A Nutritious Secret....

 

A tavola per favore! Dimmi! Alora, a basic, wonderful, nutritious ingredient for winter food and the cold-season is .... bone broth! Not powder broth, but, ideally, real broth, homemade, i.e. from chicken. My body loves it every once in a while, especially when we move into winter! 

Today, I made Mediterranean-style vegetarian bean stew..... (here's a secret about beans: you have to soak them overnight, and I soaked them for 2 nights; then, you boil them just in water for 6-8 hours..... this slow procedure sets the nutrients free and makes them easily digestible for our bodies.... what a wonderful protein food with lots of fiber!) 

Other than the tomatoes that I had canned, I added 

• coconut oil, 
• onions, 
• zucchini, 
• fresh garlic, 
• 1-2 bay leaves,
  
• sweet red pepper, 
  
• salt, pepper, a tiny bit of hot pepper powder, 
• coconut aminos,
  
• the prepared beans,
• and I let it simmer slowly. There's great beauty and bounty in doing things slowly, with adoration for all the fun ingredients. 
• I added the thick broth that had waited in the fridge (bone broth gets thick when I cools down, and that's actually a great sign that you have a really great broth).

Bone broth is anti-inflammatory and a total immune system booster! I remember my grandma in Berlin going to the butcher and buying a great soup bone. She came home and was proud! 

What a beautiful thing, to be proud of the food we acquire! I'm so grateful today for her showing me that space, teaching me about bone soup and the wonderfulness of home-made food, which I then adopted for my living.

You can find so many recipes, online, for making your own bone broth. I like to use chicken. You can freeze the broth, for later use. When you need an immune system booster, or when the earth cycles shift into winter, there's a nutritious element that you can add to your diet. (It is also a culinary secret for any grand soups or sauces.) 

And the element of gratitude for each plant and creature, each person involved, the earth, sun and stars and everything that contributed adds yet another dimension... And friends who bring me organic tomatoes to can, when my plants didn't do so well!

Ah, the Beauty of all that! Here's to the Beauty we are being with our homes! What can we gift to the earth?

Bon appetit!

Be a Pink Song for the Future

Life is Art. It's a moment-by-moment adventure. 

Things pop up out of the blue. And you choose them if they are joyful. It's this moment's impromptu that creates miracles, that creates great paintings, photography, sculptures, novels, new technology, delicious food and new ideas. 

Don't allow anybody to take that from you, because you might miss the universe's snapshot. Don't share it with others prematurely. They will find reasons why it's not a good idea. Only a few people might be supportive. If you have even only one in your life, consider yourself extremely lucky. Always be aware when you share your inspiration and with who.

Remember: Those who judge you don't care about you. They are not your friends. Those who say that they criticize you only to protect you are lying. They just try to control you and keep you small.

Your edges, your funk and oddness, your imperfection is the greatness of you! 

Here are some tips:

• Never shrink! 
• Keep expanding! 
• Be odd! 
• Be strange. 
• Be weird. 
• Improvise. 
• Be pink. 
• Mix them up. 
• Mess with their points of view. 
• And find out how much fun that is!

You are a symphony of possibility!

When you are you you become a gift to the earth, to all creatures and to the future that would not be possible without you.

 

 #art #love #happiness #joyofcreation #mondaymorninginspiration #artbybettina #midwestliving #americanartist #artswisconsin #beyourself #ilovepainting #nevergiveup #symphony #midwestartist 

What makes my Art Classes so different?

In this reality, teaching is based on the assumption that the student does not know. And that they must start at 'zero' and be given the knowledge. I never had that point of view. I actually have the gift of seeing the infinite being in my students, the being that knows, the gifts they have. For the longest times, this very gift that I have made the possibility of me teaching others sort of non-sensical. There was nothing to teach. They know!, I thought.

 

Then, I remembered how my most important 'teachers' always gave me space and asked me questions. They could see that I required that space for me where I can go on my own journey and discover that I know, remember lifetimes as artist and dive into my own well of knowing, rather than being treated as 'stupid' and being told what to do. If someone would tell me what to do, I would run. Didn't you? I could never stand in front of a class and tell them to paint by numbers. I don't paint by numbers. I don't use projectors to project photographs on a screen and paint off of that projected image. Why would I force that onto anyone else? 

