ArtSpirit7

A Hero in My Urban Fantasy

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What? Bricks from the plastic that usually goes in the trash? I care about the planet but there’s a lot that local recycling isn’t accepting, so what to do?

I stumbled on this story that landed in my news feed during the Pandemic, and I realize I hadn’t published it yet. This lady is a modern day unsung hero!

In love writing essays about observations, habits, health and healing. One essay I wrote a few years ago was an urban fantasy about being able to take plastics normally headed for the garbage to a place that can instead mold these plastics into objects to use in our everyday lives.

Watch this video to see someone actually doing this. Thank you Nzambi Matee!!

Create Mathi-Magical Shapes

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Need to make shapes? This site has a whole bunch! Check out the polypad tool at https://mathigon.com !! Directly below is the shapes I then digitally manipulated in PhotoShop, and below that is the original collection of shapes.

Digital revision of the original image, by Mary Gow.

Digital manipulation of the original image below, both by Mary Gow Pincus.

geometric shape composition by Mary Gow Pincus

Shape composition using mathigon.com, polypad tool.

Beneath Our Feet

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Photo by Mary Gow

Floor Studies, Photo No. 5, by Mary Gow

Continuing with the inspiration from Tyler Mitchell’s MasterClass, “Tyler Mitchell Teaches Storytelling Through Portrait Photography,” I took this photo looking at the living room floor. What you see when you look at your floor? In my July posting I mentioned Mitchell’s recommendation to take pictures every day. Observe the floor beneath our feet — that’s do-able.

Wabi-Sabi-ish Painting

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Pink Watercolor by Mary Gow

“Wabi Pink,” watercolor on paper by Mary Gow.


Recently I took “Wabi Sabi Abstract Painting” with Sherrie Lovler. (A few years ago I took a two day class with Sherrie called “Calligraphic Abstraction,” in person, in Sebastopol, Calif.). This Wabi Sabi class was virtual thanks to the O’Hanlon Center For The Arts in Mill Valley, Calif. The whole class description is here.

I might already be painting wabi-sabi style and not know it. Going with the flow and relaxing into what is – is that what wabi-sabi is about?

After some research I found out wabi-sabi is about finding beauty in every aspect of imperfection. Perfectly imperfect.

Could spontaneous, automatic, gestural painting also be synonymous with wabi-sabi?

In the class we reviewed what wabi-sabi art is. We practiced painting the enso – fluid circles early in the class. With Sherrie leading the way with suggestions on starting our paintings, we went through the exercise of creating a few compositions.

This pink purple exploration is what flowed yesterday morning.

Here’s one piece I created in Sherrie’s class.

Mary Gow- Wabi-Sabi-Painting-2021

Wabi-Sabi Painting by Mary Gow

At times I found myself ‘working at” creating something to look naturally at ease without trying. I made a few examples of pieces I wanted to share with the class that I felt were truly wabi-sabi — many I felt were my explorations ink brush work. . . which I loved.

My natural artistic painting style is to go with the flow of what I’m feeling. . . enjoy the process more than fixate on what the end must look like.