Siesta & Giveaway

Today's painting is another of my Sonny.  Because he is a cremello, he gets night turnout so he spends most of his days inside napping. I justify his teenager-like sleeping habits with the excuse "he is a growing boy." Not sure how much longer I can get away with that logic but nonetheless, I love watching him sleep. There are some days when the light streams in from his window he looks almost angelic. Although, to be fair, anyone one who knows him knows nothing could be further from the truth.

Even with his teenager-like attitude, he is still one of my favorite subjects to paint, draw, and photograph. I'm so grateful for this strong-willed child.

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*Don't forget I'm giving away another piece of original art this month. Make sure you are signed up for my monthly newsletter to be eligible. Please share with anyone you think might be interested.

Happy (Belated) Birthday Sonny Marshall

If you follow me on instagram you've seen a lot of this beautiful boy. He celebrated his fourth birthday a few weeks ago, so I have been going through old photos and reminiscing.

I'll never forget how excited I was when we found out my mare was pregnant (I still have all the the ultrasounds saved) and beyond thrilled when I was able to move him to Memphis. Although he isn't exactly what I had planned, I think maybe he is exactly what I need. 

It is no secret how important horses have been in my life and today I'm especially grateful for this not-so-little anymore fellow and his momma. 

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Final Hydrangeas

A few days after Sophie passed a friend in California sent me a lovely bouquet of flowers (thanks Shannon.) And of course they were hydrangeas. Of course. At that point I hadn't told anyone about my early morning flower hunt so there was no way for her to have known. And maybe we see connections and "signs" when it serves us but I can't help but feel it was more than just a coincidence. 

I am feeling extra thankful for my friendships and connections unaffected by geography. That appreciation has inspired me to use 'gratitude' as my "theme" or focus for this month's paintings. My beautiful flowers from a beautiful friend seemed like the perfect choice for the third painting.

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Hydrangeas, Round Two

I woke up at 4 am the morning after I buried Sophie with the clear and sudden thought she needed plants and I had to go find flowers. It seemed like the most obvious thing and I felt compelled to go immediately. 

Needless to say, there aren't many places open at 4:30 am. So I found myself roaming around a couple Walmart garden departments alone. No luck. On to Plan B, which was the nearest Lowes, where I had to wait for them to open. Still no luck. Not sure what I was looking for I just knew I hadn't found it. So instead I wandered around aimlessly, tears streaming down my face. I can't imagine how crazy I must have looked.

My fourth stop was a Home Depot where I spotted some white flowers tucked behind a rainbow explosion of foliage. Seriously, the colors were overwhelming. I'm still not sure I how even spotted them. I’ve never bought or planted hydrangeas before and I don't know why I had to have them for her but it just felt right.

And it just feels right to paint them. So I’m going with it.. day two of hydrangeas.

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False Starts

So this might be harder than I thought.

I have spent the past several days in my studio trying desperately to work myself out of this funk. Nothing seems to be working. I thought by publicly posting my intentions for daily painting I would feel accountable somehow. And that accountability would provide the motivation to force me just start making again.  

Instead I just bumbled around the studio, starting then restarting. Scraping paintings off and (re)starting again. I can't begin to count the number of times I looked towards Sophie's bed or reached down to pet her. It's just so difficult to focus.  

So rather than sit inside and stare at her empty bed, I decided to drag all my supplies outside and try to paint the hydrangeas I planted for her.

I'm not usually a "floral painting" kind of artist but it's still too hard to look at her pictures for any length of time. So this seemed like the best way to commemorate and be close to her. I'm sure I will eventually want to paint her likeness again but for now the flowers are a suitable stand-in. 

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Grief, Gratefulness, & Goals

I can't begin to thank everyone for the flowers, cards, balloons, emails, messages, and texts I've received in the past week. During a time like this, I think it is easy (and normal) to focus on what we have lost. But this entire ordeal has shown me not only what I've lost but what I have.

It is humbling to realize all the people who took time from their busy lives to write, comment, call, etc. I hope you all know how much I love and appreciate each of you. Yes, I know she was "just a dog" and of course this doesn't compare to the loss of a child, sibling, or parent but she was my family and I have been comforted by your condolences and words of encouragement.

Now that I'm beginning to feel a little more like myself, I am going to try to channel some of my grief into a few goals I made prior to losing Sophie. Over the coming weeks I will share some of them but the first will be to develop a more intentional daily painting practice. Although I am disciplined in my studio practice and rarely miss a day painting, I struggle to finish pieces in a "reasonable" time frame. There is always something I would like to correct or improve so I end up dragging them out for weeks or months and then overworking (okay, ruining) many of them. 

