Inspiration...

Main Entry: in·spi·ra·tion

Pronunciation: \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən, -(ˌ)spi-\

Function: noun

Date: 14th century

1 a : a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation b : the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions c : the act of influencing or suggesting opinions 2 : the act of drawing in; specifically : the drawing of air into the lungs 3 a : the quality or state of being inspired b : something that is inspired 4 : an inspiring agent or influence

The above is the definition of inspiration as defined by the Miriam-Webster dictionary. Why, you wonder, the vocabulary lesson? Well, because inspiration is what the post is about. But to be totally honest, the idea is not mine...I was inspired to post this topic after reading a blog entry by Jennifer Probst, she is a wonderful writer and I have the pleasure of knowing her. Her husband and my husband grew up together. I remember the first time her husband introduced her to us, they had just started dating, and I remember thinking...he better marry her. But I digress...

Jennifer writes romance novels and blogs as Writing Mama. Her latest entry is about inspiration and she ends it with "Drop me a line and let me know what inspired you." So, Jen, here is what inspires me:

• The smile on my favorite little artist's face when she asks "Can we go in the art room today?" - she inspires me to keep on creating art.
• Sitting outside on a beautiful summer day doing nothing at all. - the sunshine just rejuvenates the soul
• Reading a good book that makes you feel like anything is possible. - did you know Julia Child didn't start cooking until her late 30's? (I happen to e reading "My Life in France")
• Letting my pencil find its own way across the paper. - it's a control thing or lack of control
• Getting honest feedback on my work. - thank you my true friend, you know who you are
• Fun tweets or facebook entries that make you LOL. - thank you all my twitter and facebook friends
• Finding out my blog entry didn't make my friend cry. - gives me the courage to keep writing my honest thoughts
• A goodnight kiss from my husband. - self-explanatory

I could go on and on but in the end what inspires me, as cliche as it sounds, are the simple things. The things we tend to overlook in the rush of our busy lives. It's taken me so long to learn, and I am still learning, to appreciate and watch for the inspiration that surrounds my daily life.

So my thought tonight is to be open to inspiration since you never know the form it will take. Thanks, Jen, for the inspiration for today's blog.

Happy creating!

Opening Reception

Last night was the opening reception for the first juried show that one of my works was accepted to. I went solo and at first I thought I should have bought my husband and favorite little artist but quickly realized solo was the way to go. The evening was anti-climatic after how excited I was about being accepted. In a nutshell, it was a nice show. I may enter again in the future...

Today, was a "no art" day but a good day none the less. I got to meet up with a friend for coffee and conversation, which is a good break in the morning. I also went to the library today, haven't been there is years. Did you know library cards expire? Don't worry, neither did I. So now I have a new library card which came with a keychain tag. Two books for me, about 5 for my favorite little artist and I was on my way. My trip to the library is part of my attempt not to spend money needlessly. Borrowing a book for free beats paying for one.

The night ended with a lovely family dinner and now my favorite little artist and I are relaxing. Hopefully, tomorrow will see the beginnings of a painting.

Happy creating!

"E"mily

In 2002, my dear and trusted friend, Bonnie, lost her sister, Audrey, to brain cancer. To honor Audrey's memory, Bonnie started Audrey's Umbrella (AU). The concept is a simple but powerful one...send happy mail to featured friends. A featured friend is an individual who is suffering from brain cancer. This summer, Bonnie asked if my favorite little artist and I would like to be volunteers. We agreed and our friend's name is Emily. She is 13.

Tears are inevitable as I write this. All I can think of is my favorite little artist and the happiness that fills me from the simplest things she does. My heart is breaking as I think of the fight Emily and her family are going through and I wonder how as a mother you survive something like this. Then I think of Bonnie and wonder how do you survive losing a sister? I have three sisters and have fought with each of them throughout our lives but I could not for one second imagine my life w/out them.

So today as part of my alphabet project, I painted and "E" for Emily. It is done in her favorite colors and I will mail it to her along with fun artworks and such done by my favorite little artist.

Please keep Emily in your hearts and prayers and if you are interested in being an AU volunteer please e-mail Bonnie at bonnie@braintrust.org. It is a very simple way to make a huge impact in the life of a fellow human being.

Kiss and hug your loved ones today.

