Freedom

"Freedom" 12x36

I read a book last summer and reread it again this summer and loved it just as much. It was touching, funny, and inspiring. One picture has stuck in my mind ever since. I blogged about it here.

Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman said,

"From a hook by one of the windows hung a gold birdcage with its door propped open.

'Do you have a pet bird?' I asked looking around the room.

'Oh, heavens, no. I'd never cage a bird. I can't imagine a worse fate, can you? I bought this cage at a market in Peru several years ago. I hung it here and wired the door open to remind myself how delicious freedom is---financial and otherwise."

We take our freedom for granted....all kinds of freedom. Now, every time I see a birdcage in a

store, I want to open the door. What a great analogy!

In the painting "Freedom" the door is wide open on the cage and the word freedom is visible on the upper right hand side of the painting. Appreciate freedom.....financial and otherwise.

"Live" painting Art Council fundraiser pictures

The Arts Council fundraiser was held in the ballroom at the Hilton. Let's just say....It. Was. Nice. The guests were transported directly to Venice, Italy through sights, sounds, smells, and tastes.

Just before entering the grand ballroom, guests could have their picture taken with a beautiful Venetian backdrop.

The waitstaff were dressed as gondoliers. Musicians were also strolling with authentic Italian music.

The backdrop to the stage set the scene for a truly Venetian evening.

Tables filled this enormous room. My setup is to the right of the stage at the far end of the room.

Turquoise sprinkled throughout the room was a great complement to the centerpieces....some of which were goldfish.

The silent auction table. Wonderful prizes to bid on such as a trip to someone's villa in Tuscany!

They made me want to jump into a gondola!

I was very nervous until I got there. When I got started, it was so much fun!! I loved painting in that atmosphere. The conversations I was able to have and the people I was able to meet were priceless. What an opportunity!

The room was absolutely full.

And there he was.....right by my side the whole evening promoting me, taking pictures, passing out my business cards, talking about my art. What a sweetie! Mu...ah!!

In action and loving it. Super experience that I think opened even more doors for the future!

"Live" painting tomorrow

I will be working on finishing details of the painting I talked about in a previous post here and here tomorrow night for The Arts Council. Super excited!!

Before/After

The Box Theory

This is my little theory on how we live our lives, particularly when it comes to our creativity, but it can apply to many situations.

We are all about boxes....

We live in a box,

We drive a box,

We work in a box,

We keep our belongings in a box,

We even end up in a box!

So....it is easy for us to maintain that box-like mentality throughout our everyday lives.

We find our little box in the world and hunker down in the comfy middle of it with lots of cushy room around us. Everything is nice and safe. Same as usual. How can we grow creatively as individuals? The answer is......

Run to the side of our box, where it is uncomfortable, the fearful area, pushing our boundaries, stretching our abilities.....making our box bigger. Until.....

We break through the box! We did it! Something we didn't think we could do but we surprised ourselves! No longer are we in the middle of that safe, cushy box. Here we are in unchartered territory, exploring new and uncomfortable things where we aren't so sure of ourselves. It's fear that wants us to get the duct tape and repair the hole in the box so we can go back to the middle where it's safe. But fear lies. We don't really want to go back....we are PROUD of ourselves for accomplishing something we thought impossible! Squash fear. Step on it. Move on and UP! There is so much to do and learn outside of our box. But, as time passes, we begin to get comfortable with all the new lessons and a new box forms around us....although a much bigger box. Should we stand in the middle waiting for cushy comfort to form around us again?

Absolutely NOT! Run toward the side and start pushing and stretching those boundaries again! There is no limit to what we can accomplish if we are actively pursuing our passion!

The more I think about this theory, the more it relates at so many levels and with so many situations. Any thoughts?

Showing progress

Progress today.....although I'm taking a break so I thought a blog would be nice. All but the right side of the painting is complete and a few little details. It seems that I lean toward paintings with not so much detail that I can complete much faster. This is really a challenge!

I just heard some good news.....my application was accepted into the Artist Showcase during the Texas Reds Steak & Grape Festival October 7-8!! That means I will get to be inside with 16 other artists instead of outside on the street in a tent. I am honored! I will be next to Old Bryan Marketplace in building 202. More later on this when it gets closer. One month away!! Lots of painting to do between now and then. I'm already excited about all the new paintings that will be ready for that show! Several ideas are rumbling around in my head that I can't wait to get started on but first things first.....

September 20th is the Art Council fundraiser where I will painting "live". Celebrating the Arts, An Adventure in Venice will be a fun evening to enjoy good music, art, and food! Viva Venice!!

FIGHTING.

I'm fighting with myself but I'm determined to win!! In a few weeks I will be painting 'live' for the Art Center fundraiser. Yes....I was craaazzzy the day I agreed to this! I decided, to make it less stressful for myself and those living with me..(my hubby)...that I would start the painting and get a good bit of it done before the event. On the night of the event, I can work on parts of the painting I will be more sure about. The theme is Venice so I am doing a scene on a 36x48 monstrosity of a canvas in which I am not enjoying! I think it might be the pressure of the fundraiser looming in the back of my mind to produce something. I love Venice and I love the buildings and water but the picture in my mind is not coming out through the brush at the end of my fingers. Today I am listening to Italian Pandora radio and it's going a little better. It helps to walk away and come back to it with a fresh perspective. I am ready to move on to some other ideas though so I want to finish! After the fundraiser, I will post the finished piece. It's starting to take shape. It's fun to see the progress. I will keep taking pictures. In the meantime......back to work!

Friday Funny