Winter Solstice

For the first time in many years, I have had a creative surge during the holidays enabling me to finish three large paintings. I'm not sure where this surge came from and I am happy to report that there was time for friends and family too!! I always think of spring and summer, mostly summer as my creative time and have always had difficulty continuing any project this time of the year. So welcome this time as January and February look to be especially busy next year. Very grateful for that too.

The day after Christmas, Charlie, my stepson and I had an exhibit in my studio. We exhibited his photographs taken in Sweden, where he lives now and my photograph taken here in the States. I was amazed at how our similar points of view merged for this show. Charlie is so creative both in this music (his real career) and his photography. I have been watching the progress of his image making for a long time and admire his ability to see. We were hampered by such horrible weather and his long journey from Sweden (43 hours) but we managed to have a great exhibit and great conversations with all those who were able to make the trip to the studio.

As an addendum, I have to say that I found out today that some paintings I like so much, I don't want to finish them. I delay and delay their final layer or whatever it is that needs to be done to put a final touch. I'll now watch that.

Southern Living Publication

Received a note from "Southern Living" magazine on Friday that one of my paintings will be included in the Christmas with Southern Living 2011 hardcover book. Not due out till July but I'm psyched already. A rather nice Christmas gift.

Working in the studio today to get ready for Charles and my photo salon on Sunday, December 26. Charles has been taking photographs for years and I've always loved his work but it's never been shown anywhere. So he'll be here from Sweden during the holidays and we're putting together an informal exhibit to introduce his work. He's such a wonderful musician it'll be fun to see another side of his talents.

Art Interrupted

Okay that's a strange title but it came to mind as I started to work after an illness enforced break. Years ago I was asked to be represented by a gallery with the same name as the title of this post. Yes, the name of the gallery was "Art Interrupted". I believe that the owner's own art work had been interrupted by the usual life shifts and was eager to get back to art. I still thought the name a very unusual and perhaps not to promising a name. The owner was very nice. She was young and enthusiastic and sold a painting an hour after I delivered the first work to her. But alas not long afterward her life took another shift and she had to close the gallery. It's a tough business.

It is amazing to me how many galleries have represented my work over my art producing life span and how many are not in business anymore. Each one is special with its own stamp on my art career. I'm very lucky to know and have known so many art lovers who showed me something new about art and sometimes about life. And too, how much I've grown many times with their backing and encouragement. Artists do have fragile egos no matter their outward posing and demeanor. A good gallery owner means a lot. An artist is supposed to distance themselves from their work but that's way to hard when you invest so much of yourself into each artwork you create. A little piece of yourself is broken off and embedded or at least that is what you can hope for if the artwork is a success.