Strength and Wisdom: Knowing

Knowing: Zoe oil on canvas Jude Harzer 2012

Knowing: Savka: "dedicated and brave" inspired by photograph of artist Natalija Mijatovic 

Knowing series oil on canvas oil on canvaas 2012

It was Aristotle who said that knowing ourselves is the beginning of all wisdom. My current work continues to explore feminine strength and resiliency but also the knowing of self that results from life experience. One does not have to be aged to possess wisdom, although grace in maturity is often evidence that the individual has learned a thing or two about how to navigate this life . It requires mastery of mind, strength of spirit, flexibility and a whole lot of letting go. But curiously, children often exude this same inner fortitude and awareness. In youth , some have been challenged to tap into those internal reserves that protect and preserve them from moment to moment. They exhibit a quietness and composure that reminds us that they are witnessing , constantly observing and learning.... They see and know based on how they are made to feel and how they perceive the business of life and the reactions and patterns of behavior of their elders to it.So my new work will celebrate the seers and knowers, whatever the age, because in exploring them, I am reminded how very little I know about myself ...how fabulously  foolish and flawed. ...

June: The Gift of Ruins

June is here. Summer sun, creating in my studio in Savannah, daydreaming and designing my new life and wondering where it will lead...where I will live ...and how it will impact my work.
I am not fearful...well maybe just a little. I am excited by the potential and possibilities of it all.I am ridding of the guilt associated with letting go of my old life.

My niece shared this with me: “A friend took me to the most amazing place the other day. It’s called the Augusteum. Octavian Augustus built it to house his remains. When the barbarians came they trashed it along with everything else. The great Augustus, Rome’s first true great emperor...how could he have imagined that Rome, the whole world as far as he was concerned, would be in ruins. It’s one of the quietest, loneliest places in Rome. The city has grown up around it over the centuries. It feels like a precious wound, a heartbreak you won’t let go of because it hurts too good. We all want things to stay the same. Settle for living in misery because we’re afraid of change, of things crumbling to ruins. Then I looked at around to this place, at the chaos it has endured – the way it has been adapted, burned, pillaged and found a way to build itself back up again. And I was reassured, maybe my life hasn’t been so chaotic, it’s just the world that is, and the real trap is getting attached to any of it. Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation.” Elizabeth Gilbert

Ruin is a gift. June is here. Change will come.

It's In the Journey

~ Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome. ~Arthur Ashe

Click here to see me and my art in Savannah, Ga.

I am an artist. I can't imagine being anything else. I see art everywhere. It took a lifetime for me to accept and embrace that I view and experience things in a way that is unique only to me. I am a painter of dreams..., my dreams. It has been a very strange, confusing, and yet very beautiful journey to arrive at this place. At nearly 48 years old, I am beginning to recognize and understand the person who I am, or rather who I wish to become. This journey through life, requires transformation.We are not meant to stand still or necessarily be comfortable or content.

Here at Savannah College of Art and Design, where I began my graduate studies in painting this summer, standing still was not an option and change has been demanded. The faculty expects it . My lifestyle and painting practice made it inevitable. A 5 week intensive quarter semester with a daily schedule from 5 am to midnight ,devoted primarily to art production and critique, did not allow for idleness, mentally or physically speaking.They call it "art boot camp" here. It is.... but the rigor and discipline were welcomed . I was made for this.

My life this past year has evolved in ways I never imagined. A new job, my youngest child graduated and  college bound, irreversibly altered personal relationships, and a host of other life happenings , ... all  necessitated that I evolve and grow...or not. There were long, dark  "moments" when I did not feel able. I resisted and nearly surrendered to a dangerous and paralyzing complacency and acceptance of a life to which I no longer belonged. Acceptance to graduate school was a long considered "reaction" and opportunity to redefine my life and reorient my path to where I wish to be. I don't know exactly where that is, but I know that moving forward is the way in which I'll arrive at that realization.


I even expected the torturous self reflection that this experience would evoke.Crying....there was a lot of crying...some from sadness, frustration, loneliness, relief and joy. Daily, life altering conversations with like minded creative spirits, exposure to art making and criticism that dramatically differs from my own, financial and personal sacrifices to "selfishly" be in this place, plagued my thoughts on a daily basis, amid an expectation to produce and perform. And still I know I needed to be here. As uncomfortable and challenging as it felt at times, I felt an urgent, disquieting pull to embrace this new phase in my life.I created this moment and this opportunity. I cannot waste it.

