Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Art Monday!



Yesterday, I dropped Mitzi and Abbey (the schnauzers) off at Diamonds in the Ruff, stopped by Starbucks, ran into The Arrangement for fresh flowers and bee-lined it to my art studio for a day of painting! What fun it is to have this little place.....really a dream come true. Thank you Lord, for hearing the cry of my heart!


I put the flowers in water, turned on the music and loosely sketched them onto the canvas and I began to paint.



At 1:00 I took a 4 hour break and taught 'Art Class'! This is a beginners class and we painted two lessons today. First lesson, ...two little birds, goldfinches to be exact! We washed the canvas in red, sketched in two birds, and quickly painted them. When the birds were finished we added a little detail to the branches and leaves, then filled in the background careful to let the red wash peek through. It was fun!



The last hour of class we painted an abstract Gerber daisy on a 12 x 12 canvas. It was simple and quick! Everyone did a great job today. Way to go girls! Coming up in the next post.....How to make the 'coolest' envelopes! (Thanks Jenny! I had so much fun making these with you.) I know what your thinking but I'm telling you these are the best envelopes you've ever seen and you're going to want to make one. But let me tell you sister, you won't be able to make just one!
Oh! In closing, I must get something off my chest. Here it is. I copied! I love to do it but I always feel so bad! Recently, I bought a book, Kim Parker HOME. I read every word (twice) and absorbed every picture and brush stroke. I was intoxicated with her style! I love it! It moves me. I want it to be mine. My very own style that came out of my soul....but it is not mine. Am I jealous? Sad? Disappointed? Frustrated? Yes, definitely frustrated. I've always had a tendency to copy others. It started back in third grade, when I was determined to draw Woody Woodpecker. My apologies to Walter Lantz! There are countless more. Too many to name....the latest of which is Kim Parker and if I could sit down and have coffee with Kim I would assure her that I will not make a career out of copying her work. That I hope she will forgive me for not being able to resist her lyrical compositions and delicious color combinations. I would also tell her that I tried hard to just 'look' and borrow inspiration from beautiful works of art but last week in a moment of weakness, I flipped frantically back and forth through the book, found my favorite and copied it to the best of my ability. I loved every brush stroke! I have no idea what your thinking! My shame is heightened when I see my signature at the bottom. Please be gracious. I learned so much while I was painting it! All I can say at this point, is this. Thank you Kim Parker (Walter Lantz and so many others), for being creatively authentic. Thank you for fearlessly searching out your individual uniqueness. And inspiring countless others, like me to do the same.



Thanks for dropping by....Have a colorful day!

5 comments:

courtney said...

I love Kim Parker, too. I have her art (copies, of course) in 3 different parts of my house. In fact, that was what came to mind when I saw the painting you posted yesterday. I love the paintings you posted today as well!

Beth said...

Momma you are so funny! I love you and your artwork!

mary said...

I love everything and can't help but believe that Kim Parker would say, "I forgive you. Let's be friends!" If your personality were a painting, it would be a Kim Parker. I think you're very close to finding your style.

Roxanne said...

Thank you sweet friends! Whew! I feel better.

T.M.Gand said...

Lovely piece! If you signed it with your name and "inspired by ..." that would probably do well on several fronts. You wouldn't offend your favorite artist (copyright infringement), and you'd let others know who to look for if they see your painting and like the style...thereby paying homage to the original creator of the piece. Just an idea.