Blog

So sometimes life throws you a curve and you have to learn to adapt. For those who have health issues ,it is sometimes necessary to find new ways to continue doing what you love without "standing out " in a way you don't want.
That is one of the reasons that I decided to start blogging about my own journey through cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and IBSD and LIFE. People with health issues don't want to be known for their issues but for their triumphs through it and how they have embraced the limitations that come with that and moving forward as "normally" as is possible.
In art, especially Plein aire, you see tons of images of artists standing on cliffs, snow, even rooftops but there are far more artists painting what they have locally in their own "backyard".
For me the journey began in 1999 and has continued through periods of remission and flares but the painting was always there in some form to keep me grounded and slicing through life with beauty. After taking care of my mom(who had lewey body dementia) , my own health suffered from the stress of that and her death. Art became a beacon and a source of comfort. But it also came with challenges of how to adapt my on again off again physical issue with the Plein aire adventures I love. Well, this year I am finally back in remission but what that means is the existing damage is still there but hopefully it will keep new damage and issues from happening if I can stay there. One of my the first things I did was start a yoga exercise plan. To me yoga and art are very similar in that they ground you and slow you down so that you can see the world with fresh eyes and heart. Then- I started working on a plan to find ways of painting no matter what stage of issues my health might be in at the time. The first thing was to get a vehicle that could hold a porta potty, napping cot, and cabinets for my painting gear so it would be easier when traveling to Plein aire sights. The other issue was to find a cart that could travel along all terrains with my painting gear as with spinal stenosis it is impossible to carry backpacks or other stuff . So, enter the Ford Transit Van with a Medium height ceiling. Mine has double slider doors on the side and back doors that open out and wrap around for great access. We put rubber mats wall to wall on the floor to help with traction for moving the cart and loading things. It has a great towing package for the phase when I get a travel trailer to expand my adventures. Currently I have drawn up plans for the two cabinets I will be installing and will be purchasing the materials for this week. I will post photos of it as we progress. The porta potty and curtain for that are installed and working great!! The next hurdle was to find something that could work for transporting my gear. My first purchase was the ArtComber Portable Rolling Chair. I loved that I could get all my gear in something I could pull but soon realized it had a stability problem and easily tipped over sideways. So after doing more research, I used the satchel from the ArtComber and affixed it to a walker from Drive. Problem solved! I'll keep you posted as I progress through! Jennylynne Gragg

So today's daily painting was actually a two day daily plein aire adventure . I was able to paint in my garden yesterday due to the nice bit of “spring “ weather we are having. I was able to lay in some transparent color and get the shape and depth of the hydrangeas. I leave my hydrangea flowers up till April because I love their beautiful fall colors that last all winter. I also leave any grasses or plants that provide interesting shapes and color through the winter months.
Today was another interesting and unusually warm day so after taking another look at my start from yesterday, I hurried back out to capture and finish it before the weather and winter return tomorrow.
I have been working on freshness and trying to capture the moment and not overwork or overthink my plein aires. Happy with the lovely day and the chance for a little warmer plein aire adventure.

Sometimes life hands you lemons and you have to made lemonade. We've all heard that phrase but do we really know what it means? Well, those of us who travel through our art life with difficulties do. Early in the 1990's I was diagnosed with Rhuematoid Arthritis which is an immune system disease with many facets. Basically, your own body attacks itself usually in the fluid which surrounds all your joints and organs, well, just about everywhere. You can have flares(active ) and remissions(non-active), however, when you have a flare the damage is done and cannot be reversed. So you strive for those remission times in which you can have moments of "normal". Because of the damage though, you are forced to make changes in the way you live and move and work. To that end, I have tried to make my art journey easier and more productive. I have succeeded and also failed, but that is life-anyone's life. So I will be blogging about my journey and the steps I'm taking to achieve a more productive and easier art life. I'm starting with the biggest change in my plein aire adventures, my new art van. We purchased a 2017 Ford Transit with a medium hieight top. I immedialely bought a porta potty for it (as I suffer from IBSD which is a direct result of my RA). I am able to now travel and feel safe and free. It also has a smal mattress in it for those times when I am tired and need a short rest. Now, I'm ready to take it to the next level. I have designed new cabinets for each side of the van. One side will be table height which wil enable me to frame my paintings and anything else which requires a table. The other side will be bench height with a cushion for resting when I need to and it will be better because it will be off the floor and easier for me. All the cabinets will have storage for paints, canvases and panels, frames, and tools I will need for my plein aire journeys. I also travel with a folding chair and a rolling apparatus for getting my gear around as I have limited strength to cart things for plein aire. So, follow me as I work out the new travel and plein aire needs and continue on my art life journey. Thanks .