Our happiness directly impacts productivity, creativity, energy, problem solving skills and overall health.
If that isn’t convincing enough,perhaps knowing
we can each make 1000 people’s lives happier by improving our state, is.
It’s just one of many studies discussed in Shawn Achor’s book’ The Happiness Advantage”.

Happiness affects how we learn and process information.
Shawn claims our brain performs better when we are happy.
Dopamine not only makes us happy, it ‘turns on all the learning centers in our brain’.

Some studies say regardless of eating and exercise habits, if our mental/emotional health is neglected, we won’t prevent disease or live longer.
It’s this kind of research that is catapulting Positive Psychology into the mainstream.

Shawn suggests happiness creates success, rather than success creates happiness.
“90% of happiness comes not from external sources but from how your brain processes your world.”

‘Mighty Oak’ new 18×24 Original Oil

I was intrigued to learn when stressed, we block our creative problem solving skills.

If we retrain our thinking habits, we may not only survive in tough times, but thrive.
When such habits are developed, we may view new possibilities on a regular basis, not just creative ones, but accurate solutions.
“Doctor’s put in a positive mood before making a diagnosis show almost three times more intelligence and creativity than Doctor’s in a neutral state. They make accurate diagnosis 19% faster.”*

If the goal is to be healthier, improve relationships, productivity at work, lose weight, increase creativity, or cope with trauma, his studies & methods are quite convincing.

Being in the midst of someone who is authentically positive, we witness the ripple effect it has on others and our world.
Regardless of our motives for happiness pursuit, it’s a worthy one.

~ May you be peaceful. May you be well. May you be happy.~ d

P.S Shawn began his small consulting firm delivering the Happiness Advantage theory during one of the worst economic downturns in 2008.
One of his target audiences?
Bankers.
*The Happiness Advantage– Shawn Achor

People inquire if spending a month in secluded wilderness was frightening.
Was the duration of the trip a challenge?
Did I crave the comforts of civilized life?
In fact, quite the opposite.

I hadn’t applied for the project.
The invitation to join renown artists on expedition of the boreal forest was a complete surprise.
I had 24 hours to make a decision.

24 hours to decide to spend a month with 5 complete strangers
…in remote northern wilderness.
We would travel by canoe,live in tents,
and have no communication to the outside world.

New “Canoes” 18×14 Original Oil

We would carry all provisions for 30 days on our backs.
I needed to budget for the adventure, re- organize projects & plans.
The expedition was to begin in 6 weeks.

The experience was professionally and personally, transforming.
I discovered a new rhythm of life in the wild.
I found new friends in talented artists who I would call my ‘boreal family’.
I rediscovered a relationship with the wilderness I had known as a child.
Brilliant sunsets with shorelines ablaze lit fire in every brushstroke I painted.
New Ablaze 18×24 Original Oil

I became a resident of the boreal.
No longer a visitor, everything changes.

The cravings only began when I returned to civilization.

I craved how the paddle felt in my hands rippling in the clear lakes we traversed. I craved its melody.
I ached for fresh air and open spaces.
I craved the forest, it’s scent, life & colour, it’s welcoming spirit.
I yearned to hear the night voices of the wilderness, the call of a loon and slap of the beavers tail, the whisper of the wind in the pine.

The expedition would be one of my most profound experiences.

The spirit and essence of the boreal still beat in my heart and brushstroke.
A call of the wild never to be forgotten.
Joanie McGuffin & Dawn~ photo Julia Hargreaves

I wept silently in front of “The Poet’s Garden” displayed in the Chicago Art Institute 4 years ago.
I was viewing Van Gogh’s work in person for the first time.

This brilliant painting spoke to me, shimmering from across the room, leaving me mesmerized, shivering with emotion.
I was moved beyond words, it simply reached out and shook me to the core.
I cannot explain exactly what it was about the painting.
The wonder of it is, I don’t have to.

If ART speaks to you, it is enough.
Imagine buying a music CD saying to the clerk
“I don’t know anything about music but I really like this, do you think it’s a good choice? ”
Yet I hear this so often when people speak of art.

