I just put the finishing touches on the Atlas mural this morning! This piece has been three years in the works and I am so excited to show you the finished project. Thank you so much to the City of Greeley for this opportunity and to the Atlas Theater and John Galt crews.
If you want to stop by and see it in person, it is at 709 16th Street in Greeley, CO.
BEFORE…
Power washing that dirty wall
My new “fade” expert
The background ombre almost done…
Lots of filling in shapes
Painted using a mixture of spray paint and hand brushing
Lots of late nights…
Getting closer!
Such adorable little helpers. And they are getting pretty good with paintbrushes!
Almost done….
and….AFTER!!
The finished piece.
This mural was definitely a family effort!
Now on to Bellwether projects!
https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_3078.jpg?fit=3161%2C2373&ssl=123733161Betony Coonshttps://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.pngBetony Coons2016-06-27 14:24:272016-06-27 14:24:27Atlas Mural Process Photos
As we are making our way through February, Betony and I have been staying true to practicing the two things we put forward at the beginning of the month: Praying for people each night as a family
and Exploring where our family can do service work (especially looking in to “Turn Around Bikes” in Greeley).
Volunteering
So we met with Liz Young and her intern of Turn Around Bikes last week just asking, “What all do you guys need this year?” Since Betony and I have experience with putting on big events and art shows we volunteered for the “Turn Around Bikes” fundraiser committee. Be looking for a that event come July! It should be an incredible time of biking, live music, food, and Weldwerks Brewing Company will hopefully be involved.
We also decided to do a special for the next two weeks on our site: 100% of proceeds of sales of this print go to support Turnaround Bikes!
PROCESS
I’ve been performing a new song this year that has really good energy when I sing it for people. I’ve been ending sets with it. “There is a Balm in Gilead” is a song about deep hope and it feels like a proclamation every time I sing it. It felt right that we would record this song in February and release it with this theme being lived out… More to come on that in a couple days!
Betony put up some versions of this incredible poster last week on Facebook. (True to Giants & Pilgrims projects, it coincides with the song.) You all voted and chose this version! It will be up for sale alongside the song in a couple days as well!
Some folks that helped make “There is a Balm in Gilead” happen (Charla Bultman, Brian Claxton, and sound engineer/ producer David Wilton):
We read “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” out loud as a family this month. There are so many beautiful and interesting spiritual archetypes in this book: baptism, desert, resurrection, etc. The whole of the book explores LOVE as an act of giving and sacrifice that shapes someone for the better.
Betony has also been reading “Home Grown” and “Man’s Search for Meaning”. She is highly recommending them for me as well!
This month I helped friend and Giants & Pilgrims band member Mary Claxton do a songwriting intensive, while Betony designed a set for Frontier Academy Elementary’s performance of Aladdin and volunteered to help with a art show fundraiser at our pre-school (check out those Lorax trees)!
The family took a trip to see the orchids at Denver’s Botanic Gardens.
And, speaking of “Balm”, I have been batching my newest set of colognes, beard oils, and aftershaves!
That’s all for now! March is going to be all about “Ground” so be watching for that soon!
https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/11.-bike_small.jpg?fit=720%2C724&ssl=1724720Betony Coonshttps://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.pngBetony Coons2016-02-27 09:31:532016-02-27 09:32:52February Balm: Practice and Process Part 2
(image is from a Chinese cloisonné painting factory we visited in China 2008)
In creating our new project, Bellwether (an art series and album due winter 2016) we’ve decided to share what we’re doing each month before it’s released.
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.
FEBRUARY Theme: BALM
February is in the heart of winter, close to the edge of a hope for spring. And with Valentine’s Day sitting in the month we’ve often treated February as a time to put into words the way we feel about the ones we deeply love. It’s a way to warm up the cold. We’ve chosen our theme of “balm” with some of these lines drawn.
Practice:
The very definition of balm is “something that has a comforting, soothing, or restorative effect.”
This month we are
exploring what service looks like for our family. We want to start being restorative in an intentional way. For us that looks like partnering with a local charity called “Turn Around Bikes”. They restore donated bikes and give them to people in need. Honestly, since having children we’ve had a hard time being consistent and feeling effective when it comes to giving of ourselves in this kind of way. We’re open to getting better at service. Furthermore, it’s our hope to instill a great sense of compassion in our children. This is at least a first step.
For our second spiritual/life practice we’re setting up a table altar like we did last month. This time before dinner we’ll be praying for people in need of “balm” or some extra love and care. Then on Mondays we’ll be writing and mailing postcards, sending that love out in words.
Tim is working on recording a song called “There is a Balm in Gilead” this month while I’m gathering ideas and paper tidbits for the overall series.
Resources for “Balm”:
FEBRUARY Dates to Take Note of:
February 7th – Superbowl 50 (with the *ahem*, Denver Broncos! Bake these, I promise you won’t regret it.)
