Art Show Sunnyside Museum

Well, it's another day in paradise for me :D I've really been working hard at balancing my life. The results are amazing. Regular time painting, focusing on writing, still getting editing job done. Head editor stuff is taking an enormous amount of time, some of which I resent as it sometimes feel as duplicate stuff I'm having to do by doing things that are frustrating and give me literal splitting headaches, but since balancing, it's less intrusive and I'm more productive. So, even in your day job, learning to balance and make time for what's important, you will improve.

I've strived hard in writing and painting. Lately, both had fallen to the wayside. But no more. First thing that's happened, is I've made time to do stuff daily. Made a schedule of sorts. Business morning, arting afternoon. And it really is a basic as that. A tight schedule wouldn't work for me as my needs change. But, I've had time to swim with my kids, and my husband and I have had a little time almost every night that I've been able to spend with my husband doing nothing but watch Bones. (He's going to kill me for getting him into this when he reaches the episode involving Sweets and not making it. LOL) That's huge to me. Spending time with my family is important, even if my kids are whining about chores every time they're asked to do them! lol

The change has led me to really focus and look at what I want which led to me seeing and taking time to respond to announcement of a call for artists from my home town. The Sunnyside Art Commission and the Sunnyside Museum are working together. The artist reception is my first not school related and I'm nervous!

I have six pieces looking to be in the show. Here's the one that made it to the front page of the Daily Sun News:

The original photo was done by my friend Toby. He lives in Scotland, where my heart is...um, Scotland, not Toby :P This photo doesn't do my photo justice. You can get an idea of it here, as well:
http://www.dailysunnews.com/news/2015/apr/09/prepping-museum-art-show/

It's something I may not have seen or participated in if I hadn't made my focus change. I want to create art, both visually and with the written word. I love to edit because it improves my craft and allows me to help a lot of writers make their dreams come true, but I love writing and painting more, because I truly believe that stories and paintings can change a person at a soul level. That it's more than about the story, but about the love, the loss, sadness, happiness, fantasy, the time spent going to a new place in your heart and soul, somewhere that you may not go without the author or artists leading you there. I believe that I can speak to people's soul, and that is my calling.

Mondays, I'm going to make a concerted effort to be about art. I will be sharing my artwork and talking of some of my favorite authors, both alive and dead :D

Here's a photo of a work in progress (original photo by Justine Littleton):

I am currently waiting for it to dry so I can do the next stage. I usually work on my photos, but one, my hearts in Scotland and Toby's photos and willingness to allow me to paint them, soothes my soul. Two, I needed more inspiration and asked friends if they had photos. Justine is a client and was nice enough to send me a bunch. I love lighthouses and the ocean, making this a natural choice for me.

Something in the picture has to call to me in order for me to paint it. It's not the same as simply enjoying a pic. It's something different and intangible. I'm not a realism painter, nor do I do copies. I like to say I'm an expressionist impressionist. Basically, if I don't like you or the subject matter, the pic won't be as good as my emotions will color through. I also do a bit of abstract here and there, but that style is style derivative of my main one. Here's an example:

A very up close picture of an Iris. Oil on canvas, mainly done with a palette knife. (This one is sold.) It's part of my Ode to O'Keefe line. I have a canvas up to do another one this week, so I hope I find the right inspiration as I'm itching to do some of this bold style.


I hope that you enjoy my new art series and that it soothes some part of your heart and soul. Please notice the new subscriber list. I'm just starting up and will be doing news and more details on their, as well as book releases and when paintings go for sale.