Writing and art and every other creative endeavor have a lot in common. The processes, though different on the surface, go like this: Idea. First try – oh, nuts, that’s not right. Second try – uhm, closer but still not what I want.Third try – is this thing ever going to look/sound/work right? And then two possibilities. Either it does very soon look/sound/work right or … Continue reading When your horse dies…
Today was the day. The studio and the pop up Colors of Jazz gallery in the window on the street level of the building are history. I had a melancholy moment turning in the keys. But this is not the first time I’ve closed one door and opened another. My painting life is temporarily on hold, though not history. And my life as an … Continue reading Opening a New Window
“Postcards from Home”©2015 Molly Larson CookAcrylic and paper ephemera SOLD As I work my way through new territory, I’m open to whatever guideposts I come across. My decision to continue painting and creating pieces related to jazz is the basic map, but to go from there to finished new work is a little more daunting. The underlying vision is intact, but the execution of … Continue reading Walking Slowly Toward the Jazz
“Good Morning, Heartache” from the Colors of Jazz Collection ©2020, Molly Larson Cook 24″ x 18″ Acrylic on canvas In a writing book by a man named Peter Elbow there is a chapter on revision titled, “Nausea.” It always gets a laugh or at least a knowing smile when I teach writing classes and mention this. And yet revision is the heart of good … Continue reading Comfort Me with Painting
Mr. P.C. from the Colors of Jazz Collection” © 2020, Molly Larson Cook 36 x 24, Acrylic on Canvas In any of the creative arts, revision is the name of the game. Nobody gets it perfect the first time. It’s always instructive for new writers to look at manuscripts left by well-known authors, manuscripts with scrawled new words or lines, other lines scratched … Continue reading Choosing – and Choosing Differently Tomorrow
How Deep Is the Ocean? ©2019, Molly Larson Cook 28 x 22 Acrylic on canvas My studio closed this week when someone in the building became exposed to the terror sweeping the world. Nobody wanted to take chances, so we all packed up and headed home – me, the tech guys down the hall, the marriage counselor next door, and the nonprofit at the … Continue reading When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Paint in the Kitchen
“…when sky and sea agree to take one hue…” © 2019, Molly Larson Cook 22″ x 28″ Acrylic on Canvas When people ask me, I always say I’m an abstract expressionist, but the truth is those are just words. I’ve loved abstract expressionism since my teens but when I look at the pictures by famous artists and back at my own work, I see … Continue reading When People Ask Me, I Always Say…
I’m between paintings at the moment, preparing for my show at La Playa Gallery in La Jolla, California, this month (https://www.laplayagallery.com/), and doing the usual odds and ends of preparation with breaks to stay in touch with other places in the art world. I was reading today about a place I want to see – The Garage in Rapid City, South Dakota – a brilliant workspace “for makers … Continue reading Got a Problem? Hire an Artist!
When Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? Wait, I hear you say, we haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet. True enough, we haven’t, but Spring is on my mind for a happy reason. I’ve been offered a solo show in San Diego that will go up at the end of March and run for three months – April, May and June. The gallery is one … Continue reading Solo Show in the Works – The Organic Artist Asks the Paint
Art and Tulips 