Today's post is just a link because, frankly, if I think too hard about it, my heart will break and I'll start crying - again. And besides that, a picture truly is worth a thousand words. But I hope you'll visit Shannon Johnstone's site, take your time and look around it and really think about what these photos represent...
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Immersion
Mom and I spent all day yesterday at the Art of the Carolinas expo, followed by a tour of several of the local art galleries at Art After Hours here in town. It was like a dream come true - entire days of painting, shopping for art supplies and visiting art galleries. But it gets even better! While touring one of my favorite local galleries, Sunflower Studio, the owner asked Mom, Steve and me if we would be interested in being featured artists at a show there next fall! I nearly fainted because Linda's artists are truly talented, and doing a show at her gallery would be such an unbelievable honor. Luckily, my Mom (who is a lifelong professional artist) patiently went through all 150+ of my paintings today and helped pick out several that she considered "show-worthy" now, and also gave me some honest and helpful critique and tips to use in creating more work that will hopefully be even better by the time our show date is set.
In light of the potential show next fall, I'm really glad I made a few purchases at the expo - some more pastels, pastel surfaces, a drawing board and blending tools, and Mom even got me a fabulous tabletop easel box which will be perfect for classes and workshops! While at the expo, we also had a blast visiting the various vendor booths where we were able to try all kinds of media and surfaces, and were kindly given several samples of products including Prismacolor pens, Strathmore papers, Cretacolor pencils, and Sennelier watercolor paints, among others. I got so inspired with days of art immersion that I decided tonight to try my Mungyo Gallery Artist Soft Oil Pastels on the Strathmore Paper mixed media samples.
The oil pastels seemed to glide surprisingly easily onto the mixed media paper. But I am thrilled I decided to go ahead and buy the set of size 0 firm Colourshapers, as these were invaluable in blending the very small areas. They made easy work of precisely blending the pastels, especially on these small surfaces.
I still have so much to learn and a long way to go to feel really ready for a show, but fortunately my artist/musician mother and my photographer/framer husband will be the obvious Lead Artists, letting me share just a bit of the limelight. LOL. And hopefully by the time next fall rolls around, I'll be able to look back to where I am today and see tremendous improvement between now and then.
In light of the potential show next fall, I'm really glad I made a few purchases at the expo - some more pastels, pastel surfaces, a drawing board and blending tools, and Mom even got me a fabulous tabletop easel box which will be perfect for classes and workshops! While at the expo, we also had a blast visiting the various vendor booths where we were able to try all kinds of media and surfaces, and were kindly given several samples of products including Prismacolor pens, Strathmore papers, Cretacolor pencils, and Sennelier watercolor paints, among others. I got so inspired with days of art immersion that I decided tonight to try my Mungyo Gallery Artist Soft Oil Pastels on the Strathmore Paper mixed media samples.
The oil pastels seemed to glide surprisingly easily onto the mixed media paper. But I am thrilled I decided to go ahead and buy the set of size 0 firm Colourshapers, as these were invaluable in blending the very small areas. They made easy work of precisely blending the pastels, especially on these small surfaces.
I still have so much to learn and a long way to go to feel really ready for a show, but fortunately my artist/musician mother and my photographer/framer husband will be the obvious Lead Artists, letting me share just a bit of the limelight. LOL. And hopefully by the time next fall rolls around, I'll be able to look back to where I am today and see tremendous improvement between now and then.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Out of My Comfort Zone and a Word of Thanks
So far most of my painting has focused more or less on landscape type subjects since my home is surrounded by many lovely natural spaces which afford an endless supply of spectacular scenery. And although my skill level is clearly not yet up to the task of doing the local landscapes justice, it is certainly fun to practice trying.
But in the spirit of full disclosure, another reason I've tended to focus on landscapes is because I've been a bit afraid of attempting to paint animals. It's scary thinking about trying to capture the personality of a living, breathing, sentient being, and up until now I've avoided trying to tackle such a difficult subject. However, there is no time like the present, so I decided to just go ahead and give it a try. Expressive, beautiful and mysterious, cats are also, I believe, an extremely difficult subject to paint. My own kitty, Venus, watched over me while I painted today (as she always does), and being able to watch her while I worked and catch the nuances of her expressions and movements was a huge help to me. I'm very excited to continue practicing sketching and painting animals, and hopefully eventually gaining the ability to truly capture the expressiveness and spirit of these wondrous beings.
