Wow Oh Wow!

I just got an email from Nita Leland www.nitaleland.com that one of my paintings will grace the cover of the new edition of her popular book, The Creative Artist. I just can't say how excited I am about this news. She says it looks wonderful ............of course :>)

I knew when she asked me for images that they might not even be used. Then I found out that one of mine was being considered for the cover..........blew me away.

This is just so much fun..........as one friend exclaims all the time, "I'm jazzed".

Spoke too soon

Well...........so much for speaking too soon. Just as I thought things were going along swimmingly with the new painting last night. This morning after doing some errands, I got back to work in the studio and it wasn't today. Not that it didn't work out, it's just that it's ....well, pedestrian is the word that comes to mind. I can do better than that; it has to have zing.

I should have remembered that just because a work is small does not mean it will be finished any faster than a large one. One hour to two weeks is more like it. I have plenty of time so ...not to worry although one thing is easier, you can paint lots of layers a lot easier on a small canvas!

I Want A Painting

I got an email from someone a few days ago...........saying "I want a painting". You know how that goes, you wonder is this another email from someone I'll never hear from again?? A few more days go by and they respond to your email back. YES, they want a painting...and today I went out and bought a canvas in the size they wanted. I've now got it on the easel with an undercoat of a beautiful golden color and I just know it will please his wife for her birthday.

You know, I just have a feeling this will be one of those special ones that will just float right off the brush and I'll wonder how it came to be. Ahhh......and he even likes blues and purples and I had been thinking I'd have to stay away from some of those purples unless someone tells me they like them. It's a smaller canvas than I ususally paint on so we'll see how it goes...........

Makes me wonder if someone else wanting a painting is the biggest muse out there.

That Other Place

Finally..........I think this one will work. I looked at it again this morning and signed it. The title will be That Other Place. It's acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50"........and the first painting of the new year.

I waited until the sun was right for a photo........can't get the wind to quit long enough to keep my black felt background cloth in place for slides but I did take a digital.

New Year 2006

Here I am on the first day of the New Year 2006…….doing what I’ve been doing for months, everything but getting into the studio. Recording old LP’s so I can load them on the I-pod. That I-pod is supposed to be for background when I’m painting…….making a home-made pizza. As if I need to eat pizza. Seems like there’s always something and none of it is of much importance. Maybe the printing out of the past year’s accounting and finding I did pretty well this year.Who ever thought they'd want to do accounting rather than paint?

I think that’s the point, do anything but my art. I just don’t like anything that is happening with my work for months. Does this mean that I’m in a period of growth? Have my expectations gotten ahead of my abilities? I certainly hope it is a period of growth... but there is that little niggling feeling back there in the back of my mind that I have nothing to say. How can that be….me with the big mouth?? Well, it could be said that having a lot to say but that is inconsequential is not really saying anything. Okay...let's stop all this thinking negatively....I'm a positive person.

Finally…….I went to the studio, looked in the palette keepers and all the paint but one pile was dried up. SO…..I threw it all away and put out all new, clean paint…..how glorious those new piles of paint always look. A new beginning, a new year, a new painting. Well, maybe a new painting, the one I’ve added lots of arbitrary lines to with charcoal just now has had two incarnations already since September and now it’s time for old number three. Hopefully, as the saying goes, the third time’s the charm.

Okay, okay….I’ll save this in drafts and go back….no more putting it off. Back later.

Wow, back again AND........... a good session in the studio. It's about time. Hope I can feel the same way tomorrow when I look at it again with a new eye. It's dark now so I can't photograph it for the blog. If it looks like I hope, I'll do it tomorrow if the sun shines.

'Til tomorrow------