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Studio Tour (with Before and After Photos)

January 28, 2016/0 Comments/in Art, Creative Process /by Betony Coons

As part of our January theme, Clearing, we have been massively cleaning and refreshing our home and work spaces.

We shared some of the before and afters in this post.  But because I am so happy with it, I wanted to share a little more in depth look at our studio space.

First lets look at some BEFORE photos.
And, have some grace with me on these. This is as bad as it would get (post several big art shows.) My poor studio gets the brunt of the creating chaos around here.

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Here it is in the midst of creating the Becoming series –

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Even the windows started getting crowded….

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Notice the floor before, concrete with leftover glue from old tiles

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Here is the studio in the midst of painting all the walls white. Already after moving out all the shelving and paintings it felt SO much bigger.IMG_0506

And here it is finished! Isn’t it lovely! So much better. I might just move it. Or paint a whole new series of paintings... ha ha ha…

 


Remember that bad floor before? My sweet husband helped do this sweet epoxy floor coating. Doesn’t it look like a million bucks?

Obviously the two budding artists in the family are enjoying the new space as well.

Speaking of those little girls, since I usually have some helpers when I am out painting, I made them their own little play corner.


Lots of little corners of prettiness – and the windows are SO big and bright now with the white walls.

A freshly painted and organized pegboard for tools.

I found the perfect corner to hang our calendar.

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This stain glassed window was one of Tim and my first purchases as a married couple. Now it is hanging by the door.

 

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I can tell lots of fun creating is going to happen in this space now.
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https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_06574.jpg?fit=720%2C540&ssl=1 540 720 Betony Coons https://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.png Betony Coons2016-01-28 17:36:342016-01-28 18:32:03Studio Tour (with Before and After Photos)

A New Song and a Silk-Screen Poster!

January 26, 2016/1 Comment/in Bellwether, Creative Process, Monthly Themes, Music /by Betony Coons

spoons poster color_web

In response to our January theme of “Clearing” we have created a fully produced, beautiful song for you called “Empty”. You can listen below (and feel free to share it with folks!):

Using the lyrics from the song, Betony has designed a limited edition of 50 silk-screened posters. With silver ink on heavyweight, forest- green paper, it will be an impressive and framable 12×16 print.

Because of the silk-screen process we are only taking orders until February 7th! If you’d like one you can order it now by clicking right here (it’ll take you to our store).

About Bellwether and Our January Theme

At the beginning of the year Betony and I announced we’re working on a new project. Titled Bellwether, it will be an album and art series that explores belief (to be released November 2016).

Instead of just keeping the creative process to ourselves, we’re making it a bit more open; hoping to explore belief each month in ways that contribute and form the project being released.

So every month we’re doing a Practice & Process, choosing a spiritual practice and, in response, sharing the creative process.

For January our theme is Clearing and we wrote all about the Practice we took on (you can see some crazy pictures of our house-clearing too!)

Our plan is to continue releasing songs and posters throughout the calendar year- an ongoing process to these practices. Keep watching for more as the months progress!

https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/spoons-poster-color_web.jpg?fit=720%2C900&ssl=1 900 720 Betony Coons https://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.png Betony Coons2016-01-26 07:25:172016-01-26 07:25:17A New Song and a Silk-Screen Poster!

January Practice and Process: “Clearing” pt. 2

January 22, 2016/2 Comments/in Art, Bellwether, Creative Process, Monthly Themes, Music /by Betony Coons

PRACTICE

As we are making our way through January, Betony and I have been staying true to practicing the two things we put forward at the beginning of the month:
Doing a massive “clearing” of our house.
and
Having a table alter with and a ringing bell to accompany prayer.

Below are some pictures of the house-clearing process. We’ve made it through the BIG categories of clothes, books, and papers. Then Betony has been taking on the major hot-spots of her art studio, sewing-closet and kitchen.

These photos make it look REALLY bad, but part of the process we are doing is to pull each category (clothes, books, papers, etc) out completely before putting it back.
Books Day BEFORE:

Books Day AFTER:

Clothes BEFORE:
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Clothes AFTER:

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Papers Day: (we ended up with two small folders of papers)
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The disaster of the studio BEFORE:
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Studio AFTER (still in process of repainting…) – can you even believe this is the same space?
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There are things that we are learning and processing in doing this! (Please, feel free to leave some of what you’re learning in our comments!)

For me, I’ve been surprised by how the house feels BIGGER. We all of a sudden have plenty of space. We’re aren’t hurting for closets and the floor isn’t constantly covered in toys… I was really feeling the pressure this last year of upgrading our home, keeping up with the Jones’, you know? We’re a family of 5 now. How do we make it in this tiny house? (leaving out the perspective that the rest of the world seems to do just fine with a lot less space and things). Now with this clearing, things feel fine right now. We actually have AMPLE room.
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It’s also made me excited to be home. When I look at our bookshelf, I look at the “greatest hits” of Betony and I’s collection. Each of the books we’ve kept mean a lot to us! Now that the closets and nooks and shelves are looking like that, it gives a great joy. We’re surrounded by things we’ve made a choice to keep because of their importance to us.

