Melynda's Passion

Hand painted Valentines

2012-02-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

Hand painted valentines-I love watching my son create in the studio

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day. Spread your love around-hold those you love close to your heart!

From my creative heart to yours,

Melynda

Painted front door

2012-02-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

The Fed Ex man just dropped off a box of art supplies. He waved with a smile on the way down the driveway while saying he thought I had the most colorful door in town. Made my day.

Painted Front Door-acrylic on plexiglass (Sorry about reflections-tricky surface to photograph)

Frosty Iowa morning

2012-02-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

The view from my backyard this morning-quiet and stunning.

2012@Melynda Van Zee

January "Just Imagine" Class

2011-12-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

I know some of you are still thinking about it-wondering if now is the time. Let me encourage you to try it. Don't let fear, apprehension, or the past stand in the way. Give yourself permission to explore something new. A new year is among us. It's time to look forward-to imagine what could be. For more information about the January/February class, look HERE. I have just a couple spots left for the Thursday night class. Contact me (melynda@melyndavanzee.com) by today (Dec. 28) or tomorrow (Dec. 29) if you want a spot.

Christmas Prep and Reflection

2011-12-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

The tree is up. It is joining me in the studio this year and loaded with ornaments from the past- Christmas ornaments I made as a child, ornaments I received during my classroom teaching years, "Your first home", "Baby's 1st Christmas" and our snow baby section. My son and I had had a walk down memory lane while decorating it together-a chance to stop and reflect and remember.

The Christmas exchange cookies have been baked.

And wrapped.

And delivered to friends.

(Many of the cookies we received have already disappeared.)

I wrapped some handmade gifts in brown paper packages this morning and made a grocery list.

The holidays are here and I'm soaking it in. Remembering the past, looking forward to the future and committed to taking my time this year to treasure the gifts that are here-so many treasures to be unwrapped that have nothing to do with rushing to the store, but everything to do with those I love.

Peace and joy to you as you celebrate and remember this holiday season.

I will Create from my Heart

2011-12-09T09:58:00.001-08:00

"I Will Create From My Heart" Just Imagine class

We have just completed the first "Just Imagine" class group here in the studio. Our last class was Tuesday night where we talked about authenticity in our work and painted an "I will Create from my Heart" canvas.

We had such an amazing time together painting, discussing and learning about our creative journey. I'm so going to miss having these creative and imaginative and deep women in my studio each week. I can't wait to see what the next steps in their creative journey will be like-there is so much more ahead!

Registration Will Begin Thursday, December 15

for January/February 2012 Sessions of Just Imagine

I would love to have you join us here in the studio for "Just Imagine", a six week day or evening course, where you will make art as a pathway for your own creative transformation and personal growth. I only take 4 students per class so I recommend you sign up soon to guarantee you don't miss out. Register for "Just Imagine" by calling the studio at 641-628-9497 or email at melynda@melyndavanzee.com. Registration begins Thursday, December 15, 2011. Registration is on a "first come, first serve basis" and will close on Wednesday, December 21, 2011. Payment due Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. Minimum class size must be met for classes to held.

"I was looking for help in getting over a "rut" I've been in. Melynda has helped me tap into helpful exercises to overcome my creative block. The class is in depth and open, all at the same time. I highly recommend this class! Fun, too!" Lisa Davis-Kovarik

"Definitely take this! It makes you think about a lot of different areas and have those 'Oh! I get it!' moments! This is an awesome class. I suggest it to every artsy person!!!! even if you're not, you will love it!!" Jill Edwards

"Just Imagine" Class Times

Day Class
Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 1:00 pm-2:30 pm Awareness
Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 1:00 pm-2:30 pm Identity
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 1:00 pm-2:30 pm Process
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 1:00 pm-2:30 pm Imagination
Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012 1:00 pm-2:30 pm Resistance & Attacks
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012 1:00 pm-2:30 pm Authenticity

Evening Class
Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 7:00 pm-8:30 pm Awareness
Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 7:00 pm-8:30 pm Identity
Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 7:00 pm-8:30 pm Process
Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 7:00 pm-8:30 pm Imagination
Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 7:00 pm-8:30 pm Resistance & Attacks
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012 7:00 pm-8:30 pm Authenticity

Just Imagine Class

2011-12-01T12:01:00.001-08:00

Art is a way of knowing about our journey.

