Why Buy Local Art?

Today feels like spring.  It is just beautiful out!  I can not say it enough, this is my favorite time of year.  This week is an exciting but sad week.  My son is turning 2!  I am so excited at the little boy he has become.  The energy that never ends, the curiosity about everything, and the smiles he gives when he sees me or accomplishes something new.  But....he is growing up!  He is not staying my little boy forever like I would love.  This time two years ago he was on his way into my arms and now he is too big for my arms.  Oh how time flies!!!

I am pretty sure I have covered this topic before, but it is an important one to talk about as an artist.  Local art is more then just something pretty to hang on your wall.  It is funding someone's passion, encouraging their love of creating.  The rare times people purchase my art, I get so motivated to create more thinking that someone out there likes what I am doing.  The argument will always be that artist create art not for money but for the love of art.  This statement is true but no artist would deny that excitement they get when someone purchases their art.  A few weeks ago, I sold a painting.  It was the first in a long time.  I did not realize how much I missed the feeling of wrapping up a painting to deliver to someone else.  It is a wonderful feeling.  To know that my painting that was stored away in a dark corner of my house got to see the light of day in someone's home.  Local art can bring personality to a home that no commercially made art can.  I refuse to hang commercially made art in my home.  To me, it makes my home a house that might as well have anyone living in it.  I loose that personality that my family has created for our home.  Every piece of artwork has a reason for being on my wall, a story.  As an artist, I would love to be a part of your home's story.  So, go out and buy some local art.  I am not trying to force you to buy mine.  What I am trying to do is encourage you to buy something someone out their worked hard to create.  Something someone gave a little of their soul to make beautiful just for you.  Are you willing to let their story be a part of your's?

Remember to be the best artist you can be!

Here is my Etsy shop in case you want to just at least look at what I am selling.

Rangoli

Spring is finally here!!  This is my favorite time of year, when everything seems to wake up from a long sleep.  I love the beauty and the life that is Spring.  Living in Kansas, it is usually windy.  Since it is Spring, the farmers have been control burning their fields to prepare for the new crop they will plant.  Since, it is windy, is smells like smoke....most of the time.



The other day I found myself watching a woman practicing Rangoli, and as I watched and heard the wind outside, I knew that this is a form of art I could never practice in Kansas.



Rangoli is a form of art or cultural practice done outside or in homes.  It is a design created with colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals.  It is usually done during Indian festivals to bring luck to whoever it is created for.  I have always loved learning about other cultures.  Learning what traditions others keep make me appreciate my own so much more.  I doubt many can argue against the complex designs that India produces as being extraordinary.



Even though the art I create is usually heavy in texture, I love delicate designs.  Using sand to create something so detailed and yet so delicate is fascinating to me.  I hope you enjoy the video I attached and the few pictures I found of many other Rangoli designs.



Do not forget I have an Etsy shop, you can see what I have HERE



Remember, to be the best artist you can be!

Water

I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break last week!  We took our son to Legoland and the Aquarium for the first time.  He had a blast but I really think he liked the Aquarium the most.  I hope everyone also has a lovely week in preparation for Easter this Sunday.  It is such a special time for us as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus!  Have a joyful time with your families.

My husband informed me yesterday that today is World Water Day.  A day to remind others that not everyone has fresh and clean drinking water.  This is something that I am thankful for as I do simple tasks as brushing my teeth or washing my hands.  We are a rich nation and I hope that we can solve the lack of clean water for the world.

Since we are talking about water, I was going to share some images I found of Japanese watercolor paintings.  If you are an avid reader, you know I am no expert on watercolor.  I love it, it's beautiful but I am not good at using watercolors.  It takes a lot of control over your medium and I am just not good at it, simple as that.  Even if I am not good at something, does not mean I can not enjoy it and admire those who are.  My sister has loved Japanese anime since high school.  So every once in awhile we would find ourselves admiring Japanese art together.  So, here are a few images I just happened to find:

I would also like to take the time to mention Brussels today.  My prayers and thoughts are with the families and friends of those who were hurt or killed in the cruel attacks that happened there today.

