Starting Fresh

I've been in a little bit of an artistic rut lately.
I saved up money and applied to 3 different art shows,
All different parts of the U.S.,
Trying something new.
My goal was to get accepted into one.
And I did.
It was perfect.
It's been awhile since I've been in a group show.
But then,
The show got cancelled.
But not just cancelled,
the venue closed.
They were transitioning to online exhibits,
Which I fear may be the future of art shows.

The opening was supposed to be today.
Instead,
I'm sitting in my studio,
Trying to start fresh,
Prepping new boards,
For new works,
Hoping for the best,
And trying to simply enjoy this time on Earth.

Being an artist requires strength,
To build yourself back up from lose,
To keep pushing forward when all you experience are dead ends,
To stay positive,
And keep creating,
Even if it's just for you,
And only you.

The Unspeakable

Do you ever feel so inspired, but can't describe it to anyone?
Your brain is bubbling over with creative ideas and projects.
Your notebook is filled with confusing half sentences based on 2 am "great ideas" jotted down hastily before diving back into bed, swimming through a sea of more "great ideas".

This is my life lately.
I have so much I want to accomplish.
So many ideas.
Good. Bad. Great. Ridiculous.
But having an idea to drive and motivate action is the best you can do for yourself.

Along with my half sentence ideas, I have several segments-of-new-paintings pictures.
So nothing much to show.

But this song basically describes all my ideas and thoughts,
Bouncing against each other,
Jittering inside my head,
Waiting to escape to paper or canvas.

Halfway through the year, and I feel so good.
Jumbled and exuberant.
But put simply, I'm good.

Better. Stronger.

This year is going to be a good one.
You have to say it,
Think it,
Breathe it,
Do it,
And own it,
To believe it.

All about stripes.

Year of the Monkey

My life has been chaotic.
Full of flavor.
Who's isn't these days?
Or maybe I just surround myself with people that love the chaos as much as I do.

This month is craziest among all other months.
I have two art shows.
It is the start of the bike season, which is HUGE for my company.
And I am travelling to Norway for two weeks.
A crazy month indeed.

Hopefully I will get to share some of my adventures on here.
For now, here are some shots of me hanging one of my shows.

Goodnight, world.
Another busy day tomorrow.

Winter Wonders

I wonder how people organize their time differently.
I wonder how many people I painted next to consistently for 4 years in college are still painting.
I wonder why my paint doesn't dry in the winter, even in this apocalyptic warm weather.
What wild wonders.

Today, I wonder about David Ageno.
I wonder why he chooses hyper realism with cracked, smeared, globs of paint through the works.
But I also wonder how I have not seen his work before.
How simple and detailed the figure, but how colorful and expressive the strokes.
A marvel, really.

For now, my work is hibernating. The holidays have consumed me.
Luckily, I remained creative this season and made all of my gifts. A new challenge for me.
A homemade body scrub. An illustrated magnet. Bacon salt that was far too greasy. And watercolor mimicked candle holders created from nail polish.
It was several hours, days, and weeks in the making. But worth the surprised smiles.

My latest work, completed 12/10 and STILL not dry.

Misinterpretations

Some people see it as an inability to focus.
Others see it as a short attention span.


But who's to say I can't enjoy two things at once?
Who's telling me I can not paint two very different art series at the same time?


A part of me fears society won't accept me.
I don't have a "style,"
That thing that you see in all my artwork,
That thing that is distinctly...me.
But what if "me" is more than one thing?
What if I see both sides,
And I want to interpret both sides,
At the same time?


I don't know what is right.
I don't know what will help me advance my career or not.
All I know...is that I enjoy painting what I feel on that particular day.
And that day,
Last week,
I painted these.

 


And I can live with that.

New Inspirations

An inspiration can take any shape.
A sound, a flash of color, a delicious bite.
We are constantly being affected by our surroundings.
It's up to us,
To take that moment,
And appreciate what we've just discovered.
Tonight,
My world has been impacted,
By Takenobu.