In “Just Imagine” class we are painting our journey-

using color, line, shape to give presence to the paths that we have walked.

We are experimenting with new tools and playing with paint.

We are acknowledging that creative renewal doesn’t happen in a linear way...

it circles around, meanders in and out and ebbs and flows as our life unfolds.

We are taking the time for a good, hard look at what is really affecting our creative path.

We are doing the deep work to prepare us to walk into whatever the future holds.

We are adding sparkle.

We are painting bigger than we dreamed possible.

We are creating art journal pages that chronicle our creative path.

We are facing what is and looking forward to what is to come.

We are sparking our imagination and doing it all in full color!

Living with your Art

2011-10-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve noticed a change.

I’ve noticed a change in how I learn from my paintings.

I’ve noticed a change in how my house feels.

I’ve noticed a change in how it feels for me to live in my home with my own art and the art of others on my walls.

There is something about living with my own art.

Something that makes it resonate deeper.

Something that makes me take a second look

-when the light hits it differently

-when my heart looks at it from a different place months (or years) after I created the painting.

There is something about having art speaking to me through all the dailyness of my life- dishes, laundry, supper preparations.

There is something about walking in the front door and seeing art above the coat hooks and hanging in the entryway.

It was a good thing to host a Studio Tour here at the beginning of the month.

It was a breath of fresh air to open my studio and home to curious and creative art friends.

Some of my favorite times of the studio tour happen when I get a chance to have conversations about the art.

I learn so much from watching others interact with the pieces.

I’ve learned to deeply listen to the responses because they teach me.

"Released" Melynda Van Zee @ 2009

But, one unexpected blessing of doing a tour is that it gives me a deadline.

It gives me a deadline to actually hang up my work, instead of stacking it or hiding it.

"From the Center" Melynda Van Zee @ 2011

It gives me a deadline to display it in my own environment.

There is something that makes me “own it” in that step.

Living with it, looking at it, having surround my consciousness, having it be an intricate part of my environment that is shaping me.

In the studio with "You Know My Way" and "Long-Awaited Bride"

Living with my art a lesson that is nurturing my artist heart.

All photos were taken by my youngest who has been bitten by the photo bug, but my motto is “start ‘em young” (just hoping they don’t break the camera!)

New Class- "Just Imagine"

2011-10-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to announce a new class that I've been planning for and dreaming about for a long time. Registration begins NOW for "Just Imagine".

Just Imagine-Starting Nov. 1

Just Imagine Using The Arts As A Pathway

To Discover More About You & The One Who Created You

You know the techniques.
You have the supplies.
You love to consume the product of other people’s creativity.
You know how crucial creativity is going to be to survival in our rapidly changing, global environment.

And, yet, you are still not working on your projects.
Still not creating what is in your heart.
Still answering to someone else’s call rather than your own.
Still not leading the life you imagine.
Still not following the unique call on your life.

What is standing in the way?

Why is it so hard?

Let me walk you through a process of creating real change. Let’s uncover the path to a vibrant, passionate and creative life that can be yours.

Let’s take a look deep inside to see what is blocking you from creating the compelling and stimulating work of your dreams.

Together we will explore the building blocks necessary to a healthy creative lifestyle.

We will take some time to look inward to help unleash your passion that is simmering right below the surface.

Start connecting the dots of your emotional, spiritual and creative needs to help you take the next steps in your journey.

And, the best thing…we will use art as the pathway for this discovery process.

Yes-we get to make stuff…
•stuff that might be a bit messy and intuitive and truth telling
•stuff that might help us find our way
•stuff that gets us out of “thinking about it” mode and into “doing and creating” mode

This is going to be a “process”, a journey. This process is designed for anyone at any skill level. You don’t need an extensive background in art. You don’t need to be a fine artist to join in the fun. If you do have experience in the arts, this course can serve as a guide to spur you to be able to take the next steps you’ve been dreaming of. No matter where you are on your creative journey, our goal is that you will have the confidence to create the work you need to bring into the world.

