I Made it Through

Well, last I posted, I was reeling from a sleepless all nighter and praying that I would be awake for my own opening at the Greenwood Artwalk last weekend - welp! I am happy to say that I made it through! And I wasn't even tired, I was just the opposite! 

People came down for the show in droves! It was packed opening night! It was fantastic! Even though as usual I didn't take pictures during the jam packed moments cuz I was too busy yappin' it up!

Thank you to everyone who came - it really made the night just perfect! I even sold my big red tree ("Turning Red") AND the charcoal study I blogged about earlier! Thanks to all my collectors- new and returning! You guys are awesome!

So through out this process, I learned not to procrastinate, so I just started planning for my next show all the way in July! I also learned through some of my painting adventures not to give up. After cruzin' the internet yesterday I found this related blog post that inspired me. I couldn't find any other way to communicate what it was saying so I inserted it as a quote here on my blog so that everyone could read it AND so I could always go back and refer to it when things get tough... enjoy.

An Upstream Journey... by Keith Bond

"When I was about 14 years old, our Boy Scout Troop spent a week camping on the shores of the Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park.  To get to the camp site, we canoed across Lewis Lake, then up a river to Shoshone Lake.  During that upstream journey, we had to constantly row or our canoes would be carried away downstream.  There were many obstacles in the shallow river (it would be considered a creek in many areas of the country).  Rocks and sand bars were a challenge.  The final leg of the journey, we had to portage our canoes. 

Then, crossing the Shoshone Lake was a new challenge.  We were canoeing contrary to the wind.  This required constant work and our progress was slow.  The wind caused the waters to be choppy, and if we weren't vigilant, our canoes could easily capsize. 

Likewise, a career in art is a similar journey.  You are charting an upstream course with many obstacles in our way.  Sometimes you may need to portage.  And if you ever feel that you have made it, remember, the waves are contrary and you must continue to be diligent in your efforts.  If you fail to constantly push forward, the current or wind will sweep you back.  If you quit creating art for a period of time, or if you quit marketing your art, you will be swept back downstream or even capsized.  Once you resume your efforts you cannot start where you left off.  You will need to re-enter the waters downstream.  It will require tremendous work to regain what was lost. 

In this time of uncertainty, there are many challenging obstacles.  What you do during this time is critical.  Even if you must slow your pace, you must never take your oars out of the water.  You must keep creating; you must continue marketing.  It is imperative that collectors continue to see your work.  If they don't see you, they will see those artists who are continuing to toil upstream.   Don't let the current sweep you back.  Do what you must to carry on; even if the progress is slow.  There is no resting on the sidelines.  Either you move forward or you move backward. 

You may not be able to spend the time creating as much art as in the past.  But create something and let your collectors see it.  Make it a priority.  And keep your oars wet."

Best of luck,

Keith Bond

Pullin' an All-Nighter!

Photo Title: "Zzzzzzzzz"

Mark my words... I WILL NEVER PROCRASTINATE AGAIN. 

It is 12:30 AM, and I am still awake thanks to Mountain Dew and a need to finish what I started! Been cutting a BAZILLION mats for all my new prints that I will have at the show tomorrow and I still have labels to make and a bunch of final details to attend to. 

All said, I am very excited for tomorrow! Should be a fantastic show... I have some great new larger pieces accumulated and many many NEW BABY TREE pendants for my new jewelry line - just in time for Mother's Day this weekend!

Here is another sneak peek at a new painting that I have still to name tonight!

Hope to see some of you locals at the show tomorrow (Get the Greenwood Artwalk Info HERE)~ You'll especially want to come to see if I am actually awake at my own opening! 

I'll keep everyone posted as to how it goes... wish me luck!

Title: hummm? (could call it "Mountain Dewy Morning"? Or "Procrastinator's Favorite Painting Spot"? Or "Oh My God I am So Tired")

Size: I think it is 34"x24", I am too tired to measure.

Medium: Now, this one I know... OIL on Panel

Price: Find out tomorrow at the show cuz I can't do the math at this hour.

Can I Get a Drum Roll Please?

Began with a light sketch and "fixed" into place with Matte Varnish.

Used my infamous "Saparindian" color to tint the surface and begin wiping out highlights.

Adding the darks to establish more value shift.

Began "sculpting" the edges of the trees... one of my favorite parts.

Used a mixture of Alizarin, French Ultra Blue, and Cad Red to create the rich dark undertones of the red tree.

Once I get into laying the rest of the color I am in a trance... almost like the character on Heros where his eyes glaze over and magically a painting appears from his subconscious. I hear nothing and see nothing for hours until I get to a comfortable stopping point. 

Therefore, I didn't take anymore in-progress shots till the end. Still need to get it professionally photographed, but you'll get the idea here.

For every artist there is an area of their painting of which shows a spot where they have fallen in love... for me it is the flickering light that falls on the tips of the trees and the juicy glow of red on the main subject. Makes me all warm and fuzzy...

"Turning Red"

30"x30"

Oil on Panel

SOLD

On display at the Greenwood-Phinney Artwalk May 8th & 9th

Lost Again... Found Again

"Lost Again"

Oil on Panel

10" x 20"

$820

Available for purchase at the Greenwood Artwalk starting May 8th

This last week has brought many the challenge to my little artistic self. I opt not to drag you with me through the details of memory lane, but to share with you something that I discovered about myself along the way... 

"I'm not perfect."

"WHAT????!"

I put myself through many inner struggles this week - enough to really derail me... I hate to say it. But I had to put down the brush. Yes. Thee brush! The absolutely worst thing I could do! My inner critic! He took over and busted creative bubble. I really don't know what happened. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I found myself anxious, not sleeping well, and just plain troubled as to why I could not move forward with the painting I was working on. 

Now to jump right to the "learning about myself part"... and I must quote from a book I am reading... Walking in This World, by Julia Cameron.

 "Many of us falter, thinking that in order to begin a creative work we must know precisely how to finish it and, beyond that, to insure its reception in the world. We are, in effect, asking for a guarantee of our success before we have taken the single most important step necessary to insure it. That step is commitment..."

THEN! I read THIS! Which hit it right on the head for me...

"When we are worrying about creating instead of actually creating, we are wasting our creative energy."

And then THIS one hit me again!...

"Thinking is not the enemy, but overthinking is."

It was like someone kept hitting me over my soar little swollen worried artist head, with the very book I was reading! Saying, "Get up woman! Are you denying yourself the process of making art because you are so focused on the final product? Let it go! Pick up that brush and let it flow!"

So I did. It took awhile. I paced a bit. Ate a lot. But I finally did it. I worked out my artistic kink.

So for a while this week I was Lost... and then I was found. 

Tomorrow I WILL be returning to the easel to paint "Turning Red". No drama. Just me, the brush and my "dial" turned to the creative channel!

A couple great inspirational artist's blog posts I read this past week:

Deborah T Colter - Making Optimism a Way of Life

Clint Watson - Finding Your True Modivation