At a seminar on’ Art as an Investment’ the appraiser’s first address to us was ‘Art should be a passionate buy first’.
In other words, she said, if you like it, buy it.
Art can draw us into a world of emotional experience, affecting each of us differently. That is part of its beauty.

A tapestry of life experience blooms in constant discovery in my own work.
The art evolves when the artist evolves.

New Puffy Clouds 9×12 Oil on canvas

Creating the work isn’t about empowering the artist, it’s an offering to the viewer, for your experience to transcend, your story to accompany, your beauty to behold.

“Lose yourself in Nature and find peace” the caption read on a poster in my room when I was young.
The photo exhibited a fawn, illuminated in sunlight, surrounded by lush dense forest.

We had recently moved to town from the wilderness of the park.
I kept the poster above my bed reminded me of the home where I would run free outside our door into secluded lakeside forest.

In her recent Ted NPR, Tierney Thys states a startling fact.
The average American spends 90% of their time indoors.

As of 2010 humans have become an urban species, separated from the landscapes and seascapes we have evolved from, she insists.

Thys mentions desire to exercise our brain, increase focus & concentration, speed healing, release stress, increase energy, inspire creativity- what delivers all these and more?
Surround ourselves with nature, she says.
What’s really exciting about recent studies, if people are unable to venture outdoors, just imagery of nature can have a powerful effect.

Thys quotes a study by Roger Ulrich in hospital patients, with rooms viewing trees required less pain med’s and healed quicker.

Could nature imagery help defray that growing deficeit and if so, how, she queries.
Which habitats calm us, or inspire us? Teaming up with National Geographic on a study how nature engages the brain, she states this research will help provide guided nature imagery when we are separate from the wild, to “reconnect us all’

What I find fantastically inspiring, of these studies, not once have I found the subjects were nature lovers or art lovers at all.
It isnt’ a requirement for the work to have an impact on your lives in a multitude of ways.

New Tundra 18×36 Oil

The powerful effect of art and imagery is something artists have long known. It’s just nice to have science spreading the news.

~ on a side note
Customers have placed paintings in a nursery to calm a baby, in offices to inspire creativity, above dining tables and in gyms, family gathering living rooms, or, interestingly, at a lakeside cottages.

The paintings I did for my Mom’s bedside in hospital she delighted in, calling them ‘healing paintings’. It wasn’t a surprise she felt this way, she had an amazing connection to the work.
The surprise for me, was the effect the art had on the hospital staff. Never underestimate the power of art.

One of my fondest memories living in the north is of the Yukon Storytelling festival.
When a friend suggested attending, I had visions of Uncle Henry delivering a rambling ‘ big fish’ tale onstage.
A karaoke for talkers.
I couldn’t have been more inaccurate.

The seeds for the festival sprouted in the 1980’s when one of the Yukon’s last Tagish speakers shared her stories to a global audience in Toronto.
The Yukon Storytelling festival began in 1988, growing to include storytellers from all over the world, with an emphasis on First Nation and circumpolar countries.
Mountain Mist- Oil on Canvas

The festival hosts professional ‘tellers’, who are as diverse as the crowd. Stories range in mythical or true events, often moving, educational, or funny.
Visualize sort of an outdoor inspirational Ted Talk, without the big screen and cushy seats.

Perched on a grassy knoll under a canvas tent that balmy summer evening, captivated, we witnessed inspiring flawlessly performed stories.
The event had a wonderful ancient primitive pull to how we shared stories in the past, gathered in tents or caves, around campfires, or in Grandma’s kitchen.

Stories weave us together in history. A powerful educational tool, stories are an evolving tapestry of society and culture.

Art began before the written word, as a form of communication, sharing stories, myths & legends.
Painting in it’s own right is still an amazing conduit of connection, a story without words, inviting the viewer to participate.
MK, a young author wrote recently “I like to look in your paintings and see if I can find my stories there, with my characters just out of sight.”

Technology has changed the way we tell stories.
Grandma’s kitchen table may be void of interactive family discussions, hosting individuals on their personal electronic devices.
What stories are we sharing? Are we engaged?
A friend said’ I filled my mind with junk’, after she realized she had spent an entire afternoon on you tube and FB.
Exclaiming, “I suddenly questioned, what did I learn? I had filled my mind with irrelevant clutter”.

