Cancer Survivor

Cancer came quietly, a subtle thief

In wait, lain for all those years

A downward spiral, a slow-falling leaf

To target the center of my fears

To target the eye of my major issues

The place where lessons take shape

Negative emotions hidden in tissue

Reveals truth without hope of escape

This, coupled with addictions of choice

Used by me in times of frustration

Growth now spreads this foreign voice

Whose presence increases my desperation

Why was tobacco used to cope

With the sorrows of a mundane life?

Or food used like a kind of dope

To get me through times of strife?

To leave faces of familiarity

Is not my longtime vision of now

Although I accept my mortality

There must be an answer, somehow

Could I pray for a quiet remission?

To give me a decent second chance?

And ask only for higher permission

For cancer to exit and me to enhance

The gifts of my life with a stronger heart

Based on all I belatedly understand

And walk the ways of a fresh start

The gifts of my life held firmly in hand

Then, through prayer plus action of power

Of equal intensity where cancer fed

Overrides the density where disease flowers

And bequeaths precious life instead

Though my understanding is most abstract

Of how this healing came to be

That miracles are possible is a fact

Of both scientific reasons and Divinity!

copyright 2009, Georgette Jones

*This poem was written two years ago, and is dedicated to all my friends who have beat cancer.  The painting, "Dreams of the Trinity" is in the permanent collection of Providence Hospital in Novi, Michigan.  

Fond Wishes for 2010

Good Day, Everyone!  And a Good New Year!  Let's all hope and pray for a better new year. May you all be blessed with your fondest good wishes.  Here are some of my own:

- That our troops will return home soon.  Is peace a possibility for this world?

- That there will be more protection for our children.  There are too many of them missing!

- That our elderly, our poor, our sick and our homeless will receive the services they need.

- That our lagging economy will soon recover.

- That the iminent health care reform will be true reform, beneficial to all.

- That art and handmade items will gain a firm footing in the global market, most desired ......(and bought... hee, hee).

- That, as artists, we will begin to document more of what is happening during these historical times, thereby leaving records for posterity.

- Speaking of  health care, that our pocketbooks be fat, but not our asses (mine included, ya'll).  Yes, I can be extremely spiritual, and say that word sometimes! 

Peace and Blessings to All!     

Some Thoughts on Giving

Earlier today, Christmas Eve, I had a small family potluck gathering at my home.  We were in a festive spirit as we ate my homemade chili and salad, followed by various desserts contributed by everyone. 

After the children had opened presents given them by aunt, uncles, nieces and nephews, I brought out a hugh box of older pictures taken over the years.  Shortly thereafter, a big argument ensued by two relatives of furiously differing opinions as to who had taken a certain picture.  One of the protagonists was particularly loud in proclaiming she had taken the picture.  Almost on the verge of tears, she refused to back down.

Later, after everyone had left, I reflected on how this incident definitely was not in the spirit of giving, as this argument could quickly have been resolved if either party had refused to participate by simply letting go -giving in and giving up on a subject that wasn't that serious.  After all, what was the point?

As I see it, letting go could be seen as a form of giving.  Some other thoughts on giving  relate to: 

Forgiveness - This is probably the most difficult form of giving - more to oneself than the other person.  When you forgive, you relieve yourself of the strain of carrying such a burden.  For me, however, I have to say that while I am capable of forgiving, I don't necessarily want to be looking the other person in the face everyday.  I know, I need to do more work in this area.

Attitude - Based on some discussions I've had, it seems some folks who are doing well materially could develop a healthier attitude toward the less fortunate.  While there are many people who are working to eradicate poverty in America and abroad, we still have a long way to go in ditching the attitude that says, "I've got mine, you get yours."  This is not only unacceptable, it's heartless.


Brotherly and Sisterly Love -  Another form of giving is to accept people who are different from you.  That person is not your enemy.  Uniqueness keeps the world interesting.  Exclusivity is boring and erects walls.  We are not the sum of our possessions, class or skin color.  

