Grandidea: March 2009

A Beginning

I always thought I would be an artist. But when I got to junior high school, choir and orchestra were scheduled for the same period as art. I never took it. I sang, played viola, ran track--by high school, I thought I would be a paleontologist, biologist, maybe a doctor. The only art class to fit my schedule was jewelry making.I stopped playing viola,trying to play guitar, sang madrigals, had begun writing. I concentrated on writing papers and pre-goth poetry. Went to Gustavus majored in science, changed my mind, science and education, changed my mind, art and writing, changed schools. Graduated with far too many credits from the University of Minnesota with Bachelor of Science, in Advertising and Design. Along the way I took some great life drawing classes, design courses and sculpture. Then worked as an advertising copywriter on a typewriter! Later worked in PR and communications. Moved to Venezuela, wrote for local economics and business press. Moved to Canada, worked in advertising, then marketing, then in fundraising. Got married to a handsome Canadian, had three beautiful babies and started painting.

I finally remembered painting was what I always wanted to do.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Pursuit of painting

Sometimes I think there are nearly as many artists in the world as there are people. In my bookmarks file I have galleries, artists and on-line artist sites that must represent at least the population of New York, and I only keep tabs in the sites I have found and like! If ever there was a place to view artwork from millions of hands!! It only makes me want to paint more.
I've started an informal group of my artist girlfriends and we get together to see what each of us is working on--so far we've met twice. It's so motivating to see what others are doing and to hear about their obstacles and insights. I'm hoping it stays a viable group. Everyone's life is so busy these days.
I'm in two community arts groups that keep me connected with a disparate group of fledgling and accomplished artists. A few in those groups are masterfully taking their work to the world, entering juried shows and galleries on an on-going basis. I don't seem to get my work out there as often, yet I'm not convinced that's a bad thing. I keep hoping to have enough pieces to put a real show together and take it to some galleries--but somehow, a piece or two gets donated, sold or otherwise removed from the open market, and I still don't have a show to rub together. Then there are the paintings that have great promise that I'm afraid to finish lest I ruin them.
Setting myself a deadline to accomplish some small tasks might be in order.