While on an expedition of the boreal, renown explorers and photojournalists the McGuffin’s shared fascinating stories at camp.
Dawn and Joanie- boreal 2011- photograph Julia Hargreaves
Joanie’s vivid writing with Gary’s incredible photography capture the wilderness essence. They have published 7 books on their explorations, many which included their daughter Sila.
The quiet forest surrounding us, our small group would relax in the evening dusk and talk.
Joanie’s animated colourful descriptions brought their wilderness adventures to life. I was in awe of her keen mind and ability to recount such detail.
A skill developed from being entirely present in moments as they unfold.

Art is about paying attention. ~ Laurie Anderson

Painting requires engagement and focus free from chaos.
It’s in the act of being present, time stands still, noise silences.
Creation is born of experience & emotion.
In completion, the painting becomes the viewer’s story.
The oldest form of storytelling of all time.

New in the Studio~
Forest 9×12 Oil on board
Field 6×8 Oil on Board
~
To purchase the artwork, please email me at dawn@dawnbanning.com. Prices will increase in Sept.
You are welcome to share the Art/News, it’s free.
Registering for the news is also free, just click on NEWS page, and click ’Register’.
Option to share via your social networks is offered at the bottom of each newsletter delivered to your email.
I would love to hear your feedback on the art or newsblog, write anytime dawn@dawnbanning.com . I’m listening.

The National Bank of Canada has over 7000 pieces of original art making it one of the largest corporate art collectors in the country.

Early in my career, I was encouraged by the extensive variety of companies who purchased art.
For example, view artist Dorothy Knowles selected list of Corporate and Public Collectors on the Assiniboia Gallery website.
I discovered many firms purchase fine art exclusively thru an established Art Gallery, or accredited Dealer, due to their company protocol.
It’ s another reason for Artists and Dealers/ Galleries to work cohesively together, either in a representational or supporting role.

Alan Klinkhoff of Galerie Alan Klinkhoff writes “Corporate Art collectors “tend to “collect ” by marrying their interest with a higher purpose, encouraging artists etc and create a campaign getting exceptional publicity value for a relatively modest amount of money and end up with a piece or two of art. We are of the opinion that corporations should be buying “fine art” because it enhances the work environment, a place where employees and their clients spend so much time.”
Alan continues,”We have a number of clients ( investors) who own companies and buy with their own money outstanding works of art to put on the office walls, enhancing the experience of them , their employees and that of their clients.”

The Royal Bank of Canada’s corporate collection began in the 1800’s, displaying 4000 art pieces in their reception areas and board rooms across Canada.The RBC annual painting competition offers a hefty art prize to emerging artists.

A Boston Globe article ( 2012) suggests more companies are turning to original pieces.

Business’s small and large are purchasing original art for more than the tax deduction. (Seek professional tax advisors assistance).
Some companies express it is a way to invest in the community, celebrating local or national/international culture.
Dental offices and Medical Clinics claim having pleasing art can’ calm patient’s jitters’.

Progressive Insurance with corporate headquarters in Ohio, “boasts one of the most extensive contemporary art collections in the corporate world, and it’s more than just decoration: the company says it uses the art to encourage its employees to think creatively.” (Forbes Top Corporate Art Collectors)

The artwork we place in our homes, offices, boardrooms and clinics have a direct effect on our experience in these spaces.
Corporate collectors may have varying motives for purchasing original art, but they all make the world a little better by doing so.

NEW in the Studio~
Cloud Display 4ft x3ft Original Oil
You may recognize the island :0).
Hills 9×12 Original oil on board
~ to view cropped images, please see ART section of the site.
~
Art Growth News ~
Prices will increase next month.
To purchase the artwork, please email me at dawn @dawnbanning.com
You are welcome to share the Art/News, it’s free.
Registering for the news is also free, just click on NEWS page, and click ’Register’ It is confidential.
Option to share via your social networks is offered at the bottom of each newsletter delivered to your email.
I would love to hear your feedback on the art or newsblog, write anytime dawn@dawnbanning.com . I’m listening.

