My latest video on YouTube on why I paint almost exclusively Women.
In preparation for a grant submission I sat down and decided what topic I wanted to explore in my paintings for the next year. I came up with many fantastical ideas my art support team (my husband and Mom) rejected. So I decided to focus on the importance of friendships between women.
Over the last two weeks I have worked desperately to finish one of the pieces already, I needed new work for a separate application. This painting is titled ‘A Safe Place to Grow’. While working on this piece from thought, to sketches, to color study, to finished piece, I had several people tell me what this means to them. They are all wonderful thoughts and all so different so I am hesitant to share my thoughts on this idea leaving it open to you to find meaning in it. I am trying some new painting ideas within this pieces. I am using more texture in the figures and skin tones and adding flora in a circa 1400 (medieval) type painting ideal. I am looking forward to continuing these new explorations.
Unfortunately I didn’t get the grant, but the positive side is that my application forced me to flush out my ideas and create a timeline. By next year I will have at least 8 paintings on this theme to show together. Right now to show them together I will be self-curating. (side note, if you know anyone who may be interested in this topic and want to show these pieces together please send me their contact information.)
I have 6 pieces in the works, so I definitely need more ideas on what friendship mean. I would love to hear what friendship means to you, feel free to comment or send me a message through my contact form on the importance of friendship in your life.
Today I took my painting to the BDAC (Bountiful-Davis Art Center) that got into their annual statewide competition. To say I was surprised is an understatement. The woman at the desk told me she wasn’t sure of the number of pieces submitted but that there were 200 artists (with a maximum of 3 entries) who entered with only 65 pieces accepted. My piece “Prayer of the Heart” was the one out of the three I submitted that was accepted.
Competitions are very difficult. There are so many factors that have to be met to make it into a show. Some of them include: Quality of the photograph, in what way the juror sees the piece, what the juror saw before your piece, juror’s personal taste, how the juror feels that day, and even how many other pieces were submitted that are similar to yours. Competitions are a complete personal judgement call, so it is very difficult to ascertain if your work will make it, or not. I entered a competition earlier this year and it didn’t make it in. I was so confident with my pieces and was then so disappointed. While it is fine to feel those emotions, it does become more difficult to find the confidence to continue to enter.
I took that rejection personally and it is not personal. It made me feel like my work was not good enough yet. And that happens to many artists, limiting the amount of things they enter into. They then wait for a day that their work will never be rejected.
The only thing I can control is how many things I try to participate in, not how many things I get accepted into. And I hadn’t entered this Statewide Competition because I had that desire to be ‘perfect’ within my work.
Moral of this stream of thought is that competitions are never quite what they seem, and when an artist gets in be sure to go celebrate. And eat a slice of cake for me.
And come to the opening of the show if you are local to Utah! It is on August 2nd, 6-8 pm at the BDAC (90 N Main St, Bountiful, UT 84010). Prizes are announced around 7 pm (and as a self-proclaimed judge I already have my favorites from the list that I hope get awards!)
This past May I participated for the second year in Art Access’ 300 Plates show. Art Access is a nonprofit local to Salt Lake City. Art Access embraces the idea that the arts provides a way for people to tell their stories, articulate identities, and educate for the common good. They provide creative opportunities for people with disabilities and other marginalized communities, as well as encouraging public engagement in the arts.
Last year I got to participate for the first time in their yearly fundraiser, 300 Plates. Though originally closer to having 300 plate (pieces of artwork all the same size) this last fundraiser had many more than 300 plates. The jurors of the show arrange the plates and price them in $1 increments starting at $88. This year I participated with two plates painted from photos I took last year as part of my Women in Nature series.
The event was high energy and full of artists and art lovers. I got the lucky draw to be a part of the first group to enter the purchasing area. I also had the neatest opportunity to see one of my plates being the first one sold. The woman who purchased it recognized me afterwards and told me she already has another of my pieces. I know, amazing!
To find out more information about Art Access and their 300 plates show visit their website.