There is no place, however to which I can go, where I can hide from myself....not even in Savannah. It has a haunted, transient , unpredictable atmosphere. It feels right for me at this moment. Yesterday was a final critique. No one can possibly criticize me more than I evaluate and criticize myself.I realized through this process, how much I have to learn, how sincerely I have grown and how strong I am in mind, body and spirit.  I trust how I think . All the confusion and angst usually comes from resisting what I know to be certain. I know my heart. I know my passions. I know my many weaknesses and flaws. So finally, I am letting go. No promises...no expectations of anyone other than myself to assist in my journey but pure gratitude for the health, love, family and friendships that have guided me here... and hope, always great hope, that those who I love will have patience, empathy and compassion as I venture forward. I am so grateful and blessed. I wonder if I say it enough...if those I love, know it enough.

I'll make art that matters...to me and hopefully to others. I'm desperate to learn.I'll continue to share my graduate school experiences. I expect they will be interesting, to me anyway:) The posted images are a few of the works I created during the 5 week immersion. I think art is meant to be shared. It is who I am.
Some of my recent artistic transformation was inspired by the direction of two wildly talented and brilliant young professors: Gregory Eltringham and Natalija Mijatovic. It was an honor to work with them. They offered a rare level of intelligence, talent, and sensitivity that made me respect and value the artistic process and purpose. They made me want and expect more of myself. Here are links to their professional sites:
http://www.gregoryeltringham.com/

http://www.blazokovacevic.com/

Now I have a brief hiatus. As I prepare to send both my children off to college and ready for my own year of teaching, I must plan and learn to manage the demands of graduate school. I'm ready.No more wasting me:)
"Wherever you go, go with all your heart." ~Confucious
Enjoy!

No longer waiting for my real life to begin....this is it!
http://grooveshark.com/s/Waiting+For+My+Real+Life+To+Begin/1L

SPECIAL LOVE and THANKS to my room mate Jessica and my neighbors and friends, GAV and CHRIS who made me smile and who endured my quirkiness, stories and energy:) oxox

Click here to see me and my art in Savannah, Ga.

"Blessed"...in process

For my daughter....for my children...."I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach..." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“There is no such thing as too many children… that is like saying there are too many flowers.”  

 Mother Theresa

New Work: Seeking Solace

Seeking Solace   2011     

The immediacy with which this piece unfolded during two brief sessions, surprised me. The use of multiple processes and media , reflects the lack of focus that I seem to be experiencing as of late. I don't feel settled enough to commit to a long term composition that might demand greater attention to detail or careful use of materials. I loved that I could switch from collage to painting, then drawing with ease. My mind switches from past to present to future, from pain to pleasure ,to sadness ,then hope throughout each painting session. The movement and fluidity of this work, successfully helped to quiet my mind.

What a gift it is to finally appreciate and use my love of painting, to calm my head and heart.

ART CONNECTIONS 7

Opening Jan. 23, 2011

2-5 pm

Montclair State University
George Segal Gallery
1 Normal Street
(973)-655-4000

  

In A Boy's Dream Jude Harzer 2010

http://www.montclair.edu/Arts/galleries/images/SeasonBrochure4Web.pdf

Artistic Inspiration: Pamela Wilson

There are artists who inspire by their sheer genius, unique vision and talent. Pamela Wilson is one of those gifted artists. Read this recent article form the Ramshacle Review to gain a glimpse into the magical creations of this gifted painter. I am awed and inspired.
"Feathered Hopes and Intriguing Dreams"...

Antechamber of Regret

Pamela Wilson

http://ramshacklereview.blogspot.com/2010/09/feathered-hopes-and-intriguing-dreams.html.

Wind Water Oil Fire Art Exhibit and Panel Discussion

"Fly: Breathe", is one of five of my works that will be exhibited and that will be available for purchase at the Wind Water Oil Fire exhibit. It opens today at 3 pm in Red Bank, New Jersey at the Red Bank Community Church.

Although my works are not "religious" in content, they are certainly spiritual. My "Fly" paintings continue to attract recognition from those groups who value the inherent symbolism in these works....love,inspiration and acceptance. Although my recent paintings are somewhat different, I have readdressed the "Fly" concept and imagery upon request and realized that I can take this concept even further. My subjects often include children that I love, both in beauty and spirit, who share a "breath of inspiration" in an effort to encourage love and celebration of ones uniqueness and the strength to persist and believe in a greater purpose .

May you always see beauty in the world around you:) Fly!