No. Art of itself is very much about a quest and about freedom. It's about discovery! Man, if one of my students discovers that they CAN create what they would have never expected, that very moment of explosion in their being, that is priceless. I would never take that away from anyone. 

So, I go with my class on a journey of discovery.

I use these gifts that I received from my brilliant teachers and create the space for my classes as a space of freedom to explore. Explore with color, explore different mediums, very much like adventurers that embark on a journey, with a small bag with tools, with courage and deep trust in their stomachs that they will master the challenges. Yes, I thought, that I CAN do.

In my classes, generally speaking, I sort of 'lay the ground' for subsequent deep-dives into any medium. A medium is, for me, a universe.  We first look at the basics and 'losen up the grip of this reality' so we can be free of norms and tap into the well of our being where we know that we know, where we will find that we have gifts and talents, each one of us, that we had no idea. That no one told us, before.

These 'basics', in all my classes, evolve around color and our natural gift of composition. That 'natural' way of composing a piece of art is not coming from the mind but, as a whole body connection, from our being. We release blocks and limiting beliefs. We release the controller and 'self-saboteur', as we paint and as things come up for each participant.

So, now is the time. To uncover, to discover and recover, as the artists we truly are.

So many people ask me about silk painting classes. I know there are not many instructors for that medium, not in the Western World, for sure.

 

The silk painting class that I will be offering will demand of each participant, and of myself, to be open to the unexpected, see the mistake as miracle and well of creation and be willing to receive what silk and water and this earth have to offer. Any of my other painting classes would be a prerequisite, so we have a 'common platform' to build upon.

What art can we create now? From the rubbish of a reality that has fallen apart?

Illusions and lies are being brought to the light, shattered and undone. Structures are shaking, idols and ideals questioned. All this is good. Not just good, it's great! We all knew things had to change, and, well, they are changing now.

What did you, yes, you who is reading this, come here to create?

What do you know, from deep in your heart, what do you know is possible?

_____________________

Bettina Madini is a contemporary European artist and designer who combines luscious color and expressive motion in her paintings and fashion accessories. Born in Berlin, she spent time in the Corporate World before laying the groundwork for her artistic breakthrough in Luxembourg in1992, when she joined the Conservatory of Music and, shortly after, the Ecole d’Art Contemporain.

Bettina studied Fine Art in Luxembourg at the Ecole d'Art Contemporain with Jean-Marc Tosello, and in New York City at the National Academy of Fine Art and Design with Susan Shatter, Sharon Sprung, Henry Finckelstein and Wolf Kahn. Her search for expressive color and light has led her on a journey across different painting media that are universes to her.

Her body of work encompasses watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel and silk painting. In 2018, she launched her own line of Wearable Art labeled ‘Magical Bodies.’

Bettina's paintings can be found in corporate and private collections in Europe, Australia, Canada, China and the United States.

“Living within the confines of a wall in my home city of Berlin carved in me a drive for freedom and a desire to live life with joy and gusto. I learned to thrive on contrast and marveled at impressionistic and expressionistic art, especially the search for color and light.

Artists such as Marc Chagall and Franz Marc, Wassily Kandinsky and later Mark Rothko were the stars in my universe.To this day they keep inspiring and encouraging me further along my artistic journey with colorful expression.

Color fascinates me. Each painting begins with a range of colors that seduce me into the symphony. Paintings unfold from the space of curiosity and wonder, be it abstract, floral or visionary. I move beyond the image that I see with my physical eyes, allowing the inner world to flow into my creation.

Will I ever be complete? Not as long as there is color. The dance moves beyond the edge of confinement and expectation. Beyond that edge is where I live.”

For Bettina's painting classes, go HERE

Becoming....

 

This last Saturday, I went running, and I literally took 125 pictures! I kept saying, oh, now I run! Keep running! 

