Teach a free art class and they will come

Ha! I taught a class on Jump starting Creativity at the local library this week. Now that was a hoot. I had pastel chalks and oil pastels and tempra paints and watercolors and just plain on crayolas in groups and showed the participants all sorts of styles from surrealism to fauve to impressionist. Then they all had to get their hands dirty and paint with their fingers. That's right. Just jump in and pretend they were kids again and paint with fingers. I love to just 'waller' in my paint when I work. How else do you get inspired? I don't know any artist that is not messy. The ones that aren't are usually pretty uptight. Now mind you I do like all my color pencils sorted by color and by their place in the spectrum on my work table. And my palate is arrange 'just so'. But when I start working I don't freak all out if I get some paint on a surface other than the canvas or paper I am working one. Art is not for the uptight neat freaks.

Think about it. Can you make a loaf of homemade bread with out geting flour on you? Its the same thing with painting. Just get in there and do it! Wash your hands later.

I have my favorite pair of over-alls and several baseball caps that I wear. Depending on my mood is what dictates the color of the hat. Did you know that your choice of hat colors gives away a little peek at your personality that day? I'll write more on the 6 hat method of creativity later on. I gotta get my stuff together and go paint some 'trees' at the museum.

Finally

Ok I have finally figured this thing out. I think. I am not just real computer literate at times. And being a middle aged woman with way to many things on her mind this just gets to be frustrating at times. While my two daughters seem to be able to just look at this sort of thing and ping! its figured out.

Well, it is a rainy Friday. I sat up just about every night this week working on 2 ceiling medallions for a client. I was very disappointed in how they were turning out until the very end. The airbrush was spitting and sputtering. I have got to go and find me a really large compressor. Maybe by the end of the summer I can justify that expense for the business.

Being a commercial artist in rural America is hard. People tend to not take you as seriously as you might like. Which makes me doubt my ability at times. But then I look at my work and I think WOW! I actually created that portrait. I have such ability at times. I don't know where it comes from. Sometimes it just wells up in me like a spring and other times I have to really search for inspiration.

Yesterday on my trip to Oxford to see the bone doctor for the last time (yeeha!) I was listening to my oldies and the Beatles Lucy in the sky with Diamonds came on. I really started seeing a vision of the girl with kaleidoscope eyes. I think that may be my next painting. A girl with lots of long hair in a typical artsy pose and her pupils will be kaleidoscope patterns. It'll sell.

I have several more commissions lined up that I need to start on next month as well as finish up the museum things I have started. The museum is a labor of love. I volunteered and now that the weather is changing it is getting way to hot in there for me to work. The a/c isn't hooked up yet and I really loath sweating.

Welcome to my Pink Flamingos Nest World. It is always a trip. Sometimes a good one and sometimes a convoluted weird one. They will name a mental illness after me some day I am sure!