February 8th – Chinese New Year (year of the monkey!) – We love to celebrate by ordering Chinese takeout and reliving our China trip 🙂
February 9th – Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday – we love to listen to this sweet mix curated by Starbucks
February 10th – Ash Wednesday
February 14th – Valentine’s Day
February 15th – President’s Day
February 17th – Random Acts of Kindness Day February 28th – The Oscars
Local: Greeley, CO events:
February 5th (and up through the end of the month) – Soundscape a group art show at the Atlas Theater that pairs music and art (right up our alley don’t you think?)
February 27th – Tim and Charla are opening for the lead singer of Everclear at the MOXI theater!
Let me know if you have other fun Greeley events I should add to this calendar!
EXPLORATIONS:
Here in Greeley, CO we have had just buckets and buckets of snow. We haven’t seen the ground since December 1st. I don’t even remember what it looks like. During winters like this, I think the best possible plan of action is to find a warm tropical greenhouse to visit. Usually we make a trip to the Butterfly pavilion. This year, I am thinking we are going to visit the Orchid Showcase (Jan. 8-Feb 22) at the Denver Botanical Gardens.
Participate in Turnaround bikes workshops this month and other service related activities.
Make a visit to the Cranford Cove to get a new selection of looseleaf teas to enjoy this month.
Speaking of tea, the girls and I are planning a lovely Valentine’s tea party with lots of tiny delicacies, fancy china, and, of course, hats and dresses.
ART:
Spend some time digging into Picasso’s works and share with the girls.
Their are some really fun art activities in this book.
Make all sorts of homemade valentines
READING lists:
Here are some of the kid’s books I have on reserve at the library this month. I was looking for books that deal with Compassion. I would love to hear your recommendations if you have any.
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, The Invisible Boy by Patrice Barton, The Lion and the Mouse, and A Sick Day for Amos Mcgee
I am also reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane out loud to Lucy. It is an absolute favorite of ours. The themes are nested in kindness and compassion and the journey of self-discovery. It’s a good one for adults too.
Mary Oliver poetry books – these are ABSOLUTELY balm to my soul.
As a little personal “balm” against the dreariness of February, I love to order my garden seeds. (my favorite is Baker Heirloom Seeds – just reading their catalog is therapeutic)
LISTEN:
Oxygen by Willy Mason. The video is only ok, but the song is so good.
https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/DSC_0515.jpg?fit=3008%2C2000&ssl=120003008Betony Coonshttps://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.pngBetony Coons2016-02-04 09:02:432016-06-21 16:09:25February Practice and Process: "Balm"
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.
Here it is in the midst of creating the Becoming series –
Even the windows started getting crowded….
Notice the floor before, concrete with leftover glue from old tiles
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.
This stain glassed window was one of Tim and my first purchases as a married couple. Now it is hanging by the door.
I can tell lots of fun creating is going to happen in this space now.
https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_06574.jpg?fit=720%2C540&ssl=1540720Betony Coonshttps://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.pngBetony Coons2016-01-28 17:36:342016-01-28 18:32:03Studio Tour (with Before and After Photos)
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:
Clothes AFTER:
Papers Day: (we ended up with two small folders of papers)
The disaster of the studio BEFORE:
Studio AFTER (still in process of repainting…) – can you even believe this is the same space?
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.
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 –
https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_0392.jpg?fit=2448%2C3264&ssl=132642448Betony Coonshttps://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.pngBetony Coons2016-01-22 09:42:282016-01-22 16:10:33January Practice and Process: "Clearing" pt. 2
A photo of a wildfire that was about a quarter of a mile from my parents’ house.
My parents’ farm in the Kansas Sandhills is surrounded by hundreds of acres of native prairie. Farmers there are constantly fighting the growth of cedar trees and other invasive species to try to retain the health and beauty of the prairie. One of the reasons why the prairie can be difficult to maintain is because fire is necessary to its life and health. Wildfires burn away dead plants; prevent certain other plants from encroaching; and release nutrients into the ground to encourage new growth. But in our world, we fight against fire.
Where I grew up, prairie fires are a very real concern. My childhood home was destroyed in a prairie fire (thankfully after we had already moved out). I remember many nights where my dad would leave all the sprinklers on in the yard “just in case” because a nearby wildfire might jump the road and head our way.
Understandably, we don’t have room in our lives for fire. It can be dangerous and destructive. We have belongings and homes that are cherished. But, in our needs for safety and to protect the things we love, we can miss out on some of the restorative benefits. Especially in the sense of fire as a larger metaphor.
So the prairie here is a metaphor. Sometimes the best healing for new growth is a clearing out. This painting is my reminder to myself; that sometimes we need to start anew. Sometimes we need to let pain in and let go and begin again.
Interesting little side note, this is the one piece in this series that was not started on a new blank canvas. The canvas had a painting on it that I was never happy with, so I painted over it to create this new piece – an act that mirrors the symbolism of the piece. The gray bird in the sky flying towards the past is the one element I kept from the original painting.
The butterflies here represent (as always in my pieces) hope and forward momentum. The fire has sparkles of the universe within it.