There is so much that is possible if we can just clear the clutter away, if we can get to the core. Come take the journey with me. I can’t wait to see how far you will go!

To Register for "Just Imagine", please visit Classes on my website for all additional information. Classes will be held in my studio in Pella, IA. You can reserve your spot by emailing me at melynda@iowatelecom.net.

Studio Sneak Peeks...

2011-10-04T11:13:00.000-07:00


Detail of "From the Center" 40" x 30" Melynda Van Zee © 2011

Things are getting underway for the Autumn Studio Tour happening this weekend right here in the studio. Not only will you be able to see "the real thing" instead of just "sneak peaks", but you can also visit the studios of several other area artists. For more information on the tour, check out the Red Rock Arts Alliance.

Please feel free to come and visit me in the studio during the hours of 10 am- 5pm on Saturday, Oct. 9 and 12 pm - 5 pm on Sunday, Oct. 10. I'd love to have you stop by and share with you the new pieces I've been working on this fall.

You will also have the opportunity to sign up for a Door Prize. I'll be giving away this small original T.U.L.I.P. piece titled "Amazing Grace".

The Galerie of Pella closing

2011-08-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

The Galerie of Pella will be closing on the 31st of this month. For the next two weeks they are having a "Last Chance" sale where you have the opportunity to purchase a piece of your favorite Iowa artist's work.
I've been working with Steve and Molly at the Galerie here in Pella for over 5 years now. They grew the Galerie from 5 artists in a small gallery space opening right before Tulip Time in 2006 to their current large, spacious home featuring the work of over 45+ Iowa artists. I will miss working with them. I will miss having a gallery in my local town. Together we learned as we mounted shows and celebrated the creativity of so many artists in the area. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity. Endings are never easy, but a natural part of the rhythm of our lives. And, now we look for what is next. We take we have learned and we start a new bend in the journey.

Yah-it is time for a good old-fashioned garage sale!

2011-08-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

I've done some deep cleaning in the studio and I'm joining I some friends who have a tremendous amount of paper, etc. that they are ready to part with-come check it out on Saturday if you are in Pella, IA! I'm selling plastic organization drawers, decorative stamps, kids stamps, idea books, 5 x 7 albums, foam stamps, handmade painted art journal papers and more. Come and join the fun!

HUGE Scrapbooking/Craft Supply sale at the Pella Memorial Building on Saturday from 8- 1...Paper, stamps, albums, idea books, tools, cricut cartridges and much much more!

Beauty in the moment

2011-08-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

The view from the front of my house

right now

this very moment

beauty for the taking

Iowa Sweet Corn

2011-08-01T12:56:00.001-07:00

It is sweet corn season here in Iowa.

We've made a few trips to the farm to reap the benefits of grandma and grandpa's sweet corn patch.

We had a bit more interesting journey out to the farm due to the huge road construction project on their road. We had to use the dirt road, go through a "road closed" sign, and bottomed out on some ungraded gravel, but we got there.

They plant it rows right in the field with the tractor and 12-row planter. And, while they did try to make me promise to remind them not to plant it again next year-I have a hard time seeing the tradition die quite yet. There is still nothing quite like eating sweet corn for lunch that was picked from the field that morning.

Capturing the sweet corn goodness to enjoy year around takes a bit of hard work from many hands-the boys were great help this year in picking, husking and even cutting the corn off the cob.

I know it is going to taste really great come February when we grab a bag out of the freezer and can have a bit of that sweet corn taste in the middle of winter.

Fresh flowers in the studio

2011-07-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Roses from my husband were the nudge to get out into my garden and pick flowers to add to the arrangement. Nothing like fresh flowers bursting with color in the studio!

Iowa State Fair

2011-07-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

Garden of the Soul

36" x 48"

Acrylic on Canvas

So excited to find out that both of my entries into the Iowa State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit were accepted. Both "Garden of the Soul" and "From Above the Wind and Waves" will be available for your viewing at the Fine Art Exhibit at the Cultural Center on any day of the great Iowa State Fair to be held August 11-21 in Des Moines, IA.