Another point with that- because they’re important to us, we want to take better care of what we have. I’ve always wanted to be a good caretaker of my stuff, a good steward. But I never have felt very good at it. I hope this practice of “keeping mainly the things that bring me joy” will help me intrinsically move towards better care.

Lastly, and this sounds strange, overall I feel like I’ve spiritually lost 10 pounds. I don’t know how else to describe it. Coming in to the home, things just feel lighter and less stress-filled. Maybe there’s a beginning sense of “this is what I want my life to be” rather than “I’m failing at the American dream”? Does that make sense?

PROCESS

Betony and I are taking these practices and letting them guide our artistic process:

As a result, Giants & Pilgrims will be releasing a new song! This is a single from a larger work called “Bellwether”, out later this year. I wrote it while processing this idea of clearing and subtraction then quickly recorded, mixed, and mastered the song with a host of incredibly talented people!

Alongside the song, Betony is creating limited run of a screen-print that will be sold online only the last week of January! It’ll bring a beauty and design to the lyrics from this new song.

Also, Betony is excited to begin the year with a wonderful, clean, and intention-filled studio.

PS

The number of trash bags full of stuff we donated was CRAZY! This is only about 1/6 –

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https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_0392.jpg?fit=2448%2C3264&ssl=1 3264 2448 Betony Coons https://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.png Betony Coons2016-01-22 09:42:282016-01-22 16:10:33January Practice and Process: "Clearing" pt. 2

January Practice and Process: “Clearing”

January 8, 2016/1 Comment/in Bellwether, Family, Lists, Monthly Themes, Online /by Betony Coons

In creating our new project Bellwether we’ve decided to share what we’re doing each month before it’s released at the end of the year.
We’re calling these posts “practice and process“.

They will detail the spiritual/life practice we’re doing,
give a look at our in-process art that we’re creating in response,
and then include a whole host of resources and activities! (like the new desktop wallpaper, book/music/movie lists, recipes, explorations for kids, etc. This is so as a entire family we can engage in this year’s exploration of “belief” we’re calling Bellwether. 

JANUARY Theme: Clearing

To me January is about resetting, starting fresh. It is the metaphor of a clear desk space – putting away all old projects and supplies, shining the surface, pulling up a stool, and opening up a new blank sketchbook, and beginning.

Practice:

As a family this month, we plan on doing two main things.

  1. Clearing out our house of it’s excesses – stripping down to the objects that give us joy and clearing room for creativity to breath.

    After a book has been recommended to me by 3 different people independent of each other, I figure it is time to read it. While we were home for Christmas, Tim and I both read this book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

    Marie Kondo is quirky. She personifies objects and houses. I particularly loved how she talked about socks.
    (“The socks and stockings stored in your drawer are essentially on holiday.”
    I can’t say I have ever really thought twice about how hard my socks work.) Here are the basic ideas in the book –

    • Start by discarding. Then organize your space, thoroughly, completely, in one go.
    • Discard by category – not by location (first clothing, then books, etc…)
    • A dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective. It is life transforming. Then everything has its right place and tidying becomes easier.
    • when you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too.
    • Surround yourself only by the things you love

    “Letting go is even more important than adding” – Marie Kondo

    What I have discovered by going through this process, at least so far, is that through discarding, I begin discern more clearly what is most important to me!

2. For our second spiritual/life practice we’re setting up a table altar. When the meal is finished and the table is cleared and cleaned ring the bell and say this prayer together: Lord God and King we thank you for your sustaining love.

Process:

Artistically, January is a month of exploration for me. I have some initial ideas for Bellwether, but mostly I am letting things steep. I will be drawing in my sketchbook a lot. And working through several boxes of beautiful old books to be used as collage material donated to me by the Greeley History Museum. I’m resetting and clearing my studio space to begin a new year of creating – I can’t hardly bear to post this picture of my studio right now. It is in SUCH a sad shape of disaster (this is what happens when the year ends with 3 major art shows). But, by sharing it here, it is just even more motivation to get it to where I want it to be.

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Tim is working on recording a song around the ideas of subtraction and clearing. Hopefully for use in a really cool upcoming project.
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(by the way if you haven’t checked out the new January calendar and desktop you definitely should)

Resources for “Clearing”:

JANUARY Dates to Take Note of:

January 11th – Winners of the major Children’s book awards are announced
January 18th – Martin Luther King Day – listen to this playlist or this one

Local: Greeley, CO events:

January 9th – Missoula Children’s Theater Rapunzel @UCCC
Starting January 18th – Centennial branch library is hosting a “Discover Nasa” exhibit
January 29-30th -The Annual Father Daughter Dance – tim takes the girls each year, and they all just love it.
(Here are the pictures from last year, we still giggle at how much these two shots capture the girls’ personalities)
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Let me know if you have other fun Greeley events I should add to this calendar!

READING:

I am reading a lot of parenting and “how kids learn” kind of books, because we are thinking about shifting up how we teach our kiddos next year.

I have been really digging into Michelle Garrels new blog/resources at her site The New Domestic.
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I want to listen to this podcast interview of her.
Her resource lists are particularly wonderful for learners of all ages.