For more information regarding the exhibit, please visit the link below.

http://www.redbank.com/2010/04/08/%E2%80%9Cwind-water-oil-fire%E2%80%9D-art-exhibit-opening-red-bank-community-church

Fly Away

Jude Harzer Fine Art 2-23-10

Fly Away

Love: The Exhibit

Fully Armored  Jude Harzer 2008

I received an inquiry about the exhibit that I plan to curate, inspired by the very powerful and universal experience , we refer to as “Love.” The show is planned to debut in 2011. It is a collaborative effort . My art and the art of others will be enhanced by the writings of a very talented emerging author and compositions by an equally gifted musician. The three are inextricably connected and are necessary in order to fully convey the essence of this exhibit. Art, like love, is multi- sensory and multi faceted.

The idea for this show became clear as I sat outside the home of friend and fellow artist, Carol Saylor this past December. Anyone that dares to spend time with me, knows that the conversation is rarely “light.” .Carol endures my persistent questionings, musings, and pleas for answers regarding life, love, purpose and passion. Carol “knows” life and love. She has suffered great tragedy and pain. Despite premature blindness and deafness during mid life, the loss of a daughter , ( Alice a mother of 3 , in her 30’s) ,to cancer, the death of her husband and so much more, Carol radiates energy, strength and beauty. How and why does anyone navigate this life with persistence and purpose in the face of great pain,loss and failure ? There have been many people who have graced my life who I have witnessed do just that….move forward despite the hard knocks and obstacles, with unusual persistence and vigor. Again I ask "How and why? "

….Always, always, the answer makes a resounding reference to LOVE! Love, passion, hope and a belief in something greater than ourselves, is a powerful motivation that reveals in us strength and greatness beyond our wildest imaginations. And yet, “love”, misunderstood, unexpressed, rejected or absent , has the potential to consume, destroy and diminish. Perhaps this is not love at all, but personal perception is not a tidy and universal process to be defined.

I’m not simply talking about the hearts and roses of romantic love, although that certainly provides a wealth of inspiration. I am referring to the entire spectrum of the experience….the good, the bad, the pure…young love, true love, first love ,mature love, unrequited love….the love of a parent, a friend, a lover, a child. We are often motivated by the love of country, the love of learning, the love of freedom, the love of God , nature and life itself. Is it possible to genuinely and fully love many, or do we reserve our love for a chosen few? Why do we crave , live, die , and pray for it? Unconditional love…does that even exist? And why do we fade in the absence of it? All I know is that love matters and sustains us in times of need. It exposes beauty where there appears to be none . Love makes the seemingly mundane appear extraordinary and unites us in ways that give meaning to our brief moments here in this life.

Another exceptional friend, fellow artist, art historian and educator Trish Maunder, once told me that love is the “stuff’ that inspires all great art .I believe she is right! So as I journey to make sense of it, I have become an observer of this phenomenon and have learned to embrace rather than resist it.Yes, when we expose our hearts, we are left unguarded and more susceptible to pain, tears and potential hurt. But comfortably numb is not living and over time, the pain of regret, is far greater than any love, lost or found.

So this isn’t a Valentine’s exhibition. It is about life, love and inspiration and I am blessed to have plenty of it all! Live and love HUGE!

PS… Dino… the one you love! This one is for you Pork Chop:) See image above for reference. All rights reserved Hanna Barbera.
Check Carol Saylor out on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TcJ0KZHIR8&feature=related

Thoughtful Gift Giving! Buy My Art on Imagekind

My art is inspired by great love, simple beauty and the desire to share my dreams and my story. Children are my greatest source of inspiration, especially my own. Their innocence and easy acceptance of live guide my thoughts and my work.Imagekind.com. Prints, notecards and other items are available for purchase! Please contact me at judiharz@aol.com, for customized heirloom portraits,paintings or for other information.My images are also perfect for inspirational gifts, birthdays and birth announcements!

If you'd like to give a unique and heartfelt gift to someone special for the holidays, please consider visiting my site on
Click here for more of Jude's art on Imagekind:
http://www.imagekind.com/MemberProfileGalleries.aspx?MID=b5b4a5ef-f273-465a-aaf7-738c7fdfa00b
A portion of the proceeds of all purchases will be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
“The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Child Within

It is tragic when a child's spirit and sense of security are stolen. It can take a lifetime to heal, if ever. Love and patience, when trusted and accepted, help mend broken heads and hearts.
This painting is in process. It is oil on canvas and is 4 ft. w x 2 Ft. h.I am sneaking in a little painting amid the activity of the holiday season. Shhhhhhh!
"The way of peace is the way of love.Love is the greatest power on earth.It conquers all things"....Peace Pilgrim.

