Funny you should mention the perfectionism spiral, I’ve been doing that between two paintings today, going back and forth between the two adding extra details each time. I don’t work in a way that can be painted over, so it’s like walking a tightrope between unfinished and overworked! I guess I want to end up wobbling somewhere between the two! Happy holidays to you Carson - loved having a peep through your shop! X
the only thing on my christmas list is a “melt the guns” t-shirt but those seem to be long gone so i may just settle for the tote bag. maybe i can talk my husband into a wildwood mug as well!
i have to say that photo convinced me you were a cool skater girl too. maybe at heart, you are! it’s never too late to learn! (i must admit that i say this with a brand new pair of roller skates collecting dust in my closet.)
Dec 13, 2023·edited Dec 13, 2023Liked by Carson Ellis
We love the Susan Cooper poem. It's recited at every performance of the Christmas Revels in San Francisco at this time of year. Several years back my wife, Cynthia, had the honor of being one of the actors in the show and was the one to present this to the audience. It's always a moving moment.
So I've bought her a copy of this book! Glad you posted in time.
Oh, and my granddaughter will be the recipient this year of a couple of those books you mentioned in the last post. :)
I read The Shortest Day to my third graders today! They loved it of course. I have read it to my class in December the last few years. We always take time to discuss and appreciate the art in it.
That Alice Coltrane print is so beautiful! I would totally buy it in my alternate reality where I make more than a teacher’s salary 😻😻😻
We have a framed copy of your Wildwood map that was placed directly over a framed copy of a map of Forest Park..... honestly, it makes Forest Park explorations all the more magical.
Your part about perfectionism struck a chord (so to speak) with me. I have similar experiences with writing music and lyrics. Though, I believe I’ve made my peace with it all. The way I see it (rationalize, maybe?), there is a certain kind of peace in the creative letting go to change until it’s the artist’s form of “right”.
I can relate to the perfectionism problem. That’s one reason I like digital so much more than real painting... where I can change anything and keep 3 versions of each. I even got to redo a book once when they did a new board-book version. But discontent is the artist’s lot in life... lol!
Hey Carson, not sure where else to post this question, I couldn't find another way to share this info with you. Not related to this post, but did you see Adam Rex's post (today) about Substack making money off of Nazi and white nationalist content? Curious if you know anything more about this. Thanks! https://adamrex.substack.com/p/substackers-against-nazis (It look like there was also a Nov 28 article in The Atlantic.)
Hi Carson! I’ve been recently getting into textile work and gouache because of your slowpoke posts. Was wondering if you could make an appliqué tutorial soon? 🪡🧵🧶 happy holidays 🎄🕎
I bought The Shortest Day last year. And with that, a new tradition began: placing the book on a table in our family room on December 1st, as the darkness descends upon the Willamette Valley. The illustrations bring a sense of anticipation for the coming Winter Solstice. I am also looking forward to finding the perfect spot to place the print I purchased of Shooting Star (an early birthday gift). Hoping you and your family have a peaceful December.
So many beautiful things to choose from! Also unfortunately I relate to the perfectionism spiral. I recently watched a Jon Klassen webinar in which he talked about how he channels all the fear and dissatisfaction back into his work and I’m trying to figure out how to do that. It seems like a bit of dissatisfaction helps me push myself into epiphanies but sometimes it becomes a hindrance…I’m not quite sure where the line is or how to keep it in the helpful zone but I’m trying 😂
First of all - cowabunga!!
Funny you should mention the perfectionism spiral, I’ve been doing that between two paintings today, going back and forth between the two adding extra details each time. I don’t work in a way that can be painted over, so it’s like walking a tightrope between unfinished and overworked! I guess I want to end up wobbling somewhere between the two! Happy holidays to you Carson - loved having a peep through your shop! X
the only thing on my christmas list is a “melt the guns” t-shirt but those seem to be long gone so i may just settle for the tote bag. maybe i can talk my husband into a wildwood mug as well!
i have to say that photo convinced me you were a cool skater girl too. maybe at heart, you are! it’s never too late to learn! (i must admit that i say this with a brand new pair of roller skates collecting dust in my closet.)
happy holidays, carson!
Any idea if the print would make it to Austin before Christmas? My stepdaughter would LOVE it so much.
The card game person vs complicated board game person marriage sounds eerily familiar. Needless to say I’ll be buying Illimat. It looks beautiful!!
We love the Susan Cooper poem. It's recited at every performance of the Christmas Revels in San Francisco at this time of year. Several years back my wife, Cynthia, had the honor of being one of the actors in the show and was the one to present this to the audience. It's always a moving moment.
So I've bought her a copy of this book! Glad you posted in time.
Oh, and my granddaughter will be the recipient this year of a couple of those books you mentioned in the last post. :)
I read The Shortest Day to my third graders today! They loved it of course. I have read it to my class in December the last few years. We always take time to discuss and appreciate the art in it.
That Alice Coltrane print is so beautiful! I would totally buy it in my alternate reality where I make more than a teacher’s salary 😻😻😻
This is a joyful post, loved the pose !
We have a framed copy of your Wildwood map that was placed directly over a framed copy of a map of Forest Park..... honestly, it makes Forest Park explorations all the more magical.
Your part about perfectionism struck a chord (so to speak) with me. I have similar experiences with writing music and lyrics. Though, I believe I’ve made my peace with it all. The way I see it (rationalize, maybe?), there is a certain kind of peace in the creative letting go to change until it’s the artist’s form of “right”.
I can relate to the perfectionism problem. That’s one reason I like digital so much more than real painting... where I can change anything and keep 3 versions of each. I even got to redo a book once when they did a new board-book version. But discontent is the artist’s lot in life... lol!
Hey Carson, not sure where else to post this question, I couldn't find another way to share this info with you. Not related to this post, but did you see Adam Rex's post (today) about Substack making money off of Nazi and white nationalist content? Curious if you know anything more about this. Thanks! https://adamrex.substack.com/p/substackers-against-nazis (It look like there was also a Nov 28 article in The Atlantic.)
Hi Carson! I’ve been recently getting into textile work and gouache because of your slowpoke posts. Was wondering if you could make an appliqué tutorial soon? 🪡🧵🧶 happy holidays 🎄🕎
Such beauties!
I have ‘The shortest day’ and bathe in its gloriousness at this time each year. Merry December to you.
I bought The Shortest Day last year. And with that, a new tradition began: placing the book on a table in our family room on December 1st, as the darkness descends upon the Willamette Valley. The illustrations bring a sense of anticipation for the coming Winter Solstice. I am also looking forward to finding the perfect spot to place the print I purchased of Shooting Star (an early birthday gift). Hoping you and your family have a peaceful December.
So many beautiful things to choose from! Also unfortunately I relate to the perfectionism spiral. I recently watched a Jon Klassen webinar in which he talked about how he channels all the fear and dissatisfaction back into his work and I’m trying to figure out how to do that. It seems like a bit of dissatisfaction helps me push myself into epiphanies but sometimes it becomes a hindrance…I’m not quite sure where the line is or how to keep it in the helpful zone but I’m trying 😂