Diary 2008 Project

Lucy B from fantazya fantazies came up with a cool idea of making a journal full of different artists' artwork for every date in the calendar year. I jumped at the chance to grab my birthday date and designed this page for it. I think this is a great idea and another creative marketing tool. You can use them as Christmas or Birthday presents, Thank You or Just Because gifts, and they'll be used all year. Go here to see pictures of some of the journal pages.

To order one, go to www.fantazya.ca/diary2008.html

New Fabric Shirt

This is part of a new "passionate" series I'm working on. The red one below sold the day after I made it at Eastern Market but the top one is still available. You can buy it on my etsy site soon.

Is it Art or Not?

Check out this website that is featuring a tv program on challenging the definition of art.

http://ovationtv.com

Dog Days of Summer Show Tonight!

"Dog Days of Summer" Opening Reception

Check out this show on Friday if you live in or near Lancaster. It's one you don't want to miss if you're a dog or pet lover!

Mural Project - Finished

What a great experience this last week was for me. I was so happy to find a project that allowed me to paint, and took advantage of every second I had to push myself with painting realistic subject manner, as well as pushed others to paint who had never done so before. Take a look at my Flickr page for more photos.

Another Mural Project

I have been blessed tremendously this week with the best job ever on a work-week trip. Right now, I'm writing from Espanola, New Mexico where I'm on a missions trip working with the McCurdy school doing maintenance and upkeep of their building. . . well, everyone else is doing that sort of thing. I happened to ask the project manager if there was a mural that needed to be painted, in a joking manner, and he surprisingly said that he had a mural that needed to be restored. My eyes lit up like crazy and soon I was on my way to an art store in Santa Fe for supplies.

Here's what the "before" picture looks like. Stay tuned for the "after" shot!

Mural Project

The last few weeks I've been working on a mural for my church's children's area. It's an outdoor scene of Eric Carle's characters, and is coming along pretty well. Luckily I have a couple of very talented artists helping me with it in order to get it done by the coming due date. Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product! Here are a couple of "in progress" picts.

Custom Blog Logo

Check out this fun logo I did for someone's blog. I think it's adorable!

If you'd like a customized logo or banner for your website or blog, contact me for pricing.

Art Reception - Gypsy Hill Gallery

Tomorrow night I'll be showing my artwork at Gypsy Hill Gallery at 47 E. Main St. in Lititz from 5-8pm.

The picture above is my latest painting that I've been trying to finish up for the show. Not sure if it's done yet, but it's based on a common theme I've been doing this year: Love.

Hope to see some of you there!

New Tshirt Creations

Check out my latest fabric tshirts. I'm in love with this new medium. Everything is hand stitched.

Still Thinking . . .

Well, it's been over a week since my last post and I was hoping to have some progress in my definitions to report, but unfortunately, it's still not coming to me. Maybe it won't come for a couple of more months?

But, just like painting, the process can sometimes be more important than the outcome, so as I'm having to discover what's most important to me in art and the reason for doing it, I've been finding old journals and entries that remind me of what was passionate to me at that time in my life. And one quote I came across today was one that I used to hang in the art room of my old art studio in San Diego. I taped it to the exit door and wanted my students to read it as they left to be encouraged and reassured of themselves and their art. It always lifted me.

"To make art is to sing with the human voice. To do this you must first learn that the only voice you need is the voice you already have. Art work is ordinary work, but it takes courage to embrace that work, and wisdom to mediate the interplay of art and fear. Sometimes to see your work's rightful place you have to walk to the edge of the precipice and search the deep chasms. You have to see that the universe is not formless and dark throughout, but awaits the revealing light of your own mind." ~ Art & Fear by Bayles and Orland

Any artists out there want to share your definition of success when it comes to your art? What do you paint or create for? What motivates you?

Still Searching . . .

In response to the "anonymous" person's comment:
"Do you want to be successful in order to gain peoples approval of you as an artist or to make a difference in the world?"
I have to say that I wouldn't be an expressive artist if I cared about gaining people's approval. Painting is a need that I have to release and share what's inside me that would never make sense if shared through words. And no one else necessarily has to like it since it's never painted for anyone else. (Hmmm, maybe that's why they're hard to sell . . .)

Is there such a thing as a "successful" artist?

Yesterday, I attended my first arts conference with CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts). It was a great experience, and made me think about my life as an artist in a new and challenging way. But that also meant that I am now more confused and lost in figuring out "how to beat the starving artist stereotype" than I ever was before. I've been so focused on trying to sell my art and making art work as a financial means, that I've forgotten all about why I paint and express myself through art in the first place.

At the conference, there was a short time of Round table Discussion with 5 of the workshop instructors from the conference. There wasn't anything in particular about what they talked about that created this "high" inside of me, but just the thrill of talking about the "art world" and being a part of a conversation that I could relate to and want to be more a part of . . . it made the artist that has been pushed aside and made dormant inside of me, alive again. I was reminded of a goal I made, and definition of becoming a successful artist someday: to make a big enough contribution to the art world that I would be included in an art history book someday. (Probably after I died.) Pretty grand, but in school that's what I thought you had to aspire to.

So on the beautiful drive home, while listening to "How Great is Our God" (an amazingly powerful song), I was overwhelmed by how blessed I am in life right now. I had that undeniable peace of knowing that I am right where I am meant to be. But combine that feeling with one of utter disappointment in not being anywhere close to where I thought I was meant to be and you have one wet drive home. So, my definition of success came to mind and the challenge to redefine it. Is it having your name written in an art book? Having shows in NY? Local gallery shows? Being financially stable from selling artwork? Making a difference in people's lives with your art? Fulfilling the inner need to express what's inside, whether anyone else sees it or not? Whether anyone buys it or not?

I'm not sure anymore. Is there even an end result we should be striving for, or is the process of getting there what's really important?

Opening Day at E. King St. Market

What a beautiful day Saturday turned out to be, and how much greater it made the atmosphere at the King St. Market. Check out this video giving highlights of opening day. To see pictures, visit my friend Debbie's flickr page.