Jude Harzer in Art Connections 6

Please Join Me!

George Segal Gallery
Montclair State University
Opening Reception:
Sunday, January 12, 2010
2:00 - 5:00 pm

Dates: 1/17-2/13, 2010

Thoughtful Gift Giving

My art is inspired by great love, simple beauty and the desire to share my dreams and my story. Children are my greatest source of inspiration, especially my own. Their innocence and easy acceptance of live guide my thoughts and my work.

If you'd like to give a unique and heartfelt gift to someone special for the holidays, please consider visiting my site on Imagekind.com. Prints, notecards and other items are available for purchase! Please contact me at judiharz@aol.com, for customized heirloom portraits,paintings or for other information.My images are also perfect for inspirational gifts, birthdays and birth announcements!

Click here for more of Jude's art on Imagekind:
http://www.imagekind.com/MemberProfileGalleries.aspx?MID=b5b4a5ef-f273-465a-aaf7-738c7fdfa00b

A portion of the proceeds of all purchases will be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
“The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

What Dreams May Come

I remember watching the movie, "What Dreams May Come," about 10 years ago. "An overtly sentimental and romanticized film", you say?....Absolutely, but beautiful all the same. It is one of my favorite movies...a fantasy perhaps but I viewed this years before I ever imagined that I would resume painting again. I'm still painting my dreams. For me it is how I can best speak to those I love whether or not they hear or see me. I always see beauty in the world around me, even when it seems difficult to find:) Actually, it's not all that hard. My mind usually takes me where I wish to be. DREAM BIG!!!!It's all beautiful....the pain, the joy, the love and hope.It means you are awake, aware and alive! What an incredible gift it is to be an artist!I am fully awake and dreaming:)!

Less Like Scars

Years ago,my beautiful friend Jessica took me to a Sara Groves concert in Baltimore. Her voice and talent were inspiring. She is an artist who has the gift of manifesting others feelings and thoughts through her song writing and voice.
When I painted this summer, I created a large version of my "Fly" paintings which incorporate a child blowing a breath of inspiration and a painted "quilt"motif. A typical comment was that my paintings have a haunting quality but in one of my critiques someone observed that the stitching around the "fabric" panels, looked more like scars.That was somehow perfect as much of my work alludes to my past and to childhood memories and experiences.Listening to Sara's music this morning made me think of my own work.
I haven't painted much since this summer and I have not returned to my "Fly" series.
I think over time, the past,the errors, the misjudgements,the regrets, the hurt, the pain,the neglect,the sorrow.....seem "less like scars and more like character." I think it's called healing:)I love you Jessica:)

Chasing Fireflies

Some people who know me gasped in disbelief when I said that I was attending a Women of Faith conference in Philadelphia this weekend, entitled "Grand New Day." I attended with childhood friends from Millstone and 18,000 other women:)( That's a whole lotta estrogen, power and creativity).I consider myself more spiritual than religious. I have opened my mind and heart to the possibility that learning and inspiration come from unexpected and sometimes unlikely resources.This weekend provided a wealth of experiences that genuinely inspired an abundance of new ideas for my art. The first painting will be entitled Firefly. As guest speakers, performers, authors, and musicians shared stories of their lives and their journeys toward discovering their strengths, talents and higher purpose, images flashed incessantly before me...images that will undoubtedly make their way into my paintings.

Author and motivational speaker Patsy Clairmont likened the people who enter our lives and impact us in a special way to the magical glow of "fireflies." They flicker and attract us to them, providing light for our hearts, minds and souls. These are the people that guide,motivate,instruct and love us. Gratefully,I have had many fireflies, flit in and out of my life, in the past three years. Although their glow may have dimmed or faded,I have stored the magic of them within me:) They help to light my way.

Be still.Welcome and appreciate the fireflies that grace your "moments".Capture their light in your heart and mind.Sometimes the faintest of fireflies can provide the most intense source of "light."I'm trying to pay a little better attention so that these glimmering gifts don't go unnoticed.

Fireflies,dandelions and children...these are a few of my favorite things! During the conference, one of the very dynamic women speakers said..."aging is inevitable,but growing up is optional." Words to live by:) I was reminded again of who I am and of the light that is within me. Maybe I'll get to create,share, shine and be someone else's firefly.Just maybe.

