Friday, October 19, 2012

Inside my haunted head is a magic wand

Spooky Tree / pastel / 11x7
Olive Trees Study by Claude Monet
Halloween is almost here! I often sit around thinking, "I want to paint/create something! What can I paint? Look at that (object/scene/person)! How (intriguing/beautiful/colorful)! Which part of it would I focus on? What color is that? What color's next to it? Where's the shadow? Where's the highlight?" Those thoughts are pleasurable. Other thoughts, more ghostly and haunting, include: "I should be...in my studio working...outside painting...finding an exhibit to enter...attending a life drawing session...dealing with business matters...working harder to sell my art." Then an evil spirit takes hold and casts a spell of inertia and negativity: "I'm tired. It seems like too much effort. I don't know where to begin. My studio is messy. I'm  hungry. Is it wine time? Better check my emails." The only way to exorcise these demons is to refocus on my goals and then take action in a positive direction. The operative word is action. Fortunately, I have a tool that works almost like a magic wand; it's called My Vision and Purpose Statement. I developed it over a four month period during a personal effectiveness seminar I took through Wings Seminars.   I put a lot of effort into identifying my strengths and values and learning tools to create the kind of life I want. The result is a written document that I created stating: "My vision, in brief, is to be a creatively productive artist, living a healthy and abundant life, strongly connected to my spirit, family, friends and community." The statement identifies in specific detail my vision for myself and my life. And when I stop, look, and choose to take action on one of the goals I've already identified for myself, voila! the magic happens! 





Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Painting on the Road: Steens Mountains, April 2012

Steens Wetlands / pastel / 6.5x7.5
My husband and I love to travel and prefer the back roads. We're also big fans of Oregon Field Guide so when we were planning our trip to Death Valley last spring we made a point of stopping by the Steens Mountains in Harney County, Southeastern Oregon.  Wow! Can't wait to go back! Local residents said July is a good time for wildflowers. Another stop in the vicinity was Pete French Round Barn, built in the late 1870s or early 1880s and used to train horses.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

And the winner is...Julie Pryor Barr!


A Glimpse of Mt. Hood / SOLD
Congratulations to Julie Pryor Barr of Bellingham, Washington, winner of a $59 credit (in honor of my 59th birthday) in my latest Drawing for a Painting. Julie can use her credit toward the purchase price of one of the paintings available through my online gallery, Daily Paintworks. If you want your name included in future drawings, please sign up by clicking the "Join this site" button to the right.

During August several members of the Northwest Pastel Society participated in our second annual exhibit at the Gorge White House . My painting "A Glimpse of Mt. Hood" sold. "Gorge White House Gardens" and "Columbia Gorge Vista" are still available; please contact me if interested.




Columbia Gorge Vista / pastel / art 7x5-framed 16x14
Gorge White House Gardens / pastel /  9x12