In support of Independent Bookstores!

I was reading the blog of an author friend of mine and noticed a link called "Book Sense." I clicked on it and found a great website which promotes independent booksellers across the nation. You can buy books online or find local independent booksellers in your area or links to their webpages. As a business owner myself, I like the idea of helping promote other small businesses, buying locally, and trying not to depend on the big corporate chains for everything. It can be difficult to avoid sometimes, but I personally know what it takes to own a business so I think it's crucial to support small, independent businesses in your community. I'm jumping on Ric's bandwagon (check out his blog here) but it is something that gets me fired up. In these rather difficult economic times, it's often the small businesses and the self-employed who feel the pinch first. So help out your local shop owners, your mom and pop restaurants, and they'll appreciate it. I guarantee you'll get nicer, more personal service. That being said, Sugarloaf Food Company gets my #1 vote for the best muffins, bacon-egg-n-cheese sandwiches, and salads. And a lot of her ingredients come from Waterfront Market (awesome market!), another independently owned business. Great, now I'm hungry and I have to wait till morning for my muffin!

Don't forget, I'm moving my blog over here, to SallyArt.com

Just a few more touches...

Well, I am about an hour or two away from wrapping this piece up. I'm feeling good about it, enjoyed the process and picked up my speed a bit. With each piece I get more confident and a lot less critical and picky. I'm still struggling with the skin tone (I can't get the face how I'd really like) but I think it might be that my palette needs a little tweaking. I'll get it one day. Just have to keep working on it. I pulled out a new blank canvas tonight and am trying to figure out what it will become. 

Don't forget to check out my new website at www.SallyArt.com

Refocus

I was looking back through photos, looking for some inspiration or ideas (for what I don't know--just looking, though) and came across this one. It reminded me that I used to walk the dog more, used to take more pictures, and that I need to remember to keep doing that. The dog needs it, I need it, and my photograpy skills (I'm using the word "skills" very loosely) could definitely use the practice. So this post's purpose is to nudge me back on track. The dog will be happy.

"Fanm" revisited

After a two and a half month hiatus, I’m back to work on this piece. Today went great. I finally worked out a background (which I’ve been thinking about all week) which I’m very happy with. I painted through “Car Talk,” “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me,” and “Wire Tap” on NPR. Lately that’s been my ritual: put the laptop in the studio, click on NPR-online and paint. I’ve found that it’s much better for me to listen to talk radio instead of hitting “shuffle songs” on the iPod. My emotional state is too easily influenced by music and I will bounce from total elation and giddyness with soca music, to rage and violent urges when listening to Godsmack, to melancholy and despair after a few Yo Yo Ma solos. Too mentally exhausting to deal with when painting in itself is a mental workout.Anyway, I hope to tackle this again tomorrow. My objectives for tomorrow are to figure out how to fix this woman’s enormous head, fix the proportions of her torso and polish up those plantains.

Oh, and by the way, "Fanm" means woman in Creole.

Don't forget to check out my new location for this blog at www.sallyart.com/blog. The site is under construction so please excuse any kinks in the site.

"Life Aboard"

A week from tomorrow, Wednesday February 6th, Key West Diver Eric Wartenweiler Smith will be sharing his 3rd presentation "Life Aboard" the Discoverer Ketty Lund. The Discoverer provides personnel, logistical, and vessel support to scientific expeditions all over the world. As a crew member of the Discoverer team these presentations are a blast to be a part of. The last two lectures brought in a great audience at the Tropic Cinema and I'm looking forward to this next event. Check out the video to get acquainted with the Discoverer and her adventures.

Painting Update

One year later, I'm back at it, working on this painting again. Surprisingly, it was not as painful as I thought it would be. I've always been so tentative with this painting. I started it before I was getting lessons from Cindy Kulp and was always afraid to "mess up." Now I realize you can't really mess up. A little bit of confidence and less fear is an amazing catalyst for pushing ahead. You can see previous stages of this picture here, here, and here.

2 years ago today

This was what I was painting 2 years ago today. I was in complete abstract mode. At the time I was also taking an abstract painting class. It's funny looking back to see where I was at. That was one of my more productive painting years and also one of the most anxiety ridden. 2006 found many canvases razor-knifed, trashed and even one thrown off the deck and tossed into the tree canopy. All sculptures were beheaded (I just found the bag of heads 2 days ago in a ziploc bag...they actually look kind of cool now decorating my studio...like little archaeological finds) and at one point all art supplies were put away for a long while. I think that's what abstract art does to me. It ain't easy.

Anyways, I have neglected posting for some time now and I hope to get some momentum and pick it back up again. And as this blog is primarily dedicated to works in progress I need to get my butt in gear and started progressing on some works. My goal is to create 4-5 pieces as part of a series. This will be difficult because I am so easily pulled in different directions. I am trying to think, but not overthink, this out and try and have a "plan" (w/ flexiblity built into it...you know, some room to wiggle and twitch) that I follow. [Wow, that was a terrible sentence, grammatically. I might want to try and work on a series of 4-5 properly written paragraphs, too.] Anyway, that is the plan. Which means that tomorrow I must open up a tube of paint and pick up a brush and apply the paint to a canvas.

I admit, I am fearful.

Wish me luck.

I wonder if there is a patron saint of the arts that I might call on for some backup. Something to Google.

Until tomorrow.
Ciao.

P.S. Finished the painting of the Discoverer. I will post it tomorrow.