And then, the trees said 'look at me!' and the leaves where joyfully rustling in the wind... I giggled and stopped, again? Oh, yes, a quick recording, for winter! The yellow leaves voices will go into my dream space.... together with the orbs and beams of light, dancing molecules and colors so magnificent that my heart beats faster.... 

Trees were leaning in as I laughed out loud! Silent conversation... And the leaves moved faster .... 

Magic is here, right at our fingertips! 

Whispering of possibilities, encouraging us to never give up, cheering us on that 'everything is ok! just keep walking, keep jumping, keep swaying with the breeze!' 

Do you hear me?, cedar chimes in with her oily voice. We danced until sunset. And my heart is becoming... fuller... with Being... 

💚🍀

All Packed Up, and Nowhere to Go! Really?

I had made a sort of 'big investment' right at the beginning of the year when I purchased a Light-Dome tent for art fairs. And I was so proud that I took the courage to move ahead with it, to show up even more professionally and 'step up' for this year's art fairs. 

I was juried into the renowned Agora Art Fair in Madison, WI, was invited by Promega in Fitchburg, WI, to be part of their Art Showcase, was for the first time wait-listed for the Art Fair on the Square in Madison and was also approached by a renowned university in North Carolina to teach silk painting. All has been cancelled for this year and postponed into 2021.

The picture shows my brand-new Light Dome in its black carry bag, and new paintings included silk shawls, all ready to go. 

I wonder, where will they be shown? Who am I creating them for?

Even though everything is shut down, everybody is waiting, of course, I keep creating! I can't help it! I cannot wait! Creating what I create is what I love and what made me change my entire life in 2003 and move to New York City, from Europe, with a few suitcases!

Exploring other possibilities, I'm now creating FREE Online Painting events, as my contribution to the world to find the space of creation that has been such a phenomenal life-saver and inspiration to me!  And I'm growing even more into that online environment, with more professional set-up, learning about videography, cameras, lighting and investing in online advertising for both my art and my Wearables. Things I had avoided before.....

Funny thing is, now my new camera is delayed due to shipping disruptions and looting. So, I will improvise, again, with my laptop and Iphone and somehow make it work. Until I can play with my new camcorder!

I know this is the gift that we can be, as artists. We have known adversity and challenge, we know that we have to deviate if one path is not going any further, we change and shift and turn into yet a different direction, we talk to thousands of people, receive thousands of rejections and points of view, and we keep walking and creating what is so joyful to us.

I know that the journey I walk, is, in some weird and magical ways, creating energetic pathways  that hadn't existed before, that other people can then choose too. If they desire to do so.

Some 'old' paths might be closed, maybe for good. Yet, what journeys have opened? What doors and gateways have swung open that we can now choose? Entering new territory with bravery and joy.

My grandfather who had lived through two World Wars and took his own life when I was five, taught me to 'Never Look Back, and Never Give Up!'. So I don't look back. I look ahead. And I'm really curious....

What future can we create? What inspiration can we be, for the World?

And, what amazing contribution can we receive?

It's a world of wonder and miracles.

I know that. This is my world.

And my dream is that it inspires you!

The Frog and I

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential
is invisible to the eye."
from: 'The Little Prince", by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

And, oh, was he right on, the Little Prince!

It is one of the most remarkable books!
And what does it mean to 'see with our hearts'?
It is actually where we simply 'know'.
Where our mind with its eternal loops is not relevant. Our mind that will tell us how exactly something has to look. Whether it's our life, our body, or the future. All the right and wrong lives in the mind.

When we are really honest with ourselves, and we start looking at our life and our choices, we will notice that we
either made our choices so much more difficult via our mind getting involved, and then we did it anyway, beyond our mind, and it just took us much longer,
or we went with our mind and all the reasoning and the rightness and wrongness and we then wonder what happened with our dreams.

Well, we can still change anything at any moment.
And how is that?
With our Choice.

Where, one of those days, your airplane has trouble and you have to land in the desert where you, out of the blue, meet a Little Prince who asks you to draw him a sheep.
And you and your mind wonder what's so important about drawing a sheep while you are crashed in the desert without water.

