Muse Talk: February 2007

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Validation

Today will be remembered as the day I received validation for my art work. I enjoy what I make, and my friends say they like what I make, but is it worth it?
You Betcha!
I had submitted a framed collage work using the Jonathan Talbot technique and one of my favorite altered books I have made to a juried art show at a Dayton Gallery. Today, I got news that my altered book has been accepted for the show. This truly is an honor as over 100 artists submitted over 266 entries and only 43 artists made the show with 57 items.
The e mail called me an artist...a term that I hold in high esteem. Since art is not my profession, I have toyed with the term and muttered it under my breath as what does the term really mean? To me, having someone look at my creations and hold them up to other creations and yet sellect mine as something of enough esthethic value to be put on display for others to see at a place where art is expected...well, that is validation and I feel much better using the term artist. It allows me to feel proud of my creativity and not feel as though I am wasting my time and effort for naught.
Today is a good day.

Biting the bullet

OK, I am now doing something I said I would never do and that is create my own blog. What to do? I keep an art journal, and have done so for years but this will be a bit different. I must keep this "clean" and nice and not rant and rave if I am upset...or maybe I can but in a nice way...smile. Please be patient with me as I get the hang of how to organize this space to be easy to navigate and fun and useful. Please feel free to have me add your blogs to my list...and to make comments and suggestions...heck, if I don't like your suggestions, I will write about you on a future entry...LOL

A busy past few weeks

The progressive dinner was a total hit. Great food, and company. Next the focus turned to getting some items ready for a juried art show in Kettering. I submitted two items this past Saturday and will keep my fingers crossed that they make it into the show at the end of February. Now a bit about the weather....our nice mild winter has changed course. We are in the second week of single digit temperatures with lows dropping into the sub zeros during the night. Yesterday, I had no water in the laundry room and had to call the repair man. There seems to be a leak from the outside into the house and the frigid air has caused one of the pipes to freeze. Two huge holes into the drywall allowed enough room for a hair dryer to thaw out the pipe. The dry wall will be repaired under warranty along with the leak....once the temperatures warm up enough for the seal to stick. Today we had 5 inches of snow in addition to the frigid cold wind and temperatures.... It is so OHIO.

Aborigine Art Style

I saw half naked people, with paint, and black eyes, sitting around a fire and heard wild animals and the rustling of brush and leaves and felt the smoke and dust as the wind blew.......it was a dream I had had for several nights during the last few weeks and so I set out to search Google on the pc to see if I could come up with the trigger for these dreams. I came across a site for Aborigine Art and felt compelled to look at painting after painting. The simplistic style mixed with earth tone colors or very loud and bright colors and wavey designs caught my eye. Many of these paintings looked like the doodles I do in my art journal to fill up white space, yet, each painting represented a moment the artist had shared with nature.... the titles were simple too. I wanted to try to make my own painting using the same style and Bird in Nest is my first interpretation of this style.