Working, Procrastinating, and Working at Procrastinating

So one thing I know for sure is that I am not one of those artists who spends endless hours in the studio. In fact, if I’m in my workspace all day, then it’s clear that I’m working  under a major time crunch.

Every weekend is filled with good intentions when it comes to making art and this past weekend was no different. First thing in the morning  I tell myself that I am going to get started as soon as I finish making my coffee.  After sitting on the front porch and draining my two cups however, something changes.  Instead, I get on the computer and look at Facebook and surf the Internet.  Then I write my “morning pages,” a la Julia Cameron, author of The Artists Way.  For those who don’t know what morning pages are, think of it as journaling, where you are writing three pages of streamed consciousness.   It’s supposed to be handwritten but I don’t have the patience for that so I type it out on my laptop in a large font that mimics handwriting.

Then while I’m on the computer I realize that I had better go to Trader Joe’s for groceries.  A girl’s gotta eat, right?  This past weekend there was an art fair taking place just up the street from Trader Joe’s, so I figured I would check that out right before grocery shopping.  Believe me, if there was no fair I’d be somewhere else, perhaps at a nearby park rollerblading or running.

I return home a few hours later and it’s after 2:00,  the hour when no matter where I am or what I am doing, I am compelled to take a nap.  I do this on the couch while the TV is still on Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell” (I kid you not), with my cat (who honestly has one paw in Hell and one out of Hell), sleeping on my lap.

After that nice little nap, I pick up my phone and fart around with this cool app that I downloaded from Facebook called “Colorized.”  So I crank out tons of little random thumbnail sketches on my phone and post some on Facebook.    Here are some of them.

   

Not exactly Leonard Di Vinci but hey, good enough since I’m practically finger painting.   At least I was applying my drawing skills somewhere, except that I was not applying them to “Tree Dreams” my latest piece that is in desperate need of attention.  I know it’s because I’m apprehensive about adding color and I don’t want to draw those friggin’ houses in the background either.

Eventually I go upstairs and start working on the piece but it’s after 6:00 and I hadn’t had any supper.

Pitiful, I know, but I did make some progress on “Tree Dreams” before the end of the weekend.    I drew the tree in black chalk pastel and added gray to the background behind it.  It scared me at first but I think I am headed in the right direction.

Again, I wish I was one of those artists who could spend a day cranking out art but alas, I am not. Honestly I think it’s because I’m afraid that while I’m in the studio/office, I’m gonna miss something  like sunny weather, some lame Facebook post, special event, or TV show.   I’m sure I’m not the only artist out there who is like this but you better believe that while I’m away, my art isn’t gonna draw itself!

Where is God?

Last Sunday I was in the choir loft minding my own business, standing in prayer with the rest of the choir and congregation.  Shock to no one, my mind wanders off  to parts unknown and I come up with, of all things, the letter “W.” I am intently focused on its shape and begin to flesh it out more in my mind by curving both of its sides outward and up.   I wondered what the “W” stood for?

Immediately I came up with the sentence that began with “W” –  ”Where is God?” I was surprised and even embarrassed that the question came to my mind so quickly and  I apologized to God.  How in the world could I doubt His presence?  This still didn’t keep me from pondering over the question, and much to my surprise, the answer was found in the question itself.   The idea burned in my brain long after church and before the  evening set in I put pen to sketchpad.

First, I’m not a letterer by any means as I often find lettering hard to do. I did this freehand without measuring the letters or aligning them properly, so they are not perfect.  I made the “W” look Gothic, thorny, almost witch-like, as if  ready to reach out and grab someone.  Almost all of the letters in black have a bit of an edge.  The “S” in “is” reminds me of a sea serpent.  To me the dark, edgy letters represent trials, storms, and periods of darkness that one goes through that provokes the question “Where is God?”

As stated earlier, the answer to that question can be found within the question itself.  Where is God?  Here.  The word “here” is physically located in the “Where,” and as you can see the lettering is different.  When we are in our midnight hour, we ask where God is during our time of struggle.  Well He’s been here all the time and I may add, silently working out the problems that we’ve been praying about.  Pulling the “W” out of the equation you have your answer – “Here is God.”  My favorite way is to read it from the bottom up, “God is here.”  This whole process has made me believe that I didn’t come up with this question on my own and that clearly God’s hand was in this the whole time.

