First Public Art Project!

My fabulous husband, Steve, brought it to my attention that the Town of Wake Forest had a public art project available that perhaps we should consider. The greenway beautification Sewer Structure Art Project involved painting sewer structures along the local greenway systems and since we both bicycle and walk these greenways almost daily, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. So we checked out the list of approved structures, selected the one we wanted to paint and submitted a very rough pencil sketch of our idea for painting it with a wildflower and insect theme to fit in with our love of nature.

Our structure selection and submission were accepted and arrangements were made to select our paint colors and necessary materials. Despite Mother Nature throwing us a few curveballs with afternoon and evening thunderstorms on the originally planned paint days, we were finally able to get out last month and get the primer coats - which also served as our background sky color - applied. Fortunately, the rain held off long enough for both coats of primer to dry thoroughly with no issues. 

Once the primer had fully dried, we were able to get out and complete the project, carrying all our painting supplies to the greenway structure on our bicycles, of course! 

Despite the brutal heat and humidity, Steve and I had a lot of fun with this and felt like kids again - painting cheery flowers and insects winding their way up and around the tank and exhaust pipe using heavy duty brushes, foam sponges and even our hands! 

We hope our project brings a smile to users of the Dunn Creek Greenway, and are grateful to the Town of Wake Forest for this opportunity!

Through My Lens

"Through My Lens - Self Portrait"

© 2019 Tammy Kaufman

9" x 12" soft pastel on Sennelier La Carte Pastel Card

Despite the scary potential of facing the continued stigma that far too many still have toward those with mental illness, especially having a somewhat public persona as an artist, I’ve come to realize that openly acknowledging my own battle with it is a solid step toward healing. Painting is also an invaluable part of that healing process for me, along with having found highly qualified and trusted mental health professionals locally. This has given me a bit of courage to publicly recognize my complex mental health challenges and if you are struggling yourself, may my 'coming out' as having a mental illness let you know that you are not alone. As I’ve progressed along this meandering artistic path as it crisscrosses with my mental health challenges, I’m finding that my own response to my artworks is changing. My paintings and sketches are generally feeling less like marketable commodities and more like a means of simply expressing the emotions evoked by the various scenes I’ve seen in person that made me want to paint them in the first place.

My artwork is part of my therapy and hopefully will facilitate the healing process, and I recognize that very fact makes many of my paintings perhaps more deeply personal to me than they should be. That does create a quandary for me though. Part of me strongly believes art is meant to be shared, and I admit there is a certain joy in those few times that something I have painted actually speaks to another. On those rare occasions, it almost makes me feel less alone and isolated when I can share a part of me to which another human being responds positively. So, I need to find a way to exist with a foot in both realities – to share the work of my heart while still protecting that same fragile heart…

Over a Million Steps!

Over the past couple of months, I participated in a walking challenge, and am happy to report I walked over one million steps during the eight week event! My final step total was 1,150,902 steps, which also resulted in my being our team's "high stepper".

I also found that I felt stronger and healthier as a result of increasing my daily steps (I averaged over 20,000 steps per day throughout the challenge), and even found my bicycling stamina and strength improved as well. My steps have decreased a bit over the past week due to a terrible cold, but I plan to stay with the daily walking and increase it back up to the 10-20K average per day level as soon as this cold clears. Yay me! 😊

Happy Birthday Frylie!

Happy 8th Birthday to our sweet little man - we've loved you from the moment we first met you, and you fill our lives with unbridled joy. 🐾💚

A Beautiful Thing

In these alarming and deeply worrisome times, it was so uplifting and inspiring to be able to participate in such an incredible event as the Women's March on Raleigh, joining a diverse group of, at last count, around 17,000 beautiful souls marching for equality here at home and countless others across the world.

More Photos

Frylie First Snow of 2017

Video courtesy of Steve. :-)

Meet The Artist - Cross Post

Cross Post from my Art Blog:

Save The Dates!

Monday, September 12 and Sunday, September 18, 2016

I'm delighted to be a featured artist with the Wake County Library System for the month of September as we explore the beauty of the North Carolina landscape. It would be an honor to have you join me for presentations at two of our local libraries, including live painting demonstrations and the opportunity to ask questions about interpreting the local landscape with pastels.

© 2016 Tammy Kaufman - Ethereal Dance - soft pastels on Sennelier La Carte Pastel Card 19.5" x 25.5"

• On Monday, September 12, from 11 a.m. until noon, I'll be at the East Regional Library at 946 Steeple Square Court in Knightdale.

• On Sunday, September 18, from 2 - 3 p.m., I'll be at the new Northeast Regional Library at 14401 Green Elm Lane in Raleigh (Wakefield).

As part of this program, I'm honored to have my pastel landscape paintings on exhibit in both these lovely libraries throughout the month of September.

Twelve works are in the lobby display cabinet at the Northeast Regional Library in Raleigh (Wakefield), and 12 works are hanging along the main back wall at the East Regional Library in Knightdale. Inspired by the uniquely beautiful North Carolina landscape, these paintings range from 4x6 to 18x24 inches in size, are all framed under glass and wired for easy hanging, and will be offered at special "Meet the Artist" adoption fees between 35 and 425 dollars, with the profits going to animal charities. I look forward to your visit!