ballerina a human study

With the start of spring (even though it still feels like winter today), I find myself enjoying new adventures. In March I studied horses extensively to familiarize myself with their forms, movements, and personalities. I started my Sons of the Wind series in April, along with my first class for my Master's degree. I've been crunching time as I prepare for shows this spring and summer, continue to paint, and devote time to my school work.

As I work on my Sons of the Wind series, I am also pulled to study some human references in a similar manner to my horses in March. Unfortunately I can not devote the time to completing one a day, but will work on a couple a week in hopes to further my knowledge of the human forms, movements, and personalities. My daughter seems to grow in leaps and bounds and I have so many moments I want to forever capture in paint!

See, it is my personal belief that an artist can capture the feel and emotion of a moment in a way a simple photograph can not. At least us amateur photographers can not! Great photographers have a gift to see and enhance the images with programs like Photoshop. But as an artist, I can paint what I see and what I feel. I can create the illusion of movement with color and strokes.

Therefore, as I work on my ability to paint the human form or any other form, I am also working to perfect that capture of the moment. I want to leave my daughter and her children with colorful memories of her childhood. I want to show her that in both my eyes and God's eyes she truly is a work of art!

I am an artist

Yes, I am an artist. Why are these words so hard to say? When someone asks me what I do or whether I have a job, why is it so hard for me to wear my artistic vision proudly?

Aesteticeleveator.com put it perfectly, "Probably for a similar reason that being a 'homemaker and mother' is not considered "real work"- because it does not bring in the bread." Funny how I have become all three since Aug 2011. Yet this is completely NOT true! Yes, raising my child and doing the dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping, etc. are not actually creating any sort of revenue. Yes, I could choose to be simply artist that cares little if anyone actually purchases her work (there are some out there...though I don't understand why).
One of the best and biggest examples in my life of a woman that made a great life out of being a simple "homemaker and mother" is my late grandmother. I truly can not hold a candle to her abilities (especially her cooking!). I only aspire to be a mother that shows her child how much she loves her and to do what I can to keep the house in some sort of order (that is pretty hard with a little one!). No, you can't eat off my floors and yea, there are times I lose my cool (patience is an ongoing process God is still working on with me). Yet, I know I am doing my best and giving my child the best by being here with her. (This is not to discredit those working-outside the home moms).

Because I was blessed with the ability to stay home with my child, I chose to jump on the chance to chase my dreams. Do I dream of being a famous artist known around the world like Picasso or Monet? Nah, not really. I don't anticipate making millions off my paintings or tour the world with my artwork. But is it impossible for me to make a career from my art? No. It is not impossible. It is hard, but not impossible.

So what do you say when someone tells you that it is not a real job and you need to go get a real job? Yea, I'm still figuring that one out. For honestly I work harder at my jobs than I ever have before. I've had real jobs (I was an assistant manager for a retail store once), and though I did like some of those jobs, these new jobs are my true calling. Those "real jobs" had a time clock and when I clocked out I could check out until the next day. Now (even as I'm typing this at midnight I hear my daughter looking for her binky and fussing in her sleep), I am on call 24/7 and even when I'm "off" I have many other things to work on (like those millions of paintings I can't wait to get started/finished). I have a real job. Being a mother is a "real" job. Being an artist and owner of my own art business is a "real" job. Just because I don't bring in a $ amount with one job nor make millions with the other does not make either job less "real".

So for those of you that are out there, living your dreams, don't let others squash them because they don't fit into some acceptable mold. Life is for living, not accumulating $ or stuff that you can not take with you. Don't look back and wish you could have. Just be ready to work for those dreams. Chasing rainbows is not for the weak!

Summer time is near...and so are the pests!

 

                     70 degree weather for over a week now, and here come the pests! If you have a little one (like me) its important to keep them safe as they are running through the yard. I can not vouch that these plants will work, but I know I am going to plant some around the deck to see if it helps keep the bees, wasps, ticks, and mosquitoes away. I'll let you know how well it works!

 

Marigold

• Red varieties of marigold are an option for keeping bees away. Marigolds are a common bedding plant that blooms throughout the summer. This pungent-smelling annual appears in numerous forms including simple daisy or pom pom shapes on short and bushy or tall and willowy stems. A hardy plant, marigolds perform well in many climates, although they require frequent watering during hot summer months. Mulch helps marigolds retain moisture. Plant marigold beds as borders around pools that repel bees.

 

Geranium

• Geranium is a colorful perennial. Look for it in red hues for best results in repelling bees. Its oil is often used as mosquito repellent, either alone or as an ingredient in another type of bug spray. Its flower petals are single or double, and rounded and fuzzy, and grow on dark-green, basal leaves. Geraniums grow between 1 to 2-1/2 inches tall. They require moist, well-draining soil and full sun to thrive. Plant them in clusters around areas to deter bees, such as kiddie pool areas or sandboxes.

Additional Herb Repellents

• Additional herbs that serve as insect repellents and may help keep wasps and bees from your yard include basil, mint and pennyroyal. Basil has green, medium-sized, oval-shaped leaves running down its green stems, while mint has darker green, purple or blue leaves in opposite pairs down the stems. Mint also repels ants while basil is repels flies and mosquitoes. Pennyroyal features rounded, bushy, purple flowers and small oval-shaped leaves running down brown stems. It deters wasps, chiggers, mosquitoes, fleas and ticks.

Read more: Plants & Flowers That Keep Wasps & Bees Away | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8734517_plants-keep-wasps-bees-away.html#ixzz2SLZnex

Boldt Castle, Alexandria Bay NY

So, I started this before my challenge in March. Getting ready for the show season (with a lot of local visitors to view my art) I figured I better finish it! For those that are not local, this is a painting of a local landmark, Boldt Castle.

The history (as I know it) is this castle was built on this island (it sits out in the middle of the bay) by a rich man in love with his girlfriend. Unfortunately the castle itself was never complete and was never occupied at the time the couple lived. Many years later the castle was finished according to the original specifications. Tours and events are held at the castle every year. And, on a personal note, Yours Truly's hubby is actually working on parts of the castle this summer as a restoration project for his job! (Yea, pretty proud of him and think this is completely awesome).

Being the history buff that I am, I just had to paint this. I just love the story behind this piece and this place. I hope to tour the castle one day and see what all those little doors/windows go to on this stone structure in the middle! In fact I might have to go do more sketches in plain air this summer. This painting is a 16x20 oil on canvas referenced from a photograph we took last summer.

So what do we think? Boldt Castle is definitely an interesting subject isn't it?