I used Picasa, the online software tool to create a background that added texture without diminishing the letters.

I wasn’t sure how people were going to react when I posted it on Facebook.  Surprisingly there were more positive responses than I thought.  I guess they found Him!

Preliminary Sketch of “Tree Dreams: The Promise of Spring.”

Charlotte actually got a bit of snow Saturday, but of course it didn’t stick.  According to the groundhog, we’re supposed to have an early spring however lately, it’s been quite the opposite. I’m guessing that he probably showed  his backside in addition to his shadow.

At any rate, I decided to take advantage of  my time indoors and draw a preliminary sketch of my new piece called “Tree Dreams: The Promise of Spring.”  Here is the sketch in ink that I did back in December as well as the actual photograph of the tree that sits near the lake at my parent’s house.  I love its shape.

   

As I looked out the window, my mind wandered off to parts unknown and I imagined that the ice that covered the lake split open and exposed the water beneath it.  The reflection in the lake showed that same tree filled with green leaves.  It was as if the tree were looking into a mirror and seeing its future – the hope and promise of Spring.

Typically my sketches aren’t pretty and I will own up to that.  To me sketches are working drafts to help me juxtapose the subject matter.   Already I think that the tree needs to be larger and the houses in the background to be less visible.  The houses look a hot mess anyway but then again I am referencing a photograph that I took from my phone and the clarity is less than stellar.

I want the overall look to be somber. The  colors will be black, gray, and green. I think the tree’s green leaves against the murky lake will provide a nice contrast.

My medium of choice? Probably chalk pastels.  I would love to see this as an oil painting but since I haven’t worked in oils I had better leave well enough alone.

The Birthday Gift

I don’t do it often, but every now and then, I will make art specifically for a friend for a special occasion. In this case this piece was a birthday gift for one of my volleyball buddies whom I have known for years.

I started this drawing a few hours before the party, although I had been processing the idea in my mind for several weeks. I did a quick preliminary sketch and then went to work immediately on the final.   Unfortunately I had no time to scan the final product after I was done, so in a mat and plastic sleeve it went.

There were just so many scenarios that I could draw from, and so many sarcastic one-liners that I could use. I couldn’t get the voices to stop talking.   You would have to understand the personality types and day to day activities and conversations of all of the players, in order to really appreciate this.  As a rule, Jim, the birthday boy, definitely does his share of trash-talking in a “I-like-to-toss-a-grenade-into-a-room-and-see-what-happens” kind of way.   I will have to give him credit for earnestly taking as much crap as he gives.

On his Facebook post he announced he was having a birthday party and that he didn’t want any gifts,  just money and some volleyball wins.  There was no way I was gong to give him any volleyball wins. Historically, any victory that he has had over me and my partner (or anyone else for that matter) typically results in much trash talking via Facebook.  Mostly the phrase, “I am awesome!”  is often interjected  into his bragadocious remarks.   This prompted me to create the scenario with him napping at work, dreaming that he won while Jen, his longtime volleyball partner, best friend and coworker, hacks into his Facebook page.

I was told that I was spot on in my interpretation of everyone.  There were the personal touches that we all could appreciate such as Jim’s ankle braces, Jen’s bandana, my big hair, and my partner Don’s seemingly permanent tanline above the ankles.

In the end Jim really loved the gift and it was passed around to everyone at the party generating lots of laughs.  Even people at the party that didn’t play volleyball with us got the gist of it.    Months later at  Jen’s birthday party he made a copy of it, framed it and gave it to her for her birthday.  And thankfully, he also made copies for me and Don as well which is why it is on this blog today.

Back to the Drawing Board

It’s really nice to get your life back. For the past two months I’ve been preparing for our company’s annual meeting for 200 of my “closest friends” that was held last Sunday.  Every year these meetings always consume me during that time.

I haven’t done much drawing since then which is kind of crappy.  Out of sheer desperation I launched a full out art assault on church bulletins every Sunday just to get the creative juices flowing.   It’s a good thing I wasn’t around when the female ushers were wearing all white, else they would have thrown me out of the church.

