Tacoma

I was busy writing my artist statement for the Handforth Show in Tacoma. Usually artists say a lot of arty things in their artist statement. They try and make sense of their work  for the viewer. Sometimes this is difficult. It is hard to translate why you did something if you think about it too long.

I was asking myself this last night. Why do I paint like this.

What I think the bottom line is because of where I was born and bred. I was raised in Tacoma Washington . Even though I was sort of a gypsy sort of girl and went to live for 20 years in both Seattle and San Francisco, I am still from Tacoma.

This is how you can tell where you are really from. Where do you come back to. I came back to Tacoma even though I am in love with Bigger City life. I cannot get the Tacoma out of me so I am not going to fight it any longer. I am just going to say well I am an artist from Tacoma and that is that,

So my work is what my breeding has made. The girls are all from Tacoma. born and bred.

Art Club

I will be featuring other artists in my new Art Club. Once a week a new artwork will appear and you will get to know about the artist and how to buy the piece. So many artists are great but are underrepresented and could benefit from this. And so could you, dear Reader.

You will get to see more and hear more one artist at a time. The first one is Susan Cowan. She is a Portland Artist that has been traveling the world for 20 years now and taught college level classes for that same amount of time. Her earth-shattering work recently has been restricted to a very small format of 10 inches by 10 inches. These paintings are like jewels to ponder and examine for years to come.

She is a master at marbling paper and wood products and has incorporated that into each of these amazing works. Tiny is a wonderful format for her as she is a detail oriented person with a breathtaking amount of thought put into each one. France is her oft visited destination and many of these treasures are inspired by images from there. Each one is a thousand dollars and you can enjoy looking at this now.

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Mirror Mirror on the wall

There are a lot of online art galleries that you can punch in what you think you are looking for and a lot of paintings will come up fitting that description. Then you can look them over and it you find on that strikes your fancy you can have the painting shipped to your house for an approval. That is like online dating, which is the rage. I prefer a real matchmaker service. Someone who knows both the artist and the art buyer and set them up.

Relationship with art is pretty important. Art speaks to everyone who sees it. Or you can find it by going to a lot of studios and galleries and festivals and everywhere there is art for sale. I have walked into a room before and loved the art there and felt like I knew the owner. It was like we were singing the same song.

The art you pick says a lot about you. Even if you can only afford a poster of art that you love you should at least have that. Better a poster than no art. The mirror in your house is your art. It is not your furniture. Fancy furniture does not show your soul. only art can do that. Only art. Any way you can get it on those walls, get that mirror up. so we can see you.

Its is not about me

This blog is an intimate view of life through my eyes. The reason I am even bothering to write  is simply to elaborate on my work. It is like a private tour of my house. If you know more than just my name you will enjoy the painting that you have just purchased better. I like to know where something came from and I am sure you do too.  Let me tell you a story from the past.

When I lived in San Francisco I painted abstracts. They were still people but very abstract. It was like I was just preparing to paint. I would put the paint down and smear it around and be with it and feel good about it and stop smearing. After I had my son, I still painted smeary paintings but they were much softer colors.

Then slowly bodies and faces started emerging from the smear. The faces started speaking to me and I could feel a certain rightness is going this direction. It felt right in my soul. I painted my son and I painted strangers. My son was the only one that was really just him and not some made up persona. I was documenting his life. Everyone else was just exploring.

After he grew up I did not do any documenting anymore. and I lost all the paintings I did of my son except one. And when it is all said and done, I regret not documenting everything for my grandchildren. You have to not just think about yourself. If you are an artist then do your kids over and over till they are grown and then some. You have a special gift that they will want. give it to them.

M O V E

There are educated guesses that seem like a good thing. You feel wise to wait and see most of the time. The trouble with that is when big ideas come down the pike you better have the courage to take the road and worry about how you will get there later.  The worst thing that will happen is you will lose all your money and die.

But you might do that just standing still, so I am a big fan of MOVE> Motivate outstanding ventures respectively. Even if you fail miserably you will probably learn more than you would have if you just succeeded at little things. Anyone can play it safe. Most people do.

I love great failures. they show courage and audacity. So what if nobody likes your creative effort. What have they done that is better. Probably nothing. The only people worth listening to are those that have gone before and that have failed over and over but kept going till they eventually had success.  Don’t listen to anyone else.

And the more failures the better in my book.  If someone gets back up over and over and over again he is worth his weight in gold.  He is tried and true and will not shake if things get tough, which they will, count on it. Every success is just one thread away from utter failure. You don’t think that is true?

Do you think anyone is safe? Well they are not. everyone is vulnerable at all times. Even if you don’t leave your house. Even if you never try anything new. So what do you have to lose.  Nothing.

error: Please do not copy.