But the Little Prince insists, and, in his wondrous ways, he opens your heart to the Infinite, that will widen your perceiving and receiving, and your pounding heart leads you to water, your inspiring conversation invites the earth to rain, and all while you draw a sheep!

Now, I'm not inviting you into the desert... I do invite you on a journey... of ...

What could be next?
What if we don't wait?
But Create?
Not React, but act?
(Choice is an Action)

I invite you on this wondrous, immeasurably magical, chaotic, inconsistent, undefined, irreverent journey of the heart.
Where all the magic lives, the magical beings, the knowing, the feather touch, the magnificent beings of light, some call them angels,
some call them Frog Kings.
It is the journey where I met Santini, my little tree frog guest from last winter. And what does a little frog know? What does a flower know? What does a dew drop know?

Whether you choose the classes I'm offering, or you don't,
whether you wait and see,
whether you joyfully jump up and say a beaming Yes!,
I'm here.

You know what works for you.
You know when the moment has come to fly through the open door and open your eyes, really open them, from your heart.

Know that I'm so very grateful for you!
And I trust that you will choose the lightness of your own journey that is so unique and precious and yours.

I'm very much looking forward to the future we can create now, together!

Cheers,
Bettina

Find Bettina's classes HERE

Tucker John from NC

I have received emails like the one below many times, yet today, I thought I post one of them, the most recent one. Funny how these people don't even bother to use a spell-checker....

Hi Tucker John from NC.
I'm so sorry she doesn't have her own laptop.
Glad that she enjoys art.
It's not a bad thing. You don't have to confess. And, I'm not a priest. But, thanks.
Which artwork piece are you interested in?
Hello? Do you hear me?
Do you have any question?
What are we even talking about?
Would you like to hear back from me?
Hello?
Do you have a phone number?
Who are you?
Tucker, are you an algorithm? Hello?





It's true! Someone could find my paintings on my website. It's possible that they would like to add them to their collection. And it would be wonderful if they wanted to surprise a loved one. 


Usually, I'm writing a courteous response and direct people to my website where they can choose their favorite piece. 


Here in this case, I chose to not respond at all.


What are the indicators that it's a scam?


1) The name could be the first indication. While it's not John Smith, Tucker John or John Tucker is not the most ingenious creation. (I don't mean to hurt anybody's feelings! If any of you have one of these names, please don't take it personal!)

2) The signature leaves a lot to be desired. No phone number, no contact info, no business name. Just 'Tucker'.

3) The many mistakes.

4) Funny how they always see their wife spot the artwork on their laptop. And then, these women without their own laptop always leave traces .... It's a bit too cheesy, like pulling teeth.... 

5) And they always have a wedding anniversary coming up. It's so classical. So boring!

6) Let me ask you: Are you convinced by the story? Why do they even have to tell a story? They can simply  go to my website (where they found my email address), pick a painting and contact me for pricing. Or ask questions about shipping.

7) There is not one question in this email. 


How this will usually unfold is that the artist writes back, politely, and asks what painting they are interested in. Usually then, these scammers engage you further, never really talking about the art. The emailing goes back and forth, until they agree to purchase a piece, by CHECK. They will overpay, meaning sending too much money with the check and ask for reimbursement of the overpaid amount, with cash.


Of course, the check will bounce. And, if the artist paid a cash amount to the scammer that money will be lost. 


An indicator is, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.


In my case here, nothing sounds too good, it is poorly written, maybe translated by an algorithm into English.


So, Tucker will not hear back from me. 


What can you do when you receive a scam email?


Before replying to any of theses emails, before exchanging art or money, or sending money to someone who you don't even know, use your common sense, ask questions. 


Don't deviate from your usual method of payment; explain politely that you’re not willing to take payment through cashier’s checks or postal money orders, which are more open to this sort of art scam. Often the nature of the art scam will center on the method of payment suggested by the scammer – if you stick to your normal method, something you know to be safe, they may be forced to give up.


NEVER accept over-payments. You’re selling, they’re buying – no money should be leaving your account. Make it your policy not to work this way.