A woman in a café recognized a famous artist sitting nearby.
She approached him to draw on her napkin.
He complied.
After a quick sketch, he handed the napkin back, with a significant fee.
The woman exclaimed, ‘how can you ask so much, it took you one minute to draw this?”
“No” Picasso replied, “it took me 40 years”.
sky study

Michelangelo burnt his study drawings.
Art was considered a higher calling, and desire for the finished work to appear effortless.
Artistic skill was considered to be natural genius.

If it takes work, how can it be enlightened?
mountain plein air

Research proving benefits of art abound, aside from visual appeal.
Art can directly affect our energy and how we dwell in spaces. It celebrates diversity and opens our minds to possibility. It can spark creativity and innovative thinking in the viewers. It’s good for our health.

Yet instead of the source of power it can be, art is often still considered a decorative or luxury item.

One of the largest sources of charity contributions around the globe is art.
Leonardo Dicaprio’s 11th hour art auction alone raised 38$ million for charity in 2013.

What would happen if Artist’s stop creating?
I receive regular emails from artists doing just that, due to lack of sales & investors, with gallery representation being scarce.

Creating art for a living is a privilege I don’t take lightly.
Nor do I, the years spent evolving the work, with passionate desire to master and inspire in one of the most competitive industries in the world.
Is there toil? Yes.
Is there enlightenment and gratitude? Absolutely.
New Autumn Valley 9×12 Original oil

I am blessed for the path Art has taken me. It challenges me to be my best. Infusing the work with spirit, intention, and love, asking each day, what can I give?

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art” Leonardo Da Vinci.

p.s I am writing to you from my new handmade walnut desk by Marc Banning. It is a work of art ~ shimmering with essence, an original elegant design created with attention to detail, and love.

On a flat wooden bench in the balmy shade of a chestnut tree, I sat with a man watching his dream in fruition.
As we listened to the rich voice of Thornetta Davis drifting from the outdoor stage, a crowd of two hundred relaxed in chairs scattered among the trees, enjoying the music, great food & wine.
Beyond the grove spread expansive vineyards and restored wetlands.
A meadow of wildflowers colourfully dotted the landscape.

He pointed to the distance, seeing not only what he had built, but what would be.
His vision still unfolding.

It was Jazz on the Vine last Sunday afternoon at Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards, and I was sitting beside it’s founder, Tom O’Brien.
Vineyard Study acrylic 6×8

I met Tom once before, on a flight departing Toronto 5 years ago.
After exchanging introductions, he announced with a joyful grin he was retiring from Price Waterhouse Cooper the following day.
He had a dream, a tractor and shed. He was going to grow grapes.

Along with those grapes, he planted 7000 trees, restoring natural Carolinian forest. The greenspace included in his vision, he consulted conservation societies and Ducks Unlimited. Reclaimed wetlands now welcome birds and wildlife. Directing me to a tree where bald eagles prefer to nest, his voice filled with pride.

It hasn’t been without bumps along the way.
His plan was to farm and enjoy the property with wife Katy, their children and grandchildren.
A family retreat for bonfires and campouts.
They worked the land, once an apple orchard, for three years, with a winery contract to purchase the crop. The first harvest developed, and the winery backed out.

The dream could have gone in many directions, including south.
But Tom and Katy regrouped. Together, with partner Debbie Meloche and winemaker Rori McCaw, Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards emerged, producing award winning wines in an award winning building.
Vineyard Study acrylic 6×8

As adults we may lose belief in the big dream, in possibility.
We may think it happens to select few who have a golden path.
Let off the hook if we believe achievement comes easier to some.
The top art dealer/collector arrives at their doorstep, the stone cottage appears, or those 20 pounds melted off overnight.

This year a nasty beetle has destroyed some of Tom’s crop.
When I met with him a quiet day before opening, he had been in the vineyard since 6 am, overseeing a multitude of tasks.
His boots were caked in mud, sweat trickled down his face.

Tom and I agreed vision evolves constantly, like in painting, or similar paths in life, it is rarely a linear process. Challenges and obstacles are faced, plans evaluated and shifted.
I asked him about his inspiration and what keeps him focused.