This has always been a  good exercise for planning my next project.  I was also able to sketch out yet another potential work called, “New Jerusalem,” a work that was inspired by a plane ride a few months ago.

During Christmas break I went to see my parents in “balmy” Michigan where  there was plenty of snow.  My parents have a tree behind their house that faces a man-made lake in their community.   The lake was covered in ice.  This inspired me to create a piece where I would make the ice in the lake split open exposing the water.  In the water there would be a reflection of  the tree but it would be in full bloom as if it were spring.  I want to call it “Tree Dreams: The Promise of Spring.”  Sounds cool huh?

Well this is my sketch of the tree by itself.  It’s pretty rough but I was just trying to get the general shape of it.  I’m thinking about using some chalk pastels for the final work  -  some grays and some blacks with hints of green.  My goal is to have this completed before springtime.  Since I read that the groundhog did NOT see his shadow this year, I had best get movin’ on this.

Also while I was at my parents on Christmas break I started working on  some Valentines Day sketches. The disappointing part about all of this is that I did not have enough time to really package and market these for sale.  It’s hard to make that quick transition from making Christmas cards to Valentine’s Day cards.

At any rate, here is a sketch that I did for Valentine’s.    I kind of call them my “Wild Hearts” where they just rebel against Cupid.  Who can blame them?  Who wants to be hunted down and shot with a friggin’ arrow?

It’s rare that I ever do a rendering in a sketch book that is  this complete but somehow with just twenty minutes of clarity,  I got it done!  Wish everything was as easy.

Oh and I got my printer back! Woo hoo!!  It blew up on me in the middle of printing my Christmas cards in early December.  I did not have the time,  nor the money for that matter to take it to the print doctor until the following month.   I apparently blew out a printhead and it had to be replaced.   Man, did I miss that thing when it was gone!  I couldn’t even do so much as a simple scan.

Again, I’m glad to be back with pen, chalk pastel, and watercolor pencil in hand, ready to rock and roll!

2012 Year In Review

Well once again another year has come and gone and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it as I moved from one art adventure to another.  I am growing more and making more connections.   Here are some things that happened to me over the past year.

1)     Sold not one original, but TWO!

This was definitely an exciting thing to happen in any artist’s career.  As far as I was concerned, selling two originals was brisk business!  The first piece I sold was “Nine Ladies Dancing” which was in March. The buyer was a church member who saw the piece at a church event the year prior.

My second piece was “Mercy,” a pen and watercolor pencil drawing.  This sale was unexpected considering that I typically fare better at selling prints at this particular venue.  Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised!

It’s funny, you never what’s going to sell.  It clearly is a timing thing where you have the right buyer at the right place.

By the way, to help me get through my post sale separation anxiety,  I made sure that both of my originals were photographed for reproduction before putting them up for sale.  I can always make more!

2)      First time showing my work for an extended length of time.

In January I was invited to show some work with another group of artists at this small performing arts center outside of Durham for the month of February.   It was the first time that I had displayed work for an extended period of time, not to mention the center was about three hours away from home.  Again, I had to deal with separation anxiety as I left my pieces behind for a whole month.

I had never hung multiple works of art on a wall for show before.  While there are some similarities to hanging work at your house, it’s still not the same.  I did some research on hanging art because I didn’t want to jack up the wall with a bunch of nail holes making it look as if there were woodpeckers having a party.  It turned out pretty well in the end even though it took me forever.   Later I was able to apply my new skills at my sister’s solo exhibit.

  

3)     Helping with a Solo Exhibit.

This was a learning experience even though most of it was second-hand. My sister did a solo photography exhibit in Brooklyn called “Visions of New York.”   First off, just from the outside looking in, it’s a lot of work.  After she identified her location, which was the Brooklyn Art Space,  she marketed the heck out of her event through the use of social media and also did some fundraising using the online tool called Indiegogo (you may also be familiar with a similar program called Kickstarter).    She also printed and mailed free postcards of her work to contributors who sent in monetary donations.

A couple of days before the event, I flew into New York  to provide whatever support that was needed.  On the day of the event, with the help of her friends, we were sweating it out getting everything ready up until the final minute.  The turnout was great.  She sold quite a few items including one of her large framed prints.  At the end of the night the lady who worked on staff said that it was one of the most well hung shows that she had seen.