Google the email address, or name, or even a passage of the text. As these scammers send so many art scam emails, their address gets to be known as one associated with the art scam they’re running.


Don’t ship your artwork unless you’re sure the payment has cleared. Any serious art buyer would be happy to wait until the payment has cleared.

If You Were the Choosing One, Would a 'No' Mean Anything?

How many 'No's' have I received, as an artist and also as a being simply being on the planet? 

Many.

Today, I just received another one of those 'No'-replies.

And usually, I don't even mention them. On social media, I talk about the 'good stuff', the positive news.

Today, I just received another one of those 'No'-replies. And I deleted it right away, moving on and not making it relevant. Then, I was wondering, maybe I can be a contribution to someone out there who has given up or is at the fringe of giving up? Maybe my journey is not just for me?

So I chose to write about it.

How many of you artists and most wonderful creatives have received tons of 'No's'? 

Applying for art exhibitions, funding, grants, events? You are so courageous! It takes courage to show your work, it takes guts! Why? Because it always exposes us to some random judgment. Random? Yes, random. It's a point of view of a moment. 

Is it based on 'sound opinion' of an expert? I don't even have an idea what that means. Of course not!

There is no expert of your art but you!

You are the expert.

Are you ready to claim that and to be your own best fantastic credentials?

Are museums more 'wise' as far as art goes? Do they 'know' what art is? No. They don't. 

What is art? I looked on Wikipedia, and it says "Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts, expressing the author's imaginative, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power."

Merriam Webster says "a) skill acquired by experience, study, or observation , b) an occupation requiring knowledge or skill , c) the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects". That's a wide field of application!

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy elaborates "The definition of art is controversial in contemporary philosophy. Whether art can be defined has also been a matter of controversy. The philosophical usefulness of a definition of art has also been debated."

The ground is even further open to confusion.

I thought, hm, well, let's look up 'contemporary art'? I found a definition that says "In its most basic sense, the term contemporary art refers to art—namely, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, and video art—produced today..." Read this interesting article in full length: https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-contemporary-art-definition/  

So, it's basically everything. Pop Art, Aboriginal Art, Minimalist Art, Conceptual Art (I love that definition!), Performance Art, Installation Art, Street Art, Digital Art, Abstract Art, Intuitive Art, Visionary Art, Realism (that's a good one too!), and the list goes on. What's to get out of all of this? Art is what we are creating. Who's to say what's good or bad?

Years ago, I went to an exhibit in Berlin, a modern art exhibit (I forgot to mention that definition in my list above... sorry!), and as I walked into an exhibit room, I found myself staring at a human buttocks sticking out of a wall. That's art? Some museum curators judged it as art. Maybe because their was hair added to the buttocks.

So, it's all part of this incredibly hilarious reality! It's not to be taken seriously!

According to all the definitions, the moment we are creating something from different elements and we make something new from them by extrapolation, it's art.

It includes you, the reader.

Judges and panels of jurors are hired to eliminate. 

They don't know your journey.

They go through, at times, huge amounts of applications and quickly screen and eliminate. That's all. That's their job. That's what they're paid for.

Here is the response I received today, after they had invited me to apply for the event:

I doesn't mean anything.

Funny, I titled the picture of this screenshot 'BlaBla', and that's all it is.

It's BlaBla.

Have you made all the BlaBla so vital and important?

Don't stop yourself, ever!

You are the only one who can stop you, no one else can.

Count your blessings and move on! You're here, and you're rocking it! 

As artists, we have to be resilient and filled with humor. 

Here's the most important thing:

• Do you love what you're doing? 
• Does it give you joy? 
• Does it create more consciousness on the planet? 
• Does it inspire others? 
• Do you create a greater future on the earth with what you're artfully making? 

If you get a yes on any of them, keep creating! You are changing the world. This is what art is about. We inspire the viewer to a different possibility that they can not yet perceive. Art is transformative. And right now, the world needs that inspiration! 

So, be resilient. Be strong. You're a potent creator. You are much stronger and resilient than you ever acknowledged, otherwise you would not be artist!

So, what's next?