Embracing, even just accepting, the imperfections in my work and abbreviated time frame were two of my biggest struggles during January's 30 Paintings in 30 Days. And they have been recurring problems during my recent plein air attempts. My goal is to work smaller, complete, post and hopefully sell a piece everyday (or almost everyday) for the next month.  

I will share paintings for sale on my website/blog but I am also considering other avenues (specifically dailypaintworks.com) to sell work. If anyone has experience or had success buying or selling on this or other platforms, I would love your input and suggestions.

And don't forget I'm giving away another piece of art this month. Make sure you are signed up for my monthly newsletter to be entered.

Thank you again for all your kind words this past week. 

xo.

My Heart is Broken.

Yesterday I was forced to make the heartbreaking decision all pet owners are eventually faced with, saying goodbye to your best friend.  It is always devastating to lose someone you love but the catastrophic guilt from being the one to make that choice is crippling.  And knowing the day was approaching doesn't make the aftermath easier. 

Sophie was my constant through three degrees, four moves and a marriage. She was my family. She brought me some of the most important people in my life and was there when others left.

I know this isn't really an art related post but it is obviously affecting every part of my life, so if I'm slow to respond to emails, calls, or texts please be patient. I'm trying to pull it together.

Plein Air Thoughts, Part 2

It can be scary to try something new, especially when that something new takes place in the public sphere. Scarier still, when we are almost guaranteed not to be good at the new endeavor. No one wants to be humiliated or ridiculed when trying to climb their way up the learning curve of a new challenge.

I think that might be one of my favorite things about art (and horses) there is always something new to learn, an area or skill to improve, new challenges.  As an introvert who treasures time alone in my studio, moving out, beyond the safety and comfort those walls provides an entirely new level of uneasiness. It's one thing to create a subpar painting no one will ever see. It is quite another to make the same bad painting in public. Strangers lurking behind you, watching... whispering... critiquing every brushstroke... questioning your subject selection, correcting your color choice... telling stories about themselves or their great aunt who was an artist....

Over the past month or so I have discovered several painters who I admire for a multitude of reasons. Many of them are almost exclusively plein air painters. So, I decided to do some research. I've read books, watched video demos and youtube tutorials, listened to dozens of interviews, subscribed to several blogs and many podcasts.  As it often happens, the more I learn, the more I realize how little I actually know.  

I don't have much experience with landscape painting and I'm working to improve some technical issues. But I think it’s good to have a baseline or starting point so we can see our growth. A recent family trip seemed like the perfect time to attempt some of the things I’ve learned over the past several weeks. So here is my baseline. 

One week left.... Are you in?

One week left before the drawing to determine who has won the first of three original art giveaways. One lucky newsletter subscriber will be randomly selected and as a thank you for sharing, I will also send a free set of notecards to the person who helped connect us. 

So don't miss your chance to win some free art. Make sure you are subscribed to the mailing list to receive special offers and giveaways, studio updates, and information about upcoming shows and exhibitions. This month's winner will be announced in the May 2015 Newsletter.

Please share this post with any art lovers in your life. Thanks again for all your support!

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A Not-So-Plein Day Painting

Admittedly it's been a long time, okay, a really long time since I've painted outside of a studio. I could count on both hands the number of times I've hauled around painting supplies to make work "on location." Maybe once or twice a semester during undergrad, my painting professor (who I adored) would have us schlep our crap around campus (see, I told you it has been a really long time) and we would spend the next couple hours "looking busy" but not making anything substantive.

Beautiful way to start the day.

I remember being told that "youth is wasted on young" and I have come to the conclusion that much of college is also wasted on the young. That painting professor I adored? He taught us how to build panels, stretch canvas, and showed us the occasional slideshow but I don't remember learning how to actually paint. I'm sure he was willing and tried to share his knowledge. Or maybe he was just waiting for us to ask. I realize more and more the chances I let slip away.  So many opportunities to question, to learn, and to improve... all wasted on youth.

No more. This fall I am attending a couple workshops (which I am excited beyond words about) that each require plein air experience and I hardly consider myself experienced in this type of painting, So in an effort to avoid humiliating myself, I've decided to get a little practice in before I travel across the country and embarrass everyone who knows and loves me. Besides, I figure I can embarrass myself just fine here on this blog. So stay tuned. 

After two days "in the field" here's what I know: it's really hard (read: nearly impossible) for me to work on only one painting at a time. Harder still? Trying to actually finish that one painting in one sitting.  Sure, I had similar issues during my 30 in 30 painting challenge but this plein air stuff takes it to a whole new level. If I got frustrated or stuck during my 30 in 30 paintings, I could walk away for a little bit. Not so when you're racing the clock and chasing the light. Once you start it, you're in it. 

Here's hoping my painting and my focus improve.

In Progress...