So I’m saying all this to point out  that I learned a lot about putting on a solo exhibit just through reading my sister’s social media posts , listening to her on the phone as she talked about her process, and just physically being there to assist.   One thing’s for sure, when I get to the point to where I do one of my own, I really won’t have much time for anything else!

4)     Twelve Days of Christmas  Series

Looking at the posts from the past year or two, it seemed like this was all I ever wrote about.   I added a sixth piece to the collection this year – “ Partridge In A Pear Tree.”  I created an earlier version a few years ago but decided to create a new one because it fit better with the rest of the collection.  I also packaged the cards for sale, even though it was just six of the twelve days.  I am happy with how they turned out although I just wish that I had more time to market them. That’s always the challenge with getting any new work out there in the market.

   

5)     Increasing my number of followers on social media

So I don’t exactly have this huge army of followers but I am happy to have followers and that the numbers have increased steadily from last year.  The hardest part of course is keeping up with this blog.  I do want to announce that this is my 51st blog post!  Many thanks to those of you who have visited my blog and followed me!  It really means a lot.

I’ve learned to manage my Facebook page a little better.   I just have to be mindful of the best times to post so that I can increase my reach.  The same also goes for my blog.  As for Twitter, man, who knows?   I still am trying to figure out how to say something profound in 140 characters or less!

Let’s hope that 2013 brings even more art adventures!  I’ll need the blog fodder.

Art Adventures: Holiday Arts Market in South End

Funny how God has a way of working out things out.  It was my plan to take part in NoDa’s two-day Arts Market in early December.   Since this is during the time of the holiday season, it was a big deal and I didn’t want to miss out.  I had planned to sell my “Twelve Days of Christmas” cards and was pretty excited thinking that I was better prepared this year.

Unfortunately I blew it and was late for the registration; and by late,  I mean I went online about fifteen minutes AFTER registration opened up.  There was not a booth to be had.    It’s  not all that unusual for the booths in  NoDa’s Arts Market  to sell out in less than a day, but this was the biggest holiday season of the year.

So I was disappointed,  however, not too long afterwards I received an email from artist Trish Veverka who is involved in the coordination efforts of the Atherton Market in South End.  She “Liked” my Facebook fan page a few weeks ago.   In her email she told me that Atherton Mill would hold their first Holiday Arts Market.  It so happened to be that same Friday as the market in NoDa.  I was warned that potentially there might not be as much foot traffic compared to NoDa however  I knew about South End’s  growing arts community so I figured there was nothing to lose.

After a couple of email exchanges, I met Trish a few days prior to the event to look at the booth space.  The booth is well, an actual stationery BOOTH, not just some random table or open space.  They were all over the place and looked very similar to what one would see at a produce market.   In fact the Atherton Market was open on Saturdays for this very thing, to sell produce and other good eats. The front of the booth had a lot of room for me to spread out my art and Christmas cards.  The building itself is very open with high ceilings and plenty of lighting.

On Friday afternoon I arrive an hour before the event.  Loading and unloading was probably the easiest of all of the fairs and markets that I’ve been to.  Parking was plentiful and FREE!  I could carry my stuff right inside without any problems. No steps either.  YES!

There was a mixture of arts and crafts and food vendors.  For me personally, I’ve always been a bit tentative about being in the same general vicinity as food vendors since I kind of feel that they compete with potential sales.  Much to my surprise  it actually was okay.  My neighbor was the “Pickle Man.”  He sold pickles, lots of them and they were delish!  I funneled down a couple of samples.  He was quite the  charismatic salesman.  He is also a musician, and he even played his trumpet, sang a little bit, and told his customers to “Have a sour day” (because of the pickles in case you were wondering).

We also had some entertainment that included about three or four young violinists and cellists who played some Christmas tunes;  and a Charlotte favorite, the House of Prayer band.

There was a balloon artist on hand as well and she provided plenty of entertainment for the kids by making santa and reindeer hats, poinsettas, you name it.  She gifted me with a candy cane balloon bracelet shortly after she set up her station.   Cute, huh?