To be honest, there is a part of me that can’t believe I just wrote that opening paragraph. You see I’ve been going to the Iowa State Fair for as long as I can remember. Throughout my entire childhood, my dad had a booth in the agricultural division of the fair, so we would spend long days wondering through all the fair attractions while he worked. At night, if he wasn’t too tired, he would take me for one ride on the double ferris wheel-equally terrifying as it was electrifying-spinning wildly and flying over the fair grounds seeing for miles. As a teenager, I would occasionally get to invite a friend along to spend the day with me at the fair. Vivid memories of our bodies covered in stickers advertising political candidates, looking for treasures in the Shopping Mart, posing for photos in the Victorian dress up booth, meeting on-air TV personalities in person to capture their signatures-all a part of an Iowa girl’s annual trek to the fair.

I have continued the tradition of visiting the fair as an adult, bringing my own children to make their fair memories (riding a horse for the first time, flying down the Big Slide on a burlap mat, admiring the big bull, riding a boat in the pitch black at Ye Old Mill) and I never miss a trip to the Cultural Center to take it all in. In my years of teaching art to kids, I would love to check out all the kid’s art works that were displayed-looking at the talent and cruising for ideas I could use in my own classroom. I created my own dollhouses as a girl so I don’t miss a chance to see the amazingly detailed doll houses that are displayed. Several year ago on a whim, I decided to try to enter some of my photography to the photography exhibit at the fair. To my great surprise, some of my photos were selected. I’ve entered several more times over the years, always delighted to walk the aisles and see when my work showed up.

But, the fine art exhibit...that was the “someday”, the never gonna realistically happen “someday” part of the fair that tempted me-dangled out there in front of me as a “What if?”

“What if I actually started seriously painting my own paintings rather than dreaming about it?”

“What if I actually started to do what I had been so busy teaching for so many years?”

“What if I got brave enough to enter?”

“What if I get rejected?”

I did get rejected the first time I entered a painting a couple of years ago. But, I tried again. So in this fortieth year of life, I can say that there are still “What ifs?” that God is placing and answering in my life. There are still things that I have to learn and there are still surprises waiting around the corners of my life. Sometimes I get frustrated about living in what other people call "fly-over country". I lament the lack of opportunities that are available in more rural areas. I can get restless with right where I am. But, I am resolved to continue to make the decision to take a long walk with my camera to capture the beauty and depth of my home and pick up the brush to paint what I have to say. And, I am delighted to make another trip to the Iowa State Fair to revel in all that makes this place I live, this Iowa, a continual field of yet-to-be discovered treasures, good old-fashioned fun and dreams for the future.

From Above the Wind & Waves

36" x 24"

Acrylic on Canvas

Converged Paths

2011-02-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

"Converged Paths" is a two woman art show I did this spring with artist Andrea Van Wyk. It was such a delight to do an art show with my own art teacher. Enjoy these photos from the exhibit.

The Joan Kuyper Farver Art Gallery presents:

Converged Paths. The Journey of Two Women.

Andrea Van Wyk and Melynda Van Zee

Joan Kuyper Farver Art Gallery, 2nd Floor, Pella Community Center,

712 Union Street, Pella, IA.

March 1st - 31st, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm M-F

Artist Reception: Friday, March 4, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

As journeys go, they ebb and flow, bend and twist - meandering places we didn’t dream possible. The journey of these two women started over twenty-five years ago, Andrea starting out in her first teaching experience and Melynda beginning high school as one of her students. As an educator, you wonder how teaching will resonate in your students and the hope is for seeds of knowledge to take root and grow. This exhibition is the result. Presenting a garden of work that has come from these two paths that were joined at the beginning and now converge once again. Both Educators and both artists, both are connected by the desire to visually create and capture the beauty of their journeys.

Coram Deo

2011-02-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

I will be facilitating a Breakout Session called Just Imagine at "Coram Deo...Living in the Presence of God". This women's retreat will be Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 at Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Pella, IA. There is a fabulous group of presenters and registration is available online until Feb. 20. Join us!

