy Knorr – her new work is really interesting, can’t wait till I can share a link to images. Courtesy of my chemist/pastry chef bro-in-law, I had homemade bagels, scones, and caramel walnut dark chocolate ganache truffles (!!). Village Silver in Princeton never disappoints, and this time I treated myself to pair of big silver hoop earrings. Nephew Eric introduced me to OQ Coffee – a pound of their Ethiopian Michicha is a delicious souvenir!
  • Tammy rode with me down to the Washington, DC area, and we stopped for a break at the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware (thanks, Wendy, for inspiring us with the Wilmington info). Fully satisfied our seafood cravings with lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack, then took in the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts – a real gem with artist studios and several exhibition spaces, all with excellent shows.
  • After a rich and stimulating visit with a group of DC-area friends, I finally headed home to NC on Sunday. Even the drive home was enlivened by a conference call with Erik Kieser (of FearMastery and MindColors fame) and Dyana Valentine!

As long as this list is, it’s really only a selection of the good experiences on this trip, and I want to thank everyone who helped make it so rich. It is good to be home, and you can see why I’m spending a few days relaxing! To that end, I probably won’t be posting for a week or so. But I’ll be back soon, sharing my preparations for the next leg of the journey.

Wherever your path is taking you these days, I wish you many blessings along the way.

Photo by haglundc via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

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new paintings: reservoir 1-6

Written on July 9, 2010 by in paintings on display 11 Comments

Here are images of six panels from my newest series, Reservoir. All of the pieces in this series are intended to be modular: they are all the same size (24 x 24 in.) and do not have a “correct” orientation, so each piece four different looks. The pieces can stand alone or be connected to each other in multiple ways.

Many thanks to KC Ramsay for his excellent photographs. Update: you can now see hi-res images here (use the “+” button to see the largest version).

These six paintings are on display at Terra Gallery’s “Silver Linings” exhibit July 3 through September 1, 2010.

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photos from silver linings opening

Written on July 5, 2010 by in paintings on display 7 Comments


As promised, photos of Saturday’s opening reception for Silver Linings at Terra Gallery. Many thanks to my good friend Todd Truffin for his camera work, and to the Terra staff – Jeff, Afton, Claire, & Lacey – for setting up a great show. John Battle and his band kept us all mellow and happy with their music throughout the evening.

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silver linings at terra gallery

Written on July 3, 2010 by in paintings on display 7 Comments
Blessed Disintegration painting by Cynthia L. Morefield

Blessed Disintegration, mixed media & metal leaf on paper, 24x24 in., (c) 2010 Cynthia L. Morefield

I’m excited to be exhibiting eight new pieces in “Silver Linings” at Terra Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. There will be two new pieces on paper, including Blessed Disintegration pictured above, and six paintings from my most recent panel series, Reservoir.

“Silver Linings” also features work on paper by Lynda Cole and sculpture by Jeff Hersey. All of us use some form of silver-toned metal in our work, hence the show’s title.

The exhibit opens tonight, July 3, during the Short North Arts District Gallery Hop, which runs from about 4pm – 10pm. With a fabulous weather forecast and the holiday weekend, it promises to be a fun and energetic evening – so come on out and join us! I’ll be at the gallery from 6:30 – 8:30pm … or perhaps later. It would be great to see you!

The show will be up through September 1. Here are all the details.

The Reservoir pieces were photographed Wednesday and I will post images as soon as I get them from the photographer.

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father’s day gratitude

Written on June 20, 2010 by in inspiration 3 Comments
Dad creating in his workshop

Dad creating in his workshop

Lately while working on paintings and reflecting on my process, I’ve been reminded just how much my work is helped along by the engineerical wizardry of my dad, Al Bowers.

He’s not drawn to traditional fine art media – his preferences are metal and machinery – but he’s an artist for sure. What else do you call someone who can make a miniature steam engine or a pocket watch from scratch? And that includes designing and building most, if not all, of the required machinery. Pretty amazing! So you can understand why he’s my go-to resource for any kind of mechanical technical question, especially anything that requires a tool. This is how it goes:

Me: I’m frustrated with these droppers I’ve been using to drip paint. Too many air bubbles and hard to control!

Dad: Sounds like some type of syringe would work better.

Me: Yeh, I tried some plastic syringes, but the action wasn’t smooth enough. Ended up splattering the paint around.

Dad: Here, try one of these. [We go to his workshop and he pulls out a box of precision ground glass syringes (don't ask me how he finds this kinda stuff). We whip up some watercolor and try it out. Perfection!]

Or this:

Me: I’ve been drilling holes in my panel paintings to create some of the linear elements. I like the look, but the drill makes such rough, splintered holes. It takes such a long time to clean them up and make them presentable. Am I doing something wrong?

Dad: How thick is the panel?

Me: It’s 1/8 inch plywood.

Dad: You’re not doing anything wrong; a drill bit won’t make a clean hold through something that thin. [He explains why, and it makes sense, though the explanation hasn't stuck in my brain.] What you need is a miniature hole saw. Let’s go make one right now. [And he proceeds to do just that, as shown in the photo above. Works like a dream. Hours of finishing time spared!]

These scenes have been played out so many times over the years, with the usual result that I gain access a tool or technique I couldn’t have imagined. So thanks, Dad – not just for being a mechanical genius, but for sharing your expertise so generously, and with an impish grin, to boot! Happy Father’s Day.

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