So yes, a totally different vibe than NoDa but I liked it.  The only things that I wished for were a larger turnout (although forgivable since this is the  first “arts” market) and that it ran later than 8:00 even though that was the “soft” end time.

I  wish the Atherton Market the best on this endeavor.  There is great potential here for visual artists and I look forward to participating again!

And a Partridge in a Pear Treeeeeee!!!

So my latest addition to the “Twelve Days of Christmas” series is “Partridge in a Pear Tree.”   Here was the preliminary sketch from a previous blog-post.  I didn’t get around to drawing the final work  until a few weeks ago.

Here is where I fleshed out the original in pencil. I used Bristol paper, my paper of choice, as it can handle just about any media including wet media.

A lot of my watercolor work tends to be softer and I wanted to make this piece more vibrant.  I used a set of watercolor pencils called Inktense by Derwent and watercolor crayon that has that same level of  brightness.   Then I outlined the images using my Faber-Castell brush and fine line pens and voila!

The color green is still pretty prominent in my work, even with the bright yellow pears and colorful partridge.  I can’t help myself.  I also like the backwards lean of the satisfied partridge.   I think this is another whimsical piece that fits in beautifully with the overall theme of  my “Twelve Days” series.

I wrapped this thing up at after 1:00 AM on a Thursday night/ Friday morning and then ran down to Kinko’s to scan the image.  Thank God they’re open 24 hours!

When I got home I started printing the image on cards immediately so that I could add them to my assorted six-pack. Here they are packaged in clear plastic boxes.   I love the professional look !

As I started to print  more partridges to package them individually my printer crapped out on me.  When you see a message on the printer’s display screen that says, “Error” and then it tells you to unplug your printer and call the service center, that is NOT a good sign.  I probably won’t be able to get my printer to the print doctor until Monday and I hope this is something that a) can be fixed like yesterday, and b) doesn’t cost me a fortune.

Oh well, an artist’s life is never boring.

Public Art – The One Cool Thing About Jury Duty

Ah yes, jury duty, one of those things we all dread doing.   This was the second time after many years that I had been called in to participate, however unlike the first time, I actually served on a jury.  Pretty intense.  I’m glad that it was just a civil case that lasted for a couple of days.

While I wasn’t all that thrilled about being holed up in the courthouse, I had to admit that it was a beautiful facility.  If you’re a juror in Charlotte-Mecklenburg you have to applaud how they’ve made the process so easy to follow.  From a logistics standpoint, it was a breeze getting to the parking garage from I-277 followed by a short walk to the courthouse.  There is a waiting room on one of the floors with theater seating, an area with desktop computers,  a full service break room, free Wi-Fi, and chairs specifically designed for people using on laptops.  But you probably don’t want to hear about all of that because this is an art blog for Pete’s sake.

And there certainly was art there.  Public art,  the other bright spot.  The only unfortunate thing was that I was unable to identify the artists that created the work.  Let’s say signage wasn’t very present, if  at all.

My first encounter with a piece of public art was when I was leaving the parking garage and heading towards the corner of McDowell and Fourth.  It was a large metal hand sculpture.  I called it,  ”The Helping Hand” which sounds like a fitting name.  It was all I could do to NOT climb on it but the block was practically teeming with Sheriffs.

As I crossed the street and immediately entered the security area of the courthouse, I caught hold of this stunning ceiling design above me.  What you see are these perforations that allow the florescent lights to come through but it mutes the lighting enough to  soften the overall look of the area.

Once I got through security I entered the main lobby and saw this awesome work suspended from the ceiling.  The image is a human face, however what you don’t see until you take a closer look is that the image is made up of a collection of smaller human faces that are suspended from the ceiling.

 

And then of course here is what I call “The Writing on the Wall” which are the stone etchings along the facade of the courthouse.  I think a lot of courthouses across the country have these similar etchings.  There are plenty more than just this one here but I was in a hurry getting back from lunch.

I also took this shot on my way back to lunch.  This was near the Government Center which is about a block or two from the courthouse. It’s an older piece  that’s been around for a long time.  When I first saw photos of it that was back in the mid-nineties.   As you can see it’s sitting in an empty fountain.  I remember the photo showed this piece sitting in the fountain while it was running, thus creating a more dramatic effect.