Just Imagine will feature ideas on using the arts as a pathway to living fully in the presence of God. We will discuss the attacks and roadblocks that get in the way of us freely expressing our God-given creativity and discover how God can use the arts to bring spiritual growth and healing in our lives.

Nature walk as my sustainable practice

2011-02-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

It’s been cold here and when I say cold, I mean cold...as in below zero. And, when it is this cold, I can’t walk in my favorite spots, but I can dream and I can pull out my photographs and I can spend an afternoon focusing on my favorite nature photographs from the timber I walk in whenever it is not this cold! Nature walks are one of my “sustainable practices” as an artist. One of the things that keep me going, keep me fueled up, help me to shake out what is in my head and my heart. They help me to really see and notice what is around me. Some days I just head out for some physical exercise-a chance to stretch and take in the fresh air, but on days that I really need to slow down, I grab my camera. There is something about taking a walk with a camera that really gets me to take it slow and see what is around me. I am reminded again to look at the world through artist eyes, to see the beauty at my feet or above my head, to see the truth that is evident in nature every time I venture out. To remember what it is important and to remember where to focus-on the mystery that is much bigger than me.

What to do when it is December out your window and tropical in your soul

2010-12-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

I suppose I really shouldn't show "works in process", but this is the deal- I'm excited about a piece when I'm in the middle of it. OK-excited and... terrified, and grumpy, and anxious while it works its way from my heart/mind/soul until it appears on the canvas.

And, then it is done. Oh, I can and do talk about finished pieces-ponder what they might mean to me weeks or even months after they are completed, but for the real excitement-it doesn't happen when I "show" my pieces, sell them, or hang them in a gallery.

The real excitement happens when I'm in the middle of it and I've laid the first color down.

And I'm starting to anticipate where this might be going... One thing I have learned is that if I talk about a piece or a concept I'm pondering too much before it appears on the canvas-it is likely that the piece may never appear-something of the "ummph" (now there is a professional term!) fizzles- part of the desire to "birth the new" gets soft.

And...nobody really gets to see this part of the process-this is you and the canvas, you and your thoughts and the spirit flowing through you. This is the part that has taken me a long time to really embrace-to really cherish what happens in the quiet as it all merges and begins to appear and flow and move into places that I couldn't have planned or sketched before it happened.

Sometimes I have no idea what images will emerge when I start painting, but with this piece I had a starting point. I knew there were these bright passionate flowers, sturdy trees and a garden wall protecting it all-but a purple wall-really it had to be purple?

I have just a small section to go so I'm not wrapping any more words around this right now. It is time to be quiet and finish the work-and to look forward to sunshine and relief from the storms outside my windows.

Creating a Studio Flag

2010-10-06T18:32:00.001-07:00

Creating a flag is an opportunity for you to use color, text, and movement to piece together a little bit of blessing for your home, family or studio. For centuries various cultures have created and flown prayer flags as a way of releasing their prayers/thoughts/images into the world. Bits of left-over canvas scraps from my studio, basic craft paints, a couple of chip brushes and a Sharpie all combined to make creating these individual pieces a snap. The tricky part for me was the sewing-this became sort of a "sewing primer" for me-a great place to learn the basics and experiment-no need for perfection here! Thanks to my patient sewing instructors-so good for me to sit and learn something new-to let someone teach me and show me the way. Wasn't nearly as difficult as I made it out to be (although I am still not entirely prepared to deal with the whole "bobbin" thing...by myself).

1. Select random pieces of cotton canvas. Cut into shapes and lay out in desired size. I used a decorative flag I already had as a basic template for size and shape. I simply laid the decorative flag down on my studio table and placed my painted pieces on top until the design was complete.

2. Use craft paint and chip brushes to add color to canvas pieces. After one side is dry, paint reverse side.

3. A black Sharpie is a simple way to add words and designs.

4. Use a sewing machine to sew pieces together with basic and zig-zag stitches.

5. Remember to create a pocket to slide flag pole through-I also added an interior canvas tab loop that attaches to the clip on the flag pole (so your flag does not slide down).

Enjoy!

