A New Season

This afternoon I have the privilege of hosting a dozen or so emerging artists at the studio. The purpose is to share my experience and give advice for participating in art shows. This has prompted me to begin writing again. I have just returned from three weeks and three art festivals in Florida and experience continues to be a great teacher. Why should others make the same mistakes I have? So, here I will continue to discuss the elements of selling and showing art. I will also share new paintings, new insights, sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, always a part of my heart and journey in the business called art. And since art so often imitates life, there may just be a few life lessons along the way. It's good to be back!

Primed, Ready, and Waiting

The buses are rolling as another school year begins here in Middle Tennessee. I am reminded of all of the excitement and anticipation that a new year brought...along with the anxiety and questions. I feel that way looking at this baby grand top. It is primed (photo tomorrow) and ready for the next step. Now if I only knew for sure what that step actually is supposed to be! For me, this stage of the creative process is filled with anticipation, excitement, questions, and anxiety as I ponder whether to do this or that. Deciding on palette choices, texture, style, etc can be the most anxious moments of a piece. So, I'll leave with you with this... Sometimes the right thing to do is sit, stare, ponder and muse. I believe it is in rest when true inspiration shows up: in the quiet moments of life when we are primed and ready and waiting.....

Scratching the Surface

Yesterday I finally began my Steinway Project: Encore! Recover the Sound. This is a joint fund raiser for the Steinway Scholarship Fund and The Arts Council of Williamson County. We artists of the area were offered a myriad of piano parts to choose from to create and recreate artistic masterpieces. My choice was the hinged lid of a black lacquer baby grand piano. It has been standing in my studio since April. Yesterday I finally began the process necessary for turning it into a piece of art: I sand papered the beautiful lacquered surface. It was painful! I began to ponder how many times the hand of God has had to use a little sand paper on me in order to create or recreate me into His masterpiece. Something to think about as we face difficult times and decisions...what are we being prepared for? Just around the corner could be a masterpiece!

How About Some Still Waters?

This painting represents just what I need today....rest and recovery. It has been a long haul since I last wrote as we took to the highway and traveled to two art shows in Chicago, came home to out of town company, and a grant deadline for the Arts Council of Williamson County. Now normally, I love my full life with all of its diversity. However, there are times when juggling all of the hats that I wear can be a little exhausting. And isn't that where good art comes in? A place that we can linger and take a breath; a place where our heart rate can slow and we can take deep breaths of refreshing air. This piece (titled Still Waters) does not hang in my home, and in fact it will soon hang in the home of customers, but it symbolizes what I'm talking about. These two days off (my normal Sunday and Monday) have given me what I have needed for about a month now. Still waters and a restored soul. May you find a little in your day as well.

English Please

Just a note to say that I love the world wide web, but I am limited to reading only in English. If you'd like me to read your comments, would you mind translating them please. Thanks!

The Rest of the Story

A matter of time. A matter of timing. Recently I sold a painting to a customer who had first seen it (and fallen in love with it) a year ago. Meanwhile, most recently it had hung on my gallery wall at home and I had decided that it needed more work. So, I brought it in (it was time to rotate my gallery wall pieces anyway). The very day that I brought it back to the gallery/studio, the customer walked in. By the end of the day I had delivered it and sold it. And the piece in its new home didn't need anything else. Perfect timing!

Ribbon of Light

This is the first piece birthed in my "less is more" season. It is a re-purposed canvas which had so much texture, that I added more to actually smooth the lines out. Paint added with palette knife, the brushed with a wet brush, then removed with a damp paper towel created the base from which the rest of the painting evolved. It feels like I should call this the phoenix collection since thus far all of the canvases used to be something else. Out of the fire, a phoenix arises. Hmmmm. Someone yesterday used the phrase "fire-bird" and I immediately saw a new painting. Can't wait to see what develops.