So that concludes my tour!  Charlotte, as usual, your beautiful weather did not disappoint!  Art is a reward for those who continue to look for it!  Fortunately this go round, I didn’t have to work that hard.

My Pet Peeves as a Newbie Artist…

Even though I haven’t been pursuing the whole artist career thing for very long , I have quickly become  aware of the things that annoy me.  For those who are out there in the field I would love to hear some of your pet peeves.  Here are mine:

Asking  me to copy the work of another artist

This happened to me several years ago when I was with a friend who was looking at a very detailed painting hanging in the hallway of our church.  She asked me if I could re-create a copy of the piece.  ”I’ll pay you,” she said.

First,  there is the whole legal matter concerning copyright infringement.  Second, all legal issues aside, as the copying artist I would find this task to be unfulfilling and unbelievably boring.   Thirdly, my friend who made this request probably didn’t realize that she would be better off  buying a print of the work.   One would have to factor in the time  (the piece was very detailed)  and cost of materials to recreate it.  I would have had to charge much more than she would have expected.   Also, the art was in acrylic and I had no experience in this medium, however I knew about watercolor pencils.    There was no way my re-creation would look exactly like the original.

Creating work for individuals as gifts and receiving little or no appreciation for it

Have you ever created art complete with personal touches for a person that you knew really well  only to receive a lackluster response from them in return?   I had a situation like that where I made some art as a Christmas gift for someone.  The gift was mailed to their house and when I called them to make sure they received it, they said, “Yes.”  And that was pretty much it.  No other comments or anything else.  It was a blow to the fragile ego for sure and why it’s very rare that I make something specifically for someone.  Why put all of that work into it for nothing?  You would at least want some appreciation.

Producing  Sistine Chapel results on a stick figure timeline

I don’t like being given a short timeline to produce work with the expectation that I am going to produce amazing results.  Yes,  I can create quickly under pressure but  I know darn well that if given more time I can do better.

To be fair, sometimes I contribute to my own demise.  I may come up with an idea and then waste a tremendous amount of time wondering if I can actually do it or not.  Then at the 11th hour I decide that I can do it and then wonder why I am still drawing as I walk out of the door.

When people expect you to practically give your stuff away

I don’t think most people understand the effort it takes to create artwork even if we make it look easy.   It’s  emotionally and even physically exhausting, and can be pricey considering the cost of quality materials required to make it look amazing.  It’s  hard to get a return on your investment and I can’t afford to be low-balled.

Expect the “friend” discount

I don’t necessarily expect a special discount if I am purchasing something from a friend. I want to support their business and I understand that they have to earn a living.   Shouldn’t I expect the same?  I’ve had numerous friends who have started out in businesses and have been frustrated with people expecting them to produce something for little or nothing.

 Festivals:  Art Sales vs. Food and Beverage Sales

Most festivals are going to have food and beverage because it’s part of the culture.  The issue here is that it competes with those of us who are selling art.  In most cases, food will always win because it provides instant gratification even though the art can bring joy over the long-term.  I thought about my friends selling their art at one of the local festivals and right across from them sat a funnel cake truck that looked ancient-of-days, health-hazards-be-danged.  Yet, there was a long line of eager buyers.   No one there said, “Hey, I’m going to forego this greasy goodness and use my money to buy some art instead!”

I sometimes thing that alcohol sales at festivals  have the same effect.  It’s wishful thinking to find the inebriated person who will stumble into your booth and impulsively buy everything in sight.  Personally I have yet to sell anything to anyone with beer or wine in hand, although I would be happy to be proven wrong.

Groups of people standing in front of my booth for reasons other than looking at art

At any open market or fair,  I certainly don’t mind people crowding around my booth if they’re looking at my art or buying something.  Unfortunately in many cases there are times when groups of  people spot each other from a distance and then they congregate in front of my booth and talk for several minutes.  When this happens, no one else can see me.  I’ve often fantasized about scaring them off by farting out loud like some crazed, defensive animal, but given the noisy environments that I typically sell in, no one would  hear.

There’s many more things I’m sure I can write about but I will have to save it for another time.  Your turn!! What bugs you?