Went out Saturday morning with a little group from "Plein Air Austin" and painted. So good to get the brushes out and get into the painting rhythm again. I did a couple little studies, each about an hour. Had some frustrations with paint consistency, since I had run out of turpenoid so was using "turp natural" which is NOT a good thinner, makes the paint very slick and strange. But did the best I could with that weirdness. Actually very happy with the results.
Also got a really nice email yesterday from Susan G, for whom I'd done a cat portrait a couple of years ago. She was recommending me to a friend and basically the friend now wants to buy a commissioned portrait of her dog, so yay! The friend, Victoria, had been bidding on this year's MSW auction item and was outbid at the last minute. Not only can I really use the moulah, but it's great for my artist-ego and building that confidence.
Shortly after I got that email, I got one from a member of the Plein Air Austin group saying that she "couldn't stop looking" at my lily paintings - what a stellar compliment that was, and from an artist whose work I admire too.
It's interesting to me how these things popped up right after I made a conscious decision to focus on my art life and think about what I want out of it all, what my goals are, what would make me feel successful. I hope it's another one of those indicators that it's really true about how things grow when you pay attention to them.
Also created a blog that has just artwork on it, without any distractions, bitching, moaning, personal tidbits, so I can point people to that and it looks more professional.
http://picturesfromkate.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment