I have grown accustomed to working alone in my studio (thus the name “Studio Hermit”), with only the company of NPR, music, and Timmy the cat aka “Studio Buddy” being the potential distractions to an otherwise intense environment. It never dawned on me to ask my 9 year-old artistically inclined son to join me in my sanctuary of creative outpourings.

After receiving a fateful call from Connor’s writing teacher, I began to see the light. Despite Connor’s history of scholastic underachievement, his writing teacher expressed interest in Connor’s creative aptitudes and offered him the chance to have his own writing corner in her classroom. In Connor’s own words, “My teacher told me that I have permission to draw on my narrative writing papers… I like making up my own stories!”. Having long since been designated a child with “attention issues”, this veteran teacher recognized that Connor thrives when given personal space. And from Connor’s point of view, he feels he’s finally being rewarded for being a storyteller—with most of his papers reflecting fantastical exploration, dark and light and human drama. Connor is not afraid to express himself as an artist/writer, and he actually impresses all those around him with his innate ability to retrieve dynamic visions from a world that only he understands. A place that has his full obeisance and where no “attention issues” persist.

I never dismissed or tried to suppress these inclinations (though I was worried about his tendency to either get As or Fs—depending on the day), but I never thought that art/writing may actually be his calling. I know, this warrants a big “duh” from my audience given his genetic predisposition, but having experienced firsthand the stigmas and challenges associated with being an artist, I was somewhat loathe to promote his gifts. I of all people should know that if you are born an artist and/or writer, you are an artist and/or writer—and there really is no stopping the impulse for creative expression.

I have to admit, Connor reminds me so much of myself in so many ways. No one could stop me either.

Ace of Wands: The Fairy Tale Tarot

So I asked him: “Would you like to move your desk into Mommy’s studio?”. Connor must have done double flips—it was as if he had been waiting for this invitation all of his young life. And then he rapturously declared “I’ll be your apprentice and you’ll be Mommy Master!”.  In some ways he already has been, having posed for a few of my fairy tale paintings and having witnessed me at work for as long as he can remember.

Connor posing for Goldilocks. Connor at age 4 watching his tired mom paint.

We moved his desk from downstairs to my hideaway on the second floor and around the corner. It’s official — he is now a resident artist! Since the move, something has happened to Connor. He is eagerly taking drawing lessons from me (having grasped the basics of perspective with amazing acuity) and is the quietest, most concentrated studio companion an artist can have. He has embraced the studio zone.

Connor was always happiest drawing

His material is taking on a new dimension, fostered by his newly found confidence and pride with a title like “studio artist”. His work is vastly different than my own, as he gravitates to robotic design and graphic narratives—filling page after page with storytelling panels complete with blurbs, onomatopoeias and dynamic visuals. His graphic novels are somewhat crude but full of action and moral-driving raconteur. No one taught him how to do this—he just does them.

a montage of some of Connor's creations (before drawing lessons)

Connor is intent on bringing a new level of technical facility to his work and wants to make his worlds appear more real and tangible as he sees them in his own mind. He has an insatiable desire to learn and get better. He has declared more than once that it is his dream to go to art school. Is it my dream for him? No, I was hoping he would pursue engineering or medicine or anything that I perceive might be the easier “conventional” path. But then again, what does that really mean? Nothing is easy if you don’t have your heart in it. I pursued the arts because I HAD to—and weathered all kinds of challenges to remain true to myself. I think Connor should to be true to himself too.

“Listening to your dreams can provide you with the motivation needed to open yourself up to new experiences. If you track your inner voice and follow your instincts, you can prevail against the inevitable challenges that will test your spirit.” ~ From The Fairy Tale Tarot companion book, Once Upon a Time.

And what has ensued? Connor is happier. Connor is more confident. A girl in his class told him “Connor, you’re really smart” (he was all smiles when I picked him up from school after that), and he has already become more focused on homework and intent on achieving those elusive straight As. He needed this boost and now he’s on a mission. Homework must be completed before he can indulge in his creative exploits and it DOES get done because he has an art goal. Though his expository writing assignments do carry over into studio time, there is no need to completely separate academics from play. Maybe he can learn to merge the two and excel at both (the way I did later on). A mom can be hopeful. For now, I will trust my heart and nurture the artist that is my son. Stay tuned!

~ Lisa

It’s hard to believe that 2010 is here and my 43rd birthday is fast approaching. Yes, I too ask myself the perennial cliché question: where did the time go? If it wasn’t for my art, I’m quite sure I would have a hard time determining how I’ve spent the last year (or my life, for that matter). My paintings have always been my personal timeline—they document my own journey in a way that reflects my thoughts, feelings, observations, cognitive and soulful responses and evolution as an individual. I have been working professionally for over 20 years and have proudly amassed a nice collection of published works, with most efforts still being viable and “in print”. But I’ve also hit that midway point—wondering where my art is going to take me from here…

After finishing The Fairy Tale Tarot (read archives) and engaging in subsequent publicity efforts, I must admit that I felt depleted.  It was a long term project that had become part of my daily life (and it still is in some ways). I needed to move forward, but a stubborn wall of artistic fatigue stood in my way. I did work on 2 pivotal fine arts pieces that most certainly hinted at things to come. But after I finished, I was artistically dehydrated. I felt I needed to connect with something outside myself, but wasn’t sure what it was.

So at the spur of the moment, I decided to offer custom drawings through my LisaHuntArt purchase page. There have been many people who expressed interest in owning one of my originals, but felt purchases during a protracted recession was not feasible. And truthfully, I can totally understand this. My immediate solution was to offer unique drawings made to order at an affordable price. This gave my audience the power to determine the imagery and thus be part of the process, despite limited resources. Many of my friends and family questioned my offering—feeling as though I was undercharging people for time spent creating unique drawings for them. But my answer is a simple one. In the process of “undercharging” I was recharging. Not only have these drawings been greatly appreciated by the customer, but they have helped to nourish my artistic soul. And as a result, my palette has been refreshed with new piles of watercolor paint. By giving a little bit of myself to others, I in turn have received.  And creating and sharing has been a joyful experience! It’s one thing to be published and to have ones work distributed en masse, it’s quite another to know that one’s originals are out in the big world being loved and appreciated by those very people who may have purchased the publication. I now understand what it means to be a fine artist and to have originals pass from the creator’s hand to that of someone who loves the creation.

Here are some of the custom drawings I have done for people in the last 6 weeks.

I’m proud of this collection and am over the moon by all the positive responses that the recipients have expressed. There has been great feeling and meaning invested in these works. And in turn, my enthusiasm for painting has been renewed! I was practically explosive with creative energy as I tackled my first painting of 2010, The Bear-Spirit—all that pent up energy released onto the paper with glorious satiation. Thank you everyone! Thank you for helping me to feel the powerful allure of artistic expression. And if you too would like to order a drawing and be part of this growing gallery of these self-determined unique visions—check out my purchase page and let me know what you would like me to draw for YOU.

~Lisa

Princess and the Pea...enjoy basal pleasures that nurture the soul. (p.249)

As I emerge from 5 years of deep fairy tale interplay with paintbrush and prose, I’m realizing that life outside the studio can be just as creative as what goes on at the drawing table. At one time I wouldn’t have thought that everyday tasks could actually be microcosms of an internal story. But I’ve grown to think life is literary assemblage–with everything we do having the potential to serve as a plot device: facing challenges, problem solving, redemption, accomplishment and all the other human nigglings that encompass our daily existence. Maybe we don’t feel like we’re performing some stage-worthy monologue as we talk aloud while writing the grocery list or grumbling under the weight of bills yet paid, but we can learn to feel a certain amount of satisfaction and perhaps significance in the basic things we do.

I was particularly struck by this while (believe it or not) kneading dough for cinnamon buns. Anyone who makes baked goods from scratch will tell you how consuming and labor intensive it can be. One may either dismiss it as yet another chore or one can assume the attitude that there is something very gratifying about creating food with one’s bare hands. To see one’s dough rise, the patience, the anticipation, …you get my drift. I do think about the little tasks with more reverence now. Picking fruit from a tree has a lot of symbolic significance and represents the end of a cycle. Gathering flowers and foraging food appears in many a fairy tale. It’s a basic human inclination yet sometimes we forget that these seemingly simple activities have deep roots making for good, timeless plot devices.

The cinnamon rolls are made by rolling out the dough, covering it with filling (sugar, spice and everything nice) and rolling it up into a neat little blanket of deliciousness. Aren’t fairy tale tomes the same way? When opening up a collection of stories, you know it’s going to be filled with all manner of enticing tales. And when the cinnamon rolls are placed in oven, they expand and turn golden and become more voluminous forms of their basic ingredients. That is how I feel when I read a fairy tale book–the stories can be expansive and satisfying filling my being with essential nourishment that I can carry over into all areas of my life. I really believe fairy tales are all around us; the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. If we can remember to see our own daily activities and events as snippets of wonderful story, then we can feel a deeper awareness of those things that compose who we are in our entirety. Our identity is not dependent on profound triumphs or abject failures, but it is all the little experiences along the way, no matter how small they may seem.

