Thursday, October 25, 2012

Positive Reinforcement



The life of an artist, myself, as a part-time one at that,is a bumpy one. It seems a bit manic quite often!

There are highs such as having a successful show, which is always a treat. Another plus is having a particular piece turn out to be a gem after a fight most of the way through.

Such is the case for the last painting 'Connections' posted here a while back.  That one almost got gessoed over many times but I managed to pull through and be happy with the result.

It was entered into a juried show and I was very pleased to be accepted.  Working intuitively is always a guessing game and it is a good feeling to get affirmation.

The icing on the cake was an award!! In my 20 years of painting this is my second ribbon!  Juror's Choice Award!  Feels good - like a child, which is what I feel art does for me - brings me back to the simple pleasures of just doing.

That little high was followed by year one of a new studio tour - two days of nice comments and no sales, only cards.  The inevitable down side of the coin!

Next came the purge - days and days spent sorting through years of accumulation of art supplies and old works - what stays and what goes.

Now, is the starting over, again.  A big canvas awaits - 30" x 48". Colours have been chosen and I'm ready to get going on this one.

A theme of circles and spirals has always been popping up in my artwork.  I've accepted that this is the way it goes - ups and downs and starting over and over and over again.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this next one!