Sharing the Work...Notes from ArtFest Midwest

Booth at ArtFest Midwest- Varied Industries Building, Des Moines, IA

July 24 & 25, 2010

I love sharing my work...it is always an interesting experience to interact with people as they respond to the work- which pieces evoke an emotional response, which pieces cause people to stand and look for a long time, which colors appeal to different personalities. While I don't paint only for the response of others, I still glean so much from interacting with people as they view the work.

Implications of this Rejection 48" x 36" 2009 Melynda Van Zee

This particular piece seemed to draw out many interesting comments including...

1. "How did she get those circles so perfect? Did she use a stencil to trace them? 'No.' Well, then she must of drawn those really slow and carefully to get them so even."(I can promise no stencils involved here-that would be more like years and years of drawing swirls-my college drawing prof would have us draw pages of circles).

2. "I sure wouldn't want to be around you while you were painting that one. There must of been a man involved." (I laughed out loud and in the interest of full disclosure it was a man who made this observation)

And, I think it is great when people see things I missed...

3. Don't you see the fish? (I hadn't, but now I do!)

Rhythm of the Struggle 40" x 30" 2010 Melynda Van Zee

4. "That one-now that one looks so like you..." This comment gets said about various different works on a regular rotating basis- maybe certain people see more of one side of a particular emotion in me than others???

Observing the Recovery 36" x 48" 2010 Melynda Van Zee

5. And, of course, someone was going to ask...do you drink before or after you paint those? My friend helping with the show, explained that in fact that wasn't the case. I told him that part of my process was often to play music as I worked and his final comment..."I don't think it was country you were listening to."

And, so many more thoughtful, deeply engaged questions, conversations, stories shared- the power of art to move and make people engage the bigger story we are all walking...what a gift for me to be able to be present and share bits of my story and journey deposited on the canvas. Met some great new friends, wise business and artistic minds and connected with some friends I had lost touch with over the years.


Deep thanks for all the help, encouragement and support to make this weekend happen. Friends, family, friends of friends-thanks to you all-I am so blessed!

Passion & Glory

When people walk an art show, they get the opportunity to see the finished product-the end result-the final step in a long process of creating. The actual act of creating still remains a mystery for most people, but when I look at a painting like this one above, I know the full story. I know whether this was a painting that flowed out of me like a stream I couldn't stop, or if it was a several week (or month or, even on rare occasion, a year) battle of sorts-me with the painting struggling to get out. I know how many layers of paint, how many times I wanted to stop, how much courage it took to paint the colors swirling inside. What I will say about this work, is that it was an intense journey...and I may have learned more after the painting than even during the act of creating. I always learn during the process, but lately it has been after the intuitive painting has emerged that I was able to see what I could not see before. So often I think a painting is about "this" and then, I see in hindsight that I had only scraped the surface. This is what keeps me coming back, keeps me returning to the paint, to the process, because there is so much we do not see yet. So much underneath the surface, waiting to break forth, so much yet for me to grasp.

New Work Available next week at ArtFest Midwest

Next weekend, I will be hosting a booth in Des Moines, Iowa at ArtFest Midwest "The Other Art Show". I'd love to have you stop by at the Varied Industries Building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds anytime Saturday, June 26 from 10 am-6 pm or Sunday, June 27 from 10 am-5 pm. If you aren't able to attend the show, but interested in my work, feel free to contact me by email.