Publication

Happy Spring Break everyone!!! I hope everyone is having a great time with family this week.  The weather looks good enough for everyone to enjoy outdoor fun.  It is a little windy here today so, we are taking a break from the outdoor activities.  It is a good thing too, we have been going outside and playing and going on walks so much, an indoor movie is just what we need today.  Happy Spring Break friends and Happy St. Patrick's Day on Thursday.  I am Irish and we do not take St. Patrick's Day lightly in my family.  Growing up, we had parties and corned beef and cabbage every year so, of course, we had some corned beef and cabbage this year.  We had it early this year so we could share with friends because what is corned beef and cabbage without sharing it with friends.

Today, I have a few things to share with you, so hold on to your hats.

An important part of being an artist is getting your work out there.  Some artist use online sources (me), galleries (I tried it once), and publication (I have done that too).  Grant it, I'm not the most successful at any of these things BUT I have tried them and so should you.  In high school, I entered a local art contest.  The contest was to illustrate a lullaby.  I chose "Indian Lullaby".  I had never heard it before but the lyrics were very visual, perfect for a painting.  Here are the lyrics:

Indian Lullaby

Bed is too hard for my tiredness.

Give me a hill soft with leaves.

Tuck a cloud up under my chin,

Lord, blow the moon out, please.

Rock me to sleep in a cradle of dreams.

Sing me a lullaby of leaves.

Tuck a cloud up under my chin,

Lord, blow the moon out, please.

Isn't that just beautiful?  So, I painted what I saw as I read the lullaby.  Let me first tell you what was going through my head during this time.  I was busy with another contest that I wanted to win so much more, so I worked harder on another painting.  The lullaby painting I popped out quickly and did not give a whole lot of thought to it.  I am not trying to toot my own horn, I'm just saying that sometimes the things you pay the least attention to, become the most beautiful and noticed artwork.  Well, my painting got noticed.  I won second place, prize money, and a publication in a book of lullabies. I can not find where you can buy the book currently but here is a picture of the book and my painting inside it:

So, I am a published painter.  But, college came along and another opportunity presented itself for me to be published again.  I was currently working with the Anthropology department cleaning, labeling, and cataloging artifacts.  The school year ended but I needed a summer job.  My boss knowing I was an art student minoring in photography, asked if I wanted to photograph grave stones for the History department.   Needing a job, I said yes.  That summer, in East Texas, being....HOT, I went and photographed headstones and took video with a group of history majors and graduate students.  I can not remember all the pictures I took or all the cemeteries I went to, but it was fun and informative and well, sad.  Seeing all those forgotten headstones and going to a children cemetery, it was a rough summer but, very fulfilling.  At the end of it all and by the time Fall came, my photographs were published in a small booklet.  Here it is:

Honestly, if you flipped open a page and asked, did you take this picture, I could not confirm or deny because it was so long ago and so many pictures.  I was not the only photographer so, it could be anyone.  I know my photos are in it though and if I looked up my saved pictures on my computer, I can remember better but here it is.  

The lesson to be learned here is to keep working hard and stay open to many opportunities for your work.  Some unique situations may arise and I would advise to take them.  You can grow as a person and an artist and even more so, your resume can get just a little bit longer.  

Before I go I do want to share an artist with you who my in-laws shared with me.  Just check it out for something unique HERE.

So remember to be the best artist you can be!!

Just in a Cocoon

So, I know...I know.  It's been awhile since my last post.  I have been dealing with some personal stuff and last week I was ready to blog a new post.  I just had to clean my office first....well by the time it was done, I was done.  Now, here I am in a clean office ready to blog away!!!

We finally got rain today...FINALLY!!!! It has been awhile and it was getting just a little too dry around here.  Luckily, today we have been getting a steady rain and my son and I have been snuggling and watching movies.  I hope life is going well for you dear reader.  I just love this time of year.  Spring is when everything comes alive again after looking dead for so long.  I hope your home is looking beautiful now.