A 2013 photo of burning cedars in the prairie
GHOSTS FOR THE TINDER lyrics by Tim Coons
Come and keep by my lovely fire
I’ve got pieces I’m scheming from the liars with in me
You’ve replayed in my darker mind
You’re re-lived in the days I have assigned without you
Yes, I’ll leave it behind
Yes, I’ll leave it behind
Yes, I’ll leave it behind
Yes, I’ll leave it behind
Burn it down here
burn it down
it will come again
come up, on up from this ground
Up and around
So burn it down
I’ve got ghosts for the tinder glow
I’ve got pages to wash clean as snow to warm me
I’ve got memories for matches now
I will lighten the load so sad and loud for
When I see you
Heaven knows it will light
Heaven knows it will light
https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_7429.jpg?fit=2448%2C3264&ssl=132642448Betony Coonshttps://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.pngBetony Coons2015-12-10 10:18:142015-12-10 10:18:14“Ghosts for Tinder” Painting Story and Process Photos
The farm I grew up on is in the heart of the prairie in Kansas. It is a 30 minute drive on dusty dirt roads to the nearest civilization. My parents apple orchard is surrounded by 180 acres of native prairie and forests. Their driveway is over a mile long – and because the county maintenance trucks won’t maintain driveways, it was usually in pretty rough shape – horribly muddy in the spring, treacherously icy in the winter, and full of sand pits in the summer. Our mailbox was at the end of the driveway and a daily ritual was to walk and get the mail.
On this particular day in September, when I was probably about 8 years old, I remember turning the corner at the mailbox and feeling like something was different. There was a quivering energy to the air. I looked up and noticed hundreds of monarchs in the sky above me. And then, as I looked closer at the trees lining the roadway, I gasped, because what I had first thought were leaves fluttering in the wind were actually wings. Thousands and thousands of wings. I had happened upon the migration of monarchs.
I’m not sure why the butterflies ended up in KS that year. It’s out of their normal migratory path. After I left home, my parents had them come through one other year. But I have never seen them again.
We are losing monarchs. There are less and less every year. Their main source of food, the milkweed plant is being displaced by fields and housing and mowers. The older I get, the more I am becoming aware of how fleeting everything around us is. How delicate the beauty of these tiny wings. How necessary it is to pause and notice the flutters hidden in the branches.
https://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.png00Betony Coonshttps://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.pngBetony Coons2015-11-22 22:17:032016-06-21 16:07:21"Monarch Migration" Painting Story and Process Photos
Honestly, sometimes it makes a giant mess. Elements I spent hours working on can quickly get covered with pink flowers and drawings of little girls or giant scribbles. I try to leave much of what they add and incorporate it into my final design. My “Ships Passing in the Night” painting (below) has Lucy’s (5 y/o) versions of sea creatures at the bottom, “Ferocious” is covered with Harriet’s (2 y/o) scribbles.
So why do I let my kids paint on my artwork? It is something I have been very purposeful about and is a meaningful element in our story. Here are some of the reasons behind my process:
1. Letting go of control. I love how by letting my children add to my pieces it adds an element of chaos. It forces me to be open to directions that I had not planned. When I intend for a piece to be a certain way and then my daughter adds a giant splotch of pink in the corner, I have to learn to be flexible. It forces me to think creatively about where the piece I am painting is meant to go.
2. Balancing motherhood and being a working artist is hard. Finding time to paint (or for that matter do a load of laundry) is difficult to say the least. It has been a priority of mine to find ways to keep fostering my own creative voice and growing as an artist. One of the ways I found to make that happen is to let my kids paint along side me when I paint – whether on their own projects or on mine. (This does lead to lots of messes, which sometimes doesn’t feel worth it, but I figure in 10 years I won’t remember the mess)
3. I genuinely love what they add. Whether it is tiny doodles drawn on the backside of the canvases, or drawings they have done that I collage in, there is something beautifully refreshing about the way kids draw. Their sense of line is so free. Kids draw the way they live life – free from inhibition. I think it’s a fun little surprise that when you buy one of my originals you will often find a sweet little drawing on the backside as well.
4. Getting unstuck. When I can’t figure out what to do next, or why something is not working, letting two little hands come in and shake things up can be amazingly freeing. Whether it helps me realize which elements were most important or introduces fresh ideas, when my kids add to my canvases, change and movement is inevitable.
5. Because it is true. This crazy whirlwind that I live in right now with a five-year-old, an almost 3-year-old, and the new baby on the way, is part of the story I am creating art about. For me making art is a process of sharing what’s true and what moves you. Hopefully, within that there are some universal truths to be found that others connect with and are moved by as well. I let my kids into my artistic process because it is a true representation of my story right now. I believe in including them into my art rather than separating them from what I do.
If you’d like to see the finished pieces from Almanac No. 1, they’re all here.
For more artistic inspiration, here is a link to another mother-daughter collaboration that I think is awesome!
-Betony Coons
https://i0.wp.com/giantsandpilgrims.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_1478.jpg?fit=2089%2C2089&ssl=120892089Betony Coonshttps://s28969.p27.sites.pressdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gianstandpilgrimslogov2-1024x196.pngBetony Coons2014-08-18 14:38:342015-01-06 20:31:22Why I Let My Kids Paint on My Artwork