~Lisa

Concept sketches for the Star card

But the biggest change for me was sending off The Fairy Tale Tarot into a realm called completion. I felt so many mixed feelings as I let this baby go. Of course, there is the initial euphoria of having realized a personal dream within the dictates of a deadline. But then there is the inevitable post-project comedown after releasing this 5 year mission to the anonymous never land of production, where its fate lies in the hands of others. I shall never do this project again and it is flooding me with all manner of conflicting emotions. It’s always amazing to see one’s work-of-passion make it to the daunting sphere of publication, but the reality of its finality is like an encounter with post-partum confusion.

Final drawing for the Star card

The Star card speaks to me at the present: resonating with my need to let go, mentally gestate and drink up the nourishing light of inspiration before fully immersing myself in studio activities anew. Even my editor told me that I deserve a break after such intensity. And despite my conditioned need to keep working (the ol’ keep on drawing if you wanna eat), I know that she (and those around me who witnessed my years of dedication to this tarot deck) is right. I need to take time to read, sketch, dream, journal, socialize and allow external stimuli to refill my well with renewed creative zeal. I’m entering a season of adjustment from feelings of being an accomplished fairy tale painter to a girl sitting in front of her clean, empty drawing table, an unfamiliar sight after many years of constant artistic activity. I need to allow myself to organize my thoughts and my space before engaging in another spate of blissful creative chaos. And I know I will. This is not the first time I have finished a big project…but I will never have the thrill of doing The Fairy Tale Tarot again! For now, I will enjoy this peaceful interlude and allow the muses to go play outside for a while, with me as the quiet observer sketching without obligation. Soon, I will hold printed tarot kit in hand and will have a host of new feelings to process .

The Star from The Fairy Tale Tarot, watercolor painting

Symbols and meaning:

The Star Maiden flies into the center of the tree thus connecting the spiritual world with the earthly plane: merging the different layers of consciousness. A spiral circulates from her chest, expressing her desire to go be liberated from the confinement of limited ego-driven thinking. The dying leaves are being released from the branches and flow freely. The full moon symbolizes birth, death and resurrection. Lunar activities preside, when fragments of the waking state fill our dreams at night. The faces in the trees represent the collective unconscious and our ability to access ancient knowledge while we dream.
***
It is important to be receptive to dream messages as a means of gaining greater insight and wisdom about our past, present and future. By becoming more aware of our inner dream life, we can become more proactive in our waking lives—actualizing those hopes and dreams that reflect our deepest desires.

~ Lisa

The Three Little Pigs

Lisa tarring her parents house, age 12

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a pretty resourceful woman. I grew up in an environment where being hands-on with sundry tasks was part of the childhood experience—this included helping expand and remodel my parents’ house. All those chores of yesteryear provided valuable lessons in carpentry and home improvement, as I began tackling my own remodeling endeavors in chez Hunt/Kramer. My Taekwondo Master and classmates have told me that I’m really strong. Well, this is not from ever having a gym membership or engaging in organized strength training. Rather, my strength derives from good old-fashioned manual labor, a humble and effective way to stay fit and save money!

Working Lisa 1

My most recent accomplishment, with the help of my trusty assistant Kort-hubby and under the experienced eye of my father, entailed installing hardwood flooring in my hallway. I’ve been wanting to do it for years, but such an undertaking takes mental and financial preparation—there is some planning to consider including what wood to use, color, square footage, thresholds, wood grain direction, adhesive or nails and all manner of particulars that must be pre-determined before commencing with this no-mistakes-can-be-made type project.

Hammering

While on my knees working on the floor (next time, I’ll invest in knee pads!), I felt like one of the cloven-hooved protagonists in The Three Little Pigs fairy tale. In the artwork for the story an ambitious pig wearing a blue apron, symbolizing focused labors, is building his house one brick at a time. This is how I felt as I smeared the adhesive and placed a wooden plank down gently. I knew what I wanted and despite the mess and misery that are byproducts of such intense physical labors, I enjoyed envisioning the floor and watching it slowly come to life one plank at a time.

Gluing the floor down.

There may be a project that you’ve always wanted to do, but have put off for a while. The Three of Pentacles reminds us that envisioning a plan and bringing it to fruition requires focus, attention and productive determination. But the results can be most gratifying! And there is something to be said for feeling tired after a long day’s work. There is a big difference between mental fatigue and good, deep physical exhaustion. I think I like being physically active because it provides a nice break from the intensity of my studio. And I need both to feel accomplished and alive. Good thing my house still needs a lot of work!

Lisa Work Finished

~ Lisa

To view the Three Little Pigs art, click HERE.