Hopefully the flag will help those enjoying the studio tour this weekend to find my house. Click here for more info on the Red Rock Arts Alliance Studio Tour and don't hesitate to stop by if you happen to live in my corner of Iowa.

Sometimes There are No Words

2010-09-30T08:53:00.001-07:00

I finished this painting in June and I kept searching for the right title-something that could say what I was experiencing as I created the piece. The harder I searched, the more nothing would come, except sometimes there are no words. As much as I love words and on some days love to talk (just ask my friends), the lesson I've been learning in my art lately is that it is this is why so many of us choose to create-whether we are composing, gardening, sewing, or painting. When words aren't going to do it, when there are no words to be found, when the words are inadequate for whatever is in the soul...that is one time when it is time for me to paint. So often people will say to me that a particular work I created has so much emotion, and I think I began to think of many of my paintings as only portraying a particular emotional place-an emotional landscape if you will. But, I recently heard the soul described as the place where emotion, intellect, belief and passion all intertwine. That is the place I want to continually paint from-not just from my emotion, not just from my intellect, not just because there is a particular image I like and I have the physical ability to reproduce it. I want to paint from the place that takes it all-the intellect, the emotion, the deep belief and allow it all to mix and mesh together and from that place, create. The difficult thing is that I can’t just will myself to paint from this place-I’m learning it is more a process of allowing myself permission to simply be right where I am, and then paint from that place of knowing-and sometimes the knowing is messy, complicated, intense and beautiful all at the same time. I wish life came to us in neat packages-easily definable with a clear path...”untie ribbon, peel off tape, remove paper” but it doesn’t seem to work that way for me-for any of us. Life is full of uncharted paths, darkness we didn’t expect, holy moments of surprise and hope often mixed with uncertainty-that is the challenge of our humanity...and such a difficult thing to capture in adequate image or word, but try we do-because we can't not.

Detail of Sometimes There are No Words

Personalized Vintage Home Decor

2010-09-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here I the photos I promised from the finished project mentioned in my latest post. What a delight to help a homeowner personalize her home with a vintage pattern excavated from below years of old wallpaper patterns!

The view from the kitchen into the dining room.

Look at that gorgeous original woodwork on the stairway and doorways in this restored Iowa farmhouse.

A close up detail of the motifs and links.

A peek into the process...

Karen Harrill from Co-Line Graphics created the vinyl stencil to the exact dimensions I needed for each individual wall. She also taught me the correct way to apply and remove the stencils. The vinyl stencil was totally the way to go with this project to create the aesthetic unity necessary and meet the unique needs of this project. Notice the "E" and the "N" in the corner of each stencil? That way we knew which pattern belonged on which wall-North, South, East or West.

2010-09-13T11:43:00.001-07:00

Historical Reproduction "Practice Mock Up"

I'm going this week to recreate this historic stencil pattern in the dining room of a restored 100+ year old farmhouse. I've been looking forward to and preparing this project all summer.Using some very modern methods (scanning, computer CAD program, and a professionally cut vinyl stencil to lay out each wall to its specific dimensions) and some very traditional art tools (pencil and tracing paper, stencil brushes and paints) to recreate this vintage pattern. The homeowner found glimpses of this pattern buried under layers of old wallpaper when they began remodeling the dining room. They took some photos and traced the pattern, then turned the project over to me. This is very different work than most of the creative activities I have been engaged in lately, but maybe that is part of the challenge. I think that it is always a good thing to take on a new project that will grow you as an artist and stretch you into new (or remind you of old) places you have been. I know working with this project has made me ask some new questions and seek out specialized help. I've learned new tricks and enjoyed seeing and helping a family as they restore a precious family heirloom (in this case an entire house!)

Sharing the Work...Notes from ArtFest Midwest

2010-06-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-25T10:53:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

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.

