Where to Start

                                        "Green Lane"   watercolor   17x27"

It's been a while since I last updated my blog. I had plans to update as soon as I returned from my open studio in Maine but quickly became deluged with everything that gets piled up when one holds an open studio in a separate location like another state.  So I will keep my updates to quarterly/seasonal and keep paving this road here with good intentions.

I have two upcoming shows in November.
One is the 64th Annual Soroptomist Art Show and Sale in Phoenixville, PA on November 5 & 6 in the Center for Arts and Technology, Pickering Campus in Phoenixville, PA. I am pleased to be a featured artist in this show and the above piece, "Green Lane", will be part of the 12 - 14 pieces I am to bring.
The second show is in the Indian Valley Library (in connection with the Indian Valley Arts Foundation) in Telford, PA.  It is located in the main area of the library and will run from November 1 - 30 during the library's hours.
Please mark the dates on your calendars and I hope to see you at one of these events.

The open studio on Monhegan was the best year so far with lots of visitors and beautiful painting weather.  I sold several pieces and picked up a couple commissions which was exciting.  I was pleased to see people stopping in this year and remembering me from last year.  Maybe I'm doing something right? I also made it over to the neighboring island of Manana, spotted lots of whales and dolphins and especially enjoyed spending time with dear friends.
                                     I was "flamingoed" at the studio this year....

I love having the facetime with real people (as opposed to the mannequins I have dressed up and talk to in my studio in PA). I like the questions they ask because I enjoy talking about my medium and process. They always ask a question that makes me stop and reflect. One of the questions that was asked a lot was "when did you become an artist?".  Honestly, I don't think people "become" artists rather they "realize" they are artists.  They come readymade, no set up or delivery fee, although how well they perform depends on how much work they do to hone the skills they have.  I have spoken with many many artists and most (including me) seem to have what I call an "epiphany piece". That is, they've always known how they love to draw and create but at some point they see a work and it triggers something in them and they realize that they want to persue this drive to create more and take it as far as it can be taken.  I remember when I was 12 or so I somehow wound up in a school trip to the Brandywine Museum and was straggling behind the group I was with when I turned a corner in the upstairs gallery and literally froze.  I was looking at a watercolor by Andrew Wyeth of a hot air balloon with a 7UP logo on it being buffeted around against a bruisy sky of an approaching thunderstorm. There was so much movement in that painting that you could almost smell the storm and hear a crackling in the air.  I remember just staring at the thing and thinking "THAT"S what I wanna do - I wanna make that happen!". Now, I don't mean that I want to paint just like Wyeth but I do want to express an idea and capture a moment with that kind of clarity. Eventually, I got rounded up by our teacher and I because I was 12 and stupid I didn't think to look for the title.  The title (I think) was 7UP. Up until that point I knew I liked to draw and paint but I never thought of myself as "artist".  I left the museum with a lot to think about and a lot of work ahead of me.

Anyway, that's how I think I realized I wanted to turn this love of making art into something official.  So I guess that's how I started on this journey and after almost 25+ years I still have a lot to think about and a lot of work to do.  Oh, by the way, I have never seen that painting since that day. So, if you ever see it, email me PLEASE!  Thanks!

Comments

  1. Linda CrankOctober 7, 2011 at 8:53 AM

    Now that you mention a schedule for publishing blogs, I think that I'll change mine to "updated yearly." It's exciting to hear about your time in Maine - which seems like a very good place to sell art. Best wishes for your upcoming shows...Your work is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Katharine KriegOctober 7, 2011 at 3:55 PM

    Thanks so much for the good words, Linda. Monhegan is a wonderful and inspiring place with such a long history connected to art.

    ReplyDelete

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