Often times I feel like I have fallen into a black hole. Time marches on whether I am ready for it or not.
The Airport show has come and gone. It was a lot of work, but I am happy I did it. Originally, I was asked to produce 25 larger paintings. When the time came to hang, there was only room for 19. It was all good. I believe it is important to be flexible, especially in the world of art. And as that show came to an end, I had to make some important life discissions. I choose to give up my little part time job, which I loved dearly to pursue a full-time life as an artist, so now here I am pondering what my new life looks like. Somedays I struggle with finding the time to paint because life gets in the way. Other times I'm happy to get in the zone and let my creative energies flow.
Here is a sneak peek at my new life. I started painting florals. I plan on doing maybe nine of these. They are just fun little paintings 12 x 12 on box canvases. We will see how it goes.
And then there are these. I usually don't do wildlife, but since I live in the woods, this may be a new genre for me. After mama feral..... A whole other part of my life.... was taken by a mountain lion, I painted the emotion of that, plus mule deer abound on my hillside (probably what drew the mountain lion to us.) Now I am also painting mule deer. It is a start in another direction. I have a second Mountain Lion Painting started and while the image is in my head. It is still a work in progress.
And just because... I discovered a virtual Wildlife Juried Art exhibit and entered these. It is so out of my comfort zone, but hey all they ca say is yes or no, so I went for it. Ah the life of a full-time professional artist. And then there is the joy of painting waterfalls, because I do love them. After a hike to Faery Falls, I started painting it. After a quick block in and some actual brush time, I came up with this. It is still in the rough stages, but I do love painting nature. Ishould have it done in another sitting or two.
And then of course there is plein air. Being in nature connects me to my happy place. Since retiring in July, I have had the opportunity to take a couple of trips to Hat Creek which is a favorite fishing location not too far from me. While most visitors are casting their rods, I am busy capturing the moment in paint.
