Thoughtful Tuesday: 52 Paintings - #1

One of my more challenging, more difficult goals for this year is to do 52 paintings, a week so to speak. Art Con inspired the idea. Before Artist Day, I did a small quick study on canvas of my idea just to test my composition. After Art Con, I revisited the rough sketch, tweaked it here and there, and produced the below image. It got my wheels turning….. I spent maybe less than an hour total on the piece, what if I did this more often?

And thus…. 52 paintings idea was born. While my goal is to do 52 complete mini paintings, no bigger than 12” x 12”, I still hope to leave some imperfections. Sometimes an artist can overthink and make something too finish, when it just needs some rawness. That’s what I’m hoping for this goal - just do it, just paint. I’ve also finding how inspired I’ve been lately, with music and my own work. Thus, my first mini painting of the year is inspired by a poem I’m working on. This first piece currently untitled, I’ll have a more formal title soon. In the mean time, here is painting 1:

Better pictures coming soon……crappy lighting is…crappy….

I’ll likely start a new page somewhere here with a link to all the paintings and making other updates here. Yay goals!!

Currently Listening: Unleashed Memories - Lacuna Coil (oh feeling the inspiration)

Studio Sunday: First Artistic Weekend of 2019

It’s a New Year, and that really doesn’t matter, but I like beginnings and ends. Thus, below is my list of artistic goals for 2019, copied from a social media post.

- 52 mini paintings, one a week basically, no bigger than 12in x 12in
- Clean out studio space/sell/give away paintings
- Consider/research/actually try to get prints of my paintings done so they are more accessible to ship/sale.
- Revisit/revise a short story I wrote and submit it somewhere.
- Complete the novel I started/worked on in my workshop.

Six days in, how is it going so far?

- 1st mini painting complete (more on that Tuesday, hopefully)
- Cleaned studio up a bit and shared a painting on my Facebook to see if anyone is interested.

Not a bad start. Before New Years I focused on my novel and reread my short story. This weekend, I wanted to get back into painting. Saturday not enough time (lots of napping, really exhausted), but Sunday, I was able to listen to good music (Swallow the Sun, Ison, Below the Sun, Varathon) and get lost and focus. Here’s a sneak peek of a work in progress with not great lighting (excluding the mini painting):

Work in Progress

Currently Listening: Swallow the Sun (particularly latest songs Upon the Water and Lumina Aurea)
Currently Reading: Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Currently Watching: Vikings (catching up on weekends)

Thoughtful Tuesday (posted on a Saturday): November Reflection

Procrastinators will unite…..tomorrow….considering this is a much belated reflection (and I wrote this on Tuesday, but forgot to publish, oy).

Back in October before traveling to visit friends, I found out I had been accepted for the first time into Art Con, a nonprofit event that raises funds for a local arts related group/nonprofit. Essentially you apply and artists are selected as a raffle, then those selected go to Art Day where every artist is given the same size board to create art onsite. The following Saturday is Art Con, and the pieces are auctioned off. I’ve tried on and off for years to get in, and it’s always my birthday weekend, so I was shocked to find out I was finally lucky enough to be part of it. My piece went for $160. Achievement unlocked! It was also fun to run into people I haven’t seen in a while and to be with a friend for Art Day (check out @wrathbunny on Instagram!).

While I had every intention to stick around and try to be extroverted, October was filled with unfortunate family news. As a result, I couldn’t stay too late due to things needed to be done the next day. Family first is important. Nonetheless, I’m really glad I had the opportunity and hope I can be in it again someday. It was very challenging to make a piece of art onsite, especially when I’m experimenting (haven’t painted on board in a while). I have a few pics below from creation and onsite/at the event. If it’s one thing that this experience taught me, it’s that I can really create work without distraction and pure focus. That said, I’m thinking of challenging myself next year when it comes to my art - more to come on that.

The beginning, the middle (with safety glasses for stapling!), and the end on artist day.

Currently Reading: Anything for a Peaceville Life by Paul Hammy Halmshaw

Currently Watching: The Haunting of Hill House

Studio Sunday: I Said Forever

Yesterday it rained all day, today no rain, but low 70s. I'm not leaving the house this weekend. Everything else can wait - wait until a different weekend, wait to be done after work on the way home. Wait, so I can paint and create. 

This was the second year I focused on one painting for the whole summer, and I'm extremely proud of it. As previously noted, it's another music inspired piece too: The Banished Heart by Oceans of Slumber. I saw them live back in June and hoped to have the piece done by then - ha. Art cannot be rushed if you want to pour yourself into it. That said, what began back in May or so, would be completed in August, with touch-ups in September. 

Listen to the song. Look at the lyrics. Interpret it as you will. This is my interpretation, fixated on the phrase, “I said forever.”

I've started working on other pieces, some music inspired, some more personal - two are almost completed already, in less than a month's time. Fall is getting here in Texas and I'm feeling rested on this weekend and creative and expressing myself. I'll try to post late this week about visiting the Fort Worth Modern a few weeks ago. 

For now, it's back to painting. 

"When I hold you, I need you
I said forever, I mean forever"

The Banished Heart by Oceans of Slumber.

Currently Listening: Earthless by Doom:VS
Currently Watching: Babylon 5 on Amazon Prime (season 5 now)
Currently Reading: The Peaceville Life by Paul Hammy Halmshaw and Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, Ph.D