Singing the Blues

Continuing with the "blue" theme, I discovered over the weekend that a bluebird couple has taken up residence in the bluebird house in our backyard! They were busy nest-building and making the little box their new home, and after having the box sit empty for over a year, it's such a joy to have them sharing our yard with us now.

Blue is a Beautiful Color!

Now that the 2014 NC State Fair is over, Steve picked up my art entry, along with its Blue Ribbon! Attached to it was the judge's critique, which reads as follows:

"Strengths:

• Focus
• Use of Color
• Attention to Detail

Weaknesses:

Additional Comments:
Very strong sense of focus on foreground - well done! Colors fade well into background & river creates great lines of movement in work. Congratulations on 1st Place!"

I'm beside myself with joy right now!

© 2014 Tammy Kaufman - Kaleidoscope Myst - pastels on PastelMat 7" x 7"

More Baby Steps

The WheelChix women's mountain bike club had another clinic today, and what a great day it was to be out on the trail! Having been only sporadically biking lately due to a combination of being overweight and very out of shape, plus being so busy with life in general, I really needed this beginner and beyond clinic. It was also a big boost to my currently failing confidence. Today's topics included, among others, basic body positioning on the bike, cornering, climbing,

Climbing

uphill obstacles,

Uphill Obstacle

descending techy sections,

Descending

and my nemesis, skinnies. Today was the first time I actually got up the nerve to ride this one, and I made it the entire way, TWICE, as well as the inverted V-shaped skinny at the end of the section too! Yay!

Skinny!

Thanks to Pryde and Steve for their help, coaching and spotting, and to Steve for the photos.

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Nothing eases the sting of discouragement and disappointment like going for a bicycle ride with Frylie. He's my most fervent cheerleader, my shoulder to cry on, my rock, my Best Friend, the one who always knows how to bring that silver lining just a little bit closer.

My little ray of sunshine.

In It With All My Heart

Taking heed to the words of Vincent Van Gogh, “I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart.”

© 2014 Tammy Kaufman - All My Heart - acrylics on canvas 10" x 8"

As such, with much gratitude to my wonderful husband for all his technical assistance, I've launched my new artist website and art blog, Facebook page, and Fine Art America page.

I will, of course, continue to update this blog with the goings-on of my life, but hope you'll also visit me on one or all of my art sites to keep up with my artistic endeavors! Please click on any of the following to head over to the new sites - pages will open in a new window.

My Art Website
My Art Blog
Connect with Me on Facebook
My Fine Art America Page

Save the Date - Wake Forest Tour of Artists

The 19th Annual Wake Forest Tour of Artists is fast approaching - Saturday and Sunday, September 6 and 7. This year's Tour is shaping up to be incredible with over 60 artists in 16 locations! I will be at the Sunflower Studio and Gallery, 214 East Jones Avenue in downtown Wake Forest, along with 12 other very talented artists, and I'm looking forward to sharing my love of art and demonstrating my pastel techniques for you. Please come out and enjoy a delightful weekend visiting all the local artists and galleries, and the chance to win a gift basket filled with artsy goodies!

Click on image for larger view

Finding Joy

Henry Ward Beecher once said "One's best success comes after one's greatest disappointments". Trusting this to be true, I'm continuing to forge ahead and paint. Not because I might get juried into a prestigious show someday. Not because I feel like I should. Not even because I might make a sale. I'm continuing to paint because, quite simply, I enjoy it. Sometimes I can get unnecessarily bogged down worrying about what others think of me and by extension, my artwork, especially while holding a juried show rejection letter in my hands! In those moments, I may find myself moping along head-down, missing what is beautiful and joyous lying right under my nose. So tonight, I stopped to consider what makes my heart sing and remembered a spectacular sunset greeting me with open arms of brilliant color at the end of a bike ride on the Neuse River Greenway. And I decided to paint it, for no other reason than it made me happy. :-)

© 2014 Tammy Kaufman - The Waiting Game - soft pastels on Canson Touch paper 7.5" x 10.5"