Dear four day weekend, I love you. I really do. Wait, sorry...I was distracted by the awesomeness of having an extra day added onto my weekend. Where to start? Well, judged a competition on Saturday...I know that not everyone out there can relate, but I really do love art and cheerleading pretty equally. After turning my head for every shimmery t-shirt, bag, jacket, uniform or pom that passed by...I am beginning to think maybe it is the sparkle that keeps me coming back. Came for the cheer. Stayed for the sparkle. So after driving back from Fort Lauderdale...yep, nap. Then, yep, right again- art. My husband has somehow dragged me into watching another show. So we watched the show and I worked on my art...my favorite thing ever. Below are some in progress pics as well as the final picture of CED13- 19. That was last night. I have been working on the backgrounds a little more, adding line, color, texture, pattern... The first pieces in the series just have white backgrounds. One reason...in my head I was thinking that if I tried to license the images or use them for cards I could have more options with a white background...change the background color, apply it on a textured background digitally...but I have decided to just go ahead and add the backgrounds if I want to and not worry about any commercial aspects. My daily pieces seem to just be for me, occasionally I sell some...they don't seem to be right for the art licensing market... So I will just make them for me. Last night's gal is surrounded by a swirly background, and she has a birdcage tattoo on her shoulder. I was thinking of a line from an Avett Brothers song, ' Head Full Of Doubt, Road Full Of Promise' There was a dream and one day I could see it For me...these words really ring true to what I have been going through the past couple of weeks with trying to get my work out there. Having really wrote much about it...but I have been sending inquiries out regarding getting my work licensed. It can be very discouraging, and at time has been just frustrating... but I really had to just remember that I am going to make my art, no matter if art licensing folk want it, or anyone for that matter. I can't doubt myself, or what I do... like the art in my is the bird, and I am freeing it. But it wasn't all negative...I did have a promising phone call this past week. Fingers crossed, I am working on some images and I hope that this could be something good...but if not, again, I won't doubt myself. I can't. I will just keep on doing what I do, making this art. Bright and early this morning, I awoke with the idea to paint an angel. An angel to give to Faith Ringgold. So I did. I draw out an angel in a patchwork dress, holding a needle and thread and reaching for a star that says, 'Faith'. I just had to do it. Then I took it to the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach. I was distracted by an awesome installation in the front lobby of the museum, hand beaded images on vellum with the bare threads showing in the background, framed. I love this idea...especially the fact that the work was combining textile technique, the beadwork, with a more traditional presentation, framed paper. In the back of my mind I remember...I love beading...and fibers...I definitely need to revisit my own textile combinations. I digress. Of course I had to find the bee and take and Art Hive pic...then I checked some of the exhibits. I was inches from a Nick Cave Soundsuit. The textures...attention to detail...wow. A Faith Ringgold art quilt...right in front of me. Art Heaven. ...then I headed to the lecture hall, packaged up my gift and sketched while I waited for the lecture by Faith Ringgold, one of my art idols. She was dressed in a red lace shirt, a shimmery headscarf, oversized spiral earrings and red sequinned boots. A lady after my own sparkly heart! And the lecture was great. Will dedicate a separate blog post to that...maybe tomorrow. After the lecture, Faith was signing books. She signed my copy of Tar Beach and also really seemed to like the angel I painted for her. A-ma-zing! Jenny, come back to earth. Oh, oh yes. Reality. Hello. After the Norton...back home to watch some football with my husband (yay, Ravens!) and finish up the piece I started before the lecture, CED13- 20. Decided to add a little more color to the background of this one, and working with a paisley design. I think maybe I saw a paisley at the Norton today and it turned up in my work. And...that's it. Time to watch a show with my favorite person in the world, my husband. Night ya'll!
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...so...much...going...on. Tried making some mini collages to show what has been going on since Sunday...I don't know if the program is having some hiccups or if I am sleepy...probably a little of both...will try again tomorrow.
I think I need to get some sleep. ...the last two days have been a blur of teaching art, making cards, coaching my JV team, sparkly gator gifts, artin', a cheer competition, artin' at the cheer competition, artin' by the pool...and listening to Rage Against the Machine while...yep, making art.
