New Work

There is an artist whose work I follow and I am always amazed at his productivity. He is able to complete a work in little more than a day. Sometimes I can start and finish a work in a day but it is a rarity. It takes a couple of hours to mat and frame it. I have a little Logan matcutter and it can be a little tricky to get a totally straight cut. Sometimes two attempts are needed. I went down to see an old friend at her frameshop today and she was working away. I learned how to frame from her and she is a very special friend. I ordered some glass from her and paid a ridiculously low price for it. At times I regret that I worked such a short time with her, she has a lifetime of experience to share. I noticed that she was using a framing square to make her lines and I thought that is really a smart way to do it. When your livelihood is nothing but framing you must learn a lot in twenty-six years.
I have no ideas right now. There is an art show coming up in June and the deadline for entries is Feb. 22nd. I have never entered a show where you have to send slides. Local shows that I entered required me to carry the work to the site where the show was being held. Then you had to wait a week before you were told whether or not you had been accepted. It has been a long time since I have been in a juried show. It is time to move into the next phase of my growth as an artist. A juried show where one submits slides or digital prints is next.

Comparing Oneself to Others

I look at other artists work and I am amazed at what they accomplish in a day's time. The quality of the work is phenomenal and it seems to come together so quickly. I know some of the artist's efforts come together because there has been a lot of learning along the way. But I think that even if I had a Ph.d in drawing I don't know that I could compete with some artists that are out there. As it is I have perhaps twenty credits of art education. I have had some on the job training, but not directly. I worked for a picture framer for awhile. I learned how to frame my work. I worked at an artist's supply store for a little while. I learned about the materials that are out there. When I was in art school I learned about perspective. My local art society taught me life drawing. Subscriptions to artist's magazines taught me a lot about the different work that is out there. I have had the good fortune to be near major cities. I have been to a lot of art museums. I would love to travel to Chicago to see the Art Institute, I haven't been there yet. I haven't been to the Metropolitan in New York City. I have been to Philadelphia and Baltimore, and I have been to other large cities to see their collections. I guess what I am getting at is that I have an education of sorts in art. But I don't know that I will ever be a Rembrandt, or a Dali, or a Matisse. I know that I won't. I just want to be good enough. And I don't know that will ever happen. There is a graphite artist whose work I admire. He turns out wonderful renderings in a days time. How does he do it? I don't know that we can ever be as good as our favorite artist's. But should we give up? I don't think so. Sometimes I think it is a balancing act: Admire other artists work but don't compare. Just be the best you can be.

Inspiration

I found the Navajo quote in one of my little notebooks that I carry around with me. I am always looking for quotes that might make good drawings. This one seemed especially good because it utilized the sun in the imagery. I really enjoy doing little watercolors of the sun. The picture took a couple of days to do, I wasn't satisfied with the first attempt. I wasn't satisfied with the second attempt either, but decided to try to make it work. The border is supposed to be a Navajo rug design. I am left-handed and have tried to do conventional calligraphy and it hasn't worked out. Instead I have tried to work with a less conventional script. Sometimes this less conventional script works well, and other times I have had to hunt around for something that complements the painting in a better manner.

Navajo Saying

I see every flaw in this, but I also see some things I like about it. I scanned the picture and it is kind of lopsided in the frame. I really like the saying. It is so true that today is all we have and we need to use it wisely.

Risk

Since this blog was created I have often asked myself if this is something I want to continue. Does it contribute anything of value, does it reach others? There are thousands of blogs out there. It seems everyone is creating blogs. Why do one more?
I don't know that my work is especially attractive, it does offer me a way to say something I find meaningful. I believe in the creation of art as a way to express views that I believe in. Ideally I want to reach people. If the blog doesn't do that what good is it? So far I don't know if I have reached one person. I hope I am, why risk putting the work out there if it is just for me? If you see this blog let me know. Your input is important. Art is to be shared. It might be created in solitude but it is meant to express something words cannot. It is a way to express beauty. Sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder though. What I mean is that I find beauty in what I do. I hope you do too.

New Year

It is hard to believe that we are in the second decade of the 21st century. My goal is to spend more time with others who share my interests and to work at healing a long-term illness. I have battled depression most of my adult life. It has periods where it is manageable, other times it controls every aspect of my life. I am in a slump now. I spend most of my time alone and with few exceptions, I have no close friends except my wife. My wife and partner keeps me grounded, she keeps me from self-destructing. I have a lot of gratitude for her and her upbeat optimistic outlook. She really does make life worthwhile. She is my cheering section, my pep squad. She is always there for me and I know that I can depend on her. Like me she has some serious health concerns. It keeps her in bed a lot. She could be depressed, but she tries not to let things get to her.
I would like to continue to expand my interest in art. Perhaps do some greeting cards. I tried to do some greeting cards in the past but had no consistent plan to deal with rejections. I had no idea how personally I would take rejection notices. I hope to see how others cope. I think it is amazing that I don't let my depression interfere with my other art. I haven't had too many rejections with my framed works. I have been able to consistently place my work, but probably not as aggressively as I could. Perhaps my depression takes more from me than I realize.