“His sanguine spirit turns every firefly into a star.”
Arthur Conan Doyle

Seeking Solace

I have accepted that my mind will never actually "be quiet." As I constantly seek solace, I have embraced that the way I think and feel, makes me the artist that I am.

http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Solace/2188906

Making Magic In Manhattan cont'd

Jude on her dorm room bed, dreaming of being an artist in NYC. Oh wait! It's not a dream any more...it's reality!
So already I am in the midst of day 3 of my art residency at SVA. Monday was our official orientation. We addressed the usual rules and regulations and then gathered as a group, under the direction of our professor Alois Kronschlager to view images of oneanother's work and to discuss our backgrounds and artistic philosphies.
It was impressive, amazing but exhausting. SVA's program welcomes a very select group of artists, either emerging or mid career, to participate in their summer program under the direction of several prestigious professional artists and professors. The group is culturally and artistically diverse which makes it even more interesting.

Well, all I can say is, I'm in heaven:) No really it is awesome. My intention was to relate every aspect of my experience in real time but that is difficult to do when I am painting 10 or more hours a day and then trying to sleep in my room which I converted into a second makeshift studio. It is technically a single dormitory size room (i.e. an oversized closet sized space) but it is perfect! So I had to sleep with a roll of wire mesh and a maple panel on my bed:)

My actual studio space on 21st Street in the SVA Fine Art facility,faces the street across from DaVinci Art Supplies. I have approximately 24 linear feet of wall space and more if needed. To best illustrate my amazing experience to date, I will post a few images and promise to recount in more depth, the happenings at SVA. I love that I can easily navigate between my studio and my temporary "home". It really is a dream come true. I emailed my children this evening, reminding them to never abandon their wishes.With effort, persistence and patience, they can make their dreams a reality. I'm chasing mine, making magic in Manhattan. Enjoy!

My studio/dorm room. Shhh! Don't tell:)
New Art in Process!
The view from my room on 23rd Street and Lexington!
My studio at the School of Visual Arts in NYC on the 4th Floor at 21st Street. Note the bare white walls on Tuesday morning...look at the photos from Wednesday evening! I am in heaven, I know it!

2 days worth of studio time! I am really painting!

Jude in NYC: You Are Invited!

In Your Dreams,Reveries, Fantasies, and Impossible Wishes
Curated by Edward J. Sullivan
Opening Reception, Saturday, April 4th, 3-5 PM
April 2nd - 26th
Gallery Hours: Thursday - Friday 4-7 PM, Saturday - Sunday 1-5 PM

The Pen & Brush proudly presents In Your Dreams: Reveries, Fantasies, and Impossible Wishes, an international multi-media group exhibition curated by Edward J. Sullivan. In Your Dreams was conceived to showcase the work of artists in tune with their inner lives and fantasies. It responds to a widespread taste for surrealist-related, fantastical art that seems to have developed recently in a surprisingly strong way in a wide variety of art worlds across the country and across the world.
We thought of the theme for this show some eighteen months ago, at a time of relative social and economic stability. Given the universal crisis in the areas of the economy and world social morale, a retreat into the unknown, the little-explored, or the worlds of fantasy on the part of artists expresses a more poignant and urgent sensibility. These works manifest a sense of unease or a desire to create alternate realities. The results are thought-provoking and intriguing for the community of artists and the public in general.

Edward J. Sullivan is professor of art history at New York University (Institute of Fine Arts and Department of Art History). He also serves as Dean for the Humanities. Sullivan received his PhD from NYU and is the author of over twenty-five books and exhibition catalogues. His research interests center around the Iberian world in its largest extension Spain, Latin America and the Philippines. He has also curated many exhibitions for such institutions as The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Guggenheim Museum (New York and Bilbao) and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Monterrey, Mexico. The world history of the Surrealist movement is of particular interest to him and when asked by The Pen and Brush to formulate a theme for an exhibition, In Your Dreams came to him, as he says, "in an almost unconscious way!"

Founded over 115 years ago, The Pen & Brush, Inc., is an international non-profit organization open to women in the visual, literary and performing arts. Our rich history is a chronicle of persistence, passion, dedication, and a commitment to equal opportunity. Some of the countless inspirational women in our number include Eleanor Roosevelt, Pearl S. Buck, Ida M. Tarbell and Jessie Tarbox Beals. While honoring the ideals and contributions of the women from our vibrant past, The Pen and Brush serves as an open, diverse, global forum, and cultural resource for its members, non-member participants, the professional arts community, and the general public. Our exhibitions, competitions and programs are open to women artists internationally. www.penandbrush.org