Okay...gotta go...make more art! ![]() Started today's piece off during my lunch...finished while watching Project Runway All Stars...this one ended up being the same pose that I used for CED13-7, which is funny because I didn't even realize it til it was complete, and I used entirely different photo references for inspiration...guess I liked that pose! Going to try and gradually transition from the peacock feathers to a new motif...not 100% what I want to do yet, maybe something floral? We'll see. ...I left my red art bag with MY LIFE IN IT (translation: my daily art, pencil bag, favorite paint brushes and watercolor pencils) so I didn't post my work yesterday...but I took it as a sign that I should get some sleep, so I did...today...teachin' art (gave out their new sketch assignments, can't wait to see what they come up with!)...had cheer practice with my HS team (nice job on the new cheer!)...then I headed straight to my friend Jessie's house to help 'em prep some new Art Hive Magazines to be mailed out...Jess and I had doodled on the packages while Angela and Sofie wrote out the addresses...I like getting together for art time mid-week!
Oh, and I posted my work from yesterday and today...now...time to sleep! 5am is just around the corner! Side note...so far I am liking twitter and instagram. I haven't really had time to do too much, just been doing my own quick posts. I think these are better ways to post in-progress works and my random encounters with sparkly thangs. I made take down my teaching blog link and just go straight to using the hashtag #teachingartist...but then again I like to post PDFs sometime and more explanation on lessons and such...so...not sure... I finished up CED13-7, still working with the peacock motif, added a little more color to this one and started to branch out into dealing with the background a little, via some paint splatters and drips. I would like to keep working with a similar image this week, maybe cut out the figure and add her onto a collaged background, stamp some on the surface or even add some actual peacock feathers...lot's of possibilities. I am continuing with the idea of a dark-haired girl with tattoos, will keep that for the entire series.
And I kind of want to paint peacock feathers now..uh-oh...I sense another side project! ...spent it exactly how I wanted. Had fun with today's piece, working with a peacock theme in the tattoo...might explore that further in my daily pieces this week...
...also hope to post the final pic of my first 'weekly' piece tomorrow, working a little larger for these pieces... ...have small sketchbook I need to complete and get mailed off this week... ...and still working on trying to get my work out there, hoping that there is a niche for what I create as an artist...it's all I know how to do... it is so nerve racking to ask folks to look at your work. It's like telling them some secret, baring your soul...then holding your breath while you wait for their response. That's all for tonight, feeling a little discouraged but I am going to keep on making my art because that is what I do. Finally, now that my Christmas break is just about over...I was able to sleep in. I usually wake up early, no matter how late I stay up, so it felt like a small accomplishment this morning that I was able to just rest. Then...it was right to work! I missed the last Project Runway All Stars, my favorite show right now, so I caught up on that and started my daily drawing. After that I started watching 'Art Star', pretty good. All about following a group of recent MFA grads as they move to NYC and try to make it in the art world, with the goal of showing at Art Basel. Not one of these glossy reality shows, more documentary style. Watching the judges meet in what surely was a painting studio at the Chicago Institute of Art, those tall ceilings, metal easels caked with paint, paint stained floor...made me miss art school. And it was very compelling to listen to some of them as they talked about their work, some more articulate than others...as I was sitting there on my couch drawing a wide eyed lady...thinking to myself...I just like to draw these pretty ladies, with big eyes. Not trying to make any huge social statement, just...making...what I want. And I don't feel bad about that at all. ...as I sit here, I honestly can't remember what I did the rest of the day. Wow. After a failed attempt at a nap with my 'nap crew', I just gave up and headed out to downtown Lake Worth to support my Art Hive gals...here are the pics; Tomorrow...many things on my agenda...my daily piece (of course!)...another piece for the Bee52 Art Challenge... maybe some fashion illustrations...creating a cheer newsletter for the upcoming week...getting my own personal calendar figured out...maybe looking into a few art shows...prepping my materials for the art licensing inquiries...maybe some laundry...and a nap.
We will see how much I get done...maybe I will forget about all of that and just enjoy my last day before I go back to school. Nah. |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
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