http://joemcaleer.com/blog Joe McAleer Artist Website Blog Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:06:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I just experienced a different person's memory of me. I was meditating and I found myself listening and watching someone recall a memory in their life.  Their experience was a long time ago, in a summer evening, and had something to do with painting.  It flowed through me briefly and ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/28/a-karmic-memory/                                                   The Effect of Changing Environments on my Art I have made 3 or 4 significant changes in my studio locations the past two years (5 weeks or more).  I've worked in southern New Jersey part of the year and southern Florida the other.   This experience has made me a better artist, ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2011/10/09/fresh-eyes/ I think I have come up with an original idea that may help solve the political gridlock in Washington that seems to be paralyzing our nation.  It's a form of role playing, and the people who can help are, in some ways, the people most responsible for creating the situation. As ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2011/08/22/political-role-playing/ I was over a good artist friend's home last night, when i had one of those A-ha! experiences.  I was looking at a wonderfully painted realistic scene of a Colorado ski trail in the winter at dusk.  The light was magical, presenting the most subtle pink glow upon the scene.  ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2011/08/14/an-aha-experience/ In my last post, I spoke about the frustration of  getting stuck in a "cul-de-sac".  It's when an artist is unable to leave a particular series he (or she) is working on.  Repeating oneself creates tedious boredom, the curse of an artist.  If I'm not engaged in my art,  I ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2011/07/12/pushing-through/ I've been asking the question, "If  you enact one law, or pass one bit of legislation that would make the USA a better country, what would it be?".  I've gotten quite a few responses, and here is the list. 1.   Term limits on politicians.  No career politicians. 2.  Any proposed legislation ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2010/08/15/the-top-ten/ I can feel myself hitting a wall with my new series of work.  Since discovering my "Jumpsquares" in 2007, the last 2 years have been fruitful in producing original, creative work.  Fresh, new ideas have come easily. The most recent offshoot of the "jumpsquare" has been my Optic Diamonds, which, in ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2009/09/06/an-artists-challenge/ I have a friend named Yanosh, who has worked in industry for the last 25 years.  For years and years he visited museums and has seen more valid, contemporary art than most of us.  Yanosh recently started painting.  He creates work through the manipulation of  paint on the canvas with ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/04/whos-the-artist/ Sometimes the artist will feel like a miner when he's working.   There is a  unknown material lying before him with gold waiting to be discovered.  If he "mines" this unknown, hidden area long enough, eventually he'll discover layers of gold he never dreamed of.  One vein  leads to another, ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2009/06/16/mining/ Have you noticed that at certain times, you have extreme difficulty starting something new?  It happens to every artist, including me.  This condition brings on lots of emotions with guilt, it seems, being the dominant feeling.  Thoughts such as "I should be working", and "I'm not a serious enough artist",  play havoc ... http://joemcaleer.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/30/concerning-the-creative-process/