We Came, We Danced, We Set a World Record

2010-05-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Tulip Time Pella, IA 2010

Dancing with my boys and my mom, extended family...double lines of Dutch dancers spread around all four sides of the Pella, IA square. We had been practicing (in the kitchen and on the front driveway), but nothing like the fun of dancing with over 2,800 other dancers all in wooden shoes on the downtown streets.
BBC News Article

The Church and Artists

2009-12-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

A bit of Christmas cheer in the studio office

I continue to do research on the mixing of churches and artists. Found some fascinating interviews by individuals who share the passion for reaching out to artists but who execute their missions in many different ways depending on the context of their individual communities. The rethinkmission blog shared two blog posts asking arts leaders "As a local church how to do you engage and inspire artists?" The Church and Artist Roundtable-1. They also asked the question "What would you say to a local church that had a desire to engage artists in their city or cultivate the arts in their church? Where should they start?" The Church and Artist Roundtable-2. Amazing to see the diversity and imagination of churches around the country reaching out to the artist communities of their cities.

Studio Construction

"All I want for Christmas is one little overhead light"... Well, this dream, idea, wish has gone from a quick little studio improvement into a several week project. Who knew!?! Looks like we will still be in "construction mode" for a little while longer (probably why I've taken some time to get some computer work done and actually do some more blog posts so I guess it is not all bad).

Imagination Released

2009-12-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

"A purified and Spirit-controlled imagination is, however, quite another thing, and it is this I have in mind here. I long to see the imagination released from its prison and given to its proper place among the sons of the new creation. What I am trying to describe here is the sacred gift of seeing, the ability to peer beyond the veil and gaze with astonished wonder upon the beauties and mysteries of things holy and eternal." The Best of AW Tozer

"The sacred gift of seeing" I love that phrase. How often I forget that "seeing"-really "seeing" is a sacred gift. Maybe saying I forget isn't entirely accurate...I think the reality is that it is easier to forget- to not "know" this truth-then maybe so much isn't demanded of me-it won't be really important whether I go through my life "seeing" or not. I can slack off or deny or turn away and well...nothing would be different. But, it would be different, even if no one else ever noticed, I would. And, once you've peered behind the veil you don't want to stop, you can't stop. Even typing that makes me question myself and want to say "but that is all hocus-pocus" real grown ups don't "peer beyond a veil" but we do. We can. We must. It is this imagination released that allows us as humans to experience glimpses of the vast glory of God. Our imaginations are a gift-a tool He uses to expand our worlds- to transport us out of the "everydayness" of our lives and to imagine a bigger world-a bigger reality-a deeper experience than just the "day in and day out" that can consume our lives.

Those of us that are artists must grasp for our imaginations to be released and nurture this process in ourselves. Of course, there are so many things that fight against us to stop this process from unfolding-lack of attention, attack from within and without, avoidance, the list goes on and on.

"He (Jesus) even told us that we had to be like little children ourselves if we wanted to understand God, and yet the world (and too often the church) taught then, and still teaches that we have to outgrow our childhood love of story, of imagination, of creativity, of fun, and so we blunder into the grown-up world of literalism." Glimpses of Grace Madeline L'Engle

I don't want to out grow my love of story- as people, as a body of believers, we need story, imagination, creativity and fun to bring us LIFE, to point us to Him, to usher us into living the full and free life He created us to experience.

What are you doing now?

2009-11-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

A frequent question to me over the last few weeks has been “what ARE you doing now?” Each of our journeys has varying twists and turns. My own journey took a twist this past August when I resigned from my part-time church ministry staff position. For months God had been showing me and nudging me to make some changes, but that is never easy to do. Change is a process-equal parts excruciating and exhausting and exhilarating. So often change can be such a big, scary, ugly word and yet it is a to be expected, can’t be avoided, totally natural part of life. And, when God is moving and speaking into your life, change is going to be constant. There are going to be things you do that are difficult, things that look risky, things that don’t make sense to others not in your shoes. And, there are going to be voices-lots of voices-telling you, encouraging you, urging you to do and be a certain way. I read somewhere recently that “it’s never dangerous being who you are” and I had to smile to myself. I’m not sure that is true-in fact, I think we live most of our lives afraid to be who we really truly are because of the sheer fact it is so dangerous. Linda Coons writes in The Artists Soul, “it is hard emotional work to be ourselves when we need to defy conventional rules to be who we honestly are.” But, you see, falling in love with Jesus changes the way you operate in this world. It makes you not care so much what those “conventional rules” may be. It makes you make choices based on things other people may not understand. It makes you look at your life differently. You make sacrifices, which is never a word we like to talk about in polite North American society. When you know deeply-into the very deepest parts of your being-that you were created in His image with a work designed just for you to do-it changes the way you live and think and look at life. So often I have lived my life focused on things that were slowly shriveling my heart- trying to please, trying to achieve, trying to do “the right thing”. I can immerse myself in amazing, whirling amounts of activity, while loosing me on the inside. So, in answer to the question “what are you doing now?” I'm creating (new paintings). I'm listening (taking walks and spending time focusing on inner work). I'm studying and I'm writing (I’m piecing together new curriculum for classes I would like to teach). I'm giving attention to some long-overdue things. I will continue to share the journey here on my blog.