As for the Word of Thanks - It was pure serendipity that I discovered the website of an author and artist located thousands of miles away. I have never met Robert Sloan and likely never will, but his kindness and willingness to help a struggling beginner artist has given me so much. He has been a constant source of encouragement and support, providing useful and compassionate critique along with expert advice and suggestions. His reviews on art supplies have helped me figure out the best and most cost effective materials for my current skill level, and his kind but honest feedback is invaluable in helping me grow as an artist. I'm sure I also speak for countless other thousands of artists who have benefited from his willingness to share his knowledge, both through his website and on the Wet Canvas forums when I offer Robert a tremendous and heartfelt Thank You!
Now in my fifth month of drawing and painting, I've found both the art community and especially creating art itself to be such a source of joy. My only regret is missing out for over 50 years! Now that I've discovered the world of art and how wonderfully therapeutic it is, I can't imagine letting a week go by without drawing or painting. And even if everyone in the entire universe should feel that I'm the worst artist ever, that is totally okay with me - yes, I'm having that much fun!
But in the spirit of full disclosure, another reason I've tended to focus on landscapes is because I've been a bit afraid of attempting to paint animals. It's scary thinking about trying to capture the personality of a living, breathing, sentient being, and up until now I've avoided trying to tackle such a difficult subject. However, there is no time like the present, so I decided to just go ahead and give it a try. Expressive, beautiful and mysterious, cats are also, I believe, an extremely difficult subject to paint. My own kitty, Venus, watched over me while I painted today (as she always does), and being able to watch her while I worked and catch the nuances of her expressions and movements was a huge help to me. I'm very excited to continue practicing sketching and painting animals, and hopefully eventually gaining the ability to truly capture the expressiveness and spirit of these wondrous beings.
As for the Word of Thanks - It was pure serendipity that I discovered the website of an author and artist located thousands of miles away. I have never met Robert Sloan and likely never will, but his kindness and willingness to help a struggling beginner artist has given me so much. He has been a constant source of encouragement and support, providing useful and compassionate critique along with expert advice and suggestions. His reviews on art supplies have helped me figure out the best and most cost effective materials for my current skill level, and his kind but honest feedback is invaluable in helping me grow as an artist. I'm sure I also speak for countless other thousands of artists who have benefited from his willingness to share his knowledge, both through his website and on the Wet Canvas forums when I offer Robert a tremendous and heartfelt Thank You!
Now in my fifth month of drawing and painting, I've found both the art community and especially creating art itself to be such a source of joy. My only regret is missing out for over 50 years! Now that I've discovered the world of art and how wonderfully therapeutic it is, I can't imagine letting a week go by without drawing or painting. And even if everyone in the entire universe should feel that I'm the worst artist ever, that is totally okay with me - yes, I'm having that much fun!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Appreciation
The past couple of weeks have been more or less a blur, as I've been painting like a woman possessed. It's been so liberating to just let my imagination loose, with permission to be the total clumsy beginner that I am, having no expectations of creating a "masterpiece" and thus no disappointments. Slowly I've been adding to my pastel collections as I've discovered they are a beautifully expressive medium - I only wish I could afford all the colors! Of course, I've continued also to work with acrylics, watercolors and the various watercolor, pastel and colored pencils. I've even been working on learning how to create Notans using brush pens, and sat on the front porch swing sketching in between visits by trick-or-treaters on Halloween since it was such a nice evening to be outside.
Skill - or lack thereof - aside, drawing and painting have given me a whole new appreciation for the beauty that surrounds me everyday. I'm fortunate to live in an area abundant with preserved natural spaces, and I have such a sense of wonder and awe when I see what a master artist Nature herself is. My very limited talent clearly is no match for the glorious natural world, but there is so much joy in continuing to try to give my own clumsy interpretation of her raw beauty.
Perhaps someday I'll learn enough and develop sufficient skill to be considered a "real" artist, but in the meantime I'm enjoying being a total amateur beginner with no current aspirations toward becoming a professional or creating gallery-worthy works. I'd certainly love to find a local art instructor, however, especially for pastels, just to help refine my technique so I could create artwork a little more worthy of the beauty I see.
But in the end, drawing and painting currently, and probably always will, serve primarily as a peaceful retreat for my own soul no matter how amateurish and technically lacking the resulting works may turn out. And that's okay by me. :-)
Skill - or lack thereof - aside, drawing and painting have given me a whole new appreciation for the beauty that surrounds me everyday. I'm fortunate to live in an area abundant with preserved natural spaces, and I have such a sense of wonder and awe when I see what a master artist Nature herself is. My very limited talent clearly is no match for the glorious natural world, but there is so much joy in continuing to try to give my own clumsy interpretation of her raw beauty.
