No longer a comment virgin!

A special thanks to Sandy Sandy, a fellow SmARTist, who posted the first comment! I'm hoping she will be the first of many, from many. I also just added a "myspace" space. I just realized just how extensive the on-line networking can be. I LOVE looking for and at the artists' blogs. (I've also found quite a few of my former students! ...so they'd better behave! lol) I'll be looking at facebook and twitter in the next few days.

Hmmmm - so what to post tonight. I think you'll get my "Boats fer Rent" - I know it's an odd perspective, but I remember 4th of July at the Dead Lakes - Uncle James & Aunt Pearl's place. If I remember right, to get to the lake, you had to go down the hill, and there were several small docks. I also found a Dead Lakes picture or two from the Florida Memory Project . It has a large archive of photos from the state with a pretty good search tool. Great site!

This painting all started with the cricket cage I purchased at an estate auction. It caught my eye and reminded me of one of those childhood memories that gets massaged occasionally. It's hard to see detail, but there are crickets in the cage, worms in the boat, a turtle on the bank and fish shadows in the water.... and a bug here and there.... hope you like.

A Horse of Many Colors.

I had been looking at a couple of Southwest Art magazines and was inspired to do this one. I like to do bold unexpected colors. (I have a bookcase I painted for the co-op that has a large funky colored tree on it that is in the same style.) These kinds of paintings seem to come quickly and flow once they get started.... and they are fun without a lot of thinking. I think doing things in unexpected colors helps me exercise my skill of seeing light and dark and shades in between. I'm hoping it will lead me to better ability to do more realistic looking paintings. I'd like the ability to do realism if/when I wanted to - but I'm not sure realism will be my "niche".

Painting to me is therapy, and when the real doesn't look real combined with my sick desire for perfection - it may not be the best idea for me to think realism will be my voice. BUT, I do love a good challenge. Guess I need to listen to my mood and let it dictate what the painting will be. Hey maybe that's why I seem to have 5 paintings started at one time! lol Anyway - I present my Horse of Many Colors and hope you enjoy! The original is an 8" x 10" acrylic.

SmArtist Artist ...in training...

A few weeks ago I took a leap of faith and have invested in myself and my art by registering and committing to a telesummit. If you click on the title you'll go to their registration web page to find out all they are offering. You know some of us education types.... suckin up all the information we can about what we do. I actually enjoy those meetings and inservices I go to when it applies to something I'm interested in. Things like brain research and how it applies to learning. Treatment of ADHD, (now all known as ADD I understand), etc. Now I will admit I CONSTANTLY doodle during most, but I have ADD so I can multi-task... no I NEED to multi-task in order to pay attention! ...but I digress.

I'm really excited about getting the information. Self-supporting artists - portfolios - how to find corporate buyers , tax and law information and more... all in the next 7 days. All from what appears to be credible qualified people. It's all going to be completed via an on-line format and I'll get a CD and a link if I can't catch it as it is taking place. (Which is a GREAT thing because in spite of my registering for the pre-summit sessions, I wasn't able to get to any of them as they were taking place!)

...soooo I'll be pretty busy these next few days and I may not post anything (also trying hard to do regularly) for a little bit. I am adding two photos... one of a tractor a former student now an adult and friend (Thanks Tonya!!!) took a picture of and then the painting I created from it.

As someone with strong roots in a rural farming area this was "home" and easy to invision the what the inside of the barn might look a little like (which was fabricated from a shallower region of the brain ;). I seem to have a "cartoony" (to me) edge to most of my attempts toward realism - but to me pleasing to my eye. I like the monochromatic color scheme here and learning the white/black color mixing to create the difference in shade was a little challenging. Definitely a learning experience! Hope you enjoy too!

Putting it in Order...

I just have finished painting the tops of my paint and putting them in my new organizer. I'm forever moving from home to school to class and it's been abnormally challenging to find the right color when ever the tubes were just dumped into a traveling bag. I'm hoping the craft tote I purchased will make the flow of paint go easier.

Newsworthy, our co-op didn't make it. ...not enough people to commit to their part in order to pay rent for this month. I'm glad we didn't have a lease. I feel with a little bit more planning initially would have helped us make it a little longer. I've not given up on the thought, and talks of another building has already emerged.

Also, I'd like to thank the members of the Northwest Florida Artist Guild for making me feel at home at my first meeting. I paid my dues, and look forward to our monthly meeting and workshop. The visiting artist was Joan Matey who does "miniature assemblages; mixed media art oddities, puppets and stage props" (got that straight from the site.) She spoke about art and emotional expression. She was featured in a documentary about her Bye, Bye, Bi-Polar Bears assembly, which is now in the appreciative hands of Patch Adams. It was quite a piece! Who would have thought I would start my first Art Guild meeting with tears. The piece was in honor/homage to a brother-in-law who had struggled with mental illness. Very moving, and hits close to home. Joan's creativity pours from her pores. I was inspired.

The painting added tonight I'm calling "Calling on Eagle Ancestors" and it's a 16" X 20" acrylic that started as finger painting. "I love playing in paint!" It is to honor the Native American woman's strength, power, humble & internal pride which can be paralleled with the characteristics of an Eagle. I love the colors and contrast. ...I'm learning and loving!

Turning Geraniums into Begonias

Been a long time - dream hasn't changed. Painting more often - struggling with some flowers - turned some geraniums into begonias - will try again maybe tonight. Having never had any formal training I have a tendency to go over and over the trouble spot again, leaving some pretty thick paint. I kind of like it that way as it adds texture to the mix. Guess it's just "my style". lol I've finally gotten the courage to take it to the local restaurant to test the "can I be a money making artist" instead of a "teacher that likes to paint." Makes it a little more frustrating when I can't seem to get it to look just like I envision it. I've just got to "finish" it!

Until the next...

me

...and I did finish it - seeeeeee!!!