Speaking about things transforming....I came across a article showing the transformation of caterpillars to butterflies!  What a perfect thing to talk about while everything is changing around us.  I know it has been a long time since I have posted last, and this post will be short, but I hope it is a good start to a lovely Spring!

Check out the article HERE !  Number 16 is my favorite, the Glass Winged Butterfly.  I like it so much, I'll add the picture here.

Valentine's Day

Love is in the air!!!  At least for most.  For those who refuse to celebrate this holiday or have no one to share it with, I do hope you find a way to make this day special.  I remember hating Valentine's day in my single days but I always found a way to have fun.  My single friends and I would exchange gifts and watch chick-flicks while eating a ridiculous amount of junk food.  Now my husband and I just try and find a moment of quiet while our son sleeps and watch a goofy comedy and eat a ridiculous amount of junk food.  Have a wonderful day with friends, a loved one, or family.  

Since, many people have dates planned this coming weekend, I wanted to honor one of the many things that happens on dates, getting to know each other.  If you are a new reader to my blog, I want you to get to know me.  Way in the beginning of starting this blog, I explained what I do know and my education in art.  What is just as important as that is, what art really means to me.  What happens when I see something I love in a museum or gallery.  So please read what I have written over a year ago explaining what art is to me:

What Art is to Me

Now that you know my intentions with this blog, let me tell you a little about myself.  I have a degree in art from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.  My degree is in painting and photography, of course, my two passions.  I currently live in Kansas with my husband and my son.  I hope that information about myself can help you understand why I have started this blog and that I do know a little something about what I am talking about.

Today, I want to talk about my favorite artist and his influence on me and hopefully your art as well.  As a child I fell in love with Impressionism.  Its beautiful and the movement and colors created a fantastic dream world I can live in.  What is impressionism?  It is a style and movement that art took after artists wanted to show movement in artwork to make it feel like the world was still moving even when it was captured in a painting.  The world is constantly moving, growing, and changing so why not capture that in a moment, in a painting.  So with that of course my favorite artist is Claude Monet.  His paintings appealed to me as a child and still do to this day.  Anytime I visit a museum that has one of his paintings I get butterflies as I study the work with intensity.  I grew up just outside of Houston, Texas so I visited the art museums there on a regular basis.  There is a Claude Monet painting there that he painted in his later years that defines art to me.

The Japanese Footbridge, 1912-15 Claude Monet

You are probably thinking, that is not the footbridge I know of...well your right.  This version he painted later in his life when his eyesight was failing.  Monet had an eye condition that made everything have a red hue to it.  Why I find this version the most fascinating is we are truly seeing through his eyes.  We are seeing the world as he saw it, red.  THAT is what art is to me.  Showing the viewer the world through the artist's eyes.  So let me show you my world through my eyes.  

Patience

Happy Groundhog day everyone!  From what I've heard, Phil predicted an early spring so lets hope he is right.  As much as I want snow for my son, I do want that lovely spring weather so going outside will not be so freezing!

Patience is something everyone has trouble with.  Standing in line at the DMV, waiting for water to boil, or to an artist slowly working to get that finished product.  Well, if you think to yourself, I am a fairly patient person, let me introduce you to Lorenzo Duran Silva:

This artist does leaf art, and not just any leaf art, intricate cuts into leaves found on the ground.  Lorenzo collects leaves, cleans, dries and presses them.  Draws out a design and lays it over a tiny leaf.  He works on the design ranging from a week to a month.  At the very end, he pulls his drawing paper off the leaf so carefully as to not ruin that month of work to reveal a detailed, intricate design.

So, how patient are you?  On a scale of a toddler to Lorenzo Duran Silva?  After looking at this man's work, I think my patience is closer to a toddler's patient level.

I hope you enjoyed learning about this artist and remember to be the best artist you can be....patience and all!!


Here are more images of Lorenzo's work and here is the website I got my information from: HERE