I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year!  May we all continue to give to ourselves and to one another! 



   

Artists Who Share

"By its very nature, the act of creating art is an act of giving." 

-georgette

Several years ago, after winning an artist's residency at a prominent local museum, I was quickly deluged with never-ending requests for favors.  Because I wanted to make a positive impression, I really tried to accomodate far too many people in this regard.

Most of these requests were from other artists and people working in various capacities in the art industry.  They invariably were from strangers, and ranged from asking for tutoring (novice artists)  to outright asking for art at a reduced price (potential buyers).  While I was and still am happy to share technical information with any seriously productive artist, learning to respect my work by not selling it short was a hard lesson for me.  As we enter this season of giving, I am clear on the difference between being generous with my work, and protecting my time, energy and spirit- not to mention finances.

As a serious artist, I have learned what I will and will not share, as well as with whom I will and will not share.  I will share any resource information that is asked of me.  I will share any technical information that is asked of me.  I will share information about materials.  I will share my art and my time if I am able to do so (however, how many working artists actually have that kind of time?).  I will donate art to a worthy cause either of my own choosing or when I am asked to do so by a trusted person.

Although it might not be true for some other artists, I have found that making art is very expensive, and I am more inclined to donate my work when at least a small monetary percentage is returned to me.  This shows respect for the artist's time, expenses and the work itself.  In all honesty, I think many people are of the mindset that artists can "always make another one."  But nothing could be further from the truth.  Making art is both a joy and a privilege ,  but also has its share of frustration and tears. 

In keeping it real, most artists I  know are quite generous, and I can trace every milestone in my career back to the kindness of  at least one other artist.  By the same token, some never even share the name of the store where they bought the paper they use, because: 1) They don't want you to use the paper to make a picture that might look great? 2)  They own stock in the company and don't want to make any sales right now?  3) Being selfish gives them a warm cozy feeling?  4)  They don't know why they don't share; it's a habit that has pushed them to the forefront of their profession?  5) Why should they share with you when you should be sharing with THEM?  6) All of the above?

Nothing much more to say about sharing.  It's good to do it whenever you can.  You'll feel good about helping another artist or art lover.  And it takes nothing away from you, depending on what it is.

Ummm, and did I mention that it takes nothing away from you?  Depending on what it is?

Yes, I will share my materials list with you.  No, I will not paint twenty pictures for you for three hundred dollars. 

Above painting: "Gratitude" / Acrylic on 100% rag / Private Collection       


     

Everywhere

Don't dilute the energy of bump and grind
Joy-slapping bodies doing that dance
Always remember what begins in the mind
Is everywhere and might or not bring romance

A cup of java whose flavor makes you sigh
With pleasure because it tastes just right
Or a wisp of hair or a glimpse of thigh
Brings a natural reaction of the same delight

It could be a song that creates a mood
Or a passing image just barely brushed
Or the glancing kiss you both understood
Or the exiting whispers, captured, hushed

Sensuality all in stages of foreplay
Grasped and retained within the mind
Sexuality abounds in any given day
There at whim for you to find

It's everywhere, not only in the dance
Everywhere and might or not bring romance
If your pleasure in all things is never denied
When you decide to dance you will be satisfied!

copyright 2009, Georgette Jones

Rewind

For hours, it was, having bled,

Transfusion a strong probability

My countenance pale as the hospital bed

Myself moving backward toward eternity

Alarmed, I felt my soul leaving me!