Blue Moon Mama

My very trusted friend gave me some very honest and needed feedback the other day regarding my self proclaimed "break through" piece, "Mother Moon". It was not that she didn't like the piece b/c she did, it was just that she felt it was missing the simplicity of my previous works. She kept trying to envision the piece sans the arms, head and hair... So with that feedback in mind I created "Blue Moon Mama", acrylic on bristol, 7"x9".

Not to sound conceited but the picture does not do her justice. As of this moment in time she is my favorite painting! The interesting thing is if my friend hadn't given me the feedback she did I would not have created this gem. And to think, she almost didn't tell me her true feelings! I am so glad she did.

Honest feedback is invaluable when you are creating. Everyone who says a piece is fantastic doesn't really help much. Without feedback you can't grow and I want my work to grow. So my trusted friend please let me know what you think of "Blue Moon Mama" and never worry about hurting my feelings.

But aside from this painting, while cleaning my brushes today my thoughts were preoccupied with how happy I am not to be working at a company that was sucking the life out of me. I was amazed at the turn of events my life had taken. When I was an undergrad, I fought so hard to be able to study art. I battled with my mother over it. For her it was just not a viable major. But I fought and got my degree in art and then went on to get a masters as well. Then as life continued I began to work in an office, slowly burying the artist in me until she only came out every once in awhile. A drawing here or there while on vacation or over the holidays when I wasn't working. She was ignored and deprived and thoroughly UNHAPPY!! What I fought so hard for as a young adult, I totally buried as an adult. It is totally and unbelievably sad how easy it is to let dreams fall by the wayside. I have had the unique privilege of indulging her and letting her out to breath since February. My body of work has exploded, it is amazing.

The reality of the situation is that I do need to return to work sooner versus later. But the lesson learned is that I cannot deny such an integral part of who I am. So, I will find the right position at the right company and I will continue to paint and share my creations with you.

Thanks for listening and happy creating!

Epiphany

So today's big "idea" is relatively simple but if it works it will be epic! Ok, exaggerating just a bit :-)

A couple weeks ago, I met with Sue Newton of the Barn Gallery. Part of my preparation was to go through all my works and pull out my portfolio. After cleaning the dust off the portfolio, I opened it to find a plastic sleeve of slides. Slides of my artwork done by a professional photographer! So some quick research on the internet and I found out the slides can be converted into digital images. So if that really works, I'll have some great pics!

The only downside is that the slides are of old works so I still need to work on better pictures of my newer works. But still it is a step in the right direction. So stay tuned to see how my "epiphany" turns out.

Oh, and I started a new painting today! It was a good day.

Happy creating all!

Thoughts on Retarder

So a few posts ago, I mentioned experimenting with retarder and now I wanted to share some thoughts on my "experiment"...

It is amazing the difference retarder makes when working with acrylics. What's even more amazing is how long it took for me to try it. I had an unopened bottle in my studio for years (yes, I said years). Now, I don't know how I ever painted without it. Just a few drops makes an incredible difference in the workability of the medium. And with that workability comes more control over the paint. I don't think a visible difference can be seen from the works I used it in to the ones I didn't, the difference is in the painting process itself. It has become more fluid and natural, no longer a race against time to work a section before the paint dries.

So if you paint in acrylics, I recommend two things: 1. use retarder during the painting process, 2. use gloss medium or a glaze over the finished piece. The difference these two things make is astonishing.

Tomorrow should be an exciting day which I hope is filled with good things.

Happy creating!

"XO" has been accepted

I am so excited...I have been accepted into my first juried exhibition sponsored by the Art Society of Old Greenwich. The show is the 2010 Juried Exhibition and the juror was Simon Dinnerstein, NA.

I almost didn't enter since with a juried show you pay a fee but are not guaranteed acceptance. However, the judging for this show was done by viewing the actual work versus a digital image which is good for me since my pics aren't so great. So, today started with a quick trip to Greenwich to drop off "XO". Upon arrival and looking at the other submissions, my initial thought was "well, Ill be back tomorrow to pick up my work". So when my cell phone rang at about 6:30ish this evening, it was wonderful surprise to find out my piece was accepted and...won 2nd place.

The open reception is on Thursday, August 5, from 6-8pm at the Bendheim Gallery, 299 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT. If you are in the area I hope you will join us.

Happy creating!