Postcard Friday

My son is goes to school out of state, and I send him postcards every week. Its really my way of sharing pieces of who I am with him.

The Space Between is available in the shop

The Space Between
$27
6 x 8 inches
Oil on stretched canvas

A meditative painting of both winter and summer fruits together, hinting at the transitions between the seasons. Perfect for this spring!

Click here to buy it from my shop!

Link of the day - every image has its own story

The idea that art is subjective is certainly true, but I think it's also important to realize that each picture has its own story, independent of the viewer.  This video poignantly reveals the life behind the snapshot and reminds us to look beyond our first impressions.

Woohoo for ARTrepreneur!

I am so excited about this new membership site by the fantastic April Bowles-Olin from Blacksburg Belle.

In the site, you’ll find interviews with experts, classes that’ll rock your socks, professional photography tips, online shop critiques, creative tutorials, a book club—and that doesn’t even include the bonuses.

If you want the details, you can find them here. <-- click

Oh, and April loves the month April—for obvious reasons—so everyone who signs up for ARTrepreneur in the month of April will also get access to her Inspired Blogging for Creative Entrepreneurs program {$397 value!}.

I've already started the blogging class, and I'm finding terrific gems that I really hope will make this blog an even better reading experience for you! April's content is so approachable, motivating, and inherently practical. I can hardly wait to see what she will have available for us in the months to come.

FYI, I’m an affiliate for this membership site, so I do make a little money if you use my link to sign up. But, I would encourage you to check it out even if I wasn’t an affiliate, because it’s just that good.

Artists Against Aids

I'm already behind the curve ball with these little paintings. My mom stayed with us for her post surgery recovery, and taking care of her became my number one priority. I'm happy to say that shes healing really well, and is back home today. I took her to her first post-op appointment, and the doctor said glowing things about her progress. Yay!

So now I have to meet the deadlines that have piled up in the interim. Gack! One of those is our local Artists Against Aids show. I love to participate in this wonderful cause. Its an issue near and dear to my heart and I feel lucky to have a way to lend my talents for Aids research.

I want to have 6 new little bird paintings in addition to some of my older work. This is the beginnings of them, and I have to really put my nose to the grindstone to get them all done in time! Fingers crossed!

John Gallaher and the Ninth Letter

We were fortunate enough to go to an event hosted by the The Ninth Letter. There was sumptuous food to nosh on, art on display, and the opportunity to leaf through several copies of the arts and literary magazine.

They introduced John Gallaher who read from his book Your Father on the Train of Ghosts. He was so personable, and easy to be around. He told stories about his writing process and collaboration with G.C. Waldrep and explained that he liked to write the same way he speaks, so you really get the sense as he reads that you're hearing the same voice that occurs in his mind as he writes. This made for a very intimate experience as we heard his words pour over us, as if we were all sharing the same headspace as he wove them for the first time. (you can hear him in the video below)

We so enjoyed this experience. I really believe that, as an artist, I need to expose myself to a variety of disciplines outside of my own. This makes me a better creator as I am able to change my perceptions to overlap the filters of writers, dancers, and actors.

Lovelorn Poets

I was thrilled to learn that my painting Toy Bird Dreams was featured on Lovelorn Poets!

The website spotlights three of their favorite Missed Connections including poetry, love letters, messages of regret, thank you notes, and other random effluvia.

Its a really fun site, and a terrific platform for art, poetry and the human dynamic.

Inspiration of the Month - Stanka Kordic

I just love the ethereal romanticism found in Stanka Kordic’s gorgeous paintings. Each piece carries a moody tenor that blankets the viewer like morning fog and I find it both haunting and intimate.



What are your main inspirations in art?

Sorolla, Cassatt, Sargent, Seraphine de Senlis, Rothko, Diebenkorn

What is your art background? (education, experience, etc)

BFA, The Cleveland Institute of Art. Major in Illustration, Painting Minor. A few workshops here and there. I freelanced as an illustrator right out of school for a number of years (after traveling in Europe), a brief stint painting landscapes, over a decade as a commissioned portrait artist. Now this. I'm happiest here, doing my own thing with no one dictating anything.

What is your process for creating your work?

I drag my models around outdoors, usually parks, sometimes my own yard and take tons of photos. In reviewing them, something triggers the inspiration for the actual painting, whether it be an expression, an element of lighting, composition. Rarely though, is it all in one shot. That's just the starting point. I will usually change 80% of the photo around (color, etc) spontaneously. That's the intuitive part. Whether it be using tape, or sometimes bits of leafing, it all morphs as I go, and I can't predict the outcome :).



What is the single most important thing you want to communicate with your work?

Letting the viewer know that 'all will be well'.

What are your career goals?

To sell a painting or two on occasion.

What one object has been the most instrumental in helping you achieve what you have so far?

A space to work uninterrupted when I need it to be.



Tell me three random things about you.

• I need at least 7 hours of sleep to feel normal.
  
• I love water, but not being in it
  
• I used to hang out in closets with windows, and the attic as a kid.
  

Postcard Friday - (a day early!)

Still on the postcard detour this week. I made this one for a friend who had moved into a new home. It's always fun to get mail at your new place!

Link of the day - Waste Land

We watched another art documentary nominated for an academy award this weekend! Waste Land is about contemporary artist Vik Muniz who creates his imagery out of unconventional materials. (chocolate, cotton, sugar, etc..) The film documents his journey to return to his home in Brazil and work with the garbage pickers of one of the worlds largest landfills, in Rio de Janeiro. With their help, he creates their portraits out of the garbage they collect, and inexorably they change one anothers lives.

I really wanted to enjoy this movie more than I did. The work he does is interesting, the story of these workers is compelling, and the relationships they create can be really touching at times - that said, the whole movie can felt a little flat and the pace is rather slow.

I still recommend it, but I wish I hadn't had "academy" level expectations when I watched it.