July 2021

Whew ... this month was a whopper in so many ways. We traveled to Philadelphia for July 4th (see previous posts for a recap of our visit to The Barnes Foundation and the Philadelphia Museum of Art), and we spent a weekend in Pontotoc/Memphis to see friends and the Wayne Thiebaud exhibition at the Dixon in Memphis. I'll have a separate post about Thiebaud, so look for that coming soon.

There's so much to talk about for this month, but I'll start with the art I created. Some of these are finished, others are in progress.

I spent a Saturday drawing at Atlanta Artists Center. The model was fantastic, and I love leaving the planet for a few hours. Honestly, when I’m figure drawing I do not think about anything else and it’s so meditative and relaxing!

I also snuck in a few airport drawings on our way up and back to Philadelphia. People are so into their phones these days that it’s really easy to capture them quickly in my sketchbook. No one caught me drawing them :)

 

 

  

  

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS & GALLERY NEWS

* The AAC show at Colony Square closed on July 24th. It was a great show for me. My painting of pocket squares earned an Honorable Mention award, and I sold “Elafonisi.” I still have 4 abstract paintings on view in the lobby at Colony Square, and they are available for purchase.

* Acworth Arts Alliance: I submitted four abstract paintings for their upcoming exhibition, three were accepted. Hooray! I’m so proud of these three paintings. Each has a special meaning to me. I’ll deliver these to Acworth on Tuesday, and we’re attending the reception on Saturday, August 7th.

* I submitted three paintings to the Johns Creek Arts Center “Summer Serendipity” exhibition. All three were accepted! I could not be happier and I look forward to attending the reception!

* Submitted three paintings to the Atlanta Artists Center “Small Works” exhibition. I’ll find out on August 10th if any of those submissions are juried into the show. Fingers crossed.

* Submitted four paintings to Anis Cafe for consideration. The owner will make selections and notify us probably next week. I’ll be happy if one or two are chosen.

* I’ve been spending more time at the gallery in Roswell. We are all working collectively on ways to bring in more traffic. July is a tough month because of summer vacations, but we are hoping we will see more visitors once kids are back in the classroom. And hopefully the weather will cool off just a bit. 

I’m offering abstract demonstrations one day a week at the gallery. We get lots of questions from visitors about classes and how to’s, so I figured I would share what I know about abstract painting … for free :))) 

I’m also taking advantage of the knowledge and experience of my fellow artists in Roswell. Joan Hilliard has been extremely generous with her suggestions, advice and wisdom. She is one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.

STUDYING

My studies with Elizabeth Floyd continue. We are painting flowers via Zoom on Wednesdays. No doubt about it, my paintings have improved dramatically as a result of studying with Liz. She’s an excellent, knowledgeable instructor. She’s teaching a still life course on Tuesdays in the fall, which I will be taking. 

READING

I devoured the “Cezanne Drawing” book that we picked up at Lucian. In fact, it was so good, I read it twice in less than a week. Cezanne was a daily drawer. For that reason, I’ve resumed my daily drawings. It doesn’t matter to me what I draw - a vase, a glass, Otis, a measuring tape, a coffee cup - as long as I draw.

I’m also reading a blog of an artist I admire (keeping this nugget a secret) and following along. The artist kept a very detailed online journal. I read 10-15 entries every day. Our paths are so similar, and although I’m years behind in experience, it is incredibly reassuring to read of their milestones and achievements because now I know I’m on the right path. And I’ve often wondered if that was the case. 

DEEP THOUGHTS

I think a lot (probably too much) about my art career and goals. When I started all of this back in 2017, I underestimated the time it would take to get to the point where I didn’t hate everything I painted. I remember feeling so incredibly frustrated that what I saw in my head did not turn out on the canvas. With dedicated practice over time and a ridiculous number of classes and workshops, I’ve overcome a lot of frustration. Don’t get me wrong - I still get very frustrated, but I’m more equipped to resolve problems. And yes, I still paint bad paintings, just not quite as often as I used to.

Right now there is a lot of work to be done, shows to enter, awards to win. I have a lot I want to accomplish. And I hope 🤞 that means that down the road I won’t have to be in a gallery or in an exhibition. I can just paint, put my art on my website and sell. Wayne Thiebaud is 100 years old and paints every day. He doesn’t paint because he has to. He paints because he loves painting. I hope that’s me some day :)

Time to get some work done. Look for my next post on the Thiebaud retrospective coming soon. Thank you for reading and for your support.

OTIS and JULIUS

Otis

JuJu

O-Doggie

JuJu Bear