I plan on sharing more of the pieces from my summer show on the blog, along with the descriptions I wrote for each piece. Here is the first...

A Road Less Traveled- from “Inside Out” Summer 09

What I have learned is that not only do I have permission to paint with any color in the crayon box, but I have permission to paint about any emotion or experience that I encounter as well. And, some of the things I have encountered are not easy, especially when it involves looking at my own weaknesses. I would like to pretend that as a “good, Christian woman from the suburbs in the Midwest” I have no difficulties, no pain, no struggles- I know how to put on that “Dutch front” we are so skilled at constructing, but where is the honesty, the authenticity in that?

Paul, an apostle of great passion, shares about his own conversation with God… But he said to me “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. II Corinthians 12:9

“We tend to view our weaknesses as liabilities. Since our worth does not depend on us in any way, we can and must be honest about our weakness. Our weaknesses become areas in which God can do His greatest work. We ignore weakness, bury it, live in denial but a powerful life embraces pain, brokenness and weakness. Perfection is for heaven not for earth”. W. Dyrness

And, so, I work on my weakness, confront my insecurities, challenge my internal assumptions about “how life is” and continue to fight the battle of allowing myself to walk in true freedom.

"Inside Out" summer art show

2009-09-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Melynda’s new work is focused on inner landscapes, unseen realities and spiritual explorations. Melynda shares, “I’m endlessly fascinated with journeys-the journey each of us takes as we discover the path we were created to walk in life. I enjoy painting as I journey. The paintings are a brief glimpse in vivid color of my own experiences, emotions and prayers. My biggest challenge has been to allow myself to paint the good… and the difficult, the beautiful… and the painful-to allow the breadth of my life to find its way onto the canvas.”

This was the description for my solo summer show “Inside Out,” featuring my newest abstract and conceptual acrylic paintings. The show was held July 28 through August 25, 2009 at the new Studio 201 above the Galerie of Pella. The opening was such a great night- so wonderful to have so many people come out to see the show. I love to hear the feedback and watch as everyone absorbs the show.

New Day

2009-09-21T11:31:00.001-07:00

It's a new day and time for a new blogging home. This will be my new place for encouraging fellow artists with a special emphasis on exploring the edges between faith and art. I'm so excited to share with you some of the new journeys and the many books, websites, and experiences that have inspired and encouraged me. If you are interested in my past blog, feel free to visit Scrapbook with Passion. It's not that I'm not scrapbooking anymore- I still enjoy keeping my family stories and photos and journeys. Scrapbooking has been a great hobby for me as I was raising my young children and a natural fit as an industry to begin sharing my fine art. But, over the last few years my work has continued to blossom and grow into new areas.

I've been peering deep inside the hazy recesses of my heart and life.

I'm ready to acknowledge what is really inside and has been longing to break forth.

I've got criss-crossed, messed up, slowed down, and tripped up on this journey. (I never was known for my coordination!)

I've tried to hide, force it all to stay inside-to stay safe.

I've been climbing up this mountain one step at a time. Encountering much change and transformation along the journey. I'm sure I'm going to loose my footing again, get scared about falling and maybe even ask myself again and again why I started up this mountain in the first place. But, I'll never regret it-never be ashamed of reaching deep for who I am to be in this world.
Can't wait to get everything that has been rolling around in my brain and heart here on the blog.