Tim has been reading The Crowd, the Critic, and the Muse by M. Gungor
Every snippet he has read to me has been just wonderful. I can’t wait to pick it up too.
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I have seen some powerful reviews of When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
I am very interested to read his story.

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Here are some of the books I have on hold at the library for the kids this month:
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We are also planning on rereading the financial classic Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (if I can get past the Cheese factor). It is a proven system of money managing that has worked wonders for us in the past.

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LISTEN TO: 

Chvrches – Every Open Eye (my current favorite track is Clearest Blue – it makes me want to go running)
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This liturgists podcast called “Vapor”
vapor+cover

 

WATCH:

Selma

url

 

SCIENCE EXPLORATIONS:

Since the theme is “Clear”ing, I would love to do this vinegar egg experiment with the kids
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Since it is ridiculously cold here right now, I think this would be a beautiful little science experiment to try as well.
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FOOD:

We are in the midst of the Bon Appetit food lover’s cleanse for 2016. A practice we have done for the last 3 years. For our family it is a lovely reset. I do simplify and rearrange the menus for the sake of our grocery budget. So far our absolute new favorite is the Oven Roasted Chicken with Grapes.

ART:

Read and be inspired by this children’s book and experiment with our own scratch art.
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Because one of our sub-themes is subtraction, we want to play around with Soap Carving with the girlies. Also seem like they would be fun for the bath if we made little boats.
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POETRY to READ:

A New Years Blessing by Joel Mckerrow

The Journey by Mary Oliver

https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_0377.jpg?fit=3264%2C2448&ssl=1 2448 3264 Betony Coons https://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.png Betony Coons2016-01-08 10:58:422016-06-21 16:05:20January Practice and Process: "Clearing"

Announcing the Giants & Pilgrims’ New Art & Music Project: Bellwether

January 6, 2016/0 Comments/in Art, Bellwether, Music, Writing /by Betony Coons

So it’s time for announcements and proclamations.

For each Giants & Pilgrims’ project we choose a theme and explore that theme with art & music. Last year we released Becoming, about the constant process of growing up. The year before that was Almanac No. 1 and the art & music was centered in the realm of family and proven love.

Where are Betony and my hopes and dreams taking Giants & Pilgrims for 2016? What will fuel the works of art & music?

Here’s what we hope to explore this year, in depth:

Belief.

What do Betony and I believe as individuals? As a married couple? What do we really cling to? What do we want to pass on to our children? What do we hold as important and utmost in our lives? The thing behind the thing behind the thing? What are the values and vision and world views that truly shape where we head as a family? What are the words we put towards the big questions of God, metaphysics, doctrine, discovery, and experience?

And this is just a starting place of the questions!

We’re calling the project Bellwether. It’s actually an old shepherding term. A bellwether is a sheep that is a little more aggressive, a little more obnoxious and hungry. (It’s known to get out of pens for food).

And so a bell is placed on it. This not only helps the shepherd know where the sheep is, but it also helps the sheep. As the bell wether wanders for greener pastures, the rest of the sheep follow to new fields of grass.

Betony and I are looking for bells to follow. We’re asking questions. We are hungry and we hope to find great fields this 2016.

We’ll be creating towards an end project to be released this fall/winter, but we plan to share the process as well. Each month Betony and I are choosing a theme that will be our centering of exploration and practice. We will dig in to this Bellwether theme to as the year progresses. January’s Bellwether theme is “clearing” – see our full exploration of that theme here tomorrow.

https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/sheep.jpg?fit=1181%2C676&ssl=1 676 1181 Betony Coons https://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.png Betony Coons2016-01-06 13:15:482016-01-06 13:18:19Announcing the Giants & Pilgrims' New Art & Music Project: Bellwether

January Free Calendar Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper

January 1, 2016/0 Comments/in Desktop Backgrounds, Downloads, Online /by Betony Coons
We love the end of the year holidays. All the festivities and feasting are something we look forward to all year long. But, I have also really started looking forward to January and the close of the old year as well. There is nothing quite like it. The vast potential and blank slate of a new year fills me with fresh energy. It reminds me of the feeling of cleaning off a cluttered workspace and coming in the next morning to a clear table with endless possibility and energy. Our theme this month we will be exploring is “Clearing.”  To kick us off on this first day of 2016, here is a clean minimal desktop/iphone wallpaper set for you. A tiny boat heading off into new adventures.
To dig into January, read this simple poem, make this yummy New Years Stew,  and listen to this “Resolutions” playlist.For the desktop, click on the small thumbnail below to view the large size image.
For the iphone wallpaper, navigate to this page on your phone and then click and hold on the iphone images. Select ‘Save image to camera roll’. Then from your camera roll set your home screen/lock screen.


High Resolution Desktop Wallpaper:
January 2016 desktop

iPhone wallpaper:
iphone January 2016

https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/January-2016-desktop.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=1 1440 2560 Betony Coons https://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.png Betony Coons2016-01-01 12:43:362016-01-31 12:38:45January Free Calendar Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper

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