I will keep moving, applying to shows, showing up for possibilities, create and inspire me with joyful choices.

Will I apply for that exhibit again? I don't have an answer right now. Who knows? If it's joyful and I get the energy of 'Apply to this one!', in a year, then I will. And if I don't get that festive energy from it, then I won't. It's a dance.

You are in charge.

Are you willing to have your own back?

Are you willing to be the choosing one? 

Or do you prefer being the chosen one?

I'm the choosing one.

And I keep dancing with the earth and stars!

And, together, we are creating new and different symphonies and rhythms.

Cheers to creation!

Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity? Or Scam?

"Phoenix Creation Rising"

Here's a story from behind the scenes.... 

I opened my emails this morning to this (what seemed at first) exciting invitation. 

Thinking joyfully 'Oh, what a great start into the New Year!', I was ready to pay my application fee (as artists we have to pay jury fees, application fees, just to be even considered for shows, events, etc) when I wondered 'Where did they get my email from?' They said I was pre-selected, and then I have to pay? Hmmm... flags started waving at me.... How do you discern between offers and proposals that are legit and those that are simply scamming for money? 

Of course, I went ahead and researched them online (so grateful for reviews! ✨🍀💚). They have a good looking website, and then, this all can be faked and 'half-truths' (which means 'lies'). 

I checked their reviews, and most of them are.... not positive. 

I went further and read all the rules for their program, but couldn't find any phone number... (another flag). And then, it says you're not supposed to contact artists who had been at the residency????? (now, that's a smelly cat!, not just a flag) 

Funny thing is, I had started looking into residencies.... 

Here's the email that I got from them (an indicator could be, if it sounds too good to be true, it IS too good to be true and pure lies!):

"Dear Bettina,

Here's wishing you a happy new year!

We have some great news! Due to requests received, we have extended the deadline to enter the ... Residency opportunity! This means, that those of you who haven't been able to send in your application yet, now have until 4 January to do so!

Remember, only a few select artists have been chosen to submit their work for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so this round's winner could be you!

Please ensure all artwork you would like to submit is sent in full by 4 January 2020 using the following link:....

If you wish to do so, you are able to enter more than once! For any additional information, please see FAQ.....

We will inform you of the results on 14 January 2020, after the judging panel has made their final selection.

Good luck for your entry and let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

BlaBlaBla "

__________

Now what? What can I receive from this? 

1. Immense gratitude for my awareness (our awareness is the greatest tool we have)
2. Not getting hung up in the 'wrongness' of it. Nice try! Now where are the legitimate residencies? What other amazing proposals and invitations can I receive?
3. When something looks too good to be true, it usually is.
4. When someone says 'this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' push your 'super-awareness-buttons', use humor and ask questions (you don't want opportunities but possibilities) Ask youself: Is this an opportunity or a possibility? If it's an opportunity, walk away.
5. Ask questions such as: "What is possible now?" 🍀✨💚🌳

Some people might say, oh the internet is bad! You get scammed when they find your contact info.

What if the internet is not bad? Via the internet, anyone can find our businesses, our art, creations such as books, songs, anything we're creating.

We simply need to be more aware! If you have a 'twisting sensation' in your stomach, ask questions! 

For me, how this all works is, when I'm about to pay for something, I might have a moment of hesitation. My money sort of doesn't want to go there. How cool is that? When I get that, I look deeper, ask for more information, such as: 

• "Where do I find the information that I require?"
• "What is this? What do I do with this? Do I have to do anything with this?    Or do I walk away?"
• "What am I aware of?"
• And in the case of my money, I'm grateful for my money to give me the awareness. "Thank you, my money! I'm so grateful for you! What's it going to take for you to duplicate with ease, so we can even create more awareness in the world?"

What if our money has our back? My money has my back. I asked it for it, and it's more than happy to be that space for me.

Can you see how this 'incident' is now creating FOR me? 

What if nothing is right or wrong, but we can create with all the energies?

I choose to create with the energy that these scammers are using. It's just energy. Energy is energy.  

I play with it. And create with it.

So can you. That's a choice that you have to make, though!

Happy New Year!