The nurse's cry for help, strangely transparent

So thin a disembodiment I could feel

I, fading quickly, quite apparent

Transcending now in circular reel

Soul now flown toward dust into dust

 Reversing to birth on a turning wheel 

 Seeking its origin as all we must

Backward move in infinite reel                           

 That passes in slow motion I have found

That passes before our transiting eye

Is simply a circle that is rewound

To play again forward

But never to die

Having come through, I now find

We don't ever leave, we simply rewind.

copyright 2009, Georgette Jones

To Youth a Reminder

"Young Warriors"/ Private Collection

Take then, the stinging no
Of life's cruel excess
Knead your thoughts warmly so
Into a softly smiling yes

Take the rhyme, the metaphor
Live facing the sky
Speak the words that crack the door
To every mystery, every why

Embrace the night of things unshown
Speak strong your truth today
Do not die with all you own
Tucked, still, deeply away

Paint the canvas of your pleasure
Sing your brilliant love song
Jump the edge without measure
Each moment, live life long

Speak strong your truth today
Do not die with your life tucked:
Still. Deeply. Away.

copyright 2009, Georgette Jones

Note: After viewing the dark, brutally honest yet mesmerizing movie, "Precious" yesterday, I was compelled to post this painting from four years ago, along with the poem that relates to it. As is usually the case, the poem and painting were not created simultaneously. Instead, their similarity match the subject matter and themes of my artistic thoughts.

Night Perception

"Just Before Dawn" /Private Collection

By despair visited, as Hope sometimes is
In circles mulling the problem at hand
Helplessly drawn deeper, no help to enlist
Fruitlessly seeking, finally, to understand
Complexities of such a question as this


Indigo darkness stretched endlessly dense
An enveloping blanket of murky constraint
The question itself developing more intense

Of length unforgiving, of Hope most faint
The slowly passing hours now a lonely offense

Why! Hope cried out, surrounding by night
Feeling her defenses now were gone
Then, the final darkness received the light
Gradually, dawn crept through, she was not alone!
Yet no answer revealed, but that all would be right!

copyright 2009, Georgette Jones

The Drive to Paint

My drive to paint stems from my personality, issues related to my childhood and an artistic legacy passed on from my ancestors. These factors partially form the foundation of my artistic bent, but have not been enough in themselves to make me a visual artist. Nor have they been enough to make me return to painting time and time again,. The need to continue painting is more immediate, and is more about responding to life in the present. On the deepest level, I paint as a way of continuing to live day to day. It is a way of communicating with life itself, and talking back to life as life talks to me.

The decision to be an artist was a conscious one for me. In the beginning, my view of what being an artist meant was as rough-hewn as the images I drew. Over time, my vision developed to include both the idealistic and the realistic aspects of art as a profession.

The idealistic pertained more to the process itself. On paper, I could enjoy being as free as possible. My definition of freedom during the art process is less about style and more about being yourself (I strive for order and design in my paintings). Regardless of current trends in art, I could do whatever I pleased - with possible consequences once the work left the studio. But still, enjoying the actual process continues to impart a freedom unlike anything I've known.

The realistic aspect relates to the business of art, including preparation to present one's work, whether to a client or through an exhibition or some other venue. It also relates to such issues as pricing, travel, legal, insurance and personal expenditures, just to name a few.

Regardless of these two factors, I will continue to paint because, over time, it becomes a part of you, attached to your soul. I am one of those artists who paints because I enjoy it, but who also knows the occasional struggles of painting. I love the process of preparing to paint by gathering supplies, and preparing to generate imagery from the thoughts germinating in my head. I love the act of loading a brush, placing it on paper and entering another world. My world. As I see it.

Yes, the making of art is often a way of coping with life's disappointments by purging one's feelings, which is also true of writing and other artistic pursuits. But it is also a place to come, where who you are is reflected back to you. And that is, invariably, a worthwhile pursuit.

Title of Painting: "From a Dream #3"/ Acrylic on 300 lb. watercolor paper

Of My Body, Forgiveness

This painting, "Of My Body, Forgiveness," recently sold at the National Kidney Foundation auction. An acrylic on canvas rendering, it is no longer in my possession, and for that I am grateful. I am a professional artist, and have been never been one who wants to keep all my paintings for myself. I own them fully during the painting process - they are my children at that time. But like all good children, they must leave home once they are grown.