Perhaps someday I'll learn enough and develop sufficient skill to be considered a "real" artist, but in the meantime I'm enjoying being a total amateur beginner with no current aspirations toward becoming a professional or creating gallery-worthy works. I'd certainly love to find a local art instructor, however, especially for pastels, just to help refine my technique so I could create artwork a little more worthy of the beauty I see.
But in the end, drawing and painting currently, and probably always will, serve primarily as a peaceful retreat for my own soul no matter how amateurish and technically lacking the resulting works may turn out. And that's okay by me. :-)
Monday, November 4, 2013
Three Years
It seems like only yesterday when, still grieving from the loss of my precious Spyder, I learned of a cute little hound who had been rescued from a starvation/ abandonment situation and was in desperate need of a permanent home. I really thought I'd be able to take some time to process both my loss and my readiness for a new dog, but barely managed to survive a week in a dogless house. So on November 4, 2010 Steve and I drove to the foster's home to meet Fry, and it was love at first sight. That sweet face and gentle nature! Something in my heart softly said "yes" and I knew adopting Fry was what Spyder would have wanted me to do.
It's been three years now, and Fry has solidly wedged himself into my life, his little pawprints permanently etched on my heart right next to Spyder's. For me, a home without a dog is just a house and I don't ever want to live in just a house. Fry has settled into our little family as snugly as can be, and his whole-body-wag greeting at the end of a long day at work makes my entire spirit smile.
He's my companion, my guardian and my friend, happily accompanying me everywhere from the hiking trail to the lake to the bike trail and back again.
Just like Spyder before him, Fry makes our family complete.
Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Always With Me
My Dearest Spyder,
It was three years ago that you transitioned across the Rainbow Bridge, but your loving and sweet spirit is, as always, here with me. I miss you and think of you often, and know that someday we will be together again on the Other Side.
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I trust you are resting peacefully, held tenderly in Love and Puppy Kisses.
It was three years ago that you transitioned across the Rainbow Bridge, but your loving and sweet spirit is, as always, here with me. I miss you and think of you often, and know that someday we will be together again on the Other Side.
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Sunday, October 27, 2013
Following My Heart
I was seriously considering racing the 6 Hours of Briar Chapel in a couple of weeks - and even had a teammate lined up - but after much thought, I've had a change of heart and believe at this point in my life I'd stand to benefit much more from taking an art workshop instead. This was confirmed by a conversation with my potential teammate today who, unbeknownst to me prior, is an artist! While she and I both love to mountain bike and enjoy endurance racing, neither one of us has been training at all nor really even riding much in general lately. Combining that with the fact that this race does not offer a female duo category, we'd have to compete against the men, so this would just end up being a largely recreational ride for us. With all that in mind, we both agreed that since we'd effectively be entering the race merely in order to casually ride the trail, we could do that anytime (with the added bonus of not having to pay an entry fee to basically ride for fun only).
She also mentioned to me that she had taken several art workshops in the past herself, and found they offered immeasurable rewards for anyone looking to hone their skills in drawing and painting. I realize I only began dabbling in art barely four months ago, so my artwork is obviously still very much at the total beginner amateur end of the scale. But true to my impatient nature, I've been feeling like I desperately need some guidance to help me progress. As such, I think the chance to get some hands-on instruction from professionals is something I really can't and shouldn't pass up. And as luck would have it, several art class and workshop opportunities with accomplished artists are coming available here locally in the coming weeks (some coinciding with the timing of the previously mentioned race), so it seems pretty clear to me where my heart is leading.
She also mentioned to me that she had taken several art workshops in the past herself, and found they offered immeasurable rewards for anyone looking to hone their skills in drawing and painting. I realize I only began dabbling in art barely four months ago, so my artwork is obviously still very much at the total beginner amateur end of the scale. But true to my impatient nature, I've been feeling like I desperately need some guidance to help me progress. As such, I think the chance to get some hands-on instruction from professionals is something I really can't and shouldn't pass up. And as luck would have it, several art class and workshop opportunities with accomplished artists are coming available here locally in the coming weeks (some coinciding with the timing of the previously mentioned race), so it seems pretty clear to me where my heart is leading.
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