He had a plan and passion.
“I wanted to build something for my family and people to enjoy, and to keep my mind and body healthy after retiring.
We’ve hosted weddings. How great is it people choose to begin their lives together, right here. “
Sitting in the shade of the chestnut, overlooking the vineyard, it doesn’t surprise me people are drawn here.
It’s a destination of new beginnings, aglow with the magic of dreams.

“.. there’s no magic bullet, no magic formula, no foolproof system that leads to success. And no infallible guru to tell you what to do. The real magic happens inside, in your mind and heart. Only you can commit to making your dream happen, whatever obstacles stand in your way. Only you can turn that key.” Mark McGuiness – Resilience.

~ New in the studio~

Along the theme of today’s post-
the new work continues to evolve, as does the vision.
It is the plien air spark I continue to nurture in the work- a feeling of being immersed in the landscape.
Instead of focusing on deciphering subjects (is that a shrub or a tree) ~you are left free to feel the essence of nature.
Fluidity of movement, texture, contrast. Depending on the subject, some paintings are softer- completed with rags and soft brush- others display rich movement , thick with texture.


Rock- original oil 11×14 Mountain Mist – 22×28 original oil
To purchase the artwork, please email me at dawn @dawnbanning.com
You are welcome to share the Art/News, it’s free.
Registering for the news is also free, just click on NEWS page, and click ’Register’ It is confidential.
Option to share via your social networks is offered at the bottom of each newsletter delivered to your email.
I would love to hear your feedback on the art or newsblog, write anytime dawn@dawnbanning.com . I’m listening.

Despite efforts to welcome the public, art lovers may still be intimidated by the gallery snobbery myth.
Saturated art markets can be confusing for consumers on where & how to buy.
A trust factor needs to be established for most consumers to feel comfortable making a purchase, even if they feel passionate about the work.
Online perusing can be difficult too. Computer monitors often distort colour, the size of work shown in a thumbnail image is difficult to convey. View Boreal Sunset and The Mountain below in their true scale with cropped images.

With more Artists than Art buyers, Artists, Consultants and Dealers are becoming creative in how they do business.

Some Art Consultants have closed their gallery doors to open small offices. After discussing a client’s needs/ budget, they bring Art to the client’s space.
Several galleries cater to a client’s needs in this manner.
Mary Weimer at the Assiniboia Gallery suggested to me years ago it is a fun part of the many services they offer at the Gallery.

The Shurniak Gallery offers relaxed atmosphere among world famous work. The venue hosts comfortable couches, cozy corners to enjoy the work, and a pretty little café.
William Shurniak, founder and avid art collector says in an interview
“I want the gallery to be a place where people will feel free to visit frequently; a place they will be able to linger, relax, and enjoy the paintings. Art is to be appreciated by people of all walks of life.”
You won’t find pressure to buy at his gallery, but you may discover businessmen or children settled on a couch with book or laptop. I did.

Artists struggling to find representation may entertain options to take their work portably into the community.
‘Traveling studios’ is a magazine focused on artists who take their studios on the road. Literally.
Pop UP galleries host one day events, from their van, trailer or in a rental space.
Offering to bring Art directly to collectors, may help ease any pretention.

Andy Nulman of the Huffington Post says in his article “ Real Artists Sell”
“For without being sold, art is merely the silent tree falling in the forest. Art is only fully completed when seen outside the solitary confines of an artist’s studio.”

Here are a few tips when visiting a Gallery or Artist studio:

1) Art knowledge isn’t a requirement to visit a gallery, museum or Art studio.

2) Ask the stupid question. It is the host’s job to educate you on the work and Artists they represent. Most are passionate about what they do, and happy to share what they know. There is no stupid question.

3) Make up your own story. Don’t engage in dialogue about the work if you don’t want to. I have generic titles for this reason, and refrain from storytelling about the pieces. Once they are painted, they become your stories.

4) Ask the gallery about their services, some offer rent to own, flexible payment plans, consulting, or transporting work to your home/ office to try.

5) Don’t feel pressured to buy. I can guarantee you, no passionate artist desires a customer to walk away regretting a purchase. We pour too much heart into the work, it should be loved and savoured.

The purpose of art is not a rarified, intellectual distillate – it is life, intensified, brilliant life.~ Alain Arias-Mission
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NEW in